Impressive. Keep up the great work. It is nice to see that someone is still creating a complex design by hand, without a router or CAD controlled machinery.
Thanks, yeah I feel a bit disheartened sometimes when I see what a CNC router can do and how quickly it can do it, but I think hand crafted has it's own appeal that I believe machines can't emulate.
Day 11: I haven't done a great deal since my last update. I basically fixed some aluminium bars to the other side of the case with rivets and attached the fan to the top of the case. I have actually stuffed up the front panel. I realised when I put the side panel on. It's not square and if I was to square it up, the panel would be asymmetrical. I can't live with that so I am going to do a new front panel with a new design. It wasn't a total waste though, I made some mistakes on the initial front panel which I have learned from. New design for front panel: Case with Fan - also I put the panel on the other side than previous photos. I am also getting a bit concerned that the colours aren't matching between the panels. Something I might have to address later on when I'm finished the case.
Really impressive work mate Good luck on the new front panel Did you put that top fan in as an intake on purpose?
Yeah I put it there on purpose. I thought it might need some additional cooling to the case as the MDF panels will have terrible thermal transference.
Day 12: I have started carving the new front panel. The first 2 photos show the panel leaning against the case. The colour of the top and side panel also seem to be getting closer tone colour which I was worried about. I should be able to finish carving and staining the front panel tommorrow and also clean up the DVD drive cutout. The last photo shows what I finished today on the front panel
Day 13: Not a lot done today, but I have finished carving the front panel and cut out the hole for the USB ports.
OOOp! You gotta make a stealth panel for that usb/etc port. Looking great. I see potential for a string art fan grill too.
Day 14: Today I printed out the pattern for the other side panel, then traced over the design with a carving knife - took about 1.5 hours. I also drilled out areas on the case for cutting out ventilation holes with the jigsaw. The jigsaw blade broke so I will have to wait until I can get to the hardware store before I can finish off the cutouts. I also test fitted all the panels, there is a slight overlap on the right hand side but isn't too bad. Not sure if I will do anything about it or not yet, I thought I could just file the overlap down. First photo is a bit blurry
Day 15: I have done a fair bit today. I cut out the vent holes, and filed them into shape - not before going to the hardware store to get some more jigsaw blades. I also finished carving the panel. I also stained it. I feel pretty pooped at the moment so not sure how much more, if anymore, work I will do today.
Thanks Throbbi. It seems it takes a few days for the colours to match each other. Unfortunately, I can't do the front panel until I receive my switches so I can make sure the measurements are correct before I drill the holes. That's what the white pieces of paper on the front panel are, hole locations for the switches
Very sensible. Even with the most accurate measurements of the switches from the manufacturer it's still makes sense to just wait until you can physically do it with them there, if nly for your sanity lol
Day 16: Today I realised two problems with the mod. The top panel fan is in the way of the DVD drive. I can either have one or the other as they take up the same space. I decided to go with the DVD drive as priority and just have a grill over under the fan cutout. I also realised that I drilled the hole for the DVD drive in the wrong spot. I thought I had the dimensions right but obviously not. I simply puttied the hole, and will take more care for the next hole. Otherwise everything else is working out well. I made a cutout in the metal frame of the case behind the front panel to allow room for the USB and power and reset switches. Not the greatest cutout job, I could clean it up a little but you don't ever see it. I also went ahead and stained the front panel, even though I haven't drilled the holes for the switches. I epoxied the DVD drive door to a piece of MDF in the front panel. Also thanks again to Thermaltake for the PSU which is on the way. I'm glad they agreed to sponsor me as I have other kit I have bought from them that I really like.
Day 17: Not a great deal done today as I am waiting for my PSU from Thermaltake before I can do the electricals. I cut out a fan grill and fixed it to the top panel. As there is no room for a fan, the grill pretty much just works as passive cooling by letting heat out - hot air rises. I also put the switches on the front panel. As the switches came with no information for wiring, it will be a guessing game to work out how to wire them up...might need some help from knowledgeable case modders.
Day 18: Worked on some electrics today, not sure if I have done it right until I hook up the switches to the motherbaord. In the photo, I just tested the wiring for the power on using a 9V battery.
The front panel looks great. Are you sure that there is no room for a fan on the top panel? Even if you do not use a standard 140 mm or 120 mm fan, there are other, smaller fans that would probably be better than passive cooling. Perhaps something like this: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9...iet_Fan_-_3800_RPM_-_14_dBA.html?tl=g36c15s70 It would take work, but I suppose you could create a (custom) circular fan casing. A fan with a mounting like this one might also work: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11644/fan-751/Evercool_Long_Life_45mm_x_10mm_Replacement_Fan_-_Suspension_Frame_X_Type_-_EC4510M12S-X.html?tl=g36c15s1287 http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11645/fan-752/Evercool_Long_Life_50mm_x_10mm_Replacement_Fan_-_Bury_Frame_-_EC5010M12S-B.html?tl=g36c15s71 http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11642/fan-749/Evercool_Long_Life_50mm_x_10mm_Replacement_Fan_-_Suspension_Frame_I_Type_-_EC5010M12S-I.html?tl=g36c15s71 You can also find some other options by looking around. I don't know the exact diameter of the hole on the top of your case. Just some ideas.
Thanks heaps for the info. Those links are awesome fans but they are too small to span across the hole I have already cut out....or maybe I can fix one to the 3mm MDF grill I made - that might work.
