pc/computer in the garage

[LoanRebel]

looking for pictures/ideas on a pc in the garage. i am just looking for some alternative mounting/storing solutions? any idea or pics would be very helpful!!

 

[gtivr4]

There was just a thread on this, but I couldn't find it, so here are a bunch more:

http://www.google.com/search?q=ompu...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

 

[LoanRebel]

thanks gtivr4 & i think you just taught me a new tool. i didn't know i could do a google search like that of a website

 

[NitroPress]

Keep the system unit in a reasonably filtered but ventilated compartment.

Get a keyboard "skin" or just replace a cheap keyboard every year or so.

Consider the monitor disposable, as you can't cover it or protect it very well from particles, fumes, etc.

 

[383 240z]

I just drag my lap top out with me, I run iTunes from it, and look up whatever I need as well. any decent wireless router sould get you decent signal in the shop. Mine is about 250' from the router. Keith

 

[doctorlivingstone]

LoanRebel -
I've had a computer in the garage for nearly ten years, just not the same computer. I usually cycle an older system out to the garage as I replace them inside.

After an HP and Sony desktop, and Dell laptop, I've currently got a <a href=http://support.apple.com/kb/TA26058?viewlocale=en_US>Power Mac G4cube</a> (desktop circa 2001) and matching LCD monitor. Not the fastest setup, but plenty for my use. In addition to the Power Mac cube being IMO the greatest design ever for a computer, its small footprint, its uniqueness, and - equally as important - it doesn't have a fan so it wont inhale any dust dirt etc that needs to be cleaned out. I can send you - or try to post pictures if interested.

I had an old HP desktop that I removed completely from the case and mounted the motherboard and drives on the underside of a cabinet in all their nakedness. I've put an LCD on a hinge and rotated it up and under the cabinet when not in use, helped keep it free from dust and dirt.

If you have room in an enclosed workbench or table you could certainly keep your computer there as well.

Keyboards are cheap, you could just resign yourself to getting a new one when needed. A skin on the keyboard is another alternative, and so it a flexible keyboard that you can roll up and put away, but touch typing on those is out of the question.

Pick up a usb cordless mouse and you'll be able to use it on pretty much any surface.

monitors are pretty cheap these days, LCD takes up far less space, doesn't generate the heat or power consumption of a tube. (if you can even find a tube monitor these days)

I've had both wired and wireless setups, sometimes wired are not practical, but if it works I'd go Ethernet wired, which is what I'm currently using.

Aside from using my Mac to look up diagrams, parts lists, stream the audio on a football or baseball game, it's also my music server connected to a Marantz receiver and 4 speakers (Klipsch and B&W).

Hope this gives you some ideas.

 

[PCO6]

looking for pictures/ideas on a pc in the garage. i am just looking for some alternative mounting/storing solutions? any idea or pics would be very helpful!!

Mine is mounted on a small tool box. The screen sits on top and I have a flexible rubberized key board on the fold down front cover of the tool box. The tower is mounted on a shelf to the left just out of the picture. My stool is stored under the bench. The tool box drawers are handy for the usual things you would store in a desk (pens, pencils, note paper, calculator, scales, etc.).

 

[NitroPress]

Just an addendum, monitor mounting arms are relatively cheap if you search the back listings of Amazon etc. You can dispense with the stand and position the monitor anywhere you like, even push it out of the way entirely, for $20-30. I've gone entirely to mounting arms instead of stands and it's cleared up a whole passel of desktop space issues, not to mention giving me a lot more flexibility to position multiple monitors.

Look at stuff from VideoSecu - extremely well built, adaptable and cheap.

 

[mooseracing]

I went with a low power mini-itx setup. No fans and it uses a power brick like a laptop. It also has a very small footprint and is just fine for streaming music and surfing the web for diagrams, etc.

 

[jr2]

Have had a pc in my shop for over 12 years... Don't expect any of them to live forever but they will do fine. The power supplies are the first to go. You can blow it out every once and a while. I have a piece of filter screen on the intake of the tower that slows down the big pieces. Mine is hardwired Ethernet run underground in conduit 120' from my house. I have a wireless router which allows me wifi inside my sheetmetal shop since signal is poor otherwise. It will work great for looking up info on the web, streaming music as well as passing the time on a few forums now and then. I use a wireless keyboard and mouse combo (left in the picture) that is put away when not in use. The tower is stored on the bottom shelf of my Entertainment unit in the shop. I use the "FREE" XBR TV's DVI/HDMI input with a convertor for the computers screen. My deal is I use the TV for satellite and computer use. When I have my car guys over I kick on a screen saver on the 40" screen with TONS of cool car pictures & afew girlie pics scattered in for fun factor. It's all on wheels and rolls against the wall when not in use.

Someday when everyone is giving away flat panel 40" tv's I'll mount one on the wall with an arm.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

I have a couple ViewSonic Vot132's. Have one hooked up to my tv and the other hooked in the garage.
It's super tiny and I think personally a perfect solution for a pc in the garage. It's a super small profile, almost thin client small if not as small...

Mine are black, but I have the one mounted on the side of my work table. Wireless mouse and keyboard, then just get a monitor as stated above mounted on an arm so you can move it. I plan on mounting my 40lcd in the garage on the one wall simply because it's a spare tv we have and I think it will be cool..lol Then I can ditch the lcd on the arm approach with the current 20".

-Nigel

 

[LoanRebel]

thanks for all the ideas and input. i swing arm mounted a 17" which i like. the box itself, for now i put under the work bench. it's working & my wifi is working. However like everything else in the garage it will be in perpetual motion!!!

 

[BigAl62]

One thing to consider is the temperature and humidity levels in your garage. High temps and humidity can wreak havoc on a computer! I just bring my laptop out with me and bring it back in the house when I'm done. Just my 2 cents worth of free advice.

 

[regguy1]

Here's my "office"

 

[NUTTSGT]

There was just a thread on this, but I couldn't find it, so here are a bunch more:

http://www.google.com/search?q=ompu...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

The second thread is the one I started as a joke.

 

[Mad40er]

I have a couple ViewSonic Vot132's. Have one hooked up to my tv and the other hooked in the garage.
It's super tiny and I think personally a perfect solution for a pc in the garage. It's a super small profile, almost thin client small if not as small...

Mine are black, but I have the one mounted on the side of my work table. Wireless mouse and keyboard, then just get a monitor as stated above mounted on an arm so you can move it. I plan on mounting my 40lcd in the garage on the one wall simply because it's a spare tv we have and I think it will be cool..lol Then I can ditch the lcd on the arm approach with the current 20".

-Nigel

Holy expensiveness batman!

 

[suprvee]

Word of caution... If you take a desktop into the shop; keep it behind a UPS or a power/line conditioner. Most desktop computers consume about 200 to 500 watts of power (with monitor), and constant power sags from turning on power tools can degrade the pc's power supply.

I keep a laptop in the garage though. Love being able to search for tutorials and other "educational" materials when no ones around.

 

[doctorlivingstone]

Absoooolutely, those "educational" materials can be hard to find and need to be viewed multiple times . . .

 

[V-10 Killer]

As cheap as Best Buy sells laptop computers, I just picked one up on sale for a few hundred dollars for use out there. I keep all my I-tunes music on it, plus all my reloading software and my datalogging/programming software for my racecar. I wasn't sure if my wireless router would reach the detached garage so I just ran a cat-5 cable from the router in the house. Nice thing about it obviously is that I can take it into the house and tinker on it at any time. Either way works

 

[Steves32]

Laptop in garage, wireless router at PC in office

 

[dankicksass]

When I'm at a car I use a cheap laptop, Apple everywhere else. I used to use a Mac for diagnostics but it was a pain in the *** taking it to Windows every time. I just got a few refurb Macs from Geeks.com, no complaints. Definitely not the most cost effective brand on the face of it, but for me they've always been great and lasted much longer than HP or Dell so the extra cost is worth it.

 

[wintermute]

…it's also my music server connected to a Marantz receiver and 4 speakers (Klipsch and B&W)…

You have B&W's in your garage!? I guess I shouldn't be too shocked, I've been halfway thinking about a couple LMs out there.

 

[Tufftoy]

Here is my setup, don't use it too much in the summer, gets pretty hot, but it's there when I need it!

 

[pontifex4]

Here is my setup, don't use it too much in the summer, gets pretty hot, but it's there when I need it!

How did you route the power cord?

 

[mdbeck1]

How did you route the power cord?

It looks like it runs off the left side of the screen, behind the left side of the foam, then up and over the back of the drawer. I'd guess from there it connects to the back of the box and down and out the bottom/back to an outlet.

So am I close????

 

[peelman]

Word of caution... If you take a desktop into the shop; keep it behind a UPS or a power/line conditioner. Most desktop computers consume about 200 to 500 watts of power (with monitor), and constant power sags from turning on power tools can degrade the pc's power supply.

I keep a laptop in the garage though. Love being able to search for tutorials and other "educational" materials when no ones around.

500W? sweet jeesus, what are you powering?

Agreed on the UPS though. Let it take the abuse and deliver a steady 120V to the equipment.

 

[Tufftoy]

How did you route the power cord?

The power cord is neatly tucked away behing the drawers (zip tie heaven), with the main plug-in going through a hole in the bottom of the box to the wall. Allowed enough slack in the cord from the computer to the transformer? to allow the drawer to open fully. Holes in the bottom of the drawer allow for beatheability for the computer.

 

[pontifex4]

The power cord is neatly tucked away behing the drawers (zip tie heaven), with the main plug-in going through a hole in the bottom of the box to the wall. Allowed enough slack in the cord from the computer to the transformer? to allow the drawer to open fully. Holes in the bottom of the drawer allow for beatheability for the computer.

That's a great idea. Thank you!

 

[jeffmoss26]

All my computer stuff lives in my basement workshop...I have an old sound rack with a couple switches and 2 servers. I keep my laptop on my desk with a separate monitor, mouse, and keyboard for when I have to fix computers on the bench.
In another post, I mentioned the washable keyboards we use here at work for really dirty and oily environments and I really recommend them!

 

[KCarGuy]

I Have an Old Industrial metal "Tanker Desk" that I use as my Garage Office Desk...The Left side opens up and used to hold a Mechanical spring loaded drawer for a heavy Typewriter...It has since been removed and holds An Old HP Desktop tower inside.
The Desk has a Rubber top that I drilled a hole through, that the cords and cables come out. The only thing on the desk is a Flat Screen Monitor, keyboard and mouse.
(and some cheap computer speakers)
It has been working great for at least the last 5 years out there.

 

[kf4zht]

I work IT so my slightly geeky solution was grab a couple unwanted thin clients from the office ($20-30 on ebay if bought) and use one of my test servers as the terminal server. I mounted the monitor with a $15 Wal-Mart tv mount. Any windows computer can act as a terminal server, so if you have a house computer you don't need the server.

No fans or moving parts to get clogged, long life, low power and tiny to mount. With how cheap you can get used ones I can kill 1 a year and stay ahead of the game

 

[frank_c]

i just take my Acer netbook out to the garage when i need it. mostly to stream Sirius but sometimes to pull up a factory service manual or a tutorial on the net.

 

[Thirsty]

My computer desk is a tablesaw!

 

[canuckian]

I just bring an iPad out with me. Put my old 54g wireless router as high and as close to the back wall of the house as possible. It's about 75 feet from there to the shop.Not optimal but it's a connection. Thinking on getting an extreme n-router when they go on sale. either that or shallow bury a cat 6 out there.

 

[Motofixxer]

I definitely recommend hardwiring...gives you future proof ability and much better signal transfer for the "educational materials" or whatever you need to look up. Be sure to pull one or two extra runs of Cat 6 or 5e just because you might find a use for them later. Like a security sensor or a camera or... Second best is a "N" router. I went from a barely existing but unusable "G" signal to a half strength "N" very useable signal. I still have a hardwired connection though just because.

You could also place a computer in a cabinet etc. You can purchase PC case fan grills and filters to be used on ventilation holes drilled in the cabinet if needed. Use desk plastic grommets to run cords out of cabinet etc.

 

[Kalstar]

looking for pictures/ideas on a pc in the garage. i am just looking for some alternative mounting/storing solutions? any idea or pics would be very helpful!!

Not the best photo, but IKEA sells these fold down/hide away laptop and electronic storage cabinets. They look well put together for only $59 and well worth the money. A $100.00 wireless "ebay" labtop and a $59.00 hide away non-dust collector cabinet. Open the door which lowers to a table and pull up your stool. Works perfect for what I want.