The ErgoDesk Lab

Quick Answer: Clean the lifted strip and the edge, then reglue it with contact cement and tape it flat while it cures. Thin wood veneer banding can often be ironed down. The banding is thin wood veneer or paper-thin and flexible: Use Fix A to iron it back down The banding is plastic, or ironing didn't hold: Use Fix B to reglue it with contact cement The banding is cracked or missing, or the board is swollen: Check in Step 1

Quick Answer: Lower your seat and the desk together a little so your knees pass under the crossbar. If it sits well forward, remount the frame further back. Your knees just touch it, and you can sit a little lower: Use Fix A to rebalance seat and desk height The crossbar sits well forward under the desktop: Use Fix B to move the frame back Neither leaves enough room, or you're not sure: Measure in Step 1

Quick Answer: Take heavy items off and clear anything touching the desk, then press up. If it still only clicks, unplug it and reseat every cable at the control box. Clicks with your full setup on it, or something touches the desk: Lighten and free the desk. Use Fix A to clear the load and the blockage Clicks even when the desk is empty and clear: Check the power and leg cables. Use Fix B to reseat the cables One leg hums while the other is silent, or a code shows: Find which part stops first. Start with Step 1 to find the stuck leg

Quick Answer: Unplug the desk, reseat its power, leg, and keypad cables, and plug it back in. If E01 stays, run the reset your control box lists for that code. E01 appeared after a power cut or after unplugging the desk: Use Fix A to reseat the power and cables first Cables are tight and E01 is still showing: Use Fix B to run the reset for your control box You don't know what E01 means on your desk: Identify the control box in Step 1

Quick Answer: Mark both legs with tape and recheck them after a few hours under load. If it sinks only when fully loaded, lighten the load; if one leg sinks, service it. Both legs drop the same, but only with your full setup on the desk: Use Fix A to bring the load within the rating One leg drops more than the other, or the desk drops even when nearly empty: Use Fix B to check the mounting and service the drive You haven't measured it yet: Mark and measure both legs in Step 1

Quick Answer: Press down on each desk corner to find the one that rocks, then lower that foot with its leveler or a firm shim until all four feet touch the floor. Your desk has screw-in leveling feet: Use Fix A to adjust the short corner's foot No adjustable feet, and the rock stays in one spot on the floor: Use Fix B to shim the short foot The same corner is short wherever you move the desk: Find the cause in Step 1

Quick Answer: Push the desktop side to side and watch the leg joints. Tighten any joint that moves first; if the joints are tight and it still sways, add a brace. A joint opens and closes as you push: the fastener is loose. Use Fix A to tighten the leg joints Joints stay tight but the frame leans like a parallelogram: the frame needs triangulation. Use Fix B to brace the frame One foot lifts, or you're not sure where it moves: Run the push test in Step 1

Quick Answer: Check the desk reaches its rated lowest height, since a set limit can stop it early. If it does, raise your chair with a footrest or lower the keys. It stops above its rated minimum: Use Fix A to clear the lower limit It reaches its minimum but is still too high for you: Use Fix B to raise your seat with a footrest Raising the chair jams your knees, or you're not sure: Measure in Step 1

Quick Answer: Find which part is rattling, the base, its contents, or the steel panel, and quiet that part; padding under the magnet weakens its hold. The base clicks or rocks against the desk: Seat it flat on clean steel. Use Fix A to restore flat magnetic contact The base stays still, but its contents or cables rattle: Separate the parts that tap. Use Fix B to stop attached parts chattering The base sits flat, but the metal panel buzzes or rings: Move to stiffer steel. Use Fix C to move off the ringing panel Not sure where the sound starts: Test with the mount off, then on. Start with Step 1 to find what's rattling

Quick Answer: Clean the rubber pad and the desk where it grips, or replace a worn pad, on a flat, sound spot; tightening harder won't fix either cause. The pad looks intact and the desktop is flat: Clean both surfaces first. Use Fix A to clean and reseat the pad The pad is torn, missing, flattened, or sliding off its seat: Replace it with the correct part. Use Fix B to fit a compatible replacement pad The clamp sits on a sloped edge, rocks, or dents the desktop: Change where it mounts. Use Fix C to move the clamp to a suitable surface Not sure whether the clamp or the arm is moving: Check before taking anything apart. Start with Step 1 to find what moves

Quick Answer: Even out the load and clear anything the desk could catch on before trying again; reset only if your manual says to for the error shown. It stopped after you added heavy gear on one side: Fix the load first. Use Fix A to even out the load The display asks for a reset: Check the reset conditions first. Use Fix B to reset by the manual One leg won't move or the tilt grows: Stop moving it. Use Fix C to check connections and get service

Quick Answer: Move the heaviest items inward over the desk's feet and as low as they can go; a desk tips around its feet, not its desktop edges. Not sure where the risk is: Map the feet first. Start with Step 1 to mark the support outline Monitors swing out on arms: Bring them in. Use Fix B to shorten arm reach The total load is over the desk's limit or unknown: Rearranging won't fix it. Use Fix C to take load off

Quick Answer: Shift the tray so its screws bite fresh, solid board. If it has to stay where it is, fit threaded inserts in sound board rather than packing the old holes. Not sure what is spinning: Empty the tray and check by hand. Start with Step 1 The tray can move a little: Put the screws in fresh holes. Use Fix A to shift the tray The tray must stay put, and the board is sound: Give the screws metal threads. Use Fix B to fit threaded inserts The board crumbles, or the top is hollow: Stop using screws there. Use Fix C for a clamp-on or frame tray

Quick Answer: Take the PC down, then remount the holder in fresh, sound MDF or fit threaded inserts there; if the board is torn or swollen, use a floor stand. Not sure how bad the damage is: Inspect each hole and weigh the load. Start with Step 1 to check the board The board is sound a short way from the old holes: Move the holder. Use Fix A to refit in fresh MDF The holder must stay put and the board around it is sound: Reinforce the holes. Use Fix B to fit threaded inserts The MDF is swollen, cracked, or torn across holes: Get the PC off the desk. Use Fix C to move the PC

Quick Answer: Move the clamp closer to where the mic hangs and give its cable slack; a long reach and a tugging cable twist a boom clamp loose. Not sure what's moving: Watch the clamp and the swivel. Start with Step 1 to find what moves It slips only at full reach: Cut the lever. Use Fix A to shorten the reach The cable pulls tight as you move the mic: Free it. Use Fix B to give the cable slack It slips at any reach, or the edge doesn't suit the clamp: Fix the grip. Use Fix C to restore the grip or use a stand

Quick Answer: Move the monitor mounts over or next to a frame support; if the back edge still dips, add a stiffener that spans from support to support. Not sure the edge is really sagging: Measure it loaded and unloaded. Start with Step 1 to measure the dip The mounts sit midway between supports: Move them. Use Fix A to shift the load No mount spot sits near a support: Add one under the edge. Use Fix B to add a rear stiffener The edge stays bent with the monitors off: It's permanently deformed. Use Fix C to replace or relieve the top

Quick Answer: If your desk is thinner than the clamp's minimum, reset the jaw to its thin-desk position or fit the maker's spacer; don't stack homemade shims. Not sure your desk is below the range: Measure it first. Start with Step 1 to measure the desk The clamp has another jaw position, or seems damaged: Set it up correctly. Use Fix A to reset or repair the jaw No setting or spacer reaches: Change the clamp. Use Fix C to switch mounts

Quick Answer: Clamp along a stretch of edge clear of the lip or apron; if there's none, use the arm maker's deeper bracket or a grommet, not a spacer. Not sure what's blocking the clamp: Measure the edge. Start with Step 1 to measure the lip or apron The apron stops or has a gap somewhere: Clamp there. Use Fix A to clamp past it It runs the full length, but the maker sells a deeper bracket: Reach past it. Use Fix B for the deeper bracket Nothing reaches past it: Mount another way. Use Fix C for a grommet or stand

Quick Answer: Use whichever mount sits on solid, supported desk; a C-clamp on a sound edge holds as well as a grommet through a sound, well-placed hole. Not sure which spot is better: Compare both against their kits. Start with Step 1 to check each spot The edge is flat, solid, and near a frame support: Keep the clamp. Use Fix A to keep the C-clamp The edge is blocked or weak but a hole sits in solid desk: Switch. Use Fix B to use the grommet Neither spot is solid and supported: Take the load off the desk. Use Fix C for independent support

Quick Answer: Slide the clamp along the edge to a gap in the frame rail, or fit a low-profile bracket; never let the clamp tighten against the rail. Not sure which part hits: Dry-fit it with the arm off. Start with Step 1 to find the collision The rail has an open stretch somewhere: Mount there. Use Fix A to slide to a gap Only the handle or bracket body hits: Change the hardware. Use Fix B for low-profile parts The rail runs the whole edge: Mount through the desk instead. Use Fix C for a grommet or stand