Case Mod - In Progress Project: Rogue (NZXT Rogue SFF) It lives! Aug 13, '08

You also got my vote! GL

and here is a question: Do you have a close up of the bend in the 2mm alu?

 

Wow, this was unexpected... Thank you all for the votes! It really means a lot to me!

Badje, I don't currently have any close up shots of the bend in the aluminum, but I can sure get a few for you.

 

Hi Craig you can count one more vote from me GL with project!!

 

You got my vote very nice work

 

...And a vote from me as well. Congrats and good luck, man!

 

Wooha nice mod

 

My vote sent you in the lead Your project is probably one of the best ever

 

Thanks again for the votes guys! There is some pretty cool stuff out there, and I'm just happy to be in the running. I feel like I've got a commitment to all of you who have been following along. There is so much more I wish I had done at this point, and I'm going to step it up over the next few weeks and make sure I follow through. There are even a few small things that are going to be added to the case, that I haven't hinted at yet. I'll do that now though... If you've seen the pictures of the case door, you may have noticed that although the holes are cut for the DVD slots, it still looks kind of incomplete. Well, those slots are going to have lighted acrylic behind them. The eject buttons will be acrylic as well, and will reflect drive activity. You'll have to have a little patience in seeing that though, as it will be one of the last things I do. Right now, my goal is just to get some painting done, and get hardware in the case.

 

Killer work thus far craig...you've got my vote as well.

Don't feel committed to us, just do it for you. You know damn well we're gonna love it regardless

 

Well this is certainly a fantastic project, Im going to keep a close eye on this one. oh and you have my vote.

 

You got my MOTM vote.
Reasons: HQ build (by hand), attention to detail, sheer number of components into a small space (= _lots_ of problem solving), mATX --> ATX, lots of precision home bent sheet metal, TEC cooling AND two computers on top of that. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is that I would have liked to see a preview (sketchup?) of the finished case, and/or more mock-up pics of what the whole case looks like with all that's done so far. On the other hand, not having a preview also keeps the suspense up. Do you think you could throw in some mock-up pics of the whole case, plz?? <=D¨

The TEC makes me think of a TEC + H20 cooling rig I planned many many years ago, but the cost of the PSU for the TEC stopped me dead in my tracks (was also looking at Meanwell PSUs), I'm glad to see someone building such a cooling rig! ^_^
Btw, will you have a "cold plate" between the CPU and the TEC?

Will you fasten the hdd mounts with screws from underneath or from the top? May I suggest using "rivet nuts" or some thread insert on the hdd tray, and then drilling out the vertical holes in the hdd mount profiles to fit long M2/M3 screws. This way you will be able to unscrew individual hdd mounts w/o removing the whole hdd tray. ^_^ What do you think?

Keep up the _excellent_ work!!!

 

Thanks! I'll address a few of your comments here. When I was initially contacted by Johnny at NZXT, I tried to get a hold of their original plans. 'Trade-secret' issues aside, the designs weren't compatible with any software I had available. So, I decided to draw some plans up in Sketchup. I had barely got started when I the plans I were working on got corrupted for some reason. I didn't have a backup of them, and was too anxious to just start modding. So, that's exactly what I did. I've kept thinking all along that I'd try and get back to drawing up the case, but given the choice between manning a Dremel, or a keyboard... the Dremel always wins out. Now with my self-imposed deadline, I doubt I could take time for drawing them up, until at least after the LAN. At that point, I can relax a little.

Yeah, the cost of the TEC and PSU were a little more than I wished they were, but once I set my mind to the fact that I wanted them, I had no choice but to work them in. There will be indeed be a cold plate between the TEC and the CPU. Since I've got to plumb this thing in the next week and a half, you should see me cover that whole process in detail.

The HD mounts will be fastened from the bottom of the tray. I was thinking of doing something exactly like you describe, then I realized I didn't need to. The (top) sides of the HD mounts are accessible. That means I can remove the hard drives individually, and hold them in place via a knurled screw using the original holes.

 

Gt my vote too! I'm eager to see how/where the digital gauges come into play!

 

my vote too, oh and by the way,

WHERE'S THE UPDATE YOU PROMISED! lol!

 

my vote as well

 

Man, you guys are ball busters! Lol. Updates tonight! I won't go to bed until I make a post. Does that work for you?

 

yes, now work you wh*re!

 

Sorry to hear about the corrupted files, it sucks so bad when stuff like that happen!! <=( Hehe, I hear you man, modding is more fun! ^_^

Ok, sweet!

Aah, I see, goodie... so two screws per drive, or is there perhaps enough room to reach in and have knurled screws in the lower holes as well, for a total of four screws per drive?

 

Man, I feel so cheap now and dirty now...

 

Yeah, losing the files did suck. It took me forever to model those side panels...

I only plan on using two screws per drive. The original hard drive holders are actually pretty nice. They even have rubber strips in them to hold the drive snugly and dampen vibration. The drives shouldn't be able to move in any way.