Thread: Building a plexy case...

Since I don't want to destroy the cover-plate of the card (by cutting/flattening it etc- I might wanna use in another computer sometime), I decided to make to make a combination of what you guys suggested. I removed the card's cover-plate and bolted on the top hole of the PCB a small metal right angle bracket. I am going to use a single screw to mount the bracket to the rear plexy panel of the case and instead of making long slots for the PCI card, I'll make holes for the card's various I/Os like I did for the motherboard's I/Os.

[ 01-18-2002: Message edited by: Dimitris1976 ]

One thing to note when cutting or melting Plexiglass or lexan is that the fumes are very nasty. Avoid breathing them and work in a well ventilated area. I didn't take this advice, and had a "nose ache" for a few days. Of course, my nose is rather large so your mileage may vary...

Aaron....HAHAHA....

~DD

I haven't done it for my car player (my case is vacuum-formed), but I have successfully cut odd-shaped holes in plexiglass with a router. I clamped a 2x4 to keep lines straight, but it's very easy to make free-form cuts, too. Keep the router flat, go slow, and you won't even need sandpaper afterwards (super-clean corners).

My new one was a steal from Home Depot at about $100 (including a nice router table, not needed for this application). The set of 8 bits was an additional $30. It may seem like a lot, but I was able to justify it for the large amount of woodwork I do. If you're only planning to do minor projects, a lower power router would probably run ~$50. Best bet is to borrow someone else's router and buy a single bit at ~$5.

Brian

p.s. No, circular saws are not ideal. They tend to shatter the plexiglass and they're especially capable of embedding shards in drywall. Trust me.

If anyone is interested I have access to a computer controlled milling machine, I can cut you some perfect backplates out of plexi if you provide the dimensions (the pieces would have to be less than about 12" x 6" but not sure of exact size limits). If we could come up with a standard size it would be great, but if each needs a specific size I suppose I could make it work also. I could do this for about $10 for the first sheet, $5 each additonal, shipped, per sheet, satisfaction guaranteed (being that PRECISE measurements are provided, I can get the holes right in respect to each other but the problem would be how far from the edges of the plexi, although I could make the sheets bigger by request and let you trim them to fit, which would probably be best because they would most likely be a rough cut) Let me know if there's any interest, if there is enough, I'll mill a sample and post a pic.

So Gruneun,

How do you Vacum-Form a PC case? That sounds kind of cool...