for someone with far greater knowledge than i..

i would like to build my own *read* small, and portable system. similar to the shuttle systems, but without the pricetag if i can help it! things i ALREADY have:

shuttle ak31a
amd xp 1600+
256mb crucial 2100ddr

things i would need would be a DVD player, and a hard drive, and a CPU cooler.. also cooling fans perhaps.

now this would mainly be used to take back and forth to school (i'm a senior and have only 2 hard classes, the rest of the time i'll be in the shop/electronics room cuz the teacher is kick azz and lets me bring in whatever i want

now the problems i'm having are coming up with the design of this thing. i could use either wood, or some kind of metal. wood would be by far easier, because my father has a shop, and we have plenty of wood. also its cheaper if i mess up!

my neighbor does own a metal works shop (makes trinkets and lawn ordiments, etc etc etc out of metal) so i'm assuming i might have alittle help or at least get the materials from him. i'll have to check on that though. perhaps tomorrow.

basically i was wondering if its been done before i'm assuming it has, and also if theres any sites for this type of thing? i have sketched many rough plans.. but just need some other help if you guys could. thx!

DIY case building is a very rare occurance. If you can give me the specifics of what you want inside your tiny case I can either recommend the easiest solution, or I could help you design the enclosure itself.

I'm currently working on my second completely home-made case and it's going nicely minus the non-existance of my budget

Ever think about using fiberglass? Very easy to work with, and easy to form.

I have made center consoles with fiberglassed cardboard.You make the console completely out of cardboard, taped together, and then when its done, you cover it with several layers of fiberglass.....super easy.You could glass wood too, it you wated more strength.

The console in my 85 Toyota 4x4 is 1/4" plywood, covered in fiberglass.The reason i used plywood was cuz someone always ends up sitting on it....

Building a custom computer case would be very similar in construction....

I have always wanted to build a computer into an Atache case. I have seen it done before, and have been meaning to do it myself. If you try it, that would be cool. or perhaps i could work on it for you, whatever, PM me if ya want.

i sujest u use a ruber made tote of some sort something like what i used here

http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=100700&highlight=clear

lol.. dude that is seriously ghetto

i am the ghetto moder

http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=114406

Sheet metal is not hard to work with. All you need is a brake. What you do is put the sheet in there, pull up on the handle, and the metal bends to a perfect 90 degree angle.

I have a brake in my shop, and i use it often.But....for something truly custom, liked a computer case, i'd still go for fibeglass...just my opinion though...

Here's the design he's going with.
http://www.planetunreal.com/identitycrisis/cabins/cs/modding/_client_b.png
Another happy customer if I do say so myself...

i have a quick question related to that pic just posted.....i noticed that the cpu is at the bottom of the case....this is a new revelation to me....if heat rises then why would they ever design it above the vid card?....i think havin it on the bottom is a great idea......anybody else agree?.....

dragon orb 3 said:

i have a quick question related to that pic just posted.....i noticed that the cpu is at the bottom of the case....this is a new revelation to me....if heat rises then why would they ever design it above the vid card?....i think havin it on the bottom is a great idea......anybody else agree?.....

Click to expand...

"Left-Handed" cases have been around a while and I only built them this way to allow the drives to be put in the top of the case. If there is very limited space they'll block a PCI slot or two instead of hindering upon the tight space around the CPU.

Left-handed won't become any more popular because most motherboards have the Power connections toward the CPU end of the board. Therefore if you wanted to put a PSU in the top of the case the connections would have to be much longer, ESPECIALLY if you built a left-handed full tower.

The orientation of the motherboard has no bearing on cooling performance. But it does effect cost.

And the "rising warm air benefit" is just not true. Your ventilation is blowing the warm air all over the inside on the case.

I have wondered about this for a while......there must be a reason...

Alot of the old desktop cases had the cpu right infront of the case fan.....maybe the design change to tower cases had something to do with the current configuration?