Domain: anvilcase.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to anvilcase.com.
Comments · 6
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Re:All that and ruggedized?
Ah! The truth comes out!
Just pick yourself up a TRS-80 Model 100, and be done. It only uses about one Watt of power.
Or maybe an RS-232-equipped teletype; I have a TI Silent 700 here that uses thermal paper. It works fine after rescuing it from the hot equipment cabinet where it lived, powered up, for almost exactly twenty years. (Don't ask - you can't afford mine.)
More seriously: Perhaps looking to pro audio for the answer might be productive. You want physical durability, a fair bit of storage, and tolerance for hot environments, and dust. (I live in Ohio, where the humidity is rather high all summer, and I don't consider that to be a real concern since my stuff all seems to survive just fine.)
Nearly zero digging finds me this Ebay offering. I have no idea who really makes this case, but I've been seeing that particular design around for at least 15 years.
The important parts: Rack mount, lots of drive bays, ATX, dust filters, and (here's the clincher) hold-downs for the PCI cards.
Build the rest of the system as you see fit with whatever tradeoffs you want, and avoid copper CPU heatsinks due to the weight (and therefore stress) of them.
And then slide it all into a shock-mounted roadcase. Both Starcase and Anvil are capable of producing a shock-resistant, ATA-rated road case which will fit neatly with the aforementioned ATX case. Also, there is SKB. They don't do anywhere near as much custom work, and their stuff isn't (in my opinion) quite as durable as the others, but they're generally a lot cheaper and lighter, and they list several 4U shock-mounted racks as standard items here.
Does any of this come close to the mark?
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Anvil Cases
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Roadie cases
For something really rugged, how about the computer cases made by Anvil ? Same mfg who produces equip cases for bands "on the road" and such. Even makes the Pelican stuff look kinda wimpy
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It isn't the camera that is failing...
It is the method of transport.
http://www.anvilcase.com/applications/film.html -
Build an Anvil RigI've seen lots of mentions of Pelican cases, but not mention of the grand daddy of hw survival gear: anvil cases.
These are the boxes that you see bands transporting their gear in. Some of their models can be configured just like the Pelican cases, but more interesting are the boxes which are essentially portable rack mounts.
So, what I did was build a 2U computer box into an anvil case, and included a rack mount 12-port switch. Also, for convenience a rack mount power strip, and a light bar, that has little pop out lights so I can see the front panel in darkness, and it looks really cool.
With that, I've got a complete computing rig in a very durable frame. All you'd need is one of the previously mentioned slings for the LCD panel.
Certainly not the most compact solution, but it is definitly very survivable, and looks pretty cool.
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other ideas
Other people mention Pelican, but that company appears to be rather half-assed about the way they make road cases - they seem to be a -lot- more interested in selling plastic flashlights. Strange.
Try instead SKB. I've been using their gear for years, with never a problem. Well-made, water-tight, light-weight, and (optionally) ATA-rated.
More serious companies include such names as Starcase and Anvil. These are heavier, and generally made out of fiberglass-laminated plywood with aluminum extrusions holding the joints together. They don't mind being loaded up with equipment and dropped off of a truck much at all - something not easily said about any plastic case. Both Starcase and Anvil will gladly build a custom box for whatever it is that needs moved, which isn't so easy with plastic.
Or, build your own. TCH sells all manner of hardware and materials for building serious road cases and racks. They've got extrusions, fiberglass/plywood laminates, and all manner of hasps, clasps, latches, and hinges, brackets, doohickeys, hoosiwatsits, and other very important widgets for case-building.