Portable Computer Case

Arrow · 02-26-2008, 05:12 AM

So, I'm in college and I party a lot. I keep my computer stocked full of music and music videos. This is good for the parties my friends and I have. I usually hook it up to a big screen and show the videos on it while i have song selection on a normal monitor. I wrote a program so that the computer kind of acts like a jukebox. It plays all the songs that people pick in the order that they pick them, music videos included. I've got a bunch of extra parts laying around. I found a broken 15" touch screen monitor on ebay and was able to get it working. Now I want to build a portable computer with this touch screen built-in. I've got an ATX motherboard, so the device can't be too small, but I still think I can make something portable. I wanted to use a briefcase as the casing for the unit but it's difficult to find something big enough at a reasonable price. I'm just wondering if anybody has any ideas on what I could use to built this thing out of. I'm pretty good at fabricating stuff, so any idea is something i might be able to do. What you guys think?

rdholtz · 02-27-2008, 01:07 AM

Check Craigslist for used briefcases or salesman's travel cases; be really careful to get everything grounded well. Or you could use a "project box", or build your own from sheet metal (steel) or sheet aluminum. Info and links on the latter two in my worklog -- see my sig.

You gonna put your jukebox program out for others less fortunate in programming skills?

Arrow · 02-27-2008, 02:26 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by rdholtz

You gonna put your jukebox program out for others less fortunate in programming skills?

I plan on it. I'm still working out the bugs and whatnot, but for the most part it works well. I just need to make it a little more user friendly to get it set up and working properly.

Lovecraft · 02-27-2008, 11:21 PM

Mod a 25mm ammo can:

pRoFiT · 02-28-2008, 01:29 AM

Try one of these.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Electronics-Tool...QQcmdZViewItem
I've got two of them for electronics project. They are good size and could probably fit a full size motherboard with power supply. Maybe with the screen.

Or one of these
http://www.chicagocase.com/mainCategory.php?id=15
a little pricey probably for what you want to do.

BarryWoods · 02-28-2008, 04:52 PM

I used a knock off pelican case. I tried one of those tool box things already posted, but didn't like the way it looked. It also felt too fragile. If you can swing it, use a real Pelican case, they're spendy, but built really tough. My box is now water resistant, but no longer water proof. I did seal all the fasteners that go through the box with silicone, but there's really no good way to seal the network port.

http://web.mac.com/barrywoods/Site/The_Box.html

russoxley187 · 03-03-2008, 01:35 PM

I have a pelican case I'll sell ya for a reasonable price...
oxleyr at gmail dot com

tigergibb · 03-09-2008, 07:43 PM

http://content.techrepublic.com.com/...11-1184-4.html

BarryWoods · 03-10-2008, 03:41 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by tigergibb

http://content.techrepublic.com.com/...11-1184-4.html

Yea, that's the one I'd stay away from!!! They sell them at Home Depot. It's aluminum siding over a particleboard core. I'd say the Al is just a hair thinner than an aluminum can.

BREWDOG52 · 03-10-2008, 11:09 PM

I can tell you from personal experience these briefcases do not hold up if you run it over with the car.....

, luckily I used it to carry my paper work and tools, not a computer. Barry woods is right on, very thin siding. they look tough though. and no I don't expect anything to hold up when a 3600 lb car runs over it