Help me design a locking display?

[38special]

All right - here's the scoop:

I sell laptops, some in a consignment shop environment. I need to make a locking display and my idea is to do so on a standard folding table. Some ventilation would be good, but it basically needs to lock (and have a key) as well as display running laptops to potential customers.

Any ideas?

Here's the general idea, and I really wanted to show off my AWESOME photoshop (actually, microsoft paint) skills.

Thanks in advance!

 

[38special]

Any ideas?

 

[Mr. Habib]

Will this sit on the table, or be attached somehow? I'm thinking a box made from sheets of plexiglass screwed to the table from underneath. One side could be hinged across the top with a lock going into the table top. It would be easy to drill or cut holes or notches for ventilation and for cords and such.

 

[revsaxon]

Ventilation is going to be crazy important in that setup you designed. (assuming they are on, if they are off its a moot issue). Laptops pump out a LOT of heat and in an enclosed environment will rapidly get to a dangerous level. Fun experiment, put one in a cardboard box and try running it for 30-40 mins...

 

[tyler34]

for ventilation take a couple CPU fans one on each end. one pushing air the other pulling, that should help with airflow.

 

[38special]

Will this sit on the table, or be attached somehow? I'm thinking a box made from sheets of plexiglass screwed to the table from underneath. One side could be hinged across the top with a lock going into the table top. It would be easy to drill or cut holes or notches for ventilation and for cords and such.

I would like it to be attached. The main idea is a simple theft prevention setup. Obviously it's not going to be perfect, but mostly to make it more difficult to steal them.

That would probably work, but I've never worked with plexiglass (though I'm sure I could do it). How do you fasten the sheets together?

Ventilation is going to be crazy important in that setup you designed. (assuming they are on, if they are off its a moot issue). Laptops pump out a LOT of heat and in an enclosed environment will rapidly get to a dangerous level. Fun experiment, put one in a cardboard box and try running it for 30-40 mins...

See below.

for ventilation take a couple CPU fans one on each end. one pushing air the other pulling, that should help with airflow.

That's something I thought about. I do intend for the laptops to be running, so some CPU fans flowing in cool air and out hot air should certainly help.

 

[revsaxon]

for ventilation take a couple CPU fans one on each end. one pushing air the other pulling, that should help with airflow.

Don't do this. CPU fans are reaaalllly loud. Something like a 120mm computer fan would work way beter and are whisper quiet.

 

[snowrs]

If you have a table saw, a bit of 80/20 and some fasteners would be an easy way to connect the plexiglas.

 

[Mr. Habib]

I would like it to be attached. The main idea is a simple theft prevention setup. Obviously it's not going to be perfect, but mostly to make it more difficult to steal them.

That would probably work, but I've never worked with plexiglass (though I'm sure I could do it). How do you fasten the sheets together?

In the past, at work, we've used plexiglass shavings, dissolved in methyl ethyl ketone as a glue for plexiglass, but it would be much easier, cheaper, and less messy, to drill and tap the pieces and screw them together. To cut it, a fine tooth blade works well.

 

[Scutter01]

Why bother with an enclosure? Why not just use standard Kensington laptop locks? Almost all laptops have built-in connectors for one and then you can tether them directly to your table with the anti-theft cables.

Keyed Locks - Kensington Keyed Locks

 

[nfolsom13]

all you need is plexi-glass and some angled aluminium very easy to do.

ill draw somthing up

 

[jmiller676]

all you need is plexi-glass and some angled aluminium very easy to do.

ill draw somthing up

Thinking the same thing, although I won't be able to do it until later....


Solidworks? Inventor? AutoCAD?

 

[snowman46919]

Why not just stand behind them while open carrying? Personally I would do what they do at shows, make a frame that will fit most standard laptops with a center strip that sandwiches the bottom half to the table and is hinged on one side and locked on the other end.

 

[Brandon]

peice of c channel metal (big enough for lap tops to slide in and out) at one end of the table (prob the side the customers are on. and either a bar the length of the table or a couple shorter ones with a lock on the end. the bar would run acrossed where the hinge from the laptop's display meets the mother board area.

simple, easy, and you can still show them off really easy.

 

[nfolsom13]

Solidworks? Inventor? AutoCAD?

i use illistrator with cad add ons lol

i was thinking something like this...

black squares are hinges and the circles are airways

 

[nfolsom13]

this is also based on a standard folding table of 30"W x 72"L

also you will need the aluminum angle on all edges .. sorry drew it rather quickly

 

[38special]

Don't do this. CPU fans are reaaalllly loud. Something like a 120mm computer fan would work way beter and are whisper quiet.

Yeah - I think this is what he meant rather than the actual fan attached to the CPU. Many people refer to the entire box as a CPU.

Why bother with an enclosure? Why not just use standard Kensington laptop locks? Almost all laptops have built-in connectors for one and then you can tether them directly to your table with the anti-theft cables.

Keyed Locks - Kensington Keyed Locks

Sounds good in theory, but I tried that. The end result was - they didn't get the lock. Those little holes in laptops are way too easy to break and they still got away with my laptop.

this is also based on a standard folding table of 30"W x 72"L

also you will need the aluminum angle on all edges .. sorry drew it rather quickly

Thanks! I'm going to look into this.



The bar idea isn't a bad one either - not sure why I hadn't thought of that - just like they have at Worst Buy.

 

[38special]

Why not just stand behind them while open carrying? Personally I would do what they do at shows, make a frame that will fit most standard laptops with a center strip that sandwiches the bottom half to the table and is hinged on one side and locked on the other end.

It's a consignment shop and I'm not there - they sell the stuff for me.

 

[tyler34]

don't know why I didn't think of this earlier but a WAY simpler solution would be to run a locking bar over the laptops like AT&T does then there would be no worries about overheating.