Making my Enthoo Elite Case Portable with Wheels. Need Shock Absorbtion Options!

[Cavalry Canuck]

Good Day,

 

Playing around with my Enthoo-Elite case, it's obvious how stationary this case is meant to be. I intend to change this, and have two options to make this happen:

1. Attach castors directly to the bottom of the case.

2. Design and build a cart/dolly/wheeled stand for the case to sit on, something like this, but not as cheap.

I've already acquired the castors I intend to use for this project. They have 4" rubber wheels that easily roll over transition pieces that are sometimes in door/archways between different rooms of my home. They have some shock absorbing qualities, but not enough for me to satisfied. I want to install some form of low-profile shock-absorption device between each castor and whichever above option I end up mounting it too. I was thinking some sort of compressible rubber puck, for example like these Timbren Rubber Helper Springs that I have on my pickup, but a much lower profile and not rated for 3000lbs.

 

I have no idea where to look for something like this. A google search has yielded some vibration dampening pads, but they are geared for lateral movement dampening rather than compression dampening. Maybe I'm using the wrong search terms, but I haven't found something that supports my current use case.

Thanks!

Matthew

[LWM723]

There's a reason they're called "desktop" PC's you know!

[startrek03]

I'd suggest to make a simple cart made out two layers of plywood (or really any material you like as long as it's sturdy enough and you can work it) and some sort of foam inbetween. The foam shouldn't be too soft, though, so you don't risk your case tipping over.

For assembly just attach the casters to the lower board and glue the boards and foam together.

[Shimejii]

DO NOT DO THIS if you have hard drives. If you have all SSD's then its kind of fine ish, but honestly i wouldnt do it as the case is $1000, seems rather dumb to do it.  Unless its a different case then the Enthoo Elite o.o

[SKR25]

As much as I would really recommend this, maybe try something like this from Amazon, putting them between the casters and your self-made dolly?

[Cavalry Canuck]

20 minutes ago, LWM723 said:

There's a reason they're called "desktop" PC's you know!

I'm custom-building a desk that will have a lift mechanism to elevate the case off the floor. 

 

15 minutes ago, startrek03 said:

I'd suggest to make a simple cart made out two layers of plywood (or really any material you like as long as it's sturdy enough and you can work it) and some sort of foam inbetween. The foam shouldn't be too soft, though, so you don't risk your case tipping over.

For assembly just attach the casters to the lower board and glue the boards and foam together.

I was thinking that, but with metal instead of plywood. However, foams have an issue where they are either too soft to absorb shock, or the deformation that comes from absorbing shock is permanent. I need something with more give than foam, but less susceptible to plastic deformation, and that's why my first instinct was to seek something like a rubber puck similar to the above-linked suspension system.

 

14 minutes ago, Shimejii said:

DO NOT DO THIS if you have hard drives. If you have all SSD's then its kind of fine ish, but honestly i wouldnt do it as the case is $1000, seems rather dumb to do it.  Unless its a different case then the Enthoo Elite o.o

Conversely, I think it's dumb to carry around a $1000 case whenever it needs to be moved. 

 

9 minutes ago, SKR25 said:

As much as I would really recommend this, maybe try something like this from Amazon, putting them between the casters and your self-made dolly?

Along the lines of what I am thinking of. But I think engineering the thing to integrate a bunch of small springs would be tedious at best. One spring around each of the four bolts per castor might work.

[thrasher_565]

the case is tall and probably not wide enough for casters it will be tipsy so ied go the cart idea or existed the wheels out some.

[Cavalry Canuck]

2 minutes ago, thrasher_565 said:

the case is tall and probably not wide enough for casters it will be tipsy so ied go the cart idea or existed the wheels out some.

Yea. So the cart concept was to basically build a low-slung cradle out of  something like a 1" steel bar frame with thin rubber pads that the case would sit on. Where the castors are mounted, the frame would sort of wing out from under the case and up above the castors, where they would mount via a suspension system. I want to be able to roll the case alongside the desk, and then have a mechanism on the desk to lift the case (either with the cart or off it) to desktop height.

[startrek03]

2 minutes ago, SKR25 said:

As much as I would really recommend this, maybe try something like this from Amazon, putting them between the casters and your self-made dolly?

This won't really work, as springs alone are, well, springy and don't dampen a lot at all actually.

Besides, I don't know why you're all so worried (@LWM723, @Shimejii and @SKR25). Rolling around PCs isn't a new idea. Even Apple acknowledges that.

6 minutes ago, Cavalry Canuck said:

However, foams have an issue where they are either too soft to absorb shock, or the deformation that comes from absorbing shock is permanent. I need something with more give than foam, but less susceptible to plastic deformation, and that's why my first instinct was to seek something like a rubber puck similar to the above-linked suspension system

It would probably look really janky, but a cage inside cage, held in place by tensioned springs, would work like a big microphone spider.

[thrasher_565]

6 minutes ago, Cavalry Canuck said:

Yea. So the cart concept was to basically build a low-slung cradle out of  something like a 1" steel bar frame with thin rubber pads that the case would sit on. Where the castors are mounted, the frame would sort of wing out from under the case and up above the castors, where they would mount via a suspension system. I want to be able to roll the case alongside the desk, and then have a mechanism on the desk to lift the case (either with the cart or off it) to desktop height.

you no you can just go walk a dog for free right haha i kid sound like a jamesbond thing... is there something like that you can just buy probly not...

 

a the good old day of $100 casters thows were the days...

 

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by thrasher_565

[Cavalry Canuck]

4 minutes ago, thrasher_565 said:

you no you can just go walk a dog for free right haha i kid sound like a jamesbond thing... is there something like that you can just buy probly not...

I linked to a similar device in my original post. However, it is both too small and too frail for my case. It also does not include any form of suspension or dampening.

 

8 minutes ago, startrek03 said:

It would probably look really janky, but a cage inside cage, held in place by tensioned springs, would work like a big microphone spider.

 Might still be doable. Have a frame with the castors, and then a second frame the PC sits on hanging from the castor frame by springs, bungees, or both.

 

A big part of this concept is that it will be part of a system. If I need to move the location of my desktop space, I wish to be able to easily remove the PC from the desk, disassemble the desk, move it, and then cart the PC to the new desk location and easily re-mount it. Whatever setup I have for carting the case around on the floor needs to be compatible with whatever mechanism I come up with for getting it up on the desk.

[SKR25]

19 minutes ago, Cavalry Canuck said:

I'm custom-building a desk that will have a lift mechanism to elevate the case off the floor. 

 

I was thinking that, but with metal instead of plywood. However, foams have an issue where they are either too soft to absorb shock, or the deformation that comes from absorbing shock is permanent. I need something with more give than foam, but less susceptible to plastic deformation, and that's why my first instinct was to seek something like a rubber puck similar to the above-linked suspension system.

 

Conversely, I think it's dumb to carry around a $1000 case whenever it needs to be moved. 

 

Along the lines of what I am thinking of. But I think engineering the thing to integrate a bunch of small springs would be tedious at best. One spring around each of the four bolts per castor might work.

Sorry if I was unclear, but that's exactly what I meant! God, putting like 10 springs in would be hell

[thrasher_565]

can you not attach the cart to the case and replace the caster with casters with suspension? your basically using the cart as i wider base like i said to do.

[Cavalry Canuck]

21 minutes ago, SKR25 said:

Sorry if I was unclear, but that's exactly what I meant! God, putting like 10 springs in would be hell

 

Yea it would be 16 springs in total. Final install wouldn't be so bad, but it would be very difficult to spec them appropriately.

 

17 minutes ago, thrasher_565 said:

can you not attach the cart to the case and replace the caster with casters with suspension? your basically using the cart as i wider base like i said to do.

 

Unfortunately I purchased the castors thinking the rubber wheels would have a satisfactory amount of "give" to them. They do not. 

[LWM723]

Make a mini Hovercraft and mount it on that. And for longer distances get an 18- wheeler with air suspension.

[Cavalry Canuck]

3 minutes ago, LWM723 said:

Make a mini Hovercraft and mount it on that. And for longer distances get an 18- wheeler with air suspension.

Okay.