mounting computer in case....suggestions on how to do this?

[hulkster]

i have all my computer parts ready to go, but i dont have a case.  yeah i know they are cheap, but ive already spent a crap load of money and dont want to spend anymore. i have an old case but the motherboard is too big for it, so my next thought would be to mount it inside the case.  what i want is some suggestions on the best way to do this.  i guess i should i mount it on metal since i dont think just putting it on wood (mdf) would be a safe bet.  the motherboard is the main issue here, as the other drives i can put in my small case.  so anyone have pics or something of what they have done or other people have done?  

[paigeoliver]

My vertical cabinet just has the computer sitting inside on the bottom.

My other cabinet has the motherboard and power supply mounted to an arcade PCB board holder (out of a King & Balloon) and screwed inside the cabinet.

Cheapest, easiest, and safest way to do it is to get some PCB standoff feet and mount it to the side of the cabinet like original arcade boardsets were. I am sure someone on this board will probably sell you a set of them for like $1 or something (I don't have any spares anymore myself).

[hulkster]

cant i find these at like walmart or something?  are the pcb whatchacallits....are they the little white bracket thingys?  where it will allow the motherboard to set just above the surface?  

[paigeoliver]

Yeah, they are little white plastic feet. I DOUBT that Walmart would have them, but you could probably find them somewhere local if you tried. I imagine they would be on ebay cheap too (under the arcade category). Andy sells them on his I-Pac website (although it would be silly to get them from him, unless you were ordering something else too).

[hulkster]

well i searched the walmart, lowes, and home depot sites but they didnt have anything under pcb.  but im guessing that anything like that will work.  i dont know what, but im sure lowes makes something that will accomplish the same task

edit:  heh, that was my 69th post

[Gromet]

Radioshak has PCB Standoffs.......

[grafixmonkey]

I've read that motherboards expect the screw holes in them to attach to a grounded metal plate (i.e. connected to chassis of power supply electrically), but I'm not sure if that's true of modern motherboards or not.  You could probably find a metal plate the appropriate size (or maybe two or three smaller ones?) to attach to the wood panel, and just drill holes in them to match the motherboard's holes.  Don't know if you could get by without threading the holes or not.

You can always solder the standoffs into unthreaded holes.  (hey, any way to add a propane torch to a project is worth the effort!)    

I do know that if you plug a PC into an outlet that's not grounded it can gradually eat away at the chips with internal static discharges, until it dies.  Someone staying in my parents' house lost a pc that way.

[hulkster]

yeah well thanks for all the advice, but i just broke down and bought another case.  this whole mame cab is being funded by my mom....bday present!  so i dont feel so bad spending