Scratch Build – In Progress ATX Cube Case (26 Aug 07 - Completed! But not entirely...)

could you tell me you ICQ? i will add you~

i have some question....

 

So, I got a few more things done today.

Firstly, I had to grind away corners of the angle iron to make the centre frame inside the case.





Sorry about the bad quality pics, but the model just did not wanna stand still!

Okay, the centre frame is now complete. Here I test fitted some parts. (Check my fake psu! )









I also gutted the front panel from the superman case to take out the front USB and start / reset buttons:







Thats it for today. I know it looks like very little, but trust me, I worked about 2 hours just on the centre frame, and because it gets pitch black anytime from 17:30 onwards, I was forced to stop as I couldnt see anymore


Questions or comments?

 

Feel free to ask your questions on this forum

 

what switches are you going to use?

 

The ones in the second-to-last pic. I live in SA, so computer switches are quite rare here, unless I import some, but that will be waaaayyyy too expensive.

 

Can someone please help me with this: I am struggling to find a piece of sheet metal for the bottom of the case, so, would it be dangerous / stupid / wrong to use a piece of wood in the bottom?

The mobo tray will then be mounted to the wood.

 

Hey guys.

I still need an answer about the piece of wood for the bottom of the case. Please help!

Good news!! I just ordered myself 2 of these:



A BIG thanks to MNPCTECH for the excellent service I just received from them! Trust me, have a look at their casemod store here: http://www.mnpctech.com/casemodstore.html

Oh, I ordered myself one of these too:



Sweet hey!!

 

I don't think it would be a problem at all using a piece of wood in the bottom. You could paint it up to look metallic or use some of that carbon fiber sheet, depending on the look you are after. You could use a piece of plexi too.

 

Thanx a lot SPQQKY! This is an excellent idea! I will try to do this! (Attach a piece of plexi to the wood)

 

Looking great! Angle Iron? -This thing is going to be a real brick!

Only 1 thing bothers me: You are 25 and you have access to a stick welder, but you have never used it????
My parents couldn't keep me out of the power tools at 12. Does your dad have a locking storage cabinet or something?

 

LOL! Thanx man! I actually weighed the case yesterday, and its standing at 4.7kg's already - not too bad

Well, I was never much into modding at all - played games on the computer and that was it. I very recently - like a few months now - started looking at case mods after discovering this forum. Then I thought... I could do that!

But yeah seriously, I never really worked with power tools much - used to help my dad fix cars and only used things like power sanders, angle grinders and drills.

 

i bought my first scroll saw at age 11

yet never ever modded a case. not even fan holes lol. My first mod was a scratch case

 

Hey guys. I am just a bit worried about the heat below the motherboard. If I use a piece of wood and just mount the mobo plate to that, would it not trap in the heat and "melt" the motherboard?

I see that my motherboard tray has 4 holes in it, one underneath the cpu, one underneath the northbridge and two by the main power connectors. Is it there for a reason? For instance to let the heat from the back of the mobo escape?

Can someone please give me some advice as I want to mount the mobo tray in a few hours from now.

 

You definitely need to use stand-offs. At least 1/4 inch, I'd think. If it's only 1/4", you want to make sure you have some air flow under it.

 

I agree with dacust, you just need a little room, not much. Some mobo trays have holes, some don't. Besides, all standard ATX and mATX cases have the side panel right next to it anyway. If you're worried, you could cut a whole for a grill just to let some air through and put a filter there to keep the dust out.

 

Thanks a lot guys! I will see what I can do to give it some space.

 

Oh yeah! Update time!!

Got a little more done today. Mostly sanding untill my hands are raw! Also, I spray painted the mobo plate, and the bottom cover.

Here's the pics:

Firstly, I cut the wood to the correct size:



Then I grinded the welded corner a little bit smoother:



I then smeared it with some automotive body filler:



All corners done:



While the body filler was drying I wetsanded the mobo plate and back cover:



Then, the most difficlut part of today:



I had to sand down the body filler to make the corners nice and smooth. This took me a couple of hours to do and my hands are stuffed!

Here's the painted mobo cover:



Painted back mobo cover:





I also drilled holes into the wood where the holes are in the mobo plate. Hopefully this will release some of the heat the mobo creates, then I painted the bugger:





Okay, this is what the frame looks like now. Almost ready for painting.



I will try and get the frame completely smooth tomorrow so that I can paint it and fit the mobo plates.

Thats it for today.

Comments?

 

looking good.
nice job on the mobo tray.

 

Thanx a lot wbdog206! I have painted it only about 4 coats so far, I wanna give it 2 more tomorrow just to be on the safe side. (Scratches)

 

Hey guys.

Due to some heavy wind yesterday I couldnt do much extra on the case as I dont have a workshop to work in

In anycase, I am planning on making the cross bars later this afternoon where the drive bays will be attached to. Depending on the time (and weather) I want to give the mobo tray another 2 coats of paint too.

So, maybe I will have an update later this evening.