I have seen myself working on a growing number of projects over the past few months. The one thing I have started to dislike is seeing the circuit board (and often my messy soldering) after I consider my project complete.
I would like to start putting my projects inside small project boxes/enclosures, but have noticed that items dedicated for this purpose are often overpriced for just a plastic box. I was wondering if people here had any tips with regards to what they use to encase their finished work. I am open to constructing simple boxes as well, which have the added advantage of being customizable. Any tips there would be appreciated as well (i.e. what material you use, overview of construction method, etc.)
Best Answer
One popular and traditional hacker enclosure has been the classic metal Altoids peppermint can - to the extent that some products and prototyping PCBs are shaped to precisely fit one.
For more examples, see a toy, an amplifier and another, a sound generator, a USB charger, one could go on all day.
A fringe benefit of using a metal can like the Altoids, is EMI / RFI reduction, both emission from poorly designed circuits, and from the outside into the circuit.
For smaller circuits, round metal shoe polish cans are popular, and again qualify as "EMI-Safe Device Enclosure".
Another "hacker's standard" that has been around for decades is the wooden cigar box. They're sometimes found at garage sales or the scrapyard, in a variety of sizes and designs. My favorite are the ones with a double hinge, and a little metal latch in the front. Back in college, I built myself a bench power supply in a big cigar box, that is still around somewhere.
The fringe benefit of wooden cigar boxes is protection from electrical accidents when working with main line power input to your device.
A third standard go-to option in cases where robustness is not a concern, is the small Pringles or other potato crisps cardboard can. They're especially convenient for cutting holes in, for sockets and connectors. The 2 to 3 inch height and diameter make such boxes useful for circuits with a transformer in them, such as non-switched (good old) power supplies.
Finally, plastic enclosures aren't necessarily expensive: You can sometimes pick up assorted sizes in lots of 5 or 10 from eBay for under 1 US$ a box, and manufacturers offer a variety of standard enclosures starting in the $3 range, probably cheaper if you search around.