Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through building a Lego computer, I gain hours and hours basement of sitting in a basement (lol)
Welcome to the Lego computer build instructable! Through this tutorial I'll show you the general method for how to build a computer case of any style out of Legos! To help with the instructions I'm going to use a Star Wars Imperial themed case that I put together. The end goal should be to make a case EXACTLY how you want it though (i.e. custom colors, theme, exterior and interior shape, etc.) so you can accommodate whatever computer parts you want to use and whatever style you like.
This is a rather *big* instructable so I've broken it up into a few different sections to make it easier to follow. The sections are:
Basics of Lego Structures
Basics of Computer Building
Constructing a Computer Model and Design
How to Order Lego Parts
How to Build the Computer You Designed
Before we begin I'd like to lay out some of the pros and cons of building the case so that you have an idea of what you'll be getting out of the build.
Cons:
* Price (the case may be a few thousand lego parts and this could cost around $300 dollars, so it's pretty expensive but this varies depending on your design.)
* Heat (computers get hot inside and the abs plastic of Lego bricks is not good at dissipating heat)
Pros:
* Customizability (this case can be made to do pretty much whatever you want if you're willing to put in some time engineering it)
* Longevity (the case should last the rest of your life because you can add, subtract, or redesign Lego parts based on your needs)
* Awesomeness (you should be proud of your case and show it off a little because it probably looks cool and took a lot of time to make)
* Knowledge (if you didn't know much about computers when you started, you'll learn all kinds of things by the time you finish this project and don't worry, when I started I didn't know anything about how to build a computer)
I'm competing in the shopbot challenge so if you like this project don't forget to give me a vote!
Click this to check out my model designs(search the username "greenyouse" and click on the green arrow instead of hitting return. Note, I'm using an external optical disk drive for my case. You'll need Lego Digital Designer from step 5 to view them in-depth.)
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through building a Lego computer, I gain hours and hours basement of sitting in a basement (lol)
Welcome to the Lego computer build instructable! Through this tutorial I'll show you the general method for how to build a computer case of any style out of Legos! To help with the instructions I'm going to use a Star Wars Imperial themed case that I put together. The end goal should be to make a case EXACTLY how you want it though (i.e. custom colors, theme, exterior and interior shape, etc.) so you can accommodate whatever computer parts you want to use and whatever style you like.
This is a rather *big* instructable so I've broken it up into a few different sections to make it easier to follow. The sections are:
Basics of Lego Structures
Basics of Computer Building
Constructing a Computer Model and Design
How to Order Lego Parts
How to Build the Computer You Designed
Before we begin I'd like to lay out some of the pros and cons of building the case so that you have an idea of what you'll be getting out of the build.
Cons:
* Price (the case may be a few thousand lego parts and this could cost around $300 dollars, so it's pretty expensive but this varies depending on your design.)
* Heat (computers get hot inside and the abs plastic of Lego bricks is not good at dissipating heat)
Pros:
* Customizability (this case can be made to do pretty much whatever you want if you're willing to put in some time engineering it)
* Longevity (the case should last the rest of your life because you can add, subtract, or redesign Lego parts based on your needs)
* Awesomeness (you should be proud of your case and show it off a little because it probably looks cool and took a lot of time to make)
* Knowledge (if you didn't know much about computers when you started, you'll learn all kinds of things by the time you finish this project and don't worry, when I started I didn't know anything about how to build a computer)
I'm competing in the shopbot challenge so if you like this project don't forget to give me a vote!
Click this to check out my model designs(search the username "greenyouse" and click on the green arrow instead of hitting return. Note, I'm using an external optical disk drive for my case. You'll need Lego Digital Designer from step 5 to view them in-depth.)
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Signing UpStep 1: Basics of Lego Structures
Ok, this step should be pretty easy to grok for anyone with experience building with legos but it's still really important. Here are three basic rules to building lego structures that will direct how you build your computer case.
First: If the wall is only one brick thick, secure gaps between adjacent bricks within rows by placing a brick over or under the gap (pictures 3,5).
Second: If the wall is thicker, make alternating rows perpendicular to one another (pictures 2,4).
Third: Use larger, plate lego pieces for points that will receive the most stress. Larger pieces will be more stable than small ones and three layers of plate pieces interlocked in a structure will be more stable than one brick (pictures 6,7).
(also check out what a brick, plate, and tile look like)
Use this site to understand the dimensions of lego pieces. This is probably the most important thing to remember while building the case so keep referring back to it until you memorize the dimensions!
First: If the wall is only one brick thick, secure gaps between adjacent bricks within rows by placing a brick over or under the gap (pictures 3,5).
Second: If the wall is thicker, make alternating rows perpendicular to one another (pictures 2,4).
Third: Use larger, plate lego pieces for points that will receive the most stress. Larger pieces will be more stable than small ones and three layers of plate pieces interlocked in a structure will be more stable than one brick (pictures 6,7).
(also check out what a brick, plate, and tile look like)
Use this site to understand the dimensions of lego pieces. This is probably the most important thing to remember while building the case so keep referring back to it until you memorize the dimensions!
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BTW, negative pressure (pulling air out of the case) is kind of nice to have too because it cools the case more efficiently than positive pressure would. Neutral pressure really is the best overall though because you'll get the cooling effects of the negative pressure and the dust blocking of positive pressure! :D
Just about all plastic PC cases I have seen have a grounded metallised coating on the inside for this purpose.
As a Radio Ham I can transmit up to 400 watts of RF which, if received by a PC in an unprotected box, could cause all sorts of problems. Also any interference radiated by the PC would, likewise, cause problems with radio reception.
Here in the UK if a complaint was made by a user of a plastic cased PC with no shielding about problems caused by "that HAM up the road" inspection of the equipment by the interference investigator COULD end up with the PC owner being fined for using non interference compliant equipment.
Personally I would build the Lego case around a metal case that the PC was built into, as a show piece.
How this affects the relevant u.s. tests, I cannot speculate, but if you can get good reception on an AM radio sitting on top of a properly shielded PC, we'ld all like to see a post on YouTube that shows both devices operating simultaneously without the radio squealing.
I have plenty of acrylic cased computers that cause no problem and display none caused by others. Acrylic is one of the best working materials I have ever used.
Unfortunately, no matter how well shielded, I have yet to find anything immune to the only consumer device that is exempt from EMF testing: The $%^&ing mobile phone!
As for the lego approach, I like it. I've seen some before, but I don't have enough lego to make one, although I did make a charging stand for my (gak!) mobile phone...
@Treknology If the legos are the only thing holding you back you should try making your case smaller and ordering the parts you don't have (it may be much cheaper if you don't do lego mosaics and lots of tile pieces too). This is super fun to make!
I was working on a piece of hardware at one point. I had two running boxes, one I was using to aid me in development, then the second was running...basically a fancy PSU monitor. I didn't realize I had the connections backwards, and set the piece of hardware on something that was groundded to the box that was aiding my Googling, and it shorted out the PSU box, *through* my researching computer. That's a horribly abridged version, but I hope it still makes sense.
The screw holes and other grounding points are still grounded, and will probably help keep static on the case down, as long as it's plugged in, and can connect to a true ground. I can't find any other reason my Lego box is still alive XD I didn't think it'd last for the years it has, and it's a half dead motherboard to begin with!
To see Lego and Computers working together do a search on YouTube for Lego Rubik's Robots.
http://silntdoogood.webs.com/DSCN0381.JPG
http://silntdoogood.webs.com/DSCN0387.JPG
http://silntdoogood.webs.com/DSCN0388.JPG
I also re-wired a kayboard so I could plug a real Atari controller in to it to run with this game emulation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymb5soohYA0
If I ever get around to it, I'll put up a video on the entire project.