PC cases generally have lots of interfaces and sockets at the back, or sometimes at the front. When you have to move a case or get access to it, each connector has to be unplugged individually, then later plugged in individually again. To solve this problem, use a frame into which all the connectors plug, which in turn plugs into the computer, with a single lever which releases the hold on the case. There would need to be ventilation for cooling, of course.
This could also be applied inside the case for replacing the motherboard
-- nineteenthly, Jul 04 2004

Like a docking station? I'm not sure I quite see the purpose for machines other than laptops; for laptops, of course, the idea is thoroughly baked.
-- supercat, Jul 04 2004


Port replicator?
-- bristolz, Jul 04 2004


[supercat], I often need to unplug something or other or move a whole PC case somewhere else due to, for example, old monitors going plink, getting a new peripheral, checking someone else's printer, upgrading something inside the case and so forth. I can't be the only person who has this problem.
-- nineteenthly, Jul 04 2004


good idea, i have 3 usb peripherals that i use both with my laptop and my 2 usb port home PC.

of course looking at IMacs they seem to have solved a lot of this by daisy chaining peripherals such as keyboard and mouse.
-- engineer1, Jul 05 2004


Go wireless!

BT for kb, mouse, tablet, PDA etc. 802.11 for network, file servers, you can even have your printer/fax/scanner off the wifi hub if you are a Mac user.

Shame Apple are ditching the ADC in the latest gen, as I have a single cable from the CPU to the screen (pwr, signal, usb) and then a single cable from screen to the kb and a single cable from kb to mouse (kb also has 2 port usb). Nice.
-- timbeau, Jul 05 2004


The mouse is already wireless, but i still have to plug the receiver into the PC. The power cable, thing that isn't a modem and the monitor would still need to be plugged in too.
I would be fairly keen on the daisy chain idea, but i have used a Mac with such an arrangement (do they all have this?) and the connector kept coming loose.
-- nineteenthly, Jul 05 2004


I like it - have a croissant. As we move towards USB-everything we will have all of our peripherals hanging off one USB hub and unless you need to replace the hub itself, movement is only one unplug away. VGA, sound and power can't be USB'd so you'd still have four plugs on the PC, but still - it's an improvement on what's hanging out the back of my box.
-- wagster, Jul 05 2004


I don't know how fast USB2 is, but ultimately i would expect there to be an interface fast enough to do display and sound. Even if not, a combination interface could carry display, sound and the rest in the daisy chain arrangement [engineer1] mentioned. Display and sound of course have been dealt with wirelessly since the invention of TV, though the quality might be affected.
-- nineteenthly, Jul 06 2004



random, halfbakery