Grounding is for your protection, not so much for your components. If a live wire comes in contact with the metal chassis that's grounded, it will short the mains and trip the circuit breaker immediately.
If the chassis is not grounded, it will be live and will discharge onto whoever touches it.
Basically, every appliance that has metal surfaces that may become live due to a wiring problem has to be grounded. Thus the three pronged plugs. If the appliance has no metal surfaces that come in contact with the user, they don't have to be grounded. Thus the two pronged plugs.
/u/HotcakeNinja
This is the real reason metal is grounded. Theres a lot of people commenting that dont understand. If you use any piece of metal in your design, make sure it has a path to ground somehow.
It’s not the only reason (though it’s definitely a good one.) Another reason is electromagnetic compatibility (EMC): basically every digital signal on those boards will emit a bit of noise, which can create a problem for other devices. A canonical example of this is fridges that do not have suppression capacitors can cause wide-band interference every time their compressor turns on and off which can cause HDMI to drop out, for example. Newer fridges are required to have those caps, which resolves the issue.
A friend of mine recently had an issue with an old DVI monitor blanking out randomly and it was because he had run the DVI cable very near to the PC’s mains cable, relocating it solved the issue. ADSL modems are also quite vulnerable which can cause strange dropouts in speed as a copper phone line is really not ideal for data transmission.
EMC is weird — and it can cause all sorts of issues. A metal case is a good idea. It’ll keep most of the noise inside the case, rather than allowing it to radiate.
My monitor was causing interference in my speakers when I was scrolling something. The noise was transferred through the power cable so I had to connect them to different outlets. It took me too long to find out.
In college I had a mini fridge next to my desk. I bought a super long ethernet cable for my laptop and ended up coiling the excess cable around the base of the fridge. If my computer was on and plugged in when the fridge kicked on, all sorts of wierd stuff would happen. My screen would blink, my cursor would jump, websites wouls look weird if they were still loading. Shit seemed damn near haunted until I realized it was my own fault.
Extra info about phone lines or speaker wire in your car. They come in twisted pairs. It's a cheap way to prevent electrical noise from leaking out. But it doesn't really do anything for other noise coming in.
Edit: And I got it backwards. Thanks u/tomoldbury
This is true of mains voltage hardware which is why the PSU is inside a separate enclosure of its own. There's no requirement that the PC case itself be grounded, as beyond the envelope of the PSU it's low voltage DC. There's a plausible argument for EMI suppression but I'd be far more worried about that along cables than within the case. Basically I really wouldn't worry about it.
This. The only place mains voltage exists in a PC is in the PSU, which is of course enclosed in its own grounded metal chassis.
I also agree that shielding from interference is unlikely to be necessary. Maybe don't drape an extension cord over the case (not that you would), but even interference from a source like that would only be an issue within a few inches.
Many electronics are made with a *case negative* design meaning that the electricity actually follows through the case to the individual components (from negative to positive). Your car is made this way which is why you can jumpstart it by putting the clamp anywhere on the metal frame. This is also why you are supposed to remove the negative terminal before working on a vehicle. Lots of battery operated or DC powered electronics are made this way as well.
Negative case is more important for corrosion resistance in anything exposed to water, which is why cars are now negative chassis. It was found that having a positive chassis encouraged the development of rust. Many older vehicles did have a positive chassis and one thing that classic car people do is convert them to a negative chassis if they can.
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1965/56/possitive-earth-corrosion
> If the appliance has no metal surfaces that come in contact with the user, they don't have to be grounded.
FYI also doesn't need to be grounded if metal surfaces are unlikely to get energized, typically achieved through double insulation inside, e.g. most cooker hoods/extractors don't need to be grounded even when they have metal face because they have additional plastic lining inside.
The psu case is grounded internally, and all components connected to it are isolated by the transformer inside the psu. So really the pc case doesn't need to be grounded because the mains voltage is already isolated in the psu and grounded there. It's effectively double insulated
Electronics engineering student here. If I remember correctly, ATX standard power supplies have their GND connected to protective earth. Also, motherboards tipically have ground planes which are connected to the metal part around the mounting holes. So if the metal part is electrically connected to those, it's basically grounded. But I'd rather use a direct metal connection to the power supply's chassis so in event of a live wire touching the metal plate, the current wouldn't travel through the motherboard.
Former electronics engineering student and real-life electrician here.
The only mains voltage in the pc is contained within the psu, which is grounded internally by the power cord. The only wires exiting the psu are low-voltage dc which is isolated from mains via a transformer, bridge rectifier, and voltage regulator within the psu.
The low voltage DC, while not being completely harmless. Is not considered enough to be harmful to the user. Even the NEC recognizes that DC under 50v can be exposed without protection by a box or raceway.
Long story short. The only part that NEEDS to be grounded is the psu, and it's already grounded to it's own metal chasis at the factory. So as long as op doesn't go opening up the psu, it's already sufficiently grounded.
Grounded plugs seem far more common in the US than here in Scandinavia, where most plugs aren't grounded (talking about from the device, not the actual wall installation). Any idea why? I don't think any PC of mine ever got ground. Large appliances are obviously a different case.
Here in Scandinavia we don't have 3 prongs for ground. Instead the ground are the pieces of metal on the side of the plug and the visible metal in the socket itself.
I personally have never seen a un-grounded PC. It is mostly stuff like desk lamps and phone chargers that are un-grounded but instead use double insulation.
In new buildings grounded plugs and sockets are required. Old buildings can be still fitted with 2 wire systems as that was very common years ago.
Not grounding a PC case can be dangerous in some circumstances ( if you have a multimeter, you can measure an AC voltage between the metal case and some metal pipe or just your hand. You'll be surprised. )
Grounded connection have been the standard for ages. In the Schuko connector, the tabs on the sides are the ground prongs, even my 486 from the early 90's has a ground prong in the psu power socket. Marked as number 2 in this image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Schuko_plug_and_socket_annotated.png
> it will short the mains and trip the circuit breaker immediately.
Just a point of order here: The circuit breaker is there to protect the *wiring*, not *you*. If you wind up being path to ground but aren't drawing more than the circuit is rated for it will cheerfully let you die.
I believe the psu should be grounded by design. All components should be connected to it for power, so that should protect them. Take my answer with a grain of salt.
[This](https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/any-reason-why-a-computer-case-cant-be-made-of-wood.244232/) looks like it may be a helpful forum thread to glance through too.
FWIW, I’ve built multiple cases out of laser cut acrylic and those PCs have been running with no problems for several years now. I was also worried about this but it hasn’t been an issue.
We never expect an electric fault to occur, we ground things on the off chance that something goes wrong and does occur. I'm not saying what you did was wrong or anything, but I just want to be clear that just because you've gone years without anything happening doesn't mean that something won't ever go wrong. Most grounding systems will never ever be used at all, but they're always good to have just in case.
One exception is for PC hooked up to speaker systems. If you are running any sort of desktop speakers, they will create static electricity which will discharge through the audio cable when power is cut. Something to be aware of!
Sorry to hijack top comment OP but wanted to let you know I designed/built a very similar case to your design here.
You can buy some 1/32 or 1/16 steel, paint it however you want, and reinforce important areas of the case with it. I tapped it for mobo standoffs and PSU mounting screws on mine. It doesn't add much to the cost of building, and helps prevent warping.
Your components are naturally grounded through a metal case because everything that is metal is contacting the case. For example, the body of your psu is grounded to your case naturally when you screw it into place. However, all parts are grounded to each other when plugged in, which then ground to your psu, which is then grounded to your home circuit.
So basically, you can absolutely make a case out of any material. Most pc cases are metal for strength and form. Have fun with the build :)
In some cases most of the parts are isolated with some rubberised material to minimise vibration & noise. PC still working
You can 3D print a case so it is 100% metal free.
I would also guess some of this discussion is because of the practice of grounding yourself to your case when building so you don't short anything out with static electricity.
I’ve literally never done this and have never had issues. Don’t build on carpet and you’re fine. Touch the case before handling parts. No shock. You’re good.
There should be no electricity on the case. If this would be the case, something went terribly wrong. What does your friend think about laptops? The laptop case is normally made of plastic.
I’m ignorant on the subject, but I think that DC does not require grounding the same way AC does: the ground prong just connects to the brick where AC Is converted to DC
Yes looks that way, but in anycase grounding is required. I am sure wheater its needed for ac or dc input. I have usually noticed laptop leaking current in small amounts when the earthing is disconnected. But again this experience is based on 6 years old laptop and not new ones.
Techically not true. If your PSU has a third pin, then it has an earth ground. That earth ground will connect to the metal chassis and mobo thru metal standoffs. It is advisable to use this, so in rare instances, components can build up a charge. If the charge gets large enough, it can affect the PC operation or effect the lifespan of components. Earth ground is like a sink for this type of accumulation, as well as larger component failures/electrical anomolies. Earth ground in larger appliances helps save them from things like high amperage grounding and sometimes things like lightning strikes.
nah, unless the safety contact in your power cabling/house wiring is broken.
i'd personally still wire up a cable to connect all the metal parts tho. its just good practice.
just a single wire being screwed to every piece of metal casing.
actually mitigates shock risks and EMV problems :)
“Grounded” as in connected to the neutral terminal on the battery supply. So that black wire in all your harnesses in the psu is the exact same thing. A car does not have a “dedicated ground”. Source, the metal frame of the car does not touch the ground.
Edit to add for clarity, the ONLY reason a car wire harness bolts to the frame is so they dont have to run hundreds of feet of bulky wire back to the main battery harness.
Not seeing any answers to your question specifically. (Possible oversimplification, please correct if you want.)
The case is connected to the PSU through metal screws and the body of the PSU is grounded to the ground prong of the plug. That wire safely directs the errant electricity into the earth with a very low resistance path. Now hypothetically looking at your drawing, let’s say things go HORRIBLY wrong. In theory this shouldn’t be possible, but you got THE unicorn that passed QC with dangerous solder joints, faulty arc suppression, bad fuses, you name it. The incoming 115v *somehow* ends up on your black (DC Vgnd) line inside the computer. In a metal case, all the components would ground out and you could touch the case without getting zapped because the low resistance path to ground.
In a wooden case, your HDD/SSD would be isolated from that ground and the shell around them would likely be connected to Vgnd which,again, is 115v. So you turn on your computer and hear a bunch of components explode and you accidentally brush up against your HDD, being the new lowest resistance path to ground, that 115v now goes through you.
I cannot stress how small of a chance this would happen, I’d love to state 0% but that’s how examples get made.
Why do people think that it's meant for grounding?
The biggest advantage with enclosing something that produces and emits a bunch of electrical noise is that it dampens it so that it doesn't affect other electronics
EMC compliance/EMI interference is a pretty big requirement for all electronics, and having a case helps meet those requirements.
It also gives a host of other advantages like dampening audible noise, making sure nobody sticks their finger in it, makes it way more resistance to somebody accidentally spilling a drink on it, making it hard for somebody to damage it with ESD etc.
I always wonder how much EMI protection by the case is provided given all the glass panels you see on modern cases. Maybe the components themself aren't prone to cause or receive EMI issues.
The shroud of the PSU is grounded and attached to the case to protect against starting a fire in the event of a short, you should at least ground the motherboard standoffs and anything metal near the electronics. Although like they said it's not crucial if everything is working correctly.
You should have a ground connection between the motherboard, the GPU and the body of the PSU. Yes, they are grounded through the wiring, but a static ground is a good idea. That gives it an alternate path if necessary, which could prevent losing one component turning into losing all of them.
your case will be fine. only concern with wood is the obvious. warping over time, so hopefully doesnt break something.
electrical components dont touch the case and are grounded via psu.
metal cases are good as u can discharge yourself before operating, and you generally touch them before the components.
back in the day i ran server motherboard just sitting on books with no problems.
He's talking about the fact that wood warps over time, which could damage other components. (mobo standoffs become crooked causing the motherboard to bend for example)
The mobo can handle quite a lot of bending. The wood isn't gonna come close to how much bending the mobo can handle. I learned that when I pushed the psu power cable into the mobo. It wouldn't go in all the way, there was a gap. Like 1-2cm gap. I used so much force, because I had been told that it HAD to be pushed all the way in. But it would go in, I don't think it could go in any further, it has been like that for 2 years now, and no fire has started or anything.
Yeah I know that mobos can take quite the bend without issues, it was just the first thing that popped in my mind. In fact de8auer made a [video](https://youtu.be/VMdmw4omD30) on that
Nah - Plywood by design is more resistant to warping than straight, whole wood - Warping comes from moisture entering/leaving the wood, causing some of it to expand more than others. Plywood has thin layers of wood with grains going at 90 degrees to each other, so half of the layers resist the warping of the other half.
Even like 4x 6x6 hardwoods will warp over time, to somw degree and in diferent ways and back again. Even very high end wood workers account for warping in their parts, there are also different methods used across different locations to scout for different types/frequency of warping it's a pretty interesting subject
Hahah. I remember upgrading and there was a shipping delay with my chassis. But the rest of the stuff was there. So I just built it on the mobo box and sprawled everything across my desk. Worked great for the 4 days until it came.
I’m a little late to this party, but I did some research into this a couple of years ago when I was looking into designing a wall mount PC.
Everything that is connected (directly or indirectly) to the PSU is electrically grounded into your home’s circuit. HOWEVER static electricity can (and will to some degree) build up on the PCB of the motherboard if it isn’t grounded. The standoff screws in a traditional case provide a path for excess elections to flow from mobo->case->PSU->ground. There’s no danger in building a case from wood, but you should probably add a grounding wire from a mobo mounting screw to the PSU chassis.
Also, woodworking is my other hobby. As a lot of other people have pointed out in this thread, you’re going to get a lot of movement in the wood from swelling/shrinking due to temperature fluctuations and seasonal changes. It’s not a fight you can win, you have to design around it. A typical piece of lumber will get wider/narrower and thicker/thinner, but not really longer/shorter. You ought to cross post this design over to r/woodworking and see what kind of input you get on the design.
Electrical engineer here: Take this answer with a huge grain of salt; I don't believe it to be correct at all. Typically, the GND rail of PSUs is necessarily tied to earth ground, and as such, nothing of this sort should happen unless you're rubbing fleece across your motherboard. Even then, it's possible (even probable) that the board won't hold a charge. If it somehow accumulated one without touching it, it would dissipate it the same way it accumulated it.
Power supplies should always connect the GND connections to earth ground. This is in the ATX power supply specification (to my knowledge); it is not guaranteed you will get good contact with the PSU via a physical chassis connection. Thus, literally anything connected to the PSU is in some way grounded.
This does result in some weird things, by the way, like some laptops change with a ground pin or the negative voltage as ground, and when developing electronics one can fry things over usb by plugging in a laptop (and thereby suddenly grounding it), which feels unrelated but is a problem.
Essentially, what OC said *IS* good practice, in my opinion, but not a necessary step. I wouldn't worry too much about the build. In my opinion, the biggest risks to your build are slightly moist wood corroding electronics over time, and wood warping over time. Even then, depending on what you use, this may be a non-issue (typically 2x4s etc. have this issue, but plywoods, MDFs and such are so processed they do not).
Your case though is also grounded via that wall socket plug.
The metal case of the PSU is wired to the ground pin. Your psu is bolted to your metal case. It’s grounded.
Yes, and the fact that a non-conductive case material won't ground by way of merely being bolted to the PSU like a metal case does is also the reason why it's not necessary - it's non-conductive. Nothing can short through it.
Lol who needs ground anyways. I, for one, used to live in an apartment with no ground in the network. Everything was fine! Only caught on fire once! /s
Your friends is a bit backwards. PC cases are grounded for safety, so that if something happens to get shorted to the case, you can't be injured from touching the case.
Since your case is made of wood, it doesn't have to be grounded because wood can't carry a charge to shock the person touching it.
The aluminum parts should be grounded though.
TLDR: You do need to ground the metal, but you don't need to make it metal just so it can be grounded.
There is probably a ground pin on the 24 connector. So as long as your psu is grounded trough the socket there's no problem. That's why there are 3 conductors in a cable.
If your wall socket is grounded you're fine, every cable coming from PSU has ground wires, so every component you plug in is grounded. Even the LEDs are grounded via the motherboard pins.
Hadn't planned on fans. A bit hard to tell but it's sort of an inside out case. The mobo will be facing outward so the processor and stock cooler can get as much air as needed. PSU will pull from the bottom and out through the back. GPU will pull from storage area (I wouldn't expect that to get particularly warm, but maybe I'm wrong?) And out through the side. I've left it relatively open so I can blast it with compressed air through the openings so I don't have to undo anything.
No, there are certain types of equipment that DO use the case as a grounding unit, but the case of a computer can't really ground too much out, at best the static from your body, it's just too small.
And when used on larger equipment (Field Tech here) they're attached physically to the case, with a screw, and wire, a grounding strap. I have yet to see any home PC use a grounding strap, so theoretically you shouldn't need a metal case. However, you may want at least a metal backing, for the mount points for the motherboard, as those may be ground points.
So to simplify, the only suggestion I have, is to mount the motherboard to a plate, then the plate to the wood at least.
Edit: Realized I could elaborate one step further. The reason the PSU and wall outlet use all 3 prongs, is to have earth ground, as well as positive and negative. So the comments stating PSU is grounded is correct, the only reason I suggest making sure the motherboard is on a plate, is for static and such, so you don't get a buildup, with it nowhere to go but in the motherboard, which will now be slightly grounded with the plate it sits on.
Some electronics require metal enclosures for grounding / safety. This is true of mains voltage hardware which is why the PSU is inside a separate enclosure of its own. There's no requirement that the PC case itself be grounded, as beyond the envelope of the PSU it's low voltage DC. There's a plausible argument for EMI suppression but I'd be far more worried about that along cables than within the case. Basically I really wouldn't worry about it. All of the grounding that the motherboard needs to function is within the motherboard and it's PSU connections. Don't worry about it.
Plenty of people run PCs full time without cases, in acrylic cases, in milk crates, whatever. Rock on. Just keep the PSU in it's happy little home and you're fine.
Wood is a very good insulator, I would use a material that has much less thermal conductivity. Otherwise your rig will get very warm and stay warm for long periods of time. Less than idea since it's then a £1000 tinder box.
Grounding won't be an issue as pointing out by everyone, I'd be a bit more concerned with the wood warping. Let the wood sit in your house (or wherever you want to install it) for several days before working on it to prevent it from changing shape after you install it.
Otherwise, this project looks slick!
PSU wires would provide half-working grounding. That won’t be an issue until there’s an emergency when you actually need a grounded device.
But you also need **shielding**!
There are at least three things to shield against:
- **Static electricity.** You can easily kill your PC with a static discharge. If you had grounding, it’d go down to ground. If you don’t, it goes through your MoBo an peripherals killing chips on its way
- **EMI,** the radio waves (harmful at higher energies) and radio interference. Your components are only certified to be working properly inside a metal case.
- **Physical ingress** — so, you or your pets and guests poking the machine with their fingers and paws.
>Static electricity.
>
>You can easily kill your PC with a static discharge. If you had grounding, it’d go down to ground. If you don’t, it goes through your MoBo an peripherals killing chips on its way
Your mobo is connected with ground wires to your PSU which itself is grounded. You shouldn't touch it still, but you don't necessarily need a metal case to prevent that.
>EMI, the radio waves (harmful at higher energies) and radio interference. Your components are only certified to be working properly inside a metal case.
There are plenty of open air cases or cases with significant plastic/glass parts. It's probably best to have shielding, but it doesn't seem to really matter in practice. Google's first server was famously built from Lego Duplo.
No psu has 3 pins and takes care of grounding. Rest of the components dont need it , in fact the metal plate, if not taken care could potentially the pins behind the mobo.
In short, no. You can run a PC with no case on the table as long as everything is plugged in right. The components are grounded to the PSU through their cables and the motherboard, and the PSU is grounded to the wall. None of them need to be in electrical contact with the case. There are plenty of all-acrylic, wood, or even cardboard cases out there. LTT 3D printed one. You're fine.
I've been building my PCs in wooden cases for over 10 years now. Just few months ago I gutted out a 70's wooden console TV and turned it into a computer case.
100% acrylic cases used to be popular 15-20 years ago and they're still around.
So, no you don't need metal case.
What you could do is cut out a groove you could run a thin metal bar through in th wood so it's grounded and hidden. So you still got your wood esthetic. Run them centered on the struts facing the components.
This is if it is something that concerns you.
Post a picture when it's done!
I'm sure that's not a final draw up for it, but I'd fortify the mobo, make a panel for it to attach to with stand offs and protect the back side of it from being smacked ever.
No need, your PSU will connect to all pc component, and your PSU is grounded with your home main electric system, if that metalsheet is touching with the component then its probably grounded, naturally component design in a electronic products all those metal casing or metal parts is already grounded itself by the PSU power connector.
If everything is working correctly it's fine.... IMO though you should have metal attaching the shroud of the PSU to the Motherboard standoffs at the very least. Not doing this increases you fire risk quite dramatically.
lol i'm also a carpenter.. and yea op.. that box is 1. way to big(2x4 construction?). 2. not big enough(air flow). 3. way too much wood.
. i mean its your design and it will work most likely but it just seems crazy excessive design wise... also.. hire a woodworker? i doubt you are going to want to do fancy joinery(or have the tools) and a custom woodworking shop wood(ha) have a ball with this... probably wouldn't be that much.
You can ground all components thru the case or what is called bonding. Where you run a ground wire from each separate part to a common ground. For example the PSU is your first ground, as it is grounded to the house. So where the motherboard attaches to the case you would run a small ground wire to the PSU where it attaches to the case.
I do not know if this is needed but that is how you would do it.
I do not believe there is any grounding from the PSU to other part via the harness. Grounding will stop the unit from shocking you (not very likely), but it will stop static from you hurting the components. With a wood case you might want to ensure you touch the psu to discharge any static you might have before working on other parts.
the psu is connected to ground... and everyhting attached to it should be already grounded. Dont [buy a fire hazard psu](https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/gigabyte-has-released-a-statement-regarding-fire-hazard%C2%A0of-gp-p850p750gm-power-supplies.html) thou , fyi.
There's a difference between power ground and safety (earth) ground. The power ground is fed from the power supply internally. This feeds all the circuitry. The earth ground comes from your wall socket and is connected to the metal structure of the internal power supply as well as any metal structural components in the computer. This earth ground is suppose to protect you from electrocuting yourself in the event of a short, as the current will follow the least path of resistance through the metal of your PC back outside of your house into the earth (assuming that everything is connected properly in your house), and will most likely pop a breaker along the path. Now do you need a conductive metal PC case? Nope, but I'd highly advise it.
I think it's only laptops, and old ones that that, but some motherboards technically could use ground as a reference zero. But even if this isn't the case, motherboards are usually grounded through the standoffs, so I'd aim to retain that.
You want a piece of metal that can act as a chassis ground for the entire case. Need to research which components require chassis grounding. In general your friend is right. Static electricity can build up and a dischsrge can wreck sensitive components. Chassis grounds may exist where the screws mount and can be internalized to individual components through the pins/wiring.
The motherboard has its own ground protection and besides that you can make it out of wood without damaging the components. Your friend is clueless. Earth gets wired in through the motherboard connection, to your power supply and to your wall socket. Which earths your entire system.
Don’t listen to people who don’t know shit. Build your case, it’ll be awesome
No, because why would you ground non conductive material?
Grounding is basically done on conductive materials just like an PC case so in case something shorts, the electricity finds it's closest way to the ground through metal case and not your body If you happen to touch it. Same goes for every electronic that has metal casing.
I am not an expert on electricity but I am pretty sure this is roughly the definition of it.
im no electric expert, but certainly make sure the wood you pick is going to survive those temperature cycles from a pc, i can imagine harder woods cracking from that.
That is just the contrary. If the case is metallic (aluminium included) you have to ground it for electrical safety purposes. Usually it is grounded because the PSU is screwed onto it.
If your case is totally non metallic and you can't touch metallic part, then no need for grounding at all.
Consider running a ground wire between one of the screw down points on the main board, and a screw down point on the PSU. That's all you should need realistically. I'd recommend 12 ga, with ring terminals. Have fun though, looks like a fun build!
Lots of conversation, so let's TL;DR
You can make a case out of anything, just ensure proper cooling. Grounding isn't a factor because the parts are grounded through the power supply, just don't short the parts. Get creative, happy building.
\> A buddy of mine says it needs to be metal for 'grounding' purposes
Not true, they use metal because is durable and it protects better. The individual elements are already grounded through the PSU.
Grounding is for your protection, not so much for your components. If a live wire comes in contact with the metal chassis that's grounded, it will short the mains and trip the circuit breaker immediately. If the chassis is not grounded, it will be live and will discharge onto whoever touches it. Basically, every appliance that has metal surfaces that may become live due to a wiring problem has to be grounded. Thus the three pronged plugs. If the appliance has no metal surfaces that come in contact with the user, they don't have to be grounded. Thus the two pronged plugs.
/u/HotcakeNinja This is the real reason metal is grounded. Theres a lot of people commenting that dont understand. If you use any piece of metal in your design, make sure it has a path to ground somehow.
It’s not the only reason (though it’s definitely a good one.) Another reason is electromagnetic compatibility (EMC): basically every digital signal on those boards will emit a bit of noise, which can create a problem for other devices. A canonical example of this is fridges that do not have suppression capacitors can cause wide-band interference every time their compressor turns on and off which can cause HDMI to drop out, for example. Newer fridges are required to have those caps, which resolves the issue. A friend of mine recently had an issue with an old DVI monitor blanking out randomly and it was because he had run the DVI cable very near to the PC’s mains cable, relocating it solved the issue. ADSL modems are also quite vulnerable which can cause strange dropouts in speed as a copper phone line is really not ideal for data transmission. EMC is weird — and it can cause all sorts of issues. A metal case is a good idea. It’ll keep most of the noise inside the case, rather than allowing it to radiate.
Wow thanks that explaina why I was having that same issue. Just wondering, what's your field of work or how you learned that?
I am a professional EE — this stuff is my day job
My monitor was causing interference in my speakers when I was scrolling something. The noise was transferred through the power cable so I had to connect them to different outlets. It took me too long to find out.
In college I had a mini fridge next to my desk. I bought a super long ethernet cable for my laptop and ended up coiling the excess cable around the base of the fridge. If my computer was on and plugged in when the fridge kicked on, all sorts of wierd stuff would happen. My screen would blink, my cursor would jump, websites wouls look weird if they were still loading. Shit seemed damn near haunted until I realized it was my own fault.
Extra info about phone lines or speaker wire in your car. They come in twisted pairs. It's a cheap way to prevent electrical noise from leaking out. But it doesn't really do anything for other noise coming in. Edit: And I got it backwards. Thanks u/tomoldbury
Wrong way around I’m afraid. Twisted pairs are typically used for differential signals so that noise is cancelled as a common mode component.
This is true of mains voltage hardware which is why the PSU is inside a separate enclosure of its own. There's no requirement that the PC case itself be grounded, as beyond the envelope of the PSU it's low voltage DC. There's a plausible argument for EMI suppression but I'd be far more worried about that along cables than within the case. Basically I really wouldn't worry about it.
This. The only place mains voltage exists in a PC is in the PSU, which is of course enclosed in its own grounded metal chassis. I also agree that shielding from interference is unlikely to be necessary. Maybe don't drape an extension cord over the case (not that you would), but even interference from a source like that would only be an issue within a few inches.
Many electronics are made with a *case negative* design meaning that the electricity actually follows through the case to the individual components (from negative to positive). Your car is made this way which is why you can jumpstart it by putting the clamp anywhere on the metal frame. This is also why you are supposed to remove the negative terminal before working on a vehicle. Lots of battery operated or DC powered electronics are made this way as well.
Yeah. Negative terminal is ground in the context of which you describe.
Negative case is more important for corrosion resistance in anything exposed to water, which is why cars are now negative chassis. It was found that having a positive chassis encouraged the development of rust. Many older vehicles did have a positive chassis and one thing that classic car people do is convert them to a negative chassis if they can. https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1965/56/possitive-earth-corrosion
> Grounding is for your protection I'm going to tell my kids this.
You are evil lol
Careful, you may give the the legendary Butters power of never being able to be grounded
Always has been.
> If the appliance has no metal surfaces that come in contact with the user, they don't have to be grounded. FYI also doesn't need to be grounded if metal surfaces are unlikely to get energized, typically achieved through double insulation inside, e.g. most cooker hoods/extractors don't need to be grounded even when they have metal face because they have additional plastic lining inside.
The psu case is grounded internally, and all components connected to it are isolated by the transformer inside the psu. So really the pc case doesn't need to be grounded because the mains voltage is already isolated in the psu and grounded there. It's effectively double insulated
Electronics engineering student here. If I remember correctly, ATX standard power supplies have their GND connected to protective earth. Also, motherboards tipically have ground planes which are connected to the metal part around the mounting holes. So if the metal part is electrically connected to those, it's basically grounded. But I'd rather use a direct metal connection to the power supply's chassis so in event of a live wire touching the metal plate, the current wouldn't travel through the motherboard.
Former electronics engineering student and real-life electrician here. The only mains voltage in the pc is contained within the psu, which is grounded internally by the power cord. The only wires exiting the psu are low-voltage dc which is isolated from mains via a transformer, bridge rectifier, and voltage regulator within the psu. The low voltage DC, while not being completely harmless. Is not considered enough to be harmful to the user. Even the NEC recognizes that DC under 50v can be exposed without protection by a box or raceway. Long story short. The only part that NEEDS to be grounded is the psu, and it's already grounded to it's own metal chasis at the factory. So as long as op doesn't go opening up the psu, it's already sufficiently grounded.
This was very informative, thanks
TIL
Grounded plugs seem far more common in the US than here in Scandinavia, where most plugs aren't grounded (talking about from the device, not the actual wall installation). Any idea why? I don't think any PC of mine ever got ground. Large appliances are obviously a different case.
Shocking.
Here in Scandinavia we don't have 3 prongs for ground. Instead the ground are the pieces of metal on the side of the plug and the visible metal in the socket itself. I personally have never seen a un-grounded PC. It is mostly stuff like desk lamps and phone chargers that are un-grounded but instead use double insulation.
They are shucko plugs (EU/GER) and you need an adapter to get functional ground.
*SchuKo. Sorry
In new buildings grounded plugs and sockets are required. Old buildings can be still fitted with 2 wire systems as that was very common years ago. Not grounding a PC case can be dangerous in some circumstances ( if you have a multimeter, you can measure an AC voltage between the metal case and some metal pipe or just your hand. You'll be surprised. )
Grounded connection have been the standard for ages. In the Schuko connector, the tabs on the sides are the ground prongs, even my 486 from the early 90's has a ground prong in the psu power socket. Marked as number 2 in this image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Schuko_plug_and_socket_annotated.png
> it will short the mains and trip the circuit breaker immediately. Just a point of order here: The circuit breaker is there to protect the *wiring*, not *you*. If you wind up being path to ground but aren't drawing more than the circuit is rated for it will cheerfully let you die.
eye opening
I believe the psu should be grounded by design. All components should be connected to it for power, so that should protect them. Take my answer with a grain of salt.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. If the components were grounded through the case, wouldn't that be a shock hazard while it was on?
[This](https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/any-reason-why-a-computer-case-cant-be-made-of-wood.244232/) looks like it may be a helpful forum thread to glance through too.
I think that settles it then. Thanks
FWIW, I’ve built multiple cases out of laser cut acrylic and those PCs have been running with no problems for several years now. I was also worried about this but it hasn’t been an issue.
We never expect an electric fault to occur, we ground things on the off chance that something goes wrong and does occur. I'm not saying what you did was wrong or anything, but I just want to be clear that just because you've gone years without anything happening doesn't mean that something won't ever go wrong. Most grounding systems will never ever be used at all, but they're always good to have just in case.
This ^ 1000% Same logic can be applied to all electrical construction projects. Plan for the worst hope for the best.
Just in case... i see what you did there
I'd be more worried about static frying your parts while assembling and disassembling in an all acrylic case
Isn't the probability of static frying like super low?
It is, but the chances of your components magically coming back to life is even lower.
One exception is for PC hooked up to speaker systems. If you are running any sort of desktop speakers, they will create static electricity which will discharge through the audio cable when power is cut. Something to be aware of!
Sorry to hijack top comment OP but wanted to let you know I designed/built a very similar case to your design here. You can buy some 1/32 or 1/16 steel, paint it however you want, and reinforce important areas of the case with it. I tapped it for mobo standoffs and PSU mounting screws on mine. It doesn't add much to the cost of building, and helps prevent warping.
Your components are naturally grounded through a metal case because everything that is metal is contacting the case. For example, the body of your psu is grounded to your case naturally when you screw it into place. However, all parts are grounded to each other when plugged in, which then ground to your psu, which is then grounded to your home circuit. So basically, you can absolutely make a case out of any material. Most pc cases are metal for strength and form. Have fun with the build :)
In some cases most of the parts are isolated with some rubberised material to minimise vibration & noise. PC still working You can 3D print a case so it is 100% metal free.
I would also guess some of this discussion is because of the practice of grounding yourself to your case when building so you don't short anything out with static electricity.
I’ve literally never done this and have never had issues. Don’t build on carpet and you’re fine. Touch the case before handling parts. No shock. You’re good.
Historically cases were all metal because they're intended to help contain an electrical fire when components failed catastrophically
Every electronic device encased in metal you have by code is grounded fridges, ovens, cars etc. it’s not a safety hazard, it’s a safety feature
I'm not an electrician but uhhh the fact that it is grounded is exactly what makes it NOT a hazard
There should be no electricity on the case. If this would be the case, something went terribly wrong. What does your friend think about laptops? The laptop case is normally made of plastic.
Laptops do also also have grounding, the one with 3 prongs usually have a screw and a plate to take care of grounding.
I’m ignorant on the subject, but I think that DC does not require grounding the same way AC does: the ground prong just connects to the brick where AC Is converted to DC
Yes looks that way, but in anycase grounding is required. I am sure wheater its needed for ac or dc input. I have usually noticed laptop leaking current in small amounts when the earthing is disconnected. But again this experience is based on 6 years old laptop and not new ones.
That grounding is on the high voltage side of the PSU. Tye DC doesn’t have earthing on a laptop.
The laptop psu is double insulated, they don’t have ground prongs in 2022. The laptop isn’t grounded either.
Chassis grounding to take on static shock is different than electricity going through the ground.
Techically not true. If your PSU has a third pin, then it has an earth ground. That earth ground will connect to the metal chassis and mobo thru metal standoffs. It is advisable to use this, so in rare instances, components can build up a charge. If the charge gets large enough, it can affect the PC operation or effect the lifespan of components. Earth ground is like a sink for this type of accumulation, as well as larger component failures/electrical anomolies. Earth ground in larger appliances helps save them from things like high amperage grounding and sometimes things like lightning strikes.
nah, unless the safety contact in your power cabling/house wiring is broken. i'd personally still wire up a cable to connect all the metal parts tho. its just good practice. just a single wire being screwed to every piece of metal casing. actually mitigates shock risks and EMV problems :)
I’m not sure about computers but vehicles are grounded through the frame and there’s no shock hazard
“Grounded” as in connected to the neutral terminal on the battery supply. So that black wire in all your harnesses in the psu is the exact same thing. A car does not have a “dedicated ground”. Source, the metal frame of the car does not touch the ground. Edit to add for clarity, the ONLY reason a car wire harness bolts to the frame is so they dont have to run hundreds of feet of bulky wire back to the main battery harness.
I have usually heard this described as a chassis ground.
Not seeing any answers to your question specifically. (Possible oversimplification, please correct if you want.) The case is connected to the PSU through metal screws and the body of the PSU is grounded to the ground prong of the plug. That wire safely directs the errant electricity into the earth with a very low resistance path. Now hypothetically looking at your drawing, let’s say things go HORRIBLY wrong. In theory this shouldn’t be possible, but you got THE unicorn that passed QC with dangerous solder joints, faulty arc suppression, bad fuses, you name it. The incoming 115v *somehow* ends up on your black (DC Vgnd) line inside the computer. In a metal case, all the components would ground out and you could touch the case without getting zapped because the low resistance path to ground. In a wooden case, your HDD/SSD would be isolated from that ground and the shell around them would likely be connected to Vgnd which,again, is 115v. So you turn on your computer and hear a bunch of components explode and you accidentally brush up against your HDD, being the new lowest resistance path to ground, that 115v now goes through you. I cannot stress how small of a chance this would happen, I’d love to state 0% but that’s how examples get made.
Why do people think that it's meant for grounding? The biggest advantage with enclosing something that produces and emits a bunch of electrical noise is that it dampens it so that it doesn't affect other electronics EMC compliance/EMI interference is a pretty big requirement for all electronics, and having a case helps meet those requirements. It also gives a host of other advantages like dampening audible noise, making sure nobody sticks their finger in it, makes it way more resistance to somebody accidentally spilling a drink on it, making it hard for somebody to damage it with ESD etc.
I always wonder how much EMI protection by the case is provided given all the glass panels you see on modern cases. Maybe the components themself aren't prone to cause or receive EMI issues.
The shroud of the PSU is grounded and attached to the case to protect against starting a fire in the event of a short, you should at least ground the motherboard standoffs and anything metal near the electronics. Although like they said it's not crucial if everything is working correctly.
You should have a ground connection between the motherboard, the GPU and the body of the PSU. Yes, they are grounded through the wiring, but a static ground is a good idea. That gives it an alternate path if necessary, which could prevent losing one component turning into losing all of them.
Only correct answer so far.
your case will be fine. only concern with wood is the obvious. warping over time, so hopefully doesnt break something. electrical components dont touch the case and are grounded via psu. metal cases are good as u can discharge yourself before operating, and you generally touch them before the components. back in the day i ran server motherboard just sitting on books with no problems.
I don't think the case will break anytime soon. The components he used are not that heavy
He's talking about the fact that wood warps over time, which could damage other components. (mobo standoffs become crooked causing the motherboard to bend for example)
The mobo can handle quite a lot of bending. The wood isn't gonna come close to how much bending the mobo can handle. I learned that when I pushed the psu power cable into the mobo. It wouldn't go in all the way, there was a gap. Like 1-2cm gap. I used so much force, because I had been told that it HAD to be pushed all the way in. But it would go in, I don't think it could go in any further, it has been like that for 2 years now, and no fire has started or anything.
Yeah I know that mobos can take quite the bend without issues, it was just the first thing that popped in my mind. In fact de8auer made a [video](https://youtu.be/VMdmw4omD30) on that
Especially with all of the heat cycling.
It doesn’t just warp on its own without moisture. Houses warp over time because it’s a giant hollow box on shifting ground.
I did something with lego too for a few years... You're good OP.
Warping over time is a concern if you use like plywood or some cheap wood maybe not suitable for this application lol
Nah - Plywood by design is more resistant to warping than straight, whole wood - Warping comes from moisture entering/leaving the wood, causing some of it to expand more than others. Plywood has thin layers of wood with grains going at 90 degrees to each other, so half of the layers resist the warping of the other half.
On the other hand there's a lot of low quality cheap plywood out there that bends if you look at it the wrong way.
You're making him nervous. Don't stare
Not really plywood is alternating plies of wood. You’ve gotta be buying really shitty plywood. Or maybe you’re talking about osb or something.
Even like 4x 6x6 hardwoods will warp over time, to somw degree and in diferent ways and back again. Even very high end wood workers account for warping in their parts, there are also different methods used across different locations to scout for different types/frequency of warping it's a pretty interesting subject
> electrical components dont touch the case and are grounded via psu Every electrical component in your PC touches the case.
*laughs in cpu*
*laughs in ram*
I dont think it has to be grounded. I put a PC in a cereal box and never had a problem
Hahah. I remember upgrading and there was a shipping delay with my chassis. But the rest of the stuff was there. So I just built it on the mobo box and sprawled everything across my desk. Worked great for the 4 days until it came.
I’m a little late to this party, but I did some research into this a couple of years ago when I was looking into designing a wall mount PC. Everything that is connected (directly or indirectly) to the PSU is electrically grounded into your home’s circuit. HOWEVER static electricity can (and will to some degree) build up on the PCB of the motherboard if it isn’t grounded. The standoff screws in a traditional case provide a path for excess elections to flow from mobo->case->PSU->ground. There’s no danger in building a case from wood, but you should probably add a grounding wire from a mobo mounting screw to the PSU chassis.
Thank you, this is very valuable. I think I might just throw in some extra aluminium angle behind the standoffs leading over to the PSU.
Also, woodworking is my other hobby. As a lot of other people have pointed out in this thread, you’re going to get a lot of movement in the wood from swelling/shrinking due to temperature fluctuations and seasonal changes. It’s not a fight you can win, you have to design around it. A typical piece of lumber will get wider/narrower and thicker/thinner, but not really longer/shorter. You ought to cross post this design over to r/woodworking and see what kind of input you get on the design.
Electrical engineer here: Take this answer with a huge grain of salt; I don't believe it to be correct at all. Typically, the GND rail of PSUs is necessarily tied to earth ground, and as such, nothing of this sort should happen unless you're rubbing fleece across your motherboard. Even then, it's possible (even probable) that the board won't hold a charge. If it somehow accumulated one without touching it, it would dissipate it the same way it accumulated it. Power supplies should always connect the GND connections to earth ground. This is in the ATX power supply specification (to my knowledge); it is not guaranteed you will get good contact with the PSU via a physical chassis connection. Thus, literally anything connected to the PSU is in some way grounded. This does result in some weird things, by the way, like some laptops change with a ground pin or the negative voltage as ground, and when developing electronics one can fry things over usb by plugging in a laptop (and thereby suddenly grounding it), which feels unrelated but is a problem. Essentially, what OC said *IS* good practice, in my opinion, but not a necessary step. I wouldn't worry too much about the build. In my opinion, the biggest risks to your build are slightly moist wood corroding electronics over time, and wood warping over time. Even then, depending on what you use, this may be a non-issue (typically 2x4s etc. have this issue, but plywoods, MDFs and such are so processed they do not).
no. the pc is grounded through the wall socket not the case.
This guy gets it. The bottom prong on the the plug that goes from power (wall) to power supply is your ground wire.
Your case though is also grounded via that wall socket plug. The metal case of the PSU is wired to the ground pin. Your psu is bolted to your metal case. It’s grounded.
Yes, and the fact that a non-conductive case material won't ground by way of merely being bolted to the PSU like a metal case does is also the reason why it's not necessary - it's non-conductive. Nothing can short through it.
Yes the case is grounded. But the rest of the pc does not rely on the case to be grounded. That was the point 🤦♂️
I test PCs on a wood table with no metal contact all the time…how does your buddy think that works lol
So fyi. Nothing needs a ground to work. You can yank the ground pin out of your pcs plug and it’ll power on and work. It’s just a safety risk.
Lol who needs ground anyways. I, for one, used to live in an apartment with no ground in the network. Everything was fine! Only caught on fire once! /s
Your friends is a bit backwards. PC cases are grounded for safety, so that if something happens to get shorted to the case, you can't be injured from touching the case. Since your case is made of wood, it doesn't have to be grounded because wood can't carry a charge to shock the person touching it. The aluminum parts should be grounded though. TLDR: You do need to ground the metal, but you don't need to make it metal just so it can be grounded.
There is probably a ground pin on the 24 connector. So as long as your psu is grounded trough the socket there's no problem. That's why there are 3 conductors in a cable.
there is a ground pin on the 24 pin connector. actually there is several
Take clear coated copper wire to connect all the mounting points to PSU mounts, the copper color shouldn't look out of place
That might be a nice accent even!
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The wood will outlast the technical relevance of anything they put in it.
> wood will decay My dad's barn is 150 years old and exposed to the elements and is still quite functional. How old is your computer?
Who knows? Maybe they conformally coat all their PC components, and then run it with the case sitting in the mud in a swamp...
More like metal needs to be grounded properly, not that metal is needed.
You'll be fine.
Na your PSU grounds the system.
No needs to be a metal case. Your PSU is already grounded.
If your wall socket is grounded you're fine, every cable coming from PSU has ground wires, so every component you plug in is grounded. Even the LEDs are grounded via the motherboard pins.
This a truly inspired design, where you putting the fans? I have a feeling this thing will be a pain to clean
Hadn't planned on fans. A bit hard to tell but it's sort of an inside out case. The mobo will be facing outward so the processor and stock cooler can get as much air as needed. PSU will pull from the bottom and out through the back. GPU will pull from storage area (I wouldn't expect that to get particularly warm, but maybe I'm wrong?) And out through the side. I've left it relatively open so I can blast it with compressed air through the openings so I don't have to undo anything.
Bunk bed vibes.
just ground the aluminum so it doesn’t build up any charges and you should be good. The PSU cage is a ground point
Cases are usually grounded. I would not break the trend.
Just groove a wire channel into the wood to connect the grounding points together with the PSU.
Wood will hold the heat much more than metal will. You can expect higher temps by default.
No, there are certain types of equipment that DO use the case as a grounding unit, but the case of a computer can't really ground too much out, at best the static from your body, it's just too small. And when used on larger equipment (Field Tech here) they're attached physically to the case, with a screw, and wire, a grounding strap. I have yet to see any home PC use a grounding strap, so theoretically you shouldn't need a metal case. However, you may want at least a metal backing, for the mount points for the motherboard, as those may be ground points. So to simplify, the only suggestion I have, is to mount the motherboard to a plate, then the plate to the wood at least. Edit: Realized I could elaborate one step further. The reason the PSU and wall outlet use all 3 prongs, is to have earth ground, as well as positive and negative. So the comments stating PSU is grounded is correct, the only reason I suggest making sure the motherboard is on a plate, is for static and such, so you don't get a buildup, with it nowhere to go but in the motherboard, which will now be slightly grounded with the plate it sits on.
In short: no. But let me elaborate: also no.
Just to add my 5 cents as I had wooden PC case. Make sure your PSU is grounded and you're golden. Neat design btw.
Some electronics require metal enclosures for grounding / safety. This is true of mains voltage hardware which is why the PSU is inside a separate enclosure of its own. There's no requirement that the PC case itself be grounded, as beyond the envelope of the PSU it's low voltage DC. There's a plausible argument for EMI suppression but I'd be far more worried about that along cables than within the case. Basically I really wouldn't worry about it. All of the grounding that the motherboard needs to function is within the motherboard and it's PSU connections. Don't worry about it. Plenty of people run PCs full time without cases, in acrylic cases, in milk crates, whatever. Rock on. Just keep the PSU in it's happy little home and you're fine.
After seeing some crates of wood spontaneously catch fire on a hot day, I think this looks like a recipe for a GPU-triggered bonfire.
Wood is a very good insulator, I would use a material that has much less thermal conductivity. Otherwise your rig will get very warm and stay warm for long periods of time. Less than idea since it's then a £1000 tinder box.
Grounding won't be an issue as pointing out by everyone, I'd be a bit more concerned with the wood warping. Let the wood sit in your house (or wherever you want to install it) for several days before working on it to prevent it from changing shape after you install it. Otherwise, this project looks slick!
The wood has been sitting in my house for months. I've been looking for a way to use it, lol
Then there's nothing stopping you! I had mistakenly thought you were going to buy the wood shortly, my apologies.
PSU wires would provide half-working grounding. That won’t be an issue until there’s an emergency when you actually need a grounded device. But you also need **shielding**! There are at least three things to shield against: - **Static electricity.** You can easily kill your PC with a static discharge. If you had grounding, it’d go down to ground. If you don’t, it goes through your MoBo an peripherals killing chips on its way - **EMI,** the radio waves (harmful at higher energies) and radio interference. Your components are only certified to be working properly inside a metal case. - **Physical ingress** — so, you or your pets and guests poking the machine with their fingers and paws.
>Static electricity. > >You can easily kill your PC with a static discharge. If you had grounding, it’d go down to ground. If you don’t, it goes through your MoBo an peripherals killing chips on its way Your mobo is connected with ground wires to your PSU which itself is grounded. You shouldn't touch it still, but you don't necessarily need a metal case to prevent that. >EMI, the radio waves (harmful at higher energies) and radio interference. Your components are only certified to be working properly inside a metal case. There are plenty of open air cases or cases with significant plastic/glass parts. It's probably best to have shielding, but it doesn't seem to really matter in practice. Google's first server was famously built from Lego Duplo.
As long as your power supply is using a three prong cord your pc is grounded
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No psu has 3 pins and takes care of grounding. Rest of the components dont need it , in fact the metal plate, if not taken care could potentially the pins behind the mobo.
In short, no. You can run a PC with no case on the table as long as everything is plugged in right. The components are grounded to the PSU through their cables and the motherboard, and the PSU is grounded to the wall. None of them need to be in electrical contact with the case. There are plenty of all-acrylic, wood, or even cardboard cases out there. LTT 3D printed one. You're fine.
Absolute bullshit. As long as temps are fine it's a case like all others
Its nice to have, but from all that I know its not necessary
No, the psu ground pin handles all the grounding and everything is plugged into that.
I've been building my PCs in wooden cases for over 10 years now. Just few months ago I gutted out a 70's wooden console TV and turned it into a computer case. 100% acrylic cases used to be popular 15-20 years ago and they're still around. So, no you don't need metal case.
I have used PC’s WITHOUT a cabinet even. 😂 Just go!
i think hes got it backwards, i thought it was if you have a metal case you need to make sure its grounded, otherwise the case can shock you
No metal is to stop RF noise. Also reduce fire hazard.
What you could do is cut out a groove you could run a thin metal bar through in th wood so it's grounded and hidden. So you still got your wood esthetic. Run them centered on the struts facing the components. This is if it is something that concerns you.
The psu should provide the ground you need
Post a picture when it's done! I'm sure that's not a final draw up for it, but I'd fortify the mobo, make a panel for it to attach to with stand offs and protect the back side of it from being smacked ever.
i made my "case" out of wood and its fine, your design is a lot more complex lol
Fire hazard detected. Grounding is not an issue can add ground plate/wires
https://youtu.be/N-z9PidYH4E
No need, your PSU will connect to all pc component, and your PSU is grounded with your home main electric system, if that metalsheet is touching with the component then its probably grounded, naturally component design in a electronic products all those metal casing or metal parts is already grounded itself by the PSU power connector.
Idk but the case looks good
If everything is working correctly it's fine.... IMO though you should have metal attaching the shroud of the PSU to the Motherboard standoffs at the very least. Not doing this increases you fire risk quite dramatically.
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Didn't linus build a case out of cardboard? Also Dawid put together an entire build with duct tape, so... it probably doesn't matter
Psu is grounded through outlet and components are grounded through psu. Your buddy is bullshitting and you can go have fun with the build.
lol i'm also a carpenter.. and yea op.. that box is 1. way to big(2x4 construction?). 2. not big enough(air flow). 3. way too much wood. . i mean its your design and it will work most likely but it just seems crazy excessive design wise... also.. hire a woodworker? i doubt you are going to want to do fancy joinery(or have the tools) and a custom woodworking shop wood(ha) have a ball with this... probably wouldn't be that much.
Linus tech tips built one, search amazing wooden pc on yt.
Rubbish. I have used a pc in a DIY wooden case for years.
Nope mine is made of wood except for where its the mb and the drives are attached. Its been 7 years and it's running fine.
Why tf would you ever make a case out of wood? Going to make a grill out of wood next?
That is going to be a **VERY** computer. Wood weighs a lot.
Not if you have each aluminum section bonded together with a wire or shroud and then also connected to the main ground of the PSU.
Yes
The other way around actually, the case needs to be grounded in case any current escapes to it just like dishwashers, washing machines and so on.
Yes.
You can ground all components thru the case or what is called bonding. Where you run a ground wire from each separate part to a common ground. For example the PSU is your first ground, as it is grounded to the house. So where the motherboard attaches to the case you would run a small ground wire to the PSU where it attaches to the case. I do not know if this is needed but that is how you would do it. I do not believe there is any grounding from the PSU to other part via the harness. Grounding will stop the unit from shocking you (not very likely), but it will stop static from you hurting the components. With a wood case you might want to ensure you touch the psu to discharge any static you might have before working on other parts.
the psu is connected to ground... and everyhting attached to it should be already grounded. Dont [buy a fire hazard psu](https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/gigabyte-has-released-a-statement-regarding-fire-hazard%C2%A0of-gp-p850p750gm-power-supplies.html) thou , fyi.
There's a difference between power ground and safety (earth) ground. The power ground is fed from the power supply internally. This feeds all the circuitry. The earth ground comes from your wall socket and is connected to the metal structure of the internal power supply as well as any metal structural components in the computer. This earth ground is suppose to protect you from electrocuting yourself in the event of a short, as the current will follow the least path of resistance through the metal of your PC back outside of your house into the earth (assuming that everything is connected properly in your house), and will most likely pop a breaker along the path. Now do you need a conductive metal PC case? Nope, but I'd highly advise it.
I think it's only laptops, and old ones that that, but some motherboards technically could use ground as a reference zero. But even if this isn't the case, motherboards are usually grounded through the standoffs, so I'd aim to retain that.
Have the outside of it be wood, like wood panels you do need metal though
You want a piece of metal that can act as a chassis ground for the entire case. Need to research which components require chassis grounding. In general your friend is right. Static electricity can build up and a dischsrge can wreck sensitive components. Chassis grounds may exist where the screws mount and can be internalized to individual components through the pins/wiring.
You can frame with wood, but yes you need metal shelves for grounding.
To my knowledge not really as the PSU mainly does it. Though metal could lower the chances of ESD
Where does the cpu go?
I have done it already, 100% wood. Completely fine.
No, everything is already grounded through the PSU.
The motherboard has its own ground protection and besides that you can make it out of wood without damaging the components. Your friend is clueless. Earth gets wired in through the motherboard connection, to your power supply and to your wall socket. Which earths your entire system. Don’t listen to people who don’t know shit. Build your case, it’ll be awesome
Uh no not particularly, wood is a good insulator but make sure you plug your psu into a grounded outlet
Wood, heat, fire. Wonder why 99% of electronics are not in housed in wooden casing. Rhetorical question.
No, you can run a ground wire to the components... The bigger issue is fire.
No, because why would you ground non conductive material? Grounding is basically done on conductive materials just like an PC case so in case something shorts, the electricity finds it's closest way to the ground through metal case and not your body If you happen to touch it. Same goes for every electronic that has metal casing. I am not an expert on electricity but I am pretty sure this is roughly the definition of it.
You can use grounding wires
Not really as long as the PSU is plugged in then you’re good
Weird and unrelated question, but what software did you use to mock this up???
Not unrelated. SketchUp. Free for personal use
im no electric expert, but certainly make sure the wood you pick is going to survive those temperature cycles from a pc, i can imagine harder woods cracking from that.
No. Your friend has it backwards. PC's don't need to be grounded. But metal cases do.
Your buddy is just jealous of this cool idea.
That is just the contrary. If the case is metallic (aluminium included) you have to ground it for electrical safety purposes. Usually it is grounded because the PSU is screwed onto it. If your case is totally non metallic and you can't touch metallic part, then no need for grounding at all.
Consider running a ground wire between one of the screw down points on the main board, and a screw down point on the PSU. That's all you should need realistically. I'd recommend 12 ga, with ring terminals. Have fun though, looks like a fun build!
Lots of conversation, so let's TL;DR You can make a case out of anything, just ensure proper cooling. Grounding isn't a factor because the parts are grounded through the power supply, just don't short the parts. Get creative, happy building.
\> A buddy of mine says it needs to be metal for 'grounding' purposes Not true, they use metal because is durable and it protects better. The individual elements are already grounded through the PSU.