Case Mod - In Progress Maximum Security - FINISHED 11/20/2011!

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I was asked if I'd be interested in modding Thermaltake's new Level 10 GT chassis. Of course I had to say yes. A case like that may be hard to mod, but I've got some crazy plans for this thing. It involves liquid cooling and LOTS of electronics.

First off, a HUGE THANKS to the current sponsors!!

Thermaltake hooked me up with the Level 10 GT chassis, a Toughpower Grand 1050W PSU and some liquid cooling goodness.


Kingston hooked me up with a 96GB SSDNow V+100 96GB SSD and a 6GB DDR3-2000 HyperX H2O Kit.


Gigabyte sent me a G1.Guerrilla motherboard.


Microchip sent me one of their new chipKIT Max32 development boards.


Trossen Robotics hooked me up with their RFID reader kit.


Auto Air Colors sent me a few bottles of airbrush paint.


NZXT hooked me up with a white LED light strip.


Protostack sent 2 of their ATMega8A development kits.


PCBoard.ca sent me one of their new individually addressable RGB LED strips.​

 

Got this coming from Performance-PC's:

• 2 x *** HOT *** Koolance Tubing Splitter/Manifold, 5-Way Swiveling [no nozzles] (SPL-XFR3)
• 4 x Koolance Nozzle Single, G1/4 Barb [10mm, 3/8"] (NZL-V10B)
• 6 x Koolance Nozzle Single, G1/4 Barb [6mm, 1/4"] (NZL-V06B)
• 2 x mod/smart 24-Pin Female ATX Power Connector- Black (M-MB-24M-BK)
• 2 x Connectx™ ATX 24 pin Female Pins, GOLD-plated - 24 Pack (ACR-CB8133)
• 5 x Connectx™ Female 3-Pin Fan Housing Black (ACR-CB9031)
  Molex Pins Add 3 Molex Pins
• 5 x Connectx™ Male 3-Pin Fan Housing Black (ACR-CB9079)
• 10 x Koolance Tubing, Silver PVC, 1ft/30.5cm [ID: 10mm (3/8"); OD: 13mm (1/2")] (HOS-10SL)
• 1 x IandH Silver KillCoils - Antimicrobial .999 Fine Silver Tubing / Reservoir Strip (IANDH-KILLCOIL)
• 1 x *** NEW *** EK-FC6870 for AMD/ATI Radeon HD 6870 Series - Nickel (EK-FC6870-NK)
  Optional SLI Fitting No fitting
  Fitting Size 3/8" Barb for 3/8" ID tube
• 1 x Black Ice® GTX Gen Two Xtreme 140 Highest Performance Radiator (GTX140)
  Fitting Size 3/8" Barb for 3/8" ID tube
• 1 x Koolance INS-FM16 Coolant Flow Meter (INS-FM16)
• 1 x Koolance Coolant Temperature Sensor, Brass [no nozzles] (SEN-AP005PB)
  Nozzles Add Nozzle Pair, G1/4 Barb [10mm, 3/8"] NZL-V10KGB
• 1 x A.C. Ryan AcrylPanel™ 3mm - 480x480mm Clear (ACR-AP3404)
• 8 x Solid Wall Polyethylene Grommet Edging with Adhesive - Black (GES-BK05)

And this coming from Sparkfun:

• 3x PRT-00115 Female Breakaway Headers
• 3x PRT-00116 Male Breakaway Headers
• 5x PRT-08095 Polarized Connectors - Housing (2-pin)
• 2x PRT-08100 Polarized Connectors - Crimp Pins
• 5x PRT-08233 Polarized Connectors - Header (2-pin)
• 2x PRT-09497 ATX Power Supply Connector - Straight
• 2x PRT-09498 ATX Power Supply Connector - Right Angle
• 2x PRT-10698 Light Pipe - Clear Core (3mm, 5' Long)

Deets when the goods arrive

 

Here is the coding so far:

 

High-end stuff mixed with interesting specialized components - I'm intrigued! Can't wait to see what you've got planned for that case...

 

Thanks Karrek! You won't be disappointed

Update time!

First some pics of some of the goods:

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ATMega8A dev kit from Protostack

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96GB SSD from Kingston

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6GB DDR3-2000 H2O RAM also from Kingston

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Toughpower 1050W PSU from Thermaltake

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PWB100 Waterblock also from Thermaltake

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Firgelli L12 Linear actuator (50mm stroke, 100:1 gearing) from Trossen Robotics

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Koolance 3-way splitters and flow meter

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Koolance 3/8" and 1/4" G1/4 fittings

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Here you can see a 3/8" fitting and 3 1/4" fittings in each splitter. What this will do is allow me to hook the main 3/8" tubing to the splitter, and have 1/4" lines run to each stick of RAM, then back out into the second splitter, and back into the loop.

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Koolance Adapter block with temp sensor

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EK waterblock for my XFX 6870

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10' Koolance silver 3/8" PVC tubing

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U-Channel edge molding

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2 black 24-pin connectors and pins

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5 3-pin connector sets

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Silver Kill Coil

I also got a Black Ice 140mm Radiator, but I need to swap it for a 120mm one as it's too big to fit in the case in the rear 140mm fan spot. I may get creative and try to mount it elsewhere though, we'll see.

I'm still waiting on a 2x120mm radiator and a pump/res combo from Thermaltake as well.


I also got some work done on the case.

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I test-fit the motherboard into the case to get an idea of the layout for some of the various components. This is when I found out that the bit 140mm rad I got won't fit.

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I also got the lower intake cover, louvers and fan removed. The plan is to put a window in where the fan grill used to be.

 

Minor update. I got the case pretty much all disassembled. There was a ton of little screws and clips everywhere, and it was neat to see how they held everything together. Next will be finding placement for some of the components.

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More pics



The RFID reader from Trossen Robotics




The 2 bottles of paint from Auto Air Colors.


I also figured out a mounting for the 140mm rad. It was too big for the inside of the case and I thought putting it on the outside wouldn't look good. However after some trial and error I found that I can use the outer shell from an old 140mm fan as a spacer. The only other issue is that the barbs don't line up with the holes in the case, but that's a small hurdle. So the fan will be on the inside of the case with the rad and spacer on the outside. Alternatively I could just mount the fan to the rad and have them both on the outside of the case. Thoughts?

 

Update time

I got 2 of the 3 windows done. I started with the top mesh part on the side panel (where the headphones hang, above the hotswap bays)

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I started by removing the steel mesh, then cutting out the plastic honeycomb mesh underneath with my scroll saw.

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Then I cut out a piece from the AC Ryan panel I got. It took a lot of sanding and filing to get the window and the cutout nice and smooth.

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MMMM nice fit

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And a shot of where it goes on the case. I'm going to have a few components and some lighting behind this window, but I'm keeping the details a secret for now

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Then I started on the top panel. I removed the steel mesh like on the side panel...

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Then cut out the plastic honeycomb with the scroll saw. I had to do a lot more sanding and filing here than on the side panel. The reason for this is due to how Tt made the plastic parts. On the side I was able to install the window from underneath, so it didn't have to be 100%. Here I need to install the window on the top, and it will rest against a few small parts sticking out, so it needed to be perfect.

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I used the steel mesh to trace out a rough line for the window panel.

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And the window cut roughly.

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And a nice fit This took a LOT of time as the window had to be a lot closer to perfect than the side one did. This window will also have components underneath, and both windows may have some etchings...we'll see on that later on.

 

Time for another update!

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I finally got the case entirely stripped down, minus drilling out the rivets (that's later).

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Here's all the hardware I had to remove to get all the plastic off this thing!

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I did some measuring and marking on the side panel in preparation for cutting.

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Then I tackled the plastic casing that covers that side intake hole. This will also have a window, making for 4 total windows in the case.

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Here it is all trimmed out. This took several hours of cutting and sanding with the Dremel and final finish sanding. There were a lot of small tabs and whatnot that needed to be removed. What I'm left with is 2 small ledges on which to mount the window.

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I went about making the window the same way as the others. I used the mesh I removed for an outline/guideline. Then I cut it out with the scroll saw and did the finish sanding with the Dremel and belt sander. Here it is in for a test-fit.

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Here is the plastic and window sitting on the side panel.

The main thing left to do now is cut out the steel side door and work on component placement and electronics. The tough part is going to be finding the right mounting location for the linear actuator that will open and close the door.

 

Looks very nice.. The more electronics in there, the better I'm guessing you'll use that RFID scanner to somehow turn on the computer ?

 

Not to turn it on, but to access the the side panel. There will be a servo on the side panel latch that will unlock, then there will be the linear actuator to open and close it. I want to put a momentary key switch in place of the power button, but I'm having a tough time finding one small enough to fit where the original power button is.

 

RFID, linear actuator, and PCs OHH BOY



I'm rocking a semi just thinking of the finished mod

 

well here's what I did to an NZXT Tempest EVO:
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?p=289709#post289709

and here's a benchtop PSU I made:
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25018

I'm also studying to get my Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

 

EE's are weird. I once saw one get excited about conductive pudy, it's cool stuff but not something a normal person would get excited over.

Of course this is coming from someone who's studying mechanical engineering (the best kind of engineering)

 

Great job on the windows bud!

 

I did some work with SketchUp tonight. I want to dress up the radiator since it will now be hanging off the back of the case rather than be inside it. I used my Black Ice 140 radiator to make one in SketchUp. Then I used the following picture of an industrial rooftop A/C unit to design a shroud that will screw to the backside of the radiator and fit in with the overall theme of the project. I plan to make this shroud out of white styrene sheet just like I made the louver assembly for my Tempest SXR (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?p=289709) mod a while back. Enjoy the pics

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thanks Fug

 

Minor update.

I decided on a location for the Koolance flow meter. Theres this spot where the cables pass through and it fits nicely with a pair of 90º Bitspower fittings. The only problem is that pesky piece of the frame in the way. Only one thing to do...cut it out!

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That's better This will be visible behind the window I put into the side panel, along with one of the protoboards from ProtoStack. I've got an idea of what to use the board for, now I just need to make it happen

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I also decided to mount my Sentry 2 fan controller in this side panel rather than the front 5.25" bays. I already have experience mounting it without it's housing from my Tempest SXR mod, so this should be cake.

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I measured and marked the hole, cut it out with my Dremel and filed it down nice and smooth.

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Here's an idea of how it will look. All I need to do is make up some mounts for it on the inside, which should be rather easy.

 

Update time!

I got the actuator mounted! I used a hole that was already in the case as the rear mount, and used double-sided tape for the front to get the positioning correct. I set the actuator to full close, closed the door and stuck it on. It doesn't open 90º, but it's like 88º

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Once I got the position correct and verified, I drilled the side panel to mount the bracket for the actuator. This nut and bolt will not be the final parts, they're just there for temporary mounting.

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I also used a jigsaw to finish cutting out the rest of the side panel, then filed it down nice and smooth. I still need to do some finish grinding and filing to get the edges nice and straight, but it's a start.

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Then I mounted the plastic covers back to the side panel to stiffen it, and retried the actuator to make sure everything was 100%

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And a video, of course I set the code to run the actuator full open, wait 9 seconds, then full close, repeat. The reason for 9 seconds is that it takes ~4 seconds for the actuator to fully extend or retract.

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