Modding Mod of the Year 2013

Only nearly all of the stuff being shown here contains hardly any craftsmanship, just very expensive machinery and lots of hideously expensive water cooling gear.

I noticed bloody ages ago that the mods on this site that are put in the magazine (CPC) or put up for motm etc are all money pits.

I'm not being funny but pretty much any fully grown human being can operate a tape measure and then press a few buttons on a machine. I mean hell, I grew up with Meccano, which was nothing but bolting pieces of metal together that were all pre cut by a machine.

I mean FFS most of these mods have water cooled ram for crying out loud.

 

Be thankful that you guys are nominated because I myself made 3 projects for 2013
Dark Knight PC - http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=3350711#post3350711
Titanium S - http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=261989
Lamborghini Aventador J - http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=210603&page=5

But none of this build were nominated in MOTY. I guess all we can do is support it and be happy.

 

I think that you don't understand CNC very well. Having done a bit of research in model engineering (a rich source of modding techniques and materials), I can assure you that there is a lot more involved than wielding a tape measure and pressing a few buttons on a machine.

First, you have to draw the components. They have to be exact to a tenth of a millimetre, taking into account the properties of the material and the stresses it will be subjected to, the mounting points and how a change in dimensions or shape knocks on to everything else. There's a reason I spend a month drawing something up in SketchUp. Introduce a component or move it a bit, and it impinges on something else, which has to be modified but then the screw holes have to move as well, but then you can't reach the screw when you are putting it together in the first place... it's tricky. You have to image the shape, the weight, the rigidity, the stresses, how you would put it together. Think of the L3p desk: it has to be a self-supporting structure, rigid enough to support a heavy glass top, light enough to be moved as furniture, easy enough to manufacture and put together. The glass top has to be thin enough to reduce its weight but thick enough to withstand the pressure of heavy objects placed on top and support its own weight. It does of course have to be safety laminated. No, acrylic won't do. It flexes too much and is subject to scratching. Put blue or purple LEDs in your design and over the years the acrylic may go cloudy due to UV exposure.

The design also has to take into account complexity and production cost, how many axes the CNC can manage, and preferably be drawn so it can be produced from one single plane without having to remount it on the table. Then the design has to be converted to a CAD drawing, and then G-code has to be calculated from that (how the CNC bit moves over the part).

Of course you have to pick the right material. Not all aluminium alloys lend themselves to CNC-ing, while some others don't like being bent. Brass and copper are "sticky" and may require different cutting bits and rotation speeds on a lathe or CNC to get a clean cut --and of course again some brass alloys work better than others. Acrylic is very different again and can snap, split, melt or fragment unless you know what milling bits to use, and at what speed. Wood has to take into account grain and splintering. You want to avoid titanium altogether. A lot of it comes down to experience.

Other parts are better laser-cut, but again, different materials of different thicknesses behave differently. Aluminium is not cut in the same way as sheet metal or brass or copper --different calibrations and tolerances apply. Water cutting may be a better alternative form some other materials.

In short, it is much, much more than "pressing a few buttons". Or do you think that Frank Hornby invented Meccano in a day? It took him over a year to design the sixteen different prototype parts from copper, changing to a more suitable sheet metal along the way.

 

Okay this is so far from the truth that it genuinely hurts. Not only that, but it's very disrespectful towards the modders whose projects are on show here.

Just because somebody spends a lot on a rig DOES NOT MAKE IT A MONEY SINK. I spent over 4 grand on my rig (not the NUC one obviously), I don't see that on the list? Nor do I see several other egregiously expensive builds that were up on the forums this year. People don't value the expense here, it's just that there's also a correlation between the cost and the appearance quite often,

If you can set aside 1k for a watercooling loop, naturally you'll have more freedom to be able to design something really beautiful. It does not mean that you will, it just means that you can say add more angled fittings for a cleaner look, or go for some prettier components.

As for the whole push a button and out comes a case argument, you couldn't be further from the truth. People have this idea that using a 3D printer or CNC is cheating, and that it takes no skill. Trust me, I've seen people use those pieces of machinery without skill, and the stuff they produce is rubbish. To create a good product through that kind of method, you need to understand so much, just like if you did it by hand. You have to know the materials, what their tolerances are, how they react to stresses etc. You need to know the capability of the machines, how to go about a job efficiently etc. You also need to be able to plan a whole build in advance down to the miniscule details.

The amount of pre-planning required for serious CNC and 3d Printer use is huge. Not to mention you need to learn the 3D package proficiently before then. I've been using 3D software for 8-9 years now, does all that time and experience count for nothing? Have I really wasted all my spare moments trying to learn a software package and 3D in general because apparently it's easy? Maybe I should have spent all that time making dovetail joints in my room instead, by now I'd be a master at them.

Also, people just enjoy watercooling. It's a really fun thing to do, there's so much scope for creativity and for making something unique. If you want to watercool the RAM because it looks nice, why the hell not? Why should somebody be penalised because you think it's pointless? Aesthetic modding for all intents and purposes is useless, people do it because it's fun.

 

I'm of the opinion that if I don't like what someone has done, but it has no direct impact on my ability to continue living, breathing and functioning as normal, then I shut the **** up.

Offence fully intended to the whingers. Let these modders have their five minutes of fame for stuff that they've largely poured their heart and soul in to. Don't even dare to criticise other's work unless you are going to come forth with a MOTY candidate of your own.

It's a ****ing community isn't it?

 

You're all wrong, and all correct at the same time ...(apart from the pushing buttons comment lol)

It's about creativity (simples) doesn't matter which solution you come up with. Get you're ideas out there and do your own thing ....

All builds nominated rightly deserve their slot in MOTY...Congrats guys and I wish you all success

would have been nice to be nominated (dems the breaks) but at least I'm spared the voting process

again Good luck guys ..

 

At first glance i agree it seems a bit unfair.

But when you start thinking about it its a bit different.

A lot of these guys here on the forum have been here for a long time. You can clearly tell that it's more than a hobby for a few of these individuals. Some of them even make a living on it. How many of us can say that they can live off what they love to do? These guys shouldn't be harassed. If I could (dare take the plunge) to start a company from what i love doing and think i would be successful i would. In the end i haven't and probably won't, but to the guys that have done exactly this i respect you and wish you the best of luck. It's never easy and it's not a big market in the end.

Regarding tools and machinery I don't think it's unfair.

The ppl on this forum are in all stages of life, some very young with their first computer and others have been geeks before others were even born.

I'm now in a stage of my life i can finally afford paying for my hobbies. I am 31 years old and have a steady job with average pay.

My passion is building and designing.

I have always wanted a CNC-mill but have never been able to afford one. A few years back i decided I'm gonna build my own machine. Took me half a year to design it and choosing components, 100's of hrs milling every piece by hand. Weeks spent figuring out the electronics on it before i got it working. Still every time I use it, it feels a bit like cheating when i see others using a Dremel and a file. In the end i could use a Dremel and a file too but it would take a lot longer.

When I saw the Intel NUC competition i decided i wanted to compete in it too. Sent in a design and sadly didn't get picked. In the end i decided to buy the parts myself because i love fabricating things. Most bits of it is done on the CNC mill i built but that doesn't make it unfair to others. I spent thousands of euros on the CNC cause i wanted one and more over i wanted to see if i could build one myself. Whoever says its just pushing a button is wrong.

So is it unfair to use a Dremel to cut slots when another one doesn't have one and can only use a hacksaw and a file?

Life is not always fair and the faster you realize that the better off you will be. We are all in different stages here and some might be better off than others. Some might spend more on their hobbies than others. It's your life and you can decide what you want to do with it, if you can't afford the things you want now, then start saving. But the last thing you should do is talk down to people who have worked hard their whole life to be able to do what they love.

Just my 2 cents (sorry for all the rambling)

 

I was expecting to see you in the competition asouter...

 

But really, thanks for the nomination guys.

It is always an honor to be nominated for anything at bit-tech since the creativity and skills used here is on a level obviously incomprehensible for a lot of people.

Now, as to the people who have sand in their mangina´s over who is nominated and who is not. Next year, take the time to tell the bit-tech staff who YOU think should be nominated.

Until then, if you have nothing nice to say, chances are that you are in the wrong community.

 

I'll be back,next year... stronger and better If there is a MOTY next year ? I can't help but wonder with all the bickering, if Bit-Tech will just wash their hands with the whole thing and the sponsors walk away. I hope not, there's not many forums that do this kind of thing and there's obviously a lot of hard work done in the back ground.

 

Is the CNC drama back?
I for one would never have been able to build GwassGween if I didn't have one. Some of the things done in these projects are impossible without the insane tolerances that a CNC is capable of.
I also would like to salute the machinists who have the balls to spend $30 on a single bit that could break if you breathe on it too heavy. Yes, there's a tiny bit of daredevil in hobby cnc operating.

 

Yes, it is a '****ing community' hence people should be allowed to have their say.

I'm not being nasty, just telling it how it is. Maybe there needs to be 'more of me' so to speak?

The bottom line here, on this forum, is that the mods that have been created by machinery and have £$£$£$£ of water cooling (or access to a 3D printer, what do they cost again? oh yeah !) are the ones that are nominated for awards.

Do you know what that does? it turns it into a ****ing sport for the rich to show off how much money they have and or how much expensive machinery they have access to.

If you can't see that? to be frank I don't care. That's how I see it, I'm a member of this community and thus am allowed to have a voice. Silence me? you'll **** this place beyond recognition (if it hasn't been already)

Don't worry I'm totally with you. Your bike mod was a stroke of genius, and, mostly paid for by you. Why it isn't up for mod of the year?

Dammit sorry bro, you didn't spend enough money

I just wanted to thank you for making me feel more alive when I decide to make a custom cable, or put some vinyl over something to make it look better.

Realistic mods and builds don't exist here. It's just turned into a snobbish sport for the rich.

 

My issue isn't with people that have thousands of pounds/dollars worth of tools.

It's that those who don't are completely and totally shoved to one side and ignored.

How many users here post personal rig blogs? oh yeah, they don't.

 

Apart from the half dozen examples in this year's competition...

I see what you're all saying about money and access to equipment giving some an advantage but it's not an easy thing to correct for. The only way I can see to work it would be to have some sort of league/class system where we have, say, Elite, non-sponsored, non-CNC/laser cut, non-water cooled, etc. But exactly how you cut it would be up for continuous debate, and ultimately there would still be an overall winner, just as there's a product of the year, a film of the year or what have you.

 

I disagree. How many of the nominated projects have involved a CNC.or 3D printer (you can buy the latter for about $200,-- nowadays, BTW)? Seriously: count them. How many on a huge budget?

I don't have access to a workshop, let alone a CNC. I have some bits done through other forum members who do (Enak and Skyrip), and who have done bits for me at a very, very low price (compared to commercial companies). Other things can be accessed cheaply if you know where to look. A small garage will have a paint man who will spray your case cheaply (pick a colour that he is working with anyway, and he'll use the spare paint to do it at the end of a job, which will cost you practically nothing). You can get PCBs printed professionally by web order for a fiver --the software to design them is freely downloadable on the internet. Forum members will swap or offer spare parts. It doesn't have to cost lots of money. We have forum members here who have skills, access to industrial tools and are often happy to help. It's the community thing.

Modding is also about social engineering. There's a lot you can access if you know where to look.

 

Good job pissing over what should have been a positive thread folks. Well done.

--

All the builds look amazing as always. Keep up the delicious modding peoples!

 

Have you looked in the CustomPC mag lately? It's always uber expensive rigs. It seems like people are only credited with things that cost a ton of money to produce.

The magazine encourages you to come to this forum. That's how I found my way here. Imagine my surprise when I go to the project logs section and find out they're all completely unrealistic to any one without a big bag of money sitting under their bed.

Where are the every day builds with small mods? where are the small mods? I would imagine many don't post their project logs here because they feel completely inferior. The entire Project Logs area of the forum seems to have this elite sort of snobbery about it. If you don't have a machine to make parts, or make the case entirely yourself from scratch, you don't deserve a look in.

To be honest I find those sorts of builds incredibly boring. "Oh look, I just got my custom res back that's been milled from a solid piece of plastic costing an arm and a leg and hey, it looks just like the picture I drew in 3d".

I have more fun looking through Linus' forum at the build log section and people building real computers. By real I mean accessible to most of us, instead of those with loads of money.

I get my ideas from people like me, who don't have a ton of money to throw around.

So you've had parts of your build done by others. And you're happy with that? Why on earth would I want some one else to paint my case?

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=211969&highlight=nfenix

Is a mod build I did. I made/painted/etc every last single part of it myself. Was it perfect? haha it couldn't have been further away but hey, at least I did it all. Some bits of it left quite a bit to be desired but at the end of the day that's what you'll get from some one limited by budget. I would rather see one of that kind of build than 50 of these machine made inch perfect machines.

It's kind of like Top Gear, and why I think it's so poo now that I don't watch it. Years ago they used to test a variety of cars, cheap and expensive. Now? lol it's nothing but them driving million dollar cars and rubbing it in their watcher's faces.

When you make your audience feel like they're not a part of your show, and alienate them by rubbing things in their face that they will never even sit next to, let alone in?

It gets really boring.

 

Congratulations to all of the nominees, and best of luck to you all in the voting!

It's also a shame to see sniping and moaning from those trying to put a downer on things. This community seems to be getting more and more negative recently, which is a massive pity as it's normally a source of positivity and inspiration. Let's turn it round for 2014

 

@ Andy

You should vote for me!

But as one of the modders without any of the fancy equipment or a big list of sponsors I have to disagree with you. Sure it's hard to get the same level of detail as some of the mods that have access to cnc's and lasers, or to the same level of attention mods with big sponsoring get (People love to watch fancy hardware) but it's not impossible. People still love original idea's and builds and it really doesn't matter how they're made, it's the creativity that counts (or at least thats what should count)
Both of my finished builds are completely handmade, and both have got alot of attention here on bt forum and elsewere.

 

I must say that is not the impression that I get. I see tidy, small hand built and low budget projects like Slipperyskip's Flightline, Phame's Golden Wet Pi, Maki Role's Vesper, Junior, the Microprocessor, Cosmos II The Privilege. I also see projects like Zoe, which is fully handmade, with some recycled hardware and for me the best mod I've seen all year.

I also see mods in the Modding forum. This is simply a category issue: if it is not a whole build, it is not a project log and ends up in this forum. But I've had some of my best ideas from there.

Who painted your custom cars? I'm sure you did --because you had the tools and skills. Probably access to a garage. Does that mean that someone who does not should just take out a brush and make do? Are they allowed a high standard finish, even if they do not have the skill and tools to do it themselves? You argue it's unfair if people can just throw money at a project, but isn't it equally unfair if people can throw workshops with tools at it? You probably bought off-the-shelf engine and body modding parts; can't imagine you cast you own alloy wheels or welded your own big-bore stainless exhaust manifold. Isn't that cheating a bit?

I'd have been happier if I had a CNC rig and the skills to use it, but you know: budgetary constraints. How nice then that helpful forum members allowed me access to that technology. But I also made a dual-CPU water cooled rig in the days when water cooling was just moving beyond ghetto status. I made parts myself. I used car parts and drink dispenser components, and good old plumbing bits. Been there, done it. Still doing it, in fact --experimenting with an Arduino and nixie tubes rather than buying an off-the-shelf solution.

You argue that money discounts the achievements of those who haven't got any. I could argue that you dismiss people's imagination and creativity if they needed commercial resources to realise it. OK: Build your own motherboard and GPU, your own water blocks, your own pump, your own PSU. Then come back to me. Or do we all rely on some off the shelf parts? Where do we draw the line as to what is acceptable?



EDIT: saw your project (very nice!), noted the sponsor. You were saying?