Teenage Engineering's free computer case

[brandokyk]

they have a branding problem - they are starting to being perceived like a snobby brand with ridiculously overpriced products sold as a status symbol - a Balanciaga of creative tech basically

so they are trying to put out some cheap good value products to signal a return of the original hacker ethos

[thomascountz]

Being called "...a Balanciaga of creative tech" isn't a "branding problem," if it is, in fact, the brand.

We may or may not agree about it being a brand we'd buy, of even if it's an accurate description, but there's little doubt for me that TE has an identifiably unique and profitable brand.

[gyomu]

The world of music hardware is an interesting one.

You'll meet some amazing musicians who have been touring for decades and are still playing on the same guitar they got for $800 15 years ago.

And you'll meet people who drop 5 figures on synth gear every year and have never put together a single track.

If you're running a business selling electronic music gear, who would you rather target?

[kristopolous]

I never saw them in any other way. High end brands with conspicuous design have existed in tech for at least 100 years. Fancy cars, televisions and audio equipment for instance. Before that, there were ornate luxury tools.

[motorest]

> they have a branding problem - they are starting to being perceived like a snobby brand with ridiculously overpriced products sold as a status symbol - a Balanciaga of creative tech basically

I don't think your opinion is well grounded. Their whole product line, from the inception, was luxury high-end, sometimes gimmicky, media devices.

Why do you feel justified to tag the "hacker ethos" buzzword? Because some of their products sell as PCB-only/optional custom case format?

[wahnfrieden]

They’ve always had those two tiers of pricing/products. That’s a read from a decade ago

[monster_truck]

This is a naive take, borderlining on bait. They are not 'trying', they have by and large succeeded. Both the PO and KO series devices are fantastic value for their respective prices.

If you consider something like the TX-6 an overpriced status symbol, you have clearly never tried to make a 6 channel stereo mixer this small with these specs. And if you can't imagine a use for something so small and portable, then it simply isn't for you.

[userbinator]

Free as in speech or beer...?

I wonder if they used static-dissipative/ESD-safe plastic, as pure polypropylene is good insulator and easily builds up a static charge. There's a reason nearly all computer cases are conductive.

[dmos62]

Wouldn't the power supply ground all static?

[al_borland]

Sold Out.

I was expected this to be a 3D print design people could grab for free.

[synack]

Looking at the build PDF, you'd need a pretty large printer to do a single piece like that. Would need to split it into a few panels and have some sort of joinery or fasteners to make it fit on most consumer printers.

[bsimpson]

At the bottom of the page, it looks like this is a giveaway for August, and that there were OP-1 giveaways in June and July. The OP-1 is their flagship synthesizer.

Makes me wonder if this is starting a press cycle for something they'll release for sale in the nearish future.

[nine_k]

It's not for printing, it's for cutting out of a thick sheet of plastic, as much as I understand.

[senectus1]

i mean... this should be a thing.

hmmm now you have me thinking.

[judge123]

I'm genuinely torn on this. On one hand, I love the DIY vibe. On the other, isn't paying $195 for a flat-pack metal box the most anti-DIY thing ever?

[TabTwo]

Curious question, this case is pure PP. What about shilding EMV emissions? Is this "legal" to run a pc open like that?

[dspillett]

It varies, but in many places you couldn't sell a device without proper shielding, but unless you are causing disruption to a public service or safety equipment there is nothing that stops a person owning and running one. Just think of the world full of rPi units, other SBCs, and other PCs, running completely caseless or in cases without much/any thought towards EMC shielding - it obviously isn't a problem, or it would be a big problem.

Most rPi units and similar are fine as they can be argued to be sold as parts rather than devices just like any other motherboard¹. The Pi400 presumably gets away with it, as something this is conspicuously sold as a device not a part, because that chonky heatsink² is enough to disrupt any errant EM fields outside the ranges that it should be emitting (those around 2.4GHz and 5GHz).

There are many grey areas, and indeed those where the letter of the regs is broken but not enforced. To cut a long story short wrt “Is this "legal" to run a pc open like that?”: yes running a PC in a case like that with no extra shielding is legal pretty much everywhere, though selling a complete PC with a case like that probably breaks regs and maybe even laws.

----

[1] putting the responsibility with the purchaser, where it isn't enforced unless it is a problem (I chose not to shield my TV-box Pi4, not the company, and it isn't putting enough junk out to disrupt anyone else's anything else)

[2] everything else about the case is plastic

[c-c-c-c-c]

Yes because this is just a case, if you build a product in it and sell it then you need to meet EMC regulations (EC marking in europe).

[fifilura]

Giving things away for free is one way to round tariffs I guess.

"More flipped out '25 offers will be presented during the rest of the year (Or until the world is a little more stable)."

https://teenage.engineering/25-the-flipped-out-year

[ornornor]

That completely flew over my head. I can’t parse the sentence to understand if they’re making a statement or what they mean. What is a “flipped out ‘25 offer”?

[uoaei]

Has anyone tried using this with a Framework mainboard?

[jdiff]

They're both Mini-ITX.