Community Forums

andygaunt · 02-20-2020, 07:21 PM

Hi all,

New to this forum so first....hello!

We are soon going to be proud 2016 Anthem 44B owners (yay!) and have some upgrades we want to do. I wonder if anyone has any information on if it is possible to add a lift to the dinette area. We will be full timing and I am looking to add a TV lift that will incorporate a Vesa mounted iMac Pro for work. I don't want to see the desktop computer all the time but there are times I'll need it over a laptop for more heavy duty processing/rendering.

As an aside... I am excited to go through the 188 pages of Entegra updates that you have all done over the years and take inspiration from these. I'm planning on cataloging all these upgrades by area of coach so it's easy for me to analyze what we can do...and once I have that done I'll be sure to share the link to that Airtable/Trello board in that relevant post to hopefully be useful to any other Entegra owners when they are looking for specific upgrades such as Basement/Cab/Roof/Living etc.

Anywho... thanks for reading and hopefully chat with some of you soon.

Cheers

- Andy

bsaldeen · 02-21-2020, 06:16 AM

There's another post that covers this--one (respected) user's solution was a "Mantel Mount" TV Mount. Amazon has them (or you can get them direct).

MantelMount MM540 Enhanced Fireplace TV Mount Bracket for 44"-80"

here's the original post (where I learned about the MantelMount)

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f278/44b...et-432445.html

YMMV. It's on my list to do too.

Bonus: I've also read that you can (by using a mount) shift the subwoofer from the cabinet below the dining table to behind the TV, gaining some valuable cabinet space.

bsaldeen · 02-21-2020, 06:17 AM

and welcome! I'm pretty new too.

and Andy--some things as a new owner you might find helpful--

Spartan has regular training sessions at their factory in Michigan for Entegra owners. We're scheduled to be up there for it this summer. Everybody reports that it's super helpful.

Entegra also offers classes at their factory, some at "Homecoming" and some at regular classes called "Entegra University." Possibly something you might also want to look into. We're scheduled for "homecoming" but on a waiting list for the university.

and one other tip: there's a series of YouTube videos called "Tuesday with PJ" that's done by top tech guy at Entegra. The videos aren't exactly highly produced, but they're helpful. Here's the first one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZhbHQpE9xg

another series of videos that's helpful (sort of surprisingly) are sales videos done by "Angie" at NIRVC (big Entegra dealer). Angie does hour-long walk throughs of Entegras, and you'd be surprised the little tips and tidbits you can pick up from watching them. And not necessarily just the Anthem vids--take a look at the others too.

Good luck with it!

bevandtomH · 02-21-2020, 08:17 AM

We bought a 24” monitor for work as well, but now having second thoughts as to our needs.
In our 2014 Aspire 44b, the table slide would be an issue in putting a televator in there. Maybe it would work for you.
I am thinking about “hiding” the monitor behind the tv over the fire place. Looking for the correct style of brackets that would allow the monitor to pull out and swivel.
Don’t want to look at another black hole, especially one that takes up valuable real estate in front of the window.
BYW, welcome and congrats!

RubiconTrail · 02-21-2020, 08:30 AM

Welcome Andy, you sound ambitious! Not doubting, cheerleading

.

We aren't really TV watchers, so don't care if the TV is large or prominent. I've often thought of a TV lift behind the fireplace and putting an additional window in the coach where the TV is. So I'm watching this...

Driveby · 02-21-2020, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RubiconTrail

Welcome Andy, you sound ambitious! Not doubting, cheerleading

.

We aren't really TV watchers, so don't care if the TV is large or prominent. I've often thought of a TV lift behind the fireplace and putting an additional window in the coach where the TV is. So I'm watching this...

The Cornerstone 45Y does exactly that. Maybe you could just order the parts from Entegra and swap?

As a side note I think Entegra should do this for all B plans. More windows would be a good thing!

Driveby · 02-21-2020, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andygaunt

Hi all,

New to this forum so first....hello!

We are soon going to be proud 2016 Anthem 44B owners (yay!) and have some upgrades we want to do. I wonder if anyone has any information on if it is possible to add a lift to the dinette area. We will be full timing and I am looking to add a TV lift that will incorporate a Vesa mounted iMac Pro for work. I don't want to see the desktop computer all the time but there are times I'll need it over a laptop for more heavy duty processing/rendering.

As an aside... I am excited to go through the 188 pages of Entegra updates that you have all done over the years and take inspiration from these. I'm planning on cataloging all these upgrades by area of coach so it's easy for me to analyze what we can do...and once I have that done I'll be sure to share the link to that Airtable/Trello board in that relevant post to hopefully be useful to any other Entegra owners when they are looking for specific upgrades such as Basement/Cab/Roof/Living etc.

Anywho... thanks for reading and hopefully chat with some of you soon.

Cheers

- Andy

if you don't use it all that often, how about a quick release plate off wall bracket? Store the the iMac under bed when not in use. That wall storage is pretty valuable space IMHO. There are lots of wall mount Vesa systems that are adjustable and if you added a quick release you can just take off the big monitor and still see outside

hdgoldie · 02-21-2020, 08:03 PM

Can’t recall seeing that mod but I don’t know why it couldn’t be done. There’s room below to accommodate it. If you’re not planning on a DIY project, there’s several companies in different areas of the country that could probably handle it.

And welcome to the family and the forum.

photraveller · 02-21-2020, 08:23 PM

I use the main TV over the fireplace for my monitor. A tower desktop fits behind the TV just fine, with plenty of power underneath. Plus that area under the TV is perfect for storing the keyboard, mouse, and some work papers.

I realize it helps that we have a DEQ, so as I type this, I'm sitting in the recliner. However I've used the keyboard and mouse from the couch and it still works fine, unless you have to do fine work.

I've been pleasantly surprised at the color space and accuracy of the TV used as a monitor. I wouldn't use it in place of a high end color calibrated monitor, if I had the room, but it isn't too far off.

Steve

DeeGee · 02-21-2020, 08:53 PM

I bought a lift, intending to put the TV in my Aspire on it. Then I bought an Anthem instead. I now am planning on replacing the existing lift with the one I bought, as it is thinner front-to-back. I plan on replacing the entire cabinet and installing two more lifts into it, so the thinner design helps. It is a "Whisper Ride" lift. There are multiple models, with differing weight capacities, minimum and maximum heights. Go for it - it should be a fun project. I have to finish my replacement dinette table before I can tackle the cabinet project.

brobox · 02-22-2020, 05:03 AM

Steve, good idea. I was thinking of hanging the monitor on the blank wall by the refrigerator. That is a wasted wall on the "B" anyhow. You idea is already in place.

photraveller · 02-22-2020, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

Steve, good idea. I was thinking of hanging the monitor on the blank wall by the refrigerator. That is a wasted wall on the "B" anyhow. You idea is already in place.

That's a good idea too. Especially if you put it on a swing arm if you want to get it closer to you. Heck if you use a swing arm with portrait rotate you could probably fit a pretty large monitor on that wall without it sticking out past the refrigerator while driving.

In my case, I knew I wanted a full desktop PC, so my first step was finding the hiding hole for the PC. All that wasted space behind the TV was just too obvious of a place. So then I decide to give the TV a try as the monitor. 20K miles later (including the Alaskan Highway) and the PC doesn't move around at all with it's rubber feet and a homemade brace at the top.

The only issue I had was overscanning at first, where the TV didn't show my entire desktop. Put a cheap $30 graphics board in the PC that gave me the ability to adjust for overscanning and I was all set.

Another advantage of my setup, I setup a slideshow screen saver, so pictures of our travels rotate on the TV whenever we aren't watching TV or using the computer. So our TV is on almost all the time.

Steve

andygaunt · 02-22-2020, 02:29 PM

Thanks for the encouragement and feedback everyone. At this stage I am planning my upgrades ahead of getting the Anthem so will report back once I know more. I have a bunch of other questions too but don't want to hijack this specific thread so will start another and hopefully some of you very fine folk will have answers.

Cheers

- Andy

bsaldeen · 02-23-2020, 05:23 AM

Ugh! Completely misread the question. But, I do have a little experience with televators too. We put one in our 2006 Monaco Dip. This brand was easy to install, straightforward, and worked well:

https://www.tvliftcabinet.com/lift-mechanism

We did have a little problem with it, possibly Monaco related, and not the mechanism itself. As an option, the unit senses voltage drops on the receptacle you plug the TV into. The theory is, when you click on the TV's remote, the TV turns on, and when the TV turns on, the mechanism starts lifting the TV. Except that the electronics were too sensitive to voltage variations, and was always lifting the TV up randomly. There was a setting on the box to adjust the voltage-sensing threshold, but it wasn't enough. We ended up just raising the TV separately, then turning the TV on. Could be just the old Monaco.

FWIW the customer service rep at the company seems to be the owner of the company (and engineer of the device), so when you need tech support, he's knows his stuff.