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The Quest For Cool Cases Continues
Ok, so I have a problem: I want my case to look cool. I have neat hardware inside, why is it always a beige box on the outside. Well
jblakey pointed us to www.colorcase.com and I browsed around a bit, thinking they looked familiar. Well we actually mentioned these guys almost a full year ago but they have since significantly updated their inventory. Colored Cases, Interesting Designs, Transparent Cases, and even keyboards and mice to match. They also have that ridiculous looking penguin case ;) If this sorta stuff is your bag, check it out. I dig the C1 and the T3
Oh, My floppy failed. Here's one at PC-Club for $12. Dang. It won't fit in my curved slot with the off-center bump. *My* drive has to be special ordered for $60 bucks. Huh? The PC industry is having the same problem as the automotive industry. Unnecessary recustimization of things that don't need to change (I've seen new card that have off-center oval shaped stareos. How the *hell* do you upgrade that?). Custom PC cases can't use standard power supplies, drives, etc. and often can't stack or pack next to each other without gaps. They SUCK. Unfortunately, the only solution today is to "roll your own" as most new PCs come in the lame artsy boxes.
I was reading through the recent article on clear and color cases today. I kinda like the idea of a clear case. However, some of the comments set me to wondering. These cases dont have any shielding. I work at an ISP, where many of us, run machines without case covers on for ease of work. The enviroment is clean, so dust it not a problem. However, these obviously dont have any sheilding. Is there any health risk from EMF waves. I am a HAM radio operator and know this is definite risk with antennas, etc. Any thoughts
The penguin case cries out for a CPU cooling system. :^)
Seeing the penguin case made me realize that having a case that looks like something else might not be a bad idea.
Now you know how much pride we all take in our computers, and many of us want the biggest and baddest cases that we can get. Make sure everyone knows you're looking for a full-sized tower, because you have so many drives. It's a macho geek thing.
So why not a penis shaped case? Call it the Pink Tower of Might or something.
Hrm... took a look, but couldn't really tell what it was. Is this like the black version of "a polar bear in a snow storm"? :)
WWJD? JWRTFM!!!
- A.P.
--
"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
-A.P.
--
"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
- It doesn't double as a deli slicer, scraping the living $h!t out of your knuckles, fingertips, wrist, arm, etc. every single goddamn time you open it.
- If you drop a screw into the case, it rattles around like a pachinko machine and comes out in a tray at the bottom after ringing a little bell.
- USB, joystick, mouse, keyboard ports in front; video, parallel, serial ports in back.
- The critical side slides up like a roll-top desk to get to the slots, memory, and CPU.
- The front bays remove to install additions -- without opening the rest of the case and without screws.
- There's a washable dust filter, removable from the front panel, and it automatically tells you when it's dirty.
- Cable routing -- one unit smarter than "stuff it all in there and hope it doesn't touch the CPU fan".
I can't even get item #1 in any case I've ever owned. There's more flesh than components in some of the cases I've had. It's like the metal from computer cases comes from recycled cheese graters. These things should come with a coupon for a free tetanus shot.Look at the newest Mac cases (not even the G3's - a recent PowerMac will do just as well). Everything swings out very easily, there aren't 10 different ribbon cables choking each other off and pulling the soundcard-to-cd cable out of its socket. The power supply is on a hinge so the SIMMs can be accessed easily.
Dell has started to add some of this (the hinged power supply), but it's still nowhere near as elegant as a Mac.
Where can I buy cases like this? I'd be willing to pay extra to get one.
--
I have one of these two, best keyboard I've ever owned for feel of the keys. Plus it has a lifetime warranty.
:)
Now I just need to paint my case (and monitor someday) black to match.
Sorry, it's Friday and I'm almost off work.
Here's what I do. I have one powermac (9500) and an old Performa 410. The powermac runs two IBM SCSI drives and has two internal fans, so it needed extra help, but the Performa is what would be running if I was sequencing MIDI parts and singing or playing an acoustic instrument on top of them to get more instruments per track. Both got similar treatments. The key parts are Mortite (a sort of caulk stuff that stays pliable and is a powerful damper, metal foil tape, and heavy felt (like 1/2" thick and fluffy- I got mine out of old Pioneer speakers. Or, alternately, acrylic fake-fur, believe it or not)
The first thing you do is kill panel resonances. Heat doesn't dissipate much through solid panels- not much airflow through those! so you want to make them heavier and less resonant. Mortite can be separated into thin strings of material- fasten these to the inside of the case, fixing them permanently in place with a tapelike strip of metal tape over them. The 'bubble' of metal tape over mortite will keep the mortite permanently soft, and any deflection of the case sides will force either the mortite or the tape to distort. Since the metal tape is aluminum, either way you have a very mechanically lossy damping effect. Put lots of these all over the case panels. They kill hints of reverberation from undamped metal panels 'singing' along with the drives, and they help the case hold sound in, because you're making the panels heavier too. They probably really need it.
Next, hunt down all little airspaces that do _not_ contribute to airflow. Macs are pretty safe with this, be extra careful with high-powered PCs. You'll be finding places to stick bits of the felt (or fakefur, or fibreglass- anything that's acoustic damping). The inside of a computer is not only a hell of digital noise, it's also acoustically reverberant- you'll rarely see anything even vaguely soft in there. Your job is to get something in there that will cut down on this grating morass of highpitched flutter echo ;)
For my 9500, the case was much as you might expect for a PC, perhaps heavier gauge metal than some. Damping the panels was straightforward, and there proved to be many little nooks and corner places to tuck bits of felt in. I had to be careful to still allow airflow in crucial areas- tracking the air from vent slots at the bottom of the case to the top and the power supply exhaust fan.
The Performa is a pizzabox case, with a flat internally ribbed lid- which also has a metal shielding layer! This was a natural for damping- it's a mass of little airspaces that don't go anywhere. I heavily damped the internal metal part with metal tape/mortite, then cut up huge amounts of the felt into tiny bits, and made the entire lid a big sound absorber unit, almost solid with felt bits :)
This approach has produced two computers that are very pleasingly quiet. The noise that they do make is not intrusive. I once set up an old Mac II this way and ended up with a computer that sounded like the cabin of a 747 :) it's definitely worth some experimenting, just be very careful to maintain airflow- including convection in major internal airspaces to help establish an even internal temperature, without hotspots.
If you want super quiet, look into replacing solid areas of panel with heavy solid panels- the ultimate material would be something like lead, but you can avoid poisonous materials by choosing many worthy substitutes. The materials used to damp metal panels on cars and trucks are an obvious candidate. Have fun!
What went wrong when they designed the penguin case? :-)
Also seems to be missing TP and hemerhhoid (sp) creme. :)
Don't misread that; I liked the Fifth Element; while the story may have been somewhat lame, the music and visuals more than made up for that.
But I don't want a computer made up in the colour of the Diva.
No, what the self respecting Linux nerd actually needs is a serious Rack Mount System.
Those that want cheaper options might want to Build A Rack Mount Case, and check out Rack Mount Hardware at eBay. Here may be the true ultimate case.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Seriously though, it's nice to see that the editorial staff is checking for older stories. It's a waste of bandwidth and reading time for me to download a story I've already read.
I want a case that is infintely expandable. Need more space? Just add another section. Need another power supply?, just tack one on. There would be high CFM fans that just snap in, an the internals would be optimized for efficient airflow. Fans would be on a different circuit and there would be a plethora of molex connectors everywhere.
My case at the moment is a Supermicro SC750A (which is fairly large) and I have already run out of space. I have three SCSI hard drives, a cd-rom, a burner, and about 8 different fans. Lord only knows how many Y power cables I have and the cable situation is a complete mess.
Anyone out there that shares my interest in making a extremely customizable case (an erector set of sorts)?
Some friends of mine just bought a Borg Cube style case--essentially something along the lines of two mid towers side by side, with some funky stuff done for mounting internally.
Oooh. Two mid towers.
Lots of cases I see down at Fry's are from manufacturers that got their hands on custom molded platic that looks just like Apple's new shtick.
Oooh. iMac.
C'mon! Granted, the Penguin Case is cool, but it's still just that: A case. Show me some real designs, something that makes my jaw drop and go "Wow, I can put an ATX motherboard in that!?!" What about stereo components--hide a CD-Rom drive under a retractable panel and voila, a computer that integrates with the entertainment system. (Yes, Gateway had a monster system like this a while back.) What about glass? Sony has a LCD monitor embedded within a classic desk photo glass enclosure. People, it's beautiful.
We've got tens of thousands of people out there with the technical skill to render three dimensional vistas that take your breath away, or a battered soldier's rusting weapon. Sony does not have a monopoly on new case forms, and neither does Apple. I want to see what is possible and place my computers in what is obviously not a knockoff. I like beige boxes, but there's more to desktop machines. I love my Toshiba Tecra, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the sheer elegance of Sony's entire laptop line didn't blow me away.
C'mon. We can do better. Lets try.
Yours Truly,
Dan Kaminsky
DoxPara Research
http://www.doxpara.com
If you happen to have a M$ OS on one of your computers, then go hit www.dialpad.com.
Free calls to anywhere in the US via a 'net -> PSTN gateway. Works fairly well, even over a 56k modem.
Unfortunately, thier little java applet doesnt work in linux (yet).
Also - as an aside, what's up with the "call for prices". Does market value really fluctuate that much from day to day?
I saw this site the last time it was on slashdot and did a repeat of what I did last time I saw it. I looked for any of their cases via the popular computer hardware search engines I know of. The result then, as now is that nobody sells the actual cases.
The "call for prices" is probably because they don't manufacture enough to have any constancy in prices or availability or possibly even a sane price.
I've found that a USB hub on your desk, like in the base of your monitor, comes close to your ideal. It's really convenient to be able to reach around the side of the monitor and plug something in, instead of crawling under my desk.
:)
Check out the Supermicro SC-750A, it has smooth edges, washable dust filter, and individually removable side panels. No pachinko screw return though
Color caee has focused on selling cheezey knockoffs of iMacs. A lot of companies including Compac are doing the same thing. If is further proof the the PC industry is entirely lacking in imagination. Apple's future success is assured in the presence of these sheep.
If you want a good black cube, check out the Yeong-Yang BYY-0210:
http://www.kricomputer.com/yy0210.htm
I have one of these and it rocks.
so where can i find such a beast? i have looked in vain for years.
information is free.
the only question is:
Scott Draves
Shop around.
3U rack case, 400W power, bays for CD, floppy, 5 HD: $350
Hard Data Ltd. - 780-456-9771
mailto: sales@harddata.com
Maurice W. Hilarius Voice: (778) 347-9907
Microwarehouse has some really great free-standing racks for only $125 - $150. I bought a 7-foot tall (two-rail) rack with a 18-inch deep foot for only about $150. I have my cluster on it - the rack supports up to 9 PCs so-far without any problems.
www.warehouse.com - If you've ever ordered from them, you probably receive a macazine from them about twice a month.
I'm also looking for AT and ATX rack-mount cases that are cheap! (cheap being the primary issue - I could care what color they are).
- Steve
--
Steven Webb
System Administrator II - Juneau and TECOM projects
NCAR - Research Applications Program
A note on the CD's and some more geeky Martha Stewart type of stuff I've done... I've found that gluing together 4-5 AOL/other ISP CD's with the shiny side out makes a really neat coaster. I mean we call them coasters anyways... it's just nice to have a little thicker version, that way you can differentiate from your useful CD's... I wouldn't want to plop a hot cup of coffee on my Slackware disk regardless of the protective plastic. ;)
:)
Another sorta geek-related project I did one particularly boring Saturday afternoon was to take all my empty 12/24 pop boxes (I had about 10) and cut them up until I had all the sides seperated. Some of the panels were useless or didn't look good but for the most part they looked decent. An hour of Star Gate SG1 later, I'd stapled them together to make this really cool looking collage that's on my wall now. Maybe I'm just a frugal packrat, but all the pretty colors and "Pepsi" and "Mt. Dew" make a pretty cool 3' square decoration.
Just a few more thoughts for geeks with lots of time and the need to flex their creative muscle.
Adam "Fogie" Fogler -- Professional Paid College Student
We're all creative geeks, some of us even artistic. My recent project has been pulling the panels off my case and using some spray paint and stencils. It's a little more work, and it doesn't look quite as professional, but it is a lot more satisfying and gobs cheaper than buying a new case. I heavily encourage anyone with a little time and creativity to try it out. Most cases are surprisingly easy to paint... most of the buttons and stuff just pop right out, and after a couple coats of spray enamel you'd swear it came in that color straight out of the factory. If you feel you're not qualified, let an artsy friend at it... if you're in college there's bound to be folks who'd love to have a crack at a computer case. Personally my project cost $10 for paint and will have taken me 3-4 hours by the time I'm done, including sitting on IRC while a coat of paint dries. ;) The point is that you SHOULDN'T have to pay to have a cool case... my case is Open Source, Open Paint... as soon as I post pics on my web site. :) So my fellow geeks, take what I've said and make beautiful cases that put the beige boxes to shame.
Adam "Fogie" Fogler -- Professional Paid College Student
I'm not the only one who can't work inside his computer case for 15 minutes without drawing blood. The damn thing has some hidden edge in it which is sharper than fresh-cut paper but hard as steel, and the thing slices through my skin so cleanly it'll be 5 minutes later before I feel any pain or notice the welling blood.
Anyway, it's good to know it's the case's fault. I thought I was just an idiot. Every band-aid felt like a "klutz badge"...
I painted my case (with this cool speckly "American Accents" spray paint) last summer. It's got a stoneish texture (both visual and tactile) with blue, black, white, and grey on it now.
The biggest things to worry about are "will the paint harm my computer?" and "will the paint stay on?"
For the first question, the simple rule is to never have your electronic parts anywhere near the painting. I'm lucky, my case has a sheet metalish cover for the top and the sides, and a plastic faceplate covering the entire case front, so I just snapped those off and painted them, leaving the back unpainted metal. It's a good idea to sand off any paint spray that gets on the inside face of the parts you paint, too.
For things like CD-ROM and floppy drives, you'll find that generally the plastic faceplate on the drive snaps off and can be painted away from the drive. On these you'll definitely want to sand off any paint that ends up on the inside surface of the faceplate.
As for "will the paint stay on?" the key things are primer and clearcoat. I used a plain white spray-on primer and an acrylic sealant, and with the amount my case gets hauled around and banged up I've already got a couple chips in the paint job. Now, maybe this is just because I used a thick coat of that fancy paint and put my case through physical abuse, or maybe the guy who posted instructions for using auto paints has the right idea.
I forgot you asked about this too.
Frankly, I copped out and didn't touch the monitor. I figured I'd need a new case in a year anyway and would try a different paint job then.
Painting the monitor carefully with a non spray paint might work.
Taking apart the monitor then spray painting the plastic might work too... but this can be quite dangerous. Your monitor has what's effectively one big freaking capacitor inside it, and can retain a dangerous static charge for a long time (at least hours) after it's even unplugged. My monitor isn't the most solidly made model out there, and you can literally hear several loud spark discharges hours after it's been turned off.
When I lived with my parents (years ago) I converted a bit of the basement into my room, I had the cieling covered with loosely draped reflective mylar emergency blankets. I put an old color wheel (the kind for the old style metallic christmas trees -- some of the old farts will remember) in the corner pointing up, along with a high powered fan that I could tilt up. Add to this that the walls were all black with some old HP3000 pizza boards nailed up, a couple black lights and the effect was amazing.
--J(K) DOS is like Unix in exactly the same way that a pinto is like an aircraft carrier.
PVC collects static. So does plexiglass.
Dunno about sealant, I line my plexiglass with grounded metal screen and it seems to solve the problem. With, say, 3/4 inch PVC pipe I'd want no more than a 2 inch gap between wire. Just a gut figure.
What's wrong with wood for framing? non-conductive, cheap, durable, commonly available and easily worked with standard tools, choice of beavers everyhere.
All the cases at colorcase.com take a standard floppy, you just have to take the front off the floppy drive.
If you're looking for something to do in the meantime, why not check out The Hideous Jabbering Head Of Abraham Lincoln?
spawn_of_yog_sothoth
If you want a cool case, you should definitely get one of Apple's new G4s. The graphite looks even better in real life than on the pictures....and the hardware in side is very impressive too....=)
admittedly, they don't check their email often, but they respond via the TELEPHONE quite well. I should know, I've purchaced five different cases from them, and I always get this cute japanese woman who sets up the accounts and sends out the cases.
:-)
oh, btw, the YURI case (the one that looks like a blue iMac) is about the best case I've ever worked with. the only way it could be better was if the mobo tray slided out to work on it.
No project should be considered complete until the little ritual of a blood sacrifice has been completed.
Cutting yourself on the case is not an accident. It's a requirement for completion of the job.
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
We've ordered from Colorcases in the past -- hopefully y'all can benefit from our experience.
First of all, the cases themselves are good, generally well-designed minitower boxes. The metal cases are cut-proof and most are very easy to open. I've lost a lot of blood on computer cases in the past, and these are, by comparison, a joy to work with.
On the other hand, they are *mini* towers, and it gets cramped in there. Two fast SCSI drives is about the limit -- pack any more in and the heat will melt down your system. We had to pack in a pound of extra fans and coolers as it was. Also, depending on your mobo design, you'll have to take half the machine apart to make any changes -- I can't remove an HD or floppy without removing all my memory chips and unplugging most of the internal cables.
Don't count on getting your order in a timely fashion. They appear to have approximately one full-time employee, an overworked and perpetually exhausted-sounding woman who on several occasions was unable to even confirm that we had *placed* an order. As a result, we waited over a month for the 5th case of our order -- which just happened to be my penguin case.
All in all, I'd have to say I'm fairly pleased with the product, but I'm not overenthusiastic about ordering from there again. On the other hand, that penguin case *is* pretty cool...
--
perl -e '$_="06fde129ae54c1b4c8152374c00";
s/(.)/printf "%c",(10,32,65,67,69,72,
$_="06fde129ae54c1b4c8152374c00"; s/(.)/printf "%c",(10,32,65,67,69,72, (74..76),(78..80),(82..85))[hex $1]/eg;
I'm waiting for the Star Trek case where the warp engines hold speakers and the the main saucer swivels to expose a monitor. Now that would be something cool.
Why all this obession with appearances?
It's just a PC! face it, it's beige through
and through....
My experience has been that shielding can become an issue in a situation like this. Sure, you can put it on a wall, but you must make sure that there are no other electronics or magnetic fields within 3 feet on either side of the wall.
Thank you for not thinking.
Yeong Yang Cube. Black
I'm buying one, and stack it on top of one of them there little beer fridges, they're like exactly perfect.
I like music
I've had my Colorcase for four months and I'm very happy with it. The quality is good, the design still is hot and it's dead easy to get the case off. Which happens a lot. I would most definitely recommend one.
They oughta take some of those thar nifty lookin' boxes and make webservers out of 'em -- the site's /.'ed ater 45 comments.
When I was a wee tyke, in addition to legos, I had something called an Erector Set. I sure wish I knew where that ended up, because a quarter of a century later, I could use it. I was recently thinking that an erector set would make a great way to make a rigid structure or cage for mounting boards and drives, then it could just be put into a wooden (or lego?) box.
A few months ago, I visited damn near every toy story in Albuquerque, and you know what kind of toy an erector set is nowdays? It's a piece of shit model kit now. Instead of selling you a box with a bunch of general-purpose girders and stuff, it's all funny-shaped components intended for a single specific design. They all looked damn near useless to me.
Legos are the same. Want 1000 of the generic 2 bump by 4 bump bricks? No chance. It's all kits with weird shaped stuff.
What has happened to these once-wonderful (and possible useful) toys?
---
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
5 days later and the site is still not back up. There's no way that this can be a typical slashdotting; that usually subsides after a day or two. I wonder if the machine is sitting at a BSOD or something.
---
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
AT/ATX Cases for $36 with 250W UL Listed PS ...
V-Tech 738F Semi-Transparent ATX Case
I personally like these cases over the more fully translucent Suntek/Antec/whoever ones. Most of the Suntek ones usually come with a crappy 235W, non-UL Listed PS that is more like a 200W UL one. I couldn't power up most mainboards in it until I upgraded the PS. And they are usually $90+ with UL Listed PS.
These little $36 babies are great. They feature extra port cut-outs (whereas the Suntek are lacking). An AT backplate (for those newer AT boards with ATX power connectors), along with the standard 2 ATX ones. And a nice, 250W ATX power supply (upgradable to 300W). Not fully tranlucent, but still cool looking with the hidden floppy drive. And you don't have to worry about matching the drives, since the drive area is beige.
I like the reseller too, Directron. They do NOT charge outrageous shipping charges (they make no profit on shipping). It will cost you only $10 + $10/case to ship (quite good compared to most other on-line stores, especially most of those who rank high on Pricewatch).
And NO, I do NOT work for them!
[ They also sell the Suntek case (with very crappy 235W PS), and a matching $9 KB and $8 Mouse for it too. IMHO, you'll definately need to upgrade the PS on it, and the mouse is pretty crappy too (but what do you expect for $8? ;-). ]
-- Bryan "TheBS" Smith
-- Bryan "TheBS" Smith
Independent Author, Consultant and Trainer
$10 + $10/case to ship -- WRONG!
I meant about $10 + $6/case to ship! When I one, it cost ~$16, two cost me ~$22, three ~$28 (I seem to order a couple every few months).
-- Bryan "TheBS" Smith
-- Bryan "TheBS" Smith
Independent Author, Consultant and Trainer
Sure, the computer cases are neat, and less boring than the beige ones, but why do all(qualified) computer cases have to be a box?
A friend and I were thinking along the lines of the wall mounted computer, but with a case. A metal covering. Curving, organic looking, with the wires coming out of it. The cards could not be connected directly onto the motherboard due to depth, so an alternative would have to be used. I was thinking of wireing the cards just like how you wire the drives.
I guess the reason that cases are boxes is because everything inside in at right angles. But you don't have to have it that way. Not as efficient, but it could work.
I looked at them, I thought about them, I went vomiting. What is this crap? Trying to be I-Macish like? Looks like el cheapo china plastic toys to me. I guess Ill stick with my nice gray powerbox and keep understating :-) The best way to personalize a case is still to make your own little logo and stick it on the plate where the corporate logo is supposed to be if it would be a retail box.
It's polite to give credit.
-- Liquor up front, poker in the rear.
My Black PC right here. Of course, I have yet to paint the drives black, but the case itself looks really nice. My only problem with it was that it was a sort of coffee color instead of gray, but oh well. Myself, I like black computers, as evidenced by my other computer, the Blackintosh. I think with all these colorful cases coming out, one color that hasn't gotten enough attention is black.
You have to call them. They're too lazy to check their email on a regular basis. I'd ordered brochures from them online on three occasions. Since I didn't get a response, I called and told them I wanted a catalog and that they should check their email more often. The next week, I got four copies of their brochure in separate envelopes.
Just FYI, their cases are generally $80 with 250W power supplies, and $100 with 300W supplies.
Like this.
Do you want to paint my truck when you get done your case? :)
Seriously, though, we must read painting instructions from similar automotive sources.
I've got the compressor, I just need to find a paint gun I like.
Maybe I'll give your advice a try on my case before I paint my truck.
GRH
So what is this Ovular Stereo of which you speak?
But, if you preview your message, they will turn back into less than and greater than marks in the submission box, so be careful..
---
- Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Check it out, I'm still drooling over it. Haven't actually bought one. But I want one. TW-8200 series. It's the purple and black one. Mmm.
--- "If a man speaks in a forest, and no woman hears him, is he still wrong?"
One of my friends builds wood cases. There's a page where you can see one. It's in french, and the picture has been scanned poorly, but it's really different than anything I've ever seen. http://draginfo.qc.ca/shop-pcbox.html
In that case, could you spare a few hundred bucks? tia.
(Score -1, Offtopic, troll, Stupid)
I would love to find a case that was as modular and easy to open and upgrade as the PowerMac's cases. The build quality is there, the Powersupply is great, the bays are accessible. All I want to find is a case with a powerful power supply, plenty of room, lots of breathing space, plenty of air flow and the number one point: I don't want to get my knuckles torn up. No blood.
I jumped from the Apple Mac environment when I fell in love with command line. And since SA and Support jobs here in DC were drying up.
Not because I don't like Macs.
But I was not going to go to Wintel, so I knoew Unix command line and there you go -- Linux.
Now I would like to find an easy way to get a tall case with a 350-400Watt Power Supply and a good finish. The outside is less important to me.
-- memoid
I've been going to regional computer shows for years (thank you Market Pro!). Before non-geeks started going in the past two years, it was always the place to get online prices without dealing with shady vendors. Nowadays, the "onsale phenomenon" has happened, where enough people who don't know a "good price" for hardware has caused vendors to up their prices to the same as retail (and sometimes over). Us geeks get shafted.
:)
BUT, the big advantage is that they have stuff on display nowadays that is the kind of thing you buy based on appearance and can't really mail order. Cases like these have been at the front door of the shows for months and months. They're neat to look at, but they have a cheap feel and construction that doesn't put them on par with beige boxes. (I'm VERY fond of my Supermicro 750 and my Inwin minitower cases; solid, they fit together, and no sharp edges.) These cute cases wouldn't stand being moved in a car from college to home; they'd fall to pieces.
I don't know about you, but I sure don't want my hard drive skidding across the floor of my car and crashing into my power supply.
-Chris
The problem with these color case guys is that just like last year, they got slashdotted.
Dunno about anyone else, but I found the best way to spruce up a boring beige box is to find stickers and plop them on. Your box then becomes a collection of stickers piled on top another. Any time you go to conventions and the like, you always get crap like this, on vacation you get stickers, hell, sometimes ya even buy stickers. Stick em on! After some time you'll have your own work of art, and once you have fully covered your box, and are going to put stickers over the old ones, you'll never want to give up that case, because not only does it look cool, it's YOU. To me, that's the coolest case of all.
My favorite case is the cast aluminum case on a Sun SPARC-10 workstation. It is built like a tank, compact and neatly fits underneath the monitor. Internally, it has room for a SCSI hard drive, floppy disk drive, multiple CPU modules, lots of RAM and slots for I/O cards. It uses space very efficiently. Why do PC cases have to be so large?
I've seen a good transparent case. I was at a Raleigh mall about eight years ago, and met a woman who taught for a local community college. She was working a table encouraging folks to take computer courses. On the table was a PC running in a case made almost entirely out of plexiglass.
The case, and not the woman, was what actually caught my eye. You see, I never actually used a case at all, until I'd been using a computer at home for around 3 years. At the time, my case consisted of an old "Computer Shopper" magazine, used to elevate the motherboard enough so that my card edges would be off the shelf the computer sat on.
Having no case is my ideal solution. Unfortunately, today's equipment probably shouldn't be run that wat. I never had to worry about much when I wanted to swap a card, or test other equipment. I'd just power down, pop out a card and pop in another. The power supply could even help move air in the immediate area of the PC.
Later, by the way, I met the same woman (without knowing it was the same woman) and married her. We had a kid. I had to start using a case.
Visit Lockjaw's Lair. He won't bite.
How d'ya find find out it was her in Raleigh? And why'd ya remeber all this?
Basically, when we decided to get married (approximately 3 weeks after we started dating), she found my business card in her purse. It was like a verification that we should get married.
I haven't regretted it much, since :)
Visit Lockjaw's Lair. He won't bite.
No, take a look at Playstation 2 instead. I would like my PC look more like this.
The penguin ate my floppy! Honest!
The party's over
Holy crap! That flash opening looks like a hypoglycemia attack.
The party's over
Then if all I want is a text email box I can toss in low-performance components. If I want a high-performance box I can spend more and get the features I think are most important. If I want more batteries instead of PCMCIA slots then I can do that more easily than with the present proprietary cases. Or I could have four serial ports if I'm chatting with a lot of devices [Yes, I know I can get four serial ports on PCMCIA].
http://www.computersdivine.com
They may want a touch more than I want to spend for their paint jobs (~$100USD)....but they also set up great custom fan/cooling systems for your system.
WARNING: the website just kinda ugly, but the cooling system is great (thinking of sending my box in) and they have some of the cooler paint schemes I have seen yet.
Papa's got a brand GNU bag. -- Advertisement: year 30 ALC (After Linux Commercialization)
On that same note, is it just me, or does "All tomorrow's partys" not actually have a very satisfying ending? The major conflict of the book seems to be igored when it comes to the rounding up chapters! Or am I just missing the obvious? I suggest you read it again, and remember that Gibson has a very subtle end. and when you finally 'get it', it has a great impact. The most significant event in the book is witnessed by the most minor of characters with very mild interest.
--
Gonzo Granzeau
Gonzo Granzeau
"Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for.." -Roy Batty
These cases do look kinda neat, but I gotta ask - do these work nice with standard components? For instance, my gateway Linux box is a Gateway 2000(Yes, I am aware of the irony) which has an internal IDE cdrom drive with the fancy bezel. The case looks very cool, but the only other CDROMS I can fit in that space must fit that particular bezel. I' like to get a case without that problem.
Also - as an aside, what's up with the "call for prices". Does market value really fluctuate that much from day to day?
I managed to get Colorcase.com's sales department on the phone, since they don't quote prices on the site. For all of their cases except the aluminum ones, prices generally run between $79-99. The aluminum cases are $159. Shipping can get expensive, and the rates depend on where you are relative to Southern California.
For more information, click here.
We sometimes get free Pop-Tarts at work, and in the rush, the microwaves are swamped, so I heat mine on top of my monitor. It takes a while, but I'm in no hurry...
My problem with these new lines of color cases is they miss the best feature of the new Mac case. The first time I saw the new Blue and White G3, I said 'Dang, that's ugly' (thats my opinion). Then my Mac buddy pulls the little handle on the site and the whole motherboard and cards swing down. WOW! Thats what I want. Sure make a neat looking case but I want an ATX case that have a swing down side panel. It should work just like the Mac (ie. I can open it while the computer is fully assembled and running).
Remove the spam reference to email
Yes it does. I read somewhere (Wired News, maybe?) that Gibson is a big Lou Reed fan. There are also some Velvet Underground refs in Neuromancer, but not being a VU fan, I'm damned if I can remember what they are :)
I hate to brag, but:
Cooling Fans
I mentioned some solutions here, under the subject "not much help for the questioner"
stored on computers from birth to the grave
Rackmount for 4 motherboards (ATX) + rackmount enclosure will run you to $3000. See www.hawkingtech.com for rackmount kits and stuff. buy.com is selling some hawking stuff cheap now...
ok smartass - do the math.
[4] rackmount cases @ $300/case = $1200
[1] rackmount enclosure @ $1500/enclosure = $1500
Misc odds and ends (Rails, UPS, power distribution) = $300
Total: $3000.
Now you try and find it cheaper.
here ya go :h tml
http://slashdot.org/articles/99/04/14/1813222.s
i've been hunting for a quad mobo ATX case myself but cant find any except rackmounts cases+frames which are $3K for everything (including shipping, power etc)..thats about half my budget, so ill prolly make do with it.
I don't care too much what my case looks like. What I want is a case that hushes the din my hard disk and fans make. Does anyone make such a case?
post an on-topic Haiku
off-topic poster!
Aluminum case
our most expensive product
Innovative? NOT!
They advertise that their "Yuri" case weighs in at only six pounds. I say "Big whoop." When you put the power supply and other components in it, it really isn't going to make that much of a difference. I doubt the type of person who'd buy one of these would be lugging it around anyways, all that fancy plastic trim scratches and dirties up quite easily.
There seems to be too much embellishment on this site for my taste, and not in the areas where a good case can make a real difference. I prefer a manufacturer that primarily concentrates on good airflow and component placement rather than weight and looks.
LouZiffer
LouZiffer
Kinda appropriate really...
I read an article years ago that he was designing custom computer cases. Not sure what happened with that.
Little known fact: In the lame movie "Hackers" Penn portrayed Michael Roaddancer of DC 2600 fame, just look at http://www.dc2600.com under "members".
Eve Fairbanks says I drive a hybrid!LOL
Yeah, erector is nothing like it used to be. But your comment regarding Lego is a little off base. While you can't buy 1000 2x4 bricks retail, you can get them at PitscoLegoDacta (http://www.pitsco-legodacta.com/), in damn near any quantity. I would imagine you could also get them from Lego itself, if you asked kindly, and had a reseller license...
As far as Erector - forget it. Buy angle steel or aluminium from a good metal supplier or Home Depot and go from there. Or maybe use PVC piping if you like plastic...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
I tried out the CD in a microwave trick, just to see the effect (as well as the burning match plasma flame trick - now that was amazing!) - one AOL CD, 5 seconds in a microwave on an inverted glass cup - no way would I mistake it for a real CD, or a real CD for a coaster.
What I want to do next is add an EL backlight to it on a slightly thicker base, to create a glowing lightning effect...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Got a point there - I wonder if you wrapped the piping with some bare copper wire connected to ground, and sealed it with a clear sealant, if that would help any?
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Take a wooden match, about 1-2 inches long, and stick it in a rubber eraser, and light it. Place the match in the center of the microwave and nuke on high for 1 minute. About 30 seconds will go by, then "whoosh!" - with the crackling of electricity this cloud of "plasma" will rise up and "splash" the ceiling of the microwave, to the serene smell of ozone. My impression was that of an electric fireball (I have also heard that if you place ten matches in a precise 20 cm circle, light them all, and do the same, you get the effect of ball lightning) - very cool!
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
This actually sounds like a pretty neat idea, if done right - I am thinking a mortise/tenon construction, maybe iron fasteners (black iron, preferably), and keep it pretty rustic looking. If ou could artificially age the motherboard, peripheral cards and drives (without destroying them), you could make the whole thing really old looking.
Or, you could go contemporary with a black lacquer frame made of wood, with some chrome highlights, and maybe some neon...
I like it...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Now how do I get a clear case for my Palm III?
Cara Hart chart@eNOSPAMfurn.com Systems Administrator eFurn.com, LLC. and ARITEK Systems, Inc.
About a year ago a friend of mine really suprised the hell out of me. He had set up a fully working system that hung on the wall!?! There was no case whatsoever. I was just a bunch of cards and wires and drives all hanging on the wall. It was great! I thought to myself "you know.. some day this will be useful. So if you want to keep your system ultra cool.. leave it out of the box and point some fans at it! Who needs a box... get a computer on the wall. Be cool. Have a cool computer. Be the first on your block to collect all ten! Who needs a box? Not me!.. look out for dust though.
~Jester
"I have great faith in fools: Self confidence my friends call it." ~Edgar Allan Poe
Did anyone notice the penguin case? C6 looks like robo-Tux.
My idea was to buy some cheap compressed cardboard wood, and some black sheet metal, and fashion the case after an old cheap 1980s arcade game cabinet. You could make your own marquee at the top. Never got around to it.
On the old TI-994/A units, there was a surface just to the right of the keyboard and in front of the cartridge slot that used to get REAL hot after about 30 minutes. You could of easily fried an egg on it. Eventually I put a cool-it fan behind the unit, and it helped a bit.
There is only one truely cool case for a Mac:7 .jpg
http://wm.them es.org/php/pic.phtml?src=themes/wm/shots/93474129
--------
"I already have all the latest software."
I have sold a few computers with cases that I got from www.colorfulpc.com. These are Sunus Suntek cases and the build quality is excellent. The outer shell is plastic, but the inner frame is all metal. My sole complaint about this case is the power supply that it comes with is generic, although usable for most people.
I got a nice, roomy black case from Directron.com.
It is manufactured by a company called Charisma in Taiwan, and I am pleased as punch with it. Sliding Mobo tray, removeable sides and 3.5" drive cage, fan cage...
And the piece of resistance: a door that glides open with the touch of a button that conceals the drives when closed.
Directron has a category entirely for black components. See www.charisma.com.tw for pics of their cases. I didn't get a stock power supply, so I'm afraid I can't vouch for that part.
Take a look if your interested in form *and function.
I don't need large brains to have a good time.
How exactly does one interview a computer?
I got the Phoenix gold from Colorcase a few months ago. Aside from the woman who could not understand my location
Me: "I live in Coral Gables FL"
Woman: "Coral Cables?"
Me: "Coral GABLES"
Woman:"Coral Zables?"
Me: "Argh! Coral Gables! 3-3-1-4-6!"
Woman: "Tree-Tree-Won-Fouah-Six OK!"
I had ordered my case and my friend a Black Knight. His Black Knight got in, but my phoenix was B/O. They finally sent it out, but gave me the 300 watt P/S model as opposed to the 250. Mistake in my favor, I didn't complain.
Anyhow, I found that any floppy will fit in a colorcase if you pop the front cover off of it. it worked for my internal LS-120 as well as a standard 3.5" drive. Others I know have ordered from colorcase, and they asked for Charlie Yang the manager and he speaks way better english (engrish!) than the woman.
The cheap fan on the K5 gave out (Kingston Memory upgrade for a VLbus 486 mobo), and it hasn't melted yet either. The system is completely quiet, except for noise induced in the sound system. Yeah, unshielded switching power supply is quite noisy, and interestingly is variously noisy depending on system activity. Sort of an audible top.
Does anyone know of a company that makes quiet cases? I read about one many years ago but now I really have the need for a case that makes no sound or hum at all.
I still want a case that's clear. Forget this transparent garbage, I want to actually see inside my case without taking it off. Plexiglass would be ideal.
Because the candy colored case I want costs under $200, and the rack mount cases I can deal with start somewhere between $600-$800, plus the cost of the rack. Simple economics - for a system for myself, I don't want to spend more for the case than for the motherboard, CPU and memory combined unless I absolutely NEED a rack mount system.
If I'm building a system for home use, these colored cases aren't a bad fit, and the price is in the right ballpark. If you can get a colored case with some style for the same price as the boring beige ones, why not? Now, if I'm building a graphics engine to haul around to clubs, it's gonna be either laptop-based or rack-mount, no questions.
http://drteknikal.blogspot.com/
I have both a custom case with a custom disk drive slot and a car with an ovular stereo. Guess what? Niether have given me a problem as far as upgrading goes. The disk drive in my computer is a Mitsumi, cost: $12 wholesale. If I wanted to upgrade the stereo in my Escort, all I'd need is a $40 conversion kit (basically, it's a replacement faceplate with a DIN-style opening cut out). So calm down, dude...no need for the freakin' doom and gloom...
"Nobody owns the fucking words man." - James Dean
It's the stock one that came with my 98 Ford Escort. At a glance, it looks like its ovular and integrated with the climate controls. However, if you remove the faceplate for the ovular part, you'll find that it's a DIN-style deck, like any other. A special kit is required to replace the face plate so that a regular DIN style stereo can fit in its place. Its an extra step towards replacing it, but it's by no means impossible.
"Nobody owns the fucking words man." - James Dean
No, I'd say the waste of time is you actually commenting that you've already read the story...
:)
---
I wear pants.
It's not responding at all now.
Need Mercedes parts ?
BP6 is nice, but good luck trying to get the friggin UDMA controller recognised. ARGH
:)
I found a FAQ that told me how, now all I have to do is actually get it recognised and install Linux.
As a side note, Win98 had NO problems finding and recognising the extra IDE ports. I hate Windoze, but it does SOME things impressively well.
As far as cases go, I have a nice big full tower with 3 internal 3.5 bays, 1 external 3.5, and five external 5.25 bays. The biggest problem I have is finding IDE cables long enough to reach the bays that are farther away. I had to go out and search the local stores until I found one that sold really long cables.
>>>>>>> Kvort the Duck, Lord High Peanut of Krondor
-Don't mind me, I'm personality-deficient and mentally-impaired.
... Actually ... talk ... people ... ?
...code only at night, only at night...
Kibo save me! I can't DO that!
I KNOW the voice is digitized... BUT IT DOESN'T HELP!
...very good coder...
(The previous line is a pitiful attempt at a "Rain Man" parody. It probably wouldn't have been funny even if I hadn't had to explain it.)
Besides which, its long distance, and I refuse to make long distance calls until AT&T, MCI, and every other long-distance company stops calling me and offering me "excellent deals!"
>>>>>>>>>> Kvort the Duck, Lord High Peanut of Krondor
-Don't mind me, I'm personality-deficient and mentally-impaired.
Maybe they would have been more careful about responding to you if they'd /., eh? ;-) Make sure and tell them who
known you would've gone complaining on
you are if you order one...
Heh... Maybe I can't win, but I can make damned sure THEY lose. Now that I think about it, this seems to be the argument behind nuclear missles as well. Aw, hell...
I built the computer two months ago. I'm typing on it right now. Ordering another case doesn't make much sense at this point.
Off topic, anyone know anything about those PC Power and Cooling cases the magazine people always rave about? I don't really trust Dvorak, but when Jerry Pournelle says something I consider it. Anyone used/owned/destroyed one?
>>>>>>>>> Kvort the Duck, too tired to type more.
-Don't mind me, I'm personality-deficient and mentally-impaired.
I put together a computer back in november, and wanted one of these cool cases to put in. I sent two or three messages to these people, asking about pricing, shipping, etc. They never replied.
Their web site indicates that they would sell individual cases, but either they only sell bulk, or this company be defunct, which doesn't make sense since they updated their web site recently.
I think its pretty rude to just not reply. Could it have killed them to send a friggin email that says "We don't sell cases to individuals."???
/VENT>
As an aside, how do you put brackets in HTML anyway? I figured out how to do an ending bracket, but a beginning bracket escapes me.
>>>>>>>>> Kvort the Duck, Lord High Peanut of Krondor
-Don't mind me, I'm personality-deficient and mentally-impaired.
A Dremel Moto-tool and Super Glue is what you need. I don't necessarily mind these curvaceous cases vendors are shipping these days all that much, though they do look like my kid's old Mighty Morphin transformer toys, but what I hate are cases that aren't flat and level on top. Where do you pile up CDs and floppies? Where do you rest your coffee cup, wine glass or beer mug?
Yours WDK - WKiernan@concentric.net
My fave case is a December 1984 IBM 5170 (PC-AT). It used to have a 6 MHz 80286 with 512 KB RAM, now it has a Tyan Celeron Socket 1 motherboard inside. I had to hacksaw away part of the internal drive bay to make room for the DIMMs on that MB. Someone had taken out the key lock so I mounted a reset button in the hole instead. It's real handsome, a classic, and solid enough you could drive your car up on it to get underneath and change the oil. The biggest failing is that it only has two bays, but I want to add a CD burner to it and I also want a separate CD reader.
Does anyone know if someone sells either a combination floppy drive and IDE CD reader in a 5-1/4" wide half-height (1-1/2" high) form factor, or quarter-height floppies and CD readers, so I can free up one of the external bays?
Yours WDK - WKiernan@concentric.net
> Friends, let me say that I am lucky to have my old friend
> King James by my side; he has helped my elderly and ailing
> heart to get through some of these times.
Your old friend King James, eh? Well we know the truth about this old friend of yours, King James - "Queen James" as he was known to his contemporaries. Well (sniff) I won't be lectured on morality by morally abandoned, lust-debauched heathens such as yourself.
More righteous than thou, WDK - WKiernan@concentric.net
> I hate everyone
> Just like Columbine High School
> Everyone will die
hate them or love them
they're going to die anyway
all men are mortal
Yours WDK - WKiernan@concentric.net
...Off-topic? What topic?
Stripped Olivetti mini cases work well. I've got one fitted with 12 SCSI CDROMs, four IDE HDs and a single MFM/RLL full height 170. Granted, I had to install my own drive rails for the HDs and replace the single huge 250W supply with two small 300W'ers. I hear AS/400 cases work great too.
.sig: Now legally binding!
I've done it too. Short on cases, short on deskspace, wanted a statement. Drywall screws and six different PC mobos. It scares people when I cycle up that powerstrip and the fans whir, the drives spin up loudly, and LEDs scattered throughout light. I ran it as a PAPERS cluster for a while, but eventually I graduated to a full 6x Beowulf style cluster. It still powers up, runs, and I still occasionally use it whan I need a few extra dumb terms.
.sig: Now legally binding!
Does anybody remember, about a year and a half/2 years ago on here, there was a story about this aircraft aluminum case? It was like 2" x 2" , and stood on a base on one of it's corners. I remember seeing it and really wanting it.. but I can't find the website anymore, or a link on here (go and search for case on slashdot's search see what you get :)
"And how can this be? For he is the
I always wondered about that book title.
Does it have any reference to the song
"All Tommorrow's Parties" by lou reed,
that you can hear Nico screeching out on
one of the old velvet underground albums?
"and what dress shall the poooooooooooooor girl weaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar.. to alllllllllllll tommorrow's parties? some handme down rags from who knows where....."
"And how can this be? For he is the
I know a guy who put six old motherboards on his cube wall. He's running SETI@HOME on the whole cluster.
--
Time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once... the bitch.
Look at it here.
--
Time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once... the bitch.
I don't see anything in these cases to keep all the RF from leaking out. Forget Tempest, I just want to be able to use my radio and TV somewhere in the same house!
--
Time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once... the bitch.
I have a real noisy computer due primarily to loud hard drives. My Seagate Barracuda 2.5GB and my Seagate 4.5GB Cheatah account for the majority of the noise. I have considered replacing the drives, but in order to get more scsi ultra-wide drives I'm looking at a hefty heap of cash, and the Cheatah is a really fast drive that I would hate to part with (it's part of a software raid array with two IBM drives).
I remember there used to be printer enclosures that worked quite well (our school had them for the OBNOXIOUS Apple dot matrix printers), but I have yet to see any sort of computer case designed for such a purpose. I am also considering buying an external scsi enclosure and just stuffing it under my bed, but those are also quite expensive and my fans tend to add a lot of noise too.
While most scsi drives are meant for servers that hide in far-away back rooms, I'm certain there has to be some type of geekware outlet that produces ear-friendly cases. Has anybody seen one?
I like a lot of the designs that this company has, but I have one problem. I've got a beast of tower (around three feet tall) next to my desk that darn near creates a windstorm because of all the fans. It doesn't have a 300 watt power supply either (too small for all my cards and drives). Does anyone know of any places that have cool cases for full towers? I've been thinking about painting it myself, but I'm not sure how to paint the drives (especially the Zip and floppy) without destroying them. I'd rather not void too many warranties at once. Anyway...thanks for the help if you can give it :)
- Super-glue pieces together in chunks for building 1-piece drive bays, backplanes, removable sides, etc.
- Expandability is a cinch.. just add more legos!
- Add a few metal strips for grounding purposes
- Use multiple colors for a neat effect or better yet, mimic your favorite superhero, country flag, or Tux the Penguin
Of course with the addition of Mindstroms, the case becomes lifelike. Allow your case to interactively assist you in upgrading, and perhaps even put a "log out and disassemble" function into X.There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
:wq
- Super-glue pieces together in chunks for building 1-piece drive bays, backplanes, removable sides, etc.
- Expandability is a cinch.. just add more legos!
- Add a few metal strips for grounding purposes
- Use multiple colors for a neat effect or better yet, mimic your favorite superhero, country flag, or Tux the Penguin
Of course with the addition of Mindstorms, the case becomes lifelike. Allow your case to interactively assist you in upgrading, and perhaps even put a "log out and disassemble" function into X.There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
:wq
SpamMan
Step #1 Disassembling The Case:
Remove the side panels, or if all three sides come off in one piece remove the one piece. Remove the
front plastic bezel, remove all wiring, buttons, drive cages etc. We want a completely bare case.
Now separate the metal parts to be painted from the plastic parts.
If your front plastic bezel can be disassembled, then take it apart as well, it will be easier to sand this
way. Don't leave the buttons in or they can get stuck from the paint build-up.
Step #2 Trip To The Automotive Paint Store:
We have to pick up supplies before we start to work. I use PPG brand (or DuPont) Acrylic Urethane
base coat/ clear coat. This is Automotive paint (the best) and holds up extremely well (this answers
the question, "how well does it hold up")
Here's a list of supplies,
1. Silicone carbide wet or dry sandpaper in grits 220,320 (or 360),400,600,1000,1500,2000
2. Primer-I use PPG epoxy primer (or whatever is on the compatiblity chart for the paint you choose)
use a quick build-up type.
3. Flex additive- for the primer and the paint. This is used for painting plastic parts, so it will adhere to
the plastic without chipping off.
4. Paint- PPG Acrylic Urethane Base Coat/ Clear Coat (I also use DuPont, real good as well). That's
right we apply a basecoat of color first (enough for 3 coats) and then 3 coats of clear. You will also
need the appropriate thinner.
5. Clear Coat- As mentioned above, you will need clear acrylic urethane as well as thinner.
6. Activator- for the paint and the clear coat.
7. Masking paper- DO NOT USE NEWSPAPER!!!
8. Masking tape- Get it at the Automotive paint store, I always use 3M brand.
9. Stirring sticks, strainers, extra cans, tack clothes, white rags, rubber squeegee and laquer thinner
and aluminum trays for cleanup.
10. Wax and Grease remover. I make this #10 because it is the MOST IMPORTANT PART. You
must always keep your surface clean in between coats of primer and or paint. Oil from your hands
can ruin hours of work.
11. Rubbing compound (get a fine compound, it wont take much)
12. Fine finishing Polishing compound.
13. Show glaze Meguiars #7, this is the final topcoat to make it look like a show car.
14. Meguairs carnuba wax, after about 3 months wax your case.
Equipment You Will Need:
Air compressor, 5hp Sears works well, Paint gun, I use Binks Model #7 with filter screen or HVLP
(High volume low pressure, much less overspray), Oil and water extractor (place at least 25 feet from
compressor) keeps the air clean. Airhose. I also use a separate spray gun for primer.
Step #3 Sanding the Case Down:
Ok now the work begins. All the pieces should be separated. Get some 220 or 360 grit wet or dry
sandpaper ( use the 360 if your case has a nice finish on it) and wrap it around the rubber squeegee.
Get a bucket of water with a little dishwashing soap added, now sand all the metal panels and the
plastic front bezel, if you are going to do your buttons, sand them as well.
Now sand it all down with 320 or 360 grit wet/dry sandpaper (if you used the 220).
The purpose of the squeegee is to make sure all parts are flat.
Wash it all down with cool clear water. Dry all parts and let dry thoroughly. Take your wax and
grease remove and wipe all the parts down (always follow the manufacturers instructions on how to
use their product). Let this dry. wipe everything with a tack cloth.
Step #4 Applying the Primer:
Ok mix up the primer according the the manufacturer and pour it into the spray gun, MAKE SURE
YOU USE A STRAINER. Adjust the pressure at the gun according to the can and lets spray some
primer, (TACK CLOTH 1ST!!) on the metal pieces only (apply a couple of practice coats on some
cardboard first, using a 12" spray pattern), 2-3 full wet coats will be enough. Now the plastic pieces.
You must add flex additive to your paint when priming or paint plastic, this allows the paint to flex
with the movement of the plastic, like a plastic car bumper. MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A MASK
WHILE SPRAYING ANY PAINT, THIS STUFF IS EXTREMELY TOXIC!!!!!!!!!
Remember to practice spraying first, always hold gun parallel to your work surface, don't put it on too
thick, we DON'T WANT RUNS!! Use a 1/2 overlap spraying technique (overlap each pass by 1/2)
Step # 5 Sanding the Primer:
Be careful sanding the edges, you can sand through them in a nanosecond!!
Get out your 400 grit or 600 grit (read directions VERY IMPORTANT!! IT MIGHT SPECIFY 600 GRIT
which is what I use normally) wet/dry and start to sand, we want to use the little rubber squeegee
with the sandpaper wrapped around it (except for pieces that are not flat, like the front bezel). Again
we want the primer to be sanded perfectly flat. If you want it to be perfect sand horizontally, vertically
and diagonally, otherwise just sand all in one direction. Wipe it all down with cool clear clean water
and dry with clean white rag. Let dry completely, now wipe all parts down with W/G remover and then
the tack cloth. It is important to always tack right before you spray.
Step #6 Applying the Base Coat Color:
Ok this is where you find out if all the prep work paid off. Remember whatever is below the paint is
the way the finished product will look, paint magnifies all mistakes, it doesn't hide them. Get out your
paint and mix according to the manufacturer, strain it as you pour it into the spray gun and set the air
pressure. Now spray a couple practice passes on a piece of cardboard, adjust the fan to about a 12"
pattern (8-10 inches on smaller pieces), follow the same spraying techniques as with the primer
(metal pieces first, then add flex additive for the plastic parts). Apply 3 full coats of color. Let dry
according to the directions, lightly sand with 600 grit after it dries, remember tack cloth.
Step #7 Applying the Clear Coat:
Same technique as with the color base coat. Apply 3 full coats of clear coat. let this dry for 2 days
(no longer).
Step #8 Sanding Down the Clear Coat:
Be careful around the edges, you can sand through in a nanosecond
Ok get a clean bucket of cool clear water in a nice new bucket. It is extremely important to keep your
water clean. Add some dishwahing soap into the cool water, wrap a piece of 1000 or 1200 grit
sandpaper around the rubber squeegee, now lighly sand the flat metal parts first in one direction
making sure you don't sand through to the color, we want to make the paint perfectly flat, sand all
pieces this way, you will have to use the sandpaper without the squeegee for parts that are not flat.
Repeat this process for the 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper.
Dry all the parts and check to make sure there is no orange peel or runs and all surfaces are flat.
Rubbing Out The Paint:
Now it's going to come to life. Get your rubbing compound and lots of white turkish towels, cut into
pieces small enough to manage and make sure you don't use the seamed part of the towel. Apply
the rubbing compound in circular motions, rubbing until the surface looks like a mirror, do this to all
the parts, being extremely careful around sharp edges (they rub through quick). Rub out entire case
(it will take some elbow grease) until all the parts look like a mirror. Now do the same with an
extremely fine polishing compound, then Mequairs Show glaze #7. Always follow the manufacturers
directions. And always use 100% cotton turkish towels without the seams!!!
Assemble all the pieces and in about 3 months apply a nice coat of wax (I use Meguairs). This paint
will hold up to anything in the home, it is made for the car.
Well this is it, your case should look Greaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!
If you are patient and take your time your project will turn out better then a professional bodyshop.
Another warning **PLEASE ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR EYES, SKIN and
an OSHA APPROVED FRESH AIR BREATHING APPARATUS!!!
SpamMan
Beige boxes are like vanilla ice cream, it's not bad if it is the only kind available. I agree it ;-)
would be cool to have a neat box to house my equipment. That in mind, it would make no sense to
have one of the "flavorful" cases currently available unless it was possible to get other components in living color too. Having all of those beige CD, floppy and zip drives inside some of these colorful cases would be akin to wearing white before memorial day (or so my wife keeps telling me)
The dell cases aren't that bad, but they need to put some sort of markings about how you are supposed to open them on the case or in the documentation. We use dell at work, and it wasn't until the third or fourth case that I managed to add a drive without breaking *any* of the plastic. (and I have no trouble working on clones, or macs, or cars, so it isn't me)
Once you figure it out, though, it's pretty convenient.
--Kevin
, you could have gotten a numbered list with
(as if we can't count... :-)
--
--
E2 IN2 IE?
I bought this old computer (an Intel Intelic). The Thing has an 8080 P, ?16k of main memory, dual 8" floppy drives, a hard drive that holds about 1 Meg, a 12 or 13 inch CRT (white) with keyboard, and a dual PROM burner. The thing also came with the manuals. The machine was originally bought in 1976! I originally was going to try to get the thing up and running, but I've never been able to find any 8" floppies, or the original OS (ISIS II if anyone actually has a copy).
Since I can't find the original OS, and since I can't run ELKS, I'm essentially stuck with almost a quarter ton of obselete hardware. However, the cases are in good shape, I've thought of retrofitting the beast with new hardware. I should easily be able to fit a new motherboard inside the processor housing, the dual floppy case could easily hold enough hardware to completely load a couple of SCSI boards, and the HD housing should be able to hold at least two fully assembled tower cases. With some work, I could probably build enough support to put a four-node cluster inside. As for the PROM burner, since I have the schematics, I should be able to divine enough hardware specs to allow someone to write a device driver for it.
The whole mess cost me $25US, but I think it would be awsome to make this thing into a REAL computer. Check around your local junk shops and maybe you can find some old piece of electronics just begging to become your next computer case. Maybe it might be an old shipboard radio (Oh boy... hook up all those blinkinlights!). The possibilities become much better when you stop thinking about your new cases' original use.
-- Intelligence reports are useful only to the intelligent. -RAH
My black keyboard is a KeyTronic Lifetime Series. I got mine at Best Buy.
You can check this one out on alternatecases.angryfruitsalad.com Its nice, I own one. Was mad expensive. But they sold out to some euro company.
Indy
Check out the Alternate Cases Website where we review a good pile of interesting case designs.
Also check out www.geeknews.com, at the top they have a link to some cool cases also.
Indy
Why do you need candy colored cases????? Rackmount cases are much preferred by all the computers I have interviewed!!! They say it gives them much more space to "lounge around", makes it easier for those upgraded parts to be added w/o damaging something else, not to mention the fact that the computers feel much more fashionable while wearing a rackmount case :)
- Discard the insignificant computer cases you still have around.
- Wallpaper the entire room with tin foil.
- Bolt the motherboards to the table.
- Stick a fan to the ceiling, to get some cooling.
- Preserve the accumulating dust (and dust puppies) on the floor, your room will look like a real computer case.
- Toss cables everywhere.
- Print the specs of your boxes, and hang the piece of paper outside your door.
- If you want, purchase some blinking lights, to be turned on before your friends and relatives come in.
and you will get a big (and possibly cool) computer case_______
I just wish I could c:\format Internet
Maybe I'm old fashioned but I miss having a nice big case, with plenty of room for cooling and extra disk bays.
Last summer Slashdot did an article on A-Top cases and I ordered one from them. It cost me over 200 just for shipping since they were importing them from Hong Kong. Aside from that, I had to pay an additional 50 bucks for the case(cheap), but you get what you pay for.
When the case arrived, it was already broken and I had to have them send out another one.
PDG
"Where is my mind?"
i thought that most geeks [other than rob and a few others] usually aren't looking for great looks, but performance. i'm sure many of us are running open case with a fan screwed on with a bracket to keep the processer cool during overclocking. i really don't care what my box looks like as long as it can do what i want it to do.
many of these boxes lack expansion capabilities that are generally standard on many other boxes. so what's the point?
'Mullethead. A hairstyle that's a way of life'
Had something to say about this in 'All tomorrow's Partys': (This is just off the top of my head because I can't be bothered finding the book) a sales clerk in a retro-computing store says "It is believed that all the 20th century computers were put in those boring beige cases because the invntors were afraid of the new power that they had discovered and wanted to reasure themselves that it was OK." :o)
On that same note, is it just me, or does "All tomorrow's partys" not actually have a very satisfying ending? The major conflict of the book seems to be igored when it comes to the rounding up chapters! Or am I just missing the obvious?
Shawn Poulsen (Fruan)
"On Slashdot, many obvious things are insightful." - Annonymous Coward, 2000/7/9
Go check out atacom. They have some great full tower cases, I bought one from them to use on my BP6, the BP6 is definatly the best Socket 370 board so far. If you have that board you may be interested in the Socket 370 Celerons @ 533 (8.0x66) are comming out soon. They will be the last 66MHz Celerons, finally, Intel will have to make a Celeron with a 100MHz FSB. info about the Celeron 533.
(http://www.ms-monopoly.com) -- (http://www.kmfms.com)
a resold VA Linux machine with a transparent case (pick your color) using my own original revision of mandrake linux.
My IPO is April 1.
:)
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
I want my Linux computer's case to be shaped like an Egyptian pyramid so it'll go with the Pharaoh's throne I'm getting for my bedroom.
My windows 2000 PC will be in the shape of a casket.
:)
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
Does anyone know whether these are the same company? Perhaps they are migrating between web-pages or something (this would explain why colorcase.com is down) but I can't find any company info on colorcases.com.
If they are two different companies, I would like to know which one has moral superiority before I buy my translucent orange case. :)
Look here
Just by the by, the case I chose for my Athlon was the "Frontier Taurus" from the same company. I felt it had just a little more style than the standard block. Unfortunately, only available in beige and grey, not blue and white like in the picture. Quality seems ok and removable side-panels are a definite improvement over the "all at once" case on my old PC which required Krypton-factor style skills to fit back on. Bit of a finger slicer though, giving me three cuts (two pretty deep) on the build.
Rich
I have seen a few computers with black keyboards. Anybody know where you can get them from in the UK?
wot no sig
I have a biege box. I like my beige box. It will be a sad day in the world when you opressors force me to add color to my perfectly functional computer case. Mange
Looks like that link took down yet another site. Gotta love the geek factor.
I agree, the G4 case is amazing. The only amazing things about that computer, actually.
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automatictaxistopelectriccigarettelovebaby
Look around for an "internal USB hub." they fit inside of a 3.5" bay like a floppy drive, and have four USB ports. I bought one, just love it. about $40.
- - - - -
automatictaxistopelectriccigarettelovebaby
Or go out and buy a Sony Vaio laptop. :)
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automatictaxistopelectriccigarettelovebaby
My goal here is to get a hollowed out sun E450 box and stick all my hardware in that. Sweet looking case - also, sweet look on your friends' faces when they see a "$45,000 box" sitting under your desk.
--FluX
"It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." -David Hume
Does anyone know where I can get a clear case? I have looked and the best I have found is instructions for building one. Now, I'm talking CLEAR. Sort of like a pc encased in a window.
-----
I bought an Antec rackmount case (black) from one of the vendors on pricewatch.com. 300W+ power supply, locking panel, etc. It has room for many HDDs, anti-vibro caddy for the drives, and a fan that could power a small sailboat. Takes up 3-4 spaces on a rack. I picked one up for $216 including shipping. I highly recommend these cases.
In Soviet Russia, beowulf clusters imagine you.
I admit, the idea of a cool colored or translucent case is kinda neat. The problem is when you add any sort of drives to it such as an internal zip drive or a dvd and a cd burner. As far as I have found, its damn near impossible to find a translucent internal 8x cd burner. As soon as you add any drive, your computer looks like a crappy combination of Magenta and beige.
Cases try to solve this problem by putting that snappy sliding panel that covers the drive bays, but who wants to slide a silly little panel whenever you want to access a drive? Colored cases are only cool if you don't want your machine to have any added components....like an imac, or a doorstop.
-Chris
Instead of a De-Gaussing button, you may need a De-Brown-Sugar-&-Cinnamon button, though, eh? ;-) Excellent idea, though. Any particularly useful monitor brands for "toasting"?
I would like to install an oven door in the side of my case so I could use it to bake small pastries and such. I think the heat generated in some older desktops could well outpace that of a 30 watt bulb.
This very same friend, got hold of an 1979 Apple home-computer, took out its inards, and fixed his Dual Celeron 550 SMP system inside. He even removed the original keyboard, and replaced it with AT keyboard after sawing off the Numeric Pad ( to make it fit in the Apple Box ).
Note: For those of whom are unaware of what an Apple home-computer of 1979 looks like, it looks like a Modern day Electronic Typewriter. The VDU was your very own TV. You had to use a audio-cassette recorder as it lacked a Hard-drive OR a floppy drive.
If you have some extra bucks waiting to be burned,
check out the black minicube at(www.esc-tech.com).
It's worth the trip.
I lined all the walls with oak paneling. Then I made some bookcases and three desks that appeared to come right out of the walls. It looks pretty cool, but it gets kind of dark in here. Anyway, my two beige pentium boxes kind of stood out in the room. I decided to try something new. On the side of each desk I created a box that I used as the case for my pc's.
The boxes were made of the same wood that I used for the desk. I lined them with some aluminum sheeting and just built the pc inside the box. The box itself comes right off the desk if you need to get in there for any reason. I also made it big enough to expand.
In a bit of boredom and inspiration about a month ago, I built myself a wooden computer case. I think it's a pretty decently cool case.
I should be needed to play Xkobo without bugfix! Just fix it!
Assembling etherkillers for fun an profit