Project Supersymmetry - update 11.09.2006

I have been absolutely intimidated by the prospect of joining this forum and posting my worklog here. The idea of having my work compared to all the decidedly amazing mods and builds on this site was terrifying to say the least - a slight case of performance anxiety you might say.

Still, here goes.

I have just started this project, currently without any kind of sponsorship though I am - like anyone I suppose - still hoping for some corporate support for my work.

The idea was to build a fairly simple case from scratch. So I bought an aluminum plate measuring two square meters which sat in my bedroom for a couple of months while I worked on my design in 3D Studio. Trust me when I say that a large aluminum plate sitting purposelessly in your bedroom might at some point aggravate your girlfriend/spouse.

Anyhow, as I finished my 3D Studio model I hacked the plate up and was good and ready to start assembling the whole thing. But no. The girlfriend wanted some work done on the balcony and my workroom first which took about all summer. Tiling the floor, putting up a ceiling with downlights, panelling the workroom. Stuff like that.

However, now work is on its way with my case which I have aptly named Project Supersymmetry which I hope will reflect the case when it gets finished. Of course, as most of you undoubtedly know no design is ever quite finished and new ideas pop out all the time.

The hardware as it stands today:

AMD Athlon64 X2 FX-62
DFI LanParty UT nf590SLI
2Gb OCZ DDR2 PC6400 Gold
XFX GeForce 7800GT (this will be upgraded to a 8800GTS)
Plextor 760SA (hopefully exchanged for a Blu-Ray writer)
a couple of raptors in RAID for the system and a couple of big drives for storage.

So here is the beginnings - hopefully I will manage one update a week taking my dayjob into consideration.

I bought several meters of angled aluminum which I will use to hold the whole assembly together. Drilling several holes along each side and threading them for hex-head M4 machine-screws. And as I do not have access to fine machining equipment or mills mostly everything you see is done by the time-honored combination of elbow grease and manual labor.





Two sides screwed together. The aluminum plates is only 1.5mm thick, which is also the case for the angles. This leaves 3mm total material for the threads which I had slight concerns with not being quite enough to ensure a good tightening. However, everything sits like welded together.



I absolutely love those bolts!
After a full weekend of manually drilling and threading here all the sides are assembled. Now I miss the bottom, the insides and - obviously - the top.



Just that little bit closer to completion.

I bought a Lian-Li mainboard-"holder" or whatever you call them and drilled out all the rivets. They did not fit with the rest of the design or my vision of the whole thing. (Besides they made it impossible to mark out where to cut on the case itself to accommodate it). Either way I think it looks way better with the rivets exchanged for my beloved M4 hex-bolts.









So, that is my first ever post here on Bit-Tech. An update is to be expected sunday evening when I have had a full weekends worth of work done to it. This time I will bring out my dremel-variety.

 

can you show us some 3d renders or screens of the model, to make us see what it'll look like when it's finished?

nice modding so-far

 

yeah you can use google sketch up its free

 

LuitVD: Yes of course.

However, for some reason I am unable to find my old completed model - seems it has disappeared after my latest system-reformat. I was able to find this semi-complete mock-up though and took out a new render of this one. Be aware though that this is not the original completed model, but it gives a fair idea of the direction the project is headed in.

I will try to find the time to complete this 3D Studio model as well so as to give you guys a better understanding and image of my vision of the completed case.



Cire9753: Thanks for the advice, though I myself prefer 3D Studio.

 

Nice concept. Yes I can vouch for having the partner complain about stuff lying about the house.

Don't be stressed by the standard of work here. For the most part, we are all dedicated amateurs who do this for our own benefit and the praise of others on the internet. Unless you have a proven track record of computer modding (which it sounds like you don't) corporate sponsorship is unlikely. That's for the lucky chosen few (who are few and far between).

A question on the design. It looks like the lid is going to be made of mesh. Is that correct? If so what about dust?

 

Yes I realise this, however it never hurts to ask right?

The lid is going to be perplex covered with mesh to - hopefully - counter the dust problem.

Thanks for the support so far, hopefully I will get some work done tomorrow (saturday).

 

Welcome to the forums. I think Constructacon nailed it when he said:

Do your best, ask for & give advice when appropriate - that's what forums are about.

 

Hi again on this fine saturday evening.

I got a bit of work done on my case today, and while I aimed to get the mobo-tray fully fitted inside the case this did not quite get finished. However it is well on the way as the images below will show.

First though, time to get into the sanctuary of my workroom.

¨

It is not the biggest of workspaces, but I have room enough to get the job done. Here we have the essential favorite tool of us all. It is not a brand-name Dremel however, it is cheap enough that I will not care if it breaks. Besides, it has lasted me three years of abuse and is still going strong.



Also, here is a new tool I bought to help me with the sanding - still sticking to ColTech for being cheap and the same reason as mentioned above.



Okay. Time to get some work done.
When I finished up last time I had already marked out where I needed to cut on the back in order to make it accommodate the mobo-tray and backplate. So without further ado I loaded up the rotary and had at it.





Unfortunately I fully forgot to take pictures when I finished cutting the hole for the mobo-tray and as such I cannot show you how I fumbled the measurements at first. Turned out that when I marked up where to cut I forgot to take into account the mobo-tray itself in addition to the backplate. So The hole I cut was a full 10mm too low, and about 5mm too narrow. In other words, further trimming of the edges had to be done.

Then, when the hole was big enough I also found that I had to shave a full cm off either edge of the mobo-tray and trim down the bolts holding the mobo-tray assembly together.

Here the mobo-tray is marked up and ready for some trimming off. As it turned out the aluminum used by Lian-Li is way easier to cut than the stuff I had bought despite them being of the same thickness. Oh, and let me tell you; those cut-off disks for the rotary are way too brittle. There is nothing much more annoying than when you have just loaded the rotary with a fresh disk and having it fly apart just as you bring it to the metal.



And here I have just finished shaving the excess off the bolts, making them flush with the mobo-tray/backplate-assembly. Looks way better. Never mind the scratches - it will all be taken care of at a later date.



The bolts; are they not cute?



Finally I got the tray fitted and mounted - of sorts. I still need to trim the edges of the backplate a little, but as a whole it fits and is starting to look like something resembling a case.





So there you have it. That is all I got done today, now it is time for some lasagne. But first, did I mention that everything will of course be watercooled? My tank/pump/radiator-assembly sits outside on the balcony - makes for great temperatures during winter. It is not the best looking assembly ever, but I have plans for this as well - though that will come later.



Also, remember guys - safety is important, care for your lungs - they are important.



And finally, a little teaser of things to come;



Tomorrow I hope to get the bottom done, until then.
See ya guys.

 

Love the spec, very grand!!
Can't wait to see more

OldY

 

Thanks OldY, very encouraging to see my work appreciated.

 

Now I am wondering if I should just dump the existing backplate and craft a new one. I don't really like the array of holes on the top right edge. Been thinking I could perhaps just cover them up with paste as the whole thing is likely to get painted anyhow. Any suggestions?

 

looks like its gonna come out looking really nice looki9ng forward to it

 

RE: THe holes in the top right hand corner of the mobo backplane, i think they'll look better and be less noticable if your painting it.
The problem with filling them is getting a flat surface that wont be noticably different once its painted.
I suppose it really depends on what color your looking at as to how noticable it is.
If your going glossy black then definately getting the surface perfectly flat so its not noticable is going to take quite a bit of work, but with a matt finish it'll hide it a bit better from my experience.

 

very nice progress. Found the 3d model already?
Anyways, I can't wait to see more of this. The thing in real life looks amazing already, and the render is just awesome. Good luck

 

Regarding the holes in the backplate, if you do eventually paint it glossy black or with a colour that would show the imperfections, I would just make another one as its less work in the future as it's quite hard to get such a perfect finish when covering holes.

OldY

 

Thanks for the encouraging replies folks

About the holes in the backplate; I'll se what I can do with paste however, I think I'll end up crafting a new one. The color I aim for will most likely be flat black, though I might get the whole thing anodized after sanding it down with 600 grit or thereabout.

No update today I'm afraid though; real life issues demanded my attention. Had to clean the vent above our cooking-stove as this had not been done the past five years. Imagine my surprise when I found that in actuality it was white.

I might find the time and energy to get some work done during the weekdays though, we'll see.

 

can't wait. make sure u take lots and lots of pics

 

looks sweet man. i wanna see more!

 

Just a small teaser here; I just had to show this one off

Got this, along with six feet of tygon tubing and the replacement top for my TDX-block in the mail yesterday.

These things are absolutely beautiful pieces of engineering - the craftsmanship is exquisite and no picture can really do them justice. Besides, they are very difficult to get a good shot of, so disregard the fuzzyness of the pic'.



Work on the case will resume in earnest during the weekend. Stay tuned.

 

Slight set-back here folks; delivery of the CPU is pushed back until the 22nd.

Oh well, better focus on the case then. Woke up with a load of inspiration and motivation today, just gotta help the missus clean the house first. Expect a big update later tonight - or tomorrow in case I head out to a party. Wither way I will get some work done today.