Scratch Build – Complete Project ATAACS - A Tiny All Aluminum CNC Server

So in order to fix this, I had to bend the panel to the other side.
I quickly made a makeshift 1200N press for this task




Pretty f..king accurate tool
But with hindsight, rather than following the first impulse to fix this, I should have done this after drilling the holes...




With the main three sides done, I can mill it to the correct length.



After this 1828 holes needed to be drilled...

 

Next came the window panel. Basically the same process with the sides and the edges.
And cutting the window this is actually the last aluminum milling operation - yeah




Actually a shame. The bucket is half full

 

And here we are so far:

 

What do you guys think:

a. crystal clear plexi
b. tinted plexi

If b., which color?

 

This is unbelievable, great work!

 

Can you make the plexi interchangeable? Have a clear panel and a red panel that can be swapped out depending on your mood that year?

And fabulous work - I love it

 

Thanks, mate.

Currently I plan to just fix it with a transparent double sided tape. So changing is no issue.
There is a 15mm wide frame on the inside of the panel around the window, which I milled down to 1.5mm.
The plexi will have a corresponding frame around the actual window.
This will be white after milling, so the tape will not be seen...actually it will not be seen anyway, because this is on the inside

As for changing colors to adjust to mood...there will be an RGB strip under the fan bracket on that side

 

Apply boot: Yes, they are very versatile. They work on people even.
If you can get it, something like a 5mm+ thick edge-effect plexi would be awesome. Think of it sticking out on the side with a rounded edge, with maybe even a beveled groove around the border on the inside.

 

Delight!!!

 

An amazing scratch build in aluminium!
I am deeply impressed, my NCase M1 is looking on and feeling unworthy...
Brilliant work @dan297, thanks for sharing it with us.

You ought to show the guys on SFFN, they'd be impressed

 

Thanks guys. Your feedback is excellent motivation

Don't. The NCase M1 is a very well looking case - with a proper surface finish.
And the guys know too, how to drill plenty of holes

Hmm, I think about this.
Honestly, I find the SFFN a bit too colorful and kinda confusing for my taste...but maybe this is due to my advanced age

 

It is merely the cutest ITX case I ever saw.... freaking awesome
I would opt for a transparent window but that's nothing but an hardware addict opinion
... and to deal the last blow , and this even if I admire the accuracy of the holes lining on the side panel , I would probably go for windowed panels on both sides

 

You probably know what i'll say.

GORGEOUS ! SEXY ALU !

Got my jaws on my feet........

 

Sell it !

 

Thanks, Kim.

Right side will face a wall, and with a closed window panel, I would have a concern with airflow and temps..although, as a CNC server it will effectively run 100% of its time in idle, so showing of that side could be an option

 

Alright. It is up and running

To begin with I had to strip the old PC. This is always a somewhat emotional thing...




This was my very first attempt to watercooling and basically I had no clue what I was doing
I haven't looked for ages into the PC and I was actually really surprised what an amount of absolutely meaningless sensory I put in there

 

CPU, RAM and M.2 SSD saved and installed.
This is my second ITX build and I have to say I really start to like this form factor...

For whatever reason why, I felt at the time the "need" to watercool the RAM, so now the old heat spreaders are gone...
The EK ones are too high for the Alpenföhn, so I go just with the bare PCBs

 

Itx are the best and SLI doesn't exist animore. If you just need 1 pcie, Itx is the best !!!

 

Some work in progress with the cable management.
I gave the PCIe and MB 8-pin a custom length, to have as little cables to tuck away as possible.
The stock 24-pin from the PSU was actually quite alright in length...

 

Cable management: done
But to be fair, there is not much to managed anyway in this build.