Planning Steamer Trunk PC Planning thoughts and ideas

Hello All, i've been a lurker here for a few weeks now, finally registered and am ready to jump in to the fray.

I've been wanting to build a scratch pc for a while now, but lacked the solid idea to start from. I had a bit of a revelation looking at Jeffrey Stephensons work, I wanted my pc to be an invisible piece of furniture in my living space.

I'll preface all of this by saying that I am currently living in Australia, but am an American and will be heading back to the states in about 6 months, so there won't be any physical progress on this build during that time, only planning, hope no one gives up on offering advice because of that fact.

Looking around the net, I found several images of old Steamer Trunks, the kind of thing that used to be real quality luggage but now is mainly used to store linens and things. These trunks are just incredible pieces that would be a great statement to a living area. The main difficulty I have with them is that nice ones are fairly expensive (about US $200 on ebay for cheap ones) and I'm loathe to deface an antique. So, I've been considering building myself one from scratch.

One caveat...I'm not a professional woodworker, I have used alot of tools and am fairly handy, but I've never attempted anything of this scope and am a bit frightened that I am just going to be completely over my head. Not that that will stop me, i've been over my head many times, you just have to learn to swim But i'm expecting alot of mistakes along the way, which is why i'm here.

I've done a very very very quick sketch of the basic idea for the case, and over the next few days/weeks/months will add to the sketches and start learning and using sketch-up to make an exact model.

Here's the sketch:

And here is a quick ref pic i pulled from ebay to show what i'm talking about:


I'm planning on making this a decently powered full atx system, I'm not worried about specs at the moment since it's probably almost a year away from being a reality and prices of things will drop in that time. I don't do a ton of gaming anymore, but I do work in 3D professionally, so I need rendering power and a good amount of system power for on-screen draw in Maya/Zbrush.

Currently, I would like to make this a wood system with leather and metal accents, nothing as fancy as the reference image, that was created by an artisan and I don't claim to have those kind of skills, just something that looks deceptively nice and is sturdy.

My issues are that I don't know how difficult this will actually be to accomplish, I don't have an engineering degree, just an artistic one, so I can make the case look good (at least on the computer) but I don't know the best way to design it for airflow, noise, etc. without compromising too much on the non-computer aesthetic I want to create.

Consider this open for discussion and ideas, I have been continually impressed with this community since starting to read and look forward to everyone's input. Thanks!

Cheers,
Justin

 

Welcome to BT!
I applaud your idea of a self build, despite the lack of an engineering degree. If you're pretty handy, patient and and have access to a decent workspace, I have no doubt you could pull it off. All else fails, call it version 1 of the steamer and do the nice trunk later on down the road with the improved skills you got from v1!

I think you'll have plenty of room, but you'll have to think about maximizing airflow. May I suggest mounting everything so the I/O and power ports etc are facing the floor? Ninja-Raise (stealth) the bottom up an inch or two (you'll have the room) and you can also add ventilation (at least 2 fans in the bottom going out, with a gap or slots with filtering at the top for intake... i know, heat rises... but I cant think of an unobtrusive venting system at the moment.

 

don't let the lack of an engineering degree or pro woodworking skills deter you. most of the people on this forum are just talented amateurs, and look at the quality of work they turn out. a couple of hints from my meager experience:

-good planning goes a long way. learn to love the sketchup, and especially jezmck's sketchup components collection. http://scc.jezmckean.com/

-don't be afraid to make mock-ups. mdf is cheap and doesn't feel pain, cardboard is even cheaper. find some old components at a recycle depot or something to test fit with.

-motherboard trays are a pain in the ass to fab. rip one out of an old case, and build your case around it. or if you're feeling rich you can by one from lian-li

airflow suggestions: intake on the bottom panel near the front as modminded says, and exhaust near the top on the back panel

 

Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement guys. I'm not afraid of sketch-up or planning, like i mentioned, i've got months to plan every detail and i'm a professional modeler for cg films, but i usually don't have to worry about measurements, just kind of eyeball everything So this will be a change in my usual workflow. I'm working on a quick un-measured mock-up in maya right now so once i've gotten that to a decent level i'll export some renders so you've got a better idea than my 2 minute wacom sketch.

I was thinking about venting in from the bottom of the case and out through the back, that's why i've got it raised a bit (not sure if that's clear) but I wasn't certain how to mount the mobo to accomodate that.

ModMinded- so I'm inferring that you mean to align the mobo vertically so the ports and such are under the case? I hadn't thought of that but it sounds kind of cool and a good way to keep the back fairly clean, i'm not overly concerned, but it would be handy to manage cables and such.

supertoad - noted on the trays, i'll see what i can figure out, my current full-size case is a P180 that I plan on keeping and maybe using as a server case. And my girlfriend wouldn't let me touch her case, she loves that thing so it's either i fab one or the lian-li i suppose.

I was trying to figure out if i should mount everything directly to the case, or build a support frame inside of something, maybe aluminum or something along those lines and mount to that, any thoughts?

Thanks! I'll get those 3d stills up by tomorrow, they'll be rough to start but i'll fill it in as i go along.

 

You might consider getting a junk case for cheap and ripping the mobo tray out (usually just requires drilling out the rivets (1/8in) for most of them, though some cases may be trickier.) Much cheaper and easier, plus you might be able to use some of the other parts for spares (power button/LED harness, drive cages, etc.)
Yep, you understand my positioning idea. A couple spacers might be needed to raise it from the back of the trunk for screwing in. It has the added benefit of allowing good ventilation/airflow over the gfx cards if you're bringing the air up from the bottom and out the top or back. You might want to make some sort of venting shroud (similar to an imac interior) that pulls hot air out the back.

 

Steamer trunks are awesome. I really like the ones that are designed to be used with the hinge at the back sitting on it's side. Like these. Would be cool to have a whole work station in there and when you weren't using it you could close it up and it would just be decoration. I've been wanting to build something like this for a while and just never got around to it.

 

Barry - They are amazing pieces, I'm looking to build something that is just the cpu right now, and making every peripheral i can wireless. But, I do like the idea of a self contained system, has alot of cool potential. My goal with this is mainly to make a computer that is truly a piece of furniture in my space, not just a box under the desk.

ModMinded - a junk case seems like a good idea, any thoughts on what i should aim for for about 25 US dollars? If i need to spend more i suppose I could, for quality's sake, but i'm pretty confident i can get something for that price. The power button is going to probably be custom as I want to incorporate it into the lock gear, I have some good ideas on that for later. But there is definitely plenty I could steal

I'm ongoing with the 3d model, unforunately actual work occupies most of my time, but I'll get something uploaded this weekend for sure, I want to keep everything up to date as I go along.

Thanks!

 

if you're buying a donor case, just get whatever is the cheapest. below about $100, they're all steel with fixed trays, so whatever you get will have just about the exact same usable parts for you. don't be so quick to buy one though, it's pretty easy to find an old case kicking around somewhere. friend's basements, stuff your work is throwing away, the local recycle center, freecycle, etc are all good sources for old computer trash.

i feel your pain.

 

Update:
Here is the first render of the case in 3d, it's still very rough and lacks alot of the detail that will distinguish the final design.



I'm not happy with the legs yet, they look a little too stylized for the case and I haven't decided on leather or wood straps on the horizontal, I do want wood on top. The keyhole will be the power indicator light, with a warm white/yellow led indicating power, this will be wired up and around the inside of the top so that the case can stlll open and be functioning with the light.

The power button will be better masked into the 'lock' but that is the general idea on location

I want to hide a slot load dvd on the front, but it didn't look right with the straps that close, so i might just have to swallow that and have a visible line for the dvd.

All the dimensions are still up in the air, this is just a visual mock-up, it takes no true dimension into account, that will come later.

One more element that I do want is the bronze edges that are pretty distinct to the style of the case, these prevented the wood from breaking if it was knocked around, I dont' know where i'd get these pre-made, so that will be a fun hunt, but once found, i want to age the metal so everything looks fairly worn.

Thanks!
-Justin

 

looks nice. i'm very interested to see how your power button turns out, that sounds rather cool. for the CD drive, could you somehow work a brass nameplate into the front of the case that would stealth the drive?

 

I love that idea, great call!

I've found some trunk parts suppliers online, so I'll start being able to better plan out the actual pieces involved fairly soon, I actually found some locks that look exactly like what I want, just require some modification to make them not really locks

 

Anyone have any thoughts on how high the trunk will have to be elevated off the floor (assume hardwood flooring) to allow for ventilation underneath? I'm looking to minimize the feet If I can and I found some nice looking bumpers that raise it about a 1/4 inch, but, I don't think that will be enough for airflow.

 

Like supertoad said, I wouldn't jump to buy a case. It should be easy enough to find one for free or under $10. I see about 1 or 2 pcs a month on the street getting trashed, and there are other options than relying on blind luck and eagle eyed dumpster diving. Thrift shops, electronic recycling drop offs, and definitely craigslist and freecycle.

If you're gonna have the plugs coming out the bottom as well, you'll need more than a 1/4in (monitor plugs are about an inch, without figuring on bending the thick wire.) If it's just for airflow, 1/4 might work on clean hardwood flooring, but it would probably be better to have a bit more space.

Lock and lighting idea sounds good!

 

Steampunk. Has to be steampunk. Google the term for inspiration. Also consider "warm" white LEDs (which emit light resembling that of incandescent lights). You can buy them at Dotlight or (as a cheap alternative) look at LED christmas lighting at Ikea.

 

I definitely want the warm light leds. I've thought about steam-punking the case a bit, but not quite sure what to do to achieve that end. I think in and of itself it's fairly steampunk. I love the idea of masking the DVD with a brass plaque, I'm going to find a company that makes decorative ones and get it inscribed with something (have some ideas, but i want to hold off on revealing that yet).

As for making it more steampunk, i don't know, not really sure how i could add tubes or things to it, it's going to have a fair amount of antiqued-brass, wood, and ironish type metal, so it's fairly setup anyway. I Am thinking about doing a fake inside, having the system masked so that if you open the trunk it doesn't look like a computer is inside until you take out a tray, but what the contents of that will be I still don't know as I don't want to have anything too susceptible to heat inside it.

At the moment i'm trying to figure out the exact woodworking necessary to build the trunk itself before modding it comes into play, I want it to be sturdy and accurate, not just a plywood fake.

Thanks!

-J

 

It is surprisingly hard to find a place that sells custom brass plaques in a single set online that aren't just a template on a square back. I have no access to an engraver of any kind, anyone know any good alternatives to get a nice, victorian looking brass plaque for the front of the case? If not a purely custom one, then a true antique would work if it had the right wording on it and was a good size. Thanks in advance everyone.

 

For bottom mounted fans, an inch of space is good. Less than that leads to the vacuum cleaner noise. I've seen similar new trunks in Hobby Lobby. I don't know if there would be anything that would exactly suit your needs.
Have you found Rockler yet? They have some hardware like you want.
Your model style is more in line with '30s -'50s design. You want a more Victorian style for steampunk. Lots of filigree work and metal.


Since you are familiar with 3d, you should join our little contest.

 

Cheapskate - you're right, the style i'm currently doing is too rounded and a little too modern, i'm in the process of tweaking the design to reflect that. I'm getting rid of the large bevel on top and adding alot more detail to the whole design in general. I've found a shop called brettunvillage.com that sells tons of pieces for restoration of trunks. I saw the rockler plans, they're not exactly what I want, but they might be the best I can get, I can always as modminded said, it can always just be version 1.0

 

I'm in the process of absorbing all the sketchup knowledge I can since I don't have to worry about toplogy too much with that program. Is it possible to use my design here for my entry? I'm not sure i've got the time to come up with 2 individual ideas right now and execute them. If so, then I will definitely enter my case as I get better with sketchup and can figure out how to do more than just cut through a box

speaking of which - i've seen people have exploded views of their work, I believe this was done in sketchup, is there a quick way to do this? or just move the pieces out from connection? not a huge deal, but a cool thing i'd like to do when i actually take this to production stages. Thanks!

 

I think you can use Maya if you want. They just want you to bland out the renders. -Which I assume means no reflections, refraction in transparent materials, procedural textures, etc... It evens out the playing field.

By exploded do you mean parts separate from the whole? It's likely they only have certain parts hidden.