Tech project - thinking of making a computer case!

scotty32 · 7 Sep 2006 at 21:14

Hi. I currently take 'Product Design Technology' at school (I'm 16), and I have to decide on what I want to make as my project. We have wood, metals and plastics available, and tools including scroll saws, sanding machines, band saws etc (I don't know if they're the proper names, but that's what my teacher calls them

).

I was thinking about making some sort of computer case (ATX), for a medium spec computer, out of some sort of hardWOOD (not metal, would be too difficult, I'd imagine). I just wondered how feasible (sp?) this would be. I'd imagine the ATX holes/standoffs for the motherboard would be kinda difficult to impement, but if I could get it working, I think it would get me a great result (A!).

I have built my current computer, and it's working perfectly, but that's about as far as my hardware experience goes. I have NO experience with 'dremelling', or ANY sort of modding at all. Reckon I could still do it? Any advice/thoughts are extremely welcome, thanks.

Eliot · 7 Sep 2006 at 21:49

i think metal wouldnt be so hard, wood is do-able i guess, but do you have acrylic? and do you have a machine that bends plastic? im thinking see-through ble acrylice with led's and everything drilled into the front.
im sure a guy on here made a aluminium case

scotty32 · 7 Sep 2006 at 21:56

yep we have acrylic at my school, but we certainly aren't allowed to use enough to make a computer case out of!

I was also thinking about the whole physics side of it - what about static electricity build up, and heat build up, and all that technical stuff? 'Real' cases are designed with heat dissapation (sp?) and stuff like that in mind, so I'm not so sure my little bodged wooden thing wouldn't keep overheating or causing failures! Any advice against that?

Btw, this is the sort of thing I'm on about making, only mine wouldn't look anywhere near as good

Messiah Khan · 7 Sep 2006 at 21:56

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17541726
Is the thread you want for the home made alu case. Have a lookin the sticky for links to most of the case modding project logs. Personally I would try and make the case out of wood and metal. Metal working is really not as hard as it sounds. A lot of it depends on what tools you have access to though. As for making motherboard mounts, the way I have done it for my Android case, was to use the motherboard to mark the positions, the drill a small pilot hole in the motherboard tray. Then I took some spare motherboard mounts(make sure they are spare, as they snapp quite easily) fitted them into an electric drill, and used them to cut the thread in the pilot holes.

Edit; Don't worry about heat too much. As long as you do a bit of planning and get at least 1 input and 1 output fan you'll be fine. To avod electrical buildup, simply make sure you have a wite connecting a motherboard riser to the power supply casing. This will ensure that the motherboard is earthed.