Project Log: Server and Gaming Case

Ben333 · 09-06-11, 10:10 PM

Most impressive fabricating skills man! I like the custom made hotswap bay idea too. You wouldn't happen to live anywhere near Concord would you?

Spotswood · 09-26-11, 12:36 AM

I spent a full day squaring up the case frame, squaring joints, re-aligning joints etc. in preparation of fastening the sheeting.

The steps I use to attach a sheet are:

Drill a hole in the sheet.
Use the hole in the sheet to guide the drill bit for the hole in the frame.
Thread the frame hole.
Countersink the sheet hole.
Admire work.

The case with the inner front, bottom and lower back panels attached.

M3dley · 09-26-11, 01:44 AM

very nice work. adding to my posts so i can keep updated! keep up the good work man.

Spotswood · 10-10-11, 11:32 PM

My client selected some nice low-profile casters (with 2-inch wheels) which I mounted right away since the case is all nice and square.

Three of the #8-32 stainless steel bolts were screwed directly into the frame via hand tapped holes.

timesavage · 10-11-11, 09:22 PM

GOOD WORK!

Spotswood · 11-14-11, 11:32 AM

I attached the .1-inch thick side and front panels with 6 stainless steel flat head socket cap screws. The front panel extends past the tops of the side panels by .10-inch in order to hide the top's front edge.

The process to attach the panels is:

Drill pilot holes along the edges of the panel
Clamp the panel to frame and use the pilot holes to drill tap holes into the frame
Remove the panel and tap the frame holes
Countersink the panel holes

The side panels extend past the top of the frame by the thickness of the hinge. These will later be scribed and cut to length along the back of the case.

Spotswood · 02-19-12, 09:00 PM

I made the top back plate for three 120mm exhaust fans. Once the back was completed I was then able to scribe and trim the sides to their final depth.

Ben333 · 02-20-12, 09:15 AM

I like the look of really well made homemade cases. More industrial / custom order looking. Kind of like older routers and switches, or those radio shack project enclosures. Are you planning any paint for it or anything decorative? I think bare aluminium would look pretty sleek in a way... not that you can really go wrong with a good paint job.

Spotswood · 04-26-12, 10:02 PM

The hinge for the top was cut slightly undersized and centered with a some old business cards used as spacers.

Dimples of aluminum had to be removed from the frame in order to make room for the nuts holding the top sheet to the hinge.

With only a 2.5mm gap between the leaves of the hinge, button head cap screws were used to attach the hinge to the frame.

The hinge aligns perfectly with the top sheet, which in turn aligns with the back sheet.

joshhua5 · 04-28-12, 03:33 AM

Subbed, this is amazing

I have inspiration to create one of these for myself. (No time soon)

Spotswood · 05-13-12, 06:43 PM

On the bottom of the case, a large slot was cutout which will allow fresh air to enter the front air duct. Following standard operating procedures, a router pattern/template was made at the same size as the desired opening.

The aluminum was removed with my trusty handheld router in two passes, once with a over-hanging pattern bit and another with a flush-cutting pattern bit.

Spotswood · 07-22-12, 06:07 AM

Up next is fabricating a duplicate of the 120mm back fan panel, but for 140mm fans. This time I had Lazerwerx cut me a custom 140mm fan hole router template out of 3/8-inch thick cast acrylic.

This template is a snap to use: mark center lines and lay the corresponding slits cutout from the template over them.

Spotswood · 08-07-12, 09:13 PM

The latches for the top are these nice "lift and turn" ones:

The latches require a fairly small area to be cutout, with only about a 2mm "lip", so I built a very accurate router template from some leftover t-slot extrusion:

txus.palacios · 08-08-12, 05:54 PM

Someone, explain me, why am I not sub'd to this mod.

mbentley · 08-08-12, 06:00 PM

Basically, I can't think of a reason not to be

txus.palacios · 08-08-12, 06:05 PM

It surely is! I can't explain how I've not seen this one before!

Spotswood · 08-18-12, 08:00 PM

Drilled two 19mm holes for the vandal resistant switches (power and reset/hard drive activity).

Using such a large bit (step drill) is a bit nerve racking for me, but with an extra large work surface and some clamps, I manged to get through it.

Switches!

Steven90 · 08-19-12, 12:34 AM

Sub'd
I wanna see this metal monster at the end of it all

Fragment85 · 08-19-12, 01:42 AM

Seeing anything from the ground up is so amazing,
Sub'd

Spotswood · 09-03-12, 09:33 PM

During final assembly (before paint) some rework is inevitable. With this case, early on in the build, it was widened to accommodate the front radiators. But I never went back to see if the PSU mounting bracket worked/looked okay. Plus, I never tested the PSU cutout from the back sheet with the the actual PSUs used for the build. Well, the cutout in the backsheet for the PSUs had to be widened by 3mm in order to clear the fan grill on the PSU cooling fan. And the PSU mounting plate looked to dainty and needed to be widened.

And with the old PSU mounting bracket placed in front of the new one:

09-06-11, 10:10 PM	#41
Ben333 Folding for Team 32! Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Hampshire	Most impressive fabricating skills man! I like the custom made hotswap bay idea too. You wouldn't happen to live anywhere near Concord would you?
	QUOTE Thanks

09-26-11, 12:36 AM	Thread Starter #42
Spotswood Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Hampshire, USA	I spent a full day squaring up the case frame, squaring joints, re-aligning joints etc. in preparation of fastening the sheeting. The steps I use to attach a sheet are: Drill a hole in the sheet. Use the hole in the sheet to guide the drill bit for the hole in the frame. Thread the frame hole. Countersink the sheet hole. Admire work. The case with the inner front, bottom and lower back panels attached. __________________ Rich Custom Case Builder
	QUOTE Thanks

09-26-11, 01:44 AM	#43
M3dley Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Salt Lake City, UT	very nice work. adding to my posts so i can keep updated! keep up the good work man. __________________ + achieva shimian qh270 [2560x1440] + corsair 600T white + asus P8Z68-V/GEN3 + intel i7-2600K @ 3.4ghz + 8gb g.skill ripjaw ddr3 + evga 670 FTW 2gb + ocz vertex 2 64gb [boot] + seagate barracuda 1tb [storage] + seagate barracuda 320gb[hackintosh] + corsair GS800
	QUOTE Thanks

10-10-11, 11:32 PM	Thread Starter #44
Spotswood Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Hampshire, USA	My client selected some nice low-profile casters (with 2-inch wheels) which I mounted right away since the case is all nice and square. Three of the #8-32 stainless steel bolts were screwed directly into the frame via hand tapped holes. __________________ Rich Custom Case Builder
	QUOTE Thanks

10-11-11, 09:22 PM	#45
timesavage Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bay Area	GOOD WORK!
	QUOTE Thanks

Project Log: Server and Gaming Case

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11-14-11, 11:32 AM	Thread Starter #46
Spotswood Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Hampshire, USA	I attached the .1-inch thick side and front panels with 6 stainless steel flat head socket cap screws. The front panel extends past the tops of the side panels by .10-inch in order to hide the top's front edge. The process to attach the panels is: Drill pilot holes along the edges of the panel Clamp the panel to frame and use the pilot holes to drill tap holes into the frame Remove the panel and tap the frame holes Countersink the panel holes The side panels extend past the top of the frame by the thickness of the hinge. These will later be scribed and cut to length along the back of the case.
	QUOTE Thanks

02-19-12, 09:00 PM	Thread Starter #47
Spotswood Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Hampshire, USA	I made the top back plate for three 120mm exhaust fans. Once the back was completed I was then able to scribe and trim the sides to their final depth.
	QUOTE Thanks

02-20-12, 09:15 AM	#48
Ben333 Folding for Team 32! Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Hampshire	I like the look of really well made homemade cases. More industrial / custom order looking. Kind of like older routers and switches, or those radio shack project enclosures. Are you planning any paint for it or anything decorative? I think bare aluminium would look pretty sleek in a way... not that you can really go wrong with a good paint job.
	QUOTE Thanks

04-26-12, 10:02 PM	Thread Starter #49
Spotswood Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Hampshire, USA	The hinge for the top was cut slightly undersized and centered with a some old business cards used as spacers. Dimples of aluminum had to be removed from the frame in order to make room for the nuts holding the top sheet to the hinge. With only a 2.5mm gap between the leaves of the hinge, button head cap screws were used to attach the hinge to the frame. The hinge aligns perfectly with the top sheet, which in turn aligns with the back sheet. __________________ Rich Custom Case Builder
	QUOTE Thanks

04-28-12, 03:33 AM	#50
joshhua5 Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Perth, Westen Austalia	Subbed, this is amazing I have inspiration to create one of these for myself. (No time soon) __________________ The Beast OS: Windows 7 64 Bit Cpu: AMD FX-8150 @ 4.1Ghz Mobo: GA-990FXA-UD7 Cooler: XSPC Rasa 750 RS240 PSU: ThermalTake XT 875W GPU: Sapphire 6970 OC Edition Ram: 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1600 Last edited by joshhua5; 04-28-12 at 09:34 PM.
	QUOTE Thanks

05-13-12, 06:43 PM	Thread Starter #51
Spotswood Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Hampshire, USA	On the bottom of the case, a large slot was cutout which will allow fresh air to enter the front air duct. Following standard operating procedures, a router pattern/template was made at the same size as the desired opening. The aluminum was removed with my trusty handheld router in two passes, once with a over-hanging pattern bit and another with a flush-cutting pattern bit. __________________ Rich Custom Case Builder
	QUOTE Thanks

07-22-12, 06:07 AM	Thread Starter #52
Spotswood Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Hampshire, USA	Up next is fabricating a duplicate of the 120mm back fan panel, but for 140mm fans. This time I had Lazerwerx cut me a custom 140mm fan hole router template out of 3/8-inch thick cast acrylic. This template is a snap to use: mark center lines and lay the corresponding slits cutout from the template over them. __________________ Rich Custom Case Builder
	QUOTE Thanks

08-07-12, 09:13 PM	Thread Starter #53
Spotswood Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Hampshire, USA	The latches for the top are these nice "lift and turn" ones: The latches require a fairly small area to be cutout, with only about a 2mm "lip", so I built a very accurate router template from some leftover t-slot extrusion: __________________ Rich Custom Case Builder
	QUOTE Thanks

08-08-12, 05:54 PM	#54
txus.palacios Premium Member #18 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Cádiz (Spain)	Someone, explain me, why am I not sub'd to this mod. __________________ Maximus V Gene \| i5-2500k 4.8GHz (ekHF) \| 16GiB \| GTX470 SLi @ 800MHz (ekFC) \| m4 128GB \| T50-RP \| Arch Linux + Windows 8 Pro \| gaming P67 Extreme4 B3 \| i3-2120T 35W 2.6GHz \| 32GiB \| ZFS - zRAID1 2TB \| VMware vSphere (ESXi) 5.1 \| server Samsung RC520 \| i5-2410M 2.3GHz \| 4GiB \| HD3000 + GT520m \| 320GB \| Arch Linux \| laptop [ more info about my systems... ] The only sound I want to hear out of my computer (unless I'm gaming or watching a movie) is the hum of my 6000 rpm fan pushing air through my heatsink. - Seebs If I turn up dead, somebody make sure they put "should have just benched in the cold" on my tombstone, along with my most recent superpi32m score. - I.M.O.G. I didn't go water-cooling for an air-cooling Vcore!! - bluezero5 I'll rm -rf /yourface/* - thideras Last edited by txus.palacios; 08-08-12 at 06:04 PM.
	QUOTE Thanks

08-08-12, 06:00 PM	#55
mbentley Gloriously Lead Overclockix Chief Architect Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: indianapolis, indiana	Basically, I can't think of a reason not to be __________________ intel i5-750 -- msi p55-gd65 -- 4 x 4096mb ddr3 1600 -- msi gtx550 ti cyclone oc 1gb -- antec p182 -- ocz fatal1ty 750w -- win8 x64 intel i5-3330 -- msi z77a-gd65 -- 4 x 8gb ddr3 1600 -- intel hd graphics 2500 -- chieftec bravo ba-01b-b-b -- debian wheezy amd64 forum rules \| overclockix \| overclockers geforce survey \| mbentley.net
	QUOTE Thanks

08-08-12, 06:05 PM	#56
txus.palacios Premium Member #18 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Cádiz (Spain)	It surely is! I can't explain how I've not seen this one before! __________________ Maximus V Gene \| i5-2500k 4.8GHz (ekHF) \| 16GiB \| GTX470 SLi @ 800MHz (ekFC) \| m4 128GB \| T50-RP \| Arch Linux + Windows 8 Pro \| gaming P67 Extreme4 B3 \| i3-2120T 35W 2.6GHz \| 32GiB \| ZFS - zRAID1 2TB \| VMware vSphere (ESXi) 5.1 \| server Samsung RC520 \| i5-2410M 2.3GHz \| 4GiB \| HD3000 + GT520m \| 320GB \| Arch Linux \| laptop [ more info about my systems... ] The only sound I want to hear out of my computer (unless I'm gaming or watching a movie) is the hum of my 6000 rpm fan pushing air through my heatsink. - Seebs If I turn up dead, somebody make sure they put "should have just benched in the cold" on my tombstone, along with my most recent superpi32m score. - I.M.O.G. I didn't go water-cooling for an air-cooling Vcore!! - bluezero5 I'll rm -rf /yourface/* - thideras
	QUOTE Thanks

08-18-12, 08:00 PM	Thread Starter #57
Spotswood Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Hampshire, USA	Drilled two 19mm holes for the vandal resistant switches (power and reset/hard drive activity). Using such a large bit (step drill) is a bit nerve racking for me, but with an extra large work surface and some clamps, I manged to get through it. Switches! __________________ Rich Custom Case Builder
	QUOTE Thanks

08-19-12, 12:34 AM	#58
Steven90 Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: USA	Sub'd I wanna see this metal monster at the end of it all __________________ Main Rig * AMD FX-6300 stock * GSkill Ares 1600 2x4gb * MSI 990FXA-GD65 motherboard * NZXT Tempest 410 Elite case * OCZ zt series 750w * AMD Radeon HD 6870 CF * WD Caviar Blue 2TB HDD
	QUOTE Thanks

08-19-12, 01:42 AM	#59
Fragment85 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Twentynine Palms, CA	Seeing anything from the ground up is so amazing, Sub'd __________________ My Linux Experance Blog VM-Host - Plague Dell SC1425 File Server - Sevenseals - AMD 1090T, 16 GB Ram, 19 TB Raw storage, LSI MegaRaid 9280-16i4e w/BBU, in a Norco 4220. Gaming - Angus CPU 8150/ 16gb Ripjaws/ GPU HIS 6950 ICEQ Turbo/ PSU CM850 Silver/ Raid LSI Megaraid 8708EM2 w/BBU /Drives 2x Chronos 128 GB, 3x 1TB
	QUOTE Thanks

09-03-12, 09:33 PM	Thread Starter #60
Spotswood Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Hampshire, USA	During final assembly (before paint) some rework is inevitable. With this case, early on in the build, it was widened to accommodate the front radiators. But I never went back to see if the PSU mounting bracket worked/looked okay. Plus, I never tested the PSU cutout from the back sheet with the the actual PSUs used for the build. Well, the cutout in the backsheet for the PSUs had to be widened by 3mm in order to clear the fan grill on the PSU cooling fan. And the PSU mounting plate looked to dainty and needed to be widened. And with the old PSU mounting bracket placed in front of the new one:
	QUOTE Thanks

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