What are the dangers of a mostly open case build?

[stefanDB]

Hi guys, 

I am planning on building a computer case from wood and copper wire. (I have drawn it in inventor, a program from Autodesk that our university uses to teach us CAD. I will add a screenshot and the file if it is small enough)

 

I would like the case to be mostly open, with the components mounted on parts of an old PC case that I will cut in pieces. The bottom of the case will be a thick piece of wood.

I am worried about all of the components being exposed. The PC is already old (4 years) and was never very expensive (800 euro) but since I am a student now I don't have any plans to replace it soon. 

 

I think that a cage of copper wires around the components would protect me from sticking my fingers in the fans, and mostly protect the PC from ESD (think loose clothing and such, a friend of mine killed his PC with his bathrobe)

 

Do you think I should add the copper wires or not? I am also considering to use copper wires instead of the piece of wood to hold the motherboard mounting bracket in the center of the build.

 

(the gray blocks are rough dimensions of the internal components)

     

 

MB mount - Copy.ipt

[Helpful Tech Witch]

If you have pets, make sure that don’t pee on it.

[nick name]

I've broken a couple fans when I accidentally hit the blades while they were running with some fingers.  

[Electronics Wizardy]

3 minutes ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

If you have pets, make sure that don’t pee on it.

or walk on it. I have woken up to see my cat putting his paw on my test bench cpu cooler. And he just keeps doing it.

[stefanDB]

2 minutes ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

If you have pets, make sure that don’t pee on it.

that would be an interesting way to ruin a PC. 

[DailyProcrastinator]

TLDR. 

 

But my bother had a Thermaltake P5, after a couple years he gave up on the open case. Dust accumulation is the biggest issue, and potential for shorting the system is slightly more likely if the system is in the vicinity of other items/devices frequently. The way I see it I an enclosed case protects the hardware inside.

[jaslion]

13 minutes ago, TheDailyProcrastinator said:

TLDR. 

 

But my bother had a Thermaltake P5, after a couple years he gave up on the open case. Dust accumulation is the biggest issue, and potential for shorting the system is slightly more likely if the system is in the vicinity of other items/devices frequently. The way I see it I an enclosed case protects the hardware inside.

I agree dust is the biggest issue. If kept out of the way of other devices and possible spillage/bumping into it it will be fine. I ran my test computer on a piece of plexiglass for 7 years :p. Got bumped, pushed, fell of the desk a couple times but kept on trucking :p.

[DailyProcrastinator]

1 hour ago, jaslion said:

I agree dust is the biggest issue. If kept out of the way of other devices and possible spillage/bumping into it it will be fine. I ran my test computer on a piece of plexiglass for 7 years :p. Got bumped, pushed, fell of the desk a couple times but kept on trucking :p.

Yeah if you are good about cleaning it (compressed air is the best) then it's not as bad, but otherwise it can be an issue. 

[thrasher_565]

i found out the hard way that you sould power off your system before plugin in an molex hhd..... you can indeed plug it it the wrong way....

 

also i had a cup of water fall on my desk and spilt water in the top of the case down to the gpu, it sparked shut down. but turned on fine i was lucky.  i too have broken fan blades when the pc on.... also got peace of metal in my eye well not wearing safety glasses cutting a hole for more cables....

 

should be good temps thow.... so i bean told.

[PriitM]

You wont get many issues from heat...well maybe from some nook that will be a hot spot. Mostly on the VRMs. With a simple re-positioning of the components and figuring out how the air will flow...could generate some "airflow", but who knows with this approach 

 

Tho the biggest problems will start with the manufacture of this. I suggest you do some research on copper wire baskets...that will give you an idea what a headache it will be to make..

[airborne spoon]

Dust is the only thing you have to deal with. This is my old computer for 4 years. It weighed 150lbs and once a quarter I'd pull it off the wall and take it outside and spray it off with the air compressor.

Open cases are easier because you ha e slace for days. I just built a new computer and put it in a case and the lack of space even in a large case was annoying for running my hard line water pipes

 

 

[startrek03]

On 9/17/2020 at 11:54 PM, airborne spoon said:

Dust is the only thing you have to deal with. This is my old computer for 4 years. It weighed 150lbs and once a quarter I'd pull it off the wall and take it outside and spray it off with the air compressor.

Open cases are easier because you ha e slace for days. I just built a new computer and put it in a case and the lack of space even in a large case was annoying for running my hard line water pipes

 

 

An open PSU? Really? I mean, do whatever you want to do, but that's the one component I'd never run without it's chassis.

[thrasher_565]

On 9/17/2020 at 2:54 PM, airborne spoon said:

Dust is the only thing you have to deal with. This is my old computer for 4 years. It weighed 150lbs and once a quarter I'd pull it off the wall and take it outside and spray it off with the air compressor.

Open cases are easier because you ha e slace for days. I just built a new computer and put it in a case and the lack of space even in a large case was annoying for running my hard line water pipes

 

 

that pc is on so many levels ill just run...

[airborne spoon]

On 9/20/2020 at 8:15 AM, startrek03 said:

An open PSU? Really? I mean, do whatever you want to do, but that's the one component I'd never run without it's chassis.

 

Since it's all wood and plexi I made it safe and ran the ground that normally commects to the case and frame from the PSU to the back of the MB so it was all grounded but just like a normal computer ya don't touch it much while it's on.

It was also mounted on the wall the bottom was at about 4ft high so no real concern of issues.

[Required]

On 9/13/2020 at 10:26 PM, stefanDB said:

wood

good that you choose a Material who are not burn if the get to hot.

 

[startrek03]

44 minutes ago, Required said:

good that you choose a Material who are not burn if the get to hot.

 

Wood has to be way hotter than 100°C to even start charring. No worries there, especially since you don't want your components that hot in the first place. Wood is a great material to start making stuff in general.

[dancingfridge]

On 9/17/2020 at 4:54 PM, airborne spoon said:

Dust is the only thing you have to deal with. This is my old computer for 4 years. It weighed 150lbs and once a quarter I'd pull it off the wall and take it outside and spray it off with the air compressor.

Open cases are easier because you ha e slace for days. I just built a new computer and put it in a case and the lack of space even in a large case was annoying for running my hard line water pipes

 

 

Looks like a science project. Is this a mining rig?

[freeagent]

The biggest dangers are kids, and flying objects from said kids.

 

But if you pull out then you have nothing to worry about 

[r00tb33r]

Open air testbench cases are pretty cheap now.  I picked up two for like $20 each on sale, sized for full ATX boards and a standard ATX power supply.  I've run a computer like that for close to a year, aside from being jank it's quite okay, and temperatures are low.  I have no children or pets.

[airborne spoon]

On 6/27/2023 at 6:41 PM, dancingfridge said:

Looks like a science project. Is this a mining rig?

Nope just a standard computer with 2 separate loops, hell only 1 GPU, had a RX480 at the time when I took this pic.

 

Thing weighed a ton once it was finished was a real PITA to get it up on the wall by myself. If this looks like a mining rig you apparently never did any real mining