a lil Hydro action

[Wicked Klown]

i was thinking about putting in two Heavy Duty Linear Actuators in my case to open the side doors. All I would have to do is hit a switch and the door would open. Does this sound like a good idea.

[*JEREMY*]

i thought of doing that at one time but all of the 12v ones i have seen have been for lifting really heavy stuff,couldnt find any light duty.I have to imagine that would just about kill a psu

[Wicked Klown]

it would be hooked to it`s own power supply.

[cowanrg]

and where would you get these actuators?

[Wicked Klown]

You can pick them up at www.autoloc.com. If I remember right they cost about $50 to $100.

[cowanrg]

seems like a very expensive mod for no real gain...

of course, my case is inside a desk, and it rarely even gets opened. and if it does, no one sees it ;)

[eh?]

Originally posted by cowanrg
seems like a very expensive mod for no real gain...

right but wouldn't that be cool to be at a lan party and press a button and have the side of your case open up??

[Wicked Klown]

It was a cool idea just found out the new price. It`s about $200 so I think I might do the shaved door handle trick.

[cowanrg]

Originally posted by drdingo21

right but wouldn't that be cool to be at a lan party and press a button and have the side of your case open up??

nah, i only use my computer in my house for video processing and such. im not really a gamer, more of a "power-user" i guess. i overclock only to get video conversions down from 20 hours, now down to around 8 hours... and i would still like it quicker :)

[Crazy Jayhawk]

Maybe you could just get some hinges and gas struts like you see on screen doors or station wagon tailgates. You'd get the same effect for a lot less money. And they'd work when the computer was turned off as well.

[fuzzba11]

You could probably find a spring release which would be a lot cheaper...even rig it up electrically so the door pops open and is closed manually.

[Wicked Klown]

the shaved doorhandle kit is $30 and it has a small mag in it to hold the door and at the hit of a switch it will release it.

[cowanrg]

also check out solenoids. they are cheap, and can move stuff. not as much throw as a strut or something, but they can move things quickly, and with force.

www.allelectronics.com

[foxmulder]

The idea with the gas strut(s) sounds cool. Another idea woul be to use servos like the kind used in model planes. They run on 5V and can be controlled using a potentiometer

[Dissolved]

i really like this idea, if neone does this, hit me up.. id really like to see..

[Boomerang]

I've done this (the gas struts). The struts used for back hatches on cars and such are WAY too powerful for a computer case. They'd rocket that thing open so fast it'd flip your whole system. Then, you wouldn't be able to close it again. :) Instead, I used smaller struts designed to open tool boxes on trucks. Works perfect. Here's some pics.

[Dissolved]

Originally posted by Boomerang
I've done this (the gas struts). The struts used for back hatches on cars and such are WAY too powerful for a computer case. They'd rocket that thing open so fast it'd flip your whole system. Then, you wouldn't be able to close it again. :) Instead, I used smaller struts designed to open tool boxes on trucks. Works perfect. Here's some pics.

very nice :)

[The Overclocker]

how about a case with legs, press a button and it jumps in the air

[joey_rjm5]

Boomerang- where do you get such gas struts? Home-depot?

*EDIT* I just read another thread and saw that you got them off a rack in home depot. I will go check them out in a few days. Thanks for the tip.