Scratch Build – In Progress Mr3D - Project Tatami (mATX computercase from scratch)

The amount of aluminium used here is surely a moot point? PC upgrades and the constant churn of new stuff is terribly harmful to the environment (along with phones and all the other technology we're plied with). Not to mention the human cost of having this stuff made cheaply in some far off location nobody wants to think about.

 

Whoa, since when is modding all about reasonable use of force technology? Do we need 1200W PSU's and triple-SLI graphic cards taking 200W a piece? Do we need six SSD's with terabytes worth of storage? Water cooled cases the size of 2001's monolith? Of course we don't. An off-the-shelf office Dell with a single 150W GPU would serve most of our needs just fine.

But that is not our way. That's not the modding way. We do it because we can; because it hasn't been done, because people say it can't be done. Because technology is just so goddamn sexy, and it teases us and temps us into the creative embrace of magic smoke and metal.

So let's stop this bickering. People in the Western world throw away the equivalent of a meal a day in food. Millions of pounds is being wasted on military hardware. More is wasted on people upgrading their last year's smartphone to a functional equivalent slightly thinner/faster with more pointless features. When it comes to waste, we're at the top of the landfill. Let's not pretend that this project is more wasteful than our own personal lifestyles.

 

Well said Nexxo.

Mr3D - Keep up the good work, looks awesome. Not seen EDM used on a PC before, Kudos.

 

Well said indeed Nexxo, great post!! And damn, the mill work here is sextacular!!

 

Could not agree more Nexxo

 

Damn straight:

 

Nexxo knows what's up. Keep up the great work Mr3D!

 

[IMVHO]PC modding is as a hobby infinitely less wasteful on resources than many other hobbies I could name.
All that metal and other disposable material in brakes/clutches filters used and fuel burned in motorsports (I have nothing against motorsports BTW) puts pc case modding in the shade.
Don't even go there with boats and 'planes!
To quote the worn out and not so amusing phrase:
Keep Calm and Mod on

Nice work BTW Mr3D, great to see what can be done with the next level of tools available to the average tabletop modder.

 

All I know is that was about a page worth of no porn. --Although someone here might like the Gladiator pic. I apologize if anyone here is Crowemosexual.

 

Thanks for the support, guys!

You want porn? Sorry about that, but all I can give you is non-porn porn.




The I/O expansion plate thingy is done! Finished it in the mill, but I also had to do some hand filing on it. Removed the inner-radiuses with a hand file.




MOOOOOAR test assembling! And it fits!




The 90deg AC cable I bought was a little too high, so I had to do some slight modifications to it. Took a sharp knife and split it in two halves, then I just shortened it by cutting off some excessive rubber.

The images you see tho, it's assembled with cable ties, but that is just for testing. Later I'll glue it together with some silicone or similar.

 

Really is the ultimate IO piece, a solid aluminium one.
Seen it done before & it made me do a compromised layered version which I put in all my projects now.

 

Looks better and better. I've often thought about the PSU solution you've made, and seeing how you've done it makes me more certain that I need to try it out

 

Loving this project, I started out on CNC machines 20ish years ago so this really is porn for me.....oddly enough we still have that old CNC machine (interact by Bridgeport) in daily use despite having some fangled 20 turret VMC jobbies too now.
Keep it up, there is nothing sexier than a billet being made in to this type of artwork, I still get a huge kick from watching the machines whiz around.....until the cutter breaks lol.

 

Custom everything is the way to go!

Thanks man!

You should totally try it out! I haven't started with the cable-management, just yet. But in my mind i'll be awesome!

Yeah, I agree with you! I work as a toolmaker, injection molds for platsic caps and such. The biggest series we got is around ~30 pieces or so. Anyways, I too, get a kick out of adding those extra chamfers and radiuses the engineer don't have a clue about adding...

Heh, breaking end-mills... Yeah, I snapped a few...




Time for another update!(already?! )

This weekend I've modified the PSU bracket, started making a custom powerbutton and also lathed the feets for the case.




A guy on a swedish forum gave me the idéa to make a cut-out for the AC-cord for better cable management, it was a great idéa!




Okay, first a short backstory. If I were to buy let's say a anti-vandal switch and mount it on the front plate, I won't get a as integrated look as I would with a custom made one!

What I'll do is make myself the button and housing(as seen in the pic), then I'll use a regular push-button for PCB's and make the PCB.

Here, have a short videoclip of the button. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCnb0mYuUuI




Annnnd, as a ending to this update. The feets! The material is Uddeholm Stavax, a rust-resistant tool-steel with great polishing properties.

The work in the lathe is done, but that was only the rough cuts. Now I'll send them off for hardening(to 52HRC), then I'll ground them on all visible faces. Then last, but not least I'm going to polish them, NOT to a mirror finish, but good.

 

Yeah, I totally forgot to accommodate space for a vandal resistant button in my case, so I ended up making this articulated lever arrangement. Of course, you just chose to make your own button, right? Right?

 

If this is what the inside looks like I can't wait to see what you have planned for the exterior!

Very jealous of your skills, if I move to Sweden will you teach me everything you know?

 

D'oh this is impressive, nice job! Good luck for the next steps!

 

I couldn't see you using an off-the-shelf switch.
LOVE the smooooooooth cord channel. I would love a rig decorated with grooves like that, but I'd probably spend an abnormal amount of time running my fingers over them.

There's probably a market for blocks of metal with smooth groovy bits. -Kinda like selling bubble wrap for tension relief.

 

How could you choose NOT to make your own button?

Thanks, you guise!

Sure! But I have no idea what I know, do I know anything? I just do, without knowing.

What do you think I did, too? *runs off to stroke the smooth milled surfaces*



So, an "update".



Got the feets back from hardening, they are now 52HRC hardness.

Next step is to grind them in both the surface grinder and the cylindrical grinder.


But not this weekend, have to change the tires on my car.