Scratch Build – In Progress Metaversa 02: Ada

Hi, first post (I've been lurking for years) but this build has encouraged me to join just because of how sexy it is. Great build! I'm loving the case design and the results so far are beautiful!

I can't wait for the next update!

 

Welcome to the forums! I'm glad you like it.

Ada has been limited by cost and the need to replace my current rig fairly soon, but as I am getting more skilled in metal working (and gather more tools), and have better access to affordable CNC, I can afford the next project to be a bit more ambitious.

I am already redesigning "Camille" for my next project. I am thinking of even more steampunk, including indicators consisting of mechanical brass dials and mercury-filled glass tubes (which is surprisingly easy once you work out how). So many mods, so little time...

 

More steampunk? This gives me the tinglies!

 

Is this a gentle way of saying that you are abandoning Ada or are going to step the build back a bit?

On the other hand, mechanical dials and tubes of mercury tubes!! Sounds ****ing amazing!!

Best of luck either way!

 

Nope, Ada is going full steam ahead, no worries.

What I'm saying is that Ada's original design was limited by considerations of cost and time. But since then I've acquired a lathe and am getting a mill, which is allowing me to custom-make a lot of parts myself, cheaply. CNC is also cheaper nowadays. If anything, Ada is going to be more intricate than the original plans show as I am adding features that before would have seemed expensive or difficult.

As I've been learning model engineering skills and more about CNC (partly through Skyrip's explanations) I am learning to make designs that look intricate but are fairly easy to realise. It's fun.

 

Some small progression:



It's so much easier when you can just make your own washers and screw caps rather than have to try and source them.





And just for the pimpz, the LEDs hooked up:





(The wires will be invisible once it's all finished!)





Close-up:



And an impression of their operation; power lever:



...and reset lever:



More to do, more to do...

 

I need a CNC machine... Nothing tells me that better than a good old Nexxo build.

 

Woof! -And now Camille is back on the table!

 

Good to know boss. This is my favourite build that I have seen in years! Been following diligently since the beginning!

 

Looking at you move around those levers really shows the size of this thing. It kind of gets put out of context when you see the build by itself, but with your finger in the picture it truly shows how tiny it really is Tiny stuff is awesome though and it usually takes a lot more skill to pull off. To bad I am going in an entirely different direction...

I'm getting a 360mm rad and a couple of other rads as well to go with it, and to think that just a couple of months ago I was thinking of going full ITX... Just shows how fast one can change ones opinion I guess Eitehr way I love ITX builds, they really shine and especially when you cram in so much stuff like you do in your build

 

Oh yeah.

I'm glad you like it. Please let me know if you want me to go into more detail about the metalwork processes etc. I'm kind of rediscovering all those Victorian clock making and engineering skills.

Fun facts:

- In Victorian times, engineers used cream as a cutting lubricant with brass. It happened to have just the right fat to water ratio and was cheap and easy to get;

- Aluminium was seen as something exotic and new --jewelry was made with it;

- Like today, brass used to be laquered. Unlike today however often a dye was added to enhance its lustre --which is why antique scientific instruments with pristine laquer are highly valued. Removing the laquer, however damaged, to replace it with new is considered sacrilege; you just can't get the dyes anymore. Each dye would be a special recipe by the maker and they often had names such as "Dragon's Blood";

- Victorian workshops had notoriously bad lighting. As such people made the most of daylight and gas light by using big round bottles filled with water (with a little dye added for light diffusion) as focusing lenses...



..and they used illuminators: big glass lenses on cast-iron stands. These are incredibly rare now. I collect them, but I managed to find only three over the last decade.

 

I tried to keep it fairly compact --which is easy to do these days. Below may help to give you an impression of its size, pictured with its Asus VI Impact ITX motherboard.

 

Oh my, that is impressive, missed a fair bit not having popped in, in a while, so apologies.

Got to ask, why the decision to choose "levers" instead of something else? If I've missed it in the last 12 pages, well 7 or so as I'd read upto 5 IIRC, sorry.

Definitely unique!

 

Got to say Nexxo that is some seriously good engineering.

Can't wait for the next one.

 

Thanks. I'm learning as I go along.

Because buttons are boring. Steampunk is levers!

And it's totally nothing to do with the fact that vandal switches have a 30mm mounting depth and I forgot to allow space for that in the original design of the case.

 

It's about the same size as a small mATX case then, just got so much more class

 

Mother of nerdgasm

 

This is proper modding, amazing craftsmanship. It just looks brilliant. It's got the lot. top modding dude