The idea of using cardboard for a sloppy PC case isn’t new; it’s a time-honored tradition dating back to at least the 1990s. That said, with today’s CNC cutters and other advanced tooling available to hobbyists, you might be curious to see how far you can push the concept. As demonstrated in a recent video by [mryeester], the answer appears to be that good planning and a solid understanding of cardboard’s limitations are as essential as ever.
After having the PC case drawn up in CAD and cut on a professional CNC cutter by a buddy who makes commercial cardboard displays, the installation procedure for the PC components showed where a bit of foresight could have saved a lot of time and effort.
The first problem was that the GPU couldn’t be installed due to wrong measurements on where the IO bracket normally is screwed into the case. Some cardboard cutting later, the GPU slid into place, but of course, there’s no way to screw it down, putting the full weight on the PCIe slot of the mainboard. Fortunately, the mainboard was quite literally bolted into place, and the case consists of multiple layers of corrugated cardboard to add some rigidity.
Next was more carving as the PSU cut-out was designed for an SFX PSU, not an ATX one. After that ordeal, one could say that perhaps a nice thing about a cardboard case is that you get to pick where buttons are located, though this comes with its own logistical issues.
Finally, mounting side panels turned into another chore, with perhaps some engineering possible to make it work better. For example, we recently looked at making cardboard hinges that would look pretty good on a cardboard PC case. You can also waterproof cardboard and make it much stronger, turning a throwaway, temporary cardboard solution into something that will last for years, even with occasional exposure to moisture and a water-cooling leak.
When did people stop caring about EMI?
And if you are worried about the screws, use washers.
Probably around time when PCs start to have HUGE holes in the metal case covered either by large plastic fans or just plastic mesh.
Oh and i forgot about the glass panels – huge glass panels – some cases are more glass than metal.
I thought that was the primary use of the Microtimes (an oversized, maybe A3? ~1″ thick “magazine” consisting mostly of adverts). Plunk down a Microtimes, motherboard goes on that, and you test build from there.
Of course that might be harkening back to the era of ISA slots, but has the world changed that much?
Also I see these dirt cheap metal skeletal cases.
Still, this is clever, cardboard is easy to CNC or laser cut, and takes paint or stain or whatever coloring/surfacing well. I also have fond memories of barbecue spray paint for towers, giving a very slight textured surface, contrasting to the shiny beige boxes of the era. Ahh, when “casemod” meant spray paint…
The cutting and drilling skills are not strong with this one.
Does he not own a hobby knife? And using a drill bit without the drill is quite the thing with softer materials. Then, again, if he had those skills, he wouldn’t need a friend with a computer controlled cutting machine.