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Technology

Clear Computer Cases 210

Posted by Hemos from the cool-computer-cases-continues dept.
DeeezNutz writes "Here is the startings of a company that wants to see clear pc cases! They have pictures. " It's pretty impressive looking - the cases that is. The hot-rodding of computers continues, I guess.
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Clear Computer Cases More

Clear Computer Cases

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  • Old News (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Here's a couple of companies who have been making these for a while now.

    http://www.clear-viewtech.com [clear-viewtech.com]

    http://www.designcomp.com [designcomp.com]
  • To vomit [akamai.net] on a computer case and call it "stylish". They also were the first to introduce Smurf poop [akamai.net] as a viable color option.

    - A.P.

    --
    Forget Napster. Why not really break the law?

  • I haven't ever used an O2, but for Corporate PCs, Dell's new Optiplex GX150 machines are pretty nice. They open at the push of a button, and most of the components can be taken out of the box without a screwdriver. They're also the quietest PCs I've ever used, unlike my old Dell Precision 410 workstation, this SCSI drive sounds like someone crushing gravel...
    ---
  • ``The RFI generated once there's a fast motherboard running inside of an unshielded case will preclude them being allowed to sell a full system.''

    Ain't that the truth. Plus, once the person who buys one of these realizes that they can't leave the PC on if they try to listen to the radio or watch TV they wish they had their old aluminum case back. Heck, I can tell immediately if I've left the side panel open on my old system and it's only running at 200MHz. Imagine what it's going to be like when I upgrade to that 1GHz dual Athlon motherboard (It's coming, I just know it is. :-) )

    ``I haven't heard of the FCC out chasing after RFI in ages.''

    Just wait'll some kid buys one of these cases and interferes with the radio and TV reception of everyone in his apartment building. The FCC will respond if enough people complain.

    Did the FCC raid actually tag those machines as non-compliant? Or did they just have to relabel them as `business' machines? (That's sort of how I remember it, anyway.)


    --

  • ...one of these things is going to look like in a few months. Ever notice just how much crap gets sucked into your computer case? Geez, I get out the vacuum cleaner every time I do any work inside the case just to try to keep the accumulated dust down. (a layer of dust inhibits the ability of chips to be cooled by the airflow.) After a while, one of these transparent PC cases is going to look like ``The Visible Shop-Vac''. And that's not going to be very pretty at all.


    --

  • Actually that old disk does work and is in use (not for anything important, my basement with 4 cats is not exactly a "clean room" :))

    The arm is a blur when it moves but you can indeed see it.

  • Since I'm in a shitflinging mood, I'll jump in at this point. This is not an electronic device, It's a large hunk of plastic, so they can sell as many of them as they want, and the FCC has nothing to do with it. Now, when you use the case to put a computer in that's another story, however they're shipping these things without a power supply, so none of the FCC regulations apply to them.

    Now for the shit flinging:

    The FCC is not the US congress. They make regulations not laws.

    Cars are sold capable of being driven. You need to equate this to auto parts, not cars. Also, the rules that govern automobiles in the US are laws, and they're made by the states, not the US government. The National government just makes heavy handed suggestions as to what the laws should say and threatens to deny highway funding to states that aren't strict enough.

    and finally, to that last guy "You are awfully arrogant for someone who is about to display his ignorance."

    Grow up.
  • The cases are pretty neat, and the fact that they documented their startup efforts is even cooler. However (and I'm no EE) doesn't a regular case provide EM shielding and wouldn't a layer of clear plastic not provide such shielding?

  • Quoth the author of the drive-modding site:
    > All the hard drives I have done this mod to are stuff running fine. I stress test them for about a week of intense disk activity and they pass gracefully.

    Fuck me!

    I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Fuck, I still don't believe it!

    I thought it was gonna be a mod that said "Do this, then hook up the drive, and run a piece of software to make the heads thrash every now and then, 'cuz there ain't no way you're reading any data off this drive".

    But it seems he's serious in that he didn't lose data.

    I'd still never do this with a drive that had data I cared about. All the posters pointing out the need for a clean room (and the grit/dust from the grinding operations, and the lack of an air filter on the modded drive) are absolutely right - this shouldn't work.

    But for an old (obsolete, and out-of-warranty) drive that you're only using for /swap on a non-mission-critical system, maybe it really is doable.

    Fsckin' cool hack, though, to say the least.

  • > Somehow, this kinda stuff reminds me of the rice boy attitude. You know those Hong-Kong kids who soup up their Civic CXs with Mugen stickers, and racing stripes? :)

    Absolutely...

    ...but it's still loads of fun, and you can pick up some basic metalworking skillz while you're at it. I'm currently doing a case mod of a generic ATX case in glossy black and hammered-metal finish, based on a case I saw on [H]ardOCP a few months ago.

    What I learn from that, I can use to polish out dents and chips in the paint on my car, rather than paying an auto body shop to do it for me. The techniques are identical - sand at 220 grit to bare metal, lay down primer to fill in the rough spots, sand at 600, lay down color, sand at 600, lay down color, sand at 1200, seal with clearcoat, sand at 2000 and buff/polish to taste.

    But it's a helluvalot cheaper to learn the technique (and make your newbie mistakes) on a $75 ATX case than it is on your car.

    If the paint adheres nicely to plastic, I'll probably do the same thing with my I-openers. The one that now serves as a digital picture frame will actually look more like a picture frame than a piece of computing equipment.

  • > This rig would look pretty sweet with a light kit, or a strobe to "stop" the fans.

    That'd rock. The biggest concern I'd have would be that there might be interference coming from the discharge through the strobe light.

    OTOH, you could "strobe" a high-intensity LED just as easily as you could a real strobe light, and it might be bright enough to be seen.

    Now you've got me thinking about breaking off a pin in the middle of my Alpha heatsink. The space thus created would be just big enough to hold an LED, and the light would emerge from *within* the heatsink and "leak" through the fan blades. You could probably ensure it "stopped" the fan blades regardless of fan speed by simply triggering the LED based on the third wire (fan speed sense) from the fan itself!

  • > Get one of ThinkGeek's black light and one of these cases. get some glass working tools. Cut the holes like crystal. Then put crystals (tranculent and angled) all over the thing. The black light would go everywhere in cool angles. For added fun also put in a disco ball.

    Disco ball, blue LED. Yum.

    Or break off a pin or two from your Alpha-style heatsink, and wedge (after insulating the leads) in a red LED. "Look, ma, my heatsink's red hot!"

    The RF wouldn't be a problem if the holes in the sides of the case were small enough. Your "crystal" idea would work great for this, and solve any problems ("dustbunnies") associated with a totally-translucent case.

  • And what discussion of clear cases would be complete without the clear Ms. PacMan [arcadefanatic.com] machine?
  • > There's no need to sand your color coat as long as you don't get dirt in the paint. Use a good gun, not the one from Sears. You'll want a high quality HVLP gun (I used to use a Geo, nice gun). You'll need a decent air compressor with good water traps. Forget learning with a spray can... not worth the effort. Use a high solids clear for a nice deepness to the finish. Wet sand the clear coat, 1500 grit is fine. Realize now that buffing sucks ass and requires a real buffer. One of those cheapy polishers from Wal-Mart won't do the job. On the plastic parts you'll need to be very sure they are clean due to the chemicals used when producing them. They do make a cleaner just for plastics. They also make an additive to make the paint more flexible. It's mainly used on bumpers, but will keep your paint from cracking when your screwing around with the plastic parts. Good luck.

    (Amazing amount of useful information quoted and reposted at Mod-level 2, just to preserve it for those re-reading this thread in the future.

    Mad props to the AC who posted it. Wish I could justify the cost of the gun and air compressor setup for this project, but the tip on cleaning plastics probably saves me a lot of time and trouble, as does the tip on avoiding a drill and a buffing wheel.)

  • thinkgeek is trying to sell me cases with black lights,

    Forget the black lights. Get some 16 million color led arrays [colorkinetics.com] inside your PC, let it perform light shows and use your pc case as a winamp plug in [colorkinetics.com]. It's bound to be cheaper than mood lighting for the whole damn room. [slashdot.org]

  • Why get a clear case, I just leave mine off. And don't give me that crap about you might spill something in it. Mine runs better now that I cool my Athlon with Coke. I think that I should switch to diet cause it's starting to get fat.
  • Mongomery Scott gave away the formula for transparent steel

    Transparent Aluminum.

    Plant Manager: "Just use the keyboard."

    Scotty: "Keyboard?? My, how quaint."


    --

  • Yeah, those cases with the razor blades sticking out are a real drag!

    There's no better way to keep the rat in the next cubicle from stealing your DIMMS.


    --

  • I definately like the extra 3 inch length in the case, to make the motherboard be more exposed, but I can't help but wonder about the dangers of static discharge with a plastic case. For the time being though, you'll need to settle for your shitty cardboard cut-outs because it'll take quite a while before any of these will be coming to a store near you.
  • The first Apple computer was sold as a printed circuit board [vintage.org]. Later computers came in heavy-gauge metal boxes [computer-museum.org], then plastic boxes [myoldcomputers.com], then translucent boxes [zdnet.com], and now transparent boxes. What's next? Why, back to naked components, of course. Save your old computer cases - they'll be retro [obsoleteco...museum.org] soon!

    Everything old is new again!

    Famous Last Words: "Oh, hi Laur... err, Sandra!"

  • That site was going slow for me. So I mirrored it.

    http://www.perljam.net/misc/members.home.net/clear cases/ [perljam.net]

    -ted

  • All it's going to do is cause PC makers to build filters into their new PCs. All the dust that accumulates in PC's, especially ones at sit on carpeted floors. Eww!

    -ted

  • Well, if you're paying for a clear box for your computer, obviously you're also paying for a maid to clean your place too. Of course what I'd dread would be the day she came to me and said:
    Mr. Samuel? This little black thing came loose inside your computer while I was dusting it. It says, uhm. 'NCR 43185'. I
    think I can show you where it came of the board, but I'm not entirely sure, and I don't want to break anything. I hope that's OK?

    --
  • Ever see how dusty a typical computer can get on the inside? They all get at least a light coating. Think of how un-133t your clear case is going to look after it gets hazy, and then how much of a bitch it's going to be to clean. No thanks.

    WWJD -- What Would Jimi Do?

  • It makes a clear case for a PC.

    Get it? >-)
  • I admit, they look awfully cool (I was expecting a lame semi-translucent imac type thing), but $105 US for a computer case?!? I think I'll stick with what I've got...

    The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that, it's all learned.

  • I could give a flying f*ck how they look. I need cases that are well made. I want no sharp edges...

    Yeah, those cases with the razor blades sticking out are a real drag!

  • is a PowerMac [apple.com]
  • Now what would be really cool is if they made the case water-tight. You could fill the case with mineral oil and some food coloring. Be the first on your block to fill your system with transparent blue liquid!

    Mmmm...Sacrelicious!

  • Well, i used to do this.

    However, i know you can possibly get heating issues w/an open case. Proper airflow usually requires a closed case.
  • Grounding?

    Rate me [picture-rate.com] on picture-rate.com
  • Errr...don't you mean:

    pic 1 [telus.net]
    pic 2 [telus.net]
    pic 3 [telus.net]

    Whoops. :^)

    --

  • Sorry, that should be:
    lego case pic 1 [telus.net]
    lego case pic 2 [telus.net]
    lego case pic 3 [telus.net]

    rather.

    panic("esp: Mr. Potatoe Head is on the loose!"); --linux/drivers/scsi/esp.c
  • Maybe I'm just old school, but I fail to see the reasoning for this. I really don't like it when people dress up thier cars/trucks whatever with neon lights, hydraulic shocks, etc. and I think this is just that same step in the nerd direction.

    Let's face it, computer hardware is no necessarily eye-appealing (at least not so to me) and I don't want people coming over to my in-house office to look at the guts of such and eyesore.

    Applications? Maybe if they make a rack-mountable case.

    Of couse, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
  • I thought you needed the case to act as the ground conector? But I must be wrong.....


    ________

  • What's next? Invisible cases?

    You mean, like behind a drywall [slashdot.org]?
  • That kicks ass!

    Ok, my new personal goal in life is to have as much transparency in my computer as possible. Clear case, clear hard drive (clear platters?), clear mobo, etc, etc. You'll have to squint to even see the thing!

    --

  • Or, rather, you're not. How does this handle motherboard grounding issues?
    I spent a LOT of time hunting down a flaky problem (IDE1 and mouse ports not found) that ended up being an ungrounded support.

    When are they gonna make clearcased cdroms, floppy drives, and harddisks too?<Sarcasm> That would be 37337.</Sarcasm>
  • Now I'll have something else I can use that disposable screen clean wipe on before it dries up completely.

    I can also take a picture of my nose pressed up against glass and stick the picture inside the case

  • <Geek>
    Didn't they solve that problem in Star Trek IV or something....

    Transparent Aluminum

    (You'd think aluminum would still have electrical properties in any form and could shield stray RF to tolerances)
    </Geek>

  • RFI (Score:2)

    by ackthpt ( 218170 )
    Big issue is the lack of shielding in these sort of cases. Fine if you don't want to listen to the radio or have the TV rattling away while you hack.

    --

  • Translucent colored cases have been around, here's a link at Tom's hardware [tomshardware.com]

    --

  • I wouldn't be surprised if they tried, but I did this over 10 years ago with 3/8" Lexan and parts from an AST 286 for a visible computer in a training lab. It's such an obvious use that I'm sure it was done before me as well. BTW: FCC requirements only apply to assembled units, not parts.
  • Now everyone will be able to see how much pr0n in on my hard drive.
  • Okay, either The company making these things or I need a re-introduction to the basics of electrostatics.

    If I remember correctly, the reason your computer and your harddrive are encased in metal has little to do with grounding and everything to do with one of the fundamental rules of electrostatics: If you put a hollow metal box in an electric field, the electric field inside the box is unchanged.

    This is why computers are encased in metal, airplanes are encased in metal, and especially why hard drives are encased in metal. No matter what is going on outside (electrical storms, static discharges, etc), your electric field inside is unaffected.

    Sure, I let my machine run with the case open now and again (like right now); Most modern components in a computer are pretty resiliant. But everything is definitely safer in the metal box. And there is no way in hell I would let my harddrive run encased in plastic.

  • >> clear hard disk covers inside those clear cases. You could see the mechanics working

    I don't think you'd see much... disks spinning at 7200RPM look pretty much like disks standing still... and the heads move back and forth fast enough to be mostly a blur anyways, if that.

    Sounds cool, but wouldn't be nearly so in actual use.

    MadCow.

  • I'd be interested in knowing if anyone tried building a pc in this case. How serious is the static problem?
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  • I know for a fact there is an ESD (electrostatic disapative) clear perspex available, but it's very expensive (I don't have exact figures). I use it in some test equipment at work. I'll look up a specification for it on Monday if anyone wants.
  • Lets, see thinkgeek is trying to sell me cases with black lights, now I got clear cases, it'd be interesting to see, but it would be like the clear telephones, it would end up being a fad.
    What's next? Invisible cases?

  • I'm unclear about this (Score:3)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:42AM (#261593)
    Looks like a regular old cardboard box to me.

  • Re:FCC Compliance? (Score:3)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 27, 2001 @11:06AM (#261594)
    The problem isn't just transmitting. The case shields both ways. I was operating my computer without the side panel on for about six months at one point. During that time, I put a huge amount of work into trying to figure out why my internet connection would act in strange ways, go at a crawl and hang up often. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I put the side panel back on (to save space; it was just lying on the floor) the problems dissappeared. After that, I tested several times with the panel on and off. I even tried connecting with the panel off, waited until the connection started getting really bad, then put the panel in place and watched everything run smoothly again, and then I watched everything nosedive again when I put the panel back on. The problems were intermittent, but they vanished with proper shielding. I never did get around to plotting out exactly what times of day they occurred on to figure out the pattern. Obviously something was causing interference, but I've since moved, and I guess I'll never know.

    Anyway, the point of all this is that it's better for smooth running of your computer that the shielding be in place. It's also better for the smooth running of other peoples equipment that the shielding be in place. Please be considerate of the guy next door who may have spent the last few years wondering why some piece of equipment he has won't work between 5 PM and 5 AM.

  • FCC Certification? (Score:3)

    by abischof ( 255 ) <alexNO@SPAMspamcop.net> on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:51AM (#261595) Homepage
    Not that I particularly care (heh, I'd order one anyway), but I'm curious about how these cases passed FCC Certification. IIRC, ordinary cases don't have much problem in this area, but that's just because they're a big metal box ;).

    Alex Bischoff
    ---

  • Re:kernel: motherboard 'eject' button pushed.. (Score:3)

    by rnturn ( 11092 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @11:32AM (#261596)

    There was no such thing as a Stratus/88. there was a System/88 that IBM sold that was a re-labeled Stratus system that they hung 3270-style CRTs off of.

    Actually pretty cool systems but the cost... Whew!. I was admin on a couple of them back in the very early '90s. Unfortunately, they ran VOS and not the Stratus UNIX implementation (whose name escapes me at the moment). It was very impressive to be able to pull a memory board on a heavily loaded system and not have anyone so much as notice. At the time, disk drives were sold as redundant pairs (this was before hot-swappable disks and RAID subsystems became popular and readily available) and cost something like US$20K for 600MB (not GB!) of storage.

    The system required a dial-up line to Stratus's field service group and the systems actually reported failed components to FS. It was always disconcerting to have FS show up to replace a board you hadn't noticed had failed.

    Geez. Wonder if they're still in business. They were changing the processor chips on almost an annual basis: 680x0 to Intel to MIPS (IIRC). Does anyone know if they finally made up their mind?


    --

  • Re:Rice Rockets (Score:3)

    by Pope Slackman ( 13727 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @12:43PM (#261597) Homepage Journal
    I was actually thinking about getting a couple big Honda "[H]" stickers, some vinyl kanji characters,
    a huge fan (closest thing to an exhast tip I can think of...), and,
    of course, several "Type R" stickers, so I could then "rice up" my tired old P120...

    I figure those "performance mods" should kick the performance up to the level of, say, a PIII 300...

    C-X C-S

  • Re:Has anyone used this case? (Score:3)

    by ncc74656 ( 45571 ) <scott@alfter.us> on Friday April 27, 2001 @01:22PM (#261598) Homepage Journal
    I'd be interested in knowing if anyone tried building a pc in this case. How serious is the static problem?

    RFI is likely to be the bigger problem. Conventional metal cases keep most RFI bottled up inside, but it seems that acrylic would just let it all out to trash your radio and TV reception. The usual solution would be to paint the inside with some kind of conductive paint (like the inside of an Apple II, where the upper part of the case was plastic), but then that would defeat the purpose of building the case out of acrylic in the first place.

    I would think that static, OTOH, wouldn't be that big a problem as long as grounding straps are run between devices. Your neighbors wouldn't like it when your GHz Athlon in the clear case kills the mind-rot they're watching that passes for TV.

  • Macquarium (Score:3)

    by Craig Ivey ( 60906 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:50AM (#261599)
    I wonder if I can make another Macquarium out of these...

  • Gives PHBs a whole new angle (Score:3)

    by dolanh ( 64212 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @12:41PM (#261600) Homepage Journal
    Now they'll ask you why you didn't see that critical hardware failure coming :)

  • Re:FCC Compliance? (Score:3)

    by Datafage ( 75835 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @11:25AM (#261601) Homepage
    Fuck that, point a table fan at it and all your heat problems go away.

    -----------------------

  • I'm not an expert by any means with electrical wiring and interference issues, but aren't cases usually metal for grounding purposes? Will these plastic cases allow more interference? Metal makes a pretty dang good shield for those types of things, but I'd be worried that those kinds of waves would get through.

    Of course you could always build your own: like this previous slashdot story linked to [slashdot.org]

    HardOCP had a link to a guy that was doing at-home jobs like this, but I can't find the URL.

  • I've got one of those already! (Score:3)

    by WolfWithoutAClause ( 162946 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:32AM (#261603) Homepage
    Well, ok, these haven't shipped, but it looks exactly like it!

    Well, ok, not exactly; but it's close.

    And access is MUCH easier...

    Well, close, except when I can be bothered to put back the covers. Then it looks kinda boring. But the REST of the time... ;-)

  • What's next? Translucent Toilets? (Score:3)

    by Slashdolt ( 166321 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:50AM (#261604)
    I like the fact that I can hide my mess inside of a box. There are just some things I'd rather not see.

  • Adding some RFI shielding to these things (Score:3)

    by -Harlequin- ( 169395 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @07:43PM (#261605)
    Obviously, these transparent boxes are going to suck if you have your computer and TV on at the same time (or if anyone else in the general area has their TV on).

    AFAIK, the transparent qualities could be retained, but shielding added via a grounded crosshatch of wire or metal mesh, making a faraday cage. Question is - how big can the holes be? Are we talking chicken-wire or reinforced-glass kind of mesh, or more like microwave-oven window mesh?

    Does anyone have any links to DIY shielding info that would cover this sort of thing?

    I've also heard that a transparent metal layer (such as on anti-static bags, one-way mirrors, etc) can be used, but some info on DIY mesh would be good...

  • Clearly this is ripping off Apple (Score:3)

    by darkfus ( 177149 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:15AM (#261606)
    If I do recall, after talking in to a mouse, Mongomery Scott gave away the formula for transparent steel in Star Trek IV... Even so, if these cases were perfect I am sure Apple is readying some kind of a lawsuit as we speak. Scott

  • can you say static cling :-) (Score:3)

    by daved321 ( 229528 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:57AM (#261607)
    hmmm... acrylic... does this sound like a static nightmare waiting to happen? I can see it now... I finish assembling my clear computer, marveling at it's aestetic beauty, slide it along the carpeted floor back into its position next to my desk turn it on and.... NOTHING - time to go shopping for more parts, and a nice GROUNDED steel case...

  • The Invisible PC for Linda Carter (Score:3)

    by delorean ( 245987 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:45AM (#261608) Homepage
    Once I got past my guffaws at the cardboard box pictures (right on top of the page) i like those cases... but they do remind me of Linda Carter (aka Wonder Woman)'s Invisible Jet. You can just barely see the outline of the case in the pictures.

    Interesting. Applicable. I donno. Why? I have to ask.

    ooooh, those dreamy eyes of hers. Grrr--owwwww.

  • Nice Cases... (Score:3)

    by V50 ( 248015 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:51AM (#261609) Journal

    ColorCase [colorcase.com] has some really neat looking cases.... Even a penguin one that my 5 year old brother thinks is cute.... Perfect for your 3 year old's nice new Linux Server!


    --Volrath50

  • Pretty neat (Score:3)

    by smari ( 257143 ) <(spm) (at) (vlug.eyjar.is)> on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:53AM (#261610) Homepage
    I'd like one of those, except with the ammount of dust gathering in my machines anyway, all I'd see is dust an nice blue sparks.... try sleeping with that hummer beside yah! =)

  • Well... (Score:3)

    by Sarcasmooo! ( 267601 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:01AM (#261611)
    The 'hot-rodding' of computers is probably one of the few ways this hobby could ever stop being seen as geeky. We'd have to turn it into a manly brag-off hobby: "This transparent beast I got can smoke your Compaq, man. It's got dual 22GHz 'Athlon Avatar's', 5 exhaust fans, AI 5x more efficient than the human brain, and a HeMan GX 975 MB Video Card! RAAAARRRR!!!"

  • Here's my clear case.. (Score:3)

    by Catlord ( 305320 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:08AM (#261612) Homepage
    Cool! Glad to see a company that is mass producing clear cases. Up until now, you have to shell out big bucks for a custom clear computer box. I bought my clear arcylic case from Clear-View Tech [clear-viewtech.com] about a year ago, and they are friggin beautiful. I tweaked and customized the crap outta it since that time. When you have a killer box, you gotta have killer accessories.. =^,^=

    Here is the page [poorvin.com] with the best pictures of my clear computer. The pictures are a bit old though, and were taken when I used to have a Celeron processor in it. Since that time, I've upgraded it with a Thunderbird.

    But here is the page [poorvin.com] that is more recent (with the T-Bird and rounded cables) where my computer is integrated into my drumset/entertainment center. Much cooler! =~,^=
  • No grounding, no shielding, no isolation, bad heat dissipation, huge propensity for static electricity... no thanks i'll just keep my components in a running microwave, at least I know when everything will burn.

  • I'd really like to see clear hard disk covers inside those clear cases. You could see the mechanics working. THAT would be leet.

    http://www.grub.net/crud/cleardisk.jpg

    Not a simple clickey link to save my poor cable modem connection :)

  • Re:FCC Compliance? (Score:4)

    by spunkypimp ( 17324 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:05AM (#261615) Homepage
    Well, I doubt it would cause that much trouble. Although it would violate FCC regs, it's not going to blow up your neighbor's dog :-D. I run my PC with out either side panel on, because I'm too lazy to take them on and off, and I have no problems with monitors, tvs, phones, and other things that sit right next to my case.

  • dust bunny aquarium (Score:4)

    by spoonyfork ( 23307 ) <spoonyfork&gmail,com> on Friday April 27, 2001 @12:24PM (#261616) Journal
    Have you ever opened your case and saw the massive tangles of dust that line the nooks and crannies of your PCI cards, hard drives and mobos? Why would I want to see that stuff wipping around in the case all day? Ewwww...

  • Clear Case (Score:4)

    by eric2hill ( 33085 ) <<eric> <at> <ijack.net>> on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:49AM (#261617) Homepage
    Just saw this custom clear case [hardforum.com] over at HardOCP [hardocp.com]. Very nice, clean work. URL is "http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?threadid= 132652" for the goatse.cx weary...

    Karma whoring? Gimmie the KY!

  • prototype (Score:4)

    by JEDi_ERiAN ( 79402 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:02AM (#261618) Homepage
    do they have the prototype for sale? i'd love to get my hands on a cardboard pc case, if i was talented in the least w/ tools, i'd make one myself. power tools just scare me...

    E.


    -

  • fried fish (Score:4)

    by superpeach ( 110218 ) <adamfNO@SPAMsnika.uklinux.net> on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:56AM (#261619) Homepage
    Now they just need to find a way of protecting the electronics so that all that unused space can be filled with water and you can have fish living in your pc..

  • How long? (Score:4)

    by minister of funk ( 123188 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:16AM (#261620)
    How long would your case be clear? My experience with Acryllic is that it collects static electricity. They should call this the "Swiffer" case. If you think dust bunnies are gross, imagine your case as one big one. They could call this the "Chia-PC"... say, that's not a bad idea...

    Could the static charge collected be used to supplement the power supply, or just shock and amuse friends and family. "Hey, touch my computer... right here."

    I agree with the previous post when it says, "Clear cases are cool and all, but clear components would be cooler."

    I hated Apple's translucent cases simply because they were faddish. If the computer's performance was as consistant and stylish as the cases, perhaps I would like them better. For people whose concerns are less geeky than my own; however, the cases are not a problem.

    Clear cases are decidedly cool, but what would be cooler and give ultimate upgrade access would be a desk-drawer case.

    Talk to you later, - J.D.

  • FCC Compliance? (Score:4)

    by ortholattice ( 175065 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:50AM (#261621)
    Without shielding this thing might radiate like crazy. Your radio, TV, your neighbor's TV, etc. could go beserk. They put computers in metal cases with finger-stock seals for a reason.

  • Eh, clear is overdone (Score:4)

    by ackthpt ( 218170 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:43AM (#261622) Homepage Journal
    But that cardboard, with a rustic look, has got to be the next hot thing!

    --

  • hmm, has everyone seen this site? (Score:4)

    by ellesar1 ( 242470 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:01AM (#261623)
    This site [clear-viewtech.com] looks like they've been doing clear pc's for a while

  • Yeah but... (Score:4)

    by baptiste ( 256004 ) <mike&baptiste,us> on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:50AM (#261624) Homepage Journal
    Toss an Athlon > 1GHz or P4 in one of these babies and it'll melt! Or warp and your server will now be abstract art :)

    --

  • Not that amazing (Score:4)

    by localroger ( 258128 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @03:55PM (#261625) Homepage
    Hard drives aren't hermetically sealed -- if you take one apart you will find a filter amazingly similar to the one at the end of a cigarette (and you know what gets through those, grin). The drive must contain air for the Winchester effect to lift the heads, and it's allowed to "breathe" so that if the hermetic seal were to fail humidity wouldn't become trapped inside. You would be amazed at how much water can get inside a "sealed" box as pressure changes pump the humidity-laden air in and the drier, post-condensation air out.

    The key to doing this hack successfully is to do it in a moderately clean place with little air flow to lift dust particles into the drive while it's open. Humidity doesn't matter; it's allowed to get in anyway so that it can get out when the air expands. Once you re-seal the drive you may have introduced a few particles, may even crash a few tracks. A good IDE drive will reassign these. Eventually the airflow across the platter is designed to flush this dust into the filter -- and you're right back where you started, maybe minus a few dings. Not at all the inevitable Kiss of Death you might expect.

    Now if you really want to kill the thing while it's open, light up a cig and blow smoke onto the platter while it's spinning -- death within 10 seconds, guaranteed.

  • Re:and everyone said macs arent cool (Score:4)

    by Computer! ( 412422 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:54AM (#261626) Homepage Journal
    Speaking of Apple...

    Why make a clear case if it's still going to look like a standard PC? That would be like making a clear car that looked just like a 1992 Plymouth Acclaim! Take a clue from the G4 cube, and if you have the chance to make the shape of the case whatever you want, make it something special.


  • Re:are they well made? (Score:5)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:11AM (#261627)
    I could give a flying f*ck how they look.


    Well, duh, then these aren't for you.

  • Rice Rockets (Score:5)

    by Francis ( 5885 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:50AM (#261628) Homepage

    Somehow, this kinda stuff reminds me of the rice boy [riceboypage.com] attitude. You know those Hong-Kong kids who soup up their Civic CXs with Mugen stickers, and racing stripes? :)

    'Cuz we all know that clear/glowing cases, and mugen stickers make it go faster!


    --

  • Re:Clear computer cases aren't enough. (Score:5)

    by novarese ( 24280 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:15AM (#261629) Journal
    You want clear hard drives?

    do it yourself! [bp6.com]

  • Been There, Done That... (Score:5)

    by Greyfox ( 87712 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:50AM (#261630) Homepage Journal
    Got sued by Apple.

  • are they well made? (Score:5)

    by Cheetahfeathers ( 93473 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:54AM (#261631)
    I could give a flying f*ck how they look. I need cases that are well made. I want no sharp edges, everything easy to get at - toolless is best, durable - like a good magnesium alloy, well built so everything fits properly and lines up without having to force it, and has good air flow.

    Something like SGI's O2 would be awesome. Those things are fantastic. You can stip an O2's hard drives, video/sound board, momboard, power supply, etc. in about 15 seconds, and put it back in just as fast.

    Nothing I have ever seen in PC's even vaguely compares.

    And for those that still care about looks, the O2 had the 'melted tower' thing going for it. ;)

  • Re:Dust Bunnies (Score:5)

    by BMazurek ( 137285 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:54AM (#261632)
    Exactly my thoughts. So much for the occasional openning and giving it a shot of compressed air...Now I'll have to clean my computer as often as I do my bathroom...(don't ask...you won't like the answer)

  • Invisible Computer cases (Score:5)

    by Aceticon ( 140883 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:54AM (#261633)
    The first thing i saw when i opened the link was an open cardboard box with nothing inside ...

    For a moment i tought they sold fake invisible computer cases ("yes sir, our invisible computer case it's every geeks dream ... now if i could only find a sample to show you ...")

    oh well, back to real life ...

  • Lego Case (Score:5)

    by kjeldor ( 146944 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:10AM (#261634)
    These clear cases sure do look nice, but what can look better than a case made solely out of legos? This case is made from legos only, with no glue or adhesives whatsoever!

    lego case pic 1 [telus.net]
    lego case pic 2 [telus.net]
    lego case pic 3 [telus.net]

    panic("esp: Mr. Potatoe Head is on the loose!"); --linux/drivers/scsi/esp.c

  • Re:shielding? FCC? (Score:5)

    by sjbe ( 173966 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:15AM (#261635)
    Hey just use a bit of transparent aluminum. It worked for Scotty.

  • Plexiglass cases (Score:5)

    by tdye ( 308813 ) <devnull+tony@NOspam.bluetree.ie> on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:59AM (#261636) Homepage Journal
    Several years ago I worked for a local PC shop. One of our customers fried two motherboards before we finally had him bring in his case. He'd build it out of thick plexiglass. We all thought it was great until one of us picked it up... the static electricity made all the hair on your arm stand up. You could stick pieces of paper to the sides of the case. It shocked you half the time you touched it...

    And he wondered why nothing worked.

    -Tony

  • shielding? FCC? (Score:5)

    by janpod66 ( 323734 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @10:00AM (#261637)
    I don't see any information on that site about shielding. Computers create a lot of radio frequency emissions. That's why people stick them into these unsightly metal cases (or, in the case of the iMac, try to design around RF emissions in some other way). Computers also need FCC testing for radio frequency emissions, which is why computers you buy at a store usually have an FCC sticker on the back.

    Taking a PC designed for a shielded metal case and sticking it into an unshielded plastic case seems like a sure way of creating interference for your neighbors: radio, television, amateur radio, portable telephones, medical devices, wireless networking, cell phones, etc. It's kind of like turning up your stereo all the way, and I don't think that's particularly nice. If people track you down, FCC regulations let them demand that you shut down your computer because it creates harmful interference to licensed devices.

    So, save yourself some time and money, be nice to your neighbors, and leave that motherboard in the shielded case it was designed for. If you want a clear PC, buy one that was designed that way from the start, like an iMac or a G4 Cube.

  • Finally (Score:5)

    by Lothar+0 ( 444996 ) on Friday April 27, 2001 @09:45AM (#261638) Homepage
    Now we can see the gears and pulleys of an NT box.

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