Slashdot Mirror
How To Travel With LCD Gaming Screen?
johnpagenola asks: "My 17 year old son will start traveling this Fall to fencing tournaments, but he needs his gaming fix over the weekend. How best to travel with an LCD screen to protect it from damage? Is there a way to put together a storage device for LCD with speakers, SFF system unit, keyboard and mouse?" Other than "buy a laptop," can anyone suggest some travel-proofing tips for such a set-up?
Buy a pelican case and carve out some nice foam indentations for the monitor, keyboard, etc. It's an air tight, waterproof seal with all the fixings.
I use a Pelican Case when I ship my stuff. They are fantastic.
On of those metal suitcases with foam on the inside? A notebook bag with some extra foam, basicly foam to protect and something around it to keep everything in place..
A piece of plastic of the same size as the screen (with some foam..) and some velcro to keep it in place?
just some ideas..
Nobody expects the spanish inquisition!
But does anybody find this to be exceptionally wrong? If you can't go a weekend without playing video games, I think you should have some priority adjustments. He's going to fencing tournaments so why not read books that enhance the mind? I'm speaking directly of combat philosophy books. Granted, there aren't that many out there but it seems better than playing video games in the commute.
Now, back on subject, I'd suggest going with the Sony Glasstron goggles. I have a friend who had a setup with N64, PSX, DVD (Before PS2/Xbox) with these in his car. It worked really well for him.
Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
ThinkGeek carries a CRT carrier, and I have seen one made for LCDs with nice neoprene padding around, particularly in the june issue of "Computer Shopper"
01101001 01100001 01101101 01101110 01101111 01110100 01100001 01101100 01100001 01110111 01111001 01100101 01110010
If he wants a gaming screen for an XBOX, one company is developing this.
If you don't need the protection (and weight) fo a hardtop case, you should check out the variety of computer carrying equipment at CaseAce. I haven't used their new LCD harness, but the regular old CRT carrying harness has been a great investment. Turns something that's awkward into something easy to carry.
http://www.willowdesign.com/
They have a large number of monitor and LCD display cases. They also have a specific line for the Apple Cinema Displays as well.
/// Zoid.
Get a Pelican case as used by anyone who carries expensive electornics into the field includeing journalists world wide. These cases are a hard plastic shell lined with foam that you can easily cut to your needs. Find them at a camping goods shop, or better photography shop near you.
We had a monster case custom built for a 'luggable' desktop system and LCD screen that had to go from shutdown to shutdown. While they are normally used for musical equipment (consult your local music shop for more info), they work beautifully for computers.
Feed the need: Digitaladdiction.net
Why does a 17 year old need his father to ask Slashdot how to carry around a computer?
.. and throw the computer in the trunk .. No need to tote it around like a suitcase to the actual fencing tournaments .. and if you don't want to buy him a laptop .. lease one ..
Lend him your car (presumeably he has a license by now)
if this is a school sponsored event, or hell, if it's an event of any type; let's remember it's an event for you to SOCIALIZE at. the only time a computer is used (well) for socializing is possibly a lan party and (more remotely) email/aim. not computer games. when going to speech tournaments (verbal fencing), the most enjoyable part of the whole tournament was the socializing factor. if you lock yourself in your hotel room and play computer games, you're not even getting half of the value of going to these events in the first place.
if anything, i'd MAKE him get a laptop with a sub-par video card in it just so he wouldn't play games on it. or maybe just a cheap PDA.
moox. for a new generation.
is to make him either design the "storage device" himself or not play at all.
>>Why do you need to game over a weekend where a laptop doesn't suffice?
Who said it wouldn't? But if you have a desktop, a good 17" LCD monitor is half the price of a decent laptop.
>>why aren't you using a CRT to get some REAL gaming?
Perhaps because a CRT is 5 times bigger and heavier and is proportionally harder to carry around on fencing tournaments?
Game Boy.
Why lug a whole damn system around? Get a Game Boy, put it in your pocket.
SIGFEH
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.
Kid-proof tablet..
and is also the perfect opportunity for a little hanky-panky in the back row under a blanket.
Let's just hope you weren't the only one sitting in the back row...
When you have nothing left to burn you must set yourself on fire
I was in a similar predicament. I have heard plenty of horror stories where LCD panels got cracked while being subjected to the pressure of books and odd objects in backpacks.
When I got my new laptop, I was worried about taking it on-campus in my backpack. So, I built a custom aluminum box to protect the screen.
I picked up a 12-foot aluminum bar from a nearby sheet metal warehouse. I took it to a machine shop near campus and spent a couple of hours measuring, cutting, and drilling holes in the aluminum. I put it together with machine screws and corner brackets, and then I covered the inside with cardboard. I have three bars spanning the width of the box. While it doesn't completely encase the laptop, it is sufficient to keep the pressures of books off the computer.
The result is a fairly lightweight protective box that fits in my backpack and then protects the LCD panel from cracking (you could stand on the box with the laptop in it, and it would not put any pressure on the laptop itself). So far, it's worked like a charm. I am still careful not to drop my laptop into my backpack while it's resting on the floor, since longitudinal forces on the screen can also do damage.
An unjust law is no law at all. - St. Augustine
Your 17 year old son should be going outside, exploring the cities. He should be seeing America (or whatever contry he is in) with a group of friends he works and plays with. He should be growing and writing in a journal.
If you need to buy him something, buy him a digital camera. Give him some spending money. Buy the team nerf balls. Give him a guide to all ages clubs in your state / province. Give him rollerblades, frisbies, and waterguns. Give the coach specific instructions to not let him rot in his hotel room.
I love games. I haven't come across a game yet that I can't beat in 2 days, and my Maniac ERA continues to be a real crowdstopper. But they 're not everything. Your kid is 17, and is about to go on an oddessey. Would Homer sing of a developing young man staring at a slightly glowing fire and occasionally poking it with a stick?
It may be scary as a parent to think that your kid may be out in the real world, but he soon will be an adult and will have to make mature, adult decisions based on what he has experienced and shared with you. I'm sure if you have raised him well, he will do great. But don't love him so much that he isn't given those experiences until it is much to late for him to look to your guidance.
Part of your guidance should be to forbid him from taking his Playstation.
-Chris
This Sig is a mnemonic device designed to allow you to recognize this author in the future.
wget -r How to travel with LCD gaming screen | grep 'pelican' | wc
Just a thought, how about putting it in the original shipping box? LCD monitor boxes almost always have something along the lines of "Save this box in case you ever need to ship this hardware later!" on all four sides. Too bad nobody pays attention to it...
Are you planning on investing a bunch of money in this or do you just want something that will work?
There are plenty of pointers above for expensive solutions, so here's a cheap solution that works for most things you want to pack.
Get a box big enough to put the screen in. Get some garbage bags. Get some Great Stuff (available at any hardware store).
Put a garbage bag in the box, put the screen in the box, now fill the bag with great stuff. Fold the bag over so the goo doesn't come out & lay the box on it's side w/ the screen laying on the bag full of great stuff.
Put another bag on the other side. Fill it with great stuff. Wait. Ta-da. Just slide out both bags together and there you have it.
Works with just about anything, totally re-useable, and works pretty damn well.
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.
Geez, you guys keep telling this guy how to run his (and his son's) life rather than giving constructive criticism to the question at hand. Do you think he hasn't thought about his son's gaming "addiction"? He came here with a question and all you can do is tell him how to raise his son. You have no idea how their family is set up. Perhaps his son is only allowed to play games on the weekends when he doesn't have to think about school? Rather than asking him to make the choice between fencing and gaming, his father could be trying to work out a compromise. You don't know the situation, so how dare you pretend you know what's best?
Your *17* year old son is going to *fencing* tourneys and *has* to be able to play his 'puter games?
/.
Colour me a misanthropic nihilist, but piss off.
I don't care if this is a troll, SUV-driving, private-school-attending, prig kids who need their fix are not what I want to be reading about on
--- Do you believe in the day?
OK, first you raise the (perfectly valid) issue of game addiction. Then you suggest buying an expensive appliance that'd affords video game access all the time, everywhere. Kinda sending out mixed signals, aren't we?
I demand pictures! Specifications! This is an ultra-cool project that would be widely imitated and even turn into a business (if you're not careful)!
Sorry, I was a trumpeter.
Buy roll of bubble wrap
Wrap monitor in several layers
Transport
I've Fed-Ex'ed an LCD monitor this way, no damage whatsoever.
Is there something wrong with the original packing materials? It was good enough to get it across the pond from asia. And the the retailer, and your house after. Works for me.
"Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs." P.J. O'Rourke
I can just see it now, some idiot security guard will demand that you 'turn it on' and demonstrate that it's not a bomb.
-josh
OK, overprotective dad, here's what you have to do: Buy your kid a bottle of liquor. Perhaps a bottle or two of 1L Blackhaus, for starters. It's good-tasting stuff that's great for your first alcoholic experience. Or maybe some Absolut and orange juice! Your son can then go into the hotel room, tell his buddies (I'm at least hoping he has aqcuaintances), and then they will bring some girls. Everyone has a fun, drunken time, and he learns what it's really supposed to be like away from a goddamned video game.
This is what we did for Model UN tournaments, and we became the party club of the high school. Those were the days...
Trust me, at 17, your son is not yet completely out of the running for a NORMAL SOCIAL LIFE. But time's running low, and you've got to encourage better things than this (and yes, having a few drinks with friends and girls is better, regardless of anyone's spoon-fed Americanized moral objections).
Berto
We polled over 10,000 people, interviewed industry experts, conducted focus groups, market studies, hired teams of nuclear physicists and asked all what was the best way to transport a computer or LCD without damage. We tabulated the results, input them into a terrabyte database, mined the data and examined the results with an expert system. The results:
Don't throw away the box it came in.
Like, duh...
Two words - "original packaging".
I use my original box to carry around my LCD. But every time I pack/unpack the screen, I lose a few bits of the styrofoam.
Any suggestions on how to keep the styrofoam together? I use packing tape, but was thinking maybe some spray adhesive and saran wrap? Any one have a good solution?
-- If god wanted me to have a sig, he'd have given me a sense of humor.
Maybe I'm old fashioned but whatever happened to the ancient art of hunting? Humans have occupied themselves for thousands of years without having to get their "boox fix." Instead of worrying about satisfying your son's raving book addiction that apparently can't go a single day without reading, maybe you should buy him a good bow and arrow. Aftel all, hunting and gathering is all we should ever aspire to do.
(For those of you still reading, I find it very presumptuous far anyone to dictate what people should and should not do in their spare time -- it is their choice. That this was ever modded up is a symbol of just how many bitter, jealous people read this site. This post is not unlike a law against sex between two consenting adults in the privacy of their own home.)
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Your post is ridiculous, and a mockery of logic. I'm not forbidding anyone from doing anything--nor can I, nor should (check it--do I ever COMMAND, DEMAND, FORCE, etc anywherE? no, I suggest, I say "maybe"). I'm simply pointing out a better thing to do. Slashdot is a site with a lot of smart people, and there are a lot of smart things to do with your time. I was recommending one of them. It seems that you're so scared of differing opinions that you have to make a mockery of my post though rife with errors to try and mock my suggestion.
If you get a modern P-4 laptop with a GeForce4 440 Go and a decent set of built in speakers, and you have the core components of a good portable gaming system. Get a nice big screen, preferabbly 1600x1200.
sigs are a waste of space
>>Yet lugging around a full desktop rig to set up over a weekend is a viable plan?
Desktop+LCD is still a lot easier than Desktop+CRT. (I never said I'd do it; just that an LCD would make it a bit easier)
Metal cased, with an adequate amount of cushioning foam...
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
I used to design LCDs, and they are quite susceptible to electrostatic discharge. Garbage bags may not be the best choice if you want all of your pixels to still be active in the future. I'm not familiar with the ES properties of Great Stuff, but that might be worth some caution as well.
What, you haven't read this guy's FBI files yet? Get with the program, dude.
What we call folk wisdom is often no more than a kind of expedient stupidity.-Edward Abbey
Something feels wrong when I'm seeing posts on /. trying to stop kids from playing video games and encouraging them to go out drinking.
Ok, so let me get this straight. Instead of building up important hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and problem-solving skills, he should instead kill off as many brain cells as possible in order to be socially acceptable to jock-like peers. Well we all know how being socially accepted and having everyone like you while you puke in the back of a VW is important, so I guess you're sorta right...
GAME ON!
BTW, if you're trying to carry a flat screen LCD for use with a computer during a weekend event, essentially any plain ol' brown box will work as long as you don't step on and/or puncture it. (previous experience). Also you should check out that neat mini-pc that's the size of a cdrom drive at think geek
Again, let's take a step back. If this kid can't go 48 hours in a new city, at a pretty intense tournament, without being jacked into a console, what's going to happen when he shows up on the East Overshoe campus of Mindless State U.? Can you say M-I-A? Do yourself a favor and take a brand new charge of all this. Offer him WHATEVER each tourney city offers, ride roller coasters, do something that requires locomotion. As for the he-can't-socialize-if-he's-not-gaming-between-bout s.... WHAT?! glued to a controller sitting next to many others glued to controllers is now considered a social activity?! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... At the VERY LEAST - MAKE HIM FIGURE ALL THIS OUT! HE'LL EITHER LEARN SOME ENGINEERING AND RESPONSIBILITY, OR HE'LL BUST THE SCREEN AND HAVE TO HEAD OUTSIDE FOR A BREAK!
I gotta go...
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
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.
OK -- so you didn't want to buy a laptop, but what about a portable LCD-based DVD player? Most of those should have inputs to plug into any console, and although the screens are small, they close (like a laptop) to protect them from scratch damage etc.
-Turkey
But I'll help, *then* provide my opinion.
What you'd do best with is a hard case with foam rubber. You can then cram the LCD and speakers in the top half of the case, and the PC in the lower half. Leave room for ventilation, and make sure that the front of the LCD is covered with foam rubber when not in use!
The problem is that your son is carrying many pounds of gear, though. It's insane, since he's just asking for trouble carting something like that around. A laptop really is a better choice, especially with the new ones carrying Nvidia GPUs.
The better choice? A Gamecube or a PS2 with a flipdown LCD. Just get a padded bag, and you're ready to go. The best choice? Gameboy Advance. Good games, good battery life, and if it gets stolen, you're out what, 70 bucks?
As an avid gamer, I still think that he's better off not gaming all the time, unless he's really doing so with friends. A PC doesn't lend itself to social gaming as much as a console, though, and dedicated gaming hardware is just cheaper. I've been known to visit friends with a Gamecube in tow. My PC is much better off staying at home.
Raptor
"Procrastination is great. It gives me a lot more time to do things that I'm never going to do."