Case Mod - In Progress ⭐ [Sponsored] Angl3d Ti - Dual loop | EKWB | ASUS ROG | be quiet! | Enermax | Teamgroup | by Zeuligan

Project Angl3d Ti - Custom PC with dual water cooling loop, vertical GTX 1080Ti sponsored by ASUS ROG, EK Water Blocks, be quiet!, Teamgroup and Enermax. A huge thank you to all of them, making this build possible.

The inspiration started when I created custom gaming PC Zeuligan and instantly fell in love with the design of the GTX 1080 Ti. When ASUS released their new VR headset with the amazing hexagon design I just knew I had to create a build inspired by the two. I also want to create a build that is the opposite of Zeuligan. More tech and modern with harder lines with an a tribute to acrylic.

Specifications:
be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900
ASUS ROG MAXIMUS X FORMULA
Intel i7 7700K or 8700K (jury is still out on that one)
ASUS GTX 1080Ti FE
4x 8GB T-Force Delta RGB RAM DDR4
be quiet! Straight Power 11 750w
8x Enermax T.B.RGB 120mm fans
Custom addressable LED strips

Water cooling:
EK-FC GeForce GTX FE - Nickel Water Block
2x EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM - Plexi
2x EK-RES X3 250 RGB
2x EK-CoolStream SE 360 (Slim Triple)
EK-Supremacy EVO - Nickel
EK-HDC Fitting 12mm G1/4 - Black
EK-HD PETG Tube 10/12mm 500mm




The planning, as usual, started in Fusion 360 with endless of drawings and tests. With that many individual pieces there is no room for errors. This is the finished concept sketch of the PSU shroud. My main concern is how I can craft the 118 individual acrylic triangles with angled edges in multiple planes by hand. Hey, who doesn't love a challenge?




I want to use the fan integrated into the GTX 1080 Ti as an inspiration for a custom front and custom top with visible fans. My concept sketch shows a cut-out from my logo. Might be a sponsor symbol or other solution once in production, but the idea is a visual front fan with a cut out for air flow.




It is almost a shame to pull that piece of art into pieces, but sometimes you need to break an egg to make an omelette. After Project Zeuligan I know how to fastest do it, so might as well get cracking. Just one last look at that beautiful case.




Up on the operating table. Time to take this baby apart.




This is how the inside of the be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 looks like without the tempered glass side. Everything is modular and get be taken apart with just screws. No need for a Dremel at this point. Love this case.




The beautiful brushed aluminium panels detached.




Never stops amazes me how beautiful a naked computer case can look. Maybe it's just me that is weird. What do you feel about naked chassis?




Even with the generous space of the huge be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 it will be a challenge to fit all these amazing products. It has always bean a dream of mine to get EK Water Blocks as a sponsor. Still feels unreal that it's not longer a dream. Thank you <3




Just as with Project Zeuligan I intend to use the drive cage ladder as a base for fastening an inside wall. But this time I will use it to hold the dual EK-RES X3 250 RGB reservoirs.




220x450mm. Wider and I will overlap the motherboard.




Leaving some room at the top and bottom for cable routing.




Included one of the black beautiful EK-CoolStream SE 360 (Slim Triple) radiator to ensure that I have enough room between reservoirs and radiator.




The only thing that is and looks better than an EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM - Plexi (incl. pump) is two These are the un-sleeved version as I will of course sleeve my own in relation to the color theme. Sleeving will be done with MDPC-X.




One last measurement to check the position of the pumps. I will need to create my own pump brackets so I can integrate them into the PSU shroud / floor.




Naked aluminum is sexy This is a 4mm thick 60mm wide aluminum beam. It will be the base of the bracket.




Measuring the middle of the 20mm side aluminum beam that will be part of the pump brackets. Just love having a digital caliper.




It still amazes me how much fun stuff I can create with my Dremel mounted to the drill press. It is surprisingly accurate if used with patiences. The week spot is as always the shaft of the Dremel that moves.




Cut the remaining beams and an additional piece of acrylic as top cover. I need the extra height, but also need the top layer to be acrylic as I will combine it with the 118 individual pieces.




This is my vision for the bracket. Using the bottom fastening holes for the fans to keep it in place. Ok, will need to put this together.




Something almost sexy about black countersunk hex bolts in naked aluminum. Very satisfied with this solution.




4 holes, 4 countersunk holes, 4 bolts and 1 sturdy dual pump bracket.




Positioning the dual EKWB D5 Plexi top pumps to ensure maximum space between them, but with optimum placement on the bracket. The original measurement above was 190mm from the front panel below the radiator to the last bracket hole. I then worked backwards from there.




Back to the Dremel press after marking out the 8 holes for the pumps.




Not bad at all. Almost looks like the chassi for a small toy car.




Added two 5mm acrylic pieces below the bracket to raise the entire height another 5mm. Will be need to match where the PSU shroud / floor needs to be at it's lowest point.




One last measurement and time to start, what most likely will be an endless amount of time spent in cutting, grinding and fixating the acrylic triangles. Hence the name of the build - Angl3d Ti.




First cut is the deepest...




After some painfully slow and inaccurate attempts to file or sand the triangles sides into proper angles I found a solution that will kick ass. I belt grinder flipped up side down. Only thing to worry about now is my fingertips.




Suddenly I feel that this almost endless endever is doable. The speed with the belt grinder was so much higher. Accuracy is still a problem and will be, but I recon I will get a better and better feel for it the more I create.




Knife sharp and straight edges. I'm saved...




First time pieces fitted to the pump base plate. Both at an angle to each other and the base plate.


It has been a long but very productive day. So amazingly fun to be starting a new project again. This time it feels extra special as I have new friends supporting me. I hope you like what you have seen so far. Please follow the build if you want to see more and I just love to hear your thoughts and get feedback.

 

It will be an immense amount of work to finish the custom PSU shroud with its 118 individual angled acrylic pieces. That is also part of the charm of this build. The level of details needed. Only way to reach the end is to start.



With the use of Acrifix 116 I fixed 2 triangles on the pump base plate. Each edge needs it's own individual angle to ensure the right shape of the shroud.





Ensuring as versatile visuals as possible I try to alterate the size of each triangle as well. This one has a base of 45mm.





Here is a shot of the angled edge of the third triangle. After sawing each triangle into it's designated shape, I grind each edge straight and proper angled to build the shape. Fixating it with Acrifix 116, wait until it sets (about 5-10min) and start on next.





8 triangles and a few hours later and the base shape starts to reveal itself. As I'm going to paint it black, I don't care about getting Acrifix 116 on the pieces. On the contrary I keep adding Acrifix on the backside of each joint to strengthen the bond.





I cut a plate to sit below the radiator and took a measurement where to mount it on the base pump plate. 30mm to the edge.







Lot's of hours spent already and only 19 triangles created. Very time consuming, but rewarding mod creating this PSU shroud.





Started fixating triangles on my way to the front of the case. Need to ensure that the height of the front triangles stay below the lower edge of the Plexi top of the pumps.







Want to create a front base plate to display the amazing sponsors of the build.





9 additional triangles and a romb later and the front logo plate is joined with the base plate for the pumps. Will need to wait longer for this to set before I move it.





Love the contrast look of the hard edges of the triangles with the smooth roundness of the beautiful EK Water Block D5 Plexi top. Very close, but managed to avoid building to high in the front. 5mm to spare to the bottom of the plexi top.





Somehow this makes me feel about the catamaran. Love how the different angles play with the light. This will look dope in black once finished. Doesn't look like much left, but will take atleast 10-15 more triangles to close the holes and finish part one of the shroud. Plan to build it in two pieces for easier mounting and cable management. Will need to figure out some sort of quick snap lock for that, but not until both parts of the floor is ready. That is MANY hours still




Starting to look really good imho, but would love to hear what you feel about it. Please drop a comment below...

 

It'll look cool when done, but you will envy the dead by then.
-Gonna need a matching faceplate mod.

 

Hehehe, not to mention robotic hands, but I guess that is available at Amazon once I'm done

 

Instead of boring you with countless and countless of pictures of triangles I decided to put together a short movie when creating one triangle. At this stage I have spent well beyond 70h sawing, grinding, filing, sanding and combining triangles to create my PSU Shroud for project Angl3d Ti.




PSU Shroud piece one of two. At this point I am about 80% done.




The plan for the PSU Shroud is to have it divided into two pieces for easier access and management. It is not intended to be crystal clear acrylic finish as I will paint it. Therefor I have rather added extra Acrifix 116 to all the joints to keep it as sturdy as possible.




It is starting to take shape. The lower part of the PSU shroud that will be beneath the EKWB D5 Plexi pumps is more or less done. I will join the upper part as the last part of the PSU shroud. I will also need to fabricate some sort of quick joint between the pieces.

Would love to hear what you think about this...

 

After over 100 hours of hand filing and acrylic focus the base shape of the PSU Shroud for project Angl3d Ti is finished. Managed to create it divided into two pieces without a visible edge.




One of the last pieces of the PSU Shroud mod. All 3 sides angled in opposite directions and created with a hand file. I just love working with acrylic. Such a beautiful and exciting material.




This is how I decided to solve the problem with the edge between the two pieces. A small counter-edge to force the upper piece to snap in place into the lower. Main challenge with this solution was to create a perfect fit, but turned out to work like a charm.




This is how it turned out. I'm as happy as my fingers hurt The white edges is where I filed and combined the pieces together. As I also plan to paint them glossy black, I didn't bother to keep the acrylic spotless. On the contrary. I added lot's of Acrifix 116 in on the backside on all joints and edges to make it as sturdy as possible.




Both pieces mounted in the case. The shape is so snug it just snaps in place without any mounting screws needed...




I plan to add a screw in the flat square piece in the upper left, fixating the shroud in the PSU mounting bracket.




The different angles of the triangles reflects light. Will work even better in glossy black.

A full time lapse of the PSU Shroud creation will be added once it's edited. I got 228gb of footage so almost have equal amount of work editing that as creating the shroud hehehehe...​

Next step of the shroud is to sand down all angles individually and ensure that edge edge is super sharp and perfect. Expect that to take 10-20 hours. After that, it's ready for 2 coats of base primer before 3 coats of glossy black and 2 coats of clear varnish.

 

Finally I'm back to modding after a long absence.
Had the time to sort my filming of the shroud and edit it down to 24min (from 3,5h).

I hope you enjoy it...more to come soon...

 

Way cool. I love it.

 

Fantastic patience totally love your tiny little dremel work area setup once sanded and painted ganna look amazing

 

Thank you so much /bow

Thank you. Tiny is the keyword, hehehe, but worked out surprisingly good. Excited my self, to sand it, and paint it black
Thx again for your supporting words.

 

great concept and a lesson of patience , can't wait to see it painted

 

Thank you /salute.
Feels extra good to be back after kind words like that.

 

Way cool, I wish I had a tiny amount of the patience you must own.

 

Thank you <3 Just go a little crazy sometimes

 

A custom hand made exterior case in acrylic for the Dark Base Pro 900 will be a challenge. A huge one, but a challenge I knew from start would be needed to complete the vision of the project.

TBH, I don't even have a plan, but need to make it up as I go along. After some fiddiling and thinking I made the decision to build from the ground up. If it can't stand it can't function. Took a trip to the local hardware store and picked up 2m2 of 3mm acrylic and 1m2 of 5mm acrylic.




3 sheets of acrylic in the background. It will be enough for a few days.





After previous struggle with keeping straight lines with the type of acrylic I can get my hands on at the local hardware store, I decided to try this little saw. Expensive, but worth a shot.





The case is 525mm long, so had to get 1000x750 sheets (of course). Marked out 525x240mm for top and bottom sheets and made a short prayer for my new saw.





Really happy with the saw. Fast to saw and it performed over expectations. Straight, fast and fairly clean cut. Not that much (only a few min per cut) to file.





I have a plan to keep the lower part of the case a little larger than the footprint of the rest of the case. That way I get a more visual base and I can also angle my angles slightly outwards, making the overall design cleaner. Atleast I hope so, as I don't have a blueprint...
In the picture, the case is fliped upside down.





A test fit of the 3 parts, bottom, top and front and some measurements, calculations I was ready to start for real. Bottoms up!





I will need to ensure that the PSU will be able to ventilate itself, so I have to make room for airflow. Time to mark for some Dremel action.





Every 10mm feels like a good space. Keeps maximum amount of holes (staying sane while drilling) and least amount of risk breaking the entire plate. It's a measurement I have used in the past for this type of work.





A few holes to drill...





I still feel the small Dremel actually performance surprisingly good. One way I do is to jug the drill up and down (as it tends to bend a little in the shaft) untill I have a round mark where I want the hole and then add preasure to make the actuall hole. Keeps it straight and accurate.





After 30min all the holes are drilled and I'm happy with the result. Trying to keep the protective plastic on as long as possible.





Used my Acrylic fix and "glued" two pieces of 4mm together. I had an idea both for the modilarity I always try to keep when I build, but also for it turned out to be a good distance for the base plate.





Looks more messy than it is, still not dry here. Not sure you can guess what I'm up to?





Clips for the entire bottom piece. It worked out amazing. Resistance, without any room to wiggle. Super happy.







8mm distance and a base plate that sticks to the case just like the original piece. With 5mm wider plate than the case and 8mm of distance I will have a nice angle of the exterior angles that I will start to create in the next part of the base floor.

 

A short update, while I publish the next part. My solution for the base plate brackets turned out really good. Tight fit and snaps on firmly. Made a short clip to illustrate (can hear the snug fit).

 

After creating the base plate bracket it was time to move on with creating the base structure of the base exterior. I got inspired by the original stands of the be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 as they are angled, so decided to try to incorporate them.




What's not to like with feet like this, but hard to fixture in a none permanent way to the case...





After moving around the feet / stand I found the right angle. Just continue with the angle of the feet and intersect with the corner.





That intersection messurement turned out to be 35mm.





28mm deep and 98mm long. Time to do some cutting and filing





That turned out really good. Reason for leaving the stand a little outside the base plate is I want to incorporate it with the exterior angles that will become the exterior base piece. I also decided to turn the feet angled outside, to give it a more firm look at the base. If my solution for a modular fit works out, I can always turn them around at a later stage.





After the successful cirst cut, I marked out the remaining 3 holes for the case feet and put my dremel saw to use, again. After some hand filing it somehow turn out very simular to the chassi of a car





My simple idea and concept for a fixture for the base feets.





Test fit, looks alright.





Four of them all done. The little extra extension isn't a misstake but something I will use a later stage...





To finish of the last layer of the base structure I need good ventilation. Decided to put some mesh I had laying around to use. Marked 2 large sections with the same frame dimensions as the depth of the feet.





That Dremel Moto Saw isn't a bad thing when doing stuff like this. Very happy as I didn't crack the plate. Just need to file it down smooth and straight and we are good to go.





This is how I imagined it. This is how It will be when looking at it from underneath. Not sure anyone will ever do that, but hey, we mod for the fun of creating details
The mesh will be painted in the accent color of the build - blue.





Wroom wroom...





Fixed the four mounting brackets with Acrifix and ensured they are all positioned equally.





Added a small counter bracket to also include a small "dot" to make the feet snap in place.







With the previously created bottom base plate, this is starting to look like the bottom of a case exterior.





Base plate ontop of each other with the inner case frame clipped on. It's to this frame I will fix the base structure of a still to find out, pattern of triangles and angled pieces, just like the PSU Shroud and that will start with the next update.

How do you feel about this mod so far? Let me know in the comments below...

 

wow ur skill of using dremel motor saw a pretty good. i cant even have straight line for the part. it tend to curve. haha.

 

Thank you

It curves for me to, use my small hand saw for the most part, or just cut curved and use a file until oblivion...

 

coming along nicely... I've made note to check back and keep watching!