IKEA Adjustable Desk: This Hack Makes Height Adjustments A Breeze
Meet Matthias, an IKEA hacker who found a brilliant solution to a work-from-home woe: sharing a standing desk and limited patience for constant adjustments.
Matthias’ creation, aptly named LYFT, tackles the annoyance of switching desk positions between users. LYFT utilizes a modifiable IKEA adjustable desk and custom-designed hardware and software.
The Inspiration Behind The BEKANT Desk Controller
“During the pandemic, my wife and I agreed to a shared desk policy while working at our home office,” Matthias explained. “After a few days, it became quite annoying to change desk positions whenever we took turns on our single working desk. I was seeking a solution to make desk rotation more convenient for us. LYFT is the result of this project.”
Building LYFT: A Labor of Love
Crafting the hardware and software components took Matthias six months, but the effort was well worth it.
The Best of LYFT
Matthias highlights two key features that make LYFT remote controls superior to the one provided with the BEKANT electric standing desk:
Pre-defined desk positions: No more fiddling with the height control. Simply select your preferred sitting or standing position. You can save up to four different desk positions and access them easily using the memory buttons.
Automatic driving mode: This innovative feature lets you move the desk without constantly holding a button.
Conquering the Challenge
The most significant hurdle for Matthias was figuring out how the BEKANT desk’s motors communicate. “Figuring out how the motors are controlled, which bus protocol is used, and which commands are sent to make the motors move was the hardest part of this BEKANT hack. Also, a shoutout to Greg Cormier, who researched and provided his findings on GitHub,” Matthias added.
A Helping Hand
Matthias has included a detailed IKEA-style manual, making the process clear and accessible for those interested in building their own IKEA adjustable desk remote control.
The project is entirely open-source. All the details you need are on GitHub, including Matthias’ guide, which offers clear instructions, just like a friendly IKEA manual.
More Ways to Make the IKEA Adjustable Desk Better
IKEA Standing Desk with Memory Positions
Greg created the Megadesk, an AVR-based, open-source drop-in controller for the IKEA BEKANT sit-stand desks. He wanted to add memory positions to the desk and easily switch between various work positions. He also didn’t want to be limited to just two positions.
IKEA Adjustable Desk with Touch-Screen Height Control
The original adjustable desk controls were simple, offering just up and down buttons to adjust the tabletop electronically to ensure an ergonomic working position. Baco enjoys alternating between sitting and standing throughout the day. This movement helps combat stiffness from prolonged sitting and keeps him more alert. This IKEA hack introduces a touch-screen remote control for the IKEA adjustable desk with a user-friendly interface that replaces the basic up/down buttons and allows storing up to 6 preferred height settings. It is perfect for shared workspaces with multiple users.
A corner height adjustable desk
Kamehameha noticed the corner tabletop for the BEKANT sit/stand desk was smaller than its predecessor – the GALANT. So he bought a used GALANT corner desk tabletop and combined it with the BEKANT sit/stand corner desk frame to maximize table space.
How to shorten (or lengthen) the BEKANT underframe
Calle wanted a motorized BEKANT sitting/standing desk but ran into space problems. Her old desk is in a corner between a door and a bookshelf, and the smallest BEKANT table is 8 inches too wide. Here’s how she shortened the BEKANT underframe for a small IKEA adjustable table.
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