Cloudy Days and Connected Nights

Since I got my A101, I have had my eye out for something to carry it in. I bought a 10 inch laptop sleeve. It is about the right length but the two inches and more of extra height kind of bothers me. It is not an attractive fit. I bought the “custom” case for the Veiwsonic G Tablet (which is actually, once you open the wrapping, just a CaseLogic 10 inch laptop sleeve). I have looked at CD cases, and every laptop sleeve I can find within 20 miles of home. I check on Amazon daily. Eventually someone out there will come out with a nice folio style case, similar to the ones for the Amazon Kindles…that is what I really want.

Still, this morning, while picking up a hanger kit for my wife’s new painting (Christmas gift) at WalMart, I happened to be walking through the luggage aisle and saw this little zippered bag hanging up. It caught my eye because it was, oddly, the right proportions for the A101. A quick check of the dimensions confirmed that it was actually a close fit. The material is a woven nylon, similar to what soft-side luggage is covered with. It was only $2.97 so I picked it up.  And then, as I continued to browse the aisles, I began to wonder what I could line it with for added protection. I found these Peel and Stick Foam sheets in the Crafts Section. They are designed for making puppets. $3.47 for 6 sheets. Self adhesive, about an eight of an inch of relatively firm foam in bright colors. Worth a try. So, without further ado, here is how to transform $5.50 in materials from WalMart into a somewhat functional, custom DIY Archos A101 sleeve.

Measure the inside of the bag to the top of the back side (away from zipper): 6 1/2 inch	Cut foam to fit (your choice of color)
Since it is a tight fit getting the foam inside the bag, trim about 1/4 inch from the narrow end	Peel off the protective back
No pic here. This actually kind of a wrestling match. You have to get the foam inside the bag, with the sticky side facing the bag material, get it lined up, and then press the bag material down on it. Be careful, it is easy to get wrinkles in the bag material. Do it like you put a screen protector on your tablet or phone: very carefully!
	The front side of the bag, because you have to deal with the zipper is only 5 3/4 inches. Again, cut, peel, and wrestle the foam in there and stick it down.
Line the little flap above the zipper if you want to get fancy (and maybe for a bit more protection).	Put the A101 in the bag with the screen facing away from the zipper. Notice the fit.
The A101 fits in the DIY bag much better than it does	in your standard 10 inch laptop sleeve.

And there you have it. DIY.