Anyone have plans or photos of an acoustic enclosure for a desktop computer?

Best,
Christopher

On Thu, 1 Oct 2009 09:51:42 -0700, "Christopher Glaeser"
wrote:

Anyone have plans or photos of an acoustic enclosure for a desktop computer?

What is an acoustic enclosure for a computer? Never heard of one
before.

What is an acoustic enclosure for a computer? Never heard of one before.

Acoustic enclosures are used to reduce computer noise. One of my desktop
computers has six hard drives and six fans. Kell Systems is one company
that sells enclosures in this market. See http://www.kellsystems.com/

Features typically include noise reduction, air flow to extract heat, cable
paths for power and peripherals, and doors for easy access.

Best,
Christopher

"Christopher Glaeser" wrote in message
...
What is an acoustic enclosure for a computer? Never heard of one before.

Acoustic enclosures are used to reduce computer noise. One of my desktop
computers has six hard drives and six fans. Kell Systems is one company
that sells enclosures in this market. See http://www.kellsystems.com/

Features typically include noise reduction, air flow to extract heat,
cable paths for power and peripherals, and doors for easy access.

Best,
Christopher


For a second I thought he meant an acoustic computer. (grin)

If you are recording with a microphone on the computer, you find out just
how loud the things are.

Ed

On Thu, 1 Oct 2009 10:31:23 -0700, "Christopher Glaeser"
wrote:

Acoustic enclosures are used to reduce computer noise. One of my desktop
computers has six hard drives and six fans. Kell Systems is one company
that sells enclosures in this market. See http://www.kellsystems.com/

Ok, that sounds reasonable. In retrospect, I have heard of an acoustic
enclosure before, just for printers, not computers. Noise from older
computer systems of mine was something I used to just accept, having
multiple SCSI drives and the fans to keep them cool. Then I upgraded a
little while ago with fewer drives, forgoing SCSI for SATA drives and
when I bought fans for it, I choose the ones with a smaller noise
rating.

The only problem I have now is that I bought an i7-650 extreme
processor and a Cooler Master V10 cpu cooler to go with it. The cpu
cooler is damned near the size of a football and I'm dreading trying
to fit it in the case I've got even though it is a monster tower case.

And no, I'm not going to try water cooling.

Every other house in Nashville has a studio in the basement, so you see
all kind of crazy stuff.

A fridge in the studio is a great thing to have for keeping water and
juice and snacks and whatnot.

One guy had a fridge, built into the wall. You couldn't hear this
refrigerator when the compressor kicked on because it was behind the
wall and he did a great job of sealing up around the fridge.

This one was the kind with the cooler on top and the freezer on the
bottom. He had disabled the freezer section and used it for the
acoustic computer enclosure, with a fan and access in the back, from the
other room. It was brilliant and worked like a charm.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:13:42 -0500, -MIKE-
wrote:

Every other house in Nashville has a studio in the basement, so you see
all kind of crazy stuff.

Makes me wonder about Nashville power requirements. What kind of power
generation does Nashville use? Have they got their own nuclear power
reactor?

wrote:
On Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:13:42 -0500, -MIKE-
wrote:

Every other house in Nashville has a studio in the basement, so you see
all kind of crazy stuff.

Makes me wonder about Nashville power requirements. What kind of power
generation does Nashville use? Have they got their own nuclear power
reactor?

All those McMansions popping up all over the place use much more power
than any home studio, just to light their shrubbery. :-)

A whole rack of effects, processors, preamps, along with the computer,
guitar amps, control room speaker amps, etc., won't pull more than one
or two 15amp circuits could handle.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Thu, 1 Oct 2009 09:51:42 -0700, "Christopher Glaeser"
wrote:

Anyone have plans or photos of an acoustic enclosure for a desktop computer?

Best,
Christopher



Start with a quiet tower PC case with 120mm slow-running fans. Put
the computer on a carpeted floor. Replace many hard drives with a 1T
HD.

The only thing I built is a wheeled base, made from some scrap pine,
painted black with a front pull.

Replace many hard drives with a 1T HD.

Or, I could use an HP calculator; those are pretty quiet.

FWIW, I have 10 terrabyes of storage that includes a system drive, data
drive and raid array. Squeezing into a single 1TB HD is not an option. I
was thinking more of a woodworking solution.

Best,
Christopher

Christopher Glaeser wrote:
Replace many hard drives with a 1T HD.

Or, I could use an HP calculator; those are pretty quiet.

FWIW, I have 10 terrabyes of storage that includes a system drive, data
drive and raid array. Squeezing into a single 1TB HD is not an option. I
was thinking more of a woodworking solution.

That isn't a desktop computer, it is a server, or should be.

Why not just network into it, then you could move the machine far away
from your desk? i.e. got a garage, closet etc. where the noise would
not be an issue.

--
Froz...

That isn't a desktop computer, it is a server, or should be.

It's a desktop computer for video editing.

Silly me, I thought if I posted to the woodworking forum, someone would
suggest a solution that would use one of those tools with a round wheel with
sharp teeth, um, I think they are called table saws. My apologies for the
technical jargon. Perhaps if I post this question to a computer forum they
will provide plans for a 3/4" birch plywood enclosure. I'll let you guys
get back to whatever it is you discuss on this forum. Certainly can't be
woodworking.

Best,
Christopher

Christopher Glaeser wrote:
That isn't a desktop computer, it is a server, or should be.

It's a desktop computer for video editing.

Silly me, I thought if I posted to the woodworking forum, someone would
suggest a solution that would use one of those tools with a round wheel with
sharp teeth, um, I think they are called table saws. My apologies for the
technical jargon. Perhaps if I post this question to a computer forum they
will provide plans for a 3/4" birch plywood enclosure. I'll let you guys
get back to whatever it is you discuss on this forum. Certainly can't be
woodworking.

Best,
Christopher



HAHAHHAHA, now you know.

Took the words right out of my mouth. :-)


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Oct 1, 4:00*pm, "Christopher Glaeser" wrote:
Replace many hard drives with a 1T HD.

Or, I could use an HP calculator; those are pretty quiet.

FWIW, I have 10 terrabyes of storage that includes a system drive, data
drive and raid array. *Squeezing into a single 1TB HD is not an option. *I
was thinking more of a woodworking solution.

Best,
Christopher

Is most of this noise transmitted via vibration or is it airborne?
IOW.. can you feel the case vibrate?

Robatoy wrote:
Is most of this noise transmitted via vibration or is it airborne?
IOW.. can you feel the case vibrate?


I don't know if we're still referring to studio use, but it's mostly the
fan and drive noise, not vibration, that bug people.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Is most of this noise transmitted via vibration or is it airborne?
IOW.. can you feel the case vibrate?

Vibration is relatively low. There is some noise due to the six drives, but
most of the noise is due to all the fans (fans for dual cpu chips, fan for
hign-end graphics card, and multiple fans for power and enclosure).

A Kell System enclosure would be ideal, but they are pricey (though I'm sure
they are worth it). I expect a reasonable design would use 1/2" or 3/4"
birch plywood lined with carpeting and/or sound proofing material. One key
feature is the air flow. Needs to cool 600-800 watts, yet baffle the noise
inside the enclosure. Several superquiete 120mm fans could be used to
exchange the air. Another feature is the door. Needs to provide easy
access, but also a seal to minimize noise.

I've seen plans on the net to build the computer case out of wood. I have
no desire to do that. I want the ability to swap in a new computer every
couple of years, but keep the acoustic enclosure.

Best,
Christopher

I don't know if we're still referring to studio use, but it's mostly the
fan and drive noise, not vibration, that bug people.

Correct. The problem is also cumulative. The 24 port gigabit switch is
noticable but not really annoying, the NAS is noticable but not annoying,
the video editing station is somewhat loud but tolerable, etc, etc, but with
everything running, it's an annoying wind tunnel. My goal is to tackle the
loudest PC first, and then perhaps add more acoustic enclosures as needed.

Best,
Christopher

On 10/01/2009 11:31 AM, Christopher Glaeser wrote:
What is an acoustic enclosure for a computer? Never heard of one before.

Acoustic enclosures are used to reduce computer noise. One of my desktop
computers has six hard drives and six fans.

My first suggestion would be to get rid of some of the fans if possible,
or at least slow them down. I cut my system noise way down by using
only one case fan.

Chris

On 10/01/2009 02:53 PM, Christopher Glaeser wrote:
That isn't a desktop computer, it is a server, or should be.

It's a desktop computer for video editing.

Silly me, I thought if I posted to the woodworking forum, someone would
suggest a solution that would use one of those tools with a round wheel with
sharp teeth, um, I think they are called table saws.

Actually, from an overall perspective his post is a good one. A sound
absorbing enclosure would kill the sound somewhat, but it's going to be
big and bulky. Better to move the noise elsewhere to start with.

Here's what I'd do, starting with free and moving progressively more
expensive.

1) Move as much noise as possible out of the room completely. This
includes things like your NAS and your gigabit switch.

2) Reduce the power requirements on the computer as much as possible.
Without changing the hardware this basically means move stuff from your
10TB of local disks to the NAS. Ideally you want to get rid of entire
drives from your desktop machine. Reduce the number of case fans and/or
run them as slowly as possible without causing too much heat buildup.

3) Enclose the tower in a sound absorbing enclosure. I'd go with a
large box made of MDF or particleboard (solid wood resonates more), with
sound absorbing panels on the inside and mass-loaded acoustic barrier
sheets on the outside, with baffled air intake and exit. You want the
air to have to travel in a zigzag pattern so that there is no direct
path for sound to escape.

4) Reduce the noise on the remaining components. This starts to cost
money. Use quieter/fewer fans, more efficient cpus, quieter heatsinks,
quieter video cards, quieter power supplies, cases designed for cooling
and sound absorption, quieter/cooler hard drives, etc. Basically go and
read www.silentpcreview.com.

Chris

Since this is taking the course it is, I will throw this out. It's a friggen
box. How hard is it to make a box?
"Christopher Glaeser" wrote in message
...
That isn't a desktop computer, it is a server, or should be.

It's a desktop computer for video editing.

Silly me, I thought if I posted to the woodworking forum, someone would
suggest a solution that would use one of those tools with a round wheel
with sharp teeth, um, I think they are called table saws. My apologies
for the technical jargon. Perhaps if I post this question to a computer
forum they will provide plans for a 3/4" birch plywood enclosure. I'll
let you guys get back to whatever it is you discuss on this forum.
Certainly can't be woodworking.


Since this is taking the course it is, I will throw this out. It's a friggen
box. How hard is it to make a box?

"CW" wrote in message
m...
Since this is taking the course it is, I will throw this out. It's a
friggen box. How hard is it to make a box?
--
It is easy to make a box. But to make it so it absorbs sound and still allow
sufficient cooling/air flow at the same time is a bit more difficult.

I have installed those anechoic wedge foam blocks in recording studios
before. It is expensive but works well. You would have to make sure the
air still got through though.

2) Reduce the power requirements on the computer as much as possible.
Without changing the hardware this basically means move stuff from your
10TB of local disks to the NAS.

The local RAID is required for uncompressed HD video editing.

You want the air to have to travel in a zigzag pattern so that there is no
direct
path for sound to escape.

I was thinking along the same lines, but check out the 3D Model Tour at
http://www.kellsystems.com/3d.asp#tab9

It appears the air intake is at the bottom back of the unit, and the air
exhausts are a relatively simple modular package at attach to the back of
the unit. Each exhaust module has three fans at an angle that force the air
down and out through side ports. Is that how you imterpret this model? In
other words, all of the Kell air flow is at the back from bottom to top.
They make no attempt to force air to the front of the rack, so each rack
unit is responsible for pulling air into the front and out the back, and
then the air exchange happens at the back where the Kell vertical air flow
exchanges with the rack unit exhaust. Is that the way you see it?

Best,
Christopher

PS: Pause the video as necessary to examine the exhausts.

Since this is taking the course it is, I will throw this out. It's a
friggen box. How hard is it to make a box?

If the only requirement was a box, sure, the project would be trivial with
not much planning needed. However, a major design objective is to
significantly reduce noise while providing adequate air flow, which requires
a bit more thought and planning.

Best,
Christopher

Christopher Glaeser wrote:
That isn't a desktop computer, it is a server, or should be.

It's a desktop computer for video editing.

Silly me, I thought if I posted to the woodworking forum, someone would
suggest a solution that would use one of those tools with a round wheel with
sharp teeth, um, I think they are called table saws. My apologies for the
technical jargon. Perhaps if I post this question to a computer forum they
will provide plans for a 3/4" birch plywood enclosure. I'll let you guys
get back to whatever it is you discuss on this forum. Certainly can't be
woodworking.

You didn't specify the usage of the machine before, now I know why you need
all that local.

But the box can still be located elsewhere, there are IP based remote
solutions, have you researched the option? Even extending the keyboard,
video and mouse cables may allow you to get it around a corner or
something to cut the noise.

Building a box that will absorb sound and provide the cooling
requirements for a computer like that is non-trivial.
--
Froz...

Find an old Printer enclosure. It is a lid opening box and it has thick
foam on the inside area. The issue you will come in with is air. Cooling
a working computer in an box isn't easy. Not silent.

Perhaps in stead of asking for what you did - you might tell us why or for
what reason.

Might be just a different computer to solve the problem. Might be exotic
water cooled...

Martin

Christopher Glaeser wrote:
Anyone have plans or photos of an acoustic enclosure for a desktop computer?

Best,
Christopher

On Oct 1, 6:49*pm, "Martin H. Eastburn"
wrote:
Find an old Printer enclosure. *It is a lid opening box and it has thick
foam on the inside area. *The issue you will come in with is air. *Cooling
a working computer in an box isn't easy. *

Might be just a different computer to solve the problem. *Might be exotic
water cooled...


Most desktop computers cool by turbulent circulation of air, which
generates high-frequency 'ssss' sound, in addition to a few low-
frequency
components from disk rotation and fan bearings.

Soundproofing, like in a studio, relies on baffling and putting high
density
barriers in low density mediums (lead sheet will stop a LOT of sound
from air, less of conducted sound in wood). So, one approach is to
use heavy panels (like, liquid nails assemblies of two or three
thicknesses of sheetrock/drywall/gypsum board) and supporting the
computer
inside the box with soft foam pads. There has to be an air inlet and
outlet, so
either use a labyrinth box-with-baffles as an air channel, or close
the
thing comletely and put an air/water heat exchanger (ask at an auto
radiator shop, they can build up a small core easily enough) and
remove heat through water circulation.

Sound-deadening carpentry includes sand-filled panels (Wharfedale
speakers, I think, used this) and humble MDF-glue construction (also
a favorite of speaker designers).

Best, though, is to remove the disks and power-hungry parts to another
room. Sound studios can keep laptops in the quiet room, and used 'em
to
remote-control the real mix computers elsewhere... rubber-chicklet
keyboards and trackpads can be quieter than standard keyboard/mouse.

Might be just a different computer to solve the problem.

The computer I'm using was $8,200. I can see I'm pushing a string here.
Thank you everyone for all the computer suggestions; I know the intent was
in the right place.

Best,
Christopher

"Christopher Glaeser" wrote in
:

Anyone have plans or photos of an acoustic enclosure for a desktop
computer?

Best,
Christopher



Model railroaders often complain of noise from their trains, and go
through several lengths building the benchwork to minimize the noise.
The track base consists of plywood and homasote, a pressed paper like
material. There are no nails from the track in to the plywood, and in
most cases the homasote is glued to the plywood. This helps quiet the
vibration noise. (Some of us simply use thicker plywood that doesn't
transmit sound like the thinner stuff.)

What about pictures and plans for a shop vac enclosure? They'd seem to
have the same problems of heat and noise.

Puckdropper
--
"The potential difference between the top and bottom of a tree is the
reason why all trees have to be grounded..." -- Bored Borg on
rec.woodworking

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

IF the machine doesn't need 3d accelerated graphics or full motion video,
then a thin client might be a possibility--there are several ways to set
that up--a netbook or a mini-itx system does fine as a thin client and they
can be made as quiet as a lamp, while you can put the main machine in
another room.

If you haven't checked out http://www.silentpcreview.com you might want to.
Search that site with keyword "wood" and you'll find some discussion of
wooden cases and some articles by people who have tried them.

If your objective is to do a woodworking project by all means have at it,
but if the objective is to have a quiet machine in a reasonable time then I
think that buying one is going to be a better plan.

Subject

Check out SoundDown.

Link below.

Lew

http://tinyurl.com/yd694n8

"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
IF the machine doesn't need 3d accelerated graphics or full motion video,
then a thin client might be a possibility--there are several ways to set
that up--a netbook or a mini-itx system does fine as a thin client and
they
can be made as quiet as a lamp, while you can put the main machine in
another room.

If you haven't checked out http://www.silentpcreview.com you might want
to.
Search that site with keyword "wood" and you'll find some discussion of
wooden cases and some articles by people who have tried them.

If your objective is to do a woodworking project by all means have at it,
but if the objective is to have a quiet machine in a reasonable time then
I
think that buying one is going to be a better plan.




I have not read all of the posts in this thread. But, if one's objective is
to have
a quiet machine, then building one with a graphics cards having ambient
cooling
is a good start. Giga-byte makes some. I think their URL is giga-byte.com
I like mine. If you want a quiet machine, you will probably need to build
it yourself.
The specifications of most components will list their sound level in db.

As may have been pointed out, "water cooling" may offer the quietest
system--but
I'm not willing to bother with that yet.

Bill

"Christopher Glaeser" wrote in message
FWIW, I have 10 terrabyes of storage that includes a system drive, data
drive and raid array. Squeezing into a single 1TB HD is not an option. I
was thinking more of a woodworking solution.

Perhaps there's other options. I'm not too far removed from your 10
terabytes with a total of more than 7 TB, but 6 TB (4x1.5 TB drives) are
located in a USB connected satellite case, which is extremely small and
quiet. And with that I plan on increasing transfer speed soon by replacing
the USB connection with a Firewire 800 connection, which the satellite case
has.

"Christopher Glaeser" wrote in message
If the only requirement was a box, sure, the project would be trivial with
not much planning needed. However, a major design objective is to
significantly reduce noise while providing adequate air flow, which
requires
a bit more thought and planning.

If it helps you any, I built a padded box around my portable compress to
stifle the noise when I use it in my apartment. It's a simple 3/4" plywood
box, four rubber wheeled casters and lined with furnace air intake filters.
It reduces the noise over 50%. Air intake is sufficient by the use of an
interior 120v fan and the air to it is supplied through several layers of
speaker grill cloth. If it does that well on an 85 decibel compressor, it
should be sufficient for a computer box.

Bill wrote:
"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
IF the machine doesn't need 3d accelerated graphics or full motion
video, then a thin client might be a possibility--there are several
ways to set that up--a netbook or a mini-itx system does fine as a
thin client and they
can be made as quiet as a lamp, while you can put the main machine in
another room.

If you haven't checked out http://www.silentpcreview.com you might
want to.
Search that site with keyword "wood" and you'll find some discussion
of wooden cases and some articles by people who have tried them.

If your objective is to do a woodworking project by all means have
at it, but if the objective is to have a quiet machine in a
reasonable time then I
think that buying one is going to be a better plan.




I have not read all of the posts in this thread. But, if one's
objective is to have
a quiet machine, then building one with a graphics cards having
ambient cooling
is a good start. Giga-byte makes some. I think their URL is
giga-byte.com I like mine. If you want a quiet machine, you will
probably need to build it yourself.
The specifications of most components will list their sound level in
db.

As may have been pointed out, "water cooling" may offer the quietest
system--but
I'm not willing to bother with that yet.

Reviewing the entire thread it's clear that the OP doesn't want a quiet
machine, he wants a cabinet to hold a noisy one.

Googling "DIY computer isolation box" will yield a good deal of useful
material.

On 10/01/2009 07:06 PM, Christopher Glaeser wrote:
2) Reduce the power requirements on the computer as much as possible.
Without changing the hardware this basically means move stuff from your
10TB of local disks to the NAS.

The local RAID is required for uncompressed HD video editing.

You want the air to have to travel in a zigzag pattern so that there is no
direct
path for sound to escape.

I was thinking along the same lines, but check out the 3D Model Tour at
http://www.kellsystems.com/3d.asp#tab9

It appears the air intake is at the bottom back of the unit, and the air
exhausts are a relatively simple modular package at attach to the back of
the unit.

The way I interpret that video is that the air intakes are at the bottom
and top but near the front. (They advertise "front to back airflow" in
the text".) The exit is at the back.

For a tower enclosure I'd just do intake at the front and exit at the
back, but with zigzag passages lined with sound absorber panels. If
you've got carpet it may be beneficial to orient the openings facing
downwards to get a bit more muffling effect. You probably want the
enclosure to fit fairly snugly around the side of the tower to avoid
warm exhaust mixing with the incoming cool air.

Chris

Chris Friesen wrote:
On 10/01/2009 07:06 PM, Christopher Glaeser wrote:
2) Reduce the power requirements on the computer as much as
possible. Without changing the hardware this basically means move
stuff from your 10TB of local disks to the NAS.

The local RAID is required for uncompressed HD video editing.

You want the air to have to travel in a zigzag pattern so that
there is no direct
path for sound to escape.

I was thinking along the same lines, but check out the 3D Model Tour
at http://www.kellsystems.com/3d.asp#tab9

It appears the air intake is at the bottom back of the unit, and the
air exhausts are a relatively simple modular package at attach to
the back of the unit.

The way I interpret that video is that the air intakes are at the
bottom and top but near the front. (They advertise "front to back
airflow" in the text".) The exit is at the back.

For a tower enclosure I'd just do intake at the front and exit at the
back, but with zigzag passages lined with sound absorber panels. If
you've got carpet it may be beneficial to orient the openings facing
downwards to get a bit more muffling effect. You probably want the
enclosure to fit fairly snugly around the side of the tower to avoid
warm exhaust mixing with the incoming cool air.

Consider that the Kell cabinets are not intended to render a machine
recording-studio quiet, they are intended to reduce a racket of servers to a
tolerable rack.

Reviewing the entire thread it's clear that the OP doesn't want a quiet
machine, he wants a cabinet to hold a noisy one.

Thanks, this car keeps veering off the road, and I appreciate your efforts
to regain control of the steering wheel. It was probably a mistake to
mention the word "computer". In hind sight I should have said "acoustic
enclosure for noisy doohicky" and avoided all the discussions about
replacing videos cards etc.

Googling "DIY computer isolation box" will yield a good deal of useful
material.

I had not tried that particular Google phrase and that did turn up some new
ideas. Thanks again.

Best,
Christopher

The way I interpret that video is that the air intakes are at the bottom
and top but near the front. (They advertise "front to back airflow" in
the text".) The exit is at the back.

Yeah, I watched it again and I think you are right. It's interesting that
all the wiring in the back is sealed within soft foam panels. Originally I
had assumed that was to reduce noise, but now I'm guessing the major reason
is to ensure air flow comes from the front, as you point out.

For a tower enclosure I'd just do intake at the front and exit at the
back,

Yes, I should probably do that for a desktop as well.

but with zigzag passages lined with sound absorber panels. If
you've got carpet it may be beneficial to orient the openings facing
downwards to get a bit more muffling effect.

I was thinking either carpet with a non-straight patter as you suggest, or
posssibly using the egg crate foam used in sound studios that directs the
sound waves into the foam channels.

You probably want the
enclosure to fit fairly snugly around the side of the tower to avoid
warm exhaust mixing with the incoming cool air.

At first I was thinking I could rely on an air exchange at the back, but I
think you're right, I should design something that puts the incoming air at
the front of the equipment, perhaps using a false bottom or false side to
redirect the air flow so there is no straight line path from the inside to
the outside of the acoustic enclosure.

Best,
Christopher

Christopher Glaeser wrote:
Is most of this noise transmitted via vibration or is it airborne?
IOW.. can you feel the case vibrate?


Vibration is relatively low. There is some noise due to the six drives, but
most of the noise is due to all the fans (fans for dual cpu chips, fan for
hign-end graphics card, and multiple fans for power and enclosure).

A Kell System enclosure would be ideal, but they are pricey (though I'm sure
they are worth it). I expect a reasonable design would use 1/2" or 3/4"
birch plywood lined with carpeting and/or sound proofing material. One key
feature is the air flow. Needs to cool 600-800 watts, yet baffle the noise
inside the enclosure. Several superquiete 120mm fans could be used to
exchange the air. Another feature is the door. Needs to provide easy
access, but also a seal to minimize noise.

I've seen plans on the net to build the computer case out of wood. I have
no desire to do that. I want the ability to swap in a new computer every
couple of years, but keep the acoustic enclosure.

Best,
Christopher



Have you considered putting the whole tower into a dorm type
refrigerator modified for cable exits?

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

On Oct 2, 10:24*am, "Christopher Glaeser" wrote:
Reviewing the entire thread it's clear that the OP doesn't want a quiet
machine, he wants a cabinet to hold a noisy one.

Thanks, this car keeps veering off the road, and I appreciate your efforts
to regain control of the steering wheel. *It was probably a mistake to
mention the word "computer". *In hind sight I should have said "acoustic
enclosure for noisy doohicky" and avoided all the discussions about
replacing videos cards etc.

Googling "DIY computer isolation box" will yield a good deal of useful
material.

I had not tried that particular Google phrase and that did turn up some new
ideas. *Thanks again.

Whichever way you go, you may want to consider using an indoor/outdoor
thermometer to keep an eye on actual in-the-box temps.

Best of luck, and happy building!