Case Mod - In Progress Experiment Nr. 5 (Final pics on page 8)

Yes. I like your cables on this one. A lot. The res on the pedestal makes it look like part of the system vs a storage closet that got to stuffed with everything that didn't get a place upstairs.

 

Coming right up

Thanks for the comment mate. I hope you like what you are about to see then

I can, but I do not dear to

It is proberly going to be a clear blue

As you wish

Thanks man! More cooling eye candy coming up

Glad you like it

Yeah, but then I could not use the watercooling system on another pc if I wanted, or hide it in the attic

Thanks man! I love making the little details, and it kills me when people miss them :/

I put a lot of work into making the pedestal look like a single complete unit, and am glad you also see it like this

Guys! I got the first video done of the pedestal! Be sure to like and subscribe if you like it, and.. erm.. want to subscribe



Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_QeqAUWwbw

 

Nice. What CAD/CAM software are you using in that video?

 

I am using Autodesk Inventor I have thought about migrating to solidworks, but I have just gotten so familiar with inventor that it is hard

 

I'm part way in converting from inventor to Solidworks, still find AI much easier but it's getting there. The main reason I'm switching is because Solidworks seems to be much more forgiving in terms of file types and whatnot. A few weeks back I was sent some step files that should have opened up flawlessly in AI, but alas there were random errors everywhere. I had no luck in fixing them at all. Whipped the thing into Solidworks and boom, things just plain worked, no issues whatsoever. That isn't the first time something like that has happened either, so whilst I may love the AI workflow, at least my work will flow (har har) if I can open the files properly elsewhere.

 

I think you'll find the transition pretty easy. The work flow is really similar. Unlike Auto CAD for example.

 

Yeah, inventor has a way of not wanting to have anything to do with other file formats. I have mostly gotten around that by just recreating everything, but that gets annoying in the end also. I just feel that inventor is so much quicker than ie. Solidworks when it comes to building features and stuff like that.

Yeah, that is what people have said. I have also used solidworks for a few months, but never really liked it, so I switched back to inventor.

 

Now, with the pedestal watercooling semi donw, lets head on to the main event of this casemod.
The S3 case itself, and the panels I want to make for it. Since I wanted to make new external panels, I had to make a precise replica of the case in 3D so that I could model new sidepanels that would fit perfectly.



This is the final result of the model. Everything is as close to 1:1 as it gets, and is off by mostly 0.5 to 1 mm.



Close up of joints and bends.



My modified center panel. This was done to accommodate the harddrive mod done in a previous update.



Rear panel and old feets. The feets on the case has been swapped out with MNPC tech feets.



Motherboard tray. I did not draw the IQ plate holder.



And top with drop in insert.



Rear joints.



Left side



Right side



Top drop in insert panel.



And the bottom panel.



An idea I had to make some "special editions" with copper parts.



Or maybe even some acrylic.



Close up of copper motherboard tray. Neither of these will be used in this mod.



And the PSU compartment. Here you can also see where the wires from the harddrive mounted on the center panel is coming out.



And the main event. The panels I will try and get milled from billet 14 mm aluminum.



Under the case, there will be a lasercut 2 mm steel plate to keep these properly together. There will also be one on the rear of the case.



Left side render.



Right side render.



Top side.



The left side view into the motherboard compartment.



Rear panel again, where you can see the rear 2 mm steel plate that will hold the aluminum panels together.



Complete rear with white interior.



PSU hole, and a little view of the inner acrylic mounting.



Each acrylic piece is individually mounted in the aluminum, and will be milled so that it has the same shape as the panels themself.



Front render. I have made room in the front so that 2 120 mm fans can be mounted here to give some airflow in the case.



Left side with the left side panel taken off.



Closeup where you can see how the steel plates will keep the panels together.



Another shot with details of the side and top windows.



More mounting.



The front will naturally not have any acrylic in it as the holes are made for airflow. I might put some kind of filter on there, but that is undecided as of now.



Front render without front panel.



Closeup.



And another.



Thats it for now! Right now I am working on getting samples of the acrylic cut, which Justin from Parvum systems has agreed to help me on. Those guys knows their way around acrylic like no other, so I am sure they will make something nice

 

That is a very nice and accurate model!

Great plans you have. Good luck!

 

Man, I thought I was going to scroll through your post forever.
It looks awesome. I'm looking forward to seeing the crazy stuff you have planned for the inside too.

 

The case looks gorgeous but... won't the alu panel jacket look a bit out of place once the case gets lifted on the uncovered and thus slimmer pedestal? Or is the pedestal going to be separate (since the case has feet in the renders)? I tried going through the thread but couldn't find an answer. Maybe I'm just having a daft moment?

 

Thanks man!

I have renders of it, but that is for later

The pedestal is a "side" thing, and will most likely be some meters away from the pc itself. I built it mainly to have a box that will cool every watercooled pc I will build from now on, and even multiple in series.





Time to do some prototyping. I was very excited to see how well the acrylic windows could be made. All the pieces of the window is angled, so this would be a challenge to machine. Luckily I got in touch with Justin O'Grady from Parvum Systems who offered to help me out.

This is the first prototype piece that I got from them to test out the quality. I knew that the pieces had to be individually sanded and polished after machining, which is also why the window is not just one big piece.



This is a render of the top window and is the file that was sent to Parvum Systems.



The piece I got in the mail.



You can see the milling traces on the top.



And here it can be seen in more detail. The piece can be milled a lot more precise but this was a test to see how this roughness would be to sand down.



To sand it, I used wet-sanding paper with a roughness of 800 grit. I somehow lost my 1200 and 2000 grit pieces, so it still needs some work.



Sanding the piece. Remember to use lots of water, and exchange it frequently when wet sanding, or the particles you just sanded off will scratch the piece.



after sanding with 800 grit.



still a rough result, but I also misplaced my polishing compound, so this is how the finish is at the moment.

 

You know,I quite liked the effect of the milled piece in negative,gave it a nice texture

 

That is going to be a LOT of sanding and polishing for all the pieces.

But I bet when it is finished the precise work will pay off and result in a perfect end result.

 

Awesome mate! So nice to see this update and to be helping the build. Glad your doing the sanding not me. I hate sanding

 

I'm with B-Neg, That's an awesome texture. If that's how the black panels will be finished, I'd be tempted to keep it that way. Sanding shouldn't be too bad if you are just lapping the tops.
Gotta say I like the design more seeing one of the parts involved.

 

I presume the problem with leaving the texture would be the lack of transparency, as they all add up to make the window to see into the case. Im fully presuming of course

 

It could be a fun texture. But it just don´t fit into this mod

It is. And I still need to get some 2000 grit sandpaper, as the 1200 I have is not giving a nice enough result after polishing.

Thanks man! And thanks for wanting to help. The final pieces is going to be some work

Glad you do It is going to be fun fitting every piece into the aluminum!

I think it could be averted by flame polishing. But it would not be the crystal clear finish that I want



I made a video showing off different types of watercooling dye that I want to show you guys!



Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2jBcD6vybA
Hope you enjoyed

 

Love that video man. can't wait to see the windows in the panels!

 

wow.. just wow. did not think i was going to enjoy a video about dye nearly as much as i just did.