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Student Designs Cardboard Computer Case

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the hope-it-burns-clean dept.

SpaceGhost writes "The Houston Chronicle has a story on a Grad student at the University of Houston who has designed a cardboard case for a computer. This is not a new concept, but this one is meant to be used in manufacture. The idea is that it will be faster and easier to produce (no fasteners for example) and dramatically easier to recycle."

6 of 329 comments (clear)

  1. grounding? by virmaior · · Score: 4, Insightful

    is grounding no longer a problem? I haven't built a computer in a while, but I'm not sure if cardboard makes a good ground.

  2. EMC Nightmere by distilate · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Not again.

    This is not the first time we have seen this idea

    cardboard does not act as a Farady cage and the computer will leak large amounts of radio frequency interference so will not be legal in most countries.

  3. The case is least important by bcmm · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As others have pointed out, the case is not difficult to recycle or toxic.

    And who the hell throws away a case? It's the part that goes obsolete slowest, and several computers might occupy a case before it needs to be replaced.

    --
    # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i llama
    Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
    1. Re:The case is least important by tick_and_bash · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The people most likely to throw away a case are those who don't build their own computers. Not everyone has the know how or desire to do so. It's much easier to just order already made.

  4. Re:the case is the easy part by hairyfeet · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And I wonder how much extra ewaste is right now going into dumps because of that crap. Did the environmentalists even bother to see how bad the extra failure rate is for that stuff before forcing it down everyone's throats? Because I have seen a good 400-500% increase in dead electronics due to solder failure.

    IMHO they should have demanded recycling plants for the solder we had, not force an inferior solder down everyone's throats. from talking to my engineer buds they are seeing the same thing as I am-lots of stuff that should be working but failed from the new solder giving out. I think 20 years from now we'll look back on the solder switch as another really bad idea pushed through under 'saving the planet". Whether we'll actually get a functional solder is anyone's guess, as all those failing devices means you have to buy NEW devices, which is of course planned obsolescence at its finest. IMHO the problem was NOT the solder, it was sending the stuff for "recycling" to the third world where it became an eco-disaster. It should have been recycled here and the materials then reused. That would have made more sense and helped the environment more than some faulty new solder that still gets dumped in the third world or ends up in a landfill.

    --
    ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
  5. Such a bad idea, let me count the ways... by Aphoxema · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Catching on fire
    Getting wet
    Condensation
    Humidity
    Supporting other objects
    Stress
    Changing structure
    Changing composition
    Bacteria
    Mold
    Bugs getting inside, getting them back out
    Mites
    Unwashable
    Overheating
    Weight of components
    EM interference to internal components
    EM interference to external appliances (possible FCC violation)
    Grounding
    Reusability/longevity
    Papercuts
    Transportability
    Modification
    Static
    Security
    Looking stupid

    Did I miss anything?

    --
    "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"