Wooden Computer Enclosures

[Mike OMelia]

I have seen some on the web. Some go too far in my opinion. You need the metal housing for EMF shielding. So, I was thinking of an enclosure that would simply "house" the computer. Anybody ever built one?

I saw one that was based on Japanese design ideas, and was really cool, but way too much effort required.

Mike

[Clint Schlosser]

I built a 19" rack style case for my 4 computers. I have experience no issues with "shielding" so I would not use that as part of the design tenet. Basically everything in the computer is powered by the power supply and grounded appropriately. If you attempt to ground everything there is a good chance you could inadvertently create a ground loop and damage the PC.

The design I used is basically a 19" wide by 36" tall cabinet carcass with slide out shelves. This really helps me save some space and wiring.

[Eric DeSilva]

Do you have a particular concern about EMF shielding? Is the computer going to be operated near an amplifier or a TV? Frankly, if you are worried about that, you could line the inside with copper mesh and ground it--you have then created a Faraday cage and the EM field through a Faraday cage is zero. I would note that a lot of computers these days seem to be made of plastic, so they definitely are not EM shielded... Guess my point is don't assume you need shielding. It might not be a concern.

I would, however, worry about ventilation. Heat kills hard drives, so plan for good airflow through the box...

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

EMF shielding? Half the people I know run their boxes with one of the sides off 'cause they are in 'em all the time and it's too much bother to put the covers back on.

There's no reason not to use wood. The main board is up on standoffs so there's no moisture issue. You'd want a ground for the stand offs but other than that one issue I don't see a problem. In fact it might make for a quieter machine.

[David DeCristoforo]

http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/62/1/

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article237-page1.html

http://www.techfresh.net/wood-computer-case/

http://woodmod.blogspot.com/

http://woodgears.ca/computer_case/index.html

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article644-page1.html

http://www.geekologie.com/2007/11/handcarved_wood_pc_looks_woode.php

http://suissacomputers.com/index.htm

http://hardlikesoftware.com/weblog/2008/09/10/wooden-computer-case/