-
Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!
Acrylic Sheet thickness???
- Thread starter Albaholic
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2001
- Location
- Baltimore, MD
I just made an acrylic case, and I got all of my supplies at Home Depot. They had everything I needed to make the case. I am at work right now so I do not have the links to the items I bought, but I will post them when I get home.
As for grounding, that is done through the power supply. That is the reason for 3 prongs on the PSU plug. The case has nothing to do with grounding.
As for grounding, that is done through the power supply. That is the reason for 3 prongs on the PSU plug. The case has nothing to do with grounding.
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2003
- Location
- Bedford, Indiana
KenDingo said:
Actually the case is a common ground in the computer.
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2001
- Location
- Baltimore, MD
I was just speculating since I do not see any grounding straps to the case. Could you explain how the case is used for a ground? I am just trying to understand this a concept more.
- Joined
- May 23, 2001
- Location
- Asteroid B-612
Please don't use acrylic. It's not very sturdy, it's prone to cracking, and it's a reall booger to tool.
LEXAN/Polycarbonate is far more durable and easier to work with. Price is dependant upon your source. If you want to save 20%, check your local phone book for the nearest Plastics supplier or shop.
Otherwise you can order specific size sheets from McMaster.com (search for polycarbonate). Home Depot only sells 1/8" pieces.
P.S. You don't really need to ground the case. But I recommend using a premade motherboard tray cut or stolen from another case. It saves alot of build time and hassle. If you can't get one, atleast use stand-offs when mounting the motherboard to the case.
LEXAN/Polycarbonate is far more durable and easier to work with. Price is dependant upon your source. If you want to save 20%, check your local phone book for the nearest Plastics supplier or shop.
Otherwise you can order specific size sheets from McMaster.com (search for polycarbonate). Home Depot only sells 1/8" pieces.
P.S. You don't really need to ground the case. But I recommend using a premade motherboard tray cut or stolen from another case. It saves alot of build time and hassle. If you can't get one, atleast use stand-offs when mounting the motherboard to the case.
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2003
- Location
- Bedford, Indiana
KenDingo said:
Most powersupplies are grounded to their own shell, and then the shell is attached to the rest of the case with screws. As for how much use it has, I'm not fully sure. I'd use the grounds in the molex for anything that I needed to be grounded out such as a neon or fan.
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2002
i think directron.com sells "skeleton" cases.....for $10 and a bit of waiting, you can get the insides of a case, such as the drive cages and motherboard trays....I think the trays are rare, so you might wait for a while.
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2002
- Location
- WPAFB, OH
Captain Slug said:
Definitely agree, easier to tool, resilient and shatterproof (bulletproof past 1/2"). I get mine off ebay actually. Its cheaper than everywhere else (this stuff can get expensive). Just look for stock Lexan, Hyzod or Tuffak. Its all the same stuff, just different manufacturers.
Also you can use hardware much more reliably in lexan.
As for grounding, yeah a metal case is used as a common ground in most computer applications. Its just foolproof and simple. The components are grounded through the PS anyway normally. So the case grounding is just a precausion against ambient static and whenever you put your electrically charged hands inside to zap something.
With a plastic case you can ground each component individually with grounding wires to the PS ground pin inside the PS case or just to the metal crust itself. Ive tried with and without... now I dont worry about it because i make sure to touch a metal desk before reachiing inside.
Its up to you whether you trust yourself or not.
- Joined
- May 23, 2001
- Location
- Asteroid B-612
Yes but it require higher temperatures to do so (275f-350f). The benefit of heat-warping Polycarbonate is the fact that it DOES NOT leech off toxic fumes (unlike Acrylic).loner said:
The preferred method for heat-warping Polycarbonate is by using a heat gun to wamr of the exact area you want to warp. Then you can start a bend by using Leather gloves and an angle template. Each bend will only move 4 degrees at a time and the polycarbonate will take 5-10 minutes to become formable. It takes time but you get a very sturdy and smooth finished object.
There are several guides available online.
- Joined
- May 23, 2001
- Location
- Asteroid B-612
and Rhinex and GE (which makes Lexan but a number of government marked sheets don't have the brand LEXAN printed on them). I got some smoke-tinted GE sheets of 1/4" polycarbonate for next-to-nothing at a vehicle junk yard. The sheets were meant for replacing the windows on City Buses.Fushyuguru said:
I still recommend looking at plastics shops if there are any near you. Shipping the sheets can get exorbonent in price (if you order alot of it).
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2000
- Location
- Milwaukee, WI
Just to clarify this point so as to not misinform. A PSU is grounded by connecting to earth, hence when you plug it into a three prong socket the outlet is providing the ground. One of the reason a three prong outlet is so important to computers. The shell just serves as protection to you the end user so you don't get shocked. Another thing to consider is yes the multiple grounds in both the molex connecter and atx connector, those are indeed valid grounds which all tie back into the plug in the wall. Hope this helps you guys a bit as the metal shell is almost always commonly thought of as a grounding device. Now on a side note, the metal shell does serve as a EMI Shield to some extent.BlueWraith said:
Just my two cents...
J
