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twistedsymphony

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I really love metal cages around my PCBs.. it offers protection, electrical noise isolation, and improved looks.

I know there are other options out there but please, lets keep this topic on metal enclosures only.

I looked into getting a sheet metal brake to make my own but side from the huge amount of space that takes up and skill required to use it I'd still need to do things like make vent holes and cut outs which requires a whole other set of expensive tools.

For a while I've kept my eye out for cases on other equipment that might work for this task, it's been slow going but this is what I've got so far:
228x195x63mm MITXPC MX500: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B575EMA/
mx500_6.jpg

it's pretty small but take out the PSU components (which could be useful for other projects) and it's a simple box with a nice opening in the back for a JAMMA edge, could be useful for those small CAVE PCBs.

284x307x47mm Lian-Li PC-Q05: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008ZXO0ZU/
006.jpg

I think this one could be a winner for a lot of PCBs, it's decent sized once you remove a couple of the internal brackets and it looks like a slim Lindbergh which is cool. it might need some cutting away of the back depending on the JAMMA edge placement, but for the most part this seems like it could be a solid option for a lot of boards.

482x395x89mm iStarUSA D-213-MATX-DT: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0061ELK2G/
D-213-MATX-DT_08.jpg

This would likely require a lot of cutting in the back for most applications but This is actually a 2U rack-mount case so it's monstrous so you could fit some big boards (maybe Primal Rage would fit?) or useful for setups with a lot of parts (like maybe a NAOMI with a SUN PSU and I/O board all in one case). I'm sure other rack mount cases would work but this is one of the few I found without massive handles and brackets on the front.


I'm thinking about taking some measurements of a few boards and then maybe picking up the Lian-Li case if it looks like it will work.

I know a few others out there are interested in cages for their PCBs... if you come across any good potential cases, or maybe you've used one before post it up along with what PCBs you think it will work with.
 

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I really love the Plexi "sammich" wrap around the top and bottom of the boards.

One clear advantage of metal shells however... Custom paint/powdercoat jobs! :D
 
I'm not a big fan of the plexi cases personally for a multitude of reasons I'd rather not get into here :) Lets say for the sake of this thread that static protection and electrical noise reduction are priority #1.
 
yeah I'm not paying $600 to a grand for a sheet of plastic. and still does nothing for electrical noise reduction.
 
If we could only have someone (Jasen Customs) design a metal cage (size fits all) that would be cool. but even though that might be pricy.. I am looking at the Amazon cages and they are not cheap... those people with boards costing $300 and more would be happy... I think that people like me with boards that cost $150 and less plexi boxes would be good enough:)
 
So your plan is to mount the PCBs into a PC case in the same way you would mount a motherboard?

It's a good idea but I don't think I'd want to be doing a lot of boards at $60 a pop, definitely worth considering for the more expensive boards in people's collections though or as you said for those setups where there are a few components like NAOMI or CPS3.

I can see this being a great idea for those people who don't have cabinets and run their boards on a supergun or control box through to a TV though.

For those with cabinets another idea would be to have multiple sheets of MDF cut to the correct size for the cabinet and mount the boards to those so they're ready to swap out as required, means less hassle when you want to change games and you could have a metal or plexi 'shell' over the top if you were worried about potential damage, would take up a similar amount of room to your PC case idea but would be substantially cheaper.
 
It would be great to get some universal metal boxes made in the style of the CPS2 metal boxes. I wonder if we could come up with a design that allows for multiple mounting points for the different sized boards and get them fabricated in a bulk order from China... Aliexpress or something.
 
This AdamHall housing would be perfect if it would be 35cm deep... but ok, 25cm should be enough for some PCBs, thanks for the hint!

ps. Adam Hall HQ is next to my home, I could maybe sneak there at night and get some..:))
 
Great! and with custom cutouts!

mmm.. I have now an (expensive) idea on how to solve my storage and operative usage of my PCBs... mmm..

ps-I hate this forum, my wallet is empty since I know you guys.. :D
 
I saw this case on a Yahoo Auction:
https://app.box.com/s/x93qq1w3pu607t2l3l08yxg7nulyaljv

And I just had to have it. It's a metal enclosure for a Sega System 32 board. Golden Axe 2 happens to be one of my favorite games ever, so I needed to protect it. No more card board box for you! I installed the Golden Axe 2 PCB, but I'm having issues with the sound. I can get the sound to play if I play with the JAMMA harness. I'm going to give all the connectors a good cleaning. More pictures of the case can be found here:
https://app.box.com/s/ez9mxfy7s7thr89n3kbvdr96frcvhch2
 
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