One of the great technical challenges of making a truly commercial (CE markable) wooden PC case is keeping the EMI/RF shielding properties of a real full metal jacket.
I know, I know, big plexiglass windows are just as open, and they sell those at major US stores.
Just be aware, when you house your PC in wood with no continuous shield (or put in a big plexi window), you are spewing tons of electromagnetic / radio frequency interference to nearby objects, which can (on rare occasion) cause a problem.
Gateway, Dell, Antec, and all the other major manufacturers wouldn't bother with spring enlosure fingers and tight shielding (like break-out 5.25 drive bay metal plates) if EMI didn't matter.
$1800 is a fair price for that kind of workmanship, just hope your customers don't have stability issues due to nearby interference.
Having said that, I had an overheating problem many years ago that I solved by taking off the case - with no ill effects. Had to come up with another solution when the gf's cats moved in, though...
Now, picture them piled one on top of the other like a giant hive, fill in the floor with straw or other padded material and you've got a great 4th world hotel.
I don't think humans have ever habitated in anything quite that hideous - though it would be better than no shelter at all.
I imagine they stopped at 172 square feet because of some technical limitations (strength of the bladder, for one.) Might be a lot more expensive to scale up to a decent size for living.
Why not fiberglass?
Fiberglass would be lighter - more subject to blowing away in a stiff breeze. As you say, anchor it, but that's additional, non-trivial work.
Fiberglass certainly wouldn't smell very good 12 hours after setup.
The basic ingredients of fiberglass (glass fibe, resin, sprayed on epoxy) are rather high-tech as compared to concrete.
I wondered about windows, I imagine the concrete form can have some pre-arranged holes like the door in the photo. Would be easier to customize fiberglass, though if you've ever done it, it's not fun (itchy, need respirator, careful not to overheat cutting blade, etc.). In fiberglass, you'd get natural light through the walls, anyway.
Fiberglass composites are neat things, expecially when mixed with carbon fiber and/or kevlar - but I wouldn't want to live in a fiberglass house, unless it was floating, preferably in the Carribean.
http://shop.webopolis.com/swedx2/mice.php
They're not 100% plastic free, but they are cool looking, and cheaper than the ones I've seen referenced above.
While the plastic allergy story is on the lame "get over it" side, I'm disappointed in the slashdot community for not coming up with more cool peripheral and case alternatives - I'm sure they're out there, and I'd like to know about them.
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I know, I know, big plexiglass windows are just as open, and they sell those at major US stores.
Just be aware, when you house your PC in wood with no continuous shield (or put in a big plexi window), you are spewing tons of electromagnetic / radio frequency interference to nearby objects, which can (on rare occasion) cause a problem.
Gateway, Dell, Antec, and all the other major manufacturers wouldn't bother with spring enlosure fingers and tight shielding (like break-out 5.25 drive bay metal plates) if EMI didn't matter.
$1800 is a fair price for that kind of workmanship, just hope your customers don't have stability issues due to nearby interference.
Having said that, I had an overheating problem many years ago that I solved by taking off the case - with no ill effects. Had to come up with another solution when the gf's cats moved in, though...
If it was a real self replicator, wouldn't they just use it to make a copy of itself and sell you that?
I don't think humans have ever habitated in anything quite that hideous - though it would be better than no shelter at all.
I imagine they stopped at 172 square feet because of some technical limitations (strength of the bladder, for one.) Might be a lot more expensive to scale up to a decent size for living.
Why not fiberglass? Fiberglass would be lighter - more subject to blowing away in a stiff breeze. As you say, anchor it, but that's additional, non-trivial work. Fiberglass certainly wouldn't smell very good 12 hours after setup. The basic ingredients of fiberglass (glass fibe, resin, sprayed on epoxy) are rather high-tech as compared to concrete. I wondered about windows, I imagine the concrete form can have some pre-arranged holes like the door in the photo. Would be easier to customize fiberglass, though if you've ever done it, it's not fun (itchy, need respirator, careful not to overheat cutting blade, etc.). In fiberglass, you'd get natural light through the walls, anyway. Fiberglass composites are neat things, expecially when mixed with carbon fiber and/or kevlar - but I wouldn't want to live in a fiberglass house, unless it was floating, preferably in the Carribean.
http://shop.webopolis.com/swedx2/mice.php They're not 100% plastic free, but they are cool looking, and cheaper than the ones I've seen referenced above. While the plastic allergy story is on the lame "get over it" side, I'm disappointed in the slashdot community for not coming up with more cool peripheral and case alternatives - I'm sure they're out there, and I'd like to know about them.