i'm about to start to build a pj, my first, and have been scanning through the posts and researching.

I've noticed that most of the designs use 3/4" thick stock for the case. Why? Someone made a haas_man case out of oak; seems that you could use 1/2 or even 3/8th stock? Seems to me that would cut down on the weight of the unit significantly.

I've got a couple of different uses for a pj that I'd like to build, and therefore, it would be handy to be able to move it around easily; that's why weight is king for an issue for me.

Then I got thinking that the more i move it, the better the chance that my fumbly fingers would drop it. Which further instigated thoughts of how well the LCD (the most expensive part) would fare in a rapid-g deceleration. Has anyone experimented, or had any ideas on, shock mounting this component?

thanks in advance
-d-

Don't use wood. Go buy some thin aluminum or steel sheet if you're handy with that sort of thing. Just be careful of your wiring/grounding and you'll be fine with metal, you just need a jig to bend it in, a pair of aviation snips to cut it with and a rivet gun and some pop rivets. Or a spot welder, but those might be a bit expensive.

Or you could use some birch plywood to cover it (I think its birch, don't quote me though) like they used to use in airplanes. That stuff is hella strong and thin and light. Then you could build an internal frame out of a good strong hardwood.

The metal frame will dissapate heat better though, but most people aren't very comfortable working with sheet metal, so that may not be your thing.

I doubt anyone has experimented with their several hundred dollar LCD by dropping it, but I am sure the manufacturers predicted these things happening and they can withstand a little bit. But if you shock mounted it with some rubber or dense foam it would be fine and it would isolate the LCD from the vibrations created by any fans you have running.