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A Real Tabletop PC

Posted by timothy on Mon Jan 28, 2002 08:06 AM
from the moving-companies-will-love-this-one dept.
Upgrades
Xunker writes: "Sure, your modded case-with-window from ThinkGeek looks cool on your desktop, but it's nowhere near as cool as this case that turns your PC into your desktop. Drive bays, casters, fan ports and a glass top so you can see everything. With some uncontrolled overclocking you could probably use it to keep your tea warm, too."
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  • Coffee Mug Case (Score:3, Funny)

    by DanCracker (245857) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:10AM (#2913033) Homepage
    I will not be impressed until I can fit a PC into my coffee mug. With overclocking, my java will never get cold.

    • Re:Coffee Mug Case (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Lumpy (12016) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:25AM (#2913083) Homepage
      No problem, they've fit pc's into coffemugs cince 1998.

      It's called the DIMM pc. from a company called emj [emjembedded.com] you can get a 386 or 486 monster, and I believe a 586 is right arount the corner.

      Hell with the dimm pc in the tiquit [go.com] format I can fit the pc, storage and power source in your coffee cup.
    • Hmm. Use some of that fabric they use to make computerized clothes out of, and use it as a coffee cup cozy.

      I want to make a PC Case out of One of these [thinkgeek.com]
    • Yep, it fits. Given that the iPaq has a faster processor and more memory than the computer I owned previous to my current one, I'd say we're pretty much there. (Yes, my mug is large. Anyone with a small one isn't addicted to caffeine enough.)

      Now, anyone want a slightly damp, previously working iPaq? Going cheap!

      Eric

  • Who would wnat to buy that? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Steve Cox (207680) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:10AM (#2913038)
    Before I followed the link I thought - "Cool! What an ace idea!".

    The I followed the link. That is one ugly lump of metal.

  • Tron 2002! (Score:3, Funny)

    by bdavenport (78697) <spam@sellthekids.com> on Monday January 28 2002, @08:14AM (#2913049) Homepage
    jebus - now the MCP will become a reality. nice work guys....

  • They ripped me off. (Score:4, Funny)

    by TurboRoot (249163) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:16AM (#2913058)
    They ripped off my computer!

    My computer [theshop.net] has been my computer for the last 2 years. It is a pentium 233MMX with 64 megs of ram and 2 hard drives. It has a DSL "bridge" above it.

    It was built into my desk and has survived 2 moves and lasted a long time.

  • mirror of images (Score:5, Informative)

    by hitchhacker (122525) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:17AM (#2913059) Homepage
    here [209.163.146.18]

    and here [209.163.146.18]

    these are the largest images I could find...

    -metric

    • Too Small (Score:4, Interesting)

      by PoiBoy (525770) <brian&poiholdings,com> on Monday January 28 2002, @08:25AM (#2913082) Homepage
      Looking at the pictures hitchhacker so kindly mirrored for us, The desks strike me as much too small. By the time you plop down a 21" monitor and a keyboard, there is very little surface area left to have a couple of open books, notes, coffee, and whatnot. Maybe I'm just too dumb to memorize all of my programming books, but I like a desk to be at least 5 feet wide so I have room to actually get stuff done.

  • New materials (Score:3, Funny)

    by Monte (48723) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:17AM (#2913062)
    I'd be more interested in a case made out of that new-fangled transparent concrete. Granted that maintenance would be a bitch, but talk about uber-l33t!

  • Been done - years ago... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by hughk (248126) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:18AM (#2913063) Journal
    Back when I first started learning computing we had access to an IBM 1130 at a local college. The main unit consisted of a selectric typrewriter built into a desk containing instead of a drawer unit a removable hard-disk and the processor/memory (a princely 16KB of memory.

    Of course, it didn't have the natty glass cover and its processing power was somewhat small compared to the average pocket calculator, but it was a desk. It was also IBM's first real foray into the world of the minicomputer where they were looking for a form that could even go into an office (with a/c of course). Of course, when you added a line printer and a card-reader, this rather defeated the object as they were each larger than the desk.

    I'm fairly certain that Digital also had some early systems in the desk type format.

  • About this? It has some geek potential, but to be using it as a server? I don't think many of us would be doing this. Perhaps nice to show off but that's about it.... Or at least not put it to serious use.

    Ah well... it does look nice...

  • All fine and well.... (Score:3, Informative)

    by filtersweep (415712) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:24AM (#2913076) Homepage Journal
    but the case is the least of my concerns. Sure it it the ugliest part of a PC, but what about the monitor, and some sort of input like a keyboard? Cord management? I can always hid the case relatively easily. Let's see some monitor mods that aren't done with a shotgun.

    I like the opposite end of the spectrum and wish rackmount cases were cheaper! I'd put everything I own in racks if I could.

  • Ping pong table (Score:5, Funny)

    by Ukab the Great (87152) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:24AM (#2913078)
    If you made it a big bigger, painted it green and put a net in the middle, you'd never need Pong again.
  • I hope that no coffee can be spilt there! I can't see the amount of overhang from the picture, but if it doesn't, the first spill could be the motherboard's last!!!!

  • Construction tips... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by LeftHanded (160472) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:32AM (#2913104) Homepage Journal
    This is an interesting case, but it wouldn't be difficult to recreate it. Start off with an industrial strength work table. Add some high quality casters so you can move it around. Glass table tops can be obtained from a craft store like Michael's [michaels.com] or a place that sells custom cut glass. Plexiglass would also work, and has the advantage of being lighter. The keyboard tray is also easy; Home Depot [homedepot.com]/Lowe's [lowes.com]/your hometown hardware [heavener.com] sells the mechanisms for that. PC Mod [pcmods.com] sites can get you the fans, motherboard offsets, and suchlike (or simply buy a cheap case and raid it for parts). This goes for drive bays and such as well; many cases these days come with a cage for several drives. Et voila! Fit, assemble, and you've got it. You get the joy of construction, and save money too.

    • Random thoughts... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by s390 (33540) on Monday January 28 2002, @09:20AM (#2913268) Homepage
      about such tablecase system design, esthetics, usefulness, and construction:

      The example at hand appears, um... less than sturdy. The top appears to be a U-shaped frame with the "bottom" of the U at the back of the desk. The legs must be welded to this U-frame (it would be downright flimsy if they were just bolted somehow). I'd like to see some spreader beams just above the casters, plus some braces or cabled braces tensioned with turnbuckles. A hefty spreader beam at the front below the system case would help keep structural alignment too. Sturdy is good, in an office space.

      Second, the airflow doesn't look well thought out. The disk drives appear to be mounted against the front sill of the system case with no air inlet. You won't get away with mounting several high-rev SCSI disks in there without risking overheating and shortened MTBF. The fans don't look up to cooling anything hotter than a Celeron or Duron.

      Where are the AGP and PCI cards? The system case doesn't look tall enough to hold either. Is the case designed for onboard graphics, sound, NIC, and modem mainboards? Well, that's rather, er... limiting. This thing looks like something you'd give a teenage kid - a cool-looking desk PC with low-end components for AOL, IM, CDs, and MP3s.

      However, the concept of computer systems integrated into furniture, for home or office, is... intriguing. Herman Miller (modular cubicles) should jump all over this idea. Look for end-tables with multimedia digital-convergence PC-based systems hidden under their tops, tucked behind clean looking woodwork, plastic, or metal structures.
    • Glass table tops can be obtained from a craft store [...] Plexiglass would also work, and has the advantage of being lighter.
      I'd probably use polycarbonate (Lexan [polymerplastics.com]) instead. Acrylic (Plexiglas) tends to scratch easily, where polycarbonate holds up a lot better under abrasion. That's why machine guards are more often made from PC than acrylic.
  • ...The old 'Cocktail' cabinet style video games they used to have.....If a flat, wide, LCD or gas Plasma screen (for people with $$$), was laied on top, now that would be a great system to play the 'ol Packman on!

  • Cooling the table-PC (Score:5, Funny)

    by Zillatron (415756) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:34AM (#2913111)
    Would it keep cool if serveral fans blew in and there were many small holes in the top? If so just a few mods and it could be really entertaining. [airhockeystore.com]

  • video games in the 80's used to come in table versions too

    we had a table version of Missile Command in our pub.

    was great. I used to get the piezo sparker and clock credits up on it and play all day

    (the machine was provided by a video game rental company and we didn't have the keys)
  • This [planet.nl] is still the most creative use of a computer case that I've seen. Mmmmmm.... beer.

  • great... (Score:3, Funny)

    by sluggie (85265) on Monday January 28 2002, @08:50AM (#2913166)
    but how do i take it to lanparties? ;)
  • Besides the fact that I don't find it aesthetically pleasing whatsoever, it's just not big enough for me.
    The only monitors I use are at least 21". Combine the desk space taken up by the average 21" crt, add in a keyboard, mouse, speakers, microphone, phone, and you are well out of desk real estate. The novelty of having a glass top quickly disappears when you realize that you'll be covering the entire thing with other devices.

    Instead, I use a Jerker-series workstation desk from Ikea. The tabletop is big enough and strong enough to hold 2 21" Sun monitors (each almost 90lbs), 2 keyboards & mice, router, stereo receiver, plus it has a nice overhead shelf that I have speakers mounted from, and side shelves that hold my printer, phone, scanner, and CD/DVD players. Its not too bad looking, and it has space for everything I need, which is much more important to me than anything else.
  • I've always wanted to buy a black leather recliner, gut some of it and turn it into a computer case. Have a lcd screen on a swivel that can be stored in the arms (like some trays on air planes). Just kick back and surf,game whatever.

  • In one of my grandpa's Popular Science magazines (when they were still readable, but already going down hill - mid 60s I guess) Some engineering talking to the press "After we designed the comptuer we went right to work on a desktop model." Of course in those days comptuers were big things, 6 feet high, 4 fett wide, and 3 feet deep - about the size of a desk except for height. So the first picture is a computer like that, and the second is the same computer, but sitting on a desk (and taking up all the room so the desk is useless)

  • Does anyone else think this computer is eminently steal-able? Just put a cloth over the top and take it for a walk.
  • Yeah, but does it come with a free Apple iAnglePoiseLamp?
  • Really,

    I have been toying with the idea of REAL fish in my computer , OR submersing my whloe computer in a fish tank and filling it with water (Well and old computer not my ceuurent beastie)

    DeIonized water carries no current, SO throw it in a tank , fill, and evacuate (i have a nice vacume pump) to keep oxidation from ovvuring thus ioizing the water and zapping everything to hell.

    I know its out there but damm I wanna try, I have also thought of a pseudo variant where I take some of the crystal clear shrink film we use here and "coating" the MB an chips, silicone around the edge to make it appear it is in the water (but actually dry).

    NOW to the fish, Well Im assuming it will, with dissabation carry a temp of around 90-90 degrees, any suggestions on FISH ? Does all the em drive em batty ?

    Any suggestions tips etc, I AM going to try this, how much of a success is another story, I am concerned about the first method leaching toxins into the water, If the fish live more than 3 days Ill be happy , I want to use this at a trade show, Or has it been done ?

    • Re:I want fish in my computer (Score:4, Informative)

      by torpor (458) <jayvNO@SPAMsynth.net> on Monday January 28 2002, @10:04AM (#2913440) Homepage Journal
      In ionized water, the fish will die in about 5 minutes.

      If they don't, they'll take a shit, and that'll dilute, and your boards will instantly short.

      You'd be better off just doing creative glass work - put the board and all behind the aquarium, fish in front. Clean the glass really well so that you can't even see it through the water.
    • Maybe this guy in Austrailia will help you make that computer fish tank [adelaide.net.au]. Check out the close [adelaide.net.au] ups [adelaide.net.au].
      • This is a better idea (as if this were a good idea to begin with), however, you need to really go for the "it's really working" look. Try running the power and hdd LED leads into the tank (under the gravel) and into the submersed case. Try to keep the case as minimal as possible, preferably ALL plastic. There is all kinds of stuff in a computer that is toxic to fish (lube in CDROM, thermal grease, capacitors, rust, dust, etc.) You CANNOT put copper in the water. So, really, don't put a working computer in a stocked aquarium, that's animal cruelty.
  • The site is slashdotted so I can't see it. Is it made of transparent concrete Lego blocks, which are able to "trap light" and release it again, and when you look at it from just the right angle, you can see a picture of Calista Flockhart with a cartoon "speaking bubble" containing DeCSS?
  • What is the point of this? Why not just bolt your case to the bottom of any metal table? I really don't see the point of having a glass top so you can see the mobo, if there was a screen under neath, I could see it, but those kinds of desks have been around a while (usually used for kiosks).
  • Well, technically its not really a "tabletop". More aptly, it should be called a "table-in".
    • I read an article about this thing in some trade magazine. Interestingly, it was developed by the same guy who thought up the cubicle, and it was intended to replace the cube - I mean, who needs a 6x8 cube, when you you just roll in huge rows of these things, which I believe took up about half the space.

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