Scratch Build – In Progress Espresso - [Completed]

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I would like to show you the last scratch build I did some years ago
I saw pc- case in every objects and I like to recycle old aplliance...

Maybe at this point , looking at the name of the project, you already understand something

I found this old, and dead, coffe machine and immediatly I fall in love with the stainless steel case

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The upper side is desoldered , and not aligned to the lower one.
The stainless steel is 1mm thick but to strong to be bended so I decided to rotate the case and cut some parts away

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I think that i have already heard that name..!!

 

@HeroDj

Probably



The case size is 300x260x180 mm , I am going to use an integrated vga becuase it's not a pc for gaming but the integration will be challenging due tu the low internal space and rounded corner.

Mobo try is very easy and poor ...it' s made with some alluminium bars, cutted and bended by hand, and obviously spacers.

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I/O rear panel is made with alluminium 1mm thick.
This is a picture with the sheet already cutted but to be refined and drilled to hold all the mobo connections, psu switch and rear fan

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After some cutting and drilling....

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I've seen some pretty odd things used as a PC case - old radios, desks, even older televisions and tablets, console cases. But a coffee machine? That's a new one on me. I hope you try to keep as much of the machine visible as possible, I also think the case looks pretty cool.

 

@Darkwisdom

Is not an integration, at the end the only thing left will be the case.
The vertical standing doesn't match with my plan


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PSU is a standard one (no brand).... but must be reduced a little.
I removed the rear side with fan and connectors.
I just keep one side of the orignal psu-case , but it was too high so has been bended and cutted to avoid contact with heat sinks

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In this picture PSU is in position.(red arrow point out the sound blaster protected from short-circuit with a plastic sheet taken from an old psu).
You can see different power-cable with faston, taken from the original coffe machine.

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All the cables has been shortened and resoldered.
PSU is fixed on the mobo-side to the vga-pciEX port with a special adapter
It's an old ISA card o something similar, I don't remember, cleared from old components and connections.

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Someone else re-purposing stainless steel containers? cool! Love your I/O cutout work.

 

@ Cheapskate

#stainless-steel #lovers


I need a mesh for the front side, but here in Italy it's difficult to find "small" pieces because usually producers don't take care about request for small orders coming from a private person instead of company.

But I want that mesh, and finally I found this fantastic waste basket , ready to be offered up for the modding cause

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Ready to be cutted

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And....here it is

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Nice, but it seems naked... till I get inspration from a hot-rod's grill

I' ve made 8 pieces from a single allumiunm rod

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Drilled and cutted to be bended
The gap will be filled up later with epoxy glue

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Each rod is fixed with 3 smal screws

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The grill is quite ready but now it's time to create a new top because the previous one has been cutted.
I tried to make a plexy version but it was not good so I decided to play with wood from fir tree because it' s easy to be worked.

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Top is made by 3 pieces fixed with four angle brackets

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This is the first version but, as you can see, I had some problem with the file

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This is the second and final version

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There is a gap of 3mm between the top and the case due to the rods. I had to create the right "housing" in the wood to resolve this issue....

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Top rev2 with usb , power button and dvd-rom's door

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I had to make the hole for led-power and eject button.
Top will be be painted but before this step I had to show you something about power button and the new cpu cooler

See you soon

 

Hmmm... I is intrigued.

 

Let's talk about cpu cooler .
My old AMD Athlon 3200 comes with the classic standard cooler, it does it's job in a perfect way but it's not so cool especially if you consider that I want to show it

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The space is not a lot (size are in mm), and I need also a solution to improve the airflow because it's not enough with only one fan on the rear side.
After checking size of several coolers I found this Zalman on sold

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Cooler in place!!
In this position the airflow is from down to top and it helps to cool down the psu

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To avoid contact between cooler and psu's chassis I used thi thin plastic sheet

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Nice build without too much bling and just pure ingenuity! - Subbed!

Are you considering some sort of cover for the multicolored IO rear side?

 

Recycling RULES! Awesome idea, like the way you fitted the mobo to the frame

 

@ Leonetu

Thanks for watching
I didn't plan any cover for the IO but I' ll add some "details"



@Crown
Thanks
I try to recycle objects and materials when it's possible
I just saved two amazing allumium sheet (3mm thick ) from trash

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In the previous pics I gave you a little teaser about the area around the cooler, so let's proceed playing with some cardboard.









"Approved to execute "

I copied the cardboard measures to an allumiunm sheet 1 mm thick




After some bending with some pieces of wood and a vise , here it is....

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A this point I have two choices to fit the frame :

A -The easy way is to remove a big allumium section, but it' not stylish

B - Make two little "windows" for the pipes


"B" with no doubts

A little bit of grinding to fit it perfectly with case' shapes

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This littel panle is fixed to the rear side with some screws

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Ta- Daaaaaa

[I
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That is some serious cooler display. Congrats

Will the rest of the mobo still get airflow though?

 

@ Vinch

Thanks
I like zalman's cooler design . Also CNPS 9900 is nice but it is too big for my mod

The case works in a "negative setup" , it means all the fans ( zalman and rear one ) suchs air from in to out.
You had to consider that the front of the case is a big grill.
I think the airflow is enough , I had no problem till now... surely could be better but it's not a extreme config

 

This is excellent.

 

this is one good build. Keep up the good work!


and now many more trash can must die for the sake of their mesh bodies

 

@ Mockingbird

Thanks

ahahaha
We can start selling trash can for modders

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To avoid damage to the cables from the cooler's fan I put a rubber seal ( it's simply a rubber pipe cutted from one side)

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Two more cover left.
Let's sart from the one at bottom of the cooler, but this time no more alluminium.
This is the cardboard version

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And this the poliver one, ready to be wrapped

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Matte black film (not so matte as I thought , but it's good )

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I made the mobo cover with poliver too, but it's not easy to take a perfect bend

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I made some "housing" to fit in the chassis (Does "housing" sound in english? )

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Once in place it was not so good..look at this

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For the secon version I used a thin palstic sheet, like this one

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Easy to cut and to be fixed (just with some cylindrical magnets )

Top view

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Side viwe

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It rocks

See you soon
Kappa

 

well we could for sure get the modders cans up for sale But would need to get nice square or round cans, im using some coned ones and its a bit tricky working with them as the mesh in not in a straight line, but for €5 per can it beats the hell of buying automotive bumper mesh for € 30 per 1mx30cm piece

 

I really like this. Simple yet massively effective and recycled. Double win.