Scratch Build – In Progress * r e f l e X i o n *

Amazing work.

 

I'm already wondering, hehe.

Thanks, eddie.

 

Experimenting with plexi bonding. My weld-on came in this week, along with a syringe and hypodermic needle for application.




This stuff is supposed to react fast, so it shouldn't be long before I can see how clean and strong a bond it will make. If it works well, I should be able to build the entire SSD mount, brackets included, out of plexi to fit the weightless theme.

 

Announcement: New Sponsor

Greetings, bit-tech. An update to the project that has changed its course a little.




Dangerden will now be sponsoring me with their waterblocks for the CPU, chipset and GPUs.

EK and I will continue on in our best interests with no ill feelings. The change in sponsorship has nothing to do with EK, their products or their customer service as they are all excellent, and I appreciate their willingness to help support the project. This was a business decision based largely on finances. Dangerden was able to provide me with a significantly better sponsorship deal, and so I have decided to partner with them on r e f l e X i o n.

Dangerden will be supplying me with the following--

The MC-TDX block for my i7 CPU:


2x DD5970 GPU full cover blocks:



The MP-X58 chipset block:


1/2 x 5/8" compression fittings:



I've used Dangerden products for several years. My first Dangerden product I had when I built my first watercooled system a few years ago that ran two 8800GTX's in SLI. BFGTech used Dangerden as their waterblock outfitter for their "watercooled edition" block, and it performed excellently. I'm expecting the same of their latest products and cannot wait to get them in my system and under some H20.

A special thanks to Dangerden for their support on this project!

 

Nice score man that's some awesome kit there

 

Update 1/10: Building the Zero Gravity Drives

Thanks, Woody.


Project Update: Building the Zero Gravity Drives



So, I've been pondering the idea that I originally had for the Zero Gravity Drives (weightless SSDs) and I just wasn't happy with all those metal brackets that were attached to them as seen in the above render. The original idea was fine because it was based on a closed system, meaning the observer could only see the exterior of the chamber or what showed through the four windows. This would hide them. But then.. yep, you guessed it. My brain got going again, and I thought to myself, "what would be awesome is if I showcased the inside and somehow made it look like all the components inside it were floating."

To me, that would continue to enhance the theme of the build.

So, how would I accomplish this? Well, immediately two things came to mind. 1) Magnets and 2) Glass.

"1" seemed slightly dangerous considering we're dealing with electronic components that store data on them. As a buddy of mine said to me when I had this crazy idea, magnetism can sometimes be a mystery, and I wanted none of that. So, the obvious was option #2. Plexiglass.

I then went to sketch out my new idea in 3dsMax and redo some of the earlier renders. And this is what I came up with:



[

As you can see, I've redesigned the mount for the SSDs. Instead of bulky metal brackets sticking out on both top and bottom, I have them mounting directly to a large pane of plexi which will run directly down the center of the chamber. The plexi pane will be notched to fit snugly into the shelves and then will be secured with Weld-on.

Here are some more shots:







I think that it looks MUCH better and hope you'll agree. Should look much cleaner and fit the theme much better.

For the drives, the mounting mechanism will be the same. They will simply screw through the plexi pane. The pane will be supported by the two shelves which are held in place by small L brackets that are mounted to the inside chamber walls.

So, then I went to work on creating notches to fit this new piece. For the job, I broke out my RotoZip again, but this time, after the last experience with the infamous knotty plywood, I decided to use aluminum angles to give me a straighter edge (Thanks, Charles!)



By clamping the aluminum angles in place at the width of the jig guide, I can hold the RotoZip firmly in place while routing so that it won't drift.




That was just a test piece to see how well the cutting bit I was using would perform. It turned out to be a little too large for what I need, so I'll be heading to the Depot tomorrow for a smaller bit.

Thanks for checking in.

-X

 

The new design will definitely keep the inside a little more clear of metal clutter and stick with you theme more. I like!

 

Looking good!

Have you thought about maybe using a high tinsel, low visibility fishing line to suspend the SSD's? Just put the mounting screws in the sides and wrap the line around them a few times and tighten them down. Trying to do that evenly on 4 corners would be difficult enough, let alone doing it to 4 of them lol. Then there is ease of removal if something where to happen.

Now that I think about it, it could be done fairly easily. Attatch the line to the top of the case, then run it down and position the first SSD. Wrap the line around around the mounting screw and run it down to the next SSD and repeat. You would then have them all spaced the way they would need to be and would be able to repeat the other 3 corners relatively easy. Just find a way to sucure the bottom SSD to the lower end of the case to keep them from swinging about. Would provide an air gap on all sides of the SSD's.

 

Actually quite a good idea. The only thing I'd add to that is instead of attaching the fishing line directly to the drives themselves, make small discreet brackets for each drive so that the drive(s) can be easily removed without fiddling around with the wires.

 

Thanks, Achron.

It actually did occur to me once to try and suspend the drives by some type of line. I decided not to go that route because, 1) thought it would be difficult to keep the drives from swinging if the case ever got hit or was moved around, and 2) I thought that it would look tacky if anyone ever discovered the line, which I thought they would if they looked close enough.

I know the plexi isn't perfectly opaque. People will be able to see the edges and probably will see reflections bouncing off of it (which the latter part wouldn't be terrible since it fits w/ my theme.) The thing I like about the plexi, though, is it gives the piece what I feel is a classy and expensive look. I just really like how glass can meld with PCs if done the right way.

If the plexi doesn't work out the way I want it to, then I may look into another alternative like you suggest.

Thanks for your input!

Yep. You could simply make a flat bracket that attaches through the back screwholes to the drives and drill two tiny holes to run the line/wire through.

 

Very good points there. If you pollish the hell out of that clear plexi it will look amazing with what your doing.

 

Hm, you do know that you can just score and easily snap off the acrylic (easier with 3 mm. than with 5 mm., of course, but I don't recall what thickness you're using), instead of using a router drill to cut it, right? This might also give your a nicer edge that requires less sanding/polishing afterwards.

 

Thanks, man. I think so as well.

Hey, Nutman.

I'm not cutting the plexi in those shots. I'm notching it. I'm routing a small area out of the vertical piece and each shelf so that they notch together. Like this:



I'll post more pictures later that will help make sense of it.

 

looking really good!

 

Oh, I see. Thanks for clearing that up. Will you glue the notched acrylic plates, or will they keep in place despite not being glued?

 

The seams at the notches will be cemented with Weld-On acrylic cement.

 

Zero Gravity Chamber

An update to come later tonight...

 

Sick stuff man! It really does look like it's floating!

 

Thanks, Aggressions! Nice job w/ your "Reverse" project.

 

Ask me why I'm happy.

I'm happy because I'm beginning to see the finish line. It's been a trying past two months designing, fabricating and then re-designing and re-fabricating (are either of those words?) this part, but now I'm entering the final stages, and I can see it being completed within the next few days.

I'm extremely excited about how it's all starting to look and am looking forward to share it with you all. I really feel that it meshes with the theme extremely well.

Just to review, this was where I had last left off with it. The redesign of the center glass panel which would serve in place of the prior metal L-brackets:



So, let's get started.

At my workbench a few days ago. Here, I was lining up possible drillpoints for the drives. I wanted them spaced far enough apart so they would be distinct objects and appear as if they were floating independently of each other.

First test mount.



Hmm, that was too close. Let's move it down a little.



Much better. This will be a nice fit in the side window. The space between the drives is 3/4".



They'll be centered in the windows an inch off the top and bottom.

Ok, so now that I knew the spacing, I laid out all measurements on my center glass panel to mark the drillpoints.



The large blue piece to the left is the center panel w/ protective blue covering. The two pieces to the right are the two shelves. Due to the redesign of the chamber, I had to cut two more shelves. I'll explain why a little later.

On the press and drilling the holes. There were eight holes in total to drill, two for each SSD. The holes are 1/8".



And.. all the holes are now drilled.



Time to peel off the protective layer to see how clean they came out.





A beautiful, clear piece of perspex (needs some cleaning, though.)



That looks better. To attach the SSDs to the perspex, I'll use a small allen wrench and 4/32 MDPC screws. The screws that I picked up from Nils were perfect for this. They were just the right size, and plus they're black, so they blend in perfectly with the drives.



I'll break out my surgical gloves to avoid fingerprints. Regardless, I think I must've Windexed this piece about 37 times over the past few days.



Attaching the first SSD.





Looking good so far. Time for the next one.



And the next.




(Continued in next post.)