making your own I/O shield

[coolpurplefan]

I took the aluminium off a frozen lasagna to make an I/O shield but decided to glue some cardboard on the side you can see on the outside of the case to make it thicker/stronger. Does anyone think this is a mistake? Should I take off the cardboard? Will it stop it from grounding the motherboard?

 

[Sheep221]

The shield is not necessarily needed to be there, yes it is one of the many grounding spots motherboards have, but it is not required to be there. You don't need to make any changes regarding grounding.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I took the aluminium off a frozen lasagna to make an I/O shield but decided to glue some cardboard on the side you can see on the outside of the case to make it thicker/stronger. Does anyone think this is a mistake? Should I take off the cardboard? Will it stop it from grounding the motherboard?

I agree with Shep . . . Sheep . .

If you are inclined as I to pressurize your case, having no I/O plate is a drawback.

Otherwise, it would seem like a lot of trouble for NADA. But I admire your resourcefulness in picking "junk" materials. Aluminum from a Lasagna package! I never thought of that one . . .

If there are gaping holes around your I/O ports, you might try adhesive aluminum tape from an auto-parts store, but that, too, is messy. It's just too much tedium and trouble with little advantage.

 

[ICXRa]

I'm probably being overly cautious, but I would be more concerned of the cardboard becoming a potential fire hazard.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'm probably being overly cautious, but I would be more concerned of the cardboard becoming a potential fire hazard.

I wouldn't think so, unless the whole computer catches on fire first. think of all the plastics inside a computer. We use a lot of foam art-board to build ducts for cooling. The foam is essentially plastic, the backing on both sides is paper. It is entirely non-conductive and has no heat-capacity.

I'm more concerned about air leakage in certain cooling strategies. But manufacturing your own I/O plate just seems like a lot of trouble when it's not essential to anything.

 

[Mushkins]

I wouldn't think so, unless the whole computer catches on fire first. think of all the plastics inside a computer. We use a lot of foam art-board to build ducts for cooling. The foam is essentially plastic, the backing on both sides is paper. It is entirely non-conductive and has no heat-capacity.

I'm more concerned about air leakage in certain cooling strategies. But manufacturing your own I/O plate just seems like a lot of trouble when it's not essential to anything.

Would probably be cheaper and easier to just get a replacement from the motherboard manufacturer. Put you back maybe a couple bucks for shipping tops.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Would probably be cheaper and easier to just get a replacement from the motherboard manufacturer. Put you back maybe a couple bucks for shipping tops.

IF . . . you can get them to sell you one. I think it might be possible; but I never had to find out, either.

 

[Towermax]

Would probably be cheaper and easier to just get a replacement from the motherboard manufacturer. Put you back maybe a couple bucks for shipping tops.

Depends on the manufacturer--some, like Asus, want $13-$16 plus shipping for an I/O shield.

 

[WT]

Depends on the manufacturer--some, like Asus, want $13-$16 plus shipping for an I/O shield.

That's cheap in all honesty. I see them selling on Ebay for $25.

 

[coolpurplefan]

It finally arrived! The one I ordered from orientalson2008 on eBay took like a month to arrive. Anyway, with shipping included it was something like $14 or $15 Canadian. It's not a totally perfect fit but it works. I mean like the area where you plug in the mouse, it the metal part is pretty close to the hole.

 

[piasabird]

If you knew where there was a custom computer shop they may have a lot of junk sitting around that might work. Some places take trade-ins.