
Open-Source Controller for the IKEA Bekant Standing Desk - eeZah7Ux
https://blog.tindie.com/2019/01/megadesk-controller-ikea-bekant-standing-desk/
======
dbcurtis
Well, 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.

~~~
DataInSolutions
I also have a Skarsta. I got tired of hand cranking it and cut the crank's
shaft to approx 12" length, then attached a $10 electric drill to it.

Works great but the cheap drill is a bit noisy. At some point I may upgrade
that.

~~~
dbcurtis
Well, I'm getting a lot of comments from the motorized desk lovers here. I'll
hang my reply onto yours...

I think we have discovered how to sort sailors from power boaters :) For that
matter, I use a French press instead of a Keurig.... now pardon me while I
take the stairs as I step out for lunch :)

------
hardwaresofton
For 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/)

~~~
kev009
Agreed, buy once cry once. I expect mine will last me my professional career.

~~~
mswiss
yup 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.

------
sowbug
Off-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
Ikea 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/ik...](https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/1/7/18172043/ikea-
smart-blinds-kadrilj-fyrtur-tradfi-home-connected-wifi-homekit-alexa-price)

~~~
sowbug
Thanks for the tip. Looks like just what I had in mind.

------
whalesalad
Ikea'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.

~~~
strig
I 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.

~~~
georgefrick
I held off on the standing desk for a long time. When I saw the IKea Idasen, I
knew they had solved the wobble problem. The desk is awesome and more people
should consider it. I also specifically broke out the part numbers and only
bought the base. I put a Bamboo top on it.

My monitor does also wobble a bit with the cheap vesa mount I have (it's also
a ultra-wide). I'm still researching a proper arm to mount.

------
stetrain
Here's the github repo
[https://github.com/gcormier/megadesk](https://github.com/gcormier/megadesk)

------
driverdan
If 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
I 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
I 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 :)

------
alvarop
Couldn'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/)

------
post_break
Been 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
Yeah 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.

------
mixmastamyk
There'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
Other people have different mobility issues than you. Sitting in a stool with
their feet off the floor might not work for them.

~~~
daxelrod
Note 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.

------
SEJeff
This has received the infamous HN hug of death. Any chance anyone has a
working archive link?

~~~
sowbug
Whatever 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/)

~~~
rtkwe
Generally sticking a CDN automatically in front of any site posted isn't great
because you're taking away all the potential ad revenue and flattening any
dynamically generated elements to the site blindly.

~~~
sowbug
That wasn't the proposal. The proposal was to warm the CDN's cache.

------
anotherevan
As 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.

------
gcormier
Just 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
Mine is fine on carpet.

------
maddyboo
Bing cache of the page:
[http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=https%3a%2f%2fblog.tindie.c...](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)

------
abrichr
Does 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
The 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!

------
lurker213
The 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.

~~~
a2tech
Do you happen to have a link to the Alibaba supplier you bought from?

~~~
lurker213
[https://kaikin.en.alibaba.com/](https://kaikin.en.alibaba.com/)

------
crowbahr
500 Error: "Error establishing a database connection"

------
sammycdubs
I 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.

------
ashayh
The 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
From 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.

~~~
jandrese
But 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.

~~~
pjholmes
After 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?

------
protomok
Has 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.10042...](https://www.costco.ca/Tresanti-Adjustable-
Desk.product.100423106.html)

~~~
neomantra
I 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.

------
SEJeff
I wonder if this could be built with an esp8266 or esp32 instead of an
arduino.

~~~
tpetry
An esp32 would enable so much cool features. Like control by bluetooth/wifi,
apple homekit integration, ...

~~~
sorenjan
I 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
Think 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
While 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 :)

------
imagiko
Are there any desks that one has uses and really recommends? I'm not entirely
sold on motorized desks, so suggestions for mechanical ones?

~~~
Yen
It'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.

------
mykowebhn
I love my Bekant desk.

You can download a mobile app that can control the motor via Bluetooth, and it
has three memory settings.

~~~
whttheuuu
whats the app called?

~~~
mykowebhn
Desk 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.

------
notoriousjpg
A few reviews mention this table wobbles when its raised - buyer beware

------
xenophon
I'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
My BEKANT does not wobble at all.

~~~
jasode
The 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)

~~~
clairity
wait, so do you really believe that all the bekants, after assembly, are
perfectly identical so that the only remaining variable is the observer's
subjectivity?

~~~
jasode
_> you really believe that all the bekants, after assembly, are perfectly
identical so that the only remaining variable is the observer's subjectivity?_

They may not be identical but I think subjective detection/annoyance of a
wobble is the most likely difference because of the _physics_ of how the desk
is assembled.

If you're not familiar with the BEKANT desk, this video[0] shows what the
underside looks like. (Please note this is showing the BEKANT version that is
_motorized to adjust the standing positions_.)

You'll see there's not enough support mass, nor enough surface area of metal
cross bracing, etc to prevent it from wobbling -- especially at extended
heights of 39+ inches. Also notice that the braces are attached to the table
top using plastic push pins and not metal lag bolts.

To eliminate perceivable wobble would require increasing the 2 'T' posts to 4
corner posts -- or keeping 2 posts but make them more massive, etc.

But IKEA didn't have to do any of those more expensive engineering designs
because a significant number of buyers already praise it as having "no
wobble." This makes sense to me.

Some other possibilities for the conflicting observations:

(1) It's possible that some self-reports of "no wobble" are mainly using the
desk at sitting height instead of standing height.

(2) Maybe some users have it extended at standing desk but put in a corner so
there are 2 walls that stabilize it.

(3) They may be using the BEKANT version that's non-motorized and sitting-
height only. (That one has a different underside bracing geometry and also
more mass for more rigidity. I wouldn't expect this desk to wobble.)

This thread happens to be about "standing desks" and the comment people are
replying to is also talking about "standing desks". Therefore, I discounted
the 3rd possibility.

[0] deep link:
[https://youtu.be/lZ9VmpyXk6g?t=187](https://youtu.be/lZ9VmpyXk6g?t=187)

~~~
clairity
ok, but the facts you present don't really isolate the cause (i.e., rule out
other possibilities) of (the perception of) wobble.

you'd need to prove that all desks, when assembled by random people, have
largely similar wobble characteristics (or the much harder proof that wobble
varies with the perceptive tolerances of the observer). however, as you
allude, the engineers were constrained by ikea's affordability (cheap),
assembly (easy), and distribution (flat-pack) goals rather than precision
around wobble.

as for the engineering, it's not support mass or surface area you need (read
up on i-beams if this doesn't make immediate sense), but torsional rigidity at
the joints, particularly tighter tolerances around the connectors _when
assembled by random people_. torsional rigiditity in the spanning members is
needed too, but that's less likely to be the issue since it's a steel frame.

this is a simpler explanation for the observed phenomena (apply occam's razor
here). certainly more than one explanation might conjointly apply, but yours
is the more complicated explanation and thus implores more observation and
measurement.

~~~
jasode
_> this is a simpler explanation for the observed phenomena (apply occam's
razor here). certainly more than one explanation might conjointly apply, but
yours is the more complicated explanation and thus implores more observation
and measurement._

And I thought Occam's Razor as guidance made the basic physics of the joints
making _wobbling unavoidable_ was the simpler explanation. I think we have
different exposure to this product. I actually examined this desk at the
store. If you look at the pdf[0] of the assembly, you'll notice 2 bolts that
attach the pedestal to the posts. It doesn't matter how much one tightens the
bolts because when you extend the desk past 40 inches with a heavy weight on
the top (20+ pounds), that T joint will flex and deform. (See 1st video I
cited for example).

As analogy, here's example of unstable weight distribution on the end of a
joint (car and trailer):
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mW_gzdh6to](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mW_gzdh6to)

One doesn't need to examine 1000 different cars towing a heavy weight on the
back to determine that it's unstable and will fishtail. _The basic physics of
the configuration will make it fishtail._ That's the type of Occam's Razor I'm
using. Yes, there will be variances in how the trailer hitches were installed
to the vehicle, and also variances in the trailer ball diameter -- but those
are not the dominant factors. To continue the analogy, some drivers with
misconfigured weight distribution may _not notice any fishtailing_ because
they drove slower than 40 mph, or they didn't make any sudden steering
overcorrections etc. Same situation with some desk users reporting no wobble
by using it a shorter height, or placing it against the wall, or just not
subjectively noticing it.

If one makes a desk that lets people put 20+ pounds at the end of a 40-inch
extended pole that's attached to 2 bolts -- without triangle stiffeners, or
welds, or cross-bracing, or whatever, ...it's going to wobble at least little
bit. Based on hands-on experience with the desk, I contend the underlying
physics of the assembly design overwhelms any deviations in manufacturing
tolerances. Or put another way, if we consider the entire Gaussian
distribution of manufacturing variances, _all_ of the desk samples will still
exhibit wobble to some degree as shown in the 1st Youtube video. Some may
wobble less; some may wobble more. E.g. the telescoping cylinders (not CNC
milled) that the users _do not assemble_ may have variances that add to the
total wobble.

I noticed others in this thread mentioned that the newer IKEA model IDASEN
"solves" the wobble. (Or minimizes it.) If we look at its alternative
design[1], lo and behold, we see that desk has added diagonal bars on the legs
for extra support. Yes, it makes sense that structural triangles are stronger
and stiffer than just 2 bolts fastening a T joint of the BEKANT.

[0] [https://www.ikea.com/us/en/assembly_instructions/bekant-
sit-...](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/assembly_instructions/bekant-sit-stand-
underframe-for-table-top__AA-1006415-7_pub.pdf)

[1]
[https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S29280934/](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S29280934/)

