Wheels on P180

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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amjedm
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Wheels on P180

Post by amjedm » Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:11 am

I bought some wheels the other day (from 99p stores) and had a go at sticking them on - will post so you can have a laugh

I stuck the wheels on with white UHU (similar to Blu Tack) as Blu Tack is good for holding fans in place and dampening the vibration. A few minutes later I decided to remove the wheels as the case was not stable at all. It was going to fall all over the place - the adhesive wasn't strong enough.

I have some PowerBond glue (industrial strength) and may try this to attach the wheels.

I think the case isn't wide enough to be stable with wheels - does anyone share this opinion? The Akasa Eclipse case is wider and is stable with wheels on.

Has anyone else had a go at attaching wheels?

darthan
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Post by darthan » Sat Jul 15, 2006 2:24 pm

I don't think the case is too wide to be stable with wheels. If you make sure to mount them as far apart as possible it should be alright. You could also try attaching some sort of crossbar to mount the wheels wider than the case.

I'd also recommend against gluing them: the P180 is a heavy case and you'll need very strong glue to attach wheels successfully. If it doesn't work out then you'll be stuck with them. I'd try drilling holes and using screws to attach the wheels.

oldabelincoln
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Post by oldabelincoln » Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:59 pm

I tried attaching wheels to a P150 that was sitting on carpet. I used 3M double sided tape. The friction of the carpet was high enough that moving the case in any direction exerted a bending moment on the wheels that was strong enough that the wheels ripped off pretty quickly.

Part of this was because the wheel base had a large circular indentation in the center, thus reducing the available area for gluing.

I used furniture glides, which are like a thin, slippery hockey puck. These glued on easily with the tape that came with them. They are thin enough that there is no moment arm to speak of, and they slide quite easily on the carpet. An unexpected bonus is that they are NOT so slippery as to cause problems when I have the case up on a table. I got these from an Ace Hardware store, but they are a standard item in all hardware stores. They are a good alternative to wheels if you don't have appropriate holes at the bottom of the case. Use the largest ones you can find.

metalmorphasis
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Wheels for the P180

Post by metalmorphasis » Sat Jul 15, 2006 8:36 pm

A nice set of castors, might be the way to go if you can make them stick!
Maybe try riveting them on or something?
I got mine on a small short cart w/wheels, but its a little wobbly.
Write back w/pics, whoever can accomplish this!

Cams
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Post by Cams » Sat Jul 15, 2006 9:52 pm

That's a good idea about the castors. I actually tried using a skateboard last night but it was too deep for the cubby hole that houses my SLK300B. I still might do it that way but take the desk drawer out. Then it would work. I planned on using four erasers stuck down with BluTack as wheel blocks. I guess I'd miss the desk drawer, but it might be a good temporary compromise until I can get some furniture gliders or something. The surface is wood though, not carpet, so I'm not sure that it would work so well.

klankymen
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Post by klankymen » Sat Jul 15, 2006 11:42 pm

you could of course take a 8x18 board and drill the skateboard wheelbase pattern into each end and mount your trucks on :wink:

amjedm
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Re: Wheels for the P180

Post by amjedm » Sun Jul 16, 2006 7:32 am

metalmorphasis wrote:A nice set of castors, might be the way to go if you can make them stick!
Maybe try riveting them on or something?
I got mine on a small short cart w/wheels, but its a little wobbly.
Write back w/pics, whoever can accomplish this!
The wheels I have are currently attached to a piece of wood and the P180 is sitting on top of this.

Main reason I wanted to attach the wheels to the case was so the bottom intake (only small I know) could get some air.

Bluefront
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Post by Bluefront » Sun Jul 16, 2006 8:57 am

IMHO....after building a bunch of tower case setups with different sorts of wheels. A normal tower case with a width of around 8", will be unstable with any type of wheel (particularly swivel castors) when used on carpet.

I guess the easiest way to be safe is to cut a wood platform at least 10" wide and mount the wheels on the edges (with screws, not glue). Put some sort of edge on the platform to keep the computer from sliding around. Or run some screws into the platform from the inside of the case.

Better safe than sorry..... :lol:

amjedm
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Post by amjedm » Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:27 am

Bluefront wrote:IMHO....after building a bunch of tower case setups with different sorts of wheels. A normal tower case with a width of around 8", will be unstable with any type of wheel (particularly swivel castors) when used on carpet.

I guess the easiest way to be safe is to cut a wood platform at least 10" wide and mount the wheels on the edges (with screws, not glue). Put some sort of edge on the platform to keep the computer from sliding around. Or run some screws into the platform from the inside of the case.

Better safe than sorry..... :lol:
Bluefront, your opinion based on your experience is much appreciated so I will not try to attach the wheels to the P180 directly.

The wood platform that the P180 is currently resting on is 9" wide and seems to be ok. The wheels are screwed on to the platform.

My DIY skills are non existent so I'm not going to try and drill any holes :)

metalmorphasis
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P180 Wheels

Post by metalmorphasis » Mon Jul 17, 2006 1:45 pm

Hmmm?
Maybe try and see what sizes and shapes are available, and try attaching them somehow temporarily for testing?
And what about these ball transfers?
I would still prefer a castor or wheel that has locks as well.


http://www.rosshandling.co.uk/furniture-castors.asp

amjedm
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Re: P180 Wheels

Post by amjedm » Mon Jul 17, 2006 2:47 pm

metalmorphasis wrote:Hmmm?
Maybe try and see what sizes and shapes are available, and try attaching them somehow temporarily for testing?
And what about these ball transfers?
I would still prefer a castor or wheel that has locks as well.


http://www.rosshandling.co.uk/furniture-castors.asp
Thanks for the link. The wheels I'm currently using have locks on them.

Anybody know the difference between castor and wheel :oops:

metalmorphasis
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Post by metalmorphasis » Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:34 am

Heres another link. I still can't find the ultimate castor...
Looking for some smallish ones. Went to a hardware store and nota.
Everything seems too big and clumsy for a small case design?

http://www.plasticwheels.com/technical.htm

Beel
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Post by Beel » Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:58 am

I kept waiting for someone to suggest buying one that was pre-made, but no one ever did. (So I will). When PCs first started being available in tower style cases, some companies started selling stands that would let you turn your desktop box on end and stand it safely on the floor.

If you can't or don't want to do the mods yourself, you can still find the stands with wheels.

A quick google search for "computer stand" found some

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000A ... &n=1064954

http://h30094.www3.hp.com/product.asp?s ... ccessories

One of them is made by Fellowes, so it should be a safe choice.

GrayBeard
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Furniture Glides work better than wheels

Post by GrayBeard » Wed Jul 19, 2006 1:15 pm

I second the idea by oldabelincoln above. I have been using the super slick furniture glides on the bottom my my tower cases for years. They are cheap (< $10), easy to install (peel and stick) and are big enough so they don't sink into the pile of the carpet. I have never had a case tip over when using them.

I just put a set on a new P180 case that I have on a hard floor and it slides easily and doesn't scratch the floor. I got a set of 1 1/4" diameter glides and put them right on the silicone feet so I didn't lose the isolation they provide, just the friction.

metalmorphasis
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Joined: Sat Jul 01, 2006 5:25 pm

Post by metalmorphasis » Wed Jul 19, 2006 6:40 pm

That very well may be not only the best, but only alternative(s)
Case closed!

davidstone28
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Post by davidstone28 » Sun Oct 14, 2007 3:31 am

Use some Lian-Li wheels. They're "lower" than traditional castors and although they don't move 360 degrees, they allow the case to be moved around the floor very easily. The rubber 'tyres' are also useful if using them on hard floors.

Image

You need to drill some holes and then screw them in, but I don't see any reason why strong metal glue wouldn't work provided you let it set properly.

http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_1413.html

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