Thinking of making my own custom acrylic case

[PieIsAwesome]

My first idea was to heavily modify an NES case and stick a micro atx C2D+Real videocard system, but with such heavy modification to the case I was concerned it wouldn't be strong enough.

So then I though about making a completely acrylic one, painting the inside/back of the acrylic black, and having a nice glossy effect, and maybe have etchings (Half-Life 2 case? ). This seems like the better method because not only will it look awesome, it will be stronger and give me more flexibility. I may abandon the NES idea altogether and just make a custom, small, acrylic case designed around the shape of the motherboard+heatsink+videocard for the msot efficient use of space. Though, going the acrylic route makes me feel helpless because it opens up so many other possibilities.

So...

Having never shopped for acrylic sheeting before, is there any recommended place to get it? And what thickness should be enough? I was thinking of 1/4" but I'm not sure if that's too much or too little. What price am I looking to pay? The size I'm going for is less than 10"x10"x4."

 

[Tim]

The thicker the acrylic, the quieter the case could be. Of course the thinner the easier to cut. I like the black paint idea a lot. Just think... for your stencils, you could just cut out a paper design and slap in on the case before you paint it and when you take it off, you've got your stincle the nice and easy way.

 

[AmberClad]

You might want to take a look at this article for tips on working with acrylic to build a case. The guy made a mini weighted companion cube case from painted acrylic - looks very sweet.

I haven't done anything like myself, but I think the challenge with working with acrylic is that it's easy to melt and ruin if you use powered tools to make the cuts. So, make sure you understand what you're doing beforehand.

 

[Zepper]

IMO, acrylic is not for an everyday use case. By happenstance, I have a Sunbeam clear acrylic HTPC case here and I surely wouldn't want to keep it. Anything one has to wear gloves to assemble just isn't in it for the day-to-day grind...

.bh.

 

[Tim]

Use gloves, be happy! I still think it's a rockin' idea. And touching on something in the OP, I have an old NES, what type of components would fit in it to make a HTPC, or the likes.

 

[Modelworks]

Acrylic also needs to be fairly thick to keep it from bending or flexing, unless you brace it with strips of acrylic.
Its also very easy to scratch.
Acrylic also does not provide any RF shielding.

I would build a case out of aluminum,
Its not all that expensive and if you have the stuff to cut acrylic, then you should be able to cut aluminum sheet.
http://www.speedymetals.com/p-79-61sh032.aspx

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: AmberClad
You might want to take a look at this article for tips on working with acrylic to build a case. The guy made a mini weighted companion cube case from painted acrylic - looks very sweet.

<3!!!

i want that case.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

@AmberClad

It lives?

@Zepper

Yeah, I was afraid an acrylic case would need to be handled very carefully, but it would look awesome.

@Modelworks

Another idea I had was to make the actual case out of some other material, and then to get some thin, very clear plastic and cut it into panels that will match the walls of the case, so that they could be painted black on the back, and attached to the case as a sort of skin so that the entire case is covered. This would give the same effect and allow me to use something like steal or aluminum for the structure of the case. It also sounds cheaper and I can experiment or even swap panels with different etchings and colors.

Would steel be difficult to cut? I have a spare steel case, and I want to take it's motheboard tray and back thingy to easily give me a base for the motherboard. If I'm going to mutilate that case I might as well make use of the metal? It also has an acrylic window I can use to make windows for the etchings.
RF shielding? How important is this?

@theplaidfad

As far as the NES thing goes...
If the idea is to stick a computer in the NES whithout modifiying the look of the case, then a small mobo (mini-ITX?) with onboard everything is needed. I didn't want to do this, though, and my original plan was to mod the heck out of the NES (even paint it black) so I can stick a real computer in it.
To keep the CPU cool I planned on using a tower heatsink that would actually stick of the case and be housed by a round, metal mesh, tube enclosure thingy. There would be a fan in front, and one in back, with the tower heatsink between them...so the NES would look as if it had a large jet engine attached to it. The videocard would also stick out of the case and be housed by a rectangular metal mesh. I also planned to use a modular PSU externally (It's glossy!). I plan to carry over these ideas to the new case design.

 

[Zepper]

There are other things besides that - no grounding of the chassis when you touch with a static charge, no RFI/EMI shielding, dust magnet, etc...

.bh.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: PieIsAwesome

@Modelworks

RF shielding? How important is this?

Its technically against the FCC rules to operate a pc without RF shielding.
When you use a pc without shielding all the processors inside emit RF that can interfere with everything from radios to phones.

It can have no effect in one situation and be beyond annoying in another.
All depends on what devices are in use near the pc.

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
Its technically against the FCC rules to operate a pc without RF shielding.

Oh? What about those Sunbeam and Logisys 100% acrylic cases?

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Originally posted by: Modelworks
Its technically against the FCC rules to operate a pc without RF shielding.

Oh? What about those Sunbeam and Logisys 100% acrylic cases?

I would guess they get around it by the fact its not a system being sold, but just a case.
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Eng...ders/1996/fcc96208.pdf

Parts 2 and 15 of our rules specify regulations and technical standards to control RF
emissions from personal computers and computer peripheral devices. These rules ensure that
such devices do not cause harmful interference to important communications services such as
broadcasting, land mobile services, aeronautical and maritime communications and navigation
systems, and amateur radio. The rules specify limits on the radiated emissions and power line
conducted emissions from personal computers and computer peripherals.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Very helpful info. Since 100% acrylic isn't looking so good now, I'm guessing what I'll do is rip out a motherboard tray+I/O backplate thing from a case and build a small aluminum enclosure on it, then add a purely cosmetic shell, similar to the Xbox 360.