Modding ATTN: Custom Case Builders: Advice Requested

its been a while since ol ShagBeard has stepped out of his dark closet to visit bit-tech, but he needs a bit of help from the pros...

this project, when it goes live wont really be a mod, but a complete build up. thats why im coming to the experts. so here goes:

i want to build a MATX case, but im not sure what i want to build it out of. im leaning toward plexi, but other options include metal or even fiberglass. help me decide.

heres my idea. im gonna build a case, a MATX case. one that is small as it can be. and quiet. it should be just big enough to hold the MB, an HDD and one optical drive (maybe laptop sized). the case needs to appear real slick from the outside. smooth and glossy. slightly rounded edges. there will be two butons on it (maybe just one): a power button with ring illumination and a smaller reset button, which i might just leave off.

im thinking about having the fanless type of cooling that apple put in their cube a few years back. or, i may have a couple small fans just slowly blowing through. the PSU, if i can make it happen will be external, similar to the apple cube. this will help reduce the internal heat and size of the pc. (duh)

it will be white, and have some "decals" on the sides. really a logo and a "picture". the dvd will load from a single slot cut into the front of the case. no floppy, no extra nothing. usb on back. hopefully a bluetooth logitec keyboard and mouse combo with the dongle built inside the computer. it is going to be a basic internet using, chat whoring, term paper writing pc, that may play an occasional dvd and maybe burn an occasional CD.

the effect i am going for leans me toward the plexi because if i paint the inside after applying decals, the outside remains silky smooth. (or i could frost the inside of the plexi and mabye make it slightly glow a real light blue.) the problem is i have never worked with plexi on this level, and dont know how it would turn out. i thought about using a mock up and vacuume forming it, but i totaly no nothing more than what i just said.

if i could get a nice finish and gelcoat applied, i would feel more comfortable with the grinding and sanding on the fiberglass as i could always repair it.

metal is easy to work with, but not sure it would give me the "deep" look im looking for.

the ultimate goal is to have a sexy, glossy white object on your desk with a tiny slot and a button. i would like the case to be able to be unscrewed from the bottom and the front, top, left and right sides lift off of the bottom an back. (did that make sense?) so the majority of the case i want in one piece. probably a bit wider at the bottom than the top.

im looking for pros and cons of each. which do you think will help me reach my ultimate goal the best? what are the trade offs for easiest to work with vs quality of the finsihed project?

any advice provided will be GREATLY appreciated. thank you much in advance for any help you can give me.

-ShagBeard

 

c'mon guys. any help?

 

use plexi, paint it white on one side, (put the painted side on the inside) and for the edges, buy some fine sandpaper, ad begin sanding, when the surface begins to get shiny, use veeeeeery fine grained sandpaper (wet sandpaper) and finish the edges nicely... (thats what i'm gonna do in my case)

BTW: Do you like having small, sexy, white objects with a tiny slot sitting on youre desk? (maby over the line there...)

 

wow, that totally didnt seem dirty to me until i read your post. sorry bout that. its not for my desk, but for my girlfriends.

how about bending plexi? how does that all work?

 

well, someone made a guide for that here on the forums, so

BTW, just to be nice, or maby it's becouse I have absolutely nothing to do.. im making a simple scetch in 3D for you....

 

4 pic's:
1
2
3
4

see the lines on the last one there.. forgett them... something that happens when there is no clearance between the component, and the surface..

and maby the dimmentions shoud be a little bigger..

ED: 'ed them

 

actually weve gotten off subject...in the original post, i was looking for pros and cons of each: plexi, fiberglass and metal. im hoping people will be able to sway me (or guide me) into which would be the best to use for my project.

thanks for the sketchups....but i already have a case idea in mind. i just dont have any hosting just yet. ill see if i can host my drawing on my friends hosting a bit. not to be mean or anything, but my design is a lot sleeker. as that is what i am going for. less cube-ish, and if i do say so myself, a bit swank. uh huh huh.

again im not looking for a tutorial or i would have . im looking on peoples opinions on which material would make the best hand made sff case.

so again i appeal to you masta-moddahs. give me your opinions on what to work with.

ill try to get a pic hosted so that i can let you guys see it.

EDIT: got the pic hosted. sorry about the hand sketching and the crappy hand writing. did that in about 5 min while half asleep.



note that the mainboard is inverted and rotated aroud so the ports are at the bottom of the case.

 

looks nice.. but use plexi easyer to get a good surface then, and good luck.

BTW; where is the PSU?

 

i think fiberglass would be the best for something that shape
for a psu you can probably find an external brick psu

 

its gonna be external. like a laptop power brick.

i was talking to her dad last night and he said something about resin plexi. its a liquid that you pour and then it hardens. you guys know anything about this? it sounds interesting to me. it may be another option.

i was thinking the same thing, but after talking to a friend of mine working in an MAE lab here, he says their cnc will be able to do it with plexi. so im gonna scrap together some ideas and let him look at em see what can be done.

 

I think that plexi would be the least desirable material to use.
Although it may look fabulous initially, plexi is a bear to keep looking good.
I would go with sheetmetal and have it powdercoated...the steel is easy to fabricate and the finish is bulletproof ( especially handy if you are prone to shooting at your PC...)
Also, there are none of the grounding issues you may run into with plexi or fiberglass.

 

still think fiberglass would be easiest to make into that shape and there shoulnt be any grounding issues with plexi or fiberglass

 

this was one of my original ideas. im confident in my welding. the thing that puts me off is the potential price of powder coating. infact, i have actually been afraid to even venture to call about a price. ive been known to let the negatives of my original ideas put me off projects completely. go figure.

this makes me wonder, could a glossy smooth finish be accomplished using fiberglass without a mold?

i like the fiberglass or the plexi options as they would be the lightest. i like the metal as it seems to be the easiest. AARRRRGGHH!!! WHAT DO I DOOOOOOoooooo??!?!?!?!?!

do other custom builders go through this anguish?

EDIT: ill have a sketchup posted soon. the demisions i choose leave me just short when using a matx board component i found here.

 

I'm all for the plexi. It's the easiest to work with, and looks the best (imho). You can also do neat tricks like embed the blue leds in the bottom to cause it to glow ever so slightly outside of the white.

Resin plexi is a pain in the @$$ unless you have a great mold. You'd be better off with a trusty heat-gun and some sheets.

Hope it helps!

 

yeah, maybe a tad it does. um, so when you heat the plexi and bend it, does it cause it to hairline crack or crimp or anything?

 

I'm not sure you could create that shape from plexi --unless you split the case in two halves (vertically). Then you could make a balsawood mold of one half of the case, and vacform plexi sheets over it twice --one for each side(alternatively pop it in the oven under a low heat and watch the plexi go limp and drape itself over the form. Vacforming works way better, though). Cut away the surplus and presto.

Paint the inside of the plexi, not the outside, unless you can do a real good gloss paint job and want to hide the vertical seam with bondo or something. If you do want to get rid of the seam, consider how you'd get inside the case. Either you flip open the side (=seam) or you lift the whole case upwards off its base.

Give it a sturdy base --like at least 3 or 4mm aluminium, as all your components will be bolted to that base. With such a high and narrow case, put heaviest components, like the PSU, in the bottom to give it a good center of gravity (trust me, this is important). Else give it solid, heavy turned metal feet. Integrate the wifi antenna inside the case while you're at it, for a cleaner look.

 

so is vaccume forming something one has to have done? im pretty sure i dont have a vaccume form table in my garage. it seems to me like that would be the best way to do a plexi case.

i would like it to be "seamless" if possible. cant be that way if there are two pieces, but the plan is to lift up the case, at least the front top and sides off the base and back. the front will be screwed on using torx screws, as will the back facia.

i am actually trying to get away from putting the psu in the case. im afraid that it will cause too much heat. after doing some reconsideration, the cpu will have to be low, and so will the hdd. im hoping that will be enough to keep it down. im going for more dainty feet that arent noticeable. i want it to look like it will be setting on the plexi points itself.

heres what im thinking. cut the shape flat, then heat and bend over a "mold". heat and fit. heat and fit. i have NO idea if this will even work though. ive never bent plexi that harshly.

 

Vac-forming needs to be done in a workshop. The equipment involved is not that high-tech, but it hardly is something you'd pick up at your local hardware store along with some new tiles for the bathroom.

I'd suggest not to have the unit rest on the outer casing, but to hide the actual feet behind the four points reaching down to the desk.

The "heat and fit" approach to DIY plexi moulding will, I think, not work. It's going to be hellish to get a nice smooth curvature to the plexi and to make the two halves even and symmetrical in every way. It really is best to take your ideas to a vac-form workshop and ask the people there for advice.

 

I think that probably making the shape roughly out of plexi, then adding a layer of fiberglass over it would be the best. This way you have the strength and weight of the plexi, plus the smooth formability of the fiberglass. However, painting will be harder to make it glossy with fiberglass than with the plexi. Good luck on the project. Cant wait to see it finished someday!

Nick

 

ROOFLE!

yeah, thats what im thinking, but i want it to LOOK like it is resting on the plexi points.

thanks for the advice about the vaccume forming stuff man.

the drawing i posted it s a bit misleading. i decided NOT to have that hump in the top. it will be flat. i think this is where a lot of people see trouble. ill try to get a sketchup posted today to clear this up.

am i retarded or does anyone else think that this shouldnt be this hard? hmmm. i dont know.

yeah, you and me both! thanks man!