Cardboard case questions

[EMENCII]

Hello everyone,

I was thinking of making a temporary case out of a cardboard box.

Should I keep the mobo raised or is it ok to leave it lying on the cardboard?

Why is it a really bad idea to do what I'm going to do? I'm not fully aware of what could go wrong with this.

Thank you, I really appreciate your help,

EMENCII

[david31160]

1st, I think this is in the wrong section

2nd, you should keep the motherboard raised

3rd, the cardboard might catch on fire and stuff

[EMENCII]

2 minutes ago, david31160 said:

1st, I think this is in the wrong section

2nd, you should keep the motherboard raised

3rd, the cardboard might catch on fire and stuff

Sorry, I was thinking of entitling it differently, that's the reason why it's in the wrong section. I don't think I can move it though. Sorry for my mistake.

The motherboard should be raised because the tracks and pins could be shorted out?

Doesn't the cardboard catch fire at more than 400°C? For what I know there's no part in a PC that is still alive at that temperature...

[Bananasplit_00]

ok i am using a cardboard box as a permanent(as it looks now atleast) case for my LAN PC and its fine, do it, dont waste mony on a expensive case if you dont have to, but there are a few flaws with it so here they are:

1: assembly and cable management are a bit of a pain, but its do able

2: airflow is a slight problem too if you dony cut some holes

3: strucual stability is pretty lacking, i had to use a lot of tape to hold in my top mount PSU in my box

 

thats all i have to say, i basically just zip tied everything to the box and went with it(exept PSU, i used dubble sided tape, the foam kind)

 

good luck with your build

[pwn_intended]

7 minutes ago, EMENCII said:

Hello everyone,

I was thinking of making a temporary case out of a cardboard box.

Should I keep the mobo raised or is it ok to leave it lying on the cardboard?

Why is it a really bad idea to do what I'm going to do? I'm not fully aware of what could go wrong with this.

Thank you, I really appreciate your help,

EMENCII

Not really a terrible idea per sae, but things can go wrong. Since cardboard is not conductive, keeping the mobo in contact with it shouldn't matter. The box is unlikely to catch fire since your CPU would overheat and shut down long before that happened. However, if you build it in a temporary enclosure, expect that it will get very dusty, that you'll be able to knock it over or knock other shit onto it.

 

Just out of curiosity, why no real case?

[david31160]

Just now, EMENCII said:

Sorry, I was thinking of entitling it differently, that's the reason why it's in the wrong section. I don't think I can move it though. Sorry for my mistake.

The motherboard should be raised because the tracks and pins could be shorted out?

Doesn't the cardboard catch fire at more than 400°C? For what I know there's no part in a PC that is still alive at that temperature...

Well I was thinking raising the motherboard might have better cooling and I'm not sure about the cardboard but I've heard stories about cardboard pcs catching on fire. 

[EMENCII]

4 minutes ago, pwn_intended said:

Just out of curiosity, why no real case?

I do have a Phantom 530. I need to travel a bit this summer and since my idea of an aluminum and glass case has to wait, I just thought that this would have been the quickest and cheapest temporary solution. The NZXT is too big for my tastes...

[Julian5]

15 minutes ago, EMENCII said:

Hello everyone,

I was thinking of making a temporary case out of a cardboard box.

Should I keep the mobo raised or is it ok to leave it lying on the cardboard?

Why is it a really bad idea to do what I'm going to do? I'm not fully aware of what could go wrong with this.

Thank you, I really appreciate your help,

EMENCII

You can get free cases at tech repair shops, schools and the e dumpster

[EMENCII]

Just now, Julian5 said:

You can get free cases at tech repair shops, schools and the e dumpster

Italy, my friend. Land where tech repair shops make more money than banks (they are seriously terrible. Not every, but most.), schools don't have money even for toilet paper and dumpsters are places where all goes in and nothing comes out...

[Julian5]

Just now, EMENCII said:

Italy, my friend. Land where tech repair shops make more money than banks (they are seriously terrible. Not every, but most.), schools don't have money even for toilet paper and dumpsters are places where all goes in and nothing comes out...

Oh I didnt see you where in italy, im italian so I kinda feel you bro (Although im in switzerland rn)

[Sintezza]

Wood might be a better option.

[Alice in game]

25 minutes ago, EMENCII said:

Sorry, I was thinking of entitling it differently, that's the reason why it's in the wrong section. I don't think I can move it though. Sorry for my mistake.

The motherboard should be raised because the tracks and pins could be shorted out?

Doesn't the cardboard catch fire at more than 400°C? For what I know there's no part in a PC that is still alive at that temperature...

Well, as the book Fahrenheit 451 suggest, the auto ignition point of paper is around 450 degree... Fahrenheit, so around 230°C.

From what I saw, that value can change depending on the type of paper and how long it have to be exposed to that temperature to auto ignite, and it can be higher than that by several degrees. So if the computer stay stay at that temperature for long enough (meaning that the temperature does not dissipate), it would auto ignite and burn... but I doubt  that could happen. If a cardboard computer catch on fire, I would not blame the temperature, but I would suspect a spark created by a short-circuit, that could happen in any case (but would only start a fire in a cardboard box)... that's what I would think.

[EMENCII]

24 minutes ago, Sintezza said:

Wood might be a better option.

Sadly I have none atm, otherwise I'd have considered it...

[JFAllen]

Nothing wrong with using cardboard for custom case construction. I made an ITX case a few years ago (2009 shit is was a long time ago) and have been using it on and off since then + various upgrades.

Originaly built using some 2009-era i5 with a nasty PSU (was previously owned by a heavy smoker) and a Radeon 5990.

 

It's had a few different hearts over the years (including a stint as a HTPC.) But now is doing duty as my main desktop. Unfortunately since swapping out the GTX295 for a GTX590 I've had to use an eternal PSU with 2x8-pin PCI-E, as my mini-Silverstone 450W unit just doesn't have enough berries, and was about on its limit running real hot (as it was doing double duty as the CPS exhaust) with the 295 overclocked.

 

It doesn't catch fire, plastic is a larger fire hazard. The mobo back plane is scavenged from an old AOpen case. It's made form the following

-Various cardboard kindly stolen from the local fruit and veg shop

-Black Race-Tape

-String

-Glue

-Plastic food wrap for the case window

-Some Velcro (to hold the lid down and in place.

 

Has been a great Lan rig (won a couple of awards) and truly unique. Best bit is the graphics card runs cool and is isolated from the rest of the case heat wise due to it's semi-external nature.

 

From when it was built.

 

 

 

With that horrible PSU and a 5990 under full load it didn't crash, but it smelt like death itself. There is nothing quite like the smell of roasting capacitors covered in years of nicotine, ash, and who knows what else from years of abuse

 

Here it is in all its glory today:

 

But like the old axe in the shed, it'll live on different handles, different heads, but still the same axe

 

regards

Jordan

 

P.S: I have plans for a new one, likely to be built late this year once Kraby Lake is out

 

 

[EMENCII]

On 7/31/2016 at 9:06 AM, JFAllen said:

- snip -

Very nice, good job ^^

Mine is much worse in terms of construction, but it does its job. Thank you for sharing your experience, and good luck with your next evolution

[dcb-z]

On 7/25/2016 at 9:46 AM, EMENCII said:

I do have a Phantom 530. I need to travel a bit this summer and since my idea of an aluminum and glass case has to wait, I just thought that this would have been the quickest and cheapest temporary solution. The NZXT is too big for my tastes...

I can't imagine that a cardboard box would be a very good idea for safe transport of your computer, unless you handled it with extreme care or reinforced it somehow so as to protect it from crushing or bending.

[SLAYR]

On July 25, 2016 at 9:41 AM, EMENCII said:

Sorry, I was thinking of entitling it differently, that's the reason why it's in the wrong section. I don't think I can move it though. Sorry for my mistake.

The motherboard should be raised because the tracks and pins could be shorted out?

Doesn't the cardboard catch fire at more than 400°C? For what I know there's no part in a PC that is still alive at that temperature...

Carbboard soesn't conduct electricity so it should be fine just sitting in there, but cardboard isn't too great for building structures out of since it can collapse easy.

[BrightCandle]

I ran a ghetto server out of a cardboard box for a few weeks. You don't need to raise it the cardboard does not conduct electricity. The main problem with cardboard is its flammable and motherboards do get hot. Do it temporarily if you are testing the kit but plan to transplant the machine into a case if you intend to leave it unattended.

[SLAYR]

4 minutes ago, BrightCandle said:

I ran a ghetto server out of a cardboard box for a few weeks. You don't need to raise it the cardboard does not conduct electricity. The main problem with cardboard is its flammable and motherboards do get hot. Do it temporarily if you are testing the kit but plan to transplant the machine into a case if you intend to leave it unattended.

The flash point of cardboard is over 800F (400C) even a 9590, and four 295x2s wouldn't light it on fire.

[JFAllen]

As you can see from my build. Metallic hardware was used to mount critical components (MoBo/Graphics card/HDD) for simplicity and serviceability, this includes motherboard standoff's. These components were glued to the cardboard, also for simplicity. This has meant the computer hardware doesn't load the cardboard, and that the critical components are secured correctly; giving them adequate ventilation.

 

For anyone using cardboard as a construction material. I would strongly recommend cannibalizing an old case for the skeleton. Just makes it so much easier. As was done with this build I'll be dong the same for the next full tower.

 

Regards

Jordan

P.S: Remember doubters  this post is being made from that very PC housed in a home made cardboard box that was first taped and glued together in 2009!! (who else here is using a case they got in 2009 ?) Has seen at least 10 lan parties and 5 house moves. And it's only in the last 6 weeks I've had to run that external PSU . Be smart, be carful. A well planed build using stiff wax treated cardboard will last a long time.

[Mark77]

The concern I'd have with cardboard is that its basically a fire waiting to happen if there is a capacitor failure.  Like which occurred to this Cisco switch, and has been documented on the YouTube for everyone to see:

 

There's a reason why nobody will sell, and take legal responsibility for a cardboard computer case.  This might be rare, but it does happen, and in a proper metal case its a non-event.  Metal computer cases are basically thrown away these days (I have 6 in my basement in-used).  Find one, even the cheapest piece of crap you can find, and use it instead of that cardboard nonsense.

[JFAllen]

lets be fair, if you have a fire then there are larger issues to deal with than the fact you case may or may not add to that fire...

 

 

[Mark77]

23 hours ago, JFAllen said:

lets be fair, if you have a fire then there are larger issues to deal with than the fact you case may or may not add to that fire...

 

I think I am being fair.  That little capacitor burning out inside a metal chassis was a non-event.  Maybe some smoke, until it finally shorted out or open-circuited and was shut down.

 

Had that system been placed in a case made of combustible materials, it would be a fire that likely would spread.

 

I don't want to stifle creativity here, but making computer cases out of combustible materials is a complete no-no.  Even when plastics are used in commercially sold available cases, they are usually of the flame retardant type which pass a certain flame exposure test.

[EMENCII]

On 4/8/2016 at 10:53 AM, Mark77 said:

- snip -

As I said earlier, I have no use of common cases, because of their dimensions. I needed sth just as big as the ATX mobo.

 

On 2/8/2016 at 10:57 PM, SLAYR said:

Carbboard soesn't conduct electricity so it should be fine just sitting in there, but cardboard isn't too great for building structures out of since it can collapse easy.

On 2/8/2016 at 10:10 PM, dcb-z said:

I can't imagine that a cardboard box would be a very good idea for safe transport of your computer, unless you handled it with extreme care or reinforced it somehow so as to protect it from crushing or bending.

It's still working after a week, a 3 hours car trip and another 3 hrs train trip. My biggest concern was the PSU not remaining in place, but it's still there. I guess my poor craftmanship skills were enough

[dcb-z]

Good to know that it's working out for you, then.