Does anybody know of something like this that you can buy off the shelf? It’s surprisingly hard to find. I want a retractable mic stand that mounts to the ceiling. I want to be able to just push it up when I’m not using it, and pull it down when I need it. I need quick access, but I don’t want to be hitting my head on in when it’s not in use.
But I’m thinking that it won’t itself up when gravity is working the opposite way than it’s designed to work. Also, I’d have to rig something up to be able to mount it on the ceiling without it falling off.
I think they usually work on springs, so if the mic isn’t heavy then upside down may not be much of a problem? I found a few lists which might give you some ideas. That one you posted is last (#10 of 10) on the first list. The other list is just NewEgg offerings.
The spring is pulling in the wrong direction though. It’s supposed to be counteracting gravity. If it’s upside down, the spring will be pulling it in the wrong direction. It might work ok if you tighten the screws enough, but I don’t want it to be slipping down all the time. I already have that scissor stand and it works just fine when mounted correctly, but mounting it upside down would also require rigging up something to hold it to the ceiling.
Another option is a straight stand with a joint that can just bend in half and hook onto itself when not in use.
Oh. wait. I think I can just hack saw a boom stand and just mount that to the ceiling. As long as it’s short enough to not hit my head when it’s retracted, that could easily work.
Ah, another option. I was thinking … does anything you use have to be mounted to the ceiling, or could it be mounted to a wall next to you? Maybe sideways wouldn’t affect the gravity thing as much?
The biggest problem I’ve seen with all of these scissor arm things is that the connection to the mount is gravity held, meaning it’s just a pin in a slot, so they can’t be mounted upside down without having to rig up something to hold it in place without falling.
I saw that thing too. My biggest fear with it is I’m worried about having such a long rigid pole being secured by such a small base. It seems like a leverage nightmare, but maybe it’s not as bad as I’m imagining.
It might be overkill, but you could modify a scissor arm one to include a linear actuator. A linear actuator would move it up and down, and gravity wouldn’t have to hold it. You could mount a switch on the wall for up-down-neutral and position it anywhere you liked.
The other list is just NewEgg offerings.
I guess in your locale you call it Yorkshire engineering?