A Cardboard Computer: The Recompute PC

[justjc]

@Richeemxx: Actually that's a good idea, shipping motherboards in cases that could be used in the final computer, to bad it's to late to enter the contest ;-)

 

[monkeysweat]

You know if you want to have a "Green" case,,,you should make it out of something edible, so when you're done with it, you can just eat it, or give to a homeless guy to eat, then you know it'll be "recycled" when its flushed away

 

[cerulean]

It sounds good in theory, but I'd feel sorry for the owner who spills their coffee on their desk and has their case get all soggy when it soaks it up, fall apart and fries their components. At that point it's just garbage.

 

[cracklint]

melting point = gooey mess; ignition point = freakin' fire!

Dumbest thing I've ever heard of.

 

[Guest]

interesting concept, but misses some things.
First, the airflow does not happen,simply because the motherboard is in the way to have a good 'airflow' going.
Second, if they created this design, so the powersection will be in the same chamber as the motherboard, it would suck out the hot air automatically.
Now they designed it that the powersection is in a separate chamber.
Third, the design looks just plain awful!
I don't know how strong this is, but when dropping it, accidentally hitting it with something, how strong is this case?
They might as well create it in foam!

as far as the CPU catching fire, I think you're reasonably safe there.
For a common fire to start one needs about 275 degrees celcius.
A cpu's limit generally is 90 degrees; the only chance you're ever going above this is with a short circuit.
So a fire.. maybe, but not likely. It's more likely for the glue to come loose at high temps.

The airholes probably will clog up over time, they remind me of those cheaper airco systems, where nearly all of their metallic blades are bent. Damage and dust will make you probably need to buy a new one every year or two.
But I do agree that steel or aluminum pc's are a bit too strong built.
Not to mention their sharp edges!
Perhaps a design like this in plastic could prove to be better.

 

[BufferUpchuck]

I'm not in the packaging business but have noticed that cardboard (corrugated) can be made very strong. a lot of "standard" boxes have ratings printed somewhere. how much does a box of muskmelons or honeydews weigh? or consider a 50lb box of nails or other fasteners. (those tend to be made of average corrugation but wrapped with those heat fused straps to prevent gross bursting.)
fiber reinforced plastic would be very strong and light, but mixed plastic is probably the material that most scr3wz up the recyclable end of life requirement.
years ago i used a 2nd hand apple box for electrical parts. it looked like a typical cardboard box, but had a tiny amount of reinforced fiber bulk-mixed with the paper fibers. (I no longer recall the fiber material, and the box is gone, i think)
my point is that we're just guessing at material characteristics until we see info (such as astm tests, http://www.google.com/search?q=cardboard+astm++psi+|strength+corrugated http://www.google.com/search?q=cardboard+%2Bastm+furniture+corrugated)

 

[nottheking]

I do not doubt that corrugated cardboard can be strong, having handled lots of particularly heavy items transported and stored in containers made from such material. Nor do I raise any concerns over a supposed fire hazzard.

Rather, there are a few issues I brought up, namely over how such a material for a case as shown is vulnerable to damp air or water, and will likely, due to the absorbent properties of paper and cardboard, wind up getting dirty quickly, and be imposible to clean. Heavy-duty boxes aren't meant to withstand frequent, hands-on use over the course of several years, but rather, to hold things together while they go on a truck or sit in a warehouse, until they're opened up and emptied.

Meanwhile, the PC case will likely absorb far more skin oils and dust in a week than said boxes will in their lifetimes. And of course, people don't store their PCs in cool, dry, climate-controlled warehouses; they put them in their bedrooms and living rooms, which are going to be higher in both temperature and humidity to accomodate the people, not the boxes. All told, I imagine you're going to wind up with the case wearing out within months. Which, as I see it, isn't as environmentally-friendly as a durable metal or plastic case, made from recycled materials as well, that can be readily cleaned with just water and elbow grease, most certainly not resorting to toxic, polluting cleaning chemicals. And chances are better that the metal or plastic cases will be in recyclable condition once their time of usefulness has passed.

I wish that people who manage to disagree with my points would actually adress what I'm saying rather than just voting my comments down. Of course, the former, as I'm aware, is infinitely easier.