Case Mod - In Progress [Black Frost] FD Define R4 : Update Feb. 10th : Interior Paneling

Hey Bit-tech.net! I would first like to thank everyone for following my last project, Grey Matter! I loved the support and was honored to be nominated for MOTM!

I am trying to keep the ball rolling right into this next build, Black Frost, a Fractal Design Refine R4 case mod! I was originally planning a different mod, but I won this Refine R4 case in a case review giveaway on the Mod Zoo. I will be posting a review on the mod zoo forum under the Fractal Design thread if you are interested in my opinion, the review will be up soon! The case was really nice so I decided not to waste any time and get on it! Thumbs up to Fractal on making a solid case!

I am attempting to do something different and make this build a little bit more open concept and the goal is to have everything as neat as possible. Most systems are completely shrouded and the slack from the wires is smashed in a box basically. I want to have everything cut to exact lengths and attempt to minimize all slack. I am going with a black and white color scheme with chrome accents to cut down on full fledged paint job and keep this build clean.

Remember to reference this first post for easy links to all the updates on this project!


Update 1 : 2/3/2014 : Case Fabrication
Update 2 : 2/10/2014 : Interior Paneling, Bezel Work.


PC Components : *TBA - To Be Announced

[] CPU : TBA
[] MoBo : TBA
[] RAM : TBA
[] GPU : TBA
[] PSU : eVGA 650W SuperNOVA
[] SSD : Samsung Evo
[] OPT : TBA (possibly none)
[] Case : Fractal Design Refine R4

Water Cooling :
[] TBA

Key Mods :
<> Open concept.
<> Chrome copper tubing.
<> Solid PSU wires cut to length.
<> Hand made acrylic reservoir, possibly another style waterfall.
<> More TBA.


I am proud and honored to already have picked up a sponsor for this build:

Huge thanks to Casefeet.com. They have some super beast mode case feet! I am really happy and excited to have them on board! Checkout the site by clicking the logo!




This post will be updated with more information as the build goes on.

With all that taken care of, on to the first update!

First things first the base of this creation! The Pearl Black Fractal design Refine R4! Here are some photos of the case, taking it to a blank canvas.














The blank canvas!




Measured lines to cut the bottom metal out for better air flow for my floor mount radiator Ill be installing.




Removed these goodies from Casefeet.com! They came thoroughly wrapped and protected!








I picked up some 1.5" ID O-rings from McMaster Carr on my way home from work the other day and rolled them onto the case feet into the milled grooved for the black stripe effect. There are other ways to make the effect its up to your imagination!






I am still plotting the exact placement for them, I will decide when I cut out the bottom panel.




These are the 24" x 36" sheets of acrylic for the build, also from McMaster Carr. ( I love living 20 minutes from there! ) I will most likely have to get more but I am starting with two sheets of each color.




I started making the cuts to create the floor inside the case. I like working with a flat even floor from the start. It makes for good panel mounting and a nice clean look. I made some 1/2" strips for the floor supports. Then Ill be cementing them to the floor panel after i make my radiator cuts and drill my holes for the panel standoffs.












One of my favorite tools here for making precise marks to mount my fence when making router cuts! Every mark its right on the money at all times!








Test Fitting of the floor panel resting on its support strips.




I had some left over U-channel molding from MNPCtech.com from my last build so I put it to use. I covered it with Rustoleums version of plastic-dip so I could make it white. Then I trimmed out the front area where Ill be making a 240mm radiator mount.










Here is a final shot of where I am sitting now, and a shot showing how the PSU will be oriented, and I set in a spare radiator for perspective. The build will actually be using a 240mm rad in that location.






Well that is where I left off last night. I would of liked to been further along but I had another little side project and was busy with the holidays. this build may move a little slower at first because I am currently saving money to buy a nice CNC when I get my taxes back. Once I get that, this build will take off and Ill be taking my modding to the next level! I am super stoked for that!

Thanks for checking out the build log thus far, Stay Tuned!!

 

Nice start mate. Photos are nice also. Had a similar case so so long ago. Was a fan.

Good luck with your CNC venture!

 

If this will be anything the same as the previous project it will be great

 

interested in what will become of it, your previous one was prety nice.

just dont get the cheapest chinese cnc, those machines are more engraves than milling machines. best would be to go at least for a machine with ball screw system, at least then you would have some precision.

 

Thanks! I like this case so far, it breaks down to a really nice blank canvas.

Thanks Hukkel! I am always trying to do better than the last so with any luck it should be better =D

Thanks! I can't afford too expensive of a CNC so I will be going the chinese route but not the super cheap ones, it costs about 1500 and over time I am going to upgrade the parts to make it even better, like a water cooled spindle ect. It is a ball screw system as well so hopefully it will be decently precise. If I had the money I would buy a really nice one, but between bills, and money for my mods, and saving for this CNC I am broke as it is lol

 

i understand, as long as the basis is kind of decent you can upgrade later on, you also need money for the materials etc. and raw materials are expencive if you need a lot of it
a nice program to use when using the cnc is called g-wizzard, it has a 30 day trial but it just tells you how fast to operate your spindle(rpm) and how fast you can move. i use it aswell and it is just the best, it saves me a lot of endmills by not letting me break them

 

After hours of research today I decided on a Fine Line Automation CNC kit. I am going to build it myself. It will be made by me so it will be more reliable than China, it has a 2' x 3' work area which is almost double the Chinese ebay one, and I will be able to buy new parts for it as I get the money in. Until then Ill be giving acrylic the Bosch Colt beatdown! lol

 

i would seriously not go for that one, the surface may be bigger but fron the videos i could tell they used very cheap linear guides for the z-axis and even trapezium thread for the movement. compared to that system the chinese systems will probably be better.
the best advice that i can give you is to start a thread with some questions at cnczone.com, there are ofcource a couple of things that are important with a cnc machine:
1. stable construction (design)
2. good linear guides(supported linear guides)
3. good linear spindels(ball screw)

making the right choices now will save you a lot of money later even if you have to spend a little bit more now.

 

Sweet! Looking forward to another of your builds.
Your last one was awesome. That waterfall res was just genious......yeah......umm.....sorry, busy drooling over the though of it still!
Grats on the sponsor

Subbed!

 

Well thanks for the input I appreciate it. I have also watched a bunch of videos on the FLA machine and it seems to kickass for all the application I need it for, also CNCZone threads about it say that its the best CNC for the price range I am in, and technically I am stretching over my actual budget. Either way I made a thread on CNCzone asking what the best option is for 2'x3' in that price range just to be sure. I am about 4-5 weeks away from making my first purchase towards it so I have time for more research.

Thanks and thanks and thanks! I appreciate it! I can't wait to get the ball rolling on this one, I came up with some cool ideas to try to implement.

 

Update 1 : February 3rd. : Panel Work and Trim

Hey everyone! Got a little work done since the weather warmed up enough to heat the workshop! I'm not quite finished designing the interior so I decided to do all the case work first. All my money for the next few paychecks is going to my CNC so I can get that thing constructed. Ill have limited funds for PC parts so I will be getting one or two parts at a time and doing as much as I can with that. My previous PC is currently for sale on eBay to help me move forward faster. I don't really want to sell it but if it will help me get to where I wanna go faster I will do it. Anyway here is what I am working with so far!

I found mill bits on eBay for my router for much cheaper than sears, pretty happy about that!



I had some 3/8" aluminum cubes fabricated, Ill be using these to attach panels without needing an entire skeleton of aluminum framing. FannBlade did a great job making these for me! I saved a few bucks by tapping them myself.



I mounted one where I am planning my first panels to show how they'll be used.





The first task at hand was making a new rear panel since I will be doing another vertical GPU and flipping my PSU on its side I will need a new orientation of I/O ports on the back. I double layered it with white and black and once I finish the I/O cutouts Ill be adding inlay cutouts on both sides and adding 1/2" trim on each edge.






This is my favorite thing to see when cutting with the Bosch Colt, splitting my pencil lines!





Next I got going on the floor panel. Ill be mounting a radiator on the acrylic floor panel so I wanted to cut out the bottom metal for the best possible air flow.









Once The bottom was cut out I filed it down and trimmed it out with left over U-Channel from MNPCtech.com for my Grey Matter build. I also bolted down the beast mode case feet from www.Casefeet.com





Then I attached the acrylic supports for the floor. The gloss black is going to be bling blingin' on the interior









Next I opened up the front panel front top to bottom. I am planning to make a double chamber reservoir attached with chrome tubing mounted in the middle of the front panel and through the bezel. You will see what I am saying as it comes together.









Once it was cut out I decided to make acrylic trim for the opening. I cut strips of acrylic 5/8" thick, then I used a scrap piece of mod mesh to get the spacing correct when gluing them. Once it dried I used a flush cutting bit and trimmed off the scrap. Then I mitered the pieces on the scroll saw so I didn't have to buy a new blade for our 10" cutoff saw.






























It was a lot of work just for some trim but it was worth it, it cam out really nice and professional looking. Once I paint the metal I will attach the trim with epoxy and cement it at the corners so it will be on for good.

Well that's all I have for now. Next Thing up will be the front bezel. I am going to remove the door and make it polished chrome look to match the tubing Ill be using. Hopefully the weather stays above 30 degrees so my heaters can keep up with the cold. Thanks for watching! Stay tuned!

Thanks again to my sponsor thus far:

 

Update 2 : February 10th : Interior Panels, front Bezel.

Hey everyone, got a little work in on my case since the last post. I got most of the interior established and started on the bezel. I decided to glue the interior panels together, then when my CNC is done Ill come back and cut out all the recess areas to create the two-tone areas. Not much else to say for now so Ill get on with the update.

Picked up a few new lure lock needles for my acrylic cement.




After making the black and white panels separate it was difficult to make them exactly the same. So after a few I decided to start gluing the panels together before cutting and Ill go back late to make the CNC cutouts.




















After i made the cuts I started assembling the panels in the correct orientation.










I glued some 5/8" trim on the rear panel. I had to router a triangle shape on the bottom corner for it to fit in perfectly.








Then I continued with the installation of the final panels and motherboard tray.


















The last thing I got around to was some work on the front bezel. I cut out all the interior and I plan to insert either acrylic or aluminum panel into it and use white acrylic down the sides.






And that's all I have for now. I have quite a few interesting ideas for this build with the reservoir and tube connections. As I mentioned its off to a slower start due to most of my fund being poured into my CNC build. Hopefully I can either sell my Grey Matter PC to finish my CNC or get some extra work to help pay for it faster. Its looking like I should be finished in 2 months at the current rate I am going. Anyhow stay tuned I will be working this build as much as possible! Thanks for checking it out.

Also thanks to my sponsor so far!


Check out the beastly case feet available!

 

Awesome work OC, been great watching you mod an FD case, they are one of my favs too.. and can't wait to see what creations are born from that new CNC

 

Thanks Bill! I have some wild ideas, I cant wait to start choppin' things up with the CNC

 

Is this build log going to be getting an update any time soon? I'm keen to see what you do.

 

Haha thanks for checking out my builds man =D This build is kinda just hanging in the back burner for now, I won the case in a giveaway and started modding it after Grey Matter because I was itching to build...Then Cooler Master asked me to mod a Stacker so this went on the shelf and the stacker is my next build to finish, I intend to work on this as the opportunities arise.

 

will it be matx? or mini-itx?

 

It will be mATX. Going to use my Rampage 4 Gene and a 3930k

 

ahh ohke cant wait until your cprys is done and start this sexy

Verstuurd van mijn GT-S7500 met Tapatalk

 

Hell yeah, thanks! Im actually really anxious to get working on this build. Bout another month.