Heya all people 'round the globe I want to design (Sketchup) and create a case for HTPC, it should be in my living room wich alot of people sit there usually, so it should look very nice, and be quiet. anyone have some sketches or stuff ? or ideas ? another question is, how can i make the "cages" wich the CD Drive and the hdd sits in ? thanks! i forgot to mention that i got no DREMEL or those stuff, i can go to places that will do me those stuff for money, but i don't have those shitz around here.
do what i did for my htpc case, buy a really cheap old beige case, or get one from the office/school. then all you need to do is break out the , and get to work taking the parts you need off the case. EDIT: just checked that you dont have any of the tools . How can you build a case without tools?
Make the case out of plexi. All you will need is a heat gun and a bunch of plexi glass. Here is good place to get info on plexi (look at the form mold question that will answer how to make drive cage). PLexi help
Thanks men, but anyone might have a draw or sketch of his HTPC? and i think ill get an old case and use it, another question i got, BONDO, can i use it on plastic aswell ? and how do i make it exact ? i want to use it for my CDROM slot that i cut (yes someone got me a dremel) some time ago..
yes, you can use bondo on plastic. I recommend scuffing the surface with sandpaper before applying so it has something to bond to. For cutting the slot, lay down some tape, draw your cut lines and stay inside the shape. then use some files. Files are your best friend for precision, they are cheap and allow you to make things exactly how you want them. You can pick up sets of standard size files and needle files for very little money. You could get decent sets of each for under $20. They require addtional "elbow grease" work but there is no substitute for the results.
What about wood? it is much easier than metal. Applying Bondo is like chocolate spread in texture but stickier, and has a very strong chemical odor. I used it here to close the vents on the side panel (steel) and to rebuild the front panel (plastic). I think that you need to decide on the hardware that you will use before asking for sketches - what size mobo, etc.
if you havent boughten the case yet... get this http://www.dumpinggoods.com/dumpinggoods/itemdesc.asp?CartId=1477572-ACCWARE-3LHXQU56&ic=CS%2DDPG%2D0013&cc=&tpc= free but you have to pay for shipping (6-15 bucks around there) im thinking about maybe getting one but i have no use for it
Personally i don't think a plexi case would fit right in the living room as a htpc (unless it was really well made like the vespo deco or whatever it was called) Xenophobiak is in the middle of building his own custom case here and i know if i were up for building a htpc id probably rob a few of his ideas. Also, a dremel isnt as important as some people suggest. A cheap drill and jigsaw shouldnt set you back too much (you probably already have them tbh) and are better at most jobs than the dremel (though a dremel can be very useful for small touchups and fiddly jobs im sure) Good luck with it anyway, and make sure you take some pics for us
Personaly i have a antec minuet low profile mircot atx case for my htpc and its perfect (will be posting pics into project section soon) if you want full atx then its not the option to go but its a nice little case
Wait...so you want to BUILD your own HTPC case, to look good, and to fit in. But you don't have any tools. Dude, just buy a case. Newegg is your friend. I don't think anyone here can help you out if you don't have tools. As for sketchup, for a custom case you're going to want to do your own Sketchup. A big rule of thumb here is don't ask others to do your work for you. Download sketchup here. A decent microatx or even ATX case will only run you $50 or so.
i didn't ask anyone to make my job, i asked for sketches for ideas stealing i will design my own, when i'll be sure @ everything !
