Ergotron MX Desk Mount LCD Arm

This winter at the M-NCPPC Montgomery County (Md.) Park Police Communications Center, we installed and have been using Ergotron’s new MX Desk Mount LCD Arm. Released in November 2009, the specs say it can support any LCD monitor weighing 14-30 lbs. and is four inches or less thick. It comes with a five-year warranty.

The instructions are detailed, but easy to follow. I suggest you read the instructions prior to beginning installation — as opposed to as a last resort. It took 30 to 45 minutes—uninterrupted (this was a PSAP, after all) — to install. Four hands are necessary for parts of the process.

All necessary parts were in the package, including two types of brackets — grommet and clamp — to mount the arm to any secure surface. Caveats: 1) There’s a custom Allen wrench that’s tiny enough to be misplaced — store it where it won’t get lost; and 2) when it comes to tightening the tension on the arm with the wrench prior to usage, turn it until you can’t turn it any more for the best hold.

The MX Desk Mount LCD Arm has a relatively small footprint (see photo). If you have several monitors in proximity, you could use one arm for each, providing exponential configuration options. Ergotron even includes information on how to reduce computer monitor fatigue. The arm is a shiny metallic beauty of design and functionality that can position a monitor at virtually any angle.

After two full months of use, the staff and supervisors at my PSAP gave it rave reviews. The Ergotron MX Desk Mount LCD Arm is a fine solution to almost any foreseeable computer or television monitor display problem, easily mounting to any desktop, furniture, etc., in your comm center or office. Highly recommended.

About the Author
CJ Nash is a lead communications technician for the Montgomery County (Md.) Park Police and an APCO Editorial Advisory Committee member.

Orginially published in Public Safety Communications, 76(4):52, April 2010.