I guess people don't realize that even though the outside of most prebuilt systems these days are plastic, they are lined with steel, not only for structural integrity but for RF shielding.
Interference from cell phones, microwaves, or motor based appliances will cause very strange problems like reboots. Also the computers themselves are a source of interference to other devices. Here's an experiment you can do yourself with two PC's. Open the side covers of each, and aim the openings of them at each other. You're likely to see weird things start happening, although it may take some time.
This could be resolved by adding a layer of metal foil to the inside of the cardboard and then attaching it to the systems ground plane.
Eh, the first computer that was "mine" (as apposed my family's) lived the first few months of its life in a cardboard box. At the time I chatted quite a bit with my buddy down the street using CB radio (I'm a ham now so it pains me to admit that), so I'm fairly certain I exposed that computer to higher doses of EMI than most people do. Never had a problem with it.
Also, most modern day computer cases are made out of the cheapest thinnest al that they could find, I really doubt that it's doing much to shield anything.
CB operate in the upper HF range (~25Mhz), much lower than your CPU(1-3Ghz) or RAM (500+Mhz) cellphones and microwaves both opperate in the low Ghz range and are much more likely to interfere. I have had PCs with slow ram do odd things near my 440Mhz radio when they were open.
For those looking for a device strictly for reading, the new Kobo is a nice little option. It's small enough to slip into a pocket, can do more with a PDF than the competition, and at $129, it's $10 cheaper than both the Nook and Kindle WiFi.
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2 words. electromagnetic interference.
That's a lot of syllables for two words.
Exactly!
I was about to comment this myself.
I guess people don't realize that even though the outside of most prebuilt systems these days are plastic, they are lined with steel, not only for structural integrity but for RF shielding.
Interference from cell phones, microwaves, or motor based appliances will cause very strange problems like reboots. Also the computers themselves are a source of interference to other devices. Here's an experiment you can do yourself with two PC's. Open the side covers of each, and aim the openings of them at each other. You're likely to see weird things start happening, although it may take some time.
This could be resolved by adding a layer of metal foil to the inside of the cardboard and then attaching it to the systems ground plane.
Eh, the first computer that was "mine" (as apposed my family's) lived the first few months of its life in a cardboard box. At the time I chatted quite a bit with my buddy down the street using CB radio (I'm a ham now so it pains me to admit that), so I'm fairly certain I exposed that computer to higher doses of EMI than most people do. Never had a problem with it.
Also, most modern day computer cases are made out of the cheapest thinnest al that they could find, I really doubt that it's doing much to shield anything.
CB operate in the upper HF range (~25Mhz), much lower than your CPU(1-3Ghz) or RAM (500+Mhz) cellphones and microwaves both opperate in the low Ghz range and are much more likely to interfere. I have had PCs with slow ram do odd things near my 440Mhz radio when they were open.
Also, the thickness does not make that much difference with RF, as long as it encloses the components, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage