Mk.6 EMP -Experimental Modular Project-

[Captain Slug]

- If you don't want to read much just skip to the goal list -
Picture Set On Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/11378124@N00/sets/72157594432250825/) (if you don't want to read through entire thread)

http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_d_2.jpg
What you are about to witness here is not just a case modification project, but hopefully the complete development of a viable product that I hope one day will be available to all of you. Since joining this forum and a select few other I have found that the contacts I have made were far more useful than any previous ones. So, in order to refine my ideas I will be opening them up to scrutiny and commentary to all of you even as they are just starting to take root. Since no single individual can hope to anticipate the needs or expectations of every person to ever come along, I will need alot of help in evaluating what it is I'm working on. Of which I will now try to explain.

During the long, drawn-out process of working on my previous project (mk.V (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=339498)) I came up with so many ideas that it would not have been humanly (or monetarily) possible to implement all of them in the time I had alotted myself. So instead I set them all aside for a later date so that I could revisit and refine them. a few of the ideas I had were small and a few proved ultimately impractical but the solutions I came up with for a few otherwise insignificant problems I discovered while customizing mk.V. Most notably is the consistent irritation of having to disconnect and reconnect cables any time that hard ware is significantly changed or replaced at any given point in time.

The emphasis of this project will be the modularization of the modern computer to the fullest possible extent. My primary goal for this whole endeavor will be the ability for me to finally be able to remove the motherboard and everything attached to it by either removing a single thumbscrew or pushing a single button to unlock it from the case. The implication is that I plan to incorporate all of the required cables that you need to interface the motherboard with the rest of the machine through a plug-bus attached to the motherboard tray. This tray "plug-bus" interface would essentially mean that you could install the motherboard on the tray and only have to plug in any given cable ONCE and ONLY ONCE making the motherboard, heatsink, expansion slots, cables, and tray a single removable unit.

And it doesn't stop there. The second half of the plug-bus will be attached to the case as a dock for the motherboard tray and will act as a central junction box for all of the cables that need to travel throughout the rest of the case. this will significantly reduce cable clutter and make installation and maintainence the easiest it has ever been. With all of that yammering out of the way here are what the other goals for this project will be.

Project Goals
1. Cable-free Removable Motherboard Tray
2. Motherboard docking mechanism in case that double as a junction box
3. Modular Case design allowing for easy removal of individual case panels making customization a simple process
4. Potential for all plastic or all aluminum case construction through extremely simple or home-friendly construction methods (parts individually replacable)
5. Potential for complete disassembly of case and packaging in a flat (1 or 2 inch thickness) box
6. Invertable case design allowing power supply to be on top or bottom and drive cages to be removed and reinstalled in opposite orientation
7. More than adequete clearances and space for addition of even the larger available water-cooling equipment including a 120x3 sized radiator
8. Tool-free and Screwless removal of faceplate for access to drive cages
9. Tool-free case maintenence with screw driver only needed for motherboard installation, heatsink installation, and completely case disassembly
10. Case panels (Top, Bottom, and sides) made from flat sheets of material that are removable from case without undermining structural intergrity which will allow end-user customization without the need for complete disassembly of case.

I have established these goals for myself but there are some limitations I have run into.
1. I may not be able to pull off push-button entry mechanisms without the help of a manufcaturer since mechanisms of that type may be only effectively done with the use injection-moulding. Something I do not have access to but I may be able to figure out a mechanism I can make with the tools I have.
2. Optical drives and Hard drives do NOT come in standard sizes or pin interfaces. This means that I cannot effectively design modular mechanisms for these. I have however developed a tool-free drive mounting mechanisms that alleviates most of this problem.
3. I do not have the electrical engineering expertise to manufacture the plug-bus circuitry so I will need to outsource it to someone more capable than I.

With all of that out of the way let me display how I arrived at where I am now in the process of this project which will probably take a few months or possibly even a year to complete in its entirety.

October '04
While trying to dream up different ways I could eliminate as many cables as possible from inside of my then current project I had an epiphany that I could simply buy cable extensions for everything I could possibly need to plug into the motherboard and then just add them to the motherboard itself. This idea came to an abrupt hault when I realized that my case didn't have a motherboard tray, and extending certain cables would kill their performance. I also have limited time and money to complete said project so idea was put aside.

Early May '05
Out of boredom and inspiration I started thinking about how to practically apply my weird concept and proceded to flesh out how I would need to build a case to implement it effectively. About the same time I realized I would need to make a PCB for the plug-bus to make disconnection/reconnection alignment possible and durable. Case construction design started soon after.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_0.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_1.jpg

Late May '05
I decided to stop thinking about what I was going to do and just start doing it. Fleshing out the concept a little more on paper. Remembered previous motherboard tray modifications I had made that allowed bolt-retention heatsinks to be removed easily and added the required cutouts to the tray design.

http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_2.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_3.jpg

Continued next post

[Captain Slug]

First week of June '05
Design work accelerates rapidly as I figure out that this is becoming more and more feasible for me to machine myself with my own tools. Or perhaps I'm just way too enthused about my new TableSaw. Either way I've made alot of progress in the past week in the development of this project.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_6.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_7.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_8.jpg

Second week of June '05
Running into some issues with how to mount drives. Decided a thumbscrew rail system wouldn't work. Contemplated a Chieftec drive-rail type system, but wasn't satisfied with that approach.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_9.jpg
Set that issue aside for a bit and refined the case design some more to allow for lots of cooling options. Also added integrated handle-feet.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_92.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_93.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_94.jpg
Refined design allows for tool-free removal of drive cages which have enough space for 9 5.25" drives. 3.5" drives will use mounting brackets or hard drive coolers.

Third week of June '05
Had a realization the next day that I could simply integrate the drive rails into the drive cages themselves and this would allow drives to be removed or installed entirely without screws. Made a crappy conceptual sketch of spring-loaded drive retention clips (http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_d_0.jpg) to communicate the concept to myself. Then I made it much more complete in 3D as you can see below. The mounting pins that go through the spring-loaded plastic bracket can be moved back in the tray half an inch to allow certain drives to be non-accessible from the front.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_95.jpg

The design is pretty much done now. The side panels are affixed to a sliding rail with optional hinges. This mechnism allows you to choose whether you want the side panels to hinge open, or slide forward to open. Either is done with the removal of a single thumbscrew and you can choose between the two by simply moving a thumbscrew between two brackets.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_96.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_97.jpg

And that's how far I am now. I've already informally copyrighted the specifics and I'll be working on patent applications for a few days. I hope to start machining soon but this is going to be a slow project. I don't think any of you will mind the pace, but I'm getting quite impatient. :D

[Pro*Banshee]

Would inverted ATX be possible?

ala the rail mod for a lian-li case

http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1026851624&postcount=170

I'll be the first to say I'd love to have one of these!

[Captain Slug]

Yes! Quite. The whole case is designed with left-handed mounting as an option. You can either take out the drive cages and spin them around 180 degrees then reinsert them so you can flip the case upside-down. Or you can invert the motherboard tray and it's dock mechanism.

The rails in the case are symetrical so any of the removable parts could be flipped the other way around. You could even invert your power supply if for some reason you wanted it to have its own closed air-cooling loop. The intention is to allow water cooling loops to be customized so you can make your loop as short or long as you want it by reconfiguring the case. The whole bottom part of the case has enough free space to fit a 120x3 radiator, or you can fit a 120x 2 in the front of the case.
The 120x3 radiator would work best in the top of the case, which is why I made this case ivnertable in the first place.

[subtotal]

wow. great to see more of your innovations captain! some of your ideas reminds me of an idea i had a while ago for a lan rig that expanded to a full tower...

[Electron Chaser]

Wow!!! There are a lot of great ideas all rolled into one package. I will be looking forward to see how it all comes together. Subscribed

[dicecca112]

subscribed as well this looks like its gonna be amazing

[-maddog-]

I saw something that you put in a cd drive slot and it allows you insert and remove a hardrive just by sliding it in or out and you don't haft to turn off your pc.

[dicecca112]

yeah that's a hard drive rack. You can do that with SCSI and SATA drives, the are hot swappable.

[pik4chu]

looking very cool CSlug, as always ;) This looks a lot like the SuperMicro Cases we use for servers but with some of the 'issues' they have fixed and some new cool features added in. Cant wait to see how this progresses!

[elec999]

Amazing looking. Will it support 120mm fans.
Thanks

[hainer36]

looks sweet, hope it turns out as good as your others did

[Captain Slug]

I saw something that you put in a cd drive slot and it allows you insert and remove a hardrive just by sliding it in or out and you don't haft to turn off your pc.
Yep. Hot-swappable drive caddies will fit nicely into this case.
Amazing looking. Will it support 120mm fans.
Thanks
The whole case is designed with 120mm fans in mind and will have space for 6 and possibly 7 of them.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_97.jpg

[sicloan]

Its a very sexy, and definately a case i would purchase if it became a product.

[FunkDaMonkMan]

I think that you are going to have a problem with the price of this case. You will have to charge a hefty amount, and many people will avoid it because of that.

Besides that... i think its going to be an awesome case, I have always liked your work.

[Celeron_Phreak]

It looks like a rackmount case that's been pimped out to be a modder's case. I've got an old HP rack server case out in the garage without the side, front, or back panels which I've wanted to do something with. Maybe I'll get some ideas from here. :D

[Captain Slug]

I think that you are going to have a problem with the price of this case. You will have to charge a hefty amount, and many people will avoid it because of that.
For the whole case to be made out of solid polycarbonate at retail costs I've calculated the material cost to be around $90.
The prototype on the other hand is going to made primarily with scrap plastic from a local plastics shop, so my material cost for the first case will be closer to $50.
If injection moulded ABS plastic were used for the frame assemblies or I could manufacture the frame itself in cast polycarbonate somehow I could cut the $90 figure down to $45. It will all depend on which manufacturer gets on board. Assembly methods for this case are quite basic and even if aluminum were used, the material costs could drop even further. The manufacturing processes that this case could be made from are very simple compared to your average metallic case.

I would like to aim for a $100 to $150 price tag which is still within the range that people are paying for upper-end cases like the Lian-Li V1000 or the CM Stacker.

So far I will need...

0.5" square tubing
20.5" (x4) =82"
22" (x6) =132"
7.9" (x6) =47.4"
19.5" (x6) =117"
7.33" (x4) =30"
+12" excess

total = 35 feet

1" L-channel
22" (x6)
total = 11 feet

.235" x .3" U-channel
23" (x8) =184
5" (x4) =20
3" (x4) =12
+12" excess
total = 19 feet

Sheets
.188" 24x24" polycarbonate sheet (preferably grey/black tint)
.125" 24x48" polycarbonate sheet (preferably grey/black tint)
.125" 24x48" polycarbonate sheet (preferably grey/black tint)
.125" 12x12 polycarbonate sheet (clear x2)

I'll also have to find some really thick nylon, acetal, or delrin blocks to make the handles. Or hopefully the shop will have some small 0.5" thick sheets of polycarbonate.

[jcw122]

I LOVE IT! good luck to u Captain Slug, I hope your project is successful, looks AMAZING right now, SUBSCRIBED

BTW what program did u use to do the 3D w/?

[Captain Slug]

I used milkshape 3D.

[Sentential]

Looks quite interesting. How big are you planning to make this? Is this going to be a full server style or a mini ITX?

[Captain Slug]

It's inbetween mid tower and server size. 24 inch depth, 21 inch height, and 9 inch width.

[matttaylor]

Damn man, that is going to be an amazing case! Count me in for the ride.

[Pineabs]

great project. i was wondering if u are going to use a premade and mod the case, or gona build it from scratch?

[Captain Slug]

From scratch! I will even be making my own motherboard tray.

Edit: Oh. And if anyone here is capable and willing to make a custom PCB for this project PLEASE PM ME. Here's essentially how the modular tray dock PCBs will work.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_d_1.jpg

[-maddog-]

What's a pcb?

[Captain Slug]

printed circuit board

[Celeron_Phreak]

Hot damn. I love your idea for the modular mobo tray connectors panel and stuff. I've SOOOO got to get that rack mount case in the garage modded. :beer:

[Pineabs]

you considered to make this whole thing flippable. as in once complete it u can turn it upside down so the power supply is on the bottom? kind of like lian-li 2000, where the psu is on the bottom. so people can use those 2 120mm fans thats on the bottom of the case as a rad for water cooling.

[Captain Slug]

I've worked out the spacing and arraingement of the plug-bus design. I may ditch two the the SATA pass-throughs in favor of more molexes.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_d_3.jpg
All of the connections that need to be sent to the front panel module will be consolidated to use a single connector on the plug-bus making installation much easier. The two plug-bus halves will most likely connecto to eachother through two 100-pin d-sub connectors.

you considered to make this whole thing flippable. as in once complete it u can turn it upside down so the power supply is on the bottom? kind of like lian-li 2000, where the psu is on the bottom. so people can use those 2 120mm fans thats on the bottom of the case as a rad for water cooling.
Yes, if you read the whole speil that is covered as a feature. The drive cages can be inverted to allow you to turn the case upside-down.

[pik4chu]

It's inbetween mid tower and server size. 24 inch depth, 21 inch height, and 9 inch width.
if you can get one of those dimensions down to <19" (less than 19 because you would need space for the rails) you can increase the 'market' for this because it would be mountable in a standard cabinet or Telco Rack, just my 2c of course you'd also need to squeeze the 9" up or down to the #U sizes tho, but MO it would make it a much stronger product. a 4U server is 7" high FYI

[Captain Slug]

I can't get it down to 4U size without sacrificing the ability to add water-cooling equipment. A slimmer version could be manufactured later but I'm not interested in making the prototype that small.

[pik4chu]

I can't get it down to 4U size without sacrificing the ability to add water-cooling equipment. A limmer version could be manufactured later but I'm not interested in making the prototype that small.
I know, I just gasve the 4U as a reference since it was the first size I could find, you can do 5U-6U-etc, whichever matches the size you need.

[hainer36]

i love that idea for the "plug bus" if you get that to work, which i have no doubt that you won't, it will look amazing, and be amazing for that fact

[Krieger]

if you could get the "plug bus" working, I've venture to guess that you could sell that as a stand alone product as some people could retrofit it into thier current case.

[jcw122]

if you could get the "plug bus" working, I've venture to guess that you could sell that as a stand alone product as some people could retrofit it into thier current case.

Nice idea Krieger! I agree.

[flamerail]

I love the 3d modeling bits. You can add lighting and every thing to make it how you want :)

[Captain Slug]

Well, I warned everyone this project was going to go slow. :D Atleast I see there are alot of people interested despite me only having concepts. Rest assured everything that's been posted in this thread by me is sof-far feasible for me to accomplish.

I haven't made it to the plastics shop yet because I've been taking care of some medical problems and futzing around with an HTPC client machine for my entertainment room.

if you could get the "plug bus" working, I've venture to guess that you could sell that as a stand alone product as some people could retrofit it into thier current case.
That's actually quite feasible. The implementation won't be identical if done within other cases since you would need a docking mechanism in the case for the tray itself to be modular. But the plug-bus could still be an easily removable item that will tag along with the motherboard as it's removed.

The construction of the case itself may have to wait until I can get the plug-bus made and tested to make sure that half of the concept is sound enough for me to continue.

[clocker2]

Please reconsider your use of tooless mounting rails for the drive bay...they are the bane of my existence.
Less than full-size devices...like fan controllers or displays, are very difficult to mount and having a simple slot/screw combination allows drives to be micro adjusted to align with the bezel.

[Captain Slug]

Please reconsider your use of tooless mounting rails for the drive bay...they are the bane of my existence.
Less than full-size devices...like fan controllers or displays, are very difficult to mount and having a simple slot/screw combination allows drives to be micro adjusted to align with the bezel.
They aren't rails, but rather locking pins attached to a spring-loaded bracket that holds the drive in place. They are going to be adjustable between two positions and are completely removable so you will still have the option of using the usual M3 screws to mount something.

The refined plug-bus concept is coming along nicely but I'm still trying to track down someone willing and capable to help me make the prototype.

[Lunar_Lamp]

This. Looks. Amazing. I really like the way you have drawn together a lot of ideas, and then added in some of your own, and also designed a case that looks good, but has a wide appeal range. It is obvious a lot of thought has gone into this so far.

I'm having a little trouble conceptualising the plug bus, and I haven't had a chance to think about any circuitry for about 4years or so... however, my exams are over in a week and hopefully I may have time to sit down and try and work out ideas about how to implement it. No promises though, and I won't actually be able to make the physical circuit board particularly easily, but I might be able to design the circuit layout and get that to you - at which point it is fairly simple to make. If you needed someone to make the PCB for you, much as I hate to mention someone elses name randomly, em00guy made his own PCB in his project - so he probable has access to the required chemicals for the PCB development process (which I don't).
Feel free to send me a PM with a more detailed explanation, and I will look into it (though please wait till after thursday, as I need as few distractions as possible during my exams, as I am notorious for finding literally anything to avoid doing revision :().

I shall say again, this looks extremely interesting. Now, to find the "subscribe to thread" button for the first time ever.

[Captain Slug]

The design for the plugbus has changed quite a bit in the past week so if you need a conceptual update just drop me a PM.
The SATA and IDE connections will no longer be integrated, but rather modified cables. So that makes the whole device much easier to implement and less likely to cause complications.

[hainer36]

when do ya suppose that this thing will start to take some shape...or are you trying to figure out all the bugs it may have at first

EDIT: dropped you a pm for the reasoning behind it

[Captain Slug]

I need to finish designing the plug-bus and help it become a reality before I start work on the rest of the case. It's a vital part so it would be rather pointless to work on the case before I have the single part that is required for the full functionality of the case to be realized.

I'm going to be patient with this one because it deserves a complete and refined execution.

[Lunar_Lamp]

I've got the plug bus idea more sorted in my mind now, and I must say that it looks fairly easy to implement (though I haven't looked into the precise specifics yet).

They aren't rails, but rather locking pins attached to a spring-loaded bracket that holds the drive in place. They are going to be adjustable between two positions and are completely removable so you will still have the option of using the usual M3 screws to mount something.

Just a small note on this bit, how would this be for noise? Would holding them in place like that cause the drives to be less securely held in place and therefore more likely to vibrate when in use?

[Captain Slug]

Just a small note on this bit, how would this be for noise? Would holding them in place like that cause the drives to be less securely held in place and therefore more likely to vibrate when in use?
As long as the pins are the correct size this should work fine. I've worked with a few cases that use drive rails with pins instead of screws and there was no noticable effect on vibration.

[Lunar_Lamp]

Just a small point - with the modified SATA and IDE cables, have you taken into account max lengths of IDE cables? I don't know what they are, but it's not long before errors start to creep in :? (I presume you have to be honest though, as you tend to plan these things pretty well from looking at your previous mods!)

[-maddog-]

It might just be easier to have one internal hard drive and the rest of the drives usb or firewire.

[Captain Slug]

Just a small point - with the modified SATA and IDE cables, have you taken into account max lengths of IDE cables? I don't know what they are, but it's not long before errors start to creep in :? (I presume you have to be honest though, as you tend to plan these things pretty well from looking at your previous mods!)
Yep, the max length for SATA 1 meter and the maximum resistance is 50ohm. The first 8 or 9 inches could be the motherboard-side of the cable and the remaining 12 could be for the case-side of the cable to connect to the drives. The max length for IDE cables is a similar length but is more tolerant to extension. A short 5 to 6 inch extension from the motherboard to the plug-bus would still allow for an 18-inch IDE cable to be used without reaching the theoretical maximum of 36 inches and would end up being around the same length as the 24-inch cables that are sold now anyways.
It might just be easier to have one internal hard drive and the rest of the drives usb or firewire.
There's no fun in "easier". Not to mention that USB drive adapters wouldn't allow for RAID and would make the case much more expensive.

[jcw122]

There's no fun in "easier". Not to mention that USB drive adapters wouldn't allow for RAID and would make the case much more expensive.

Not to mention that USB and other external connectors are MUCH slower than SATA and IDE

[Captain Slug]

That too. I won't be able to make any progress on the case itself until the plug-bus is finished so (as said in the first post) this is going to be a slow project.

[Scott9027]

I hope you can find someone to make the plug bus for you. Great project and good luck!

[demortey]

i could see what i can do for your PCB...i have made a couple of guitar effects...if the diagram isnt too tightly laid out i can probably help u...i am still kinda sketchy on what you want though...all of the connections on the mainboard to be able to be disconnected through one ocnnector? even ide?

peace.

[Captain Slug]

all of the connections on the mainboard to be able to be disconnected through one ocnnector? even ide?
IDE and Sata are slightly extended with a cable pair that screw-mounts onto the plug-bus and are no longer integrated into the plug-bus circuitry.

[Navig]

Hey captain slug, great work!

Going back to your materials list, I was curious if you found cheap sources for translucent polycarbonate. I recently skinned one of my cases in 1/8in gray lexan, and it was fairly costly. I got it from polymerplastics--they were great, but a 20inx48in sheet cost me like $60 uncut. More stuff I'd like to do, but that's pretty costly imho.

navig

[Captain Slug]

I tend to pickup whatever is available in the scrap pile at a few plastics shops I visit. At a few dollars per pound I don't hesitate to pick up the more rare materials that I know will come in handy so I've had 80% tint polycarbonate, opaque colors of acrylic, and lots and lots of standard clear polycarbonate. You just need to shop around for a plastics shop that works in more than just acrylic to get the nicer off-cuts.

[P4mustangtime]

That project looks good, Cap Slug! I like how you did with the 3D program (I've got to find that one in a computer store..). You say "milkshape 3D" ?

When the day come for a finished product - I'll be in line to snag one :D ;)

Optical fibre wiring system would had been nice in there, but no one had ever tried that before. The way you consider and give much thoughts in visualizing before going for pyshicial materials is alway a good step. At least that's how I do with my projects here.

I'll keep a tab on yours here to see how it progress... do a good job. ya hear?

[-maddog-]

Milkshape 3d is free. You can download it here. http://www.swissquake.ch/chumbalum-soft/ms3d/download.html (http://)

Also my main reason for usb/firewire is you could us the pc when it is not docked as a stand alone unit.

[squirrel9000]

Any updates? I have been following this thread closely.

[Captain Slug]

This project is delayed until I can finish NMP and get the plug-bus made.
I warned you this was going to move slowly...

[Captain Slug]

Thanks to a heap of feedback, criticism, cooperation, and head-scratching the design for the plug-bus has actually become quite simple.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_d_5.jpg
The upper section contains all of the power connectors and except for a few power traces to feed the light power output and fan controller it's an independent unit and can have it's own type of interconnect capable of handling the required current load. Whatever interconnect is used the pin requirement is only around 50 for this layout.

The middle section will just be a series of precisely positioned threaded mounting holes for attaching the flush-mount cable extensions (on the motherboard side) and the flush-mount rounded IDE and SATA cables (on the case side). This section will require custom cables, but no actual circuitry.

The lower section serves 3 functions.
1. Front-Panel extensions (Power/Reset, LEDs, USB2.0, Front Audio, 9-pin Serial header)
2. Light control (2 switches that toggle the 4-pin connectors)
3. Fan controller (on the Front-Panel PCB itself)

The front panel PCB will contain all the switches, ports, and fan controlling electronics. It can connect to the Plug-Bus with one or two cables. It's size limit is 8x2 inches.
The serial header extension is meant as a pass-through for an LCD unit. This could either be a header on the plug-bus, or an actual DB9 connector.

I have a small handful of people helping me move along with the design of this and although I don't know when it will be made I feel extremely confident that this rendition will work as it should without being too expensive or difficult to make.

[jesse]

This is a great idea! So you're integrating a fan controller also?

[Seven]

Well, if I can put my $0.02 in.

Firstly, let me say that this is another piece of great work by you Slug. Each project you create has this wierd "personality" to it, and this is just another drop in that bucket.

I've been playing with this idea as well, and it seems to me as if you have come up with a great base for your ideas.

Just a few suggestions though.

As for modular, I would like to see you implement a 1 piece removable cage for all your HDDs. What do I mean by this?

Basically, create a HDD cage you simply pop in vertically into a base in the "floor" of the case. We talked about this earlier, but you could probably fabricate a plug to house every single SATA drive, or just use a SUB style male/female connection to do it...

Looking forward to it.
7

[pik4chu]

Milkshape 3d is free. You can download it here. http://www.swissquake.ch/chumbalum-soft/ms3d/download.html

Also my main reason for usb/firewire is you could us the pc when it is not docked as a stand alone unit.
fixed link :D

[Captain Slug]

This is a great idea! So you're integrating a fan controller also?
That's the plan at present. If one is added there will still be the option of using your own fan controller of choice.
As for modular, I would like to see you implement a 1 piece removable cage for all your HDDs. What do I mean by this?

Basically, create a HDD cage you simply pop in vertically into a base in the "floor" of the case. We talked about this earlier, but you could probably fabricate a plug to house every single SATA drive, or just use a SUB style male/female connection to do it...
I decided that a modular drive cage would become prohibitively expensive. If someone has a need for modular drives there are removable hard drive caddies currently available that offer such functionality. This case is designed with those in mind.

[jcw122]

So whats the word on the project Captain?

[Captain Slug]

So whats the word on the project Captain?
The word is that I have not yet managed to get a prototype of the plug-bus made to allow this project to continue. It's the keystone of the whole case so it hase to come first.

And secondarily I have had NO free time because my attention is currently occupied by two projects I'm working on for paying customers.

[jcw122]

Well then good luck w/ the plug-bus and the other projects for now, looking forward to see this EMP project keep up.

[-maddog-]

fixed link :D
TY :cool:

[Captain Slug]

Un-Update: Although I cannot start on this project at present I have started acquiring vital parts for this machine. The project also has a new super-top-secret feature that only me and 2 other people know about at the moment which will make this an even more unique specimen once it's operational.

However, I still have not been able to find a partner willing to help make the plug-bus a reality. That's a big hurdle that stills needs to be overcome before this project can happen. Also now on the agenda is me needing to build a heat-warping table for myself. That's the one remaining tool I will need in my collection to make this case a reality.

[Dukeman]

You know, if you manage to make the plug bus work, we may have to start calling you Captain Plug :p.

[Captain Slug]

Oy, that pun needs a biohazard warning.
I'm not optimistic about being able to tackle this project for a while. I'm only halfway through one of two projects I need to complete before moving on to this.

[alinosa]

*subscribed*

i've been doing some hard shopping for a case recently, and i haven't been able to find one that is 100% what i want. the stacker comes close, and the lian li v2000 (?) is ok, but not perfect... so i'm waiting for my media hdd to defrag and i decide to wander around in here and what do i find? THE case, at a (hopeful) price point that is... MY price point. This is perfect... down to having a place for my BIX3 *sniff* now someone PLEASE helpout with a PCB, so i don't have to ruin 10 or 20 tries at doing it.

Good luck cap'n.

[Albaholic]

damn this is gonna be sweet cant wait to see the results

[Silverfoot]

This is simply amazing! Was bored waiting for some stuff to upload, so I decided to investimgate the 'projects'. Man this is cool. As it has been said, I really hope you find some help with the pcb/modular board. It will be quite the case.

[Captain Slug]

After much mental anguish about some features I will also need to make myself a vacuum-forming (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_forming) table in order to make some of the parts for this machine. The outlook of me completing this project in the next year is looking bleak as I have yet to find the time, resources, or help to get this project underway. All my free time at present is MIA.

[Cap'n Pedro]

http://www.halloweenfear.com/vacuumformintro.html

Ghetto!

[Captain Slug]

http://www.halloweenfear.com/vacuumformintro.html

Ghetto!
Mine is going to be similar, but I'll be make a slide mechanism for the sheet tray rather than using binder clips. I'd also like to use a vacuum pump instead of a vacuum.
Nowhere near as ghetto as some of the tables people make for RC aircraft skinning molds. Those just use an oven to heat their sheets.

[germanjulian]

sorry I still dont get why you dont put 2 or three 120mm holes on top of the case for WC instead of just the bottom. Draw air in from bottom out of the top. You wouldnt even need front and rear fans if you used 2 or 3 120mm fans since the case would be aired out very quickly without airflow restrictions.

[alinosa]

sorry I still dont get why you dont put 2 or three 120mm holes on top of the case for WC instead of just the bottom. Draw air in from bottom out of the top. You wouldnt even need front and rear fans if you used 2 or 3 120mm fans since the case would be aired out very quickly without airflow restrictions.


read post #4

The whole case is designed with left-handed mounting as an option. You can either take out the drive cages and spin them around 180 degrees then reinsert them so you can flip the case upside-down. Or you can invert the motherboard tray and it's dock mechanism.

The rails in the case are symetrical so any of the removable parts could be flipped the other way around. You could even invert your power supply if for some reason you wanted it to have its own closed air-cooling loop. The intention is to allow water cooling loops to be customized so you can make your loop as short or long as you want it by reconfiguring the case. The whole bottom part of the case has enough free space to fit a 120x3 radiator, or you can fit a 120x 2 in the front of the case.
The 120x3 radiator would work best in the top of the case, which is why I made this case ivnertable in the first place.

the rad isn't the bottom... it's wherever you want it.

any updates captain?

[Captain Slug]

My semester and workload are kind of intense right now. Plus whatever freetime I end up having in the next two months will need to be used to complete projects for DeVil_909 and Son1990.
I have however found a machine shop a few blocks from me and the owner may be capable and willing to make the plug-bus for me. He's appearantly a jack of all trades in mechanical and electrical engineering.

[Dukeman]

When you do the plug bus what will be your connectors. I work on hard drives and some of my test rigs use pogo pins that come in lots of sizes and can handle varied current loads depending on size. Also, they have very high insertion rate (low wear) so noise and failure are low. I'll have to find out where we get ours if you are interested.

[alinosa]

My semester and workload are kind of intense right now. Plus whatever freetime I end up having in the next two months will need to be used to complete projects for DeVil_909 and Son1990.
I have however found a machine shop a few blocks from me and the owner may be capable and willing to make the plug-bus for me. He's appearantly a jack of all trades in mechanical and electrical engineering.


*rubs hands together* one step closer....

[Son1990]

Like I said Captian, My project can be last priority over all other's. No reason to finish it when I dont even have my Watercooling gear yet. Do all the others then you can worry bout mine :)

[Captain Slug]

Flamerail is going to start work on the modification I have planned for the CPU heatsink and I just received the source heatsinks for the custom video card cooling I plan to make. And as the project has mulled around in my head I have managed to come up with some more strange and unique functional concepts.

1. The whole computer will be cooled by only one (very powerful high volume output) fan with a variable speed control. My methods for accomplishing this will be explained in more detail later.
2. I will be modifying a Video LCD as a secondary display by using multiple backlight allowing me to have a normal display, or a UV or RED backlit display. This will make night operation more tolerable, and will allow me to limit the light source color pallette.
3. I will be machining my own video card heatsinks and cooling ducts using various methods.

[Albaholic]

sweet, nice to know this project is still alive

[WarriorII]

3. I will be machining my own video card heatsinks and cooling ducts using various methods.

I want unlimited access to your garage for just one day.

:D

Very nice CS.

:attn:

[Captain Slug]

Happy Happy, Joy Joy!
I found a pre-existing product that I can purchase and modify to solve the biggest problem I was having with the plug-bus.
http://www.coolgear.com/images/221005A.jpg
I can buy a couple of these and make a mechanical setup that clamps the drive cables onto the case side of the plug bus, and then when the halves are slid together they mate the SATA cable ends into the receptacles. And to simplify matters and organize the cables a little bit more I could use an IDE to SATA adapter for the optical drive(s).

I'm also nearly finished shopping for hardware and have a full list to work from. I'm going to go talk to my friends Dad sometime in the next week to discuss getting the plug-bus prototype made so I can finally get this project underway.
Admittedly it will be sidelined for a while though. The only progress that will be made will be done by parties other than myself due to my lack of electrical or lathing skills. The real work will start as soon as I get a vacuum-forming table made.

[Moto7451]

This sounds pretty similar to what Apple did with its Performa/Powermac 5XXX & 6XXX series.

See http://www.micromac.com/macpixpages/a_performa_5260_120.html

The white part is the connector used. You may want to borrow the idea if you can find a similar sort of connector. That sort of connector works very well & is durable.

[Captain Slug]

That's a cardedge connector. I don't need something with that many pins so I'll probably end up using either pin headers or D-subs for most of the connections. The higher amerage requirement rails on the other hand will probably have to use their own barrel plugs.

[bri1]

make the case already it would be awsome

[Captain Slug]

The semester is almost over and I now have a friendly local machine shop that is going to (amazingly enough) allow me to use their currently unutilized machining tools. I met the owner's son in one of my classes this semester and he will be helping me learn how to mill and lathe and potentially I might even be able to make the frame out of welded aluminum.
Once finals have finished I will be making more progress of over-due projects and then concentrating on getting the PCB design made for the plug-bus which I will be making with the help of the owner of the machine shop.

[alinosa]

The semester is almost over and I now have a friendly local machine shop that is going to (amazingly enough) allow me to use their currently unutilized machining tools. I met the owner's son in one of my classes this semester and he will be helping me learn how to mill and lathe and potentially I might even be able to make the frame out of welded aluminum.
Once finals have finished I will be making more progress of over-due projects and then concentrating on getting the PCB design made for the plug-bus which I will be making with the help of the owner of the machine shop.


this is better news than finding out i don't have a microeconomics final!

[gvblake22]

The semester is almost over and I now have a friendly local machine shop that is going to (amazingly enough) allow me to use their currently unutilized machining tools. I met the owner's son in one of my classes this semester and he will be helping me learn how to mill and lathe and potentially I might even be able to make the frame out of welded aluminum.
Once finals have finished I will be making more progress of over-due projects and then concentrating on getting the PCB design made for the plug-bus which I will be making with the help of the owner of the machine shop.
HOLY CRAP! That's frickin' awesome man!!! Can't wait to see how this thing turns out! :thup:

[squasher]

Dude! Not cool! You made me think it had been updated!!!! Damn you! :p

[Captain Slug]

Well, I AM halfway through designing the plug-bus PCB etch. But I still have other things I need to finish first.
Edit: The tray-half of the PCB is designed.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_plug-bus_th_pcb.gif

[Captain Slug]

Okay, I've basically started the PCB design over from scratch because of my previous inability to take into consideration the peak current load requirements of certain traces. In deciding upon different connectors and consolidating some portions of the PCB for better trace connections I've managed to turn this into a fairly simple single-sided PCB.
Here's the new schematic: http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_plug-bus_th_pcb2.gif

[sicloan]

Looks great Slug, i cant wait to see some more progress on this case, it has definate potential.

[Captain Slug]

The case-half of the PCB is designed.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_plug-bus_ch_pcb2.gif

The case-half will be only female connectors while the tray half will be only male. This made the traces easier to do since Male and Female connectors have reverse pinouts allowing me to simply mirror most of the elements.

The last part to design is the front panel interface PCB.

[EvilT]

what did you use to design the pcb board (i mean what software if any)?
Very good job so far :)

[Captain Slug]

what did you use to design the pcb board (i mean what software if any)?
A free program from: http://www.expresspcb.com/ but there are plenty others to use that might have more printing and export/import options. Like FreePCB: http://www.freepcb.com/

[Captain Slug]

My keyboard/deadly weapon arrived! I bought myself this for christmas this year after finding one on ebay.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_kb_0.jpg
Storm 1100 series industrial keyboard made out of stainless steel and ABS with laser-engraved keys. It weighs atleast 10 pounds but it's not much larger than my portable USB keyboard.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_kb_1.jpg
The underside is equally rigid. If I can get the keyboard apart I will be looking into using RIT dye to stain the outer shell black.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_kb_2.jpg
Gleee! :D

[flamerail]

wow

just wow...

[Captain Slug]

Here's the front-panel PCB.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_plug-bus_fp_pcb2.gif
The Power, Reset, and Light Power toggle switches will connect to the PCB through headers. Mainly because the selection of PCB-mount switches was limited, but it will also afford the option of changing switches later if I want to.
Similarly the Power and Reset LEDs will simply slide into horizontal-mount PCB sockets.

[Captain Slug]

The numlock and caplock SMT indicator LEDs are RED by default so I won't need to replace them! Yay!
I took the kayboard apart, which was actually pretty easy minus the usage of some metric hex nuts that I don't have the right screwdriver bits for.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_kb_3.jpg
I'll be dying the casing black as soon as I can go by some.
The key-travel on this unit was a bit higher than I'm used to but I managed to fix that by removing the gasketing seal that fits inbetween the casing and the steel backing plate.

All of the keys are independently supported by their own membrane so theoretically you could simply remove any of the keys that you don't want or find a way to make your own keys (they would still output the default character code though).

[gvblake22]

That's a crazy lookin' keyboard man!
Nice find though :thup:

[Captain Slug]

After some concerns with using D-Sub connectors I broke down and decided the use high-amp (4.5AMP max!) capacity .030" diam. Mill-Max Pin Headers & Sockets, which look like this.
http://www.mill-max.com/images/products/fullsize/79D.gif
One row of 100 pins on each PCB makes the traces much less complicated and allows me to use wider traces for almost everything. In other words EVERYTHING is connected with an overkill amount of trace so this should be a very durable device. These PIN headers also have a longer service life. I also added optional board underlighting LED sockets to opposing corners of all the boards for an aesthetic touch.

All of this meant redoing all three boards, but in the end I'm much more satisfied with the results.
This PCB will attach to the motherboard tray
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_plug-bus_th_pcb3.gif
And it will dock into this PCB which will be hard-mounted in the case
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_plug-bus_ch_pcb3.gif
And all of the front panel connections will be forwarded to this PCB
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_plug-bus_fp_pcb3.gif

The case-half and front-panel PCBs will interface with eachother through a rounded floppy cable instead of a D-Sub. This will not only reduce weight and improve cable management, but it will also make the end unit much cheaper. The revisions I made reduced the end-cost by atleast $20.

The painfully dull part of this process is over and I'm looking forward to getting this made.

[Captain Slug]

Demonstration of the PCB placement
http://captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_98.jpg

I also found the solenoid I'll be using to lock the motherboard tray in place when the machine is turned on.
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=149753&pa=149753PS

And the final conceptual image of the case.
http://captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_99.jpg

[Captain Slug]

I just finished making the absurdly long cutting and shopping lists

PCB Inventory (http://captainslug.com/modding/mk6_pcb_inventory.txt)
Case Materials Cutting/Shopping List (http://captainslug.com/modding/mk6_material_inventory.txt)
making such detailed lists allows me to double-check the end-cost of the raw materials required to make the case and to make sure my design is economically feasible.
In the process of doing so I found some parts of the case design that could be redesigned to provide a better mix of materials. The silver parts shown will be aluminum, the black outer panels will be 1/8th-inch acrylic, and most of the internal parts will be 3/16th-inch polycarbonate. The polycarbonate I have access to only comes in clear though so I may need to experiment with dyes.

The handles in particular were changed. I wanted to avoid having to waste blocks of billet aluminum so instead I'm going to make a sandwhich of 1/8th-inch aluminum sheets and 1/8th-inch black acrylic.
http://captainslug.com/modding/mk6_3d_990.jpg

[gvblake22]

Case Materials Cutting/Shopping List (http://captainslug.com/modding/mk6_materials_inventory.txt)
404 Not Found

[Captain Slug]

fixed

[sicloan]

I think those handles are going to look sweet. And I want one.

[Captain Slug]

I finished my grand dye experiment and here's the result.

Before
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_kb_1.jpg

After
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_kb_1.jpg

No, you're not seeing things. The dye process was a complete failure! I tried two different type of dyes and nothing will work with ABS. SO I've reverted to my backup plan and have begun applying blackboard paint. More pics to come as I apply more coats and reassemble the keyboard.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_kb_4.jpg

[Captain Slug]

Gwah! Finally.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_kb_5.jpg
It took a really long time to get this thing back together.

[theoilman]

I must be blind or something because I honestly don't notice a difference

[Captain Slug]

I made the casing black, but the previous post is explaining that my first attempt at doing so was a complete failure. The only way to make the keys black would be to engrave or label all the keys and I don't have the time to do that right now.

[gulp35]

GAaaahhh....

that keyboard is soooo cool...

and CS I just realized something... the bomberman in your avatar looks alot like "the prince" from Katamari Damacy... rollling around a sphere and everything... of course your sphere has a high chance of exploding... :shrug:

[Captain Slug]

Indeed, and such was the intent when I drew it (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/22114789/). :)

The surplus company in Nebraska that I placed an order through has notified me that the copper-clad board for my Plug-Bus prototype PCB is nowin the mail. And in other news I'm contemplating quiting my current part-time job so that I can concentrate on school and not have a repeat of the stress level of last semester. :(

[natewildes]

I wonder what kind of people would actually buy that keyboard for it's durability.....probably some kind of special ops team :P

[Roofles]

I hear ya on the quitting your part time job. I had one when I was a sophmore and it really does just suck your time for homework and everything. (even worse than junior year does =/ )

If you are good at budgeting you can live off student loans really easily, and even easier if you dont eat much. A guy I live with has at points had 60 bucks to his name for 2-3 months.

[Captain Slug]

I'm not comfortable with debt. In fact the whole point of having the part-time job was to build my savings back up to where it was before I burned it all on Battlebots. I would like to graduate college with a surplus of atleast $2,000. That job had already satisfied that goal before it started driving me nuts.

[Roofles]

Heh, guess I just pay too much for tuition then :) I paid freshman and sophmore year out of my pocket 20G's+ so now I'm livin on loans. School debt I just assumed I would have and would pay it off when I graduated.

Out of curiousity, what is your major/what would you go to grad school for?

And then on topic. Will a PCB be able to take the amps some components need for operation?

[Captain Slug]

Out of curiousity, what is your major/what would you go to grad school for?
I'm working on a Bachelor's in Communication (Public Relations) with a Minor in Business.

And then on topic. Will a PCB be able to take the amps some components need for operation?
Each trace is rated for a maximum of 4 amps, which is 1 amp more than the individual wires delivering the current to and from the board.

[Captain Slug]

Here's a work-up of the Full Tower version as well as an explaination of where the PCI Pump Relay will be.
http://captainslug.com/modding/mk6_ft_t.jpg
Bigger (http://captainslug.com/modding/mk6_ft.jpg)
Soooo many setup options. And the ability to use two BIX3s blows my mind since that would make for a really effective passive setup. This design is so large that even phase change could potentially fit inside.

And I CAN'T believe I forgot to take a picture of these when they arrived on the weekend but...
ZOMG 18 pounds worth of copper and fiberglass!
http://captainslug.com/modding/mk6_pcb_0.jpg
That's 18 12"x6" singled-sided 3oz boards weighing 1lb each. That leaves me quite a few if I make mistakes, or want to make other PCBs for some unforseen reason. They were dirt cheap yet again thanks to more fun on ebay.

[-maddog-]

I'm not comfortable with debt. In fact the whole point of having the part-time job was to build my savings back up to where it was before I burned it all on Battlebots. I would like to graduate college with a surplus of atleast $2,000. That job had already satisfied that goal before it started driving me nuts.









Pics! Pics! Pics!

[Captain Slug]

Pics! Pics! Pics!
http://www.battlebots.com/images/bot_photos/SF01B/Large/bot-00869.jpg
Or did you want a picture of my part-time job? :rolleyes:

[flamerail]

Wonder what this has to do with captins project ;)
http://flamerail.com/public/PC%20Images/captinslg%20project/Flo%20Diverter.jpg

[Captain Slug]

Awww, come on. Nobody wants to guess? ;)

[Son1990]

Hehehe I know, keepin my mouth shut tho :thup:

[gvblake22]

Wonder what this has to do with captins project ;)
http://flamerail.com/public/PC%20Images/captinslg%20project/Flo%20Diverter.jpg
Awww, come on. Nobody wants to guess? ;)
For sweet ass cooling! :eh?:
And the blue LED's in the Zalman cooler will light up those frosted, cone shaped pieces of plastic you affixed to the center and they will look frickin' sweet?! :eh?:

[Captain Slug]

Okay, the plan is to build a single-pass enclosed air-cooling loop. The Zalman CNPS9500 will be enclosed, so the cone in the center is there to remove the dead spot.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_manifold_cpu_0.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_manifold_cpu_1.jpg
The end-goal is cool the entire computer with a single 100CFM blower
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_blower_0.jpg
Which I will be wiring to a push-button fan speed controller.
The loop will consist of 2" fabric duct hose connecting a series of thermo-formed manifolds covering the CPU heatsink, essential areas of the motherboard, and video card. Here's a messy sketch of how the single-pass duct will be setup.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_manifold_cpu_2.jpg
The ducting coming out of the video card will re-enter the machine through the power supply so that the exhaust coming off of the power supply with cool the exposed sections of the motherboard then exhaust out the front of the case through the hard drive heatsinks.

The whole setup will result in a 100CFM high-pressure air-cooled setup at only 22dBa. :D
The first step is for me to make a vacuum-forming table, which I have already started sourcing parts for.

[gvblake22]

What the.....
That's some crazy schtuff man! Good luck with that one... I'm not trying to knock your idea, but my guess is that there still won't be enough pressure to cool the heatsinks well. And the air will be so warm by the time it gets to the GPUY that I think there will be problems. But who know's it could just work!
Cool idea though ;)

[princeofdarknes]

what i believe, with all of these cooling "loops" is that they are inneficient
Maybe i'm undereducated on this subject, but wouldnt separate inputs and outputs for each component be better?
ex. normal way
in -->----cpu___
..._<_Chipset_<_\
...\_>_GPU__> out (and around to the begining eventually if water)
but i belive that this is inneficient in which the heat is being transfered among different components not thoroughly cooling them all
ex. theorecitcal
.........__>__CPU_>__
in...>-|->-Chipset->--|--> out..
.........--->--GPU-->--

understand what i'm trying to get at here? the fluid will branch off into the different components you need cooled, then merge back together to goto the radiator (out of the case in your..well case) or whatnot
I realize where it goes in before it branches and after it merges the pipe/tube would have to be larger, and your pump may have to be stronger, not sure, but what do you think? seems more efficient to me. There may be unseen, to me, reasons why you guys dont do this, maybe its not cost efficient, but this is my thought, chew it up how you please
-prince

[fuzzba11]

I've gotta agree wtih princeofdarkness here, the copper will dump way too much heat into the system, but it will still be a good experiment in cooling!

[Captain Slug]

Maybe i'm undereducated on this subject, but wouldnt separate inputs and outputs for each component be better?
That would require dividing the airflow or setting up multiple blowers.

And I shouldn't have said "loop", it's a single-pass system. And yes the processor will be the device dumping the most heat into the chain but at the airflow rate and pressure involved the temperaturature change of the airflow from ambient will be negligable and shouldn't have much of an effect on the rest of the device temperatures.

[princeofdarknes]

That would require dividing the airflow or setting up multiple blowers.

And I shouldn't have said "loop", it's a single-pass system. And yes the processor will be the device dumping the most heat into the chain but at the airflow rate and pressure involved the temperaturature change of the airflow from ambient will be negligable and shouldn't have much of an effect on the rest of the device temperatures.

Ah i understand, if the speed and force is strong enough it wont have detramental effects on heat, but i'm thinking you can divide the output of the blower evenly through 3 or 4 tubes, you'd just have to fabricate a fitting that either cuts up the hole into 3rds or 4ths, cant be too hard if you have the right tools. Just a suggestion ;)

[Captain Slug]

Ah i understand, if the speed and force is strong enough it wont have detramental effects on heat, but i'm thinking you can divide the output of the blower evenly through 3 or 4 tubes, you'd just have to fabricate a fitting that either cuts up the hole into 3rds or 4ths, cant be too hard if you have the right tools. Just a suggestion ;)
It's something I could try while bench-testing but I don't really see how that would improve temperatures enough to be worth the effort or complication.

[Navig]

This is actually a lot like the arguments that watercooling folks have. Parallel vs series? Flow rate? Order of components? My understanding for watercooling is that series is much superior as long as you keep the water flowing at a good rate.

Of course there are 2 significant differences: 1) air vs water as the medium (my understanding is water is much better) 2) this system need never achieve equilibrium ie its not a closed loop.

Absolutely fascinating!

Are you going to make the whole system air tight? How do you plan on sealing it to the motherboard?

navig

[Captain Slug]

Are you going to make the whole system air tight?
Close, but not completely. It only needs to be sealed enough to contain the airflow without significant leakage.

How do you plan on sealing it to the motherboard?
Here's where the vacuum-forming comes into play. I will make a thin plastic (probably polystyrene) mold of the motherboard, add a wood form to the plastic mold, then form another sheet onto the form. Lastly I'll cut the required holes out of the underside piece (so that those components are exposed inside the duct) and trim the excess.
I'll end up with two halves that I can cement together to make a unit that simply bolts onto the motherboard and acts as a manifold.

In other news I modified my headphones.
Before (http://www.bestekeus.nl/shop/images/MDR-J10.jpg) - > After (http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mdr-j10.jpg)

[Burdman27911]

Just a thought on the splitting to different tubes idea... wouldn't the air take the path of least resistance? I know some air will still make it down the other tubes, but most likely the path that is the most "free" of blockage would have good flow while the rest would start getting pretty warm.

I suppose you'll just have to test to find out. I'm looking forward to more progress on this one.

[flamerail]

For sweet ass cooling! :eh?:
And the blue LED's in the Zalman cooler will light up those frosted, cone shaped pieces of plastic you affixed to the center and they will look frickin' sweet?! :eh?:

The light was in the fan.. and as you can see.. WHAT FAN?!?!

:)

Im going to turn the final diverter cone tomorrow. And ship it thrusday morning to captin slggy!

BTW I donated the uber blower :)

[gvblake22]

The light was in the fan.. and as you can see.. WHAT FAN?!?!

:)
HAHA, yeah, I noticed that. After I posted I was like, "Hmmm, that looks wierd. I guess the fan must be on the other side :shrug: "
LOL

I never would have guessed though!

[SnakeATWAR]

This is looking to be the best case I've ever seen. Can I have one for free?
:D

[Captain Slug]

Can I have one for free? :D
:rolleyes:

[flamerail]

Hey sluggy!

http://www.flamerail.com/public/PC%20Images/captinslg%20project/done2.jpg
http://www.flamerail.com/public/PC%20Images/captinslg%20project/installed.jpg

Send it to ya thrusday or friday. Should have it by monday :)

[Captain Slug]

Yippee! And while I've been waiting for parts to arrive I've been working on a samurize config for yet another suprise.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_sam.jpg
Plus two more transparent versions.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_sam_black.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_sam_white.jpg

[princeofdarknes]

Hmmmm that'd be cool on a touch LCD mounted somewhere ;)

[Captain Slug]

Hmmmm that'd be cool on a touch LCD mounted somewhere ;)
Bingo, but with a difference

[Roofles]

I like those samurize configs, I have to get me some free time to mess with that program.

personal favorite is the black and white one.

[princeofdarknes]

Bingo, but with a difference

a difference? ooo i'd like to see that ;)

[Captain Slug]

All of my hardware is ordered and after next week I will start building the vacuum-forming table. This project is about to leave "paper" and start becoming a reality! :D

[ghettocomp]

All of my hardware is ordered and after next week I will start building the vacuum-forming table. This project is about to leave "paper" and start becoming a reality! :D
A vacuum table is not hard to build, just a pain in the backside to get it working properly. I am positive that with your knowledge of plastics, you will get it working just fine! :cool:

[Captain Slug]

Teehee
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_tlcd_0.jpg

[=ACID RAIN=]

Score!

Man this is gonna be sweet as hell when it's finished!!!1

[gvblake22]

Holy frickin' crap CS! That thing is crazy!! :eek:
You've gotta stop teasing us like this. Tell us what you did and how you did it!!! :mad:

[Burdman27911]

Boo, teasers are no fun... I take it back, I like to have something to look forward to. I'm also interested to see what this "difference" is. No clues from what I can see in the pic, guess I'll have to wait.

[scott d]

Where can I sign up to be a beta tester for this? Shoot, I'll even do it for free :)

[Captain Slug]

Holy frickin' crap CS! That thing is crazy!! :eek:
You've gotta stop teasing us like this. Tell us what you did and how you did it!!! :mad:
It's a 14" touchscreen LCD which I will be heavily modifying to be a control and monitoring monitor for Mk.6. It will allow me to monitor temperatures, delocalize program controls, and activate commonly used program shortcuts.
I didn't want to clutter the from of my new machine with a display that I would have to bend over to keep track of so this was the solution I cam up with. It will also involve some changes to the LCD that nobody has ever done before.

More updates will filter in as I start the process of benching hardware. There's alot of stuff coming in the mail that will allow me to run ducting tests on the heatsink.

[Dukeman]

I'm working on a Bachelor's in Communication (Public Relations) with a Minor in Business.
I also have a Bachelor's in Communications (PR/Journalism) with a minor in Business. When I found out that reporters started at $11K/year I decided to turn my love of computers into a living. I'm now a Software Program Manager.

You'll get the same reaction I do when people find out you have a comm degree.

[gvblake22]

It's a 14" touchscreen LCD which I will be heavily modifying to be a control and monitoring monitor for Mk.6. It will allow me to monitor temperatures, delocalize program controls, and activate commonly used program shortcuts.
I didn't want to clutter the from of my new machine with a display that I would have to bend over to keep track of so this was the solution I cam up with. It will also involve some changes to the LCD that nobody has ever done before.

More updates will filter in as I start the process of benching hardware. There's alot of stuff coming in the mail that will allow me to run ducting tests on the heatsink.
Awesome work man! You truly are one hell of a creative, ingenious pioneer! :attn:

[ghettocomp]

I am interested in this one! Details.. Details! they look like something I could use :D:D

[Lunar_Lamp]

This thread has been on my subscribe list for so long that I barely know what year this project started. I knew I wasn't going to be dissapointed with the way this thing progressed.

Is the touchscreen LCD integrated into the case, or does it integrate into your modular concept by being an integrated separate component, i.e. do you envisage having 2 screens on your desk? Or am I missing completely what you're thinking?

[Captain Slug]

Aw crap. I was sent the wrong model of power supply... :eh?:
Good thing I checked BEFORE I got to the bench-testing.

You'll get the same reaction I do when people find out you have a comm degree.
Yeah, I'm getting it as a subsitute for the Marketing Degree I had originally planned to get.
Is the touchscreen LCD integrated into the case, or does it integrate into your modular concept by being an integrated separate component, i.e. do you envisage having 2 screens on your desk? Or am I missing completely what you're thinking?
The LCD will be basically integrated into my desk. I want everything display-wise at eye level this time around.

[Th0r]

Slug! You're nuts! Do you know that? :P

*Subscribed*

[Captain Slug]

Slug! You're nuts! Do you know that? :P
Yes.

[Captain Slug]

And speaking of nuts here's the result of a stressful day of very intricate tinkering.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_tlcd_1.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_tlcd_2.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_tlcd_3.jpg
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_tlcd_4.jpg
I don't want to go into too much detail but the hard part is done. I just need to finish the new frame and potentially find a shorter bulb.

[veryhumid]

is it going to be a side panel maybe?

[Evilsizer]

lookin sweet! How much this case looking at cost wise/time frame?

[Captain Slug]

The UV LCD wasn't working out the way I wanted to so I went back to the white backlight. Slow day thanks to yet ANOTHeR cold front making it hard for me to move.

[vonkaar]

wow

[Deadbot1_1973]

well the UV backlight idea is interesting to me. Did you coat the back panel/diffuser with anything to make it UV reflective/reactive? If not then th panel wouldn't be very bright.

[masakabassist]

Fairplay dude, this is beyond my comprehension lol Good Luck

[Captain Slug]

well the UV backlight idea is interesting to me. Did you coat the back panel/diffuser with anything to make it UV reflective/reactive? If not then th panel wouldn't be very bright.
No, the white reflective backing sheet of the LCD was treated with whitening dyes that are UV reactive and since it's one of the vital parts I couldn't remove it. I've discovered that LCD monitor lens/diffuser setups pretty much suck at conveying anything other than white light. I even tried a red filter and the resulting effect was just as weak as the UV.
I was delicate enough with the stock backlight that all I had to do was put it back in and then reseal the top.

The LCD is mostly done, I just need to go to the hardware store and pick up some spacers and bolts so I can finish the legs.

[Deadbot1_1973]

Ah well. Still looking good as always. Keep up the good work.

[Captain Slug]

My design isn't doing so well in the contest (http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=108517). Appearantly my renders aren't shiny enough. :\
I'm going to bench-test hardware and work on etching the PCB this weekend.

[Evilsizer]

My design isn't doing so well in the contest (http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=108517). Appearantly my renders aren't shiny enough. :\
I'm going to bench-test hardware and work on etching the PCB this weekend.
i like your case alot, has a lot of things that are missing from todays cases.
when i saw this case from that link you posted i started seeing macs for some
reason
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f57/Static_Lullaby_77/Top%20entries/Joungne/joungne_D_EXPLANATION.jpg
is it just me?

[-maddog-]

Your doing pretty well in relation to render quality.

[gvblake22]

pfffft, they shouldn't be worrying about the quality of the render! It's all about the case, design, features, and functionality!! :rolleyes:

Who cares what they think, this project rocks my socks off! LOL :D

[acompdude]

Man I am loving the case and everything. Man I wish I had the tools and the time to build something like that. GREAT WORK!!!!!!! Oh, and if you ever build any to sell, LET ME KNOW!!!

[Captain Slug]

The material cost for this case at present (due to the changes that resulted in more aluminum being used) is $266 without the plug-bus. If the case were made from scrap it would be much cheaper, but I want the prototype to be built like a tank.
The material cost for the plug-bus alone is around $120.

[Burdman27911]

Don't feel bad CS, the one you are being beaten by is definately shiny, and that's what people like to see. Pictures, pictures, pictures. In the end when you have this revolutionary case sitting there... they will love it.

[scott d]

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f57/Static_Lullaby_77/Top%20entries/Joungne/joungne_D_EXPLANATION.jpg



hmm, good thing they aren't grading on spelling

[Roofles]

Are you making the plug bus yourself?

In a EE magazine that I've obtained there are some ad's for custom PCB etching and such on very small scales (something like 3) for 24.95. I can grab the add for you so you can see if its what you need. They make mention of their own pcb design software and such, but if you already have your layout you are probably set.

If you already have the materials however, good luck!

[Captain Slug]

Thanks for the offer but most rapid PCB prototyping services are talking about standard size boards and when compared to those the PCBs I will be making are HUGE.
Are you making the plug bus yourself?
That's the plan at present. A friend of mine owns a printing shop so that's where I'll be working on getting the laser printing done at precise measurements and the machine shop owner has alot of experience with electronic prototyping so I can go to him if I run into any stumbling blocks. I've been researching, planning, and designing the plug-bus long enough that I'm confident enough to do it myself and I have everything I need to get started on it except for time. Something I'll be able to resolve as soon as I get these things made for Son1990 and then find out whether or not I place in this contest I entered in.
Thanks to the contest it's looking as though I won't have to reach into my own pockets to make this project a reality, and if that becomes true then I will be able to implement everything I had in mind without having to worry too much about the costs involved.

Because of that I have complete inventory lists ready with part numbers, prices, and detailed plans of how I will be doing everything right down to the duct hose connectors that I will have to make myself. Outside of the electronics there are going to be very very few things in this machine that I didn't make myself or have to modify in some way.

[gvblake22]

hmm, good thing they aren't grading on spelling
You have to remember that English is probably not his first language...

[Captain Slug]

You have to remember that English is probably not his first language...
Yeah, his first language is dutch if I remember correctly. The contest is "grading" on a mix of functionality, aesthetics, and cost effectiveness (in terms of the complexity of manaufacturing the case). The majority of the public poll however can only seem to recognize aesthetics. Thankfully the public poll isn't going to be 100% of the end decision on which designs place in the top 5.

[scott d]

Yeah, his first language is dutch if I remember correctly.

oh, now I feel like a jerk

[Captain Slug]

Guh, kinda depressed right now. Classes yesterday sucked, haven't been able to do anything today because of my arthritis, and worst of all I just found out that I didn't place in the top 5 in the contest.
Edit: "Emo post" pending review after recent correspondence. Life is trying to be too dramatic right now. I did receive my replacement power supply and some essential mounting hardware in the mail today so bench-testing can begin.

[Burdman27911]

Cheer up CS... All will seem better in a day or two. Spring break is almost here anyway (at least for those in NC), so maybe you'll find something to keep you busy.

[Son1990]

Real cool Avatar.

[Deadbot1_1973]

man, that's a shame. I always watch your projects...they rock. And you have some of the best plastic skills I've ever seen.

Hey cheer up guy. you still have a loyal audience here.

[gvblake22]

man, that's a shame. I always watch your projects...they rock. And you have some of the best plastic skills I've ever seen.

Hey cheer up guy. you still have a loyal audience here.
Quote for truth!! :clap:

You da man CS ;)

[Captain Slug]

Well, the contest ended in a disappointing ball of flames.
I'm working on bench-testing hardware and getting the vacuum-forming table made and I will be ordering EVERYTHING this week so that I can get to work on this case over Spring Break. A good deal of the case parts are stupid-simple to make so provided I can get started when I want to things should go smoothly in the next two weeks.
Also, I have a much much MUCH nicer camera to work with now so you may actually be able to SEE what it is I'm doing. :rolleyes:

[Deadbot1_1973]

cool beans. Hey, if it's not to much to ask, can you post a log about that vacuum former? I know the basics of them but I've never seen one actually built.

[Dukeman]

Well, the contest ended in a disappointing ball of flames.

Yea but which of those designs are gonna get out of rendering software and on to someone's desk? You are a shining example of the difference between those who dream big things and those who do big things!

[hitokiri_808]

Yea but which of those designs are gonna get out of rendering software and on to someone's desk? You are a shining example of the difference between those who dream big things and those who do big things!

Indeed.

Can't wait to see more progress.

[Deadbot1_1973]

Yea but which of those designs are gonna get out of rendering software and on to someone's desk? You are a shining example of the difference between those who dream big things and those who do big things!

This guy has the right of it. The USSR project is a work of art. This project is pure genius. Any fool can make a drawing using a computer, but you have been making the real things. Those who judged that contest only saw the renders...never looking to see if there was any real effort into them. Keep the faith man. you have inspired myself and many others. Be proud of that.

and post more pics.... :p

[DeViL_909]

No joke. Seeing as the USSR is sitting in my room being completed.....I can say that it is pretty real :). Great work. Keep modding my friend.

[Captain Slug]

Ow
http://www.captainslug.com/temp/ow.jpg
I found a 2-inch long glass shard while installing an air conditioner (it's FINALLY spring) and it really messed up my day. I bled all over the kitchen and had to keep my foot in the air for 2 hours to stop the bleeding. I was supposed to go to the machine shop today... :(

The vacuum-foming table work starts tomorrow.

[gvblake22]

OUCH! Bummer man, hope you feel better soon :)

[Deadbot1_1973]

Ahhh....that sucks. I've gotten a nail through the foot and it hurts like hell. Sorry to hear that.

[Dukeman]

Ouch! Get well soon so you can post more pics. :p

[Captain Slug]

3 MASSIVE packages full of materials (2 of which are 6-foot tubes) for the case arrived from mcmaster on friday.
Today I'm testing all the hardware to make sure everything works. This is a step I skipped when making Mk.V and it lead to alot of confusion and frustration. So this time around I'm going to eliminate any potential for errant finger-pointing. If something goes wrong after I modify a part I'll be able to tell whether or not it was my fault and make it easier to identify what isn't working.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_0.jpg
My foot still hurts...

[Deadbot1_1973]

cool that you got the parts. Take care of the foot.

[Son1990]

Hmm that bench looks fimiliar :)

[gvblake22]

That LCD looks really nice the way you have it mounted. :thup:

[Burdman27911]

Ouch, that foot must hurt. I just got back from my spring break so I assume you have yours this week or next. Enjoy it, get work done, and stay off that foot!

[Captain Slug]

I didn't get much done today because the first half of it was spent cleaning up the house and then tidying up my work areas. After all of that was done I did manage to get all of the aluminum frame pieces cut to length.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_1.jpg
I'll take these to the machine shop tomorrow to get them milled, drilled, and tapped. I figure out a way to make the frame halves without having to use angle brackets or welding.

[Deadbot1_1973]

:eek: didn't get much done :eek: with a wouded flipper even :eek:

dude you are seriously hardcore. :p

[AlucardCasull]

Agreed, a master of the art of cuttin chit up

[Captain Slug]

My foot is fine provided I wear shoes. Walking barefoot is still highly uncomfortable, which is sad because that's normally how I am all the time at home.
And this is what I get to do to the aluminum tomorrow (left side of image).
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Woodworking-joint-lap.gif
I'll be adding half-lap joints to all of the pieces so they go together flush with screws.

[Lunar_Lamp]

How thick is that aluminium? Surely with thin aluminium that's going to be really tricky?

[Captain Slug]

How thick is that aluminium? Surely with thin aluminium that's going to be really tricky?
The square rod that the frame will be made out of is 1/2"x1/2".

[AlucardCasull]

ingenius way of doin that aluminum

[Captain Slug]

The milling on the frame pieces is complete. I just need to drill and tap the front and back pieces.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_2.jpg
I'll go back to the machine shop tomorrow to get the L-channel aluminum cut.

So far the plan of doing all of the machining myself is going quite well. I don't see anything else in the project that I can't accomplish on my own. The machine shop simply has some really expensive tools that make certain tasks much easier, and now that I know how to use them I can just chug along.

[AlucardCasull]

is that the side? Lovin the work table too, looks MIGHTY familiar :cool:

[Captain Slug]

Yeah, it's the side of the frame. The pool/ping-pong table gets monopolized whenever I have a large project.

[Deadbot1_1973]

Wow. that looks sharp. Guess we need to add Aluminum to the Gawds list.

I can't wait to see the final results.

[Captain Slug]

Guh, tapping aluminum is boring and severely annoying. I'll have some photos later tonight.

Edit: $%^&*T! My tap just broke in the hole I was trying to thread...

[Son1990]

No extra ones?

[Captain Slug]

No. And Home Depot only sells the crappy ones that I've already gone through 3 of. Yet another delay that I won't be able to resolve until Tuesday.

[Son1990]

6-32?

[Captain Slug]

Yeah. They don't sell smaller taps made from anything other than high speed steel, which is far too weak to tap anything thicker than 1/8".
After I figure out how to get the broken tip out of the aluminum I'll have to see if the shop has any cobalt or carbide taps.

[Navig]

I feel for you captain,

Guess what's in that "extra" mounting hole! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v363/navig/P4%20Rig/Heatsinks/x850xtsinkbottom.jpg)

Broken tap! Good luck getting it out, if you have access it should drill out with a cobalt tip, otherwise since you're working with aluminum, you should be able to dissolve the tap.

navig

[Captain Slug]

Dissolve?

If you break larger taps the trick I learned was to drill it and then use a left-handed-tap to work the broken tip out of the hole. The shop should have a cobalt bit I could use.

[ghettocomp]

IMHO its probably cheaper and faster in the long run just to get new aluminum pieces made than to find a drill and reverse bit to remove that broken tap.

[Captain Slug]

I'm going to try to get it out with acid, which is the same kind I need to make the plug-bus PCBs anyways. If it doesn't work then I'll be out $16 and 2 hours. Whoopee-doo

[scott d]

Is it really difficult to tap aluminum? I'm going to be doing it in a couple weeks, so any advice you have to give would be much appreciated.

[nachosyumm]

i thought i was just really bad at tapping holes, i didnt know that the home depot taps are crud. For some reason taps only seem to break on the last hole when working on a piece of metal.


Using oil to lubricate the taps seems to make them last longer.

Where is a good place to get a set of taps?

[ghettocomp]

I'm going to try to get it out with acid, which is the same kind I need to make the plug-bus PCBs anyways. If it doesn't work then I'll be out $16 and 2 hours. Whoopee-dooUmmm... Acid and aluminum dont mix very well at all. I have a swimming pool that I use acid to balance the PH with, and it kinda eats up aluminum... fast, and leave the bit almost untouched. consider why they use the acid to make PCBs :)
Its going to be just cheaper and easier to replace the aluminum the tap is in. Or carefully redrill and tap with a larger bit.

[Navig]

Cutting oil definitely helps.

When I get time, I'll try some dissolving experiments also.

[ghettocomp]

Cutting oil definitely helps.

When I get time, I'll try some dissolving experiments also.
Please, please, please trust me on the acid and aluminum thing. Depending on concentrations, acid and aluminum can get nearly explosive, and the fumes are quite toxic, not fun. Kinda scores a big one for plastics! acid does not bother them very much.

[Captain Slug]

Is it really difficult to tap aluminum? I'm going to be doing it in a couple weeks, so any advice you have to give would be much appreciated.
You need taps rated for the rockwell hardness of the material you're trying to tap. I should have borrowed the tap I needed from the shop.
Where is a good place to get a set of taps?
http://www.mcmaster.com has reasonable prices for pretty much everything.

[Captain Slug]

In other news, I have everything ready to start working on the plug-bus.
http://www.captainslug.com/modding/mk6_plug-bus.jpg
The original image is a massive 3200 x 7600 pixels (12"x6"@600dpi) and needs to be printed on an 11x14 sheet of photo paper using a laser printer.

[ghettocomp]

Niiiccce ! :drool: I have not gotten my hands into anylthing like this...yet.
I don't think my wife would approve.. :(

[Captain Slug]

Yeah... this is going to get extremely time consuming and could involve several months of work. Mk.V took 4 months, and I have no idea how long it will take to get this made.

[alinosa]

do you already have a place to print your 11x14 image?

i work in a print shop so your job would be a snap.

[Captain Slug]

Yeah, I know the owner of a local print shop and he basically works for cake. hehe
If he doesn't ahve any photo paper in that size I may ask you so thanks for offering.

[Burdman27911]

mmm... cake

Good to see you progressing with this CS. I hope things don't end up drawing out for too long, I'm sure you don't find waiting too much fun, and I know we at OCF never like to wait for pics and progress :D.

[Captain Slug]

Well, the wait is usually the result of my unpredictable life and my unpredictable body working against me with all their collective might. I've lost two more days to my body not allowing me to lift my arms or use my legs without difficulty, which in turn is putting me further behind in my classes. Last year it was just my part time job getting in the way of everything.

[alinosa]

Yeah, I know the owner of a local print shop and he basically works for cake. hehe
If he doesn't ahve any photo paper in that size I may ask you so thanks for offering.

no prob, i want to see this as soon as possible, so i can (hopefully) buy one.

get better.
( i mean it in the nice way...)

[Captain Slug]

Just a word of warning about the plug-bus: it requires about $130 worth of connectors and parts.
For me it's worth it, and it would be cheaper to make them if they were done in bulk. But making one set at a time makes them rather expensive.

[Captain Slug]

Okay, I have some bad news. This is my 5th night in a row of not being able to fall asleep until I'm nearly passing out due to how uncomfortable my arthritis pain is. I went to the doctor yesterday and I will find out soon whether or not this is the fault of Lyme disease (which has become an epidemic in this county) or my arthritis shifting from what it was to something more akin to Rheumatoid arthritis.
I'm hoping it's Lyme Disease, not that anyone should ever hope that they have Lyme disease. Or let's just say it would suck slightly less if it were Lyme disease because there are known-effective medications for that where-as Rheumatoid arthritis, or whatever else, would require a full three-ring circus to find an effective medication for.

Either way I'm finding it difficult to do anything since my hips, knees, and occasionally shoulders are slowly becoming less cooperative. Just managing to attend the classes I have on my schedule this semester is becoming a hit-or-miss proposition.
The short end of the stick seems to be that no matter what the doctor tells me this week, I will either be incapacitated by powerful antibiotics for a month, or I'll be spending most of my free time going to doctors for several weeks.

Oh, and I have to manage to get better before the end of May because I need to go to Italy for 2 months to finish my degree.

I need a nap...

[masakabassist]

Okay, I have some bad news. This is my 5th night in a row of not being able to fall asleep until I'm nearly passing out due to how uncomfortable my arthritis pain is. I went to the doctor yesterday and I will find out soon whether or not this is the fault of Lyme disease (which has become an epidemic in this county) or my arthritis shifting from what it was to something more akin to Rheumatoid arthritis.
I'm hoping it's Lyme Disease, not that anyone should ever hope that they have Lyme disease. Or let's just say it would suck slightly less if it were Lyme disease because there are known-effective medications for that where-as Rheumatoid arthritis, or whatever else, would require a full three-ring circus to find an effective medication for.

Either way I'm finding it difficult to do anything since my hips, knees, and occasionally shoulders are slowly becoming less cooperative. Just managing to attend the classes I have on my schedule this semester is becoming a hit-or-miss proposition.
The short end of the stick seems to be that no matter what the doctor tells me this week, I will either be incapacitated by powerful antibiotics for a month, or I'll be spending most of my free time going to doctors for several weeks.

Oh, and I have to manage to get better before the end of May because I need to go to Italy for 2 months to finish my degree.

I need a nap...

Dude that sucks get well soon!

[ghettocomp]

I hope for the better for you and it is neither of those, and just some freak
inconvience from the weather(?). Having been around my sister that has had
rheumatic fever, and a friend that has had Lymes disease, I can understand the
either condition is very unpleasant. Get better, hoping and praying for the best for
you.

-=ghetto=-

[Burdman27911]

I'll definitely keep you in my prayers bro. I hope things get easier for you, and you have an enjoyable end to your studies in Italy. I'm sure we'd all love to see the project finished, but I'd be surprised if anyone cared more about that than seeing you in better condition. Get well bro!

Burdman

[gvblake22]

Get Well Soon! :thup: :D

[Deadbot1_1973]

My grandfather has arthritis and it sucks for him. It's partially hereditary, so I probably get to look forward to it as well. I don't feel your pain, but I know what it must be like. Here's hoping they can do something for you. I hope that if you can't continue modding in the future that you will always at least give out advice. The best tool that you can give others is your knowledge.

Get better man.

[Captain Slug]

Well, the semester is over and I'm contemplating switching to water-cooling for this machine. I'm trying to source a cheap pump on ebay as well as a 120x2 or 120x3 radiator through the classifieds or elsewhere.
Haven't decided yet.

[gangaskan]

what does your budget look like for a pump? performance pc's has the Eheim 1048 for like 53 and shipping so 58 ish mabye a little bit more i got the 1250 and its a megabeast in my pc i cant put any pci cards (nor another pcie graphics card) in my system :(

[Captain Slug]

I bid on a 300gph/3.4m head pump on ebay for $23 shipped. I already have a relay I can use.