Overclockers

Navig · 08-29-06, 08:01 PM

Hi all,

As part of my ongoing
Bench project, I decided to build a new version of my home made tool free hard drive rack.

Materials:
Aluminun L angle 1/2in x 1/2in
4 pieces, 16cm in length

Aluminum L angle 1/2in x 3/4in
2 pieces, 13cm in length
4 pieces, 16cm in length

Aluminum straight bar 1/2in
4 pieces, 10.5cm in length

Aluminum rivets and washers

6-32 Thumb screws

Tools:
Hand drill, cobalt metal drill bits
Center punch
Pop rivet gun
6-32 tap
Dremel tool--sanding drum and grinding bit

Navig · 08-29-06, 08:02 PM

And here it is:

Yes, you can buy pre-stamped racks for $20, but I kind of wanted to do it my way for the experience. Plus its to my specific specifications. Total cost about $15 in materials.

Drives slide in from the left, stopping at the back by the last rivet. This lines it up for the thumbscrews to engage the mounting holes, tacking it into place.

Here's another view:

Navig · 08-29-06, 08:10 PM

I plan on painting it black and using the red thumbscrews.

Here are my thoughts on the building process:

Always measure twice before cutting/drilling.

In fact, recheck fits after every change. Just putting in a rivet bends the metal a little bit, which can throw things off a bit. In fact the very LAST thing I did were the mounting holes for the thumbscrews to lock the drives in, because after riveting the thing together, the spots were off by 1-2mm.

hainer36 · 08-29-06, 08:49 PM

looks good, i woulda made it include 1 or even 2 120mm fans on the front for cooling but that me, i love noise

Navig · 08-29-06, 09:33 PM

Thanks, if you look at my bench project, I can mount my fans anywhere I feel like. I think tho, that I will park it right in front of the psu fan and keep it cool that way.

Old hard drive rack:

hainer36 · 08-29-06, 09:41 PM

ah, that looks sweet, i shoulda checked out the links in ur sig, i mean im one for noise, but having that delta...i cant even imagine

Captain Helghas · 08-29-06, 09:51 PM

That plexi HDD still working? Looks good by the way.

Navig · 08-29-06, 10:36 PM

Actually, the delta isn't very loud. There are 2 independently powered 120mm fans in the housing (counter-rotating), and I keep them both around 1300rpm, so it sound just like 2x1300rpm 120mm fans--that is to say far from silent, but what most would consider fairly quiet. The gain is an amazing amount of pressure. On the other hand, I can crank them up to 3000+ rpms and have things fly around the room!

Sorry, the hard drive was broken even before I window'd it. It's just for show. But it looks nice, experimented a little with graphics--pic.

Navig · 08-30-06, 05:23 PM

Ah, the beauty of a benching rig. Rearranged the components like so:

Oni · 09-03-06, 12:23 PM

That's actually very cool! It looks like you put a lot of thought and work into it before actually starting with your raw materials. Impressive

PWatterson · 09-03-06, 01:04 PM

This is pretty neat. It sure beats my hard drive rack of popsicle sticks, glue, and rubber bands.

Hexnan · 09-03-06, 02:14 PM

I like it as well, do the drives have any vibration noise?

Before painting it, have you considered trying that plasticote stuff? Its a decent vibration dampener. If not that they make a weather stripping in 1/2" wide that you could lay down to eat some of that vibration up. Or some rubber grommets/washers where the thumbscrews attach.

Just some ideas, looks great

Susquehannock · 09-10-06, 03:52 AM

Not bad. But still a conventional layout. Personally I'd like to see some alternative mounting positions to help eliminate transfer of vibrations, airflow, & wiring.

Navig · 09-10-06, 05:09 PM

I'm not much of a silent pc person, for goodness sakes look at the fan on my Big Typhoon. Hard drive clicking bothers me not at all.

The cage does vibrate with the hard drive, altho it doesn't seem to me to add any noise to the hard drive during virus scanning. The large acrylic sheet to which it is mounted, barely transmits the vibrations, even right next to the cage. Still, once I settle on a location, I'll mount it on neoprene washers.

Quote:

Not bad. But still a conventional layout. Personally I'd like to see some alternative mounting positions to help eliminate transfer of vibrations, airflow, & wiring.

Any suggestions? It was fun to make, and I'm all for future revisions. This was rev2 as you can see from the first pic.

navig

Femto · 09-21-06, 12:21 AM

That is awesome Navig, great work! I can't believe how much stuff you can do with the Lubic Kits. Hopefully I will be able to pick up a kit next month, keep up the good work

Navig · 10-21-06, 03:14 AM

It's back, back in black!

SeasonalEclipse · 10-21-06, 11:55 PM

I wish I had that kind of talent!

hainer36 · 10-22-06, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navig

It's back, back in black!

seeing as you quoted my avatar, i have to quote you and say, good job

wun911 · 10-24-06, 01:09 AM

Nice nearly the quality of MM

SuBLiminaL2221 · 10-25-06, 02:33 PM

where'd you get the alu? I like your design and have been trying to make one myself, but cannot find L-shaped alu.

Navig · 10-25-06, 10:42 PM

Lowe's. My local ACE hardware. Some Home Depots. All else fails, mcmaster.com

NettieZoom · 10-27-06, 08:34 AM

Very nice Work indeed, I have been wanting to do something like this myself.

Thank you very much for sharing!

ArgusII · 11-03-06, 09:24 PM

Nice rack. I may do something like that to add a couple of more hard drives.

wun911 · 11-05-06, 09:14 PM

Did I just see a home made raptor X???
Does that HD work??

Has anyone tried to make a HD rack like the ones in Lian Li PC V 1000?

Navig · 11-05-06, 11:30 PM

Yes, that's a window'd hard drive, no it doesn't work anymore. That's an old-school mod from years ago, do a google search and you can find the safest method if you really want to try it.

By HD rack like Lian Li, I'm assuming some sort of cage made of stamped metal? Its pretty easy to buy them (performance-pcs). I've had some requests to make some make some custom benches, but in the future I doubt I'll make another custom hard drive rack, its much more efficient and cost effective to just buy one for $15.

neonblingbling · 12-25-06, 04:45 PM

Sorry that this thread is a little old, but how thick are your aluminum pieces?

Navig · 12-26-06, 12:39 AM

I'm not entirely sure, sorry. I believe its 1/16th.

Its interesting, since this thread, I've upgraded my toolset--makeshift table saw and drill press. I could bang one out pretty quickly!

neonblingbling · 12-26-06, 05:16 PM

Thanks. I was looking at some aluminum trim the day before at a hardware store and I was thinking that the 1/16" was too flimsy... Or maybe it was 1/32"

Pyrotechnic · 01-18-07, 01:09 AM

Great Design! May have to borrow the idea in the future. Better than my method of stealing the HD mounting cages out of old cases.

Goshawk · 01-20-07, 06:31 PM

That setup looks like cat-shredding mayhem

Excellent work!

~ Gos

08-29-06, 08:01 PM	#1
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	Home made hard drive rack Hi all, As part of my ongoing Bench project, I decided to build a new version of my home made tool free hard drive rack. Materials: Aluminun L angle 1/2in x 1/2in 4 pieces, 16cm in length Aluminum L angle 1/2in x 3/4in 2 pieces, 13cm in length 4 pieces, 16cm in length Aluminum straight bar 1/2in 4 pieces, 10.5cm in length Aluminum rivets and washers 6-32 Thumb screws Tools: Hand drill, cobalt metal drill bits Center punch Pop rivet gun 6-32 tap Dremel tool--sanding drum and grinding bit __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Navig's list of mod links ~ Project R Unit ~ Very Low Cost Benching Station ~ The Exoframe Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review Last edited by Navig; 08-29-06 at 08:11 PM.

08-29-06, 08:02 PM	#2
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	And here it is: Yes, you can buy pre-stamped racks for $20, but I kind of wanted to do it my way for the experience. Plus its to my specific specifications. Total cost about $15 in materials. Drives slide in from the left, stopping at the back by the last rivet. This lines it up for the thumbscrews to engage the mounting holes, tacking it into place. Here's another view: __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Navig's list of mod links ~ Project R Unit ~ Very Low Cost Benching Station ~ The Exoframe Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review

08-29-06, 08:10 PM	#3
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	I plan on painting it black and using the red thumbscrews. Here are my thoughts on the building process: Always measure twice before cutting/drilling. In fact, recheck fits after every change. Just putting in a rivet bends the metal a little bit, which can throw things off a bit. In fact the very LAST thing I did were the mounting holes for the thumbscrews to lock the drives in, because after riveting the thing together, the spots were off by 1-2mm. __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Navig's list of mod links ~ Project R Unit ~ Very Low Cost Benching Station ~ The Exoframe Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review

08-29-06, 08:49 PM	#4
hainer36 Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Brantford, ON	looks good, i woulda made it include 1 or even 2 120mm fans on the front for cooling but that me, i love noise __________________ ________________________________Heat _______________________Shipping to Canada? READ THIS!

08-29-06, 09:33 PM	#5
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	Thanks, if you look at my bench project, I can mount my fans anywhere I feel like. I think tho, that I will park it right in front of the psu fan and keep it cool that way. Old hard drive rack: __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Navig's list of mod links ~ Project R Unit ~ Very Low Cost Benching Station ~ The Exoframe Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review

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08-29-06, 09:41 PM	#6
hainer36 Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Brantford, ON	ah, that looks sweet, i shoulda checked out the links in ur sig, i mean im one for noise, but having that delta...i cant even imagine __________________ ________________________________Heat _______________________Shipping to Canada? READ THIS!

08-29-06, 09:51 PM	#7
Captain Helghas Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Tallahassee, Fl	That plexi HDD still working? Looks good by the way.

08-29-06, 10:36 PM	#8
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	Actually, the delta isn't very loud. There are 2 independently powered 120mm fans in the housing (counter-rotating), and I keep them both around 1300rpm, so it sound just like 2x1300rpm 120mm fans--that is to say far from silent, but what most would consider fairly quiet. The gain is an amazing amount of pressure. On the other hand, I can crank them up to 3000+ rpms and have things fly around the room! Sorry, the hard drive was broken even before I window'd it. It's just for show. But it looks nice, experimented a little with graphics--pic. __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Navig's list of mod links ~ Project R Unit ~ Very Low Cost Benching Station ~ The Exoframe Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review

08-30-06, 05:23 PM	#9
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	Ah, the beauty of a benching rig. Rearranged the components like so: __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Navig's list of mod links ~ Project R Unit ~ Very Low Cost Benching Station ~ The Exoframe Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review

09-03-06, 12:23 PM	#10
Oni Oni-ni-Kanabō Ninja Hippo eater Moderator Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Canada	That's actually very cool! It looks like you put a lot of thought and work into it before actually starting with your raw materials. Impressive __________________ Mama, put my guns in the ground. I can't shoot them anymore. On Indefinite Hiatus Asus P6T SE Intel i7 920 @ Stock 6GB Corsair DDR3 9-9-9-24 XFX Radeon 5830 @ Stock Corsair 750 Watt PSU

09-03-06, 01:04 PM	#11
PWatterson Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD	This is pretty neat. It sure beats my hard drive rack of popsicle sticks, glue, and rubber bands.

09-03-06, 02:14 PM	#12
Hexnan Member Join Date: Jan 2004	I like it as well, do the drives have any vibration noise? Before painting it, have you considered trying that plasticote stuff? Its a decent vibration dampener. If not that they make a weather stripping in 1/2" wide that you could lay down to eat some of that vibration up. Or some rubber grommets/washers where the thumbscrews attach. Just some ideas, looks great

09-10-06, 03:52 AM	#13
Susquehannock The Mad Smelter Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Maryland, USA	Not bad. But still a conventional layout. Personally I'd like to see some alternative mounting positions to help eliminate transfer of vibrations, airflow, & wiring.

09-21-06, 12:21 AM	#15
Femto Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Oregon	That is awesome Navig, great work! I can't believe how much stuff you can do with the Lubic Kits. Hopefully I will be able to pick up a kit next month, keep up the good work

10-21-06, 03:14 AM	#16
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	It's back, back in black! __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Navig's list of mod links ~ Project R Unit ~ Very Low Cost Benching Station ~ The Exoframe Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review

10-21-06, 11:55 PM	#17
SeasonalEclipse Member Join Date: Feb 2006	I wish I had that kind of talent! __________________ The Beast(Main)- P5QL/EPU, Q9550, 4GB DDR2 800, 2X320GB Perp, 750GB Cavalier,8800GT(for now) Corsair 750 Watt PSU, Enermax server case, 2x Dell 1908WFP, Vista Home http://heatware.com/eval.php?id=51210

10-24-06, 01:09 AM	#19
wun911 Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Australia	Nice nearly the quality of MM

10-25-06, 02:33 PM	#20
SuBLiminaL2221 Registered Join Date: Jul 2006	where'd you get the alu? I like your design and have been trying to make one myself, but cannot find L-shaped alu.

10-25-06, 10:42 PM	#21
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	Lowe's. My local ACE hardware. Some Home Depots. All else fails, mcmaster.com __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Navig's list of mod links ~ Project R Unit ~ Very Low Cost Benching Station ~ The Exoframe Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review

10-27-06, 08:34 AM	#22
NettieZoom Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: The Boonies	Very nice Work indeed, I have been wanting to do something like this myself. Thank you very much for sharing!

11-03-06, 09:24 PM	#23
ArgusII Registered Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Somerset, KY	Nice rack. I may do something like that to add a couple of more hard drives.

11-05-06, 09:14 PM	#24
wun911 Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Australia	Did I just see a home made raptor X??? Does that HD work?? Has anyone tried to make a HD rack like the ones in Lian Li PC V 1000?

11-05-06, 11:30 PM	#25
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	Yes, that's a window'd hard drive, no it doesn't work anymore. That's an old-school mod from years ago, do a google search and you can find the safest method if you really want to try it. By HD rack like Lian Li, I'm assuming some sort of cage made of stamped metal? Its pretty easy to buy them (performance-pcs). I've had some requests to make some make some custom benches, but in the future I doubt I'll make another custom hard drive rack, its much more efficient and cost effective to just buy one for $15. __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Navig's list of mod links ~ Project R Unit ~ Very Low Cost Benching Station ~ The Exoframe Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review

12-25-06, 04:45 PM	#26
neonblingbling Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Hawaii	Sorry that this thread is a little old, but how thick are your aluminum pieces? __________________ [HEAT] - Sony SZ650 /// T7500 /// 3 GB ram /// 8400M GS /// OCZ Vertex 2 60GB

12-26-06, 12:39 AM	#27
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	I'm not entirely sure, sorry. I believe its 1/16th. Its interesting, since this thread, I've upgraded my toolset--makeshift table saw and drill press. I could bang one out pretty quickly! __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Navig's list of mod links ~ Project R Unit ~ Very Low Cost Benching Station ~ The Exoframe Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review

12-26-06, 05:16 PM	#28
neonblingbling Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Hawaii	Thanks. I was looking at some aluminum trim the day before at a hardware store and I was thinking that the 1/16" was too flimsy... Or maybe it was 1/32" __________________ [HEAT] - Sony SZ650 /// T7500 /// 3 GB ram /// 8400M GS /// OCZ Vertex 2 60GB

01-18-07, 01:09 AM	#29
Pyrotechnic Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Austin, TX	Great Design! May have to borrow the idea in the future. Better than my method of stealing the HD mounting cages out of old cases.

01-20-07, 06:31 PM	#30
Goshawk Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sprinkles!	That setup looks like cat-shredding mayhem Excellent work! ~ Gos __________________ ______________________________ \|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\|Main Rig: \|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\|CPU: i7-980X Gulftown \|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\|Cooler: Scythe Ninja2 with LGA1366 Bracket kit \|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\|Mobo: Asus P6T Deluxe \|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\|RAM: 6gb Kingston KVR1333D3N9 \|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\|VID: PNY GTX275 \|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\|PSU: Neo HE 500w \|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\|CASE: Antec 902 PDXlan-er - "Sprinkles" on Steam (PM me if you want to add me )