Scratch Build – In Progress Project: "mum" - 98% done - 13.03.08.

Hello guys!

Since i put my compuer in that custom made g5 case i made, i was dissapointed with its acoustics. So many holes on front side made it noizy. Well, at least for my terms. iI'm kinda sound freak, cos i often work at night, and I live far away from any traffic so i hear EVERYTHING. I have very quiet samsung hdds with acoustic management, but its still fast rotation, and it makes sound, that is clear now. So This project is gonna be all on sound. Its gonna be my quiet box

Here are some sketches:













Design is simetrycal and MINIMAl, that's the way i like my design

It will be air cooled, here are schematics:



White tunnel is basicly box, wich will hold hdds and optics, also it will be construction element wich strengtens build. The box will be sealed from all but one side (2 holes). wich wil make hdd's quiet.



Also front , top, and sides will be closed (no holes) at all. Again, yay for the silence
Green elements are separators wich create air tunnels, wich will allow beter cooling. Black paths with arrrrow represent main airflows (3 of them). All of the fans will be around 400RPM.

This will again (as g5) be low budget project. I will use all sorts of different wooden pieces i have at my home, wich i will paint to loose wooden look. Also i plan to use Aluminum, and plexy (on sidepanels).

I would also like to put small lcd screen on one sidepanel, but that depends on its cost... (i will make room for it so if it comes somehow, ill put it)

logo is still in working faze.


ok, enugh with theory..... lets go on with application

i bought this wood for inside cage, around 9EUR 230mm x 2200mm x 10mm





For cutting it i used big 2 hand rottation tool but with disc for metal, cos im very afraid of wooden disc. It has big teeth and have tendencies to jump cos of them, and since its hand tool, I wound like that it jumps on my limb . Bad side is i get lots of burns on cut, but notthing that sander cant resolve.









Theese pieces i will use to make curve.









Thats it 4 now, this project is not done already as g5 was, so have patience (wont be daily updates).

Cya later.


EDIT: more info...

mum
–adjective
1.silent; not saying a word: to keep mum.

 

Nice sketchups, looking forward to the new project!

BTW, how loud was the G5 project? What type of fans did you use and what kind of cooling scheme? I thinking about a case with a perforated front, but now that you raise the noise issue, I'd like to know how significant it is.

 

Thx! Well, I think most people would say that it's quiet, just that i'm very sensitive. It mostly depends on ur hadware. My PSU is Antec True Power Trio wich is very quiet Psu With 120 mm fan. Disks are Samsung wich are known for being quiet. Fan, brands are Nexus and Scythe (5 of them) all on low rpm. I found that Scythe 1200 RPM on 7 v is quieter than Scyte 800RPM on 12v (s-flex asseries), and Nexuses are very quiet on 7 v allso. I "killed" all hdd vibrations with hanging them all on ruber stripes. Fan on my x1950 Pro video card is taken out, and replaced with 2 90mm Nexuses. I think that if i was keeping my computer under table i probably woudnt hear it, since its on table in my ear line i hear it very well. Thiss issue is very subjective and it's hard to describe cos what someone dont hear, other may say its noize factory . Since u building gaming rig, wich will often be used on lan party - noizy places (i dont think it will be issue 4 u if u use quiet components). Gl.

EDIT: Also, if u put ur fans on higher speed and they are close to holes, air will make "whush" sound.... try to give them at least 3-4 cm of space (between holes and fan)

 

Great design idea, looking forward too seeing the results, it should work quite well with the setup and materials you have choosen.

 

why don't you make the hole for the HDD box in the bottom of the case?

 

@ Naberius
Thx m8.

I dont want any "direct" holes out from hdd box, hdds being loudest part in my config...

Here, ill show u sound action in my setup:



As u can se sound goes away from the user, also there is no direct hole to disk sound. Further, sound bounces back fromm separators and psu.

 

Make sure you get some real decent dvd drives, i have found that most of the budget ones sound like a jet taking off. Samsungs seem pretty good though, or plextors.

 

The designs is very nice.. i like the round edges and the case-feet.. keep up the nice work..

 

The design is very nice and i'm glad i finally see someone who cares about their ears and makes a silent pc with a good airflow. Too bad the case is a bit large for my tastes, i prefer small pcs. Good luck, i'll keep an eye on this thread.

 

yeah, i know what u mean One of the drives i got is Lite-on and it IS jet engine I was thinking, i realy dont need 2 optic drives anymore, hardly even use them. (now when cheap USB Memory sticks are in zone, and removable hdds...) so ill just loose one. For the looks. It will make case slimmer...

@zwiks: thx man.

@Dead Ghost: thx. I know what u mean, i prefear smaler casses too, but i was going for max silence and i left some extra room for sound isolation (if it will be needed), and lcd instalation (on side panel)... U cant have them all something has to suffer

Lets go on with update:

Here u can see how will i merge all parts.





After i made test sample, i straitened it and pass measures onto bigger piece.



rounded edges- safety measure (i dont wanna cut myself while bending.)



middle bending...



now i need to "soften" other bend lines cos surfaces are small...









screw bar... 12 mm





and here it is, merged...







I'm very satisfied, it worked, 1st try thats unusual




seeeya later!!

 

Forgive me for asking, but why is the thing called mum?

By the way, this seems an awful lot of noise to make a case silent (hacking, sawing, hammering, milling, drilling, grinding etc etc

Other then that, nice ideas so far. I don't think an LCD would be good though, it would kinda negate your minimal design goal.

 

mum
–adjective
1.silent; not saying a word: to keep mum.


I think i would fit lcd nicely with some fine minimalistic wireframe animations, on black background, black would fit side panel's color so it woundt stand out. And with plexy covering it, it woud seem like one surface...

 

allright, LCD permission granted

 

Lookin good! I believe it being made out of wood will really help it be quiet being so thick and multiple layers. Can't wait to see more!

 

Looks good I can't wait to see more of this.

 

Thanks alot for telling me about the sound of your other case and holes, explode!

Love the whole silent case thing, because the slightly modded Antec 900 i am running right now is not exactly the "silent" i want it at.

 

Hi guys. Here we go..


Here are working materials... All different pieces, by size, design, thicknesss.. but it doesnt mater, all will be painted anyways...



Tis one i use fro side panels of hdd box...




IDK what is engish word for this type of saw, but u see from pics what it is After cutting i use sander to straighten cut.



I drilled some holes for Input/output of air... The holes will be fine (no air whistling cos fan is not directly over them). IF needed i'll cut biger hole, but i hope this will be ok.





and finaly, box put together.











I use this pieces for strenthening contruction, making base for Mobo holder, and spacer for cables (2cm).



This is the material I'll use for making separators for air tunnels. If this will be ugly, ill go with plexy....





That's it 4 today, cu soon!

 

its a jigsaw

lookin good eh

 

nice are you going to slow down the dvd drive's read and write speeds to make it quieter

 

I am not sure if it is allowed under the forum rules to post links to other computer websites (about parts and building). If it is, I have a link that you might be very interested in.

I am also going to be building a silent computer, though not from scratch. Your project will help me, because I do want to build my own sometime. Good luck it is looking great.

P.S. I loved your G5 scratch build! High quality work!