View Full Version : From design to reality-Custom wood case
Well folks I managed to get this custom wood case built. I have posted an entire project log here on OC at: http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?p=4373808#post4373808
Several weeks ago I asked for feedback about a custom case design in this thread: http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=436239
After tons of work and late nights, I finally got everything finished and put together and fired up last night. This was without question the most work I have every undertaken in anything computer related. I have probably spent about 100 hours or more from modeling this to running to Lowes and Ace hardware a thousand times to actually building and creating solutions to problems that arose. Bless my wife for being patient with me working so much on this the last month or so! She even likes the way it looks which for someone dissinterested in computer modding is a real compliment. I am almost let down now that it is working in that I had so much fun making this. Take a look at the project log and let me know what you think. Here are some of the pics to hopefully whet your appetite:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/front.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/lightsSide1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/leftSide.jpg
For some reason the side pic makes the cabling kind of look like a mess, but it actually is very neat. Its just that you see through from one side to the other in the one side view.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/lightsSide3.jpg
Before it comes up, yes, the MB is mounted upside down. I have placed everything so that if anything were to leak, it would just hit the bottom of the case, not any components. I just had to make sure to tip the case around a good bit while bleeding to make sure to get any air out of the blocks that might get trapped because of having it upside down.
And yes, I use a car rad mounted on top of the case and I like it for the silence and yet good cooling.
It is extremely gratifying to take something that I was able to develop and 3d model and tweak and make it a reality. What do you folks think?
AZNBoiOnFIYA
03-15-06, 11:27 PM
very nice. love the windows
Aidenswarrior
03-15-06, 11:27 PM
i am speechless, that is unbelievable
:thup: :beer: :attn: :cry: :clap: <- all the emotions i am feeling
Stratus_ss
03-15-06, 11:45 PM
sweet sweet case I love the idea of hanging it upside down.. i never thought of that
great innovation
Oper8or
03-16-06, 07:36 AM
All I can say is "wow". That is an extremely nice case. That one deserves a serious round of :clap: for the amount of detail you put in that. Your good man.. very good.
Luftwaffle
03-16-06, 07:59 AM
Inverted motherboard!
Holy crap, I was planning on doing that for the longest time. How did you do yours? Also, how did you support the cards? I'm worried about the cards backing out of the slots. (It happens a lot to me for some reason.)
Thanks for the applause!!!
Inverted motherboard!
Holy crap, I was planning on doing that for the longest time. How did you do yours? Also, how did you support the cards? I'm worried about the cards backing out of the slots. (It happens a lot to me for some reason.)
I have two 1 1/2" x 3/4" pieces screwed into the top of the case, and then have the motherboard tray screwed into those pieces. This is to give me a standoff for ventilation out of the top of the case. The backpiece is then screwed into the back of the case, and the cards are secured with screws as usual into the PCI mounts on the backpanel. They aren't going anywhere.
Luftwaffle
03-16-06, 08:15 AM
That's so damn sweet.
Yeah, maybe I'm just paranoid about the cards backing out because it's happened to me so much. I worry about the weight of the GPU block and tubes helping it out as well as the expansion from heat, etc., etc.
Still, great job. I love the lighting. :D
That is beyond bad ass. Beautiful work!!!
Flip-Mode
03-16-06, 08:56 AM
Very good work!
citronym
03-16-06, 12:02 PM
Thats amazing.
That's so damn sweet.
Yeah, maybe I'm just paranoid about the cards backing out because it's happened to me so much. I worry about the weight of the GPU block and tubes helping it out as well as the expansion from heat, etc., etc.
Still, great job. I love the lighting. :D
To help with the weight of the VC I have my own cardkeeper made out of acrylic that bolts into the card and also into the PCI slots.
Luftwaffle
03-16-06, 12:43 PM
Would it be possible to get a picture of this cardkeeper without taking the whole thing apart? If it's too much trouble, don't worry about it.
WOw, that is some really beautiful work there =O. You thinking of staining it perhaps?
Would it be possible to get a picture of this cardkeeper without taking the whole thing apart? If it's too much trouble, don't worry about it.
Here is a pic of it in the system I just took apart:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/OctNov05Changes/int1.jpg
It is made out of 3/16" acrylic. I used one vacant hole on the end of the VC to screw through into the acrylic, and then used 3 pci slot screws to secure the other end.
WOw, that is some really beautiful work there =O. You thinking of staining it perhaps?
Believe it or not it is stained. The Aspen wood is naturally very light beige in color, and I used 2 coats of natural wood stain on it. I wanted the case to be light and not even like an oak color.
Etacovda
03-16-06, 11:34 PM
I actualy thought it was gloss white when it first loaded (wierd lcd monitor). It'd look pretty sweet in smooth gloss white, actually.
Very cool.
You should take it to a LAN and see how many people you can get lined up asking questions. haha.
I actualy thought it was gloss white when it first loaded (wierd lcd monitor). It'd look pretty sweet in smooth gloss white, actually.
Very cool.
It probably would look good in white gloss. To me however one of the reasons to make it out of wood is to get the look of wood which you can only get via stain.
You should take it to a LAN and see how many people you can get lined up asking questions. haha.
I wish I could take it to a LAN party. I would love to see the reaction. However, unfortunately I am a pretty lone computer geek in my area/age group (37). There just aren't guys I know of that even have LAN parties. Most of us are just busy trying to pay the bills and hold down the fort.
I do have a couple of guys at work that I have told about this project that are waiting on pics though.
bryan_d
03-17-06, 01:21 AM
I'm a little late,
Great job on the case buddy! I was just pondering about this exact same topic a few days ago and thought that if I had this design back then, I would probably still be watercooling today!
Great job again,
Bryan d
I'm a little late,
Great job on the case buddy! I was just pondering about this exact same topic a few days ago and thought that if I had this design back then, I would probably still be watercooling today!
Great job again,
Bryan d
Thanks. I was wondering when you would see this. Even though your cats almost got killed, you will come back. It is your destiny...
Hope the cats are OK. BTW, Sharka computers sells some anticorrosive only that does not contain any glycol of ANY kind - http://www.sharkacomputers.com/aqcoacflnonc.html . Thought I would pass that on as an alternative to you.
MoreGooder
03-17-06, 07:23 AM
I am astounded. Being a woodworker myself, I can understand and appreciate the amount of labor and love that went into that case. It is truly a work of art, and I hope it lasts you for many years.
There are details that you put into the design that aren't absolutely necessary to accomplish the task. You did them simply because of the aesthetics. I think that is a fantastic way to approach these things. I've seen so many water cooling rigs that, well, sorry folks, are absolutely hideous, and they are ugly because no love or passion was put into the project. You've demonstrated what real effort can yield.
Now.... how does it perform? Temps? Overclocking potential?
clocker2
03-17-06, 07:27 AM
Not seeing the HDDs or how they are mounted...is this the case the AquaDrive ended up in?
MoreGooder
03-17-06, 07:46 AM
Oh, and did you wind up using the Arm-R-Seal finish I linked to you?
Luftwaffle
03-17-06, 07:47 AM
Here is a pic of it in the system I just took apart:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/OctNov05Changes/int1.jpg
It is made out of 3/16" acrylic. I used one vacant hole on the end of the VC to screw through into the acrylic, and then used 3 pci slot screws to secure the other end.
Believe it or not it is stained. The Aspen wood is naturally very light beige in color, and I used 2 coats of natural wood stain on it. I wanted the case to be light and not even like an oak color.
Slick. Thanks. :D
THE JEW (RaVeN)
03-17-06, 02:46 PM
Nice job on the woodwork.
NoodleHead
03-17-06, 05:18 PM
incredible work, awesome lookin case
veryhumid
03-17-06, 05:31 PM
sweet sweet case I love the idea of hanging it upside down.. i never thought of that
great innovation
i haven't seen that either, good idea :thup:
Carpenter skills and water cooling skills...nicely done, cheers!
bryan_d
03-17-06, 07:07 PM
Thanks. I was wondering when you would see this. Even though your cats almost got killed, you will come back. It is your destiny...
Hope the cats are OK. BTW, Sharka computers sells some anticorrosive only that does not contain any glycol of ANY kind - http://www.sharkacomputers.com/aqcoacflnonc.html . Thought I would pass that on as an alternative to you.
Heheh,
Thanks for the link:) I actually moved to Propylene Glycol antifreeze but I just couldn't stand the upkeep anymore (I'm a lazy arse, what can I say). Hey did you know that there is Propylene Glycol in Dayquil? Anyhoo, I will say again that I am jealous of the sweet case of yours!
Post more pics of the inside!
Bryan d
I am astounded. Being a woodworker myself, I can understand and appreciate the amount of labor and love that went into that case. It is truly a work of art, and I hope it lasts you for many years.
There are details that you put into the design that aren't absolutely necessary to accomplish the task. You did them simply because of the aesthetics. I think that is a fantastic way to approach these things. I've seen so many water cooling rigs that, well, sorry folks, are absolutely hideous, and they are ugly because no love or passion was put into the project. You've demonstrated what real effort can yield.
Now.... how does it perform? Temps? Overclocking potential?
I really appreciate your comments. It is nice to see that someone really caught the thrust of what I am doing. If you do woodworking then you have an idea just how much time this took. I enjoy building stuff, and this case really was a lot of fun to make but it was a LOT of work also. I could have made a box that would have been practical, but I wanted something that I can look at and really enjoy knowing that I designed it from scratch in 3d and made it reality with my own two hands.
I did do a lot of things just so that it would look nice. That was part of my purpose in doing this- to make a case that would look like something. For instance, making the round fan filter out of wood was a real pain to figure out, but having a piece of plastic just wouldn't cut it to me . Routing the edges both inside and out really took some doing among other things. I routed every external edge of every piece so as to avoid box edges. I meticulously measure the holes for the power/reset/light switches and the HD and power LEDs so that they would all be as perfectly straight as possible. And these are just to name a few. I even gave it a good coat of Pledge furniture polish when I was done.
How does it peform? Well, right now it is about 23c (73f) in here. As I type, Everest Home is showing MB temp at 31c, CPU at 35c, GPU at 41c, and the hard drives at 31c and 29c. These are all a few C lower than in the last case, so despite having the MB upside down, the airflow and watercooling are doing their job.
No, I didn't pursue the Arm-R-Seal although that looks like good stuff. I already spent enough as is, and so I used some commercial polyurethane that I had left over from refinishing my living room floor just over a year ago. It is holding up very well on the wood floor, so I figured it should be fine for this.
Not seeing the HDDs or how they are mounted...is this the case the AquaDrive ended up in?
yes. The Aquadrive that I bought from you is mounted under the DVD and floppy immediately behind the fan on the front of the case. And I am glad that I got it as it helped make the tubing routing very simple.
Heheh,
Thanks for the link:) I actually moved to Propylene Glycol antifreeze but I just couldn't stand the upkeep anymore (I'm a lazy arse, what can I say). Hey did you know that there is Propylene Glycol in Dayquil? Anyhoo, I will say again that I am jealous of the sweet case of yours!
Post more pics of the inside!
Bryan d
Ok, here are a few more for you:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/ResBlue.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/leftSideBlue2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/leftSideBlue1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/insideRightFlash2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/insideRightFlash1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/insideRightBlue1.jpg
For this last one I took the camera and stuffed it into the case against the rear wall looking forward. Most of the cables going from the drive area to the PS I tied up along the ceiling so that they wouldn't be all over the floor in a mess.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/insideFromBackBlue.jpg
HOLY SH**T thats a CASE... HOMEBREW...HARD WOOD.. very excellent...
damn i wish i had those expertise with marksmenship skills amazing......
speech-less
(too many wires lol)
excellent
SNieX
DAMN! thats slick as hell man! :drool:
InTheFlow
03-18-06, 04:38 AM
Wow, that baby is awesome! Congrats and thanks for sharing with us all!
EDIT: I especially like the res!
That's a great looking case. Is the top of the case solid or are there vents there so that the case fan drives air through the rad? And especially if the top of that case is solid, how for did you stand the rad off? Looks like maybe 2"?
That's a great looking case. Is the top of the case solid or are there vents there so that the case fan drives air through the rad? And especially if the top of that case is solid, how for did you stand the rad off? Looks like maybe 2"?
Thanks again for the good comments everyone. I appreciate it.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/HoleBehindMBTray.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/ScrewPlugs.jpg
The MB tray is mounted to two 1 1/2" x 3/4" thick slats to give it a standoff from the top. A case fan is mounted through the top onto a frame that screws into the top. This allows the top case fan to suck air from behind the MB tray. The bottom case fan blows air directly onto the VC and MB, and the top fan sucks air out the top from behind the MB. I did this so that there would be good airflow as having the MB upside down I wanted to make sure the chipset, etc. had a way to dissipate heat.
The top case fan does blow onto the rad. You have a good eye as the rad does have about a 2" standoff from the top.
Probably the biggest challenge after making it while putting in the components was wire management. I might go back and add a little false wall by the PS to better hide some wires because although they are all neatly contained, they are still visible on that side.
Nexus Realized
03-18-06, 06:55 AM
:eek: very nice :):thup:
Ah, thanks for the extral pics. So part of the radiator is passive, and part is cooled by the fan, eh? Very interesting setup. How close do you have to be before you can hear the fans?
I have a yate loon for the front intake fan, and two scythe ninjas for the bottom intake and top exhaust fans all at 7v. They are almost completely inaudible even from really close. The loudest thing is the D5 pump. I wasn't really concerned about cooling the rad with fans as it is so big that is cools well passively, but I figured into the design to have the exhaust fan blow on the rad anyway.
very nice case
always wanted to build a wood case
hugs
Jen
very nice case
always wanted to build a wood case
hugs
Jen
Thanks. I haven't posted to the thread, but that little Micro case you have been working on is pretty neat.
What a great case, how much did that cost you to make (+WC)?
What a great case, how much did that cost you to make (+WC)?
Thanks. I should have kept track of every receipt, but I figure I ended up spending almost $200 on just the case. Of course, about $25 was due to some things that I had to remake like the front piece I didn't get right the first time around, and the acrylic that I got for the windows at first was too thin and I ended up replacing it with thicker acrylic. I also bought wheels from the hardware store that simply stink and ended up ordering actual server wheels from Directron which are great.
As far as the watercooling, I got the Aquadrive HD cooler slightly used for $60 shipped, the rad for $35 shipped, the D5 for about $80 total, the MCW6002 used for $30 about 8 months ago, and the Maze 4 GPU block for $40 shipped about 6 months ago, $15 for ramsinks and thermal tape, and maybe $15 in tubing and clamps from Mcmaster. I also spent about $20 on the res in acrylic and glue.
Masakari
03-24-06, 09:09 PM
This is an AMAZING case!! I love the natural texture of the wood :-D Now I'm waiting for someone to create a case with granite/marble tiles.
This is an AMAZING case!! I love the natural texture of the wood :-D Now I'm waiting for someone to create a case with granite/marble tiles.
Thanks! I also love the natural look of wood. A wood case is heavy enough. I don't even want to think what a granite/marble case would weigh. Hey, the Romans made everything out of marble and granite, right?
lithker
03-25-06, 12:32 AM
very nice case, way better then my woodworking skills. you inspire me to make my own case. my only comment would be is there anyway you could somehow steath the cdrom and floppy as the black against wood really stands out. did u ever consider slot loading?
very nice case, way better then my woodworking skills. you inspire me to make my own case. my only comment would be is there anyway you could somehow steath the cdrom and floppy as the black against wood really stands out. did u ever consider slot loading?
Make your own! It is a very fun experience designing and building a case from the ground up. The only thing that I should have done differently is to make an easier way to hide all of the loose wiring. Other than that, I am pretty pleased with it.
I weighed what to do about the drives. I don't know exactly what you are referring to by slot loading however. I thought about having some kind of a door in front of them, but having a door is a pain in the neck to me and I really want ready access. I don't like having to open a door everytime I want to use the DVD drive. I thought about going back and adding a hinged door of some kind, and might still do so as I am also thinking about putting wood around the rad to dress it up a little more. Right now at least the black goes with the black radiator. If I do add wood around the rad, I would probably want to cover the drives as well.
lithker
03-25-06, 01:02 AM
slot loading like a car CD player, might be hard to find one but it would look so sweet to just have a slit opening. even with that though i dunno what to do about the eject button.
i agree that a door on the front is not the way to go as my case door is always left open now. i think a custom bezel similar to the ones Lian Li cases have would be the most practical option.
spd4life
03-25-06, 01:11 AM
great job voigts :clap: if only i had as much patience :-/
i think lithker is referring to something like this, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131352. which would be great to just have a slot, in stead of having the whole face exposed.
Perseus
03-25-06, 05:38 AM
Fabulous job, voigts. You should consider this sort of work for a living. :)
Fabulous job, voigts. You should consider this sort of work for a living. :)
Thanks again folks for the positive feedback.
I wish I could make a living doing this kind of thing. That would sure be a fun way to live. Unfortunately, I don't see that as being economically viable as the amount of money I would have to charge for the time it takes to make and put this together would be way over what I could see anyone paying.
That slot loading DVD drive is sweet and sure would look cool. If I really decide to stealth the dvd drive, i agree with the custom bezel idea. I would probably just take off the plastic face plate and make one somehow out of wood to replace it. I don't think that would be too hard to do. The challenge might be how to figure out the eject button, although with a little creativity I think I can make a solution. I just might have to do this when I can as it sure would look better. I have to build a fireplace mantle for my wife first though before I mess with this as I have had that on hold trying to get this done and she has been patiently waiting.
Well, I made a number of changes that I mentioned I was going to do.
I did make my own DDC pump top (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=456511) which works quite well. I also changed the pump from a D5 to a DDC 18w with my pump top and moved it to the back of the case to make access into the case easier. I used 1/2" long sweep copper elbows from the pump outlet to the CPU block inlet to try to minimize restriction.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/Lsideopen2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/Lsideopen1.jpg
As I mentioned, I wanted to reroute the water lines going from my hard drive block into the res, and from the res into the pump inlet. The way that I had the lines was taking up the entire space by my PS so that trying to figure out where to put the wiring was a problem. Wiring management was the only problem with my design that wasn't working well. So my idea was to come out of the res and angle the lines down toward the drive rack and along the floor of the case thereby freeing up the area below the PS. I then could put a 3 sided wall into that area and just loosely shove the wiring into it. The wall is just held down by two screws driven into the floor.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/resLines.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/rsideopen.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/WiringWall.jpg
I used 3/4" copper elbows going out from and into the res with 3/4" to 1/2" soldered in barb adapters so that the turns would have minimal restriction. I did the same thing with the 180 degree turn from the hard drive block to the res. I ran a piece of 1/2" copper piping bent from the bend out of the res to the pump inlet.
I debated whether to go with the 10w or 18w, and after having done side by side comparisions, i decided to go with the 18w as the noise difference is just not enough to warrant the flow difference to me. Plus, adding elbows adds restriction so I figured I could use the extra oomph. Changing the pump from a D5 and lowering the front intake fan from 7v to 5v has made this thing so quiet that the loudest parts are the PS and the hard drives, and they aren't loud. I am very pleased so far.
The 18w definitely is pumping more than the D5 did on number 3, though less than when it was on number 5. My guess, which is consistent with the flow testing I did with the pump top I made, is that it is hitting somewhere around a D5 number 4. This is purely judging visually by the flow in the res. I purposely leave a little bit of air in the top so I can see it moving.
I also wanted to change the way that the radiator mounts as it didn't really blend in with the case well. I agreed with Ghettocomp on this. I used 1/2" boards routed on the top and held together and to the top with brass "L" brackets. The front piece just has one bracket on each side holding it onto the side pieces so that i can take it off with only 2 screws for filling. I drilled the holes in the sides of the pieces to allow for air flow through the rad.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/front.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/front2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/rside.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/rside2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/Lside.jpg
I also found that the location of the drain ball valves didn't do much good when draining, so I moved them to the back of the case. I only really need them to drain out the rad initially because then removing the two lines into the rad and tipping back the case drains everything else out.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/voigts/CustomWoodCase/may06/drains.jpg
I also ripped out the cold cathode lights as they were just cluttering things up too much. I am going to go back and add LED clusters like I used on the res. They are so much easier to wire and fit.
I am very pleased overall with the results of the changes. My wires are easily hidden and yet readily accessible. The change in sound level just by changing the pump is very noticable to me as even on number 3, the D5 was just too loud due especially to its high pitch. And so far my temps seem to remain unchanged. The wiring issue was the only design issue that I did not figure out well enough initially with this case. This setup seems to be working well. IF I ever get stupid and decide to make another case, I would better be able to address this. I however am pleased (at least for now...)
greyharte
05-24-06, 11:16 AM
beautiful!!!!
a possible solution to your drive bezels .... veneer them ... all you need is a sharp exacto and a good straight edge and some good contact cement
damarble
05-24-06, 11:43 AM
Nice work! You must have a decent workshop to pull that off. ;)
[Corporal Dan]
05-24-06, 11:54 AM
KILLER CASE!
I want to build a wooden case. I was wondering whether you'd modeled any of the installed components (mobo/vid/HDD/etc) and whether you'd be willing to share the dwg/dxf files so I can get started on mine...
EDIT: Don't want the whole thing LOL. I'm not weanting to rip off your design. Just wondering if you had the components modeled so I can start experimenting with design and placement. It would save TONS of time if this were made available.
beautiful!!!!
a possible solution to your drive bezels .... veneer them ... all you need is a sharp exacto and a good straight edge and some good contact cement
Thanks :)
That is the next thing on my list to try. I think it will work better to actually make some kind of bezels out of wood rather than trying to glue something to them. I'm not sure how well that would work.
Nice work! You must have a decent workshop to pull that off. ;)
We just recently put up a 16' x 18' outbuilding in which I built a workbench. It is the first time I finally have a real work area! I have a good bit of tools, but am still working on getting a few more.
']KILLER CASE!
I want to build a wooden case. I was wondering whether you'd modeled any of the installed components (mobo/vid/HDD/etc) and whether you'd be willing to share the dwg/dxf files so I can get started on mine...
EDIT: Don't want the whole thing LOL. I'm not weanting to rip off your design. Just wondering if you had the components modeled so I can start experimenting with design and placement. It would save TONS of time if this were made available.
I used Sketchup to model the entire thing. I got a lot of models from http://scc.jazzle.co.uk/ . Being able to model this saved a ton of time. I also picked up a DDC model from Wizd forums. The stuff I actually modelled was mainly the case design itself and the res. Shoot me a PM and I will see what I can do.
thedragon7786
05-24-06, 01:04 PM
I swear that res blinked at me.
clocker2
05-25-06, 07:35 AM
IF I ever get stupid and decide to make another case...
I don't think "stupid" is an accurate description but I suspect that you will bow to the inevitable and make a MkII version.
When you do I think you should integrate the rad more fully into the design.
Now that you've come up with a workable component layout the present rad mount looks like the afterthought/modification that it really is (albeit nicely done).
Given my druthers I'd mount the rad on it's side and make it one of the sidepanels as the low height of the case is one of it's main attractions. Not sure if the enlarged footprint would be a problem for your space though.
I've always found roof mounted rads to be inconvenient to bleed fully (although case acrobatics can overcome this) and an edge mount rad is almost naturally self bleeding.
Anyways, the case as it sits now is still very nice...kudos.
I don't think "stupid" is an accurate description but I suspect that you will bow to the inevitable and make a MkII version.
When you do I think you should integrate the rad more fully into the design.
Now that you've come up with a workable component layout the present rad mount looks like the afterthought/modification that it really is (albeit nicely done).
Given my druthers I'd mount the rad on it's side and make it one of the sidepanels as the low height of the case is one of it's main attractions. Not sure if the enlarged footprint would be a problem for your space though.
I've always found roof mounted rads to be inconvenient to bleed fully (although case acrobatics can overcome this) and an edge mount rad is almost naturally self bleeding.
Anyways, the case as it sits now is still very nice...kudos.
I agree that if/when I make a version II that I would like to find a way to better integrate the rad. However, I don't think that putting it as one of the side panels is something that I want to do. I had it mounted to a side panel on my last metal case, and purposely mounted it on top as this is better for a passive setup.
Bleeding this rad is a breeze though as I drilled and tapped out a fill hole in the rad that sits at the top front. I am using it as a fillport and it works very easy. It takes me a bit to refill as I have to open and close the res fillport to allow water to flow down into the res from the rad and the air to flow out of the res fillport, but it works. I would probably try to simplify this aspect of the res/rad relationship when it comes to filling.
The biggest obstacle to any design that I would come up with is that it has to fit inside of my oak computer desk area as that is how the computer is set up. I have an agreement with my wife that I can do whatever I want with it as long as it fits inside of the desk! And the width of the current case is about as wide as I can go and still comforably fit it in there.
One of the big successes to me with this case is that the layout works as far as keeping any potential leaks from frying anything. Everything is positioned so that if anything were to drip, it is not going to hurt anything.
After all of the work it has taken to make version I, I don't even like to talk about a version II at this point as I might be crazy enough to start thinking about it!
clocker2
05-25-06, 10:11 AM
After all of the work it has taken to make version I, I don't even like to talk about a version II at this point as I might be crazy enough to start thinking about it!
How many revisions of the plexi pump top did you make?
Oh, that's right....FOUR!
A rev.2 of the case almost seems trivial in comparison.
thorilan
05-25-06, 12:10 PM
wow i cant believe i missed this thread for so long.
Voigts that looks outstanding :thup:
wow i cant believe i missed this thread for so long.
Voigts that looks outstanding :thup:
Coming from you I really appreciate that. I realize that it is not the most efficient or ideal tubing routing per se, but for this setup it works and it accomplishes the other goals of silence and drip-resistance with a bit of bling.
[Corporal Dan]
05-30-06, 01:15 PM
I used Sketchup to model the entire thing. I got a lot of models from http://scc.jazzle.co.uk/ . Being able to model this saved a ton of time. I also picked up a DDC model from Wizd forums. The stuff I actually modelled was mainly the case design itself and the res. Shoot me a PM and I will see what I can do.
Nice. Didn't even know about the program. Can't see a way to import the models into CAD though. May as well just dl/use sketchup. Maybe 2005 has an option but I only have R14 on this machine.
So far, I have modelled the mobo/cpu/vid/psu from a front view to help build the case around it, but progress is slow. May end up using sketchup after all, that's be my first true 3d modeling experience.
So far:
It is in r14 format, should work on any autocad version since r13
Speedmonkay
05-30-06, 01:32 PM
mmmmmmm I love that case more and more everytime I see it ....
Can I marry it ??
']Nice. Didn't even know about the program. Can't see a way to import the models into CAD though. May as well just dl/use sketchup. Maybe 2005 has an option but I only have R14 on this machine.
So far, I have modelled the mobo/cpu/vid/psu from a front view to help build the case around it, but progress is slow. May end up using sketchup after all, that's be my first true 3d modeling experience.
I had never done any 3d modelling before using Sketchup on this project. It has its quirks to be sure, but once you get the hang of it, it works very well. The biggest pain in the neck I had to learn working with it is that once you draw an object, lets say for instance the front of a box, you want to group it together into one group before you butt it up against any other part, like another side of the box, or else any line that is on that front that touches another object with the same line will move to the other object. So if you try then to move the front back off of, the lines will stay with the object you moved it up against. In other words, object and the lines that define them are separate unless you group them together into one.
Using Sketchup was wonderful as i was able to work out the design, check clearances, tubing routing, etc. all before ever cutting one piece of wood.
mmmmmmm I love that case more and more everytime I see it ....
Can I marry it ??
Thanks for the compliment. Now as for the marriage thing, well, that might pose some inherent problems...
clocker2
05-31-06, 09:45 AM
...Now as for the marriage thing, well, that might pose some inherent problems...
Indeed...adds a whole new dimension to the term "fully functional" when referencing a PC case.
I'd like to see Sketchup handle that.
Indeed...adds a whole new dimension to the term "fully functional" when referencing a PC case.
I'd like to see Sketchup handle that.
Then again, given the amount of time some of us devote to our PC hobbies, we might as well be married to them.
If a PC was "fully functional," I would like to see Microsoft try to handle that!
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