Planning Steamer Trunk PC Planning thoughts and ideas

say you have a joint that has 3 parts inserted into a cut for a join, like a dovetail cut or something (i think i have the right terminology, forgive me if not) I've seen a few pieces that showed those parts together and then all seperate to illustrate the join, most likely, they are just components that fit together and are moved apart, but i was just curious if there was an option in sketchup to seperate all pieces by a set amount, if not, i'll just do it by hand

as for the competition, ok, i'll do some work on the case and then as i recreate it in sketchup i'll show that for the comp too, since it's going till april, i think i can have something done by then.

 

No, You would have to do that manually. Sketchup is like a 3d version of MS paint.

I'll be waiting for your entry.

 

Redesigned it a bit to be more realistic, this is also to scale and accurate for the most part, I will be spicing it up to be a bit more steampunkish, but I wanted to get the basic form down pat first.





All the parts in this are to scale and modeled by me from scratch in Maya (but no rendering, just a screen grab, promise) Also, all parts are real and can be used on my future case, I didn't want to design anything fantastical that would require fabrication that i'm not ready to handle.

Just joined the MNPCTech challenge, thanks Cheapskate, I don't have a chance in hell, but It's fun to try for something If i come up with any outlandish case designs, at least i know i've got a place to post them!

Cheers
-J

 

As you say, the case in itself is quite Steampunk. It does not have to have lots of tubes and valves over it. Less is often more.

You could add a "magic eye" valve tube for the power or HDD indicator. It's one of those green-glowing valves that used to indicate signal strenght in old radios. You can still buy them for a snap and there is an article here on how to build a simple circuit so you can use it in your PC. It also shows a nice wooden PC case.

For more inspiration visit Steampunk Workshop and Brass Goggles. Yum.

I think that there may be an "explode" function in Sketchup. I'll have a look.

 

great links! the brass goggles site is funny, I think some of the steampunk guys get a little too into it, but the aesthetic is fantastic. that computer looks great, I dont' know about the magic eye, not because I dont like it, but I'm not sure where it would go, I have to do some photoshop draw-overs on the renders to see what i can fit where on it now that it's exterior is 90% finished.

 

Brass Goggles is my home when I'm not here.

john - Ancient Tinkerer

 

the more I think about it, the less I like the idea of totally steam-punking this trunk. If I do anything at all 'extra' to it, It needs to completely fit in with the theme. I'm not totally against the idea of adding some fun features, but I don't yet know what, time will tell.

For the mean time, could someone tell me if this:


will work as a power switch? it's brass with chrome plating so is it possible to sand off the chrome plating and just have it be brass? it's from Bulgin, and the closest thing i've found to what I want.

 

that's a vandal switch, they're very popular as power switches, it will definitely work. they also sell them with LEDs in the middle, to go with your original idea of having a light in the powerswitch. not sure about sanding off the chrome plating though, that sounds tough, and it'll take a lot of polishing to get the brass you reveal looking good. you'd probably have better results trying to corrode off the chrome, but that might wreck the switch

i'm glad to hear you aren't going all-out steampunk. a PC in a steamer trunk is cool by itself, you don't need to bolt on all kinds of extra crap to fit in with the steampunk fad. keep it clean and classy.

 

if the brass is there, i'll try it, it's not too expensive for one of the non-lighting switches, so if i screw one up, it's not the end of the world I actually want the led in the key hole of the lock, kind of like the idea that it's emitting light from another world, my own little narnia

I definitely want it to stay classy, though I am tempted to get the brass plaque that hides the dvd to be engraved with a good script and the words "The Diamond Age" as it's a great steampunk-ish fantasy novel and also my last name But i haven't decided on that 100% yet

 

Steampunk does not necessarily equal clutter. You don't have to stick a lot of Heath-Robinson-ish crap on your case. Steampunk can in fact be quite minimalist. "Diamond Age Steampunk" is my personal term of a mix of Steampunk mixed with cool, minimalist high-tech (think brass frames with plexiglass touch-sensitive panels etc.).

Find a brass vandal switch here and save yourself the hassle of sanding. Better yet, just look for a polished brass bell push. They are cheap, work perfectly for the purpose and look very snazzy. They can be elaborate or fairly minimalist and illuminated too (the advantage of an illuminated ivory plastic button is that you can get away with putting in a harsh white LED and the light will still appear soft and warm like an incandescent bulb).



Alternatively, go for a hidden capacitance switch (it's the square one on the right) under the wooden surface. You just touch the wooden case at the right spot to fire up the PC.

 

wow, fantastic ideas nexxo! I love all of the switches, I might have to incorporate something into the case like that, I probably won't use the capacitance switch on this mod, but I want to build an HTPC sometime in the near future and that would be perfect for that!

I love that your personal term for cool steampunk is pretty much what I want engraved on the front of my case

 

I so wish I could put a touch sensitive lcd in this thing, but i have no idea Why i'd do it and I can't afford it anyway

 

I was going back over some of the suggestions and wanted to clarify with ModMinded on what you mean by a venting shroud. When I hear that, I picture a cover with maybe a curved edge like an inverted L shape the directs the airflow from up the intakes to out the back, this seems like a fairly easy thing to setup, how necessary would it be if I've got a cover on top of the case? I am thinking of having a tray sitting inside the case so when you open it you don't immediately see the internals, I'm not yet sure What you will see, but i've got some ideas, but if that tray is blocking airflow, will that be enough (theoretically)? Or would having something with a curve re-direct the air more efficiently? Thanks!

 

I did some quick measurements of the case to see how i can fit things inside. I know it's hard to read the #'s but it's just how maya does measurements, i'll list them after the photo:



All measurements are in inches, I know you guys use mm for the most part, i can convert later if anyone needs clarification or if you just find it easier to make suggestions in mm then i'll deal

Interior:
Width = 34"
Depth = 18"
Height (here is the only place i've got a concern):
Total Height = 19" (ground to below tray holders)
Raised = 2" (1" off the ground with inset feet, 1" hidden under trunk)
Width of baseboard = currently estimating 1/2"
usable space for components = 10.5"

Now, all these are estimates and since it's a scratch build, i can do what i want, but that's a fairly standard trunk measurement (36x20x18") so if i can, i'd like to stick with it.

obviously, i've got plenty of room for extra components width wise, almost unlimited space, my only concern is with the idea of vertically mounting the motherboard with the I/O ports face down, will there be enough room from bottom to top for the mobo and a pci-e card? the measurement guide i found on the site earlier shows atx as being 9.6" Long, so it should fit, I just want to be sure.

What I'm currently planning to do is making a box in SU that is the interior dimensions of the case and then building out the components with the libraries since I don't have that option in Maya (unless i measure and build every piece) Once I have some layouts, i'll post them up to get feedback of the layout.

One quick question before i start that (it is friday!) Any suggestions on placement of the mobo inside the case? right now i'm thinking that vertically along the rear wall is best, it puts all the cords at the back and if i have the intake fans in the front, it should bring enough air past the components on the way out the back, but i'm concerned on fan placement and also placement of the PSU for the rear.

Thanks for the help guys, also, anyone have any ideas on that shroud? Thanks!

-J

 

I think what is meant by the shroud is something like this. Basically it allows you to put a 90 degree bend in the airflow so you could draw air in from the bottom and vent it out the back of the case.

 

it'll be tight, but 10.5" should work for the mobo, though i don't think it will fit the newest graphics cards. and 2" isn't enough space for a standard DVI connector to stick out the bottom.

 

Funny, I have been working on one of these for a while. If you are interested in how my trial run goes, you can check out my thread (hope outside links are ok here)

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=218115

 

Wow, damn...I thought I was being original Oh well, your case is looking great What inspired you to do the build? and have you run any tests with the case for heating and the like? You're watercooling yours i see, I'll just be air-cooling mine, but i'm curious how the airflow inside is in general. I'll keep an eye on your build, can't wait to see it finished.

 

a few things that i would suggest,

1) if you had the entire piece sitting high enough to avoid the "vacuum sound" as Cheapskate mentioned above, you could have two stealth fans on the bottom of your case both on exhaust instead of intake, and then make a sort of fume hood that leads to the top of the case, which would make both fans pull air from the top of the case instead of the bottom, and then have just slitted openings to let air through.

2) I was thinking if your really liking the idea of totally stealthing the Rom bay you could do one of two things (that i have thought of atleast ) one of which would be to simply hide the slot directly under one of the ribs on the box, or two, have your plaque be just bigger than the actual size of the Rom face plate, so that when it is closed it overlays wood and you would see zero gap, it would just look like it was attached (hope that makes sense)

Really hope you have success in this mate and i'll keep an eye out for updates

sideburns

 

I came up with the idea because I wanted something big enough to comfortably hold my rig with watercooling and a single stage phase change inside. I also love antiques and, similarly, wanted something that would blend in with my home. Having it be a project and original didn't hurt either... And, we are both just that. It turns out, someone a few years back did a trunk build aswell. You can find the link in my xtreme thread.

I just did a test run, actually, but I sprung a leak so I didn't record any data. I have a feeling that the temps will be fine if you follow my lead regarding fan placement. 8 fans should be plenty. Also, if you were to use mobo standoffs, you could cut a hole in the tray, right under the CPU area and have a fan blowing right at it.

I will be updating the thread soon as I have a package coming today of fan filters, etc..