Question Any cheap and elegant solution for lifting a case up a bit?

[imported_blip]

My case (Raijintek Thetis) doesn't have front or side vents so trying to get better airflow from the bottom. It has small rubber feet and I want to raise it more. I'm just worried about it being unstable or vibrating or something. Was just going to use some small woods blocks with anti slip tape or something. Anyone have better ideas? I'm sure I'm not the first to do this. Thanks!

 

[sammykhalifa]

I went to a dollar store and got a mesh tray, kind of like one of these:


except black, turned it upside down and sat the case on it. my idea was so that air could still come in the vents on the bottom. Finding the right size might be the tricky part.

 

[imported_blip]

I went to a dollar store and got a mesh tray, kind of like one of these:

except black, turned it upside down and sat the case on it. my idea was so that air could still come in the vents on the bottom. Finding the right size might be the tricky part.

Good idea thanks!

 

[Ajay]

Home Depot, buy some scrap round railing and cut to desired height 50 mm?). Paint black if you like.

 

[mindless1]

How much height to you need? You could get some rubber stoppers and rubber cement/etc. them on, or drill a well to put a screw or bolt and nut through your case floor. Since they are rubber they shouldn't be too hard to keep stable and shouldn't cause vibration unless your case floor is very thin (then try putting fender washers between them and the case bottom). Here is 1" height, which is probably enough:

Rubber Stoppers, Size #2, Karter Scientific 216M2 (Pack of 6): Science Lab Rubber Stoppers: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Rubber Stoppers, Size #2, Karter Scientific 216M2 (Pack of 6): Science Lab Rubber Stoppers: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

... or larger diameters, for higher cost. There are several others on Amazon.

Rubber Stoppers - Size #6 - (Pack of 6) Karter Scientific 216Q2: Science Lab Stoppers: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Rubber Stoppers - Size #6 - (Pack of 6) Karter Scientific 216Q2: Science Lab Stoppers: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

Some already have a hole in the middle to accomodate that (or smaller) screw diameter then you just need to countersink (plus a little extra depth) the hole on the bottom to use a flat head screw recessed enough that it's not touching the desktop.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Another idea might be ABS pipe, cut into 1-2 inch long sections and glue it at the case feet. The rubber stoppers shown might be a better idea though for vibration.

 

[mindless1]

^ I've used PVC plumbing caps before, but this was back when cases where white. Add the cost of paint (automotive vinyl dye would hold up better) and the cost rises.

Come to think of it, I've even used pieces of ~ 1.25" diameter dowel rod once, because it was scraps I had lying around, but I didn't even bother painting them, it wasn't a vanity build.

Just about any material that can support weight could be used, if you're willing to tool it and/or color it if that is important.

The main time I found vibrations to be a problem was if there were poor quality generic fans involved, or rarely HDDs, but these days they are better balanced and meh, I don't put HDDs in client systems now, SSD only then a central server with HDDs for more capacity if needed. Then again, most of the cases I did that to were 1.0mm thick steel sheeting, or 0.8mm at the thinnest, while cases have gotten thinner and aluminum could be noisier at the same thickness too if it doesn't have extra bends/ridges/folds/etc to stiffen it up.

 

[imported_blip]

Thanks for the suggestions! I was also thinking about wood dowel, but ABS might be an easy solution. Already black so it will blend in, and I might just be able to slip pieces over the current feet (which have a bit of a strange shape to them). Might be able to countersink holes into dowel and then screw them on. I'll have to dig around the garage tonight and see what I find. Vibrations may not even be a problem, but I could always add a little rubber underneath.
Thanks!

 

[mindless1]

I never needed to add rubber under a hard plastic or wood.

The main issue with pieces you cut to length yourself is that some will probably be slightly longer than others, which can bend the case frame slightly off square and add vibrations to the case floor or a side panel rather than between the feet and desk (though this too is possible), but you can lift on each corner to see which lift gets rid of vibrations, and sand shorter one of the two diagonally opposing feet to that corner to provide more pressure as your lift test did.

Of course this assumes a perfectly flat desk... which may not be true, would be best to test it where you're putting it, with the weight of the case on it.