So I got inspired for Free RPG Day!!!

[Daelkyr]

My wife (Shaerorer here on the forums) announced that our off-again/on-again game group was getting together yesterday to play D&D (4e for those who care). Well, I'd spent the day in Vegas getting my hands on Khyber's Harvest and seeing how she bought me the Eberron Player's Guide for Father's Day, I decided to try something a little different that a battle mat.

So a little wood, nails, super glue, poster frame, and one LCD monitor latter...



We used digital minis and real dice and character sheets. Everyone loved it and we're already looking at making alterations to improve the setup while keeping the basic premise.

P.S. We snapped the shot AFTER the session was over, so this was just a slapdash to get a pic before we put it away for the night.

[Full Bleed]

Cool idea.

One thing you might want to consider is putting in some kind of ventilation for the monitor. LCD's can give off significant heat and I suspect it might get pretty hot behind that plexi-glass. Without some ventilation the shelf-life of the monitor might be significantly diminished.

[keithcurtis]

Cool idea.

One thing you might want to consider is putting in some kind of ventilation for the monitor. LCD's can give off significant heat and I suspect it might get pretty hot behind that plexi-glass. Without some ventilation the shelf-life of the monitor might be significantly diminished.

If you are handy with tools, crenelate the top of the wood, then paint it to look like castle masonry. Put the plexiglass over the top of that and all the crenelations are heat vents.

[Azhrei]

LCD's can give off significant heat and I suspect it might get pretty hot behind that plexi-glass.

Is that really true? My understanding is that most plasma's run at about 700+ watts, LCDs at about 100-120 watts, and DLPs from about 60-100 watts. Obviously, with variations from manu to manu and from size to size.

In that case, it's the equivalent of a 100W light bulb (say) and spread out of a larger area with vents on all sides, I wouldn't expect there to be a huge problem. Of course, it's not my expensive LCD either!

[Full Bleed]

Is that really true? My understanding is that most plasma's run at about 700+ watts, LCDs at about 100-120 watts, and DLPs from about 60-100 watts. Obviously, with variations from manu to manu and from size to size.

In that case, it's the equivalent of a 100W light bulb (say) and spread out of a larger area with vents on all sides, I wouldn't expect there to be a huge problem. Of course, it's not my expensive LCD either!

Some LCD's are significantly hotter than others... my 24 is noticeably hotter than my 19... and I hear the Dell 30's are *really* hot. So, not sure if your 100-watt light bulb example is correct as there are a number of important factors about heat generation and dissipation in LCD's beyond just watt consumption. But, for the sake of argument, in an enclosed space without ventilation even a 100 watt bulb will produce a very hot space not conducive to the health and well being of your gear.

Additionally, most LCD's are engineered to be sitting upright, so any built-in ventilation or cooling solution probably isn't going to function nearly as well laying down to begin with.

Better to be safe than sorry. Keithcurtis has a pretty good solution that would be attractive. But any kind of cross-ventilation would be better than none.

I'd actually consider putting in some active cooling (a 90 mm fan for example) to protect your investment if you went as high as a 30+ inch surface. A 5$ fan paired with a $500 monitor/tv would be a worthwhile investment, imo.

Slots and openings in the back and bottom of the cabinet are provided for
ventilation. To ensure reliable operation of the monitor and to protect it from
overheating, be sure these openings are not blocked or covered. Do not
place the monitor on a bed, sofa, rug, or similar surface. Do not place the
monitor near or over a radiator or heat register. Do not place the monitor in a
bookcase or cabinet unless proper ventilation is provided.

[trevor]

Cool pic, thanks for thinking to post it !