Project - Air Cube v2

[Axis Machine]

I love the lights awesome job. :D plus rep :up:

[Waynio]

that looks awesome! +rep


I love the lights awesome job. :D plus rep :up:

:banana: Thanks for the compliment & rep mates :):up:.

Woo hoo the new keyboard came but is that a home key I see missing.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/keyboard0.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/keyboard1.jpg

then an 8 key

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/keyboard2.jpg

then a hash key with the missing keys in the box.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/keyboard3.jpg

They plugged back on easy :), decent sturdy board, nice keys, no silly touch sensitive panels just a straight up good board.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/keyboard4.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/keyboard5.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/keyboard6.jpg

I've always ditched palm rests from keyboards but with the height of this board it actually makes it better so it went back on & here is the design I'm going to do for the side grills & mini ones for the top, the nice thing about these grills is I'm taking zero risk in damaging the already made panels so no pressure :) I'll hopefully have at least the side windows done & smoothed out today will be a joy to do on 0.7mm sheet, maybe an update later :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/keyboard7.jpg

[Waynio]

Lol, didn't even get around to do any dremel work, but did cut pieces to size, masked up & drawn the pattern on, the thin lines are what will be staying the rest is what I'll cut out.

Sides
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/grilldesign1.jpg

Top pieces
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/grilldesign2.jpg

This new keyboard is ultra sensitive, only bad thing about it is the small backspace which I should soon get used to, other than that it's perfect :).

[Waynio]

A little step closer to finished :banana:.

Refined part of 1 of the panels design (was a little off, fixed).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/1of4panels0.jpg

Cut the most difficult incisions to keep it all accurate to the drawing so the rest will be easier to do.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/1of4panels1.jpg

First piece out :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/1of4panels2.jpg

Some more.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/1of4panels3.jpg

All out, now time for a little filing & then a good sanding session, the sanding will be the most time consuming.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/1of4panels4.jpg

Messy

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/1of4panels5.jpg

Clean

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/1of4panels6.jpg

Ready for filing then sanding :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/1of4panels7.jpg

Started late today so only got this far, took just over an hour to get the dremel work done on 1 of them don't want to be making much noise past 6pm, I'll try to start at 10am tomorrow & get the other 3 done, the side panels are done with 0.7mm sheet so were nice & easy but run out of 0.7mm so the top panels will be done with 1mm.

Colour wise, I'm thinking ice blue for these panels :):up:.

[Waynio]

This would have been posted earlier but the forum was down for me so here it is, glad it's back up :banana:.

Well, got up bright & early with full intent to get the new panels done, just smoothing the edges of 1 of them took near 3 hours :D, then I went to work on the next panel, made a couple of incisions then the cutting disc got stuck & when I freed it the mandrel screw top snapped off & have no spares arrrrrgh delayed by a mandrel typical lol :D, bit gutted but these things happen.

But I did a test fit of the one I made, still needs a little work on it as noted in the picture & the surface needs a good sanding but I'll save surface finishing till last :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Nearlythere0.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Nearlythere1.jpg

[Waynio]

:D My dad bought a couple of new air tools just before the gasket blew & he reminded me about them & suggested to try it out on some scrap so I did & wow I'm very impressed, bye bye dremel days lol :D no more metal dust in my face & no need for steaming up hard to see through glasses :D.

I don't know the name of the tool but it's cross between a jigsaw & small hacksaw & prooved relatively easy to cut out complex shapes, the 0.7mm sheet didn't go to well though so I might re-do the side panel.
I had to learn how to use it, it's like a dremel but you need to lean way over the piece your working with so you can clearly see where your cutting but cuts far far easier, after the side panel I had it sussed, I mostly needed to clamp the work piece down better to minimise vibrations, this new tool will be absolutely awesome for thick materials as the 1mm sheet came out very nice & will need minimal cleaning up, also the blade is still good & sharp after doing these 3 panels, on with the pics :D.

This was the 0.7mm one which came out quite badly before I had the technique & clamping sussed.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Newtool0.jpg

The wavey strip above the workpiece was my practice to see if I could follow the lines & could fairly easily :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Newtool1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Newtool2.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Newtool3.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Newtool4.jpg

On with the 1mm sheet which went quite perfectly :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Newtool5.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Newtool6.jpg

I think I'll have to throw the 0.7mm sheet, it needs a lot of cleaning up & is bent all over the place, tried whacking it into shape with a mallet but it's still not so good, I'll try a couple more things to fix it but not worried about having to do a new one now I know how to do this :up:.

[Luthien]

I love the steel series keyboards. Also, the blue and green lighting on the fans looks nice.

[Waynio]

I love the steel series keyboards. Also, the blue and green lighting on the fans looks nice.

Thanks Luthien, I am very impressed with the keyboard, best I ever had :) well worth the money.

When I said no more dremel I was a bit hasty, sitting here looking at the front grills I highly doubt I could do that with the saw but the saw will replace quite a bit of what I do with a dremel especially for simplish cuts like what I just done.

I have a couple of new pictures showing the new grills overlapped, my bro says I should do it, but I'm not so sure about it especially the double the work bit lol takes a fair bit of effort to make all edges really smooth.

Standard intended piece which still needs smoothing out
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/possdoubledgrill1.jpg

Double overlapped piece
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/possdoubledgrill0.jpg

The thought of the effort is making me cringe already :D, possibly 3 hours to smooth each piece about 25min to cut each piece, so possibly a couple of days solid cutting & sanding :eek:, suppose I could spread it out over a week, dunno what do you all think?.

[Waynio]

Finished doing the rough cuts of the side panels yesterday, today I started at about 3pm but smoothed off all 4 of the panels edges, finished at 11pm, had about 4 little smoke breaks, thought it would have taken days to do them but got really stuck in on them :D.

Pictures showing original simple plan of how I might have them & doubled up, I must admit the doubled up ones do look good but I only have a little 1mm & 1.5mm sheet spare now so it'll be a mix of the 2 thicknesses, anyway if I was to double them all up I now know I could do it within 2 days if I don't slack :):up:.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newgrills0.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newgrills1.jpg

I'll get some temp installed pics up tomorrow ;).

[slaveofconvention]

The doubled up 3d effect really does make it pop...

[Waynio]

Does a bit eh :), thanks slaveofconventention.

Some night & day shots with the new panels temporarily installed 1 layer type. I think I will give the double layered style a shot so plan for today is cut the sheets to size, trace the already made panels instead of draw them, cut them out, tomorrow tons of filing & sanding lol.

Pic time just to show what it'd look like as single layer, I will do the double layer :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/testfit0.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/testfit1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/testfit2.jpg

I likle this nightshot best :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/testfit3.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/testfit4.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/testfit5.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/testfit6.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/testfit7.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/testfit8.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/testfit9.jpg

To be honest though I was quite impressed with how these looked when I installed them so should look even better when doubled up :D.

[Waynio]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention I painted the fan bolt heads ice blue :D, I got a strip of blue tack, pushed them through in a line, masked the threads, scuffed the heads, cleaned, primed, coloured, cleared.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/4pm31-jul0.jpg

Rather than make the extra panels, I just took the ones I made & stuck them together with mounting tape & stuck them in, here are the daylight shots, I'll do night ones later ;).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/4pm31-jul1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/4pm31-jul2.jpg

Also replaced my old & tatty alarm clock.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/4pm31-jul3.jpg

With this beaut, tells time, temperature & date, I'm going to make an angled platform for it, until then I'll use stacks of 2p's lol.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/4pm31-jul4.jpg

[billygoat333]

hot damn, those new cuts look amazing!!!

[Waynio]

:D Thanks billygoat, each panel takes about an hour to do the actual cutting, then a tiny bit of filing here & there. Drawing the patterns on took longer lol, then 2 to 4 hours sanding the edges with 2 different grits 60 & 240 60 takes the longest, I cut thin longish strips of sandpaper, clamp the piece between 2 pieces of wood in a vice & clamp the top end to keep it steady & work from 1 end to the other bit by bit pulling back & forth with a little pressure with the strips of sandpaper until smooth so took 2 days altogether to do all 4 pieces.

Day 1 cut sheets to size, then mask it up, match up where the hole on the panel is & draw around it, then draw the designs on, then drill in key spots so the saw can get in, carefully clamp pieces of wood over the gap of the workbench then cut the shapes out adjusting the clamp as I go along.
Day 2 a full day of sanding, just what mp3 players were made for, well that & exercising :D.

I'll be having the rest of the day off, take the night shots, then decide if I do the doubled up version.

[Waynio]

Ok, just taken the night shots but I'm unsure if I like them or not whereas the single I thought it looked fine straight away, wow I just don't know :?.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/doublednight1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/doublednight2.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/doublednight3.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/doublednight4.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/doublednight5.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/doublednight6.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

When I saw the top window with the beveled edges I thought WOW, that looks awesome. Then I saw the mesh effect and thought you had outdone yourself. Now with the doubled up alu patterns you have really outdone yourself, it looks fantastic. You really have done a lot of work while I was on holidays :D.

[Waynio]

:D Thanks Jase, that 3 weeks flew by lol hope you had a good holiday mate :), the case is almost done, once I have these panels made, painted & attached I'll be contacting the guy who wants to feature it in a mag to let him know it's finished :), I just couldn't let it be featured knowing it could have been improved a bit here & there :D.

I admit the double layer looked good, but it disguised the pattern too much so since I'm yet to do the extra layer panels I thought I'd do a pattern that flows with the original ones, they could go above or below the originals, whichever looks best & sticking with the colours of the fans frame & blades, also decided to remake 1 of the top panels as it were not as good as the other.

So I have 5 panels to cut & sand, if I push myself I'll have the panels cut today & the sanding done tomorrow, but having said that the new patterns are less complex so should be a little easier.

Here is the side & top panel laid over what I'm going to do, I sure have my work cut out for the next days :eek:.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/2ndlayer.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

Holidays were awesome mate, would recommend New Zealand to anyone, especially the south island. However, sadly it's back to reality for me which means another semester of uni but also some time to finish planning my next project ;).

From what I can see the new patterns look more organic, more free flowing. I can't wait :D.

[Waynio]

My mate says he loves new zealand & wants to go back there to live, sounds good there, study well & you'll breeze uni :).
Oh & you don't have to wait I got really stuck in again & got them all cut, just need to sand them smooth :D. Started about 3pm finished at 7pm, not bad for 5 panels :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/2ndlayergrillsrough.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

That's more work then I can get done in 4 hours, congrats. I can't wait to see the panels sanded up.

[Waynio]

Here we go :D.

Overslept until 3pm lol must have been knackered from all the cutting, had a few cappuccinos & started sanding at 4pm, had 2 smokie breaks & finished at 11pm, wolfed down a bowl of broccoli & beef pasta then had to use the flash to take the sanded pics.
Need to put an order in for the paint all the local auto shops only seem to stock 1 of each colour & often don't have what I want.

Once I have these painted I have a mammoth task of cleaning the garage & my dads bikes lol :D.

The reason for the black panels is I searched around the house & found some 1mm thick black anodised sheet I had left over from the prototype air cube.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/sandedlayergrills0.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/sandedlayergrills1.jpg

[Luthien]

looks great

[The boy 4rm oz]

looks great

I agree.

[Waynio]

Thanks Luthien & Jase :):up:.

Done a test fit for while I wait for the paint, should look sweet once painted ice blue & dark steel blue, both metallics.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/tempinstall2.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/tempinstall1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/tempinstall0.jpg

Good thing I did a test fit, a little more needs filing down on the inside edges of the side grills.

[msmrx57]

Looks great! It will be really sharp with the different shades of blue.

[The boy 4rm oz]

The different shades of blue sounds awesome, can't wait to see how it turns out.

[Waynio]

Phew, glad you guys think so :D, seems it's having a like it or don't effect on some people, but yeah I think it will look pretty sweet when painted, I guess modders are better at visualising what things would look like once done, someone also suggested polishing the primary layer & painting the secondry layer the same colour as the case, I do admit that would look pretty sweet but would be very dificult to do & a pain to maintain, chrome plating came to mind to make it an easier & supremely better looking option but don't have the budget to do that & don't have a lot of faith in the postage system especially for things I've worked hard on, paint just requires a bit of dusting now & again :D, chrome plating is something I'll be finding more about though for my future builds instead of polishing, I'm not too keen on polished alu to be honest, but chrome plating could be fantastic, alu needs treating with something before it can be chrome plated so I'd expect it to not be cheap.

Back to the project I filed & sanded the inside borders of the primary side panel layers so they'll look that smidge better when it's done, so just waiting for the paint now.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Polishing alu does take a while but the key is to make it easier for yourself. For larger bits use an orbit sander with fine grit disks to sand it smooth, for smaller pieces it's best to use your hands or you can get away with using the Dremel every now and again.

[Waynio]

Thanks for the tips Jase :):up:.

Just a status update this one.

Got the paint yesterday, the layer panels were already prepped so primed, sanded, coloured, cleared them all, went to install them today & had a couple of face palm moments :facepalm::D.

I put the side panels in the wrong way round, but carried on taking pictures then thought midway through taking the pics all the effort I've put into this & I'm doing that lol so took them off & put them on the right way & heres the other face palm moment, I painted the wrong sides of the secondry layer on the sides so the patterns didn't line up as planned, very glad I ordered 2 of each colour, whipped them off & painted the other sides, should be good to go tomorrow lol :D.

The difference in the 2 shades of blue isn't much to be honest but still looks good, I think the only way I'm going to get pictures done to do it justice is if I make a cheapo photo boothe, the light in my room makes my photography & the case look shoddy & with it being finished I want to get as good of quality pictures as possible with my camera to finish this log off :).

Bit the bullet & just ordered the ingredients for a cheapo makeshift photo boothe.
3 light fittings which can clip onto things
3 daylight bulbs
a clothes line
a plain white shower curtain
a big piece of black fabric & white fabric to see which is best looking.
£46 all ordered so should hopefully have some sweet finished pictures incoming by next week :).
I could post some pictures tomorrow but I'd rather post good quality pics once I have the boothe made ;), it's about time I upped the photo quality :D.

[Waynio]

LOL, not a lot goes to plan & waiting for the bits for a photo boothe is no exception :D.

I remembered I had a couple of sheets of white foamboard that I originally bought to make a big photo boothe but didn't end up making it. Did want to take the case outside but were no sign of at least dry weather so I experimented & got a bright idea of using the light coming into my room as good as possible combined with my kodak easyshare z950 & a tripod.

So the bits I ordered for making a photo boothe won't go to waste, not at all, it'll all be perfect for any future project logs ;).

Placed a sheet up against the north faced wall so it could catch the light coming from the south, taped it to furniture, placed the other sheet on the floor, placed a lazy susan on it so I can easily swivel it around to catch all angles & took 151 pictures lol :D, a lot to cherry pick in that lot, got down to 49 cropped pics, should probably do some more picking to slim the post down but no I'll just post them, sorry if it's too many but wanted the pics to capture what it really looks like.

On with the daylight lazy susan foamboard enhanced 100% finished pics of the Air Cube woooo.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished0.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished2.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished3.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished4.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished5.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished6.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished7.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished8.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished9.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished10.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished11.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished12.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished13.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished14.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished15.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished16.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished17.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished18.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished19.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished20.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished21.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished22.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished23.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished24.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished25.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished26.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished27.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished28.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished29.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished30.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished31.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished32.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished33.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished34.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished35.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished36.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished37.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished38.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished39.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished40.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished41.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished42.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished43.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished44.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished45.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished46.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished47.jpg

And finally the photo boothe lol :D & the mess I need to tidy & clean :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/AirCubev2Finished48.jpg

Massive thank you to all who tuned in to view & comment, happy modding all, I have no idea what I'll make next but I'm sure an idea will pop into my head in time :):up:.

[Waynio]

Small bunch of night shots, couldn't finish off without these ;), just wish my camera could see as good as I can, can't capture how good it looks at night but it's still infinitely better than the camera I started out with.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Finalnightshots0.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Finalnightshots1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Finalnightshots2.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Finalnightshots3.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Finalnightshots4.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Finalnightshots5.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Finalnightshots6.jpg

:up:.

[blueonblack]

Beautiful!

[The boy 4rm oz]

The 2 toned patterns really do look awesome, you get a great effect from them.

Nice work on the photo booth as well BTW, I should really look at making one for myself lol.

[Waynio]

Thank you blue :):up:.

Thanks Jase :):up:, can't get any cheaper than that for a photo boothe lol, just wish I thought of it before I ordered the supplies doh! :D, but still the parts will be good for any upcoming projects ;).

[msmrx57]

Looks beautiful. :up: The different colors just give it more depth. And your final photos look great.

[Waynio]

Thanks msmrx57 :):up:.

[The_Crippler]

I've been way out of touch with the PC modding world for a while, so I didn't follow this build - your update to the completed log clued me in...And I'm glad! Wow, excellent build! Well done.

[Waynio]

Thanks Crippler :):up:, I'll check out your sig projects tomorrow, I'm knackered, 2am lol.

[billygoat333]

This turned out awesome. I love it. :)

[Waynio]

Thanks billygoat :), trying to gather my thoughts for what next so whenever an idea pops into my head I do a rough sketch on paper & throw it in a basket so I have a big bunch of ideas for what to do next & when the time comes I'll design it in sketchup & figure out what materials I'll need :), but mostly messing about with games I missed out on playing while building it & I'm very excited about Mafia II being released this month :D.

I'd guess maybe march I'll start a new premium project, for my next though I want to upgrade all my system components, psu, mobo, cpu, mem, maybe sli with dedicated physx or a high end gpu with a dedicated physx card so setting a date of march gives me plenty of time to get saving up :up:.

[Waynio]

Just found out about hybrid physx about a week ago so though I'd try it out with me having a spare 9800GTX.

Hybrid physx (best thing I've heared of in tech lately :banana:), only found out about it a week ago & was intrigued with me having a spare 9800gtx doing nothing, I'm on an oldish p45 motherboard also so didn't even think I could use 2 gpu's, using the latest ati & nvidia drivers but for nvidia drivers it needs patching in safe mode in windows 7, also need to setup a fake extended display in screen resolution too, but I'm buzzing now I have best of both worlds, tested it out on the Mafia II demo & can have physx on high with massively better fps :D, the only reason I want to get a gtx460 is so I can have all the apex cloth physx with good fps, I deleted all the apex physx cloth files except for main characters clothes, I'm sure that with a GTX460 I could keep all the apex physx coth on so thats my next pc upgrade :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/hybrid58709800.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/58709800gtx.png

Link to the source (http://www.ngohq.com/graphic-cards/17706-hybrid-physx-mod-v1-03-v1-04ff.html) so glad I tried it :banana:.

[Waynio]

This isn't an update, it's just a few more finished pictures because I never took any of the gaming tower.

Decided to get off my bum & try out the bits for a photo boothe, gaffer taped a washing line to a wall, gaffer taped the black cloth to the wall draped the cut in half shower curtain on it & stapled them to the washing line & clipped the light fittings with daylight bulbs to a table & a dvd rack either side & had the above light in my main light fitting & started taking pictures :D lmao.
One thing I do know is it would be much easier to set up the boothe & better for a normal sized case.

Only change internally for the air cube is a 9800GTX for dedicated physx which I'll upgrade to a GTX460 next week.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower0.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower2.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower3.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower4.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower5.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower6.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower7.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower8.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower9.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower10.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower11.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower12.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower13.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower14.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/FinalPicsAircubeGamingTower15.jpg

[billygoat333]

looks great. now you need to do something about that black PS3. ;)

what did you use to polish that alum angle so well?

[Waynio]

Thanks billygoat :).
It totally crossed my mind to paint the ps3 but going to wait for the warranty to expire ;).
I use a bench grinder with a spindle to adapt polishing mops, I use coarse medium & soft mops & 3 different polish compounds which can usually be bought as a pack with a spindle but I think you can attach the same to a drill, bars are quite easy to do with a bench grinder, it's sheet aluminium which is more difficult & would be better suited for a drill :up:.

[billygoat333]

awesome. thanks for the tips. I am debating whether to brush the alum in my mod or to polish it. I'll prob do a test piece of both and see what looks best against my hickory.

[AnG3L]

Really love this build as I said before, its a must for any gamer!!! Mod on brother!

[Waynio]

@billygoat, I found a mix of brushed & polished can look nice together, also used the bench grinder for the brush efect on some parts by using a wire wool mop, makes doing brush effect on bars ultra easy, polishing generates a lot of dust if done with a power tool so it's a good idea to use a respirator, the day I polished those corner angles my face & arms was dark grey from dust, got a picture & I looked like a chimney sweeper lol :D, but not something I'd want to do regular, if I did I would definately invest in a decent respirator or even just an ok respirator.

Thanks AnG3L, appreciate the comment :), always looking forward to your updates m8 :):up:.

[TheGreatSatan]

Are you gonna add a monitor to the top?

[Waynio]

Could do but no lol :D, I have the monitor on my desk with the keyboard & mouse :).

[Waynio]

The weather is getting cooler now & I updated the temperature reading pic for load & idle, took these print screen pics the other night when my room temp was 20c, to get the clock higher & stable I have to bump the volts quite a bit causing it to use near double power so it will be left at 3.8ghz.
Also bought a second 5870 to do crossfire & the temps are nice & the performance nicer :), only games at 1920x1200 I have to tone down settings for it to run smooth is Metro 2033 & GTA IV (my idea of smooth is a constant 50 fps upwards).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/temps-3.jpg

Also got my 1st copy from my subscription of CustomPC today with the Air Cube featured inside woohoo :banana:.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Magfeat1a.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Magfeat1b.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Magfeat1c.jpg

Pretty chuffed :D.

I think up next is a rematch with my first scratch build that was based on the Lian-Li X2000, after that a new original :up:.

[SXRguyinMA]

congrats!

[msmrx57]

Congrats on geting published!! :up:

[The boy 4rm oz]

A very nice OC mate, congratz on the mag feature also, very cool :D.

[Waynio]

Thanks very much guys :):up:, I'm still stoked to see a mod of mine in a mag lol :D:banana:.

May as well use this moment to let you all know what I should be up to in the coming months.

All this idle time I have since finishing it is making me eat & smoke too much so I'm getting fat & unfit so it's time to get my bum to a gym or start another mod I'm weighing 240lbs & want to get down to 210 so thats either a hefty amount of sawing/filing/sanding to be done or a month of daily gym sessions or half & half, it would be cheaper & more fun & constructive to get a load of aluminium & mod so I'm leaning more towards doing a mod, have the rematch with my first scratch build done asap but without rushing it (something I've learnt along the way do not rush a mod) so I can do a new original next year :D.

I do have the majority of a rematch with my first scratch designed, so shouldn't be too far off before I get into it, only trouble is I think I cracked the best air cooling layout possible with the air cube so any future mods will have to be better or at least match the performance of it.

The only way I'll beat the air cube performance wise is by going with faster louder fans if I stick with air which I want to for the Lian-Li X2000 alike (180mm silverstone penetrator's spring to mind) so I'll need to come up with a good sound & vibration dampening solution or a good fan controller, be more of a challenge to sound proof it :D.

Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to mix up designing & checking out more mods here TBCS as I've not done so for a while & this is my favourite modding community :), guess it's because it's a pure concentrated modding forum, I've grown to really like bit-tech since signing up there but this just feels like home for modding to me :):up:.

[blueonblack]

Sorry this took so long, I had to clean the jealousy off of my keyboard before I could type it: CONGRATULATIONS.

Excellent end product, you deserve it.

[billygoat333]

Congrats man!

[Waynio]

Hi blue & billygoat hehe :) thanks mates I was going to get started on a remake of my first scratch build but it's being postponed for a bit, according to the mag article the prizes I won was.

Fractal design newton r2 650w modular psu
Fractal design define r2 case
Biostar TA870+ motherboard which supports the six core AMD cpu
4gb ddr3 corsair dominator 1600mhz c8

So all it needs to make a complete system is a cpu, optical drive, possibly a sound card, possibly a tv card & the rest I have spare sat in boxes.

So I'll make this my first forum displayed pre-made case mod, on bit-tech's own review of the case they say it is pretty poor on cooling but good on everyhing else so that'll be the first thing I focus on improving & I'll get a better idea of what to do to it when I get it, to me it looks quite a nice case inside & out so I'll be careful & hopefully tasteful on how I mod it.

Looking forward to doing my first case mod on a forum with parts I have not bought woohoo :D, I'll give it my best though, not a rush job :).

[Waynio]

Currently in the design process for my Lian-Li x2000 alike rematch Just doing a few hours here & there & figured a nice simple way to make my own pci/io back expansion piece which I shared the sketchup file on bit-tech, it includes a standard ATX & XL-ATX, it's a simple piece made from 3 layers so no complicated bending needed.

I believe it's one of those sooo simple ideas that no one thinks of it lol :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/atxxlatxlayeredbackpiece.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/pcib1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/pcib3.png

The sketchup 7 file is here.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zilaf6qd6cjzicy

Thought I'd share this simplised pci back piece I made in google sketchup 7, I seen a solid billet pci back piece on bit-tech recently & was inspired me to make this & I'll be doing these in all my upcoming cases.

Took precise measurements from a good Lian-Li one & made a layered version which would be easy to make, for it to hold together it would just need cutting, drilling, countersinking & tapping & use small countersunk bolts or even sticking together.

The idea is 3 layers.
First layer that attaches to the case would be 1mm sheet aluminium with a 5mm gap for mounting holes.
Middle layer 12mm acrylic which both sides attach to with either tapped holes or thread inserts for expansion cards.
Final layer would be 2mm aluminium the one with the slots cut out.

Thought why not share, I think this could put an end to salvaging a main part for scratch builds :).

[Waynio]

Here is what I have been busy designing over about a month doing bits here & there, then recently finished it up when my internet was bad for nearly a week, vents & other bits will be added when I'm actually making it as my sketchup skills are more limited than my practical skill, but I have the basic structoral form of what I want to make so I have the specs at hand as a good guide.

This was going to be a rematch with my first scratch build & still is but with more flair & a steeper challenge as I attempt to lose the squareness of my cases :D, I know making a square box is easy to me now so if I stuck with square cases there would be minimal challenge for me so wouldn't be learning anything new, don't get me wrong building a perfectly square case is not as easy as some might imagine especially the first time with no previous experience but when you've done it once or twice it gets really straight forward & easy.

Anyway it's going to cost me about £100 more than my last case for aluminium because I'm using a range from 1mm sheet to 4mm sheet & various flat bars & angle bars, I'll need to buy a 12" disc sander so I can make perfect joints & get perfect edges, I've worked out the cost & it's pretty scary compared to my previous cases.
£220 for aluminium with vat & delivery if using sheets :(, but about £80 to £100 if only using bars :).
£50 for plastic with vat & delivery
£30 round about for high tensile bolts & bits.
so £300 or £200 for absolute basics & this is going fully diy.
£50 upto £200 for finishing (paint or powdercoat or anodise or a mix of all 3)
£70 for 10 Enermax UCTB12 T.B.Silence fans or could re-use some I already have but fans keep evolving to be nice & quiet with enough airflow & nice looking which is why I'd prefer to get new ones.

I could do a budget version by using flat bars fixed together which would seriously lower the aluminium cost which I may do + it would be a chunkier case, it'll be interesting to make a case like this purely from flat bars & angle bars while being inspiring to others wanting to make a bada$$ case with a nice small budget, just needs a slight redesign which I'll sketch up before I commit to starting.

So this would be an even higher premium case than anything I've done before, but still cheaper than a top level consumer case, this time when designing I totally disregarded budget & just designed then worked out how much it'll all cost, I did design a water cooled case like this but I just don't like the size it has to be to hold all the water cooling gear not to mention the awkward tubing when it comes to maintenance so I'm skipping water cooling & staying with air for 1 last time ;).

£120 for the sanding disc machine, but this will be a great purchase as I know I'll always have a good use for it, the manual mitre saw I have would go perfect with this.

Met my saving goal so I could go all out on doing this now, but a 32" sharp led 100hz 1080p screen is highly tempting me, but if I got the screen I could sell my 24" led monitor & my 26" samsung monitor putting me close to my budget goal again so I'll probably do that :).

About the design:
All but the rear fan would be mounted independantly to the mobo tray not being screwed into the exterior panels, the bottom storage section will be like an air tunnel, the mobo cooling section will have imediate airflow right next to the mobo & the fan below will give just enough space for the ridiculously long ati 5970 just so it's an option, there will be a fan mounted between the psu & mobo tray & a fan above the mobo tray with a duct to go out the rear, I don't think xl-atx or the like is going to be a new standard so I'm sticking with standard atx, a 10 slot mobo tray is huge & guess it's only applicable to 4x gpu users which I'll never be.
So the only cables that will be slightly visible would be the mobo power cables, sata cable, power switch/led cables & gpu power cables so should look & be really clean on the inside & out.
The hdd tunnel is nice as each hdd cage slides in being held down by flat bars, then a flat bar slots in front of them & they are secured.
The pci expansion piece will involve a chunk of aluminium with pins sticking out to act as a 1 piece lock down for all the pci slots & screwed in from behind.

I'm doing it this way instead of making a new thread because no orders have been made yet so this is fresh off the design stage, then I'll add all this to the first page of the log with some actual progress :), so just think of this as a hazy preview of whats to come next from me.

And now the design pics, any suggestions for a name are welcome, I'm all thought out after designing this for the time being :).

Could be a couple of weeks to a couple of months away before I start.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/atxxlatxlayeredbackpiece.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/pcib1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture2.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture3.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture4.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture6.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture7.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture8.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture9.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture10.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture11.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture12.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture13.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture14.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture15.png
:):up:.

[billygoat333]

I like the sketches. will watch out for more!

[The boy 4rm oz]

That is a very interesting design, I like it :D.

[Waynio]

Thanks billygoat & Jase :up:, to be honest I'm absolutely itching to get started on it :D, but have to save up for a bit longer before I can make an order for the materials but at least it gives me a bit more time to get the design plan to perfection.

Well there was nothing wrong with this prototype of the air cube, easy to work with, perfect air cooling, a tad on the noisy side & tiny bit on the flimsy side but...

It had some kinks like the original design had a psu in mind that had a big fan on the side, but my bro's psu only had a fan on the rear so the flow didn't work as I planned.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2150.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2151.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2152.jpg

So with me getting the prizes from the mag feature & me not exactly wanting to switch from an overclocked q9650 to an AMD cpu at extra cost I figured it's about time I did something with the prizes, the case & psu is great & quiet, the memory is great, the mobo is low end, I'm sure it would be good for a media pc project at some later time.

So I sold the case & psu to my bro, he wanted a quiet pc so I cleaned all the components with the air compressor & spent the evening switching over the gear from the prototype to the fractal define r3, all went quite smoothly, the soft rubber cable pass throughs fall out easily so were a bit fiddly but got there in the end, I added an extra quiet fan to the front, Also I switched the stock fan from the heat sink with a low rpm one which helped reduce noise a bit more, didn't bother with the fan controller, I really like the hdd mount system, ready for ssd's too.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2161.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2163.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2165.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2167.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2168.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2170.jpg

And the bits from the case.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2164.jpg

One thing I would change with the design on this case is make it 10mm wider so the side panel goes on easier when all the cables are hidden behind the mobo tray was quite a struggle getting it on.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2153.jpg
It seems kind of crazy to me to have such nice internals & no window lol.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2171.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2172.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2173.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2174.jpg

Got it all up & running, nice, quiet & cooling is ok but it's definately not silent, I'd say it's about the same noise as my air cube v2 which was definately surprising, but anyway it's a nice quiet system + can't hear the hdd's, it is a very nice case & has the option for 2 extra fans in the top & another at the bottom & another on the side.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2180.jpg

I give it 8/10 & would get 9/10 if there was 10mm extra space behind the mobo tray for less cramped wire management.

Would have done a tidier job on it but he's a bit stingy so no colour coordination going into this lol so had to use spare cables & such that I have in a bits box.

Was a fun quick project & a reminder why I like making my own :), a normal build is a tiny woo hoo moment, but a scratch build completion is a massive woo hoo moment :D.

The money from the case & psu will go towards my next project in the form of a 12 inch disc sander which I know I'll use a lot.

And now this will sit next to my frankencase in the cellar but it will make appearances in my mod evolution pics at the end of each scrach build :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/100_2181.jpg

And I made a wallpaper of the air cube in 1080p if anyone wants. Just click the link, hover over zoom & select high res image :up:.
http://s433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/?action=view&current=1080paircubewp.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/1080paircubewp.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks for the wallpaper :D.

[Waynio]

Just erased the backgrounds of the project from a few of the best pics, resized them & plonked them on this 1080p plain barn door background & used a font to try & give it a burnt on look.
After seeing Attila's wallpaper of his latest but at the wrong res for me I figured I should see what I could do for a wallpaper, so hope you all like it :), I made a few others but my bro says they are too busy & he's probably right lol :D.

[The boy 4rm oz]

I missed Attila's wallpapers, I must go and double check :D.

I'm pretty much useless when it comes to photoshopping things lol.

[Waynio]

I missed Attila's wallpapers, I must go and double check :D.

I'm pretty much useless when it comes to photoshopping things lol.

Was my first go on it, couldn't grab what I wanted so instead just zoomed right in and erased around it all, that was the longest part lol, then it was just a resize copy & paste job :D.

----

Wow, spent an entire day deciding what to do.
System upgrade / 12 inch disc sander for next project / frittering the money away like an idiot :D.

Done a ton of research about if I upgraded from my skt 775 q9650 @ 3.8ghz with ddr2 to a i7 930 or within my budget i5 760 & honsetly doubt I'd feel an appreciable difference from my current gear so after figuring out what to do over an entire day I had a good sleep, woke up & yeah I've dedicated myself to my next mod instead by getting the disc sander, then all I need to buy is the materials :D.

The disc sander will be a massive help in many areas like perfect clean mitre joints, perfectly straight edges from material I cut, perfect bevels, it was Frenkie who got me interested in this new tool after seeing the nice bevels he achieved on his stealth mod (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22009).
I know very well it will get used a lot in my mods so as far as I'm concerned I've signed the contract with myself to mod on so it shouldn't be too far off before I start but I'll save the new thread for when I've actually started :) which if I'm careful enough with my money could be within a month (gotta be optimistic lol :D).

[The boy 4rm oz]

Disk sanders are fantastic, they can be used for so many different things. I used one to strip back all the stock paint in my Alpha mod, works great. You can also get ultra fine disks for them so you can wet sand or fine sand really large areas. I can't wait for your new project to start mate, also can't wait for mine. My last exam finishes on the 25th so I think it's time to bring the old Dremel out from retirement :D.

[Waynio]

:D Looking forward to it mate :up:, all the best with uni too :up:.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks mate :D.

[Waynio]

So, I made the rough design which I already shown & just spent all day rebuilding the design from the ground up (trimming things down & squishing things in basically just readjusting the design for the changes) so it will now have full length panels instead of separate ones & will be a bit more sturdy, also I'm going to do a 2 tone tint that will all fit flush to the alu so will be a heck of a lot more difficult to do but I believe the higher the challenge the more you learn, sure I could get the acrylic pieces laser cut but there's no fun in that :D & it would bump the cost very high, oh & it would be over all too soon :D.

Already ordered the acrylic & the clear acrylic adhesive.
So now it's just a case of saving & raising the cash for the aluminium.

Base panel & motherboard tray is 4mm, 2nd panel, back & sides is 3mm, acrylic is 3mm with a 2mm layer of clear acrylic to properly support the 2 tone flush fit.

I'll be aiming for a whisper quiet case with this by using these fans throughout, they are only 41cfm so are lower than what I'd usually go for but with the orientation of the fans should do the job fine to enable a nice overclock too, they also fit the colours of this build perfectly.
120mm Enermax UCTB12 T.B. Super Silent 11 dBA
http://www.enermax.com/home.php?fn=eng/product_a1_1_1&lv0=4&lv1=32&no=108

Also with me doing windows on both sides I'll be having my first proper go at custom length sleeved cables so it all looks neat on both sides & possibly take a leaf out of Attila's book & make little wire cover boxes to completely hide wires.

The reason there are no vent holes on the curved piece is I have no idea how to do what I want on curved pieces in sketchup, also if you think I've done away with the optical drive I haven't I will make a new bezel for it which will blend with the stripes :).

I might get the aluminium anodised black once all the metal work is done rather than paint it this time, depends if I can get it done at an ok price.

I just hope I don't have too much trouble making the curves as I want them, there will be 3mm aluminium flat bars which should be quite easy to do, originally had it designed for 5mm bars which may have been a nightmare to do right, 3mm acrylic should be very easy considering it will be 3 separate fairly slim strips, the 2mm clear acrylic should be a doddle.

I'll be taking my accuracy to a new level too by getting some digital callipers which I'll need to go along with the disc sanding work.

OK after all this blah blah explanation :D next time I post will be with actual progress on a new thread :), so hopefully this year, if not then early next year, so I'd say either in December or January.

This will probably be my last big project for some time as I'm liking the tiny pc's that are popping up, much cheaper on materials & awesomely small yet powerful & not thirsty for electric, seems the way to go imo but I feel I must whoop my first attempt of a tower pc before I go there :D.

For now though here's a bunch of the revised design pics, say what you think (positive or negative any opinions appreciated) :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newt1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newt2.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newt3.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newt4.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newt5.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newt6.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newt7.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newt8.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newtt1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newtt2.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newtt3.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newtt4.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newtt5.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newtt6.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newtt7.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newtt8.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newtt9.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/newtt10.png

So until I get all the materials I'll just keep cheerleading for other modders lol :D.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Personally I still like the first design better, it's more simplistic and elegant IMO. The new design reminds me of a rainbow :D.

[Waynio]

Bit too busy then :D rainbow lol, you're probably right mate, the earlier design would be cheaper to do also.

But as a last check how about dropping the 2 tone for just the light tint.

Also don't forget the aluminium might be treated to black anodise but not before giving it a brushed effect :D, I just keep my models in white as it's easier to model :), can't see the measuring marks in black lol.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/switch2.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/switch3.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/switch4.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/switch5.png

[Waynio]

Fully coloured it in to give a better idea of what I'm aiming for, showing 2 tone & 1.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture1-2.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture2-2.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture3-2.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture4-1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture5.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture6-1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture7-1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture8-1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture9-1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture10-1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture11-1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture12-1.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture13-1.png

Size is
235mm wide
391.7mm deep
747.2mm high at the highest point & will be a little bit higher with case feet, I'm considering Mnpctech billet machined aluminium "Diamond Knurl" case feet in black anodise, they look good & sturdy as well as being very nice looking.

[The boy 4rm oz]

I think the pattered side looks great with the the standard front.

[Waynio]

Thanks for the feedback Jase, appreciated :).

Here is what I posted on bit-tech which may answer a few possible questions

I'll be putting a hole for cpu cooler changes.

The slot & lip in the top at the back isn't a handle & it's not a decorative bit, it has a function, I done something similar in the Xbox mod I done, it's basically an air duct so the air from the top fan gets guided out the rear without the need for holes in the top so sides would be added to the fan mount so it gets properly guided out, but I could change it so the lip goes away for a minimal grill, I just like the way everything flows nicely with this case.

It could house at least 6 hdd's with nice spacing & an optical drive in the bottom area & could also have a fan controller mounted the same as the optical on the back panel with hidden wire management but if I wanted to I could have 3 or 4 hdd in the hidden psu area at the front & dedicate the bottom area to water cooling but I don't do extreme overclocking & we don't get much warm weather in the UK so I don't really have a need for water cooling.
It sure is tall but that's how it is when you go more vertical with separate cooling sections than horizontal like most cases for the layout.

Never been a fan of fans in front of warm hdd's then the main components are catching warmer than ambient air, just doesn't make much sense to me, not only that but the push of air completely loses it's focus by the time it passes through the hdd cage.

The only reason it is so deep is if I wanted something like a 5970 it would fit in.
I could shrink the size a bit but I like an easy maintenance pc.

I'll sum up what makes it so tall going from top to bottom :D
Height 747.2mm = yes it is rather high :D, but the Lian Li PC-X2000F is 695mm high & is deeper & wider.
fan mount with air duct
small space
motherboard including back IO fixing points
small space
fan mount
small space
full case length psu cover
layer with grill for overflowing air from hdd's going to the psu
optical mount & possibility of a fan controller mounted in the rear.
tiny space
2x 3 well spaced hdd's with push/pull/exhaust 120mm fans
platform for hdd's where the hdd cages slide in & a slot in bar holds them in place
layer
case feet

Also it's possible for future upgrades to take away the fan below the motherboard & change it into xl-atx. Acually I'll make an xl-atx IO/pci piece, with mobo mounting holes, that way all I need to do is remove the fan :).

Width 235mm
33.5mm gap behind the motherboard tray so heaps of space for good wire management.
Enough room for the tallest of cpu heatsinks
standard ATX :).

Depth
Now this could be shrunk by a further 22mm or even more if I discard the possibility of the long 5970, I mean I don't have one & have no intentions of getting one but it's good to have the option :D.

[diluzio91]

Depth
Now this could be shrunk by a further 22mm or even more if I discard the possibility of the long 5970, I mean I don't have one & have no intentions of getting one but it's good to have the option :D.

lol... the 5970 is gonna be outdated. you work for AMD! go with the 6990! :devious::twisted::D

[Waynio]

Sure it's gonna be outdated but are any gpu manufacturers really gonna make a longer card than the crazily long 5970?, can't find the real specs & length for it anywhere google is just mostly turning up dodgy links to bogus sites or forum speculation when I search for an AMD HD 6990.
And lol I wish I had the brains to work for AMD :D.

Anyway I think I'll stick with single GPU's in crossfire or sli & leave space for 12 inch expansion cards, from the 4870x2 experience I had it left the impression that dual gpu's cause more problems than anything else & see the exact same issues for many 5970 users, 5870's in crossfire though I've not experienced 1 single problem but mostly seen close to or double performance.

Progress on materials, I'll have the acrylic tomorrow :banana:.

[BS Mods]

I really like this idea. Done right, I think you could get it in a magazine.

It's a great stylish concept.

I would like to see it with some tinted acrylic and brushed aluminum exterior. I think the multiple stripes in the sides looks good too. Then you could put enough light in it to still see through the tinted acrylic.

Find someone with a CNC to cut the pieces for you so they are precise and it will look awesome. 8)

[Waynio]

Many thanks BS :):thumb:, I know this time I probably should turn to the semi-auto machine side to get the pieces done but I'll at least try 1 of the middle straight piece strips with the sabersaw, files, sanding, polishing to see if I'll be able to manage it before I properly consider CNC, dunno theres something about me that just likes to do things myself lol, must be all the spare time I have & find modding very therapeutic :).

If I cut 1 or 2mm away from the lines I want I should be able to do it all manually, the middle piece is going to be the hardest to do to get the flat bars & acrylic formed into the curves I want, think I'll need to make some kind of shape former & some templates so I get it all correct.

For lighting I have a few nice ideas with hidden LED strips, subtle but good looking.

[Waynio]

Absolutely awesome, I fixed a neighbours laptop the other day, the screen was damaged so needed a new one & the hdd had spyware/adware & a trojan on it so needed cleaning up & a fresh reinstall of the os.
Ordered a brand new screen & replaced & is working sweet.
Reinstalled vista for them & got it all up to date & put eset smart security on it & made a ghost image of it for if it mucks up again so it can be easily restored.

The extra coin I got for doing this has risen my balance to the magic number so has just about enabled me to order the aluminium so I could be starting this project within 2 weeks, depends on how long the delivery takes, sometimes it's a couple of days, sometimes up to 2 weeks, but this is awesome, I was thinking I'd be lucky if I could start within a month so now it's even sooner, I'm over the moon woo hoo :D.

I held off on saying this until I ordered it, I'll be flat broke for a bit, but it'll be worth it.

I'm gonna need to think up a name for the project, hopefully something more catchy than the air cube this time & more distinguished & something that describes it's features, it's going to be a virtually silent running machine so that's 1 element to tie into the name.

Here's how I worked out the amount of aluminium I needed so I'm leaving myself no room for error on many of the parts so the golden rule of measure twice, maybe 10 times & cut once absolutely applies with this build :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Aluminium-1.png

So...

Disc sander = check
Acrylic = check
Aluminium = ordered
Name for project = thinking :D

[Waynio]

Ah, it's ok guys no need for suggestions now ;).

I think I've got the perfect title & even better as it has zero results in google at this moment when I add "Project ?" with it being a mix of 2 very fitting words that will work awesome to describe it, I'll keep it to myself though until I start the new thread once I've got a little progress to show :).

[Waynio]

Hey all :), been scratching my head big time over which front/top to do after making an easier plan b for the top/front, so want to know what you all think about this possible v2 top/front.

Original would look great but I feel it could be a nightmare to add grills that don't look a mess without CNC for new air to get inside the case, I'll possibly make both though just to be sure.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/WhichOne01.pnghttp://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/WhichOne02.pnghttp://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/WhichOne03.png

New version would be awesome for ventilation, the bars could either be shaped nicely on top of the side bars or flush fitting with the main side bars.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/WhichOne05.pnghttp://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/WhichOne04.pnghttp://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/WhichOne06.png

Try to ignore the colouring as it's completely undecided for what colours it will be.

Also I'm very close to starting this thing :D.

----------------
26-nov

the v2 is extra busy & got some helpful comments over at ocuk to use some mesh which I'm thinking of adapting to this other alternative which I was unable to do in sketchup with it being a curved surface so drew it roughly instead.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Untitled-36.jpg

What this will do is with the fans being a bit of distance from the cover it should enable it to catch plenty of ambient air while keeping the look clean, could even put some mesh as suggested by Diggsy on ocuk in these side vents.

PSU has been decided & will be the corsair 850W AX 100% modular psu so I don't need to void the warranty :D, been looking at MDPC sleeving, their sleeving is just the best imo, even though hardly any wires will be seen except the pci express power, the wire work will be seen from the other side so I'll be aiming for a very good look so it's going to be super neat with precise length cables so will be my first proper go at doing good sleeving :eek::D.

Sold a bunch of my un needed things so have budget for bits & bobs & a PSU, GPU, fans, would have bought a p55 system but want to wait & see what the next gen AMD & Intel CPU's are like.

Just waiting for some ultra fine tip shapies markers to arrive, then I'm good to start, can't seem to find them locally :neutral:.

---------
27 nov
Updated the model with basic vents, I can't do shape cut outs on curved surfaces.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture7-2.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Capture8-2.png

---------
Lols I've been spending like a crazy fool after seeing through some eBay sales :D, was split between a corsair 100% modular psu & MDPC sleeving start-up, just made my first order with Nils for some of that super awesome sleeving, I had to buy a good crimping tool & a Molex extractor, nearly bought the ATX extractor but looked up the pins method which looks easy enough after plenty of practice, loads of cable fasteners of all sizes, sata connectors for custom length cables, 10 metres of sata sleeving, 40 metres of small sleeving & the relevant heat shrink.

Going with plain black for my first go at good sleeving, was going to buy a corsair 100% modular psu but when I seen how much it's going to cost to start doing quality sleeving I thought my enermax galaxy 1kw is doing fine so I'll just sleeve that instead & replace the noisy fans on it :).

Anyway this will let me find out roughly how much of whatever I need to do a full psu & fans, headers etc so my future orders with them should hopefully be lower cost.

Got all the case fans, replacement psu fans ordered, a GTX 580 so I'll be selling my gigabyte hd 5870 1gb soon, some basics like low tack masking tape, digital callipers, m3 inserts.

One thing I do know is if I have to stick with my gigabyte p45-dq6 for another build I'm going to make a casing for it so it's mostly hidden but so it still gets plenty of air flow, in fact if I do do that I'll try to make it highly focused air flow, the colours are just way to discombobulated for this build :D.

Still waiting for fine tip permanent markers :facepalm::D.