Do you PC in the shop?

[ironhat]

Since Loring's poll is missing the 'computer in the shop' selection I though that I'd start a thread on it. I would like to put I don't have a phone line to the shop as of yet. Doing so is feasable but the underground race through the basement wall to the garage is walled over and it's location would be a guess.

Anyway, what are you using and are you doing something to keep the dust out of the internals? Secondly, how did you find room for it if your space is limited? I have a couple of old PCs around but no room in the shop. I though of a used laptop but I had to clean out the heatsink in one once and I can't imagine the shop environment being too kind.

OK, add anything relevant - what the heck, irrelevant is OK. We're a pretty amiable bunch.

[TB Roye]

I have a wireless network in the house and could use a computer in the shop. My big concern would be dust getting into a regular desk top or tower type PC. I have used my oldest son's laptop in the shop as a test and it works fine on the wirless network. I find I have no real use for computer out in the shop anyway as I have a dedicated computer desk in my den.

Tom

[radhak]

Why would you need / have a computer in the shop? If I am not WW-ing (even counting cleanup or etc), I am out of there, in the house. I'd find no reason to use even a laptop there. Funnily, I have one machine in each room of my house (didn't plan it like that, just happened), so if anything, I need to get away from them when I get to my shop.

Another thing - I find that my shop-time is measured and weighed by the LOML (not in so many words, but you know what i mean ); at the computer, i could be surfing BT3C but can pass it off as 'work' , and not have it count as 'shop time'; possible only if it were indoors ...

[burrellski]

I have an enormous electronic library of plans, articles, etc... that I like to have available in the shop. I also have access to my mp3 library for shop tunes.

[maxparot]

I use an old laptop in the shop. It's fairly small I was able to add a wireless card to it. Since I already had a home wireless system set up it was quick and easy. With the price of a cheap wireless router and wireless adapters I feel it's the way to go with any computer that isn't within the same room as the router. As for what a computer in the shop is good for. You can research your projects, keep in touch with friends & family, stream music & video and in many cases a computer is just another tool.

[norrodb]

My work threw out several P3 800 compaqs with a bunch of 17" monitors. I grabbed them up, Installed just XP, and use them to remote back to my powerfull desktop in my office where all my apps are installed. I did install a video player software on the dumb terminal so I can connect ot my HTPC where my video library is installed if I am in the mood for a movie

[Scottydont]

I have a tablet PC I take into the shop to review plans etc. It is connected to my wireless network and I play music from my office PC. I usually put it in a drawer when I'm working. FYI I use a dust collector and overhead filter system. I have thought about putting one of my old PC's or laptops out there permanently. The laptop I would put in a drawer like my tablet. If I did a full size PC I would probably put the CPU on the other side of the wall where it could be isolated from the dust and use a wireless keyboard and mouse.

I have heard of these guys who make shop filter covers for CPU's. I have not tried them. http://www.computerdust.com/


As for the phone I do have a cordless phone for safety reasons.

[Mr__Bill]

You could always put a filter over the air vents, or just hook the DC system up to the power supply fan vent and let it suck all the dust out of it..... (now before someone feels it's necessary to say it, I will, The DC will spin the fan too fast and kill the bearings in it so don't do it.)

You can put the cpu in a box with a filtered vent and small exhaust fan. In fact, make that a HEPA filter and leave it running all the time and call it an air cleaner. With the dust collecting on the outside of the filter, outside of the box you could just vac it from time to time to clean the filter. (yes I know, the vac will put all the really fine particles back in the air for you again.)

The simple way is to make sure that there is a fan drawing air into the case, as apposed to blowing air out of the case, and then put some filter material over the opening in front of the fan, Clean the filter often and every month or so open the case and vac or blow out the dust that collects there. Clean well the fan on the CPU and do a good job on the power supply and anything else with a fan on it. If using compressed air don't do it while the parts are sill hot and don't spin the fans too fast.

good luck, bill

[JSUPreston]

I would go wireless if at all possible. If you have a detached shop and use wired Ethernet, there is the potential of the grounds being different and frying the cards and possibly the computers in a power surge or lightning strike. I can't explain the electrical side of it very well (hope someone else can), but I've seen it happen on several occasions. There are reasons other than speed why you see fiber run between buildings in a campus environment.

That being said, I'm thinking about a low end machine in my shop as well, making use of an old 17". How are y'all keeping the dust out of your boxes?

[movnup]

I reformated the drive on a P4 Pentium for a clean install and got a great monitor for free off Craigs List. It's original intent was as a digital jukebox (CNET Idea) hooked up to one set of my Bose speakers but I also use it to look up templates / drawings / parts when I'm building things. I have the monitor in the corner of my "L" shaped bench and the tower is underneath my bench behind doors (fully enclosed) to keep the dust out. As I normally "air clean" the shop after every use I blow off the keyboard / monitor at the same time. The internet connection is wireless ....

Works great as the only software loaded is for playing music, the wifi connection, and IE for internet / email. A very good use of an older PC that would have probably been recycled otherwise. First thing on and last piece turned off in the shop besides the lights but then again I work in the software industry so that might have something to do with it !!!

[Uncle Cracker]

I use my shop to escape from my computer... There will never be one in there, unless it sprouts legs and walks in unassisted...

[Stytooner]

I do have a computer in the shop, but it is only there to run my cnc. It is actually built all in to one control case. Computer, motor drivers, and cnc power supply. That was a fun project. I have two regular 3.5 " computer fans sucking air in through two charcoal filters like you get for oven vent hoods. I have one large 24 volt fan in the center of the back blowing air out. The box is fairly well sealed but not perfect. I blow it out about every three months with just compressed air. I have good dryers on the line.
I use a silicon rubber keyboard and a touch screen monitor. I don't do anything with it but run Mach 3 which is the machine control program that runs the G code. It is networked though.

[JoeyGee]

You could always find a used Panasonic Toughbook laptop. Those things are built like tanks and all most of the access points are sealed with gaskets of some sort. I support a bunch at work, and the seldom used drive bays are a PITA to open they are sealed so tight.

[Scottydont]

I would go wireless if at all possible. If you have a detached shop and use wired Ethernet, there is the potential of the grounds being different and frying the cards and possibly the computers in a power surge or lightning strike. I can't explain the electrical side of it very well (hope someone else can), but I've seen it happen on several occasions. There are reasons other than speed why you see fiber run between buildings in a campus environment.

That being said, I'm thinking about a low end machine in my shop as well, making use of an old 17". How are y'all keeping the dust out of your boxes?

You are on the right track. FYI It is not recommended to connect outbuildings via Cat5 cable if they have separately grounded power panels at each location. This scenario can cause a "ground loop" and the small current creates line noise can cause packet loss of data going over the line and create vulnerability to hardware in the case of a lightning strike or power surge.

Fiber is great but cost prohibitive to most due to the high cost of cables, transducers, terminating ends etc.

Conventional wireless can be a challenge over 100-150 feet (sometimes less) with environmental variables (walls, concrete, flourestant lights etc.) There are some inexpensive solutions that can greatly extend the range to remote locations such as a "Cantenna". It looks like a Pringles can and you can plug it into your network card in place of the standard antennae. I have used one in a one time trade show set up that picked up a signal a 1/4 of a mile away. I know they can go longer.

Here is a link to a review http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2859

[cwsmith]

My "shop" is still in the works, but a place for the computer is in the plan. At present, my projects are all over the future home, and in the present house, any woodworking is done out on the deck when the weather is good. But with the latter, my computer is only a few feet away.

But as far as the shop and need for a computer is concerned, for me one goes with the other. I do all my drawing and sketching on the computer and I prefer not to print out anything. So, zooming in on dimensions, checking fit and cut, etc. sort of makes the computer essential. Probably more important for me, is when something hasn't gone quite right, I can quickly check the design, make alterations and check the fit on the computer, so I know what steps to take.

Filtering is probably a good idea. I know at work we have "hardned" closures to keep the oil coolants and the iron dust out of the computers. These are generally metal enclosures around the system box, with filtered vents. The keyboards are membraned. It wouldn't be much of a challenge to build and enclosure for woodshop use. I don't think keyboards would be a problem unprotected.

CWS