angry_asian

is it ATX or mATX? i would use the nes and put mobo there use a pci-e riser for the video card so it will stick out parallel to the motherboard and not increase the height. then even with a video card it will fit. i would also put the toaster outside the case and place your drives in there. if you have the time you can power the drives separately with an old PSU and same with the fans..just short the green with any black wire (on the mobo connector, i use a paper clip and just jam it in there).
what are the system specs?

__________________
my site: www.sreenathpillai.tk

Indigno

Intel Celeron 2.93 ghz CPU
1 gig of ram
256 mb ATI video card
80 gb HDD
40 gb HDD (I'll probably take this one out, though)
CD-R drive
And a knock off motherboard

Nothing too special, but it's definetly not time for the closet.

Harakim

My two suggestions:
Don't use anything wooden.
Don't use anything cardboard.

One of my friends made a case out of an old CD player. You would pop open the top to put in CDs. He used the speakers to help vent the system. He even rigged the display for mobo output rather than use lights.
Unfortunately, the speakers weren't big enough to vent the system and it overheated.

I think you should go with DaWei's suggestion, but add blinking lights and crap so it looks like a sci-fi movie.

Indigno

I don't know if you're talking about the C64 idea or the water bottle idea. With the water bottle thing, how would I go about fitting a motherboard through that tiny little hole?
I'm considering the c64, though, just for pure vintage-ness.

DaWei

I hope he meant the C64 idea. The thought intrigues me. The water bottle idea is okay, but requires some tools and some work. The plastic kind would be simpler than the glass kind.

Despite the injunction against wood, I would do my C64 replica in wood, for sure. With the proper layout and precautions, even a serious failure in a high-powered item (such as the supply) would not pose a combustion hazard.

__________________
Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code.
Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

Lord Barlak

just stick it in the fridge so you can grab a soda out of your computer whenever you want, it is quite convient

Indigno

The problem being that fridges aren't designed to constantly cool and will burn out the fridge in a matter of hours, days if it's a nice fridge.

But as for the wood Idea, I think it should work, and long as the inside of the case is either aluminum or plastic it should be safe against fire. However, I doubt that I will build the actual body out of wood. I think that I will build a simple vacuum mold and make it out of plastic. Then I might use a wood finish on parts of the outside.

Though I'm stumped as how to replicate the original c64 keyboard. It will most likely have to include some heavy hacking of a keyboard. Of course I'll never be able to get it exactly like the original due to compatability reasons but I'm sure that I'm going to be awake late a lot cutting at pcb and soldering the connections back in place.

I do have a keyboard to use, however. In the attic I found an old PS1 type keyboard that has the classic "Sticky Keys" of older keyboard and the keys slant up at a reasonable rate. Unfortunately, I will have to remove the number pad. Another problem is that the keyblock near the page up/ down keys doesn't have a home to go to. I have to leave the arrow keys in place. But on the classic c64 keyboard, the function keys are on the right side where the arrows and page key block are on modern keyboards. not to mention the scroll lockm print screen, pause, and esc keys are also short of a home.

While I know I will never be able to get the keys exactly as they were on the old c64, I would like to keep them similar.

Although, before I even get to any of that, I will have to get to the point where I can worry about aesthetics.

AntiNinja

__________________

Indigno

seen it, but thanks anyways.