SPCR

Here is my vision of what a computer might have looked like in the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper & Pryce if IBM had developed its PC twenty years earlier.







It is about 75-85% complete.

"Try not to be overwhelmed by all this technology; it looks complicated, but the men who designed it made it simple enough for a woman to use."

Here is an article about it on Gizmodo:

Mad Men Style Revamped for the Personal Computer

Feedback is welcome. Please keep in mind that this is NOT a proposal for a commercial product and it is unfinished. I'm just a hobbyist trying to have a little fun. K?

interesting approach, aesthetically appealing.

i wonder how easy it'll be to work on.

danimal wrote:interesting approach, aesthetically appealing.

i wonder how easy it'll be to work on.

The entire inner metal case (a Silverstone TJ08) slides out the back intact. Kinda like a computer cozy. I did the same thing for my Mission projectand it works quite well.

Awesome! Just like all your creations.

Now you have me yearning to see a Bakelite computer. Such grandeur that would have.

I like it, simply elegant and neat.

Where houses the optical drive and front panel I/O? Or does it use remote start ?

I love it!

Nice elegant design

I just wonder, was the simplicity in style of the 50's and early 60's in USA inspired by the post war austerity designs (like the Utility designs of the immediate post-war period here in the UK and Europe) ? The designs always look cheap to build (like most Ikea stuff today ).

Anyway I like it

But, I'd open up the bottom and top of both box and inner case, and make the thing fan-less (see http://www.silentpcreview.com/article682-page1.html)

Bill

Reachable wrote:Awesome! Just like all your creations.

Now you have me yearning to see a Bakelite computer. Such grandeur that would have.

Thanks! Homemade Bakelite might be a problem though. LOL

speedkar9 wrote:I like it, simply elegant and neat.

Where houses the optical drive and front panel I/O? Or does it use remote start ?

Thank you. I left the design open because I wasn't sure what equipment, if any, was going inside. I was relying on sponsor support to finish this project but that prospect looks grim now that it has been published (Engadget, Gizmodo, Boing Boing) in an unfinished state. I'm pretty pissed off about it actually.

tim851 wrote:I love it!

Cool!

BillTodd wrote:Nice elegant design

I just wonder, was the simplicity in style of the 50's and early 60's in USA inspired by the post war austerity designs (like the Utility designs of the immediate post-war period here in the UK and Europe) ? The designs always look cheap to build (like most Ikea stuff today ).

Anyway I like it

But, I'd open up the bottom and top of both box and inner case, and make the thing fan-less (see http://www.silentpcreview.com/article682-page1.html)

Bill

Thanks Bill! I think the "bringing tthe outside in" architectural ideas that lead to giant glass walls supported by thin framing influenced the furniture that went into these houses. That combined with raw material shortages prompted engineers/designers to create minimalistic consumer products. They suddenly realized that it didn't take 200 pounds of wood to hold your ass off the floor.

Designs from that era look really flimsy including my own creation here. The reality is that they are very strong assuming they are done right.

I have a passive vent in the top of the case. You can see some of its frame in the photos. It is actually a floor vent made out of solid red oak. I'll post better photos later. As a general note, I like to design the vent system to whatever equipment actually ends up inside the box.

I like the grille material you've used for the front ventilation. Looks just like an old hifi!

I would have gone camera stand aluminum type pegs..
that wood with no rubber feet, narrowed down..seems an ampitheatre of earthquake to climb up the crazy grain (as nice as it looks).

I cut a piece of levallar laminate floor beam (the center beam you may find in a modern basement,) painted it, weighs about 25 pounds.. and then I have the pc sitting on its rubber feet on top of that.
just right.

the elegance can work.. but needs the resonance knowledge of.. well.. a camera tripod.

Quite like it! I`m a big fan of minimal design with the Bauhaus era being my favorite. I like how each of your projects has a different retro theme

Thanks for the comments guys!


I started the grill work and it was so much fun I didn't stop to photograph any of it...except this shot.


The grill consists of 92 pieces of laser-cut 1/4"-wide basswood of various depths. Gluing up long lengths of material only to cut much of it away is how I keep the structure square, parallel and somehwat sane. This photo shows most of the material removed from the outer two of the five "blocks".





The idea for the grill pattern came from a room-divider design I saw in two different places in the same day. I'm currently looking for paint that will help it blend in. Something in a nicotine-stained ivory-colored plastic will probably do.



Here's where the twin 140mm's go.



Any of the five blocks can be used for front panel duty. A slot-loaded optical drive fits perfectly.



The top vent does a nice job of hiding.





Some action photos of the Silverstone chassis being "interfaced".

Thanks for looking.

Those twin-140s won't do much good blowing against the metal bottom of the chassis insert Kidding, of course you'll cut holes for them...but seeing the pictures in sequence did force a double-take.

piglover wrote:Those twin-140s won't do much good blowing against the metal bottom of the chassis insert Kidding, of course you'll cut holes for them...but seeing the pictures in sequence did force a double-take.

LOL Yes, that is where they will go if I need them. I still have no idea what is going into the chassis. I'm leaning towards an AMD system since I haven't put one of those together in a lomg while.

Looks gorgeous. Lovely craftsmanship.

Monkey Puzzle wrote:Looks gorgeous. Lovely craftsmanship.

Thanks!


Here are some current photos. I still have some chrome buttons to place on the control panel and a few other bits to finish.



The control panel is black walnut.



The grille is made up from 92 pieces of wood. The paint color is called Clarified Butter and is suppose to resemble nicotine-stained ivory.

Stunning!

I understand that the idea is to build this to a specific style but did you consider a door?

A solid wooden door at the front would be quieter, easier to clean, simpler to make, could be made to look very elegant and would provide good access to all front panel functions. Then a bottom vent at the front would give fresh air. It could even be filtrated and the door could have insulation on the seams.

Where do you put USB keys with this and how do you access power button?

This is not a rant, just constructive criticism.

Quieter? Easier to clean? Simplier to make?

That's just funny. Thanks for the chuckle.

A couple of the final photos...












See more HERE

Beautiful work! I happened to click on your gallery of other projects. You have great skills.

Wow!

incredible work on that Level 11.

You have some serious skills.

josephclemente wrote:Beautiful work! I happened to click on your gallery of other projects. You have great skills.

Thanks! Here's a direct link to my gallery. http://slipperyskip.com/page23.html

aztec wrote:Wow!

incredible work on that Level 11.

You have some serious skills.

Thank you. Level Eleven was a tough act to follow but I did the best I could. It is here somewhere in these forums as is most of my stuff since 2003.

The grill detail really brought it to life. The projects made to house/hide a PC case are really inspirational.

hey..i just wis i could really order something like that..if only the CPU would not heat up in those wood piled cases, i would definitely want a case for myself..

mkk wrote:The grill detail really brought it to life. The projects made to house/hide a PC case are really inspirational.

Thanks! I appreciate the.

aiko73 wrote:hey..i just wis i could really order something like that..if only the CPU would not heat up in those wood piled cases, i would definitely want a case for myself..

I suggest you research the difference between convection and conduction. Maybe that will help you understand.

Wonderful attention to detail Jeffrey

That grill just finishes the project perfectly - another collectors item

lm wrote:.., simpler to make, ..

SlipperySkip does not do 'simpler to make'!

To paraphrase JFK ; he chooses to do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. (he just makes it look easy)