Enclosure for your PC/Laptop

[Todd Krueger]

What are you guys using to keep your PC clean? I'm in a 2 car garage so space is limited/cramped. What are you guys using to keep your computer a little less dusty?

Thanks,

[Rtibbs]

What are you guys using to keep your PC clean? I'm in a 2 car garage so space is limited/cramped. What are you guys using to keep your computer a little less dusty?

Thanks,

Well I don’t know what others are using however, I’m in the process of finishing an enclosure for my CNC. Not only to help keep the dust off my ‘puter but keep the dust out of my lungs. Along with the dust shoe the enclosure has an exhaust ducted to the outside.

I know it’s a little extreme but........

[scottp55]

I have a Small shop, and needed to make my machine wheelchair accessible(Bill Young and TJ customized a Makercrate for that (for free!) ). :)
And it needed to be mobile and fully unitized for me to move it for various projects and to clean shop and empty cyclone.

The PC and UPS being directly under the machine worried me until Brady gave me this link;
https://www.dirtbag.biz/

I took it all apart to clean the PC and UPS years ago after 1 and 4 years of use....virtually pristine....WAY better than the house tower with dust and cat hair!!!

Now if I could just keep my MS ergonomic keyboard clean!!
(I'm on my third one.) :(

[jerry_stanek]

I use a Roll up keyboard and wired mouse with my computer in a cabinet with filters

[fredtoo]

I use a Logitech washable keyboard K310, a standard wired mouse (with Shopbot mouse pad), and a refurbished pc mounted 5' off the floor and flush to the wall. Recently replaced the last refurb after 6 rock solid years with: Dell Optiplex 3020 SFF Desktop PC - Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz 8GB 500GB DVDRW Windows 10 Professional (Renewed) for $160. My dust protection consists of a periodic (every several months when I think of it) shooting in the front and rear of the computer with my air hose. I find my method to work fine.

[dlcw]

I use an air hose on low pressure and a vacuum cleaner.

I've tried doing enclosures and haven't found them all that helpful, unless you create positive pressure inside the cabinet. That means you have a have a VERY good air filtering system to bring air into the cabinet to pressurize it and blow it back out. That's just my experience.

[tri4sale]

Leaf blower. Just open garage door, fire up the wall fan and us the leaf blower and blow everything outside. Run the air cleaner for a few hours when done and good to go.

[dlcw]

Just like Daniel said, I do a blown down on my shop every year. Open doors and windows, put a smoke ventilation fan on the downwind side and hit everything with a compressed air line. Keep air cleaners running for awhile. All this is required by my insurance company to help lower the fire danger in the shop.

[steve_g]

I use a fanless PC.
SG

[Rtibbs]

Finished my enclosure for my desktop and am very pleased with the results. I had two goals. First was to reduce the noise while cutting as I am using long tapered end mills on most of my recent projects and they do "Sing" quite a bit while cutting. Second I wanted to reduce the dust throughout the shop. The results for both have exceeded my expectations.
I originally contacted ShopBot regarding their enclosures however, the person I spoke with either didn't know the answers to my questions or just wasn't forthcoming so I designed my own enclosure.

I constructed the enclosure with 80/20 materials and used 1/4 acrylic sheet for the panels. The doors are bi-fold which gives me full access to the machine. I have an axial flow fan for dust removal as well as the dust boot for chip removal.
In the upper left corner you can see the fan hose duct. The small black box on the front upper left is the controller for the fan. On the lower left side is the control computer which swings underneath when not in use.

34264

[coryatjohn]

Nice work with the 80/20 extrusions. Can you say what the total cost was for the project in materials?

Thanks.

[Rtibbs]

Nice work with the 80/20 extrusions. Can you say what the total cost was for the project in materials?

Thanks.

$1100 for all the 80/20 components
$470 for Acrylic materials
$120 for Axial fan and duct hose
3D printed all the hose flanges and hose mounts

80/20 materials are not cheap but well worth their price IMHO.
I’ve used their materials in a past life and never been disappointed with the quality or finished products. Could have saved a couple of bucks but I ordered all except the door materials precut from them. Bought stock lengths (no cutting charge) for the doors and cut them once all the framework was assembled.

Ron

[coryatjohn]

$1100 for all the 80/20 components
$470 for Acrylic materials
$120 for Axial fan and duct hose
3D printed all the hose flanges and hose mounts

80/20 materials are not cheap but well worth their price IMHO.
I’ve used their materials in a past life and never been disappointed with the quality or finished products. Could have saved a couple of bucks but I ordered all except the door materials precut from them. Bought stock lengths (no cutting charge) for the doors and cut them once all the framework was assembled.

Ron

Thanks! Yes, 80/20 isn't cheap. I've built a lot of things out of their extrusions. Most of the material I bought from ebay or from recyclers. I find using their materials to be quite satisfying as they are very exact in dimensions and straight as the day is long.

[scottp55]

Looks Excellent Ron!!
(Dad would have loved it for our second Desktop that was setup in a handcarver's shop where the only noise was CCR on tapeplayer, and mallet on chisels:)....
Dad would have hired you to make us one:) )

Is the backside doored as well for Tiling long stock through the Y-Axis?

Have to look up that Axial fan to see if good for through the wall mount for when I work with some solvents/finishes in a small/tight shop.

Not sure how wheelchair would work with that, but I LIKE it!
Should last a few days(Errr....Make that Decades) :)
scott

[Rtibbs]

Scott,
The fan is an Infinity Cloudline S4 that I purchased from Amazon. It has a 4" hose diameter with a variable speed control. Very quiet even though I run it at max rpm most of the time.
I've run a few jobs since completing the enclosure and very pleased with the results. I ran some sound checks before and after and am seeing a reduction of 25-30db at 3 feet!!
The best part is the dust control. I just finished cutting a project from Mahogany which I find to be very dusty especially with 3D finish cuts. No dust at all outside the enclosure (Other than what is exhausted outside the shop)
There are no doors on the rear of the enclosure however, I do have two large access panels I can remove for either tiling or access to the control board and connections.
When I designed it I gave sufficient height so that he dust boot hose could freely traverse without snagging or getting pinched on anything. What I didn't account for is the fact that I'm 6'4" tall. My header above the front doors is only 69 1/2" from the floor. After bumping my head a couple of times I learned....

[scottp55]

Thanks Ron!
Like 28db sound level...can think of a few house applications! :)
scott

[Rtibbs]

Thanks Ron!
Like 28db sound level...can think of a few house applications! :)
scott

Scott,
Wish it was 28db. It is a REDUCTION of about 28db. From 87-90 now down to about 60 -65. I think my days using a router were probably 90-100db.
Thank goodness for spindles

[scottp55]

:)
I was talking about the fan Ron.
Yep, doing small stuff and light cuts with small bits and the Fein Turbo II at #2 fan speed...with the spindle you could hold a business meeting in shop while making buttons:)
With router...fugetaboutit! :)