Custom Computer Hardware Test Bench : by AmericanFreak

The test bench will have two shelf and I went with some store bought 90 degree angle brackets. 

This part of the build was changed later on… 

So my idea is to have the testing part the bench simulate a PCcase. This meant that it needs to be enclosed and I went with 1/4 Lexan to do this. The top would have to be able to move out of the way so that I could check the hardware and switch things around. Making it clear means that I could watch how the hardware would look and work in a case. 

I took a large sheet and cut it to the size of the frame. I clamped it so that I could heat it up and bench it to the shape of the test bench.

I started using a heat gun but quickly found that I could not get enough heat over the Lexan all at the same time. I could heat up one area but the other area would start to cool down. This meant more heat! I grabbed my portable torch and began to really apply some heat to it. This took a while but I was able to get the Lexan to soften up and I was able to get my bend.

Once I did that I place it on the bench and maked where the MB would sit and cut out the place for all the expansion cards and ports could be located on a mother board.

Not to bad…but not good….if you look at the top right in the above pic you can see that the edge got to hot and bubbled. This has OK as I could do something to hide that, but what I found out later was that having to lift the top on and off like a lid was a real pain the butt! This would later be changed to a much better idea as you will see.