Scratch Build – In Progress Project: Codename C (update 26 August 2012) - Is that a Pi?

Right, so the summer is here which means it is time for another project! I am going to be doing a scratch build! I have done some fun mods before, from the fractal in MNU to the wonderful project with Bill in MNPCTECH on the lanboy air :cough:

As I am only in Belgium for the summer holiday for only 3 months 1 of which I am not actually here as I am in fact back in Glasgow/ Essex/ Lanzarote... So the clock is ticking! With that a scrupulous mount of planning is going to be required! I am planning to have the main shell, basically every thing you require to install the basic system installed into done by July, but most of you will know what I am like with planning - horrendous! With all the fun LED and other RaspberryPi stuff done while I am back at uni with access to the wonderful electronics labs and store - yay free stuff!

So I will be posting plans etc in this thread for you to shoot down, tell me I am wrong and generally suggest things that I should do but probably will not.

For now all I actually know is that the project is going to be mATX, maybe even Mini-ITX. Watercooled, with some other fun stuff. Finally basically all aluminium (oh, forgot to mention that) will be black and there will be LOTs of RGB LED fun

Rant away,

 

This better not be like MNU... I still want to see that finished!

 

Cough, splutter!

MNU is actually in my room, albeit in another country at the moment, in a working condition! I just need to get the final bits and pieces and pictures done!

 

Well, you need to hop on that! lol Have you thought about going outside the box with this new mod? Maybe do a shaped case, by this, I mean something nor rectangular, or boxed? Do a Lian Li, and make a formed case... I know they take longer due to fabrication, but you have all the time in the world, as far as summer goes! Also, ITX might be the best, that way you can take it with you, wherever you go!

 

Ew, I am just saying now I AM NOT MAKING A TRAIN!

 

No, I was referring to their odd shaped, snail cases... I don't like that train thing they are showing at computex... lol

 

Or a snail, or a boat sail, or anything else stupid! lol

 

I didn't say it had to be a... You are missing the point. I was thinking about something that would be of any other shape, than cubed... lol

 

I know we also discussed that picture of the mechanical eagle, but how about it? I am serious! I think you could pull it off! You have the talent!

 

HaHa! You got scolded.

 

Scolded like a giddy school girl lol Anyhow, back to the project. I think you should use acrylic, and bend it into the shape of the body, and it would be quicker than aluminum. Everything else could be aluminum. You know? Plus, you could light the body up any color you want, to give it it's crest!

 

Some of the 3D model of what will be the Chassis of the case, the sidepanels, front and back panels and the internal panels will connect to.





It will be 5mm acrylic which will be acrylic glued together... with 25mm angle for attaching all the other bits..

 

5mm acrylic sheet ordered - £15 shipping to Belgium is not that bad given that it was £7 to ship it anywhere in the UK...

In terms of other materials I have:

2 sheets of 1.5mm aluminium
1 sheet of 3mm aluminium
random bits and pieces of 3mm acrylic, 5mm acrylic, 1mm alu, 1.5mm alu

I will be buying the aluminium angle tomorrow and will hopefully start cutting on Friday

 

I am back in Belgium for the summer, which means one thing it is time to mod! And no I have not got the final pictures of MNU done yet but what can you do? This is going to be what is technically my second scratch build although the first was made of wood and had an unfortunate date with a concrete floor resulting in the project being scraped. This current project is what I have dubbed Project: Codename C, the reasons for this will become apparent in the coming weeks as the project comes together. The case is going to be mATX although it is very likely to only hold a Mini-ITX board, I have never done a build with either form factor and I think it is about time! Either way it will be used as a mini LAN system while I am at university so I do not have to hulk the 30kg or so of Project: MNU along. Now that we have form factor and the reasoning for building the case over with, not that you need a reason to mod a new case…

The case will be based on a design aspect that keeps coming back to me! I just cannot get rid of it! The case will have 5mm acrylic wedged between 2 pieces of aluminium (aluminum for all you Americans and apparently ENGLISH UK spellcheck as well…); this acrylic will be lit by LEDs. I am planning on having RGB LEDs controlled by a RaspberryPi – mostly because I can – which will allow them to remain on even when the PC is off if all goes to plan!

Now this project is going to be split into two different sections to be completed in two different countries, it is only fitting right? The first is the main construction; this will be done in Belgium where I have space and all my tools! The other is the electronics, and assembly. This will all be done in Glasgow where I have the use of the Glasgow University electronics laboratories and supplies

Now on with it eh? I have had enough with typing guff and I am sure you have had enough reading it!

After getting some of the original concepts done and drawn up in either SketchUp, on paper or in my head I ventured down into the depths of our houses basement to find what I have lying about from previous projects...



Ok it is not that big, but in the boiler room I have a number of cardboard boxes courtesy of the movers. Anyway, I found a random assortment of stuff from Project: Deadline, and MNU and some aluminium sheets!



I have also got another large sheet of aluminium with a random assortment of acrylic that I have acquired of the last few years.



I was asked recently what I do with my projects when they are done, and the answer to that is that I reuse them. Project: Deadline is about to be recycled to make way for Project: Codename C!



I really only need the back plate as I really do not want to make one from scratch given my time limits this project moves to Glasgow with me in September!







After drilling out all the rivets there needs to be one of these pictures right?




Thanks all, please stay tuned and I WILL get the pictures for MNU up as soon as I can

PS can this be moved to logs please

 

I am back!

First of all, I want to appologise for the quality of the images that I am about to show you, they were taken on my iPhone as the camera went MIA!

I have continued work on the PCI back plate, it needs a bit of a chop!



As Project: Deadline was an ATX build it had a full size backplate but for MATX we definitely do not need to have all the expansion slots! So I took a dremel to it, for both cutting and cleaning it up. I decided that something needed to go in the end to 'plug' the 'hole' so working on the whole acrylic and aluminium idea I stuck a piece of 5mm acrylic in the end!



I needed to grab some supplies to continue work.. and what better supplies then beer?



I chopped some aluminium to size and and viola, one end bracket with acrylic highlight! It is currently stuck together with friction and a good old bit of masking tape but a cheeky bit of super glue!



All glued up!



mod on

 

You have captured my interest subbed

 

Cheers dude!

Right, back 2 days in a row? What is wrong with me?

I got to work on the chassis, which is for this project an acrylic shell that everything else will connect to. I got a sheet of 5mm acrylic from Hindleys.com and they kindly shipped it to me in Belgium. The sheet is 1000mmx600mm which is just enough for the top, bottom and both side panels with a bit to spare. The panel was marked with a trusty fine tipped sharpie and of course an MNPCTECH mod ruler! I used the piece of aluminium angle that will will be used in the project at a later date to make sure all lines were straight and for guiding the jigsaw.



A sexy MNPCTECH ruler.



All bits chopped, and ready to be sanded down. Which is going to be a mission for another point in time as I need to get both the front and back edges to be "frosted"



I took a cheeky gander down into the basement again to start looking for aluminium pieces to use and in a corner I found a pile of random scraps that have been cut by a machine shop. Bonus for me as I now have loads more pre-cut edges to work with!



Anyway, this is what each of the edges will look like from the front and back of the case



I got sick of using the jigsaw and the smell of acrylic - I still do not why I choose it as a material I hate the stuff - I decided to get some priming done. The PCI back plate all ready for a coat of black (matt or glossy is still up in the air)





until next time

 

Interesting start, Kyle. I'll be tuning in for this!

 

Cheers KrunchR! I am sitting in the garage sanding away at the moment...

 

So apparently work takes up a lot of time... I am doing an internship in the IT department of Bridgestone EU in Brussels So have been there all week and un able to work on this thing... however, with every week comes a weekend!

We all saw the acrylic cut and stuff in the last update, so after a bit of sanding here and there through the week it was ready to be stuck together - cement, welded, glued it does not matter. I decided to make a jig to ensure that everything was where it was meant to be and would stay there! This taks was under taken with one of those monitor riser thingys that none uses, a wooden box a few G-clamps and a screw driver. We are all modders right, we have all been there...



The glue, cement, weld (stuff) was applied using one of the adhesives (ok I am just trying to use as many words for it as possible) applicators. Mod Warning! It burns if you get it in cuts...



There we have it, one joint done!



Next up, you guessed it, the other joint. You see where 'Codename C' comes from now? I know that it is the wrong way around, but in the original concepts in my head it was all fine and dandy and that looked like a C but unless I made it BTX it will have to be the 5 year old (and backward) version of the 3rd letter in the alphabet..





24 hours later, it is all set and ready to go!



So with the main structure of the case assembled it is time to add some strength to it! So out comes the 3mm aluminium and the alu angle again! I am going to be using 3mm aluminium for the front and back panels.



I got as far as cutting out the back panel but then not a word of a lie Belgian law, or in my area at least meant I was not allowed to cut anymore as it was a Sunday and the jig saw is apparently too noisy... So will hopefully get the front panel done tomorrow night! But this is a rough idea of how the back panel will be.