Project: The System

[Tavarin]

And Now I present to you:




http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/worklogbanners/thesystem.png


Edit - Here's Where I'm At


http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6472.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6473.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6474.jpg

And in the dark:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6475.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6476.jpg

Some of you may have seen the idea for this case in the Idea's Zone under the title "First Case Build," so here are the pictures of the SketchUp's I posted there:

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4642/caseei9.th.png (http://img152.imageshack.us/my.php?image=caseei9.png)
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/8531/case2ud7.th.png (http://img91.imageshack.us/my.php?image=case2ud7.png)
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/5950/case1rx6.th.png (http://img529.imageshack.us/my.php?image=case1rx6.png)

I'm not much for introductions so I commence.

Update 1: A Beginning

I went supply shopping yesterday and picked up several metal supplies:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00489.jpg
You can see there some sheet aluminum, and some angle. The angle looks really flimsy, which is what I thought when my dad suggested I use it, but once you have a complete shape this stuff is really strong. It's also easy to work with - I can cut it with snips, and solder it together - and it is dirt cheap at $4 CAD for 24 feet.

I also picked up the cheapest case I could find, and several fans, as well as a Zalman CNPS-9500A CPU cooler:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00490.jpg

The first thing I did with this build was actually learn to solder the angle:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00491.jpg
Not the most attractive join in the world, but it's strong, took 3 minutes to do, and you won't even see it with the sides on.

And now the main reason for me doing this build; my current case:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00492.jpg
As you can see by the horrible tangle of wires inside, there is almost no room for anything in this case, and because of this it's 45 C inside with the side panel on.

So here is the new victim, the cheapo case I bought for this build:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00493.jpg
It's not a horrible looking case. I almost feel guilty for the fact that I'll be destroying it.

Once I got the side panels off I knew I had some work to do to dismantle this thing:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00494.jpg
I have never seen more rivets in my life.

But I got them all out:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00495.jpg
And I also got some USB and audio ports, as well as switches. Nice.

With the case apart I proceeded to begin making the frame for this case:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00496.jpg
I checked every angle and side length to verify that it was all correct.

I have no work pictures for the side frame, I was to busy working to get my camera out, so here is one finished side:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00497.jpg
If you look closely you'll see that I was off by the slightest with one of my angles, so the top slopes down at about 3 degrees. But it's not noticeable and it could work, so I'll leave it as it is, and make the second identical to it.

Once again with no work photos, here is the second side sitting with the first:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00498.jpg
I just could not get them to stand up straight.

Anyway, the mobo tray is far to big for my case:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00499.jpg
So I marked off my cuts.

And then set out with a grinder:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00500.jpg
Much better, but it still needs some work.

So I grinded, and filed those edges smooth, and test fitted it into my frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00501.jpg
Perfect fit :)

Well that's all the work I've done so far. I'll probably have another update ready in a few hours, I want to get the sides of the frame together tonight.

Cheers

[FrooP]

love design

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9368

:think:

[Tavarin]

@FrooP - I hadn't seen that worklog before, but now that I see it, they are fairly similar. Mine's going to be shorter and have a different front style, however.

Update 2 - Frame and Frustration

As I said I wanted to get the two sides of the frame together, and I have finished that, with a large amount of frustration.

I started by marking some angle in 9 inch increments:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00502.jpg

Cut one out:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00503.jpg

And made 4 more:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00504.jpg
Some had to be bent to make them the correct angles for the front.

I tried soldering the new pieces to the existing sides, but that was horrible. It required three clamps, a ton of solder, and nearly ruined the existing join of the side. So I decided to take a different approach. Superglue:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00505.jpg
So much easier, and far prettier. You can see the soldering job on the left piece, it's horrible, and took a long time.

I did this for all the corners on both sides, and then discovered a wee bit of a problem:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00509.jpg
GAH! Frustration! :mad: the whole frame is on a horrible angle.

So I had to remove every crossbeam and try again - which gave me great confidence in the holding power of superglue; it took a lot of effort to get those off. So here's the process of me redoing it all:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00510.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00511.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00512.jpg
That's a lot of clamps. This time I used protractors, rulers, and guide lines to ensure every corner was at a proper 90 degrees.

But it is finally finished, and rather strong:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00513.jpg
It's all straight, I had to put a small spacer in the top right corner to ensure that, but it worked.

As you can see I put a can of coke in several pictures to give you a general idea of the size of this frame.

Here's a last picture of the faceplate from the original case next to the new frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00514.jpg
My new frame is considerably shorter.

Anyway, now that I have the frame complete I shall begin working on the siding. I'll update as soon as I've managed to get some progress done.

Cheers.

[blueonblack]

Wow, lots of work, but looks like it will be a solid case when it's done. Watching this one. :)
________
Vapir Air One (http://vaporizers.net/vapir-air-one)

[Braveheart]

i see a CO2 tank in one of the pictures, do you play paintball?

[Tavarin]

@blueonblack - Thanks for the support, I'll do my best to udate often.

@Braveheart - No I don't play paintball. A friend of mine left that tank at my house so I decided to use it as a weight in one of the corners. I also used a lava lamp. But I do play Air Soft, which is similar.

Update 3 - The bays

I know I mentioned earlier that I was going to start work on the siding, but then I realized, what's the point of siding if you don't have any drive bays in the case. So I decided that I'd spend the last 2 days making those bays.

If you look at my original sketchup's you'll notice that the 5.25" drive bays are offset. But they don't sell bays that are shaped like that. So I had to make my own.

I began by carefully measuring, and preparing on a sheet of steel:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00518.jpg
On the sheet of paper is my little version, and on the metal the full size plan.

When I started to prepare to make the holes to hold the drives I realized the design was too short. So I made it bigger and then drilled the holes:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00519.jpg
That took a while.

Of course I had to test fit all the holes to ensure that the drive would actually fit before I started cutting:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00520.jpg
Well it did :)

So I began with the Cutting:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00522.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00523.jpg
I am really glad I own a grinder, it only took 10 minutes to cut that out.

Next I had to bend the sheet into form:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00524.jpg
I did this with my highly sophisticated bending mechanism. Can anyone guess how it works?

And I once again test fitted a drive:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00525.jpg
You'll notice that this is very tall.

That's because I will bend those flaps on the top down so I can attach this to my frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00526.jpg
Not the prettiest thing in the world, but it works.

And here it is actually in the frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00528.jpg
Fits nicely :)

Of course one very important feature of drive bays are tabs to hold the drives in place:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00531.jpg
So I cut a few out.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00532.jpg
Look mommy, no screws!

And now it is time for the 3.5" drive bays. The ones that came with the case were just fine. So a little bit of super glue:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00533.jpg

And some bolts to hold it all together:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00534.jpg
None of these bolts get in the way of any drives; I tested.

I also drilled some holes into those lips on the 5.25" bays, and to the base so I could attach it to the frame using bolts:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00535.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00536.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00537.jpg
And they're done :) You'll also notice a small piece of aluminum in front of the 3.5" bays. That's to keep the open side at the right size when I have the drives in.

So a fair amount of work and time later I finished making the drive bays. Of course they're rather ugly, so my next step is tp prime and paint them. They'll be a matte black with a white tribal design on the side of the 5.25" bay. I shall make it look nice.

Thanks for reading this update, I hope I can get this thing actually looking at least moderatly attractive soon so I can do TBCS proud.

Cheers

[ShadowNyfe]

very nice work for not using some of the bigger and fancier tools that the pro modders here are using :] I'll be keeping an eye on this also.

[Tavarin]

@ShadowNyfe - Thanks. I'm moving soon so my dad took most of our larger tools - the drill press, and band saw etc - so I've been doing it all pretty much by hand.

Update 4 - Paint and Panel

I said in my last update that I wanted to paint the drive bays to make them look good. Well that's the first thing I did for this update.

So I gave the bays a matte black base coat:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00538.jpg
Looking better already.

But that's far too plain, so I made a stencil of a design I drew up:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00540.jpg
A neat design.

The design will be in white, so here's how it should look:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00541.jpg
Better.

But alas, since I lack white spray paint, the stencil failed. So I made the same design on the side by hand:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00542.jpg
Not as good as it would have been with the stencil, but not bad.

And here they are in the frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00543.jpg
Better than before.

I also decided to make, or at least start to make, the front panel of the case today.

So I drew out my plans on some sheet steel:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00544.jpg
The reason for the sides having two lines is because I'll be bending over the sides to go around the frame.

To make the fan guard on the front I just drilled holes directly into the metal:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00545.jpg
Way too many holes. I also made the holes for the USB and foreward audio.

Since everything actually fit, I cut out the shape:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00547.jpg
I don't know what I'd do without my grinder.

So I bent the panel and test fitted it to my frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00548.jpg
Fits.

And then I attached the front ports with some brackets I made, attached the fan, tampered with the frame, and refitted the panel:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00549.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00550.jpg
Nice :)

Well I'm not nearly done with this panel, but that's all I'm working on this for today. I still have to make power and reset buttons, and LED holes in the front, and then actually attach this panel to the frame with some form of tabs so i can get it off easily.

At this point it is a functional case, but we don't settle for functional.

That's all for today.

Cheers

[jdbnsn]

can you post a large, flat image of the symbol you want in your header?

[Tavarin]

Here's one

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/Tavarin-1.png

[billygoat333]

looks like this is coming along nicely!

[Eclecticos]

Not as good as it would have been with the stencil, but not bad. Looks like you made a stencil its the reverse of the cutout. I think it would look better if you outlined it with a permanent marker or made a outline with an engraver.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Very nice sketchups, nice work. I'll be watching this.

[Tavarin]

Thanks for the support. More incentive to work on this.

@Eclecticos - I may try outlining it. If anything it would look nicer with a cleaner edge.

Update 5 - Just a Small Update

Not too much work was done today, but it was important work. I began to attach the motherboard try and back panel to the frame. I haven't finished this yet since I don't have all the supplies I need to do it at the moment, but I'll get it fully attached preferably before next week.

Also, I took out the drive bays, and front panel for today so I wouldn't damage them, so this is just the frame.

The cross beam at the rear top wasn't working out so well. It turned out that this beam was sitting too high for me too just trim it and put in the power supply. What I originally want to do was to cut out a small chunk of the beam and have it frame the power supply, but in order to fit the supply in with the back panel I'd have to completely cut through the beam.
So I tore it off and began to prepare a new beam, one that would sit further forward:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00551.jpg
That's the nine inch segment of bar I'll be using for the cross beam with holes marked for me to drill.

Well here it is attached to the frame. I positioned it 6.5", or 16 cm from the rear of the frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00552.jpg
This gives me clearance for a standard PSU, including the 650W Cooler Master PSU I'm going to be using in this system. And If I get a larger PSU, there's plenty of holes in the frame, so I can just move it forward, since it's bolted in place.

I also bolted the bottom of the rear panel to the base of the frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00554.jpg
I also had to bolt the corner since the glue decided to give up.

Yay, but the cross beam caused some problems. The mobo tray couldn't fit under it, so I marked off a segment for grinding:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00555.jpg
I don't have any images of the final product, but it fits.

Finally I made a wood block to attach the mobo tray to the frame, and to support it:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00560.jpg
I used wood because it's strong, easy to work with, and is nice and thick. Also, it won't be seen much, so it shouldn't be a problem.

I will bolt through that wood to hold the mobo tray in place, but I need to go and get some 1" bolts, which I don't have. And since there is not enough room to bolt or rivet the rear panel to the frame on the back, I'll use epoxy to stick it on, also something I have to go buy.

So that's the work I did. I also wanted to make my to do list:

To Do

- Finish installing mobo tray
- Make power and reset buttons on front panel
- Make the rest of the paneling (bottom, top, and sides)
- Figure out how to hinge front door system
- Make front door system
- Make fan holes wherever needed
- Make windows
- Install lighting system

And probably a lot else I'm forgetting at the moment.

So I have a fair bit of work ahead of me, but I'll enjoy doing it.

Also, I got a new goodie today:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00558.jpg
A big piece of 5mm smoked plexi courtesy of my dads garage. I can use this for the drive bay doors, the power / reset buttons, and some other windowing.

So that's it for tonight. Sorry it's a small update, but I know how much you guys like to be kept up to date. It's my March break now so I should have a lot of building time, so if I get the rest of my supplies together I should get a lot of work done next week.

Cheers

[jdbnsn]

header added, though it's not very elaborate. I may try something else later.

[Tavarin]

Thanks for the new header, it looks good.

All right, I don't have an update for today, more an announcement of my plans for this build.
I have found it to be frustratingly difficult to create slide off panels that will actually attach to this frame I've made. The material used on the frame is far too malleable. It just twists and bends, and breaks apart whenever I attempt to modify it or attach a panel. So I shall be making an entirely new frame, this time out of proper 1" angle. I will be purchasing this angle tomorrow, and since I have the week off, should be done the frame on Tuesday. The angle will probably be 1.5 - 2mm thick, and aluminum if I can find it. Otherwise I'll use steel. It will be held together with 3/16" rivets, so should be nice and strong.

Today wasn't a total waste, I did do some supply shopping. I picked up some high quality dremel blades, sand paper, files, epoxy, rivets and rivet gun, and some other stuff that will be necessary in this build.

Not all the work I have done so far will have been a waste either. The drive bays I made will still be used, and remain the same, and the front panel should be salvageable. I do not want to drill all those holes again. Of course remaking this frame will also benefit this build. The current frame is ugly as sin. The new one should be far more attractive, and far stronger.

So I apologize to those who have been watching this build, but the new frame will be even better. So with a little patience, on my side, this will be a good turn of events.

Cheers

[Tavarin]

Update 6 - A New Frame

Sorry for my silence, but the work I did took a lot longer than I thought it would
As was stated in my previous post I decided to redo the frame. Well a few days ago I purchased some aluminum angle. It's 1" X 1" X 1/8". Beautiful quality stuff, but it was a huge rip-off. It cost $4 per foot, and I bought 24 feet, so I'm hugely invested in this case now.

So I prepared the first bar:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00571.jpg
This is one of the bars for the base; the longest piece in the frame.

Well I didn't want to bore you with a picture of each piece I cut out, so here's all of them together:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00575.jpg
That took a LOT of hours to complete; far too many hours. This stuff is hard to work with, and I had to do every cut with a hack saw to boot. But I got them all cut out. One major problem was the fact that I lost my protractor. I had to prepare every angle using trigonometry (thank you math class), and I was never sure of it was correct. So there are several defects in the corners with angles and such, leading to some gaps, but I'm not worried about those.

And so we commence with the assembly. I glued each part together first, then drilled out the holes for rivets, and finally riveted the frame together:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00576.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00577.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00578.jpg
Now that's a frame I can be proud of.

And here is the new frame (right) next to the old one (left):

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00579.jpg
So, so very much better. Now I'm actually happy with this project :)

Now the frame needs it's back panel and mobo tray. But the ones I have were too big and needed a bit more trimming:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00580.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00581.jpg
Now it will actually fit.

So some boring work later I attached the mobo tray (with rivets) and the drive bays (with bolts) to the frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00582.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00583.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00584.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00585.jpg
It's gorgeous. A work to do TBCS proud. And I still have 6 feet of angle left.

But that's not all I did. I also prepared the front panel from the one I previously made:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00587.jpg
As you can see it is far too big.

So I trimmed it:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00588.jpg
So now it fits. I had to remake the holes for the audio and USB, but that was easy.

So here it is with the fan and front ports attached:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00590.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00592.jpg
Since the gap behind the front panel is actually slightly shorter than a 120mm fan, I used the fan to hold the front panel on. It fits like a charm, and I don't have to drill any more holes :)

I decided to hook the fan up to my current computer to show you what this will look like:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00589.jpg
Now that is sexy.

And after 3 days, and more work than I care to think about, I have a new frame, with all the fixing attached. Now all I have to do is make the rest of the panels, and mount the power and reset buttons. I'm thinking I shall mount them on angle beside the drive bays, facing forward, like so:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/PowerPlan.jpg
Crappy photo, but it gives you the general idea.

So that's what I have now. I really wish I had a better camera, but I'm stuck using the one in my cell phone. I hope the shoddy picture quality doesn't turn you off this build.

To Do

- Make power and reset buttons
- Make the rest of the paneling (bottom, top, and sides)
- Make front door system
- hinge front door system
- Make fan holes wherever needed
- Make windows
- Install lighting system

Cheers

[p0Pe]

new frame is so much better:D

[fate]

i may have missed this, or maybe you just didnt need to say it. One thing i'm thinking is the mobo tray aligned so that when risers and what not on there the back of the mobo its self will fall into the back panel correctly. Probally worth checking it still fits :D Last thing you need is to try and install hardware and find it's off by a few mm :X

[The boy 4rm oz]

Looks much better than the original frame, nice work.

[Xperiment]

new frame is so much better:D

Agreed, great work!

[Lord Ned]

Interesting, I'll have to watch this. I'm doing a frame similar in my build, and I don't know what to use for the frame. (Like what type of metal)

Let me know if this gets any easier to work with.

[Tavarin]

@pOPe, The boy 4rm oz, and Xperiment - Yah, I am so much happier with this frame. The last one was made more on a whim, this one I was very serious.

@fate - I did think of that, fortunately the riser I made is only glued in. Strong enough to hold everything, but I can get it off to make adjustments if it turns out to be off.

@Lord Ned - It not that it's that hard to work with, it's just that did all of that work with a hand saw, making it far harder than it would have been with power tools. I would definitely recommend this stuff, it's strong and lightweight.

Update 7 - The Top

So today I got the top of this system finished up. This included fitting in the power supply, and making the top panel.

So I tried fitting in a power supply:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00593.jpg
As you may be able to see the screw holes don't exactly line up. Also this is just a spare power supply, not the one I'll actually be using.

So I did a bit of filing and expanded the holes for the power supply, and voila:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00595.jpg
It fits like a charm. Once again, I am not using this ugly old power supply, it just happens to be the same size as the one I plan to use.

So I also said that I made the top panel.
Well that began with me marking out the cuts I had to make on some sheet aluminum:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00597.jpg
The smaller holes will be for my Zune dock, and the larger for that 120mm fan.

So I cut out the panel, and the fan hole, and test fitted it into the frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00600.jpg
Not too shabby. I'll make it look prettier later. I also need to get a good looking fan guard. I am not good enough with metal to make my own.

And I commenced with cutting the Zune dock hole:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00601.jpg
Since I am not blessed with a hole saw or drill bit large enough I had to use a small drill and cut out around a circle. It was not pretty.

But I filed it down and made that dock fit:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00602.jpg
It's a tight squeeze which means I don't have to bother making a support for it. Yay for the easy way out!

As you probably know sheet aluminum is rather flimsy stuff. So I added some support beams to the bottom of the panel:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00603.jpg
I may put some on the outside as well, cause those look pretty good.

And voila, here is the case as far as I have gotten:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00604.jpg
Not too shabby. I still need to add a few more screws to secure the top panel, but that can wait, gravity is on my side.

And as always my trusty to do list

To Do

- Make power and reset buttons
- Make the rest of the paneling (bottom, and sides)
- Make front door system
- hinge front door system
- Make fan holes wherever needed
- Make windows
- Install lighting system

Thanks for reading. I hope to have another update soon.

Cheers

[Lord Ned]

Looking good, nice idea to intergrate the zune dock.

[Tavarin]

@Lord Ned - Thanks

Update 8 - More Panels

Well it's been a while since I updated, real life was calling me. Since March Break ended a week ago, I've had a few unit tests, and some projects due in school, leaving me no time to mod. But I had today off since it's good Friday.

First thing's first, I got some goodies in the mail from Frozen CPU last night. Here they are:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00606.jpg
From left to right we have fan extension cables, black wire sleeving, a cold-cathode light tube (blue), and an Aerocool FP-01.

Here's a close up of the FP-01:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00607.jpg
This thing is pretty cool. It's a 55 in 1 card reader, had front USB and e-Sata, 3 temperature monitors that can be placed anywhere in a case, and is a fan controller. This is all done through a flip out LCD screen. I can't wait to get this thing running, and it will be a great addition to my computer.

As for building I made the bottom panel of this case.

I started with the panel I had made for the previous frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00608.jpg
This thing is too wide.

So I bent in the excess on each side:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00609.jpg
This was to add strength and stability, as well as to all me to make tabs for sliding it in.

Here's it on the case:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00610.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00611.jpg
The panel slides in and out easily, which will be necessary to swap hard drives, and it wants to stay on without any screws.

I also cut out these three bars for the top panel:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00612.jpg
These should look cool.

So I used Epoxy to attach them to the panel:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00613.jpg

I also added on some offset pieces underneath to hold the panel down without the need for more screws:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00614.jpg

And here it is, all pretty:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00615.jpg
It looks pretty good.

I'm going to fill in any gaps in the corners of the frame with green stuff (epoxy putty, which modelers will be aware of) and then I'm going to paint the frame a matte black all over, and the I'll paint the panels. I'm not sure what colour I should paint the panels, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I'm open to input.

To Do

- Make power and reset buttons
- Make the rest of the paneling (sides)
- Make front door system
- Paint frame and panels
- hinge front door system
- Make fan holes wherever needed
- Make windows
- Install lighting system

I should have another update in the next couple days.

Cheers

[The boy 4rm oz]

Looks very nice but fix that fan hole up on top.
Get some of this, it works great.
Linky:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=189

[Tavarin]

I am most definitely not done with the top panel. My intention is to put a nice fan guard on the top, I just haven't purchased one yet. I want to get all the sides and components made first, then I'll set about making this case look good.

[The boy 4rm oz]

I am most definitely not done with the top panel. My intention is to put a nice fan guard on the top, I just haven't purchased one yet. I want to get all the sides and components made first, then I'll set about making this case look good.

Fair enough.

[Tavarin]

Sorry if I sounded a little condescending there, I meant nothing by it.
Thanks for the link though, I might be able to use that to edge the panels, make them look cleaner.

[scar~face]

good stuff man, looks alot better with the better frame

[The boy 4rm oz]

Don't worry mate, I knew what you meant.

[Tavarin]

Update 9 - The Side Panel

It has been a little while since I last spoke, and that was because I had a few minor set backs. I was originally planning on having this update ready 2 days ago, but I accidentally measured and cut the panel wrong, and lost a day work.

So I have this sheet of 5mm thick smoked black plexi:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00616.jpg
It's the same width as the hole I need the side panel to fill.

So what are my plans for this plexi. Well that should be obvious now. I shall use it to make my side panel, and since it's so thick I won't need to border it with metal, or reinforce it.

I mentioned that I botched my first attempt at making this panel. Well you know the saying, measure twice cut once. I didn't follow it, and one of my sides ended up being 1 cm too short. So I'll use that piece to make all my future windows, and I'll make a new panel entirely.

So this time I marked and measured several times:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00622.jpg
See the cut from my previous attempt?

And I used a small hack saw to cut it out:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00623.jpg
It's a little too big.

So I proceeded to file and sand the edges of this panel for 2 hours. I started with a heavy file, moved to a fine file, then 150 grit, 220 grit, 600, and finally 1500. I did not take any pictures of this long arduous process, but here is the result:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00626.jpg
It still doesn't quite fit.

Before I proceeded with more filing and sanding, I decided to make the supports tht will keep this panel from falling inward:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00630.jpg
There will be one in each corner. The long strip will bridge the corner, and the small squares will be a spacer between the frame and support, since the panel is 1 mm wider then the frame.

And here they are being glued into place:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00631.jpg
Turns out the drive bays are in the way of the top right corner support. Bu the bays themselves act as a support, so it won't be a problem.

And then after another hour of filing and sanding the side panel fit:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00632.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00633.jpg
It's almost flush with the frame, which is exactly how I want it.

I also wanted to show everyone my plans for the cold cathode tube.

Here is where it will be located in the frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00634.jpg
And here is where I'll probably mount the switch (beside where I plan to put the power and reset buttons):

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00635.jpg

And now some shots of the case taken with a decent camera:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/P1000904.jpg
With flash.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/P1000905.jpg
Without Flash. I really need to polish out that surface blemish on the panel.

I have yet to figure out a simple system to hold the panel in place at the back, while still making it very easy to remove the panel (ie. no screws). Any suggestions?

Now you can see all the imperfections I see. Which brings me to ask, will bondo stick to metal? And if so, where can I purchase said bondo? I want to fill all the small corner gaps with the stuff, and then paint the frame a matte black.

Well that's my update for today, so as always, my to do list.

To Do

- Make power and reset buttons
- Make the rest of the paneling (reverse side)
- Make easy open holding system for side panel
- Make front door system
- Paint frame and panels
- hinge front door system
- Make fan holes wherever needed
- Make windows
- Install lighting system

Augh, my to do list is getting longer.

That's all for today, I hope to have another update soon.

Cheers.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Looking good.

[BigJohnson]

Bondo was made for metal. Its orignal use was to fill in holes created by rust in cars. It'll work just fine.

[vastonecat]

Here you go all things Bondo. enjoy!

http://www.3m.com/US/auto_marine_aero/Bondo/

[Darth Dad]

Now that's what I call a window!:up:
+rep for your small, understated window.:D

[Tavarin]

Thanks for the compliments.

And I did not know all that about bondo, I had only heard of it from this site before. I'll probably pick some up on my next trip to the hardware store.

Update 10 - Front Door

So one thing that this case needed was a front door. I decided to make it similar to the side panel, in that it would be one piece of black plexi.

So I cut an appropriately sized hinge:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00638.jpg
It's so very shiny.

Then I measured and marked out the piece of plexi:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00639.jpg
I ran out of masking tape.

And cut it out:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00640.jpg
Those are some ugly cuts. I made them with a hacksaw that had 5" clearance, since i have no power saws to my name. So the cuts are really bad.

Which of course meant a lot of filing and sanding. But file and sand I did.

And here's how it fitted after all that sanding:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00641.jpg

So I glued the hinge in place:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00642.jpg
this will be to hold it until I put in rivets.

And bolted the plexi through the hinge:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00643.jpg
Closed.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00644.jpg
Open.

This door will be spring loaded once I find a spring of the correct size. I'm thinking of using one out of a mouse trap.
So with the spring loading in mind I made a quick little door latch:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00645.jpg
This just turns to hold the door closed, and open it quickly.

So to finish off this door I need to find a spring for it. Then I can move on to making the last of the panels, and painting the rig.

To Do

- Make power and reset buttons
- Make the rest of the paneling (reverse side)
- Make easy open holding system for side panel
- Paint frame and panels
- Make fan holes wherever needed

Woohoo, knocked a bunch off the list.

Cheers

[The boy 4rm oz]

That door looks cool, keep it up.

[Gun Down]

Looks good man thats a true case mod right there

[Xperiment]

The window/side panel came out really nice, keep it up!

[Tavarin]

You guys and your kind words keep me going with this mod

Update 11 - Working On The Front

So it's time for me to update. i didn't do much work the last couple days, but today I got some supplies and put them to use.

The work I did a couple days ago, without updating, was to make some holes for the power and reset switches as well as the HDD LED.

So the first thing I did was to mark out the holes I had to cut:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00646.jpg
The top two are 1/2" for the switches, and the bottom 3/16" for the LED.

And after what happened to be far harder than I had predicted, the holes were made:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00647.jpg
I first cut a 1/4" guide hole in the center of the two larger holes, then took a 1/2" bit to enlarge the holes.

And then I test fitted the switches and LED:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00648.jpg
They fit. Too bad I can't attach them until after I paint the frame.

Anyway, as I said earlier I got some supplies today:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00650.jpg
Mouse traps, for their springs, and some bonding paste, which is like bondo, only it cures faster.

So I dismantled a mousetrap, took the spring and lever, and bent it to a shape I could use:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00652.jpg
This shape will allow me to mount the spring to the frame.

And for my next process I have no WIP picks. Sorry I just forgot to take them.

First I took a piece of steel and cut it to fit inside the frame. This would be to hold the spring in place. I drilled 2 holes for rivets through the hinge and frame and steel to hold it together with the spring and mount between the steel and frame. I then riveted the pieces together.

Here are the pics of what that ended up looking like:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00654.jpg
The front.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00656.jpg
The back. As you can see the bar the spring is attached to extends out behind the steel and bends around. This is to prevent it from being pulled out.

The I discovered that two rivets weren't enough and the steel was flexing with the spring. So I drilled two more holes, and added in the rivets to reinforce the steel. The rig works like a charm, and the door opens very quickly:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00657.jpg
Open, and held so by the spring.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00658.jpg
Closed, being held that way by the steel latch.

So I once again borrowed my mom's good camera and took some high quality photos of the case:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/P1000981.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/P1000982.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/P1000983.jpg

So although it wasn't a huge amount of work it was very necessary, and quite useful. My next step is to remake the support for the motherboard tray, and then to make the reverse side panel from sheet aluminum. Then I will fill the gaps in the corners of the frame, followed by painting the frame. Then I'll continue on with my trusty to do list.

To Do

- Make new support for mobo tray
- Bondo and paint frame
- Make power and reset buttons
- Make the rest of the paneling (reverse side)
- Make easy open holding system for side panel
- Paint frame and panels
- Make fan holes wherever needed

Thanks for reading, and I hope to be done this build in under two weeks.

Cheers.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Looking great. Can I just say one thing, poor poor pool table lol.

[DonT-FeaR]

yeah i was thinking the same think snap lol

[vastonecat]

Looking great. Can I just say one thing, poor poor pool table lol.

Don't woory Im sure he will find a way to mod it later and make it look SWEEEEET!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Will need a whole new felt. Oh the stains.

[Tavarin]

The table's needed new felt for a while now, but my dad doesn't want to replace it until we move. So until then it's my modding table. I suggested we use jet black felt on it.

[The boy 4rm oz]

My uncle has blue felt with white lines. Looks fantastic.

[Tavarin]

Sounds like it would look really nice.

Update 12 - Finishing The Frame

So as the title states I spent the last couple days finishing up the frame of my case. The frame still isn't completely done, but it's 95% complete.

Anyway the first thing I did was fill all the gaps in the frames corners with PC bonding putty. I didn't bother taking any pictures of this since the putty dries a dark gray, and you wouldn't be able to see it in any pictures.

Then I set about making the support beam for the mobo tray. First I went to my favourite store for modding supplies, Canadian Tire, and picked up these:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00660.jpg
Two pieces if 3' aluminum flat bar at a cost of only $8.

So I set about cutting the flat bar to size:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00661.jpg
The two long pieces will make up the vertical bars, and the small pieces will act as spacers.

I glued the spacers together, 3 wide:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00662.jpg
Did this just with super glue.

The I attached them to the vertical bars:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00663.jpg
One spacer on each end, and one in the middle.

And after filing the end down flat I was left with this:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00664.jpg
This shall work.

And stuck it in place using the PC bonding putty, which makes a good adhesive:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00665.jpg
I own so many clamps now.

This is the result of that work:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00667.jpg
It's the exact right size.

Now the reason that all the panels were removed in those pictures is because my next step was to prime and paint the frame.

Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the frame when it was just primed, I forgot, but I took a picture with only a little paint on it:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00668.jpg
Halfway through my first coat of paint.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00669.jpg
Painted the bottom.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00670.jpg
Second coat of paint.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00671.jpg
Third and final coat of paint. It was such a nice day out.

I then assembled the pieces and took some glamour shots of the case. I also had to fix some small scratches in the paint with some warhammer paint.

Enjoy:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00672.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00673.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00674.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00675.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00676.jpg
Well that's how it looks right now. It's finally starting to look like a nice case.

The reason I said that I was only 95% done the frame is because the supports for the plexi panel keep breaking off, so I have to drill through them and bolt them in place. I also spotted a few more blemishes in the paint that I have to patch up.

To Do

- Make power and reset buttons
- Make the rest of the paneling (reverse side)
- Make easy open holding system for side panel
- Paint panels
- Make fan holes wherever needed

Once again thanks for reading.

Cheers

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice work, and paint.

[DonT-FeaR]

i have to say bloody nice work its very abnormal thats why its kool

[Tavarin]

Thanks guys, I'm finally starting to get proud of this build.

Update 13 - Another Panel

I got a fair amount of work in the last few days. I wanted to have this update ready for last night, but I had to compete in a video competition and didn't get home until quite late.

Anyway, the first order of business for me was to attach the switches I have to the frame:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00679.jpg
I used epoxy. I also glued the panel supports in for the last time, I have a plan for them.

I also want two fans to go on the plexi side panel. Well I made one hole for now, because I have to see how much room I have with my hardware mounted. I used a big drill like circle cutter to make a 120mm hole in the plexi:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00680.jpg
A few mistakes, but a fan guard can cover those up.

I then drilled four more holes, for each screw, and mounted the fan:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00681.jpg
This fan is going to physically sit right above the CPU, and will be pulling air in.

The next order of business for me was to make the other side panel.
First I mapped out the cuts and bends that needed doing on the side of some sheet aluminum:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00682.jpg
You may not be able to make sense of it, but I can.

I then made all the cuts with an angle grinder:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00683.jpg
It probably makes sense now.

And then bent the sides in over the black lines, to reinforce this panel:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00684.jpg
And now I have another panel.

Well this panel needs some corner supports so I cut out three triangles of steel:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00685.jpg
Yay I love triangles.

And used a LOT of epoxy to stick them in place:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00686.jpg
A lot of clamps to.

And then a test fit of the panel:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00687.jpg
The panel arches out in the center, which is a good thing. It means I only need to put screws to hold the panel in place at the center, and it will stay there.

So I drilled some holes and, since I lack a tool to thread holes, glues some bolts behind the holes:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00688.jpg
This is my first attempt, with superglue.

But the superglue didn't hold. Neither did epoxy. So I used some bonding putty and surrounded the bold with them, which held them perfectly to the frame.

Anyway, I mounted the side panel to the frame with two bolts:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00689.jpg
Yes, it looks good.

And here's a picture of the other side panel, now with a fan:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/DSC00690.jpg
Looks pretty good to me. Also I mentioned that I was gluing the supports on for the last time. That's because I drilled holes though them and the frame, and bolted them in place. you can see all the bolts in the previous picture.

So now I need to get some fan guards for the side panel, and the top panel fans.
Also, since I have everything I need to build for the frame built, I shall move my computer system over to it tomorrow, and give it a test run.

After I have my system in I'll make some actual buttons for the switches using some of the black plexi. Then I'll give the reverse side panel a nice paint job. Then I should be done.

To Do

- Make power and reset buttons
- Paint panels
- Make last fan hole in side panel
- Get fan guards

Thanks once again for reading.

Cheers

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice clean fan hole. Please tell me your leaving that side panel silver, it looks so god damned awesome. A bit of polish and it would look even better.

[Tavarin]

That panel will stay mostly silver. I'm thinking of painting a smallish black tribal logo on the center of the panel, but the rest will stay silver.

[Tavarin]

Well I've moved my system over to this case, and it looks good. I'll post pictures of it tomorrow, since I just picked up a new Canon PowerShot A720 IS, of which I'll do a review in a few days if no one has already.

Anyway I did run into a problem though, which I have posted in the mobo section and the cooling section of this site.

Pretty much all of the fan ports (inputs) on my motherboard, but the CPU fan, have stopped working. They are not powering the fans when I plug them in. I have an Asus M2N SLI-Deluxe motherboard, and the 16 vold resistor (transistor, whichever is a brown cylinder) in front of the first PCI E port has broken off (it was crushed by my video card). I pushed it back into place but I'm not sure if I made contact. This could be what's causing the problem.

Anyways, if anyone knows why all the fan ports on the M2N SLI Deluxe mobo stop working, then please help.

Anyway, the update is coming.

Cheers

[scar~face]

that really sucks man

[Tavarin]

It does suck, a lot, but I've found some temporary solutions to keep all my fans running.

Update 14 - Moving In

So as I mentioned in the previous posts I moved everything over from my old case into this fresh new case. I did run into some trouble, as stated in my previous post also, but it has been dealt with (sort of).

Anyway here is my computer from the side:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6469.jpg
I need to sleeve some of those cables. But contrary to how it looks, I have cabled this in an organized mess.

And I do so love having an easily removable bottom panel:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6470.jpg
It's so easy to access my motherboard's bottom inputs. And the molex covered in electrical tape is actually powering my rear 80mm fan.

And here is how I'm powering my Zune dock:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6471.jpg
I had some USB ports that are supposed to be mounted in the back, but decided to glue them to the bottom of the drive bays. This made it so I didn't have to route a cable from the outside, and now I have another place in case I decide to make another dock.

I also had to mod my top panel a bit to make room for the extra large bundle of cables exiting my power supply:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6464.jpg
Cut out a hole, and remounted the bars.

And here it is in place:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6465.jpg

You can also see in those pictures that I was painting a skullcandy logo onto the power supply using their stencil. It didn't turn out as well as I had hoped:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6466.jpg
But it still looks kind of cool, so I'll leave it like that for now.

So I plugged in the system and started it running so you could all see it powered on:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6472.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6473.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6474.jpg
You may be able to see the switch for my cold cathode tube. It's mounted on the back of the frame behind the door, for easy access. It's the little red square on the left.

And in the dark:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6475.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6476.jpg

And my CPU is now running much cooler than it was in my previous case. In this case it's running 35 C on idle and 40 C under load. My previous case was around 48 C idle and 55 C under load. So a very nice improvement.

So this case is turning out rather well in my opinion. But I still have some things to do.

To Do

- Make power and reset buttons
- Paint panels (might do this)
- Make last fan hole in side panel
- Get fan guards

Thanks for reading

Cheers

[Tarenmor]

Looks amazing. +rep.

Personally I like how the light inside isn't super brite. It's nice and dark. When it's sitting on your desk, you can look at it in the dark and not be blinded. >D Very awesome.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Messy, nice lighting though.

[Tavarin]

All right, I haven't had much time to work on this case the last week.Right now I am in the process of moving. Unfortunately until I graduate in 2 months I have to live in a motel near my school, so I won't have any room to mod. After that however I am moving to an apartment in downtown Toronto where there is room to mod, and a big balcony where I can use power tools.

So I still have things left on my to do, but right now I haven't the time to do them. So it will be some time before there is another official update, and I am sorry to the people watching this log.

But I have two questions right now I was hoping you guys might be able to answer.

1) Does anyone know of any good fan guards that I could order online, and have delivered to Canada, that would suit my case?

2) Is there a way to cut a perfect circle out of a thick piece of plexi using a drill? I don't have a jig saw, and the plexi is too strong to sand down from a square into a circle.

Cheers and thanks in advance.

[b4i7]

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/TBCS_Group/Ichbin/Frontpage.jpg

congrats tavarin!

[Xtrykr]

hey! thats a real interesting design and a real interesting fabrication too! I have a question, what did you use to weld the angles together?

[Tavarin]

I have a question, what did you use to weld the angles together?

Actually I didn't weld them together at all. What I did was rivet the side bars to the cross beams, so the sides actually aren't attached to each other at all. It may sound like this would be weakening to the structure, but it's actually not. this frame is incredibly strong, and very light as well.

And thanks for the front page guys.

[Xtrykr]

Interesting, thanks!

[gntlkilr]

I got a questions, how heavy is that thing? and what are the measurements of the entire case? Its looks long as all get out. Either way, I love the way this is turning out.

[Tavarin]

I got a questions, how heavy is that thing? and what are the measurements of the entire case?

Well I'm not sure of the exact weight old the case. It feels about the same as the case that I bought for the mobo tray, so it's around the same weight as a standard ATX case. The aluminum turned out to be really light.

And the dimensions of the case are 24" (61cm) long, 14" or (35cm) tall (without the power supply) and 8.75" (21.5cm) wide. So it's more along the size of a case turned on it's side. I wanted the extra width as well so I could fit a fan over my CPU cooler.

[gntlkilr]

Ah, it just looks Ginormous. keep up the awesome work!

[Tavarin]

So I don't have an update, but I do have a rather amusing picture of my system for you all. As I mentioned in a previous post I'm moving, tonight actually, so last night my house was completely empty, no furniture at all. But like any true computer modder, my computer remained.

This is my room last night around 10 pm, right before I packed it:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6532.jpg
This is the last thing I packed, and for good reason; I needed to get some TBCS time in.

Cheers

[jdbnsn]

HAHAHAHHA! I totally understand man, last thing in the boxes, first thing set up in the new. I'm just as bad.

[The boy 4rm oz]

I also know what you mean lol. We are painting our house and I made sure my room would be last so I don't have to unplug my PC until the last second. Great to see it up and running mate, keep up the good work.

[Tavarin]

I am still alive, and so is my build. The system hadn't been worked on for the past several months since I spent that time moving, and working. It also housed my computer making working on it "riskier". But I grabbed a new case and power supply and moved the computer over so that System would once again be empty to work on.

Update 15 - New

So not really an update on the case itself, but an update on the components, and on my plans for System.

As I mentioned I bought a new PSU and Case:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6722.jpg
The PSU is a Tagan BZ800 and the case an Enermax Phoenix

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6723.jpg
The Tagan modular PSU. A very attractive PSU, and I am so far pleased with it.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6724.jpg
And the Case. I really like the monster fan on the side. this case will get modded in a future project once I'm done the system. For one thing it needs a window.

So here are the system and the Phoenix side by side:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6726.jpg
System is still a mess, something I hope the modular power supply will help with in the future.

So to keep cables organized I passed all of the phoenix's cables through the back:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6727.jpg
It was a tight fit but really helped with cable management.

Here are the parts, minus the motherboard:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6728.jpg
I will be replacing the video card with an Radeon 4870 X2. Also I will be picking up a velociraptor when I get the chance, and the cash.

So here is everything in the phoenix case:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6731.jpg
Not too messy, but given it's a mid tower I still expected to be tight on space.

But the computer wouldn't even turn on. Here's the reason:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6732.jpg
The 20 pin cable is missing the -5V cable, which my motherboard needs.

So, considering that that mobo had caused many problems and I just got paid, I got a new motherboard:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6736.jpg
Still in her packaging.

And out she comes:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6737.jpg
Isn't she beautiful, and crossfire enabled.

So the old mobo next to the new:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6738.jpg
Before.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6740.jpg
After.

I didn't take a picture of this board in the case since it looks very similar to the old mobo.
I had no trouble getting this running. just had to reinstall some drivers and validate Vista and I was good to go. No hard drive formatting or loss of data. Everything's perfect.
But I did take a picture of the system up and running:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6741.jpg
So that's where it sits right now.

As for the system case, it needs a lot of work. I have to reattach many of the supports that fell off, this time with bolts and rivets instead of glue. I'm also going to remake the front and top panels out of the same black plexi I used for the side panel. The aluminum doesn't fit in very well and isn't attractive. So I will begin that once I move my tools into my new apartment, of which I'll post pictures once I get everything sorted out.

Cheers and thanks for reading

Tavarin

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice new tech mate. Good to see this mod moving again.

[Tavarin]

Holy Nerdgasm Batman!!!

So I took a stroll on down to my favourite computer store, and gave up my entire last paycheck to get some very hot new hardware. What hardware you ask.

The Radeon HD 4870 X2!!!

So here it is in it's brand new box:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6763.jpg
Very Hot.

And opened:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6765.jpg
Nerdgasm! This was about the point that I almost had a heart attack in excitement.

So I opened up my system:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6766.jpg
The HD 2900 XT resides there. A very good card by the way.

And here the two cards are, side by side:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6767.jpg
Similar size, the 4870 is slightly longer.

And into the computer the new card goes:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6768.jpg
It fit, hooray.

So this wasn't really an update, just more of a show-case of my new bragging rights. I have yet to take this card for a spin, but it will be getting some Crysis tests tonight.

And if anyone is interested in the HD 2900 XT then let me know, it is for sale now at best offer.

Cheers

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice new card mate, it truly is a monster. I thought my 8800GTX was big at 28cm but that looks even bigger.

[DonT-FeaR]

wow thats huge

[Tavarin]

So I had some interesting results with Crysis. It started out at a playable frame rate with all setting on maximum. But as soon as I dropped some settings back to high the framerate dropped, and even if I put the settings to what they originally were the framerate never recovered. Very strange, there must be a bottle neck.

So I ran 3DMark Vantage to see if I could get some answers. Here's the results:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/System3DMark.png

Well as you can see the GPU score is quite good, no problems there. And beside it is the bottle neck. My CPU. Although this was a suspicion I had, I never thought that it would be such a bottle neck.

Can anyone give me any insight? I'm running the fastest AMD dual core processor with stock speeds (3.2 Ghz). Shouldn't this processor be faster?

Any insight would be well appreciated.

Cheers

[The boy 4rm oz]

I think that's the best you are going to do with a AMD.

[Tavarin]

Do you know what it is about AMD that causes these results. All the numbers for the processor (clock speed, cache, frequency) are the best you can get. Is it the drivers they make, or the architechture? This processor works amazingly with everything else, multi-tasking, animation, media. What causes some games to be crippled by them? Keep in mind that Crysis is the only game I've had trouble with. CoD 4, Mark of Chaos, Supreme Commander, and all the other games I play all run great on my computer.

[The boy 4rm oz]

You are probably only getting the lower score in Vantage because you are using a Duel Core. What's the score like on 3DMark06?

[Tavarin]

Haven't run it yet, I don't have a license for it.
I'm still just trying to figure out what is going on with Crysis, since on this computer with a 2900 XT it ran fine.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Use the free version of 3DMark06. The drop in score is probably driver related. Being a new card the drivers are still lacking on the performance side of things. AMD are probably got the card out as fast as they could and only gave minimal amounts of attention to the drivers. A new Catalyst driver was released yesterday, this may help you with your problem. I had the same sort of problem with my 8800GTX when it was first released. I had to wait for the drivers to mature a bit before I go maximum performance from the card.

[Tavarin]

Thanks, I'll try that out tonight.

[Acey]

Damn thats one good lookin card especially with that "Radeon" text on the side. Meh, can't even afford HD 2900 XT right now. Was thinking of getting Sapphire's HD2600XT since I don't game much nowadays but the airflow path (intake position at the back instead of front) is kinda inside out so didn't.

[Tavarin]

Well I haven't done this in a while, but I assure you I am alive. I'm currently at the University of Toronto studying Chemistry, so as you may be able to understand, I've been a bit pre-occupied to work on my computer.

Anyway, I haven't an update on my case progress, I still need to order some plexiglass before I can go about finishing that, but I do have an update as to my system configuration.

I present to you, a piece of great excess, my new processor:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6985.jpg
An AMD Phenom II X4 940. Clocked a 3.0 GHz quad core, with an 8mb cache. Not just excess, but power.

And, of course, my computer on it's side and wide open:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6986.jpg
I am well aware that I need to implement better cable management, but since this case is somewhat temporary I don't feel like clipping cables just yet, since the positions of my hardware will change.

As with most builds there is a cat attempting to play with this new hardware:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6987.jpg
that's my kitty Emma.

Cleaned off the cpu cooler:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6988.jpg
Clean enough

installed the new processor:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6989.jpg

And put the cooler on with a thin layer of thermal compound:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_6990.jpg

And that`s the end of my pictures, but not of my story.

My computer refused to boot. Of course this caused me great panic. I reinstalled my old processor and the computer booted as per normal. After a bit of digging around I realized that my mobo`s BIOS was outdated. So after some research online I figured out how to update my BIOS since the update utility refused to install on a 64bit system.

I then reinstalled the new processor, after all this annoying ordeal, and then heard the greatest beep of my life. The computer booted.

My 3dMark Vantage score pretty much doubled it`s previous score, although it was still lower than I expected. So I ran my own benchmark, namely Crysis. I was able to increase all the settings from high to very high, and increase the anti-aliasing to 8 times, while still achieving playable frame rates. Oh it is most glorious.

Anyway, I will be ordering the plexiglass and other supplies I need to finish this case very soon, and will proceed with that once my university workload dies down a bit. I'm in the middle of midterms.

Cheers

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice new CPU and a nice performance gain.

[blueonblack]

Welcome back!!

Is there a drool emoticon somewhere? I've been having to keep my MasterCard in my wallet to not buy that processor. Let me know how it does in other applications.


Edit: I found one! http://bestsmileys.com/drooling/3.gif

[DonT-FeaR]

you have a lepord cat!!! thats frigan awesome

[Tavarin]

I've been having to keep my MasterCard in my wallet to not buy that processor. Let me know how it does in other applications.
I did not have your strength for resistance, I just had to get this processor. And so far there has been a noticeable increase in load and process time with most of my day to day application use. Even Windows loads faster now.


you have a lepord cat!!! thats frigan awesome
She is a pretty awesome cat. Bengal is the breed in case you wanted to know.

And now I present to you, Tavarin's guide for cheap CPU cooling.

Seeing as how a water block for a 4870 X2 is over $150 American, and also considering the rest of the loop is about $200, I'm not willing to spend that much on my systems cooling just yet.

However my lovely video card seems to enjoy being hot enough to fry an egg, with temperatures reaching as high as 90 deg Celsius, or 180 deg Fahrenheit. So what do I do to keep this monster cool? Cheap ass air cooling.

The first step was to glue to 92mm fans together:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_7079.jpg
Easy, and cheap

The next was to put a little riser on the bottom of the fans, since fans sitting flat on a surface don't do much:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_7081.jpg
Also easy. Even cheaper than step 1

And finally, place the fans on top of my video card:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_7082.jpg
TaDa

So after 5 minutes and 3 cheap and easy steps, I have a cheap ass cooling system.
After putting making this thing, my video card's average temperature dropped by about 10 deg Celsius. Not bad for a few old fans, and no effort. Of course this is temporary, but it should do the trick for the next little while.

Also, I wished to give you an idea as to my plans for the case, which I will go about completing when school stops stealing my life.

Here is the stripped down case, and more than I actually want to keep of it:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/TM20203/IMG_7083-1.jpg
So sad and lonely in the corner.

I really hated how the old panels on the top and front of the case turned out so I removed them. My plan is to use 3mm dark gray plex, like my side panel is made of, and to craft new panels out of that for the top and front. The side aluminum panel will however live in this build.

I then plan to center the power supply mounts at the back of the case, to make this build symmetrical, and to add a support beneath the PSU for stability. Now that I have a modular PSU, I plan to give each cable it's own hole in the top panel to be routed through, hopefully giving it a nice clean look.

Aftyer that I plan to remake the inner drive bays entirely out of opaque black plexi, and to properly center the bays in the case. Anyone who looked closely at the old metal bays would have noticed that they are on an angle.

And of course I will be purchasing bulgin switches for the power and reset switches, since the ones there are so very ugly.

But right now I have a short vacation to Argentina, and as soon as I get back I have to write 4 university midterms. So I won't be working on this computer at all.

*On one final note, I am now in the business of making professional websites. If anyone is interested, or knows of someone who is, in having a website made for them at a low price, PM me.

Cheers

Tavarin

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice gheto cooling my friend. I did the same for my NB lol.