Machining a TI-89 Out of Aluminum

TangoMargarine writes "Sometimes, expensive calculators hit the floor. It's happened to almost anyone with a graphing calculator from TI or HP. Sadly, they don't always bounce. After this happened to [Howard C.], an Industrial Engineering student from U. of Iowa, he decided to spend $50 on milling his own replacement case out of aluminum rather than trashing the device over a broken battery compartment."

Comments

Re:ok but

[Idarubicin]

2. Cushioned innards no?

I was just thinking the same thing. If you drop the plastic case, it deforms slightly on impact (or fails, as it did in this case), protecting the circuit boards and display from at least some of the shock.

The next time our engineer drops his calculator, the milled aluminum case will remain pretty and pristine, just as planned -- but without proper cushioning, the plastic circuit board screwed to it will fracture. (If the innards are free to move a bit, I also wonder if the buttons are all going to get sheared off when they bump up against the aluminum frame.)

Re:ok but

[Jeremy Erwin]

Well, he is an engineering student. He'll learn a valuable lesson that he can apply throughout his career.