Scratch Build – In Progress Project: OSIDIAS - Carbon fiber and 3D printed SFF (Jan. 2, 2020)

I dont know how many times I look at Osidias' log, just for the pleasure to watch this scratch-build
I am happy to see you back on track.

MDP is simply amazing

 

Thanks for posting your side chick. She's hot. Everything you've done ticks the right buttons, though.
I know you are all about tiny cases, but the last jump in tech has left you with something so small the cat could knock it off your desk.
With your new toys, I want to throw some ideas at you for your NEXT project. -I totally want you to finish this one! Don't let this cause another revision.-
Anyway, for the NEXT one, -NEXT- A full watercool setup with the manifold built into the frame. Printed or milled plexi, or both. Tight tube runs could be done with stainless flat tube and printed elbows. Since it would be plastic and stainless you could cheat with silicone sealant.
Sorry. I throw ideas at the new kids, but none of it sticks. -and I definitely don't want to do another super-tight rig for a while.

 

Thanks! It's much appreciated!

Thank you! It's hard to believe MPD was over 5 years ago already. I spent maybe a year or so working it up in CAD, but the build itself was ironically pretty quick. From first cut to the paint drying was less than 2 months. I really had to get my bending game on point.

Yes, the tech jumps are both a good and bad thing. This thread is a good example of that. The cool ideas I had were some of the first to become obsolete. Systems in systems is overly redundant now, and even ideas like using the original Viliv or Android tablet in MPD became dated. That's why the newest version features a straight up LCD screen attached via HDMI. It's not anything so easily outdated. One of the first great ideas I had in this thread, was a transparent LCD screen. Despite showing a working example all those years ago, it's one thing I was never able to reintegrate in a new mod or mod idea. It required a case with a window. Most of my ideas aren't the kind to feature a flat surface large enough, well, except for the Draken concept. (Now that might be a fun idea to revisit.)

Haha, yes, the NEXT mod... That's actually a pretty great idea. I've been wanting to plan another full watercooled mod, but it's been a challenge to come up with something original. There are so many guys out there that have really stepped up with cool ideas. Since reading your post, I've already had a few things percolate. I've jotted them down in my notes, and I'll revisit later.

 

So, let’s get up to speed on my current hardware situation. For almost the past 2 years, I’ve been running an Asus Z170-I with an i5-6600k, a Zotac 1080 mini, and the 400w HDPLEX. It was intended to go in OSIDIAS as soon as the case was finished. Needless to say, it’s been sitting on my desk ‘open air’ the entire time. Various delays have now made the hardware a little dated, and as motivation to get finally get moving on this project, new parts were ordered. As of this week, I’m now running an Asus Z390-I with i5-9600k, the Zotac 1080 mini, the HDPLEX, and a few shiny new Samsung SSD’s. I’ve got a 1TB 970 EVO for the OS, a 2TB 860 EVO for primary games, a 2TB 860 QVO for secondary games, and lastly a 500GB for misc. data. The below pic was from just before the upgrades took place. Fancy, huh?






Regarding cooling, in the interest of saving room, I’ll be running an air cooler. While using a Cryorig C7 and Noctua Industrial 140mm fan for the past 2 years, I’ve now moved the Cryorig C7 G. I know the effects of the graphene coating are debatable, but I’ve seen significant temp drops from previous. It was a switch from aluminum to copper however, and I’m sure that’s most of the reason. I also switched to a new Cooler Master fan, although it has a lower CFM rating and overall speed. Using the original 90mm Cryorig fan was never really an option for me. A 140mm unit essentially covers most of the motherboard, including any heatsinks and RAM. Since there aren’t any fans in the case otherwise, this gets cool air where it needs to go. Below you can see the C7 in it’s original form, and then nestled in on the motherboard with the fan removed.












While the Noctua simply sat on top of the previous cooler as a temporary fix, I figured it was time to actually design something more permanent. Below is the test design for the Cooler Master fan mount. A quick print later, and it looks like it will work! The fan sits snugly in place as it should. Most of my designs deal with very tight tolerances, and this one is no different.

 

The fan mounting lugs are now redundant. It's kinda troubling that 25% of the heat sink is covered by fan hub, though.

 

They certainly are, and I'd certainly expect them to totally disappear in the near future. I had the exact same concerns about the hub. In real world usage it's not an issue. Maybe with a hotter running chip it would be, but no worries for now.

 

Do you plan to finish your prints or you leave them as is? Finishing prints is always a nightmare for me.

 

I know a few print pros who keep telling me to 'embrace the grain'. I'm not sure I'm ready to do that for this project. Certainly not at my test print resolution. I'll do further testing to see what I can get for an absolute minimum layer height, and then make a final decision. I've honestly gone through so many revisions at this point, I've thought of almost every scenario. I originally looked at a multi-part CNC'd aluminum interior before I kept adding detail and it got too complex. The 3D printer definitely opened up a more dimensional design. So, all of that just to say that I don't know yet. I've also looked at SLS/MJF for the interior, and a full carbon exterior. In that scenario I'd 3D print molds for the CF. I'd have to use an alternate mesh and break out part of the cage as separate parts. In the spirit of how this mod originally started, that's the most likely route.

 

Instead of surfacing, cover it entirely in felt like some robot plushie. -Yeah, don't...
I'm really interested in what print materials don't bond to CF gel/epoxi/etc. I contemplated making a HDPE mold, but the cost..

 

Uh, yeah, I'll pass on that, lol. Regarding the mold, in my experience, if something will flex enough the resin will usually break free. As long as it's not porous surface I'm not too worried. I'll use a mold release wax just to be sure.

I'll probably print a 2 part mold out of PETG. I'll make an inner shell infilled with MDF supports to prevent flex. The outer will be a clamshell design. The mold will also serve as a template for all the needed holes. This is a step or two in complexity beyond the first design. I'm hoping with enough planning, it will turn out just fine.

 

Design is very iterative for me. I start with an idea, and then go through multiple revisions until it's just right. I've scrapped significant progress just because I wasn't happy with how things were working out. You could point to this thread as a great example. That said, once I get to the finally stages of a design I rarely have regret. I'm fully committed at that point and can confidently proceed. Part of why it's taken my so long to start working on this project again, is because MPD-01 was such a fantastic build for me. It was so functional, and I so loved the aesthetic, that it honesty killed some of my motivation.

I bring the preceding up to explain the following. A few posts back I had shown a fairly simple fan mount. It was perfectly functional, but I couldn't just leave it alone. I thought maybe it would look cool with the OSIDIAS name engraved in the 'top' of the mount. That brought me to this.




Yeah, that's kinda cool, but I decided to take it a bit further. Maybe I could light the logo? Hmm, sized as it was, it's too small to do so effectively. Maybe I should go a little bigger. Well, I couldn't go bigger without changing the design a bit. So, that's what I did. I enlarged the mounting areas on the top and the bottom. Even after doing so, there really wasn't room to add LED lighting to the new logo. I did however come up with an alternative. The logo will be lit by the fan itself. How I plan on doing that will be revealed later. For now, this is the new mount design.

 

How about a little reality? I've got the first 2 final printed parts here. The first is the OSIDIAS logo in Accura 60. I wanted something pretty transparent with virtually invisible layer lines. I'd say it exceeded my expectations. The second part is the actual fan mount itself. It's printed in SLS. The textured finish is a little amplified due to the close picture, but it's an intentional choice by me. There will be likely be FDM printed components as well, and when sprayed with a Rustoleum bedliner, it's almost a perfect match.






I'll be modifying the Cooler Master fan to allow it's RGB lighting to illuminate the logo. I chose the passive lighting method for practical reasons. It didn't seem necessary to add complexity to a fairly simple part. (Uh, now that I've said that, it does seem a bit out of character for me, doesn't it? Haha.)

 

Dat logo!

 

Lovely print. Thanks. I didn't think that clear print was an option. I'm currently doing print models for Bill, so your timing is fantastic.

 

Progress has been slow due to work on my garage/shop addition. That’s fine though, because I’ll have a pretty nice workspace once completed. It’s the one thing I’ve really missed compared to my previous house. Although slow, I have indeed made a few part modifications and committed to what I call ‘layer locks’ on both the GPU and motherboard sides of the case core. I’ve also finalized the case/core back. No further changes are planned, and my subsequent test prints indicate everything fits perfectly. Speaking of my test prints, overall part complexity has almost certainly moved me away from FDM print. SLS or MJF are likely the best route at this point. The parts would require significant post-processing due to small details and tight tolerances, and I’m not sure that’s time well spent.

I’m certain I’ve mentioned it before, but I really do enjoy the design and engineering aspect of case design, especially in the SFF realm. In the below pics, you can see the inside of the GPU side of the core. With one of the hot swap drive bays in place, the GPU riser has just enough room to slip past and route under the motherboard without interference. There will be no wasted space in this build.

 

Just to keep you all in the loop, the following images are the completed core. What you see here is ready for print and I don't plan to modify any further.

 

Are you planning that as one print? I guess yes since you mentioned not using the squirt gun.

 

Jeff is correct! 3 prints. MB side, GPU side, and rear IO. The panels assemble with hidden tabs and screws. Nothing will be visible once completed. The bulk of the wiring will be hidden, and that's a good thing, because there will be a lot of it. Remember the card connector at the front of the core? It will allow separation from the rest of the case, which includes the LCD screen and front IO ports.

 

More parts finalized. The front panel components have achieved 'layer lock'. The front I/O is fitted in place, as well as the LCD control board and card connector. I'm running test prints right now. Assuming everything fits together in the real world, I'm one step closer!

 

That can be tricky. Don't ask how I know.