Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)
On 27 Aug 2005 23:01:34 -0700, rjerry@myway.com wrote:
>ok. I've thought about it some more and this is my current design.
>
>I will use wood only as asthetics, but the main material of the
>computer will be out of aluminum sheets(not sure how thick). That is
>what a computer case is typically made out of, correct? The wood, if
>desired, will be added on top of the aluminum material. My only problem
>is that "I've never done this before", well...with aluminum that is.
>Great learning experience, but *could* be a b--- to pull off. But
>simplicity is the key here. My main question is:
>
>1.> HOW do I weld aluminum together? I've thought of either using a
>torch or maybe better yet that mixing compound that you usually find at
>auto part stores. But I don't know how strong that stuff will be. I
>mean if I drop this casing will it break? My experience with those
>compounds is that they do not hold up well when it comes to two metals
>twisting against each other. I know what ya'll are thinking..."DON'T
>TWIST THE CASE!". But seeing how little torque I applied to the two
>metals...makes me wonder how good of a adhesion there will be for a
>casing. Perhaps you know of a good compound or would torching work
>better?
>And to give you an idea of my casing design, just imagine square sheets
>of aluminum...welded together to form a box. I know...revolutionary!
I'd give up on the idea of welding ali...about the best you can do I
soft-solder it using a specialised solder and a rather poisonous flux.
It won't be a neat job either, or cheap.
Using a resin compound isn't likely to work either, not without
substantial bracing.
Unless you have access to an accurate bending machine, I'd advise
sticking to flat plates.
>
>2.> anybody know of a place where I can buy affordable riser cards?
>Some of the risers are pretty pricey!
>
>3.> if I put a monitor over this case, will thick aluminum be enough to
>hold it up? Or should I put a beams underneath to spread out the
>pressure from the monitor?
At a rough guesstimate you'd need 5mm ali unsupported.
Best bet would be to include cross beams ( you'll need beams anyway to
form the inner matrix of the case.
>
>I hope these are the only issues that I need to alert myself to. I want
>this project to be very simple. I've been taking my pretty time here
>about how I want to build this computer and what I want for a computer.
>And now I have the image of the custom case, in my head, and I've made
>the design so utterly simple. But now I need to know about the 3
>concerns that mentioned above. comments?
You know what I'd be inclined to do?
Adapt a case design for something else.
I'm sitting here looking at an old Akai cassette deck - the case is in
brushed ali, and all that would be needed to mod it would be to remove
and replace the front and rear.
The rear would be easy - just rip the back off an old desktop pc.
The front could be cut from wood - and about the only other mod
required would be a beam across the top to stiffen it.
If you looked long enough you might even find one of those old 70's
decks that were lined with solid mahogany ( Pioneer made a few of
these ).
They're not much smaller than a modern mini-tower though...
Regards,
--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk
On 27 Aug 2005 23:01:34 -0700, rjerry@myway.com wrote:
>ok. I've thought about it some more and this is my current design.
>
>I will use wood only as asthetics, but the main material of the
>computer will be out of aluminum sheets(not sure how thick). That is
>what a computer case is typically made out of, correct? The wood, if
>desired, will be added on top of the aluminum material. My only problem
>is that "I've never done this before", well...with aluminum that is.
>Great learning experience, but *could* be a b--- to pull off. But
>simplicity is the key here. My main question is:
>
>1.> HOW do I weld aluminum together? I've thought of either using a
>torch or maybe better yet that mixing compound that you usually find at
>auto part stores. But I don't know how strong that stuff will be. I
>mean if I drop this casing will it break? My experience with those
>compounds is that they do not hold up well when it comes to two metals
>twisting against each other. I know what ya'll are thinking..."DON'T
>TWIST THE CASE!". But seeing how little torque I applied to the two
>metals...makes me wonder how good of a adhesion there will be for a
>casing. Perhaps you know of a good compound or would torching work
>better?
>And to give you an idea of my casing design, just imagine square sheets
>of aluminum...welded together to form a box. I know...revolutionary!
I'd give up on the idea of welding ali...about the best you can do I
soft-solder it using a specialised solder and a rather poisonous flux.
It won't be a neat job either, or cheap.
Using a resin compound isn't likely to work either, not without
substantial bracing.
Unless you have access to an accurate bending machine, I'd advise
sticking to flat plates.
>
>2.> anybody know of a place where I can buy affordable riser cards?
>Some of the risers are pretty pricey!
>
>3.> if I put a monitor over this case, will thick aluminum be enough to
>hold it up? Or should I put a beams underneath to spread out the
>pressure from the monitor?
At a rough guesstimate you'd need 5mm ali unsupported.
Best bet would be to include cross beams ( you'll need beams anyway to
form the inner matrix of the case.
>
>I hope these are the only issues that I need to alert myself to. I want
>this project to be very simple. I've been taking my pretty time here
>about how I want to build this computer and what I want for a computer.
>And now I have the image of the custom case, in my head, and I've made
>the design so utterly simple. But now I need to know about the 3
>concerns that mentioned above. comments?
You know what I'd be inclined to do?
Adapt a case design for something else.
I'm sitting here looking at an old Akai cassette deck - the case is in
brushed ali, and all that would be needed to mod it would be to remove
and replace the front and rear.
The rear would be easy - just rip the back off an old desktop pc.
The front could be cut from wood - and about the only other mod
required would be a beam across the top to stiffen it.
If you looked long enough you might even find one of those old 70's
decks that were lined with solid mahogany ( Pioneer made a few of
these ).
They're not much smaller than a modern mini-tower though...
Regards,
--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk
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