Scratch Build – In Progress The "OMG Jipa is actually building something"-case - Wet Christmas

Before diving into the pictures it's important to point out that
1. I'm broke so this is an absolutely zero budget plan/build
2. It may or may not get finished, depending on whether or not I can be arsed and if I can come up with something more interesting to spend my time on
3. I haven't modified a case in a looooong time and never built - make that completed - a scratch build.

Anyway lets cut to the chase and finally see the pictures.


By jipaargh at 2010-07-28

Here's the design. I spent the best part of half an hour very carefully designing each and every detail of the case and am pretty sure it's an absolutely perfect case design.


By jipaargh at 2010-07-28

After spending all that time I wanted to make sure I got everything absolutely right, so I started by ditching the careful measurements, draw some beams and cheesecake on a piece of paper and started cutting stuff.


By jipaargh at 2010-07-28

After that the floodgates opened and I used each and every hand tool in the house and made a total mess of the living room / modding shack. By now I'd drank about five litres of coffee and a couple of beers, which had a negative effect on both the precision of my work and my bladder.

So instead of any close-ups, here's how it currently looks:


By jipaargh at 2010-07-28


By jipaargh at 2010-07-28

The HDD and I/O-thing should give a pretty good idea of the size of the case. It's roughly 40x35x15 CM, depending on how well I have everything squared.

Oh and in case someone still missed the point, the main idea is to have a small case that can take even the longest graphic cards and has easy access to hardware. A bit like, kinda like the case of your dreams.

I didn't post this as a project log as I'm not sure if I can be bothered to keep the log up to date. So I just threw it here to see if you guys show any interest whatsoever in my excellence. So please, please drop some feedback your lazy lurkers.

 

I'm loving the concept. Put some paint on it and rip those plastic covers off! I'm sure it will look nice.

 

Thanks! And yeah I think I'll have to paint the whole thing. The acryls were already full of scratches when I got them for free and the aluminum came from the scrap yard as well. Also I haven't been too careful with any of the surfaces so getting a nice finish will be a lot of work.

 

We will see this in Assembly? You have like... 6 full days to complete it

 

6 days is easily enough, so far I've spent about two hours of actual work-time in building it (And another two hours trying to figure how to make up for the mistakes and huge holes in the plans)

 

The clamshell case design works really well on a very old Dell Dimension I've got (it's the only bit that works well) but theirs is more conventional; that is to say, it's got the I/O plate at the back, not on top. I assume yours is going to too - otherwise the 'bottom' fans won't get any air - am I wrong?

 

Yes you are. Though thanks for pointing out I need to add feet to the design

And if there's any point in this design, I figured the narrow case could sit behind the screen and if I need to tinker with something, I could just lift the screen out of the way and pop the case open. Now that I say it out loud, it sounds stupid.

 

Ah. But won't the cables be sticking out the top and obstructing how you open the door? And the fans suck in all the heavy airborne particles (dust, to the non-d***head)?

I'd stand it up, personally. You get the same useful door system, with none of the drawbacks. According to Bit-Tech's review of the Raven (RV02 here, though that notes the RV01 was even worse) the heat-rises-upwards advantage is actually not much of an advantage at all. That said, a scratch-built case isn't really about practicality, so maybe just see what happens...

 

I've reviewed both the Raven 2 and Fortress 2 and admit they were an inspiration to this design.

Cables will be no problem, it's all been taken care of in the perfect plan.

 

Nice design - had a similar idea when I was looking at different designs for o²

 

Pop top rigs are always cool.

-Unless it's a Dell.

Your tags are priceless too. Screw the dust. Keep it in this orientation.

 

I've got some old case designs, which look alot like this, I like your work Jipa

Mine didn't have a clamshell feature, they were silent passive and active ideas. Some were alot like this with the cables on top for easy access, and others had the cables below for neatness.

 

Thanks for all the feedback! I guess that's it, I really need to get this done, and will even try to get it done in time for the Assembly.

So lots of this ahead:


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It's snowing in the modding shack, the acryl dust is crazy annoying.

 

Having received enough feedback to stay motivated, I pushed on with the project. It's probably the hottest day of the summer and absolutely unbearable to work, but then again, if it's also unbearable to just sit still, why not cut some aluminum instead?!


By jipaargh at 2010-07-29

(please take note of how perfectly the various materials blend together in this piece of modern art)

I have pretty limited knowledge on strength of various alloys, but I'd say 0,8 mm sheet of aluminum can not be called a supporting structure. That said, it's the only sheet large enough to cover the largest side of the case, so I have to make do with it. To keep the thing straight I added some strengthening beams, which required lots of filing.


By jipaargh at 2010-07-29

After that I figured the said material is even less likely to hold the weight of a large power supply, so it was time to build a skeleton of some sort to support the PSU.



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This end will be covered in 2 mm aluminum. The most eagle-eyed viewers may be able to spot a gap on the side panel. This wasn't exactly a planned feature, but after all the swearing the case has already caused, I think it's a good idea to have a gap for all the demons to get out through.



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And in case there are some interior architects out there, here's a sample of what two bachelors actually want from their living room

 

Hey, fantastic room, I wish I had one like this for my modding pleasures...

 

Well there better be some damn good perks in living with another geek guy Had something to eat and will now continue on adding finishing touches to the build..

 

Awesome idea Jipa, looks really cool . Also what's the Dremel 300 like, im considering getting one

 

When working with acryl I absolutely love it. I live/work in a flat so working with metal it's just too noisy, but if that's not a problem, just go for it.

The tools I'd recommend getting with it are the flex shaft, some quick lock cutting discs and engraving tips.

EDIT: Oh and my personal favorite is the Digital (Dremel 400), but I don't have one yet.


By jipaargh at 2009-08-14

(Picture related, that's me last year at Assembly)

 

Ok just a heads-up, I've spent the weekend helping friends move to new house, having the worst hangover in ages and now that I tried to continue working on the case first I noticed the PSU won't fit with the skeleton support and as I attacked that I slipped the file and hit my hand on the piece, cutting my right index finger up in quite nasty way. Currently waiting for the bleeding to stop, but have a funny feeling this is not going to get done before Assembly