My Sprinter Photography Adventure Van Project: Computers and Computer Desk
Related: Mercedes Sprinter, NEC, NEC PA302W, NEC professional displays, Other World Computing, Thunderbolt, weather events
For the genesis of this project, see My Sprinter Photography Adventure Van Project.
The #1 key goal of my Sprinter photography adventure van is to be able to work as efficiently in the van up high in the mountains as I can at home. That means a computer desk with my wide gamut workhorse NEC PA302W 30" display, driven by an Apple iMac (preferred) or Apple Mac Pro or MacBook Pro, with battery power sufficient for two days. Along with OWC peripherals for storage and more. With that in place, I can shoot in the field and publish at downtime (bad light middle of the day, night, etc).
See Sprinter Van: Desk Computer Layout in my Sprinter photography adventure van section.
Below,the table as shown is just a rough mockup for the width I have available (about 44 inches) and depth (about 30 inches), using a real table I already have. The actual installed table might not even have an outer-left leg, or at least it will be inset more, with the inner legs bolted to the van wall to save space and for rigid support (I’ve asked for a table that supports 250 pounds). The front will be shaped in a way that allows ideal positioning and will also round-off the corners. Prior to the upfitting process though, an initial trial run with this rectangular table is what I'll use to check out the fit and placement of things. Then I will design just the curvature I want of the front edge of the table. The chair will of course by a quality swiveling chair, like the Herman Miller Aeron @AMAZON.
* Tip: solar is an expensive non solution the money being far better spent on a bigger battery, or a 2nd alternator or a underbody diesel generator.
As shown below, the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock provides a Mini DisplayPort port for connecting the NEC PA302W (Apple adapter does not function for that). The Thunderbolt 3 Dock provides a host of other ports as well, adding five USB-A ports in addition to the 4 USB-A ports on the iMac 5K itself.
