Need some DIY advice.

[Shay]

So not too long ago my sisters kind of got me into Minecraft, but unfortunately I found it made my laptop get hot really fast. I don't think it was dangerously hot, but I was still concerned and also if my laptop is too hot then it's like a mini space heater making me overheated in this hot summer weather.

I decided to spring for a new lapdesk that had a built in fan and this is the one I got. Click here.

In addition to the fan it's got adjustable height settings for more comfortable typing and a detachable mousepad tray on the side. So far I like it for the most part. It's lighter and more comfortable than my last lapdesk that had no fan and the fan seems to work fairly well.

There are just two things that are really bugging me. One is that the angle of the lapdesk while it's on my lap causes the mouse to slide off the tray all the time. Number two is that the lip on the front of the lapdesk that's supposed to keep the laptop from sliding off isn't quite high enough and since my laptop has an angled edge in front it usually slips over the lip. Most of the time it only slips over the lip to the point where the bottom of my laptop is flat, but anytime I move the lapdesk off of my lap, the lapdesk tends to slide off much further.

I really don't want to return this product because I haven't been able to find any other lapdesk in my searches that meets my needs. So does anyone have any DIY advice for how to modify the lapdesk to fix the two problems that I mentioned? For the mouse issue I think I'd need some sort of rubber strips around the edges of the mouse tray to prevent the mouse from slipping off, but they'd need to be short enough that they wouldn't interfere with actually using the mouse. As for the laptop sliding off the lapdesk when it's being moved, I'm not sure if there's some way I can put in a taller lip in the front, or maybe just put something on the bottom of my laptop to make it less likely to slide?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

[Dusty15]

You could try some rubber grip like they use for carpets on the bottom part of the desk to help your laptop not slide. They sell similar material for keeping your cell phone and sunglasses on your dashboard in your car. If you didn't mind putting something on your laptop itself, you could use a few small tabs of plastic snap velcro picture hangers on your computer and the desk. You know the ones they sell to hang photos on the walls that remove without damage?

For the mouse tray, you could try a strip of window sealing foam (for making windows less leaky in the winter) but it might be too awkward to use the mouse.

Maybe get some weatherstrip tubing, like the stuff that goes around glass? It's hard to describe, but it's essentially a tube that has a slide in it and you slip the edge of the table into it all the way around to create a lip. It's basically something like these (there's many variations of similar things at hardware and automotive stores): http://www.lulusoso.com/products/Rv-Rubber-Door-Seals.html

[Shay]

Sorry for taking so long to respond, this week has been really hectic due to my mother being in the hospital. Anyway I thank you very much for all of your suggestions. Unfortunately I think I'm just going to have to try to return this product. In addition to the problems with the laptop and the mouse always sliding off, I'm starting to get cramps/pinched nerves in my elbow which is causing part of my hand to experience numbness and I believe this is due to the mouse tray being too low(my last lapdesk has a mouse tray a few inches higher up). I could probably fix this additional problem by putting some sort of cushioned mousepad on top of the mouse tray, but at this point there are so many problems with it that I figure it's ridiculous to try to fix everything.

It just sucks because I really haven't found anything else that meets my needs. Most lapdesks with fans in them aren't large enough for my laptop which is 10x15 inches and I also either need a side mouse tray, or the main lapdesk needs to have several extra inches for me to use the mouse on. It's not necessary that the product have adjustable heights on it, but it is preferable, if anyone can think of any lapdesks that would fit my needs, please let me know.