Case Mod - In Progress Project Arc - Finally! Watercooling installed 29-07-2015

nice work on the cover. It's coming out really clean

 

Very nice... The mind of a genius at work!

 

Really nice build so far.

 

Thanks guys for the kind words!

Just want to gently nudge you guys towards this thread with (yet another) question from me for this build:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=3382116#post3382116

Its about acrylic tubing and connectors

 

As I seem to be missing the input from the 'project logs crawlers' in my other question thread, I'm just going to repost it here (hope you don't mind dear Bit-Tech mods).

I've seen nice examples of using Bitspower(BP) fittings to create acrylic tubing structures. However, as I have no BP experience, nor any of their components, its somewhat hard to find the right components and find out which ones are used in other mods such as the ones from acrylic master Kier. So, here's my question to you guys

For the other thread I whipped up the below image. Now I think I can already conclude that the connector marked with ???? does not exist...so I would need to go with something else. Suggestions for now have been using one of those 'cube' type L connectors or using a mini snake with female threads on both sides.



Any other thoughts and/or suggestions on how to tackle this problem in the best way?

 

something like this is what your looking for.

http://www.aquatuning.co.uk/product...oolance-bushing-G1-4--for-short-threads-.html

http://www.aquatuning.co.uk/product_info.php/info/p726_socket-G1-4-to-G1-4.html

 

Yeah an extender could indeed work, but would lengthen the entire thing.

I actually yesterday found out that the great people at EKWB answered my prayers They just released a set of fittings for acrylic tubes, and guess what, they also have a female version!

http://www.ekwb.com/news/372/19/EK-HD-Tubes-and-Adapters-released/

Now I just have to wait for them to become available in black....*the waiting continues*

Will give you guys an update tomorrow of the PSU Cover I've been working on!

 

Wait? Why wait? Just paint the d@rn thing and slap up some pictures!

Honestly though, I do hope they release the black version soon.

 

You can turn a regular C47 fitting into a female fitting by cutting off the threat and then drilling and tapping a thread. I have seen this done on a couple builds, sorry I don.t remember the exact build logs for this.

 

Why don't you bend the acrylic tube? Will be more aesthetic!

I did it in my actual project and this is the result:

 

I use these square things from bitspower.

 

Thanks both for your suggestions, and trust me, they have crossed my mind However, I would like to stay away from the cubes (maybe with the exception of the draining point) as the cubes seem to 'interupt' the visual flow of the tubing. In that aspect the bent arylic version would be awesome, but for some reason that for me also doesn't quite cut it. I like the somewhat techy look of the connectors in between and the pure, straight acrylic tubes in between...

Anyway, time for the promised update, the PSU cover! Well, its not actually a PSU cover, but more a cover for the wires coming out of the PSU. Again, all aimed at achieving that clean look!

One of the downsides of trying to hide the wires is that the easiest thing is to just create a mid-plate right above the PSU. However, in these small cases, it means that visually, you're blocking off a big section of the case, making the insides feel more cramped. Hence I decided to make a smaller cover, and even make it 'floating' so that it really becomes a smaller element in the case instead of a bulky block.

I'll just let the pictures do the talking

First part was creating the subparts. I decided to make the top and bottom plate of plexi, and the connecting 'wall' out of alu. Now the obvious question will be how to connect it. And the very simple answer is: Glue



Small snapshot of my primitive bending rig:



Mockup of the parts together. As you can see I tried to bring back the curve from the front of the case to both have similar form language, but also make it less 'hard'.



This is how it will look 'floating' in the case. Notice that it now also keeps the lower 'blow hole' open to allow for additional airflow.



And finally, after cleaning it all up, small layer of primer to help the glue stick, this is the current status The glue that I used is the same one I used to glue the magnets for PiQu and the nuts to the back of the case for the backplate. Should be good enought!



Thanks again to everybody for commenting and helping with the acrylic tubing stuff! Its great to have a community that supports each other!

And as always, new comments and ideas are more than welcome!

 

Log 15

And here's the final update of 'manufacturing' before painting! or atleast I think it will be...

Anyway, work on the PSU cover continued by plastering the entire the edge between top and side parts!



Then....after about an hour of sanding I heard a tiny *snap* and saw the following...



I put a little bit too much stress on it (and it was still under a bit of tension apparently) so out with the glue to see if it would be an easy fix....which it luckily was. Resulting in this! (doesnt look so impressive unpainted...I know...)



Next step was thinking how to mount it. As I didnt feel like putting more screws through the back cover, nor screwing it to the PSU itself, I went back to my PiQu solution: Magnets!

So, 2 small pieces of plexi and some magnets later, behold!



This would of course only hold the cover in place, but it still needed some support below. So I had to sacrifice some of my coveted empty space for the following creation.



As you can see its a + shaped bracket, with the sides shaped to somewhat follow the other curves that can be found in the project. I'm still not fully happy with it, but it will work for now!



So, on to mounting!



Snapped right into place:



And a slightly different angle with the bracket less exposed:



As said, next step will be painting all the components to get it into a coherent looking case (hopefully). However, just realized that I will need to make a hole for the Sata cables to go through...ah well...should be done quite easily!

Thanks for watching, and comments (as always) are more than welcome!

 

Nice work on the PSU shroud. I like the supporting bracket too, it's different, but works well with the theme going on

 

Shroud....that was the word I was looking for

But thanks Mosquito! As said, still not 100% satisfied with that bracket as eventhough the curves match, the overall design still doesn't quite match it. But I've tried several different versions, amongst which an alu bent piece (which I later cut up again for testing) but they all didnt quite cut it.

Might change it later if it will keep haunting me

Very small update aswell! Hole for Sata cables cut, decided to do a 'normal' HDD mounting afterall. Initially thought I would do a 90 degree rotation, but that would mean that the HDD would just fit in the 5.25" bay which might cause vibrations etc.

Next to that, gave all plastic components a layer of plastic primer and the alu parts alu primer. Next step will be to do a coat of spray filler/primer and after a short sanding session the final coat of black! Lets see how far I will get tonight!

 

That PSU shroud looks great.

Wish I had more room in my current case to do that.

Might have to break out an old CM Stacker case and start modding it, will put in something like that to keep think tidy.

 

That Should to the trick. Dunno if it´s avaliable in all colors

http://www.caseking.de/shop/catalog...ti-Adapter-IG-1-4-Zoll-matt-black::13821.html

BP seems to call them C03 (for the black version BP-MBWP-C03, White BP-DWWP-C03)

https://www.google.at/search?q=bits...eh4gSU5IGwBg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1412&bih=928

 

Great work - subbed

 

Thanks for the tips saxovtsmike! Those parts could indeed be used to extend the tube and then add another crystal link connector to it.

However, I've found something more interestin EK 2 weeks ago released a new set of connectors which do just what I wanted Both male and female connectors!

http://www.ekwb.com/news/372/19/EK-HD-Tubes-and-Adapters-released/

Now its just waiting till they get the black version in stock!

And Ghostyjack, remember that this is also a relatively small case Sure its not a SFF case, but still space inside is relatively limited!

 

Interior DONE! well...almost

And there you have it folks! The interior of project Arc is done! Well, atleast concerning all fabricated parts etc! Much of the watercooling components will be added later! First I will fill the case with some hardware to get a working system!

On to the pictures!

First my new pride and joy, a Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS USM lens! Quite a nice upgrade from my 18-55 f/3.5–5.6 kit lens!



Anyway, I still had to cut a hole in the case to allow access to the HDD compartment.

Rough dremel cut+ some griding:


Some filing later this was the end result. As this will not be in sight this should be good enough


(Guess who didnt keep an eye on what the camera was focussing on...)

Next to that, I've spend most of the weekend prepping and painting my fabricated parts!

Steps:
- Plastic & Alu primer
- Filler primer
- Matt black paint.

Im really in love with this black from U-pol, it gives an absolute gorgeous finish!

So heres a short overview of the parts, before starting assembly!





Then the moment of truth! Starting assembly!

Empty case:


Fully assembled!



I did discover some design flaws though...

The shroud which covers the hole that for example the 24 pins wires come through should have been slightly more foward as I cannot squeeze the connectors through. Work arround is to just take off the shroud while 'wiring' and then put it back on.

Second thing is that I underestimated the size of the 'wire bundle' at the back of the case. As the right plate (behind the vertical radiator) is behind the mobo tray itself, it means the space behind it is reduced. This means that I really have to squeeze the wires in between the case and that panel....it fits, but just barely...will have to find a better solution for that

Anyway, as said, next step will be putting in the hardware. Finally some watercooling components and rigid tubing should be added to finish the entire thing off.

And last but not least, I still havent ordered the logo for the front of the case. I'm thinking about asking the guys from ModWithMe to help me with that!

Looking forward to hearing your reactions!