# The Lego pc case?



## dmullen1994

So I've decided in going to build my case out of Lego. I was wondering if I should put the mb on the kind of Legos that are smooth on top or buy a mb tray as a base? I hear it's bad not use metal because of static or something. Any other advise would be appreciated!


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## Machin3

Sounds like a pretty cool idea. Well actually the metal that they use for computer cases is only static on the outside. On the inside its supposedly not static. But you shouldn't have a problem with lego as it is plastic and not a conductor of electricity.


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## tremmor

buying the standoffs for the motherboard won't make a diff. its interesting though the concept. if your not happy with that then maybe a sheet of  plexiglass. seen some neat towers that looked good with this also.


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## mihir

Any static electricity can damage semiconductors.
Metals are conductors and conduct all the electricity.That is why they don't cause collection of charge at any point.
Static electricity is usually for non-conductors and insulators because since they do not let electrons move,to cause electricity and it all gets stored as charge at one point on  the surface of the material,that is why it is called static.


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## tremmor

your right. ya have to have some kind of stand off. the cases are mostly metal. its the way they build and protect them.


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## mihir

The standoff should be a bit more above the base compared to the conventional metal cases since static electricity is pretty dangerous in case of motherboards since they are very sensitive.


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## dmullen1994

mihir said:


> The standoff should be a bit more above the base compared to the conventional metal cases since static electricity is pretty dangerous in case of motherboards since they are very sensitive.



Thank for all the replies but I'm not sure I get what your saying? Should I just put the screws right I to the Legos or use standoffs?


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## mihir

dmullen1994 said:


> Thank for all the replies but I'm not sure I get what your saying? Should I just put the screws right I to the Legos or use standoffs?



Definitely use standoff and compared to the normal case ones use ones that provide a bit more height compared to the metal cases.


EDIT:
Before building I would recommend reading all about static electricity and researching a lot because these are things which are difficult to do and needs a lot of study.That is why a lot people don't do that only few are ballsy enough to do this like you and I appreciate you for it.But before buying anything do proper research,we won't be able to help you that much compared to people who have actually done that kind of thing.I am not discouraging you or something just telling you need a lot of research and this is pretty difficult.


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## Demilich

If people can run their computers on towels, I think Lego's will be fine. I believe that static electricity is a bit over-sized.


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## mihir

Demilich said:


> If people can run their computers on towels, I think Lego's will be fine. I believe that static electricity is a bit over-sized.



When building something innovative(unconventional) in terms of computers you can never be too cautious.
And people treating their computer carelessly is no excuse to do the same with your computer.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/82184/avoid_static_damage_to_your_pc.html


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## Benny Boy

dmullen1994 said:


> I was wondering if I should put the mb on the kind of Legos that are smooth on top or buy a mb tray as a base?


I think you'll find that the material used to make Legos won't be a static problem. I'd personally do something to allow some air flow behind the mb and keep the solder joints from rubbing.


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## mihir

Benny Boy said:


> I think you'll find that the material used to make Legos won't be a static problem. I'd personally do something to allow some air flow behind the mb and keep the solder joints from rubbing.



You are right.
I read up on it and LEGO are made of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene


> [ Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, Static Control ]
> ABS, Static Control
> 
> By adding special conductive materials to the resin. the conductivity of ABS is increased to control static electricity formation or conduction. These additives may be in the form of non-carbon alloys. carbon powder. or carbon fibers. Some properties of the original ABS material are modified by the addition of fillers. but chemical resistance. strength. and manufacturability remain generally the same.
> 
> AntiStatic materials are available in NATURAL and BLACK colors. conductive material is always.




And he is right about the air flow control.
Also check out the weight structure.The mechanics of the case should be looked into and it should be properly balanced.


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## dmullen1994

mihir said:


> When building something innovative(unconventional) in terms of computers you can never be too cautious.
> And people treating their computer carelessly is no excuse to do the same with your computer.
> 
> http://www.pcworld.com/article/82184/avoid_static_damage_to_your_pc.html



I read that article but I'm not sure I understand the concept of grounding. Does using Legos mean that my whole case will not be grounded by the AC outlet because Legos are plastic? Is the mono safe as long as it is on the stand offs? Also why should the ones I get be especially long? And can you give me a link to such standoffs? Thanks for everything.

EDIT ok I just read all the new posts and I see static is now basically not a problem. As for airflow under the mb i mean they ARE Legos so I will just add an extra block where the standoffs. Also I plan on making the case horizontal with separate chambers for the mb, psu and drives. I am going to use permanent abs glue to make the thing sturdy. Would you all agree that i Should I add a sort of crawl space under the mb area for cable management throughout the whole case?


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## mihir

That link was just to tell you that static electricity is dangerous.

Anyways checkout my last post.


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## dmullen1994

mihir said:


> That link was just to tell you that static electricity is dangerous.
> 
> Anyways checkout my last post.



Haha yea you posted that just before me.
Read my edit to the post above. Btw I'm not sure if you familiar with Legos but do you think walls that are 2 dots think will be sturdy enough?


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## mihir

dmullen1994 said:


> Haha yea you posted that just before me.
> Read my edit to the post above. Btw I'm not sure if you familiar with Legos but do you think walls that are 2 dots think will be sturdy enough?



I know what legos are.
I am talking about suppose you add a motherboard and a GPU the case shouldnt be that imbalanced so it trips over to the more weighing side.


EDIT: 
Horizontal case would be great actually.

Now you have to work on the air flow.


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## tremmor

i seen a tower made of plexiglass and i was impressed. In the trash on trash day. Saved the power supply 450w, 4 gig ram, seagate 250 gig barracuda and older duel video card. stripped it clean. case was impressive. You are going to have to secure the lego's some how. im sure others have done something similar. if you don't know then you might want to research more before making the move.


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## dmullen1994

Yea I'm going to start doing some drawings tomorrow and I try and put them up but im in no rush bcz this isn't happening until June or July. Im going to bed so happy Easter everyone.


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## dmullen1994

Ok update guys. Ive been thinking about to design the case and i forgot that i dont really have room for a horizontal case under my desk. So here are the ideas i has so far.

These are the things that i am looking for. 
-A large window so i can see all the goodies.
-Revlative ease to change parts.
-Performance equal to or better then a regular steel case e.g. good cable management, airflow, # of fans. 
-A large area with no fans where i can build cool pictures and stuff into the legos.
-Unique design

1. Small form factor horizontal case with two layers. Im not sure about this because i dont know how well legos will support two layer but it seem like this is the most logical because it solves the issue of cable management, space and colling since all the hot stuff is on top. It also will give me the ability to put a huge window on top and there will probably be ample room to building cool picture with the legos. IN addition this case willl have all the upgradable stuff on top so it solves that issue also. The only thing i don like about this one is that it lends itself to being a cube shape which is kinda cliche especially if im making out of legos. I think i am going to choose this one because it is only lacking one thing that i want. I am slightly concerserned about how to orient the psu but im sure i will figure it out. 

2. An L shaped case where the l part is the MB and the - is the psu and drives. This case would have plenty of room for fans and decoration however i wouldn't be able to fit a full mb window. Cable management would still be simple but i am concerned about how well legos will support a vertical mb. This plan has more possibilities as i could put the motherboard on either side and do either a regular L shape or a reverse L shape with the psu and drives on the other side. Also i think this one would be harder to work on in any configuration. This idea is more vague but it is very unique and could work. If i put more thought into this one think i may use it as the shape could be very unique and i could be more creative. Also seeing inside the pc isnt really that important just cool to show off. After writing all of this i am actually leaning towards putting more thought into this design.

Any other configuration ideas are welcome and wanted so please tell me what you would do. However you cant say just to do a regular tower case because then theres no point in using legos. 

I do have one question that will help me in my thinking. How many case fans do i need to keep my case cool? Assuming that they are all you can suggest sizes and quantities and where to put them and how to orient them. THanks alot everyone. This post is getting alot more attention then i expected. 

P.S. Also i am going to need air filter and i was wondering what material they are made from so i can make my own for cheap.
P.S.S. How are the fans on VGA cards typically configured (intake or exhaust)? If its intake then where does the card exhaust and vis versa.


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## tremmor

just an idea without to much thought. you might be able and sure ya could find another used tower and strip it for drives, burners etc.
Plexiglas, any hardware store like home depot will have it. and likely cut to size. 
that would be later though. 
thats a start.


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## tremmor

I was snooping. goto youtube.com and query
'lego computer tower'.
there is some there. 
maybe some ideas you might want to use.


AND when its done, post it. 
Many would like to see it.


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## dmullen1994

tremmor said:


> I was snooping. goto youtube.com and query
> 'lego computer tower'.
> there is some there.
> maybe some ideas you might want to use.
> 
> 
> AND when its done, post it.
> Many would like to see it.



Haha yeah i watched those vids. Also i think i am going to post pics and stuff as i go along so you all can see since i got so many responses.


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## Dngrsone

The Legos should support the motherboard well; I'd be more concerned with supporting the video card (if you plan on using an add-on) and the drives.

You might have to run threaded rod through the Lego stack and attach the standoffs to that to get decent mounting for the board, though... or, perhaps, use a dual-wall with a stiffener in between the stacks.

I'm a fan of new designs-- everything up until recently has been built around the same rectangular box, and it's not only boring, but downright stifling.

Actually, I like to go boxless: my firewall is mounted on a piece of HDF, using standoffs to mount the motherboard, drive and PSU.  I blow the unit down about once a quarter for dust-control.


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## dmullen1994

Dngrsone said:


> The Legos should support the motherboard well; I'd be more concerned with supporting the video card (if you plan on using an add-on) and the drives.
> 
> You might have to run threaded rod through the Lego stack and attach the standoffs to that to get decent mounting for the board, though... or, perhaps, use a dual-wall with a stiffener in between the stacks.
> 
> I'm a fan of new designs-- everything up until recently has been built around the same rectangular box, and it's not only boring, but downright stifling.
> 
> Actually, I like to go boxless: my firewall is mounted on a piece of HDF, using standoffs to mount the motherboard, drive and PSU.  I blow the unit down about once a quarter for dust-control.



Hey thanks for the reply. I have a few ideas for the video card but that will be a hands on kind of thing to figure out. I have pretty much decided on the L shape case because its more unique. I dont understand what you mean by running a rod through the legos? Please explain, also what is a dual wall stiffner?


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## dmullen1994

Hey guys im going to do like an update series of this build in the desktop section starting today so check that out please.


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## Dngrsone

Well, you were talking about using (I assume) 2x4 bricks to form the walls of the case, correct?

I am uncertain whether those bricks would adequately hold the standoffs, so I thought that you could run threaded rod (or long screws) through the wall of blocks to attach the standoffs to.  This would give you more support.

Alternatively, you could build a wall with 2x4 bricks, then back that up with a thin board or sheet of metal, run the screws through the backer material and the wall of bricks.  This would be the most secure way of doing it.  So that the outside of your case retains its distinct character, you could build a facade with another wall of 2x4 bricks (or 1x4, for that matter, for thinness).


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## dmullen1994

Dngrsone said:


> Well, you were talking about using (I assume) 2x4 bricks to form the walls of the case, correct?
> 
> I am uncertain whether those bricks would adequately hold the standoffs, so I thought that you could run threaded rod (or long screws) through the wall of blocks to attach the standoffs to.  This would give you more support.
> 
> Alternatively, you could build a wall with 2x4 bricks, then back that up with a thin board or sheet of metal, run the screws through the backer material and the wall of bricks.  This would be the most secure way of doing it.  So that the outside of your case retains its distinct character, you could build a facade with another wall of 2x4 bricks (or 1x4, for that matter, for thinness).



Got it, i didnt understand bcz ive never seen a standoff and i dont really know how they attach to the case and the board. Thanks for the ideas, i think i will do the second one and use the facade for cable management if i need it, so its a win/win!


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## Alpha_Blob

Wow man you definitely need to post pictures when you're done that sounds so awesome 

I want to see it haha


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## tremmor

its about the adventure and challenge.  being creative. 
concept is interesting. ya have to admit. 
little more than i want to do. its a toy! that could rock if
built right.


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## apj101

mihir said:


> When building something innovative(unconventional) in terms of computers you can never be too cautious.
> And people treating their computer carelessly is no excuse to do the same with your computer.
> 
> http://www.pcworld.com/article/82184/avoid_static_damage_to_your_pc.html



the static is not a problem at all, no more than a normal case. Static can only form when two objects rub against each other, the inside of his case will not be touching or rubbing against anything. The standoffs on a normal case are for the conductivity issues of having a board resting flat on a metal plate. 
The only static risk is of a change passing from your body to the board/internal components when you go inside the case (lego or otherwise). But this risk is no higher of lower than for a normal PC in a metal case.


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## lucasbytegenius

Man I can't wait to see this case when it's finished lol


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## dmullen1994

BTW in case you guys havent seen yet the project thread is in the desktop forum.


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## codestar4

Wish there were still updates in the build thread.. :/ I'm about to start mine soon.


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