Workshop [ Items of Rapid Manufacture ]
An assortment of quick projects, ideas, and other mental detritus.
2008
The Box
This is a project originally created in 2006. My desire was to create a custom, easily upgraded, and portable computer that would be appropriate for displaying digital works in galleries or anywhere with a wall socket and an ethernet port. I drafted the case’s plans from scratch in Adobe Illustrator, then used a laser cutter with ¼ inch acrylic to machine the sides. The display is an industrial touchscreen at 1024×768, and the guts are a microATX board with a P4 processor, 2GB of RAM, and some LED-backlit fans. The sides are intentionally transparent to provide the viewer with a clear view of the workings of the machine that is displaying the art. The black front is on a hinge that swings open for immediate access to the insides.
The original version used external aluminum structural pieces, but in this improved revision, the structure is all internal with custom-drilled 1” square acrylic. No glue is used in the construction – the box is held together with industrial torx-head fasteners.
Front view
Front view (close up, running Terror Alert Clock)
Side view (with camera flash)
Side view (no flash)
