Project Anima Mundi Redux

[ninjaotter]

So I started building Anima Mundi, a mATX cube built almost entirely out of acrylic over a year ago (the old project log is here, pictures are down) (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=136204). Life got in the way, as did having all my acrylic breaking during the painting process.

Well I found a pile of acrylic that I had cut for my second attempt and decided to give it another go! Please forgive the pictures, they came off my HTC Mogul. I'm condensing this from multiple posts on other forums, so please forgive any mistakes I made transposing all this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/1.jpg

New work bench I picked up from my neighbor for...NOTHING. Plus a whole pile of random acrylic pieces.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/2.jpg

Spare watercooling gear that's been kicking around. Some of it will be used in Anima Mundi.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/3.jpg

First cut completed. Drill press with a mill table and a bit from a Dremel. It's not the most...accurate...solution ever, but it does a damn good job considering the whole setup cost me less than $100.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/4.jpg

Radiators mounted. Because this will come up, a 2x120MM radiator wont fit, but 2 separate 120mm Black Ice pros fit just fine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/5.jpg

From the back! Not a whole lot of extra space.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/9.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/10.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/11.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/12.jpg

Cut the PSU mount out. Combination of a circle cutter that will be pictured later and the earlier mentioned drill press + mill table + dremel bit combo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/13.jpg

PSU mounted just to make sure everything fits. One screw hole is off, so I'm going to have to enlarge it slightly to make everything mesh.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/14.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/15.jpg

The PSU is a bit on the heavy side, so I'm thinking it needs a support shelf or something, I'll work on that tomorrow. That's an old Antec True Blue 480 that will probably find a new home in Anima Mundi. If that's the case, each and every wire will be a custom run, so no extraneous wires.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/16.jpg

Yeah for circle cutters! Adding a 120MM exhaust fan to the rear panel.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/17.jpg

The completed back panel. I still need to countersink some screw holes and clean up the acrylic edges. There is a slim chance that I'll need to toss a couple more holes in there for the motherboard tray, but we'll get to that later.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/18.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/19.jpg

And that's all I got done for the night. Not bad for only a few hours haha.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/20.jpg

The results of the circle cutter. Will only need a bit of polishing, nothing major.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/21.jpg

Straight off the drill press + mill table + dremel bit combo. Needs a little filing and sanding, maybe some flame polishing, but I haven't decided on that.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/22.jpg

This is off the good side of the table saw, and will need the most work. Lots of filing to be done!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/23.jpg

From the motherboad side of things.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/one/24.jpg

Possible pump location. Assuming I add a support shelf for the PSU, I would just slap the pump on the bottom and call it a day.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/two/IMAGE_078.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/two/IMAGE_079.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/two/IMAGE_080.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/two/IMAGE_081.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/two/IMAGE_082.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/two/IMAGE_083.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/two/IMAGE_084.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/two/IMAGE_085.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_093.jpg

NEW TOY! My neighbor is an 85 year old man who never works in his shop anymore and is slowly giving away all his tools. He gave me that little work bench I posted earlier for nothing. I went over to mow his yard for him (its small and I was doing mine anyway), and he came out and said he had a couple tools that he wants out of his shop. The drill press just happened to be one of them. The best part, it was free. 3/4 HP Grizzly. Almost brand new.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_091.jpg

I decided that I wanted to screw this thing together instead of gluing it, mostly because I hate plexi glue, but that's besides the point. Sorry about the pictures, for whatever reason they didn't come out very sharp at all. This is the non motherboard tray side of things.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_092.jpg

That would be the 1/2 inch acrylic I've been waiting for. This is the motherboard tray side of the case. I had to remove the paper to get everything lined up right. It's now covered in masking tape to keep it scratch free.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_095.jpg

The new front view. Note the lack of clamps holding things together.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_096.jpg

Motherboard side with some of the internals shoved back in. I ran into a little problem with the hard drive rack, I'll detail that tomorrow when I post my solution.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_097.jpg

Rear motherboard side corner. Not really that interesting...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_098.jpg

The back end, only thing new is the 3 screws on the left and the two on the right.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_100.jpg

The removable side of things. I didn't measure two of the hole locations right, so I either have to fix the bottom left and top right holes or cut a new side panel.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_101.jpg

Front left corner!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_102.jpg

The sort of completed feet. Those aren't the final bolts, and they still need to be lit and the aluminum painted, but that's the general idea. 1/16 inch aluminum, two pieces of 3/16 acrylic, and another piece of aluminum all turned and smoothed on the drill press.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_104.jpg

The PSU support. Note the hole in the middle that I screwed up. It cracked the acrylic, so when I go to do the polishing I'm going to fill it. The cloudy section has been cut down about 1/16 of an inch to allow for any fan grills that the PSU might have. I'm not quite done with the PSU support bracket, but I'll post about that tomorrow.

[ninjaotter]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_106.jpg

PSU bracket mounted in the case

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_107.jpg

Another angle

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/three/IMAGE_108.jpg

From the motherboard side of things before I taped up the MB tray.

So 99% of the structural stuff is done. I just have a few more odds and ends to tie up before I start the lighting. After lighting comes edge cleanup and hole countersinking (only a few holes need it), then comes paint and *secret step to be named later*.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/four/1.jpg

Counter sunk the feet. Next step on these things is lighting, which is a way off. The top aluminum disc will be painted to match the case, the bottom disc will be rubber coated.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/four/2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/four/3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/four/4.jpg

Got the motherboard mounted. It needs a little work still, but it fits together almost perfectly. The last picture is just there to show that I didn't drill all the way through to mount the standoffs.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/five/1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/five/2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/five/3.jpg

Rebuilt the hard drive rack. This one will isolate the vibrations coming off the hard drive better, and holds 4 drives vs the old 3 drive rack. Metal still needs a little cleanup. The discoloration you see is just from me running a wire wheel over it to remove some imperfections.

I've been battling the blocks on the hard drive side of things for three iterations now. I dont want to waste anymore half inch acrylic, so I have a new plan! Four corner pieces glued to the side panel. I'll clamp it into the case tomorrow and drill and tap the holes exactly where I want them. I will win!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/six/1.jpg

I have a design decision to make. I figured out where I can fit a laptop sized optical drive without compromising any of the other design elements. It fits like a freaking glove I'm impressed. I'm just debating whether I want to spend the $80 or whatever a slot loading DVD-RW would cost me.

Thoughts?

[DonT-FeaR]

very nice

i love it

welcome to tbcs this is great man well done

[The boy 4rm oz]

I love this mod ninja. It's awesome that you decided to bring it over from Bit-Tech.

[d_stilgar]

Welcome! Great work and +Rep (http://thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7313).

[ninjaotter]

very nice

i love it

welcome to tbcs this is great man well done


I love this mod ninja. It's awesome that you decided to bring it over from Bit-Tech.


Welcome! Great work and +Rep (http://thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7313).

Thanks for the compliments everyone!

Another minor update.

I got the sidepanel screwed on. The case is 100% structurally finished minus the pump situation. Next up is lighting and electronics. After that comes edge finishing, then paint and any exterior modifications that I may or may not have planned...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/4.jpg

[DonT-FeaR]

nice work mate;... trust me its the details that kill ya

[ninjaotter]

So here's a top down view with most of the components screwed in. I need to add a couple of spacers under the motherboard to make things rack right.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/eight/1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/eight/2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/eight/3.jpg

Anybody see the issue? Yeah, space for the pump. It's a toss up between a Liang DDC and a Danger Den CPX1. I think I have to give up having a video card, but either one should fit. Perhaps some fancy plumping will let me fit a video card in there, but that has yet to be seen.

The pumps:
Liang DDC with Plexi top (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=201&products_id=4508)
Dangerden CPX1 (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=201&products_id=21455)

[The boy 4rm oz]

Fabricate yourself a plexi pump mount so you can mount the pump on one of the case sides, next to the radiators looks good. That way you can have the GPU as well.

[DonT-FeaR]

yeah agreed..

[The boy 4rm oz]

^
levelup reported

[slytherock]

OMG!!! love it!! :up:
registered and +rep

[ninjaotter]

Well what's this? Progress?

Fabbed up the fillport real quick.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/nine/1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/nine/2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/nine/3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/nine/4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/nine/5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/nine/6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/nine/7.jpg

Still have a lot of cleanup work to do, this is pretty rough and mostly straight off the drill press/ table saw.

[DonT-FeaR]

finally progress!! :)

any more pics of placement or anything?

[ninjaotter]

Fabricate yourself a plexi pump mount so you can mount the pump on one of the case sides, next to the radiators looks good. That way you can have the GPU as well.

There isn't anywhere near enough room next to the radiators. I'm broke at the moment, so I'm going to have to use the 50Z and give up a graphics card. There's a very slim chance some fancy piping will let me add a video card, but that has yet to be seen. I've got an idea what might give me some more room.

[ninjaotter]

finally progress!! :)

any more pics of placement or anything?

Placement of the pump? Yeah, I've got a few ideas. That's the next thing I need to tackle, I'll have some progress pictures within a few days.

[SXRguyinMA]

looks awesome so far :D

[The boy 4rm oz]

Cool fillport, never seen one like that before.

[ninjaotter]

Cool fillport, never seen one like that before.

Glad you like it! I just didn't want to spend the money on a DD fillport when I figured I could make one haha.

I've got to get some different length bolts, fill in some holes, shore up the oring so its snug, plumb in the LED's, angle some edges, round some corners, and do a whole lot of polishing. I think the fillport is going to be the first part that gets paint...

I'm hoping to have the water cooling loop completed by the end of the week, which means I need to get the pump mounted, and make the tubing adapters before that can happen. I'm debating adding a drain as well, but I haven't given that too much thought.

[The boy 4rm oz]

I'm using a DD fillport and have to say yours is much better ;).

[ninjaotter]

looks awesome so far :D

Thanks!


I'm using a DD fillport and have to say yours is much better ;).

I hope it turns out. I just didn't want to spend the $12 haha.

Cleaned up the fillport and mounted the pump.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/10/1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/10/2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/10/3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/10/4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/10/5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/10/6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/10/7.jpg

I realized that since I'm stuck with the 50Z, there is NO way to mount it and still have a video card, so I just said screw it and bolted it to the floor. I think I want to move it over a little to give the motherboard some more room, but I dont think the new motherboard that I just ordered will have any issues.

[The boy 4rm oz]

The fillport is looking great. That's a different place to mount a pump. Good luck with the plumbing.

[DonT-FeaR]

yeah plumbing could be a pain... gl

[ninjaotter]

The fillport is looking great. That's a different place to mount a pump. Good luck with the plumbing.


yeah plumbing could be a pain... gl

The plumbing is going to require a lot of 90* turns, so I need to make some 90* adapters for my fittings. Other than that it shouldn't be all that complicated. I can change the orientation and location of the pump, but that's about the only thing that isn't static at this point, so it's just a matter of getting from A to B to C. I really need to nail down what motherboard I'm going to use before I go too much further. I ordered one from Newegg but then decided I didn't want to go that route.

We shall see! Should have time to work on it tomorrow.

[DonT-FeaR]

90 degree bends slow down water flow a hell of a lot..

[The boy 4rm oz]

With the size tubing he is using it won't make much difference. The pump is fairly powerful anyway, shouldn't be to restrictive. I tried to avoid 90* bends in my loop because I like the look of flowing tubing, just looks cool IMO lol.

[DonT-FeaR]

what size??? if i do w/c im gunna do biggest size...

[The boy 4rm oz]

Look at the last pic he posted, you can see the size he is using on the radiators (right of pic). Really there is very little performance difference between smaller ID and bigger ID tubing. Yes the bigger ID tubing carries more fluid but it is still being forced through the same tap size as the smaller ID tubing. The only difference I see is that you can make much tighter bends with small tubing than bigger tubing, just depends on the effect you are looking for. Smaller tubing looks neater and is much more manageable and looks best IMO. If you have the space and are going for a UV light show I think bigger ID tubing is better.

Sorry for the hijack ninjaotter ;).

[ninjaotter]

90 degree bends slow down water flow a hell of a lot..

This is true, and in a perfect world I'd avoid them. However, when working with this small of a case and this much hardware I'm going to have to live with it.


With the size tubing he is using it won't make much difference. The pump is fairly powerful anyway, shouldn't be to restrictive. I tried to avoid 90* bends in my loop because I like the look of flowing tubing, just looks cool IMO lol.

Yeah, the pump is not very well suited for the system haha. I wish I had the funds to go get something slightly less powerful and more compact, but meh.


what size??? if i do w/c im gunna do biggest size...

8mm OD. The blocks are made by Aqua Computer, so everything is small bore. There will be a couple half inch pieces coming out of the pump, but other than that it'll be 8mm.


Look at the last pic he posted, you can see the size he is using on the radiators (right of pic). Really there is very little performance difference between smaller ID and bigger ID tubing. Yes the bigger ID tubing carries more fluid but it is still being forced through the same tap size as the smaller ID tubing. The only difference I see is that you can make much tighter bends with small tubing than bigger tubing, just depends on the effect you are looking for. Smaller tubing looks neater and is much more manageable and looks best IMO. If you have the space and are going for a UV light show I think bigger ID tubing is better.

Sorry for the hijack ninjaotter ;).

The interior of the case probably wont be visible by the time I'm done, so no UV light shows to be had. I've always been relativly neutral on the Small bore vs Big bore debate, simply because I like them both. I'm going with one over the other because that's just what I happen to have laying around.

[SXRguyinMA]

someone say UV light show? :devious:

http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/normal_pic%20032~0.jpg (http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/pic%20032~0.jpg)

http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/normal_pic%20036.jpg (http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/pic%20036.jpg)

http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/normal_pic%20033~0.jpg (http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/pic%20033~0.jpg)

[markkleb]

Cooling has been very nicely thought out ninjaotter,, excellent job.

[ninjaotter]

someone say UV light show? :devious:



Hide that cathode! The light source should never be exposed.


Cooling has been very nicely thought out ninjaotter,, excellent job.

Thought out? Not likely haha! It was more "well, I've got this much space, and I need to get this much hardware into it. Now how the hell do I do that?" Its actually a nice change from trying to design every little last piece in CAD before making the first cut.

[markkleb]

Thought out? Not likely haha! It was more "well, I've got this much space, and I need to get this much hardware into it. Now how the hell do I do that?" Its actually a nice change from trying to design every little last piece in CAD before making the first cut.

It worked out nicely.. in the front along the axis of the GPUs and out the back.

Well done.

[ninjaotter]

So I attempted to put LEDs in the feet and ended up lighting my bench on fire. It was fun. Something shorted out, sparked, and ignited some papers on my bench. Yeah for fire extinguishers!

Anyway, new feet, new lighting scheme.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/3.jpg

Much simpler, and turned out much better than the original design. Four pieces of 3/16 acrylic, cut with a circle cutter and spun on the drill press to shape, smooth, and polish. Turned out well enough. There are still some burn marks from me turning it too fast, but all in all they worked. There will be a little bit of light added to each foot, but nothing over powering.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/4.jpg

This turned out UGLY! My rotary table (its a geared, spinning platform for a mill) didn't come in until today, so I had to do this with just my XY table, and even considering that I didn't do a very good job. Which is one of the reasons the top and bottom of this little doohickey will be painted and then strapped to the bottom of the case so no one can see it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/9.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/10.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/11.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/12.jpg

Why isn't that lighting circle centered Mr Endscape? Well kids, that's because one of the mounting bolts would share the same hole with the pump mount. So I moved it just back of center, and bolted it down.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/13.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/11/14.jpg

Light! Nothing overpowering, just a subtle glow. Not quite as bright as I wanted (I think I used the wrong resistor), but will still do the job.

[DonT-FeaR]

awsome work man looks killer

[The boy 4rm oz]

Those feet look really great. Love the LED bus.

[ninjaotter]

So I finally unpacked my trusty old digital camera and snapped some non cell phone camera pictures. Most of these are just "the state of the mod" photos that dont show any new work. For progress skip to the end.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0020-2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0023.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0026.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0028.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0046.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0047.jpg

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Some size comparisons:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0029.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0032.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0035.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0036.jpg

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The fill port. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty proud of how this turned out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0040.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0041.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0062.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0065.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0068.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0069.jpg

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A little light!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0048.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0049.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0052.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0055.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0058.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0059.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0087.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0091.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0095.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0077.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0078.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0079.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0081.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0082.jpg

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I had to cut some notches in the feet to accomodate the bolts. The origianal feet were much smaller, so they didn't have this issue. When I initalially cut the first batch of the second round of the feet, I accidently made them larger than planned. I liked them better, so I kept the size.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0098.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0099.jpg

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The ugliest foot. I burned it, then dropped it. Basically I hate it, and I think the feelings mutual. I'm pretty sure it's sleeping with my girlfriend, and I think I saw it kick my dog.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0102.jpg

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So here's the real work I got accomplished on this fine evening.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0103.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0104.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0105.jpg

See that gap? The one between the IO shield (though that's not the IO shield, it's the thing that holds the IO shield correct? Back plane? Back panel? Metal motherboard doo hickey?) and the motherboard tray? Yeah, it's not supposed to be there. I miss measured something the first night I worked on the case, and it gave me that 1/8th inch gap.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0108.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0109.jpg

So I strapped a motherboard to a piece of 1/8 inch plexi and trimmed the edges until I got it racked correctly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0111.jpg

Glued the pieces together, and TA DA! Edges still need to be polished of course.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0113.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0114.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0115.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/12/DSCF0117.jpg

[ninjaotter]

awsome work man looks killer


Those feet look really great. Love the LED bus.

Why thank you kind sirs.

EDIT: Just did a little measuring, and found out that I can fit a 5th hard drive on top of the existing rack. So guess what? It's time for another hard drive rack. I happen to have 3x320GB and 2 x 300GB HD's sitting around not being used, so I might as well put them to good use.

I suppose I should also mention that the computer going into this here case is a *sigh*... Socket 754 Athlon 64 3000+ with 1GB of RAM. I know I know, it's just what I have on hand. I have a ton of LGA775 processors and DDR2 RAM, just no motherboard, and I have a great S939 board but no processor (I had one that someone donated but I cant, for the life of me, find it! I'm almost positive I put it into a computer I donated to a battered womens shelter, but I really cant remember.). So basically I'm just going to settle for what I have.

[SXRguyinMA]

looks awesome, cant wait till its time to peel the paper off :D

[ninjaotter]

looks awesome, cant wait till its time to peel the paper off :D

Haha, I might have to take all the paper off and assemble it once before I paint it, just to see what it looks like. In fact, that might happen tomorrow...no promises.

[Indybird]

This is one of the coolest cube mods I've seen; nice design.

I cant wait to see it done, +rep.

-Indybird

[The boy 4rm oz]

Wow, just wow. Coming together very well, looks fantastic.

[DonT-FeaR]

perfect size man good work

[ninjaotter]

So I painted a test piece, satin black. I actually painted four pieces, gloss black, satin black, gloss white, and satin white. I like the satin white as well, so it might find it's way into the case also. Keep in mind that all the polished edges will be exposed, and most of them will be lit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/2.jpg

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Beveled and polished the PSU support and HD Rack shim. Need to touch up the fill port a bit, as I didn't do a very good job at polishing it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/3.jpg

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I'll let these pictures explain themselves.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/9.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/10.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/13/11.jpg

[ninjaotter]

This is one of the coolest cube mods I've seen; nice design.

I cant wait to see it done, +rep.

-Indybird

You and me both! I'm hoping to have it done by January 1.


Wow, just wow. Coming together very well, looks fantastic.

Thanks!


perfect size man good work

I like the size. I think I'm going to do another one the same size, only with a little more planning so I can pack more in there.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Shiny shiny plexi. Looks great. Do you have a pic of the satin white test piece? I am interested in seeing how it turned out.

[ninjaotter]

Shiny shiny plexi. Looks great. Do you have a pic of the satin white test piece? I am interested in seeing how it turned out.

I can snap a couple, sure.

[DonT-FeaR]

plexi liiks sweet man

[ninjaotter]

plexi liiks sweet man

Why thank you! I like it as a material.

I almost wish I had designed it to not be painted, but it needs it in a lot of places to cover some f' ups.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0018.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0020.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0021.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0022.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0027.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0029.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0031.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0032.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0034.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0035.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0036.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0037.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0038.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0039.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0040.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0041.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0042.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0043.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0045.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0046.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0047.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0048.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0049.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0050.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0051.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0052.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0053.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0054.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0055.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0056.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0057.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0058.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0059.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0060.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/14/DSCF0061.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

Really does look fantastic, especially when lit. I can't wait for the painting to start.

[DonT-FeaR]

lol i was about to start begging for you to install the hardware b4 paint

[ninjaotter]

Really does look fantastic, especially when lit. I can't wait for the painting to start.

Paint will probably wait for next weekend. I've still got some little details to work out before paint, and I need to put together some sort of "paint tent" since I dont want to have to heat my whole shop to get the optimal conditions.

There is more lighting to be done, some holes to clean up, a few things to be glued together, some gaskets to be installed, and a whole pile of other little details.


lol i was about to start begging for you to install the hardware b4 paint

Haha, I wanted to see how everything fit with the case assembled.

[ninjaotter]

I've decided to replace the bolts with a slightly different style. The top panel happened to be off the case so I used it as a test piece. Dont mind the dirty acrylic. Thoughts?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/15/1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/15/2.jpg

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Did a little plumbing. I'm very seriously considering converting the block to a 1/2inch fitting, but I haven't decided. There are two adapters in the picture. The circular one is finished, the square one still needs to be cut down, squared off, and polished. I also changed the fill port over to a G1/4 1/2inch fitting.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/15/3.jpg

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Merry Christmas to me! This handy dandy tool might be vital to the exterior finish of Anima Mundi.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/15/4.jpg

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;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/15/5.jpg

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[The boy 4rm oz]

Those new bolts look much better than the other ones. I can't wait for the side covers.

[ninjaotter]

Those new bolts look much better than the other ones. I can't wait for the side covers.

I certainly think they're an improvement.

I think most of the "super secret exterior design" is going to be on the front and top panels. But nothings been decided.

[ninjaotter]

My finished T line! I am debating putting it through one more sand and polish, but for right now it'll do. You have no idea how long these little *******s take, and I made like eight of them before I got one I was happy with.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/3.jpg

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More countersinking shots. I hosed up one hole on the top panel, so I have to do some fancy footwork to save the panel. Might need to be filled and redrilled, but we'll see.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/7.jpg

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Played with my rotary table a bit...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/9.jpg

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Somebody on another forum asked for a tour of my shop, so...

Immediatly after walking in the side door. That's the welding bench with my metal break on top of it directly in front of you.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/10.jpg

That's my corner behind my dad's project (rear end on the snapper went out, he's upgrading it...slightly haha)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/11.jpg

My dad's bench, hiding behind the irrigation controller. Through those white doors is the one bay paint booth.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/12.jpg

Bay door access to the back yard. Also drill press A and B, the parts washer, and for some reason a router table sitting on top of our old generator.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/13.jpg

Cleaned my ever expanding work space up a bit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/17/1.jpg

Every shop needs skylights made out of old sliding glass doors.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/17/2.jpg

My absolute favorite part of this shop, the heater! Went from ~35 degrees to 65 in about 5 minutes. Makes things very nice in the winter.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/17/3.jpg

Drill press with mill and rotary table attached. Along with the doors to the paint booth.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/15.jpg

Behind the tarp is another large bay door and a parking space. We only move the tarp if you need to pull something in, and we're walling that area off in the next week or two anyway. There's also a washer, dryer, and sink back there.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/16.jpg

When my dad ran his business out of here, that door led to the showroom and front office. Now it's my moms parking space and houses our beer fridge.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/16/17.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

Fantastic looking "T" line, better than the DD ones.

You have a very nice workshop, I wish I had all the tools you do lol.

[ninjaotter]

Small text update. I've been ironing out kinks in the watercooling system and doing the final prep before paint (the exterior work comes AFTER paint, no hints), as well as working on the PSU. In the process of rewiring the power supply I proceeded to kill both the Antec PSU I was going to use for Anima Mundi and the motherboard and processor that was going in.

Anima Mundi will go on, it just wont have a computer to go in it. Anyone happen to have a mATX motherboard and PSU laying around they want to get rid of?

[nevermind1534]

Small text update. I've been ironing out kinks in the watercooling system and doing the final prep before paint (the exterior work comes AFTER paint, no hints), as well as working on the PSU. In the process of rewiring the power supply I proceeded to kill both the Antec PSU I was going to use for Anima Mundi and the motherboard and processor that was going in.

Anima Mundi will go on, it just wont have a computer to go in it. Anyone happen to have a mATX motherboard and PSU laying around they want to get rid of?

I have a motherboard, motherboard tray, and I might have a PSU. pm me if you are interested, and we can work something out.

[ninjaotter]

I have a motherboard, motherboard tray, and I might have a PSU. pm me if you are interested, and we can work something out.

YHPM

[jdbnsn]

I think your acrylic work looks fabulous, and the new bolt style was a good choice as well. Very innovative design my friend, I can't wait to see it painted!

Jon

[ninjaotter]

Hey kids, just a small update. I've been in and out of the hospital with chronic kidney stones, and a gun shot wound. Its been big fun. But I'm feeling better and I'm getting back to modding. I've got a couple weeks of recovery time before I'll be 100%, but I should be able to get it painted and all finished up.

I've redesigned the exterior, and I cant afford to pickup the color of LED's I want, so I'm sticking with blue. Updates coming Sunday.

[Chaos Theory]

Awesome mod man, for some reason it scream "fill me with mineral oil!"
Get well soon!
Maybe you can get LED's cheap from ledshoppe?

[The boy 4rm oz]

How did you get a gun shot wound?

Hope you get better soon.

[ninjaotter]

Awesome mod man, for some reason it scream "fill me with mineral oil!"
Get well soon!
Maybe you can get LED's cheap from ledshoppe?

I'd need about 100 orange LED's to do what I want. Medical bills have sucked up all that extra money. I'm going to have to make due with 35 or 40 blue LED's for the moment since that's what I have on hand.


How did you get a gun shot wound?

Hope you get better soon.

Haha, ahhhhhh...its a long story. Incidentally, this is the second time one of my mods has been interrupted by my getting shot. Modding causes gun shot wounds!

[ninjaotter]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/18/IMAG0072.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/18/IMAG0074.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/18/IMAG0078.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/18/IMAG0079.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/18/IMAG0076.jpg

[DonT-FeaR]

i like :)

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice paint job, very clean.

[ninjaotter]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/19/IMAG0080.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/19/IMAG0081.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/19/IMAG0082.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/19/IMAG0083.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/19/IMAG0084.jpg

Tried to get a picture of the finish, but I couldn't get a decent shot. And this thing is a dust MAGNET.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/19/IMAG0085.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/19/IMAG0086.jpg

[OvRiDe]

Wow, this project is really looking good. At first I was sad to hear that plexi work was going to get covered up, but damn.. that satin black finish looks awesome!

Looking forward to the next update!

[DonT-FeaR]

yeah looks really nice.. gw

[ninjaotter]

So I'm lighting up the feet a little bit. Well...a lot. But that's besides the point. Turns out I used the wrong resistor for my LED circle on the bottom, so its about 1/4 as bright as it should be. I'm hacking it up tomorrow to fix that and augmenting it with some lighting in the feet.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/20/DSCF0035.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/20/DSCF0037.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/20/DSCF0040.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/20/DSCF0042.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/20/DSCF0045.jpg

Here's some proper photos. I'm not happy with the edge finish on the top panel, so I'm going to have to go to town on it and try to get some of the deeper scratches out of it. I'll probably repaint it after I'm done.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/20/DSCF0046.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/20/DSCF0051.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/20/DSCF0061.jpg

My awesome photography setup! I need to grab the other work light to actually balance the light, but I'm not that picky at this point.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/endscape/animamundi/20/DSCF0062.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

I must say tthat looks fantastic lit up, very very good job.

[DonT-FeaR]

nice feet man.. look good

[x88x]

Looking good. I normally don't really go for plexi, but I was a bit disappointed when you said you were gonna cover it up... silly me :rolleyes: Seriously, that looks very nice. I love the matte black.