Custon Lexan case - 16" x 10" x 6"

[Captain Slug]

Not only will it be totally built from the ground up but the finished product will be REALLY light. Built mostly from spare parts the total assembly cost will only be $200.

Any Thoughts???

Edit: forgot to post the specs, DUR.

Biostar M7VKQ
Duron 750mhz under a Chrome Orb
Onboard Video + Dual Voodoo 2 SLI mode
128MB RAM
Onboard Audio (probably just disabled since this will be a game server)
4 GB Hard drive (only $30)
Slot feed 4 CD changer drive (Oh so reliable and will be painted black)

I've already disassembled the PSU so it doesn't take up very much space.

 

[IcarusFalling]

Looks pretty good.
Be sure to keep us posted on how it's coming along.

 

[drunkmonkey]

kewl, bet she'll be purdy

 

[hunter00]

thats kinda cool, maybe you should do all lexan though without those black parts on top and bottom

 

[Captain Slug]

I forgot to note that the black areas are Lexan, the WHOLE case will be made from lexan.
The black areas will be painted inside so all you see out side is a mass of mirror finish black.
I didn't want a COMPLETELY clear case.
My last Lexan case was gorgeous but a bit on the hack-and-slash side as far as workmanship.

All of the fans will be clear and I might put a window on the hard drive.
The HDD activity lights will be ON the clear fan blades so that the lights will strobe while moving. I'm still not sure how many lights I can pull off of the HDD activity line so that will take some planning.

 

[stevens]

what do u use to glue the lexan together. I want to make a custom resevior out of lexan but i am not sure what to use to make it water tight. i was gonna use like epoxy to glue it together and go over the corners with calk on the inside. Will this work?

 

[Captain Slug]

I wasn't worried about water or air tightness. I bought a 1/2" sheet which I'll be cutting and drilling to use for the base and top of the case. Then all of the side will screw into the edges of those pieces.
This further simplifies the construction and saves me the headache of using glue (I HATE GLUE). I recommend drywall screws for use with lexan.

If the screw won't fit, it REALLY won't go in. Lexan doesn't crack, unlike acrylic.

 

[Twinkle]

The pic looks fake


jk

id use caulk silicone to make the reivor...

 

[orangezero]

i realize you hate glue, but i would try that solvent stuff if you want it to be real professional looking. the stuff holds real good and is easy to work with, just a needle with some watery liquid. cover up the lexan, and run the needle along the edge, it even dries in like 10 minutes.

later,

 

[BinarySuperman]

man thats sweet, and its true, lexan WONT crack, i tried cracking my piece of lexan thinking i'll crack it in 2 secs, ma was i wrong, this is like rubber glass i might build myself a case as well.

 

[Captain Slug]

Here's the NEW design that's only 12 x 10 x 6. THis is accomplished by using a combo CD-ROM\Floppy drive I found at rackmountpro.com

it's so cute...

 

[Captain Slug]

UPDATE

UPDATE!!!

Okay, I picked a medium shade of blue and will be lighting the case with EL cable as follows...

 

[tft]

1/4" thick will do the job just as well as 1/2, and is less expensive.
1/8 is what I used

 

[Cuper]

That looks cool, keep us informed!!

 

[Captain Slug]

UPDATE!!!!

Now here's where careful planning, replanning, and rereplanning really pays off. I found a good deal on a notebook hard drive and I decided this PC won't need a flappy drive. Those two decisions allowed me to further cut this case down to...

10" x 10" x 6"

This is soooooo going to rule...

 

[GrandmasterNeil]

Is this the effect you're trying to achieve?

This guy has an awesome step-by-step website [http://plexi.dbltree.com/] for what looks like exactly what you're trying to achieve.

Hope this helps,
-Neil

 

[Captain Slug]

Yes I've seen that project but I'm trying to make mine 2 inches shorter and one inch thinner. Plus I'm going to completely avoid using any glue.

 

[Black Hawk]

wait....

is that the pink panther theme in the intro? If not, what song is it, I've heard it somewhere.

 

[Captain Slug]

No, that song was made famous by the Blues Brothers.

 

[craigiz1]

I see in the picture that you made and in the completed computer that the hard drive is mounted vertically instead of the normal horizontal. Is there any problem with this?