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Open-Source Controller for the IKEA Bekant Standing Desk
- SEJeff 8y agoThis has received the infamous HN hug of death. Any chance anyone has a working archive link?
- WrtCdEvrydy 8y agoGive it a good 1-2 hours and bookmark it in the meanwhile.
- peterwwillis 8y agoProduct link: https://www.tindie.com/products/gcormier/megadesk/ https://www.tindie.com/products/gcormier/megadesk/ Reddit link: https://www.reddit.com/r/arduino/comments/87cqz9/megadesk_a_custom_fully_functional_ikea_bekant/ https://www.reddit.com/r/arduino/comments/87cqz9/megadesk_a_... Github link: https://github.com/gcormier/megadesk https://github.com/gcormier/megadesk
- sowbug 8y agoWhatever happened to The Coral Cache? It seemed like such a great idea, but I have a 0% success rate with it. I suppose I've answered my own question, but did it ever work? Am I using it wrong? And if it's simply that it can't fetch overwhelmed sites any better than we can, then could we help it by pinging it automatically for any link submitted to HN, enabling it to populate its cache before the hordes arrive? http://www.coralcdn.org/ http://www.coralcdn.org/
- crowbahr 8y ago500 Error: "Error establishing a database connection"
- alvarop 8y agoCouldn't find an archive link, but the product page works and has the description: https://www.tindie.com/products/gcormier/megadesk/ https://www.tindie.com/products/gcormier/megadesk/
- stetrain 8y agoHere's the github repo https://github.com/gcormier/megadesk https://github.com/gcormier/megadesk
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- SEJeff 8y agoI wonder if this could be built with an esp8266 or esp32 instead of an arduino.
- tpetry 8y agoAn esp32 would enable so much cool features. Like control by bluetooth/wifi, apple homekit integration, ...
- SEJeff 8y agoMy thoughts exactly! Basically anything you can do with an arduino you can do better and cheaper with esp*. It also gives you some interesting benefits (with the esp32 especially)
- sorenjan 8y agoI can't think of any reason to control my desk over the internet or via Bluetooth. If I'm not at my desk I don't care how high it is, if I'm at the desk and want to change it a button is much more convenient than using my phone.
- tpetry 8y agoThink about a button on your desktop to move the desk at a predefined height for standing. It‘s more easily comfigurable than the hijacked ikea bekant buttons to support more logic by different type of presses.
- gcormier 8y agoWhile I agree Wi-Fi would enable other methods of control, the megadesk is designed to do exactly what you suggested.. store and load pre-defined positions by different types of presses :)
- tucosan 8y agoI can think of two from the top of my head: - Let's say you work in a shared office environment with a hot desk policy. Storing the configurations on the board will become unwieldy once more than one person stores her configuration on the board. - I personally would love to automate my desk to move to a specific position at preset intervals. This would be mostly to force me to change positions throughout the day. I tend to forget to do that. I'm sure people would come with all kinds of different use cases you and I can't think of right now.
- maddyboo 8y agoBing cache of the page: http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=https%3a%2f%2fblog.tindie.com%2f2019%2f01%2fmegadesk-controller-ikea-bekant-standing-desk%2f&d=2941862377071&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=gsivnn1fd-dA5zvld36746bQ5CFvtez6 http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=https%3a%2f%2fblog.tindie.c...
- dbcurtis 8y agoWell, on the one hand, it is great to have a replacement for the original controller. At a previous employer I had a Bekant with the stock controller, and those darn things are dreadfully unreliable. We had enough of those desks to get good reliability statistics... and the statistics are awful. So an open source replacement is great. That said: Who the heck needs a motorized desk????? When it came to spending my own money, I got an IKEA Skarsta... essentially the same desk but with a hand crank, for half the price. Yes, you can buy two sit/stand hand-crank desks with a reliable mechanism for the cost of one motorized desk with a P.O.S. controller. Or you can do what I did, use the money saved to buy the most gigantic monitor I could find, which improves my productivity much more than the difference between a motorized versus hand crank desk mechanism. EDIT to add: In fact, I am pretty sure you can buy just the Skarsta hand crank mechanism. The next time I do a desk for myself, I will probably buy the leg mechanism and cut a custom-shape table top from some 3/4" cabinet ply.
- PascLeRasc 8y agoCan the hand crank remember favorite positions? That's the big value add of this controller.
- tinus_hn 8y agoMotorized desks are for flexible working places. People need to change their desks to the right height before starting to work and they are more likely to do so if it is easier.
- jjeaff 8y ago
- ashayh 8y agoThe Bekant motorized desk is a terrible product with bad ratings on Ikeas own site. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49022538/ https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49022538/ Does this project fix any of the underlying issues.
- wl 8y agoFrom the product page: > Why are there so many negative reviews for the BEKANT sit/stand desks? > In 2016, IKEA identified a batch of BEKANT sit/stand desk Power Supply Units and underframes that stopped working after some time. The faults were related to a production flaw. This problem has since been addressed and fixed, so all new BEKANT sit/stand desks and underframes will not have this issue. So they claim the issue is fixed. I'd rather just spend the money for some desk made with Linak actuators.
- strig 8y agoThe new Ikea Idasen desks have Linak motors.
- jandrese 8y agoBut did they go back and fix the flaw on the desks people had already bought? That seems like a crucial point to calibrate how much I'm going to trust this company with my money.
- dragonwriter 8y agoThey have a 10 year warranty, and the problem was publicly identified as a manufacturing defect. So, yeah.
- pjholmes 8y agoAfter being on hold for long periods, I did receive another power supply and controller. It worked for a few days and then I had the same problem all over again. I have not contacted them again - dreading the wait time. How much would you trust a company that replaces defective parts with defective parts?
- imagiko 8y agoAre there any desks that one has uses and really recommends? I'm not entirely sold on motorized desks, so suggestions for mechanical ones?
- whttheuuu 8y agoIkea makes a hand crank model called the Skarstra. Take it from someone who has owned 2 hand crank desks and recently bought a motorized one - spend the extra money to get the motor. Cranking ur desk up and down multiple times a day every day gets old fast.
- Yen 8y agoIt's very much not-cheap, but I really like my https://www.humanscale.com/products/product.cfm?group=float https://www.humanscale.com/products/product.cfm?group=float Rather than being motorized or cranked, the desk's weight is counterbalanced with springs/pneumatics, similar to a garage door. Adjusting the desk is faster and easier than either a motorized or hand-cranked solution, and is completely non-electronic. The particular desk I linked is quite expensive, there may exist cheaper knockoffs that I'm unaware of. I'm surprised I don't see more counterbalance type sit-stand desks, they're significantly more convenient.
- post_break 8y agoI have two jarvis desks. The extended reach ones. So far they have been excellent. Used for over a year now.
- georgefrick 8y agoI use and recommend the new Ikea Idasen.(https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S29280934/ https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S29280934/) I put a different top on it though (a bamboo one)
- STRiDEX 8y agoI picked up a used motorized by Autonomous on craigslist. Really sturdy, no problems so far up and down every day for 6 months, good controls. Its the dual motor seen on amazon here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YET9M84/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YET9M84/
- whalesalad 8y agoIkea's standing desks aren't that great. They wobble a lot and then anything attached to it wobbles too. Still looking for the perfect heavy-duty standing desk and heavy-duty VESA arm combo. I don't want anything on my desk moving unless I am moving it myself. To put it this way: if a desk is $500 and wobbles slightly (meaning if I touch the desk or type, my coffee jiggles and waves are seen) or is $1000 and the desk does not transmit any energy from my keyboard into anything else ... I will pay the extra $500 without even batting an eye.
- rubicon33 8y agoTake a look at https://www.autonomous.ai https://www.autonomous.ai They offer the option to buy JUST the legs, and you can mount your own top. I went that route. Bought the legs with the strongest motor (can support 300lbs) and put a nice heavy desktop on there with a vesa mounted 34" curved monitor. It's pretty damn sturdy. I never notice any wobble with normal use and I usually have it pretty high up.
- skizm 8y ago+1 for autonomous. I bought the standard one offered on their site for $300 and I have two vesa mounted monitors and a desktop tower on my desk. Nothing wobbles. Extremely stable. Very satisfied with the setup.
- twothumbsup 8y agoWe have "UpliftDesk" standing desks and they seem pretty solid. I haven't used it standing but I can't wiggle the desk up/down at all.
- sscotth 8y agoI have an uplift desk frame with 4 legs and using my own desktop made from my parents old dinner table. Perfectly stable.
- strig 8y agoI just picked up one of their new Idasen desks. It's a lot sturdier than their previous ones that I've seen. I get minimal wobbling of the desk surface at full height, but my monitors do still wobble a bit. At normal desk height there's no wobble. I think most of the wobble comes from the cheaper VESA mount, if I'd gotten a more rigid one it would be better but I wanted more flexibility in arranging the monitors.
- abrichr 8y agoDoes this controller fix the design flaw that seems to make this desk break down after few months? The Bekant has an overall 2 out of 5 stars on Ikea's own website. From https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49022538/ https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49022538/: > We have 8 of these desk in our office. At first they were used a lot of standing, the use has lessen some, but the problem is the power source that allows them to go up and down has gone out on 6 of them. Ikea has replaced them, but not sure what will happen when the 365 days warranties expire. I would recommend a standing desk just not this brand.
- markgreene 8y agoThe 2/5 star rating is a shame to me, because this has not been my experience. The warranty is 10 years, not 1 year. The reviewer is mistaken about that. I've owned a Bekant Standing Desk for 3 years, and used it every day without incident. I recommend it to anyone in the market for a standing desk!
- lorenzhs 8y agoNo that’s the PSU block. It broke on 2/3 desks in our office within two years or so. Ikea will replace it if it breaks (10yr warranty as another commenter noted).
- equalunique 8y agoMultiple sources solve this problem by acquiring an OEM power supply: https://www.david-merrick.com/2017/12/09/how-to-replace-the-power-supply-on-the-ikea-bekant/ https://www.david-merrick.com/2017/12/09/how-to-replace-the-... https://g13g.blog/2017/05/16/workaround-for-ikea-bekant-sitstand-desks/ https://g13g.blog/2017/05/16/workaround-for-ikea-bekant-sits...
- hardwaresofton 8y agoFor those who can afford it, the Uplift Desk[0] is the best desk I've ever used -- very sturdy and there's even a reclaimed wood option. Huge sizes available (if you're into lots of table space) and the resale value is pretty decent (to other nerds/people who want lots of nice looking desk space). Also never had a problem with the motor/setup. You can often order them through local office supply mom & pops IIRC -- was one of my favorite purchases. [0]: https://www.upliftdesk.com/ https://www.upliftdesk.com/
- magic_beans 8y agoBut how much does it cost? I don't see a price anywhere.
- gpm 8y agoPrices seem to be here: https://www.upliftdesk.com/adjustable-height-desks/ https://www.upliftdesk.com/adjustable-height-desks/ Right now everything is marked down, and prices are $500 - $2300, mostly towards the lower end. If the non-marked down prices are usually real and not just a questionable advertising gimmick, $900 - $4300.
- kev009 8y agoAgreed, buy once cry once. I expect mine will last me my professional career.
- mswiss 8y agoyup i have one its amazing! I did the same thing with my chair, bought a herman miller aeron. They were both expensive but make working so much more comfortable and should last a long time.
- rhinoceraptor 8y agoIf only I could convince my boss of that...
- conradk 8y ago
- post_break 8y agoBeen using a Jarvis desk for a few years, have one at work and the exact same model at home. Can definitely recommend them. They aren't wobbly at standing either. My friend had the ikea one and it was such a pain getting warranty stuff since they wanted him to haul the thing back to the store over an hour away.
- learc83 8y agoYeah the thing I like about Jarvis is that they don't get wobbly near the limit of their extension like some of the other standup desks I've seen. I'm 6'5" and I have a thick anti-fatigue mat, so I have to raise it very high. On top of that I also have a 42" TV on a monitor arm and an attached keyboard tray, and still no wobble.
- protomok 8y agoHas anyone tried the Tresanti standing desk which is sold at Costco? It seemed pretty sturdy and reasonably priced at $400 CAD ($300 USD) EDIT: link - https://www.costco.ca/Tresanti-Adjustable-Desk.product.100423106.html https://www.costco.ca/Tresanti-Adjustable-Desk.product.10042...
- neomantra 8y agoI bought that for my home and two for my office -- Costco had it for $300 USD in the warehouse (I see $400 USD online). Maybe cheaper in Canada because it is a Canadian distributor, it is made in China. A few weeks after purchase, I waited at Costco for new tire installation and worked on my laptop for a few hours. I evangelized standing desks and this product many times while there. It has very high build quality, especially for the price. The glass is nice and strong, the metal is sturdy, and it doesn't wobble. The setup was super easy, the three integrated charging USB ports are very handy -- too bad no USB-C though. It has presets and a nice little integrated LED. I put my 75 pound kid on it moving up and down with no problem. I have not cracked open the controller and open-sourced the breakdown. I used an Uplift for many years; it was nice too and good wood and a bit larger at ~$750. But if you like the modern look, the product and the price is great.
- martin 8y agoYep, I've had it for about 2 years. Biggest complaints are that the buttons are on top and easy to press by accident (although there's a lock button on the side), and the lowest setting isn't low enough for me (5'8"). All that said, I think it's great for the price. I'm thinking about upgrading to a big ol' Uplift Desk because I want to get an under-desk treadmill with enough room for a chair next to it.
- beatgammit 8y agoI've heard good things and I played with it at Costco, and it seemed solid enough. I didn't get it because it just wasn't big enough. My wife has the Skarsta, which is a good size, though it doesn't have a motor. I've heard the Becant has problems with the motor, so I didn't get that. I'm still in the market for a decent, reasonably priced (under $500 preferably) motorized desk, but it needs to be serviceable (I want to be able to replace the motor or desk top without sending it in).
- mixmastamyk 8y agoThere's no need to buy an expensive moving desk, simply buy a tall desk and tall chair, then get off it when you'd like to stand. If there's a wobbling problem push it against the wall, with Patrull corner protectors or similar.
- anotherevan 8y agoOther people have different mobility issues than you. Sitting in a stool with their feet off the floor might not work for them.
- daxelrod 8y agoNote that there are a variety of adjustable-height footstools for resting your feet at a natural position while your seat is elevated. I mention this because it increases the range of ergonomic possibilities. Mobility issues may still prevent someone from hoisting themselves up onto a high seat, so your point still stands.
- mixmastamyk 8y agoNope, not a stool. The chair includes a footrest, and the desk has several cross beams that can be used as well.
- gcormier 8y agoJust got 2 orders and was wondering if there was a mistake, and then someone opened an issue referencing HN, and here we are! :) I've had my Bekant for a while now, I find it very sturdy, and I have a 27" monitor on an Ergotron LX arm and no issues with wobbling. Sure, there is movement when moving up and down... but I am also on hardwood, I can't imagine it would be great on carpet.
- tonyedgecombe 8y agoMine is fine on carpet.
- sowbug 8y agoOff-topic, but hoping this is the right group of DIY folks who can steer me in the right direction. I'd really like to automate some of the windowshades in my house. My two use cases are opening bedroom shades at sunrise, and closing living-room shades at times during the day when direct sun would heat up the room too much. Every time I've looked into it, there's a wide gap between DIY projects that are labors of love (i.e., probably not usable or repairable by anyone but the creator), or else high-end, proprietary "solutions" that have only "Get A Quote Now" buttons on their websites. Is there something in between where I can take a commodity shade, a commodity motor, a power source, and a controller of some kind that has a community around it, and then connect Alexa or Google Home?
- rhinoceraptor 8y agoIkea is releasing a series of smart blinds[1] in a couple months, compatible with HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home. They're supposed to be ~$100 per shade. 1: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/1/7/18172043/ikea-smart-blinds-kadrilj-fyrtur-tradfi-home-connected-wifi-homekit-alexa-price https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/1/7/18172043/ik...
- sowbug 8y agoThanks for the tip. Looks like just what I had in mind.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- underbluewaters 8y agoI know you are looking for DIY, but I ended up getting Lutron Serena shades and they are really great. When I compared the cost of standard custom shades vs something with built-in automation it wasn't that big of a cost difference. Custom shades are always just damn expensive with or without motors. They have a 20% off sale very regularly if you order online, which I found my local big-box hardware store would match.
- 8y ago
- xenophon 8y agoI'm the co-founder of an office furniture startup called Bureau (www.bureauwork.com) and thought I'd chime in here. By far the most frequent complaint that came up in our research about cheaper standing desks is their tendency to wobble, along both the front-back axis as well as the side-to-side axis. Generally, there are four reasons a standing desk will wobble: 1) Frame materials: I'd highly recommend a steel frame for stability. You trade off against weight and some added complexity in assembly, but the desktop will be way more stable across both axes. 2) Lift columns. A three-stage lift is more stable than a two stage lift for a given height--the stages overlap and support each other through a greater portion of the length. 3) Fasteners. The frame-to-feet connectors are most critical, and DIY installations are often under-torqued here. If you're building a standing desk yourself, tighten that bolt as much as you can. 4) Adjustable feet: Most floors are slightly uneven. A quality standing desk will let you screw the feet up and down to compensate for your floor. We sell our standing desk for $850. Def more expensive than many of the options discussed here, but the incremental cost flows through directly to design, materials and ultimately stability, which we felt was a trade worth making. Beyond our line, we're big fans of the Herman Miller Renew, which is unfortunately priced well beyond reach for most but a really great piece of furniture. If you have any questions about choosing a standing desk, feel free to DM me.
- st3fan 8y agoMy BEKANT does not wobble at all.
- tonyedgecombe 8y agoMine is rock solid as well.
- jasode 8y agoThe conflicting anecdotes of "wobble" vs "no wobble" of the BEKANT desk in this thread are fascinating. Last year, I played around with the BEKANT standing desk on display at the IKEA store and (in my perception) it wobbled. It's the same type of wobble that a youtuber demonstrated[0]. There are others in this thread that complain about wobble.[1] And yet some people say there's no wobble -- and I believe them. My attempted explanation to reconcile the Schrodinger's Cat dual reality is that people must have a different threshold for sensing a noticeable wobble. Is the dress blue or white? Does the BEKANT desk wobble or not wobble? Depends on the observer. [0] deep link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3sYS0xUq1E&t=230 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3sYS0xUq1E&t=230 [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19020722 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19020722
- lurker213 8y agoThe standing desk I have is super solid, I went onto alibaba and ordered two frames directly from the manufacturer, in total I paid about NZD$300 including shipping for each of them, I bought a benchtop, put a nice edge on it with a router and then oiled it. currently have a 27" imac and a 27" monitor on a vesa mount and no wobble whatsoever. I highly recommend going this route, far cheaper than a premade product. The electronics are a bit chinese, but they work fine. edit: just looking at the uplift desk, I think it was the same manufacturer they use, as my frame looks exactly the same, and the weight loadings are the same.
- driverdan 8y agoIf you're going to have a standing desk at home I recommend building one that's fixed height. A fixed height desk will be much more stable and allows you to have storage underneath. If you want to sit use a drafting chair or stool. There are a number of designs that require minimal skill and tools. The first one I built used parts from Ikea and only required a drill and some hand tools. It looked great, had a ton of storage, and cost under $400.
- TaylorAlexander 8y agoI got the IKEA Bekant sit/stand L desk and I’ve been really satisfied with it. I alternate between computer chair and standing and don’t think a stool would provide enough comfort for me.
- warp 8y agoI had a carpenter build a desk for me at my preferred height, and use a stool when I don't want to stand. The stool not providing enough comfort is a plus for me, as it naturally makes me to switch between standing and sitting throughout the day. Additionally, the stool doesn't provide any back support, which has been great for me to force a better posture and get rid of back pain. (I probably still end up sitting 70% to 80% of my day, but that's good enough for me :)
- darkerside 8y agoI've managed to divide my desk up into half-sit/half-stand, and I've made it easy to move my work from one to the other. If I had to "adjust" my workstation every time I wanted to stand up, I don't think I'd often do it. I don't want to devote anything more than muscle memory to a task like that while I'm working.
- sammycdubs 8y agoI was completely blown away by the Fully Jarvis (https://www.fully.com/ https://www.fully.com/). Mine worked out to ~$500, took all of 5 minutes to set up and has been completely rock solid. It's super customizable, and the quality has been really excellent so far (especially the bamboo top). I dig that they're a B corp too.
- mykowebhn 8y agoI love my Bekant desk. You can download a mobile app that can control the motor via Bluetooth, and it has three memory settings.
- whttheuuu 8y agowhats the app called?
- mykowebhn 8y agoDesk Control by a company called Linak. It's not the best app--I keep having to reconnect via the bluetooth--but for the price of the Bekant, and knowing I don't change heights often, it works for me.
- mykowebhn 8y agoMy bad. I was confusing two different desks. The one I have is the IKEA Idasen desk, not the Bekant. Sorry for any confusion.
- anotherevan 8y agoAs much of the discussion has diverged from the post to standing desks in general, I thought I would throw in my own anecdotes. I got a standing desk frame in 2014 and added my own desktop and monitor stands. You can see what I did here: https://www.michevan.id.au/posts/sit-stand-desk/ https://www.michevan.id.au/posts/sit-stand-desk/ I've found it to be really good for me. I tend to sit most of the time, but stand while working for an hour in the morning, and an hour in the afternoon. (Little "Stand" and "Sit" reminders pop-up on my computer to keep my on schedule.) It would be nice to have position memory like the controller in the post offers, but is not a big issue (given this is not a shared desk). A nice-to-have but not a deal-breaker. If you are going to adjust the height regularly, motorized is the way to go. You want to eliminate any disincentive that makes it that little bit harder and makes you think, "I wont bother today." Cranking a handle included. A standing desk with a "tall chair" isn't that ergonomically friendly as your feet are either hanging or on the little foot stand of the chair (if there is one). I like to be able to vary my position more than that to remain comfortable. Side-note: I also have a presence sensor on my desk - https://www.michevan.id.au/posts/are-you-there/ https://www.michevan.id.au/posts/are-you-there/ - which includes a switch to tell if the desk is in sitting position or not. In theory I could collect data on how much time I spend at my desk and in what configurations, but I still haven't got around to properly setting up my MQTT server and such.
- notoriousjpg 8y agoA few reviews mention this table wobbles when its raised - buyer beware