Project Rocketsled -- scratch build

[Zeroignite]

I've been doing light modding for a while, but I decided that it was finally time for a scratch build. Hopefully, this case will be unique, functional, and beautiful. The budget is also pretty tight, but in my mind that's just another exciting design challenge :D

This post is really more of a teaser than anything. Actual work should start in a few weeks, after school wraps up.
Here are my build supplies... all of them. CD for scale.
http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/8272/dscn1955pb.jpg

Well, maybe not quite all. The tube of JB Weld and the mobo standoffs are still in the mail :lick: . That brings the total parts list to ten feet of 1/16 x 3/4 aluminum L bar, a piece of 8 foot x 6 inch mesh (though I plan on using less than the amount shown in the photo), eight machine screws, and the aforementioned standoffs and epoxy. Total cost, $13. Yes, those parts will form the entirety of the case. I, for one, am excited.

[x88x]

Sounds interesting. What's going inside it?

[mDust]

Wait...what?

:think:

[x88x]

Wait...what?

:think:

I meant specifically, not 'a computer'. :P

[Welches]

Any idea what its going to look like?

Theme?

Drawings / Renders you could toss out?

[Zeroignite]

I don't have any sort of finished renders or drawings, just some rough planning sketches. It doesn't have a theme so much as design goal of absolute, perfect minimalism.

Regarding what's going inside of it... well, at this stage, I will say that all the computing hardware could be defined as desktop components, but that there is also an eee power brick as part of the amazon order. And yes, the brick will be inside the case.

[StormRider]

oh, I have to keep an eye on this one

[Zeroignite]

All right. The parts are here, and the work has been started. I proudly present:

Project Rocketsled
Most of the mods here ask the question "How much?". How powerful a computer can I put together? How much detail can I get into this etching? How much airflow can I put through this case, how many GPUs can I get on one watercooling loop? Can I get a LCD screen into the front of the case? The results are, quite often, amazing. The creativity this question inspires incredible work, finished mods that I didn't know were possible.

However, I am asking a different question: "How little?". What's the bare minimum of supplies I can build a case out of? Just how much computing power do I really need? Just how tiny can I make a case? What's the minimum amount of cooling I can get away with? Can I do all that, and still have an aesthetically pleasing result?

The answer, I hope, is Rocketsled. I've wanted a always-on server box for a while now, and decided it was finally the time to get one. Using all desktop hardware and the simplest, most minimalist design I could come up with, for the lowest cost, that will occupy the smallest volume, I intend to make something unique.

The Build:
As I stated in the OP, RocketSled will be made using several feet of 1/16 x 3/4 inch aluminum L-bar and a bit of expanded metal mesh. A couple of screws and JB weld will hold the chassis together.

Computer-wise, Rocketsled will house an Atom d410 processor on the reference Intel motherboard. Power will be provided by a PicoPSU 80 driven by a 12v, 3A ac-dc converter meant to be used for the eee line of netbooks. That gives me a maximum power envelope of no more than 30 watts. I'm sticking in 2GB of ddr2 RAM and an old 160GB hard drive I had around in, to complete the hardware.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/4418/dscn1963p.jpg

Installed Linux Mint on the box. I've never used linux before, or set up a server, but this will be a wonderful learning experience! So far, the software all seems lovely. Linux has this incredible property: you tell it what to do, and it does it. The CRT and keyboard are both old and just for testing.
http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/4696/dscn1969.jpg

Time to assemble the chassis base frame. Heil Hacksaw!
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/6375/dscn1977p.jpg

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/8645/dscn1979.jpg

The frame is seven inches across. I decided that JB Weld expoxy would be the neatest way to hold the frame together-- no screws or rivets to interrupt the lines of the case. The stuff was harder to spread than I expected; the workshop was cold, and the epoxy was really viscous.
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/1796/dscn1981y.jpg
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/5653/dscn1983.jpg

As it turns out, the stuff takes aaaages to cure. However, the final result was pretty nice. Before gluing, I had sanded the aluminum down to a good brushed finish. The camera flash exaggerates the fingerprints, which are gonna get cleaned before the project if finished anyway.
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/9013/dscn1994.jpg

This is also the better half of the hard drive mount. For Rocketsled, each part will have at least two jobs. One side of the HDD will screw into side of the main frame, while the other will be attached to a center rail. Better make sure the measurements are as accurate as possible...
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1773/dscn1988z.jpg

Pretty good fit!
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/8207/dscn1998s.jpg

And all gued in...
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/2112/dscn2005i.jpg

You might be wondering, what about the motherboard tray? Well, as it turns out, I don't need one. The mounting holes on mITX boards are all right on the edges of the mobo, and I can mount the board directly to the main structural beams. Like I said, minimalist.
As it turned out though, there were some issues. Apparently the standoffs I ordered are M3 screw threads, while I only have imperial drills and taps. I manged to get the standoffs in by finding the nearest imprerial drill bit (it's 7/64, for reference), then using pliers to thread in the brass. It's apparently hard enough to self-tap in aluminum. Another unfortunate effect of this is that I now have an insufficient number of screws. I'm using the M3 screws left over from a prior build, and as it happens, between the HDD and the mobo, I don't have quite enough. Not sure what I'm going to do about that-- I really don't want to order and pay for the shipping on more.
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/489/dscn2009.jpg
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/221/dscn2010k.jpg

Time to to a test fit. The hard drive goes "upside-down" underneath the motherboard, in the wider compartment. It's screwed to the rails on each side.
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1581/dscn2014a.jpg

There really is no room to fit the wires in. Clearances on all sides of the hardware are tiny, so some major cable-fu is needed. All the wires have to bend back on the connectors to fit.
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3995/dscn2019.jpg

This is the end that of the SATA cable that will plug into the mobo:
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/1667/dscn2004y.jpg

And with the motherboard screwed on top, it looks pretty awesome!
http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/6008/dscn2022b.jpg

The entire build will be only 3.5 inches thick. Black object at bottom is the extremity of the HDD protruding beyond the rail.
http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/8/dscn2026k.jpg

Here's the view from underneath. The laptop power supply will go bottom-left, and fits with plenty of space to spare. I was originally planning to mesh over the bottom, but after the test fit I don't think it's needed. Will probably just cover the exposed bits of the mobo with a cardstock mask; the PSU and top of the hard drive are durable enough to be ok. The thicknesses of the two are pretty much identical, and the corner posts (yet to come) will provide plenty of support.
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1082/dscn2027a.jpg


The final dimensions should be 7 1/4 * 7 1/8 * 3.5 inches, to yield a final volume of just under three liters.
That's all for now! In the next update, I attach the vertical corner posts, and work out a system for a removable cover. Thanks for reading!

[x88x]

Sounds interesting. Like I said though...sounds... something's funky with your pictures, only one of them is loading for me. :(

[StormRider]

hunh, so that's what you have in mind.
lol, midget case.

[Zeroignite]

Apparently TBCS doesn't actually resize the photos, just scales them to fit in brower. Sorry for making you load the many megabytes of .jpg! I might reupload and resize them when I get the chance.

[x88x]

It's actually not loading anything at all, which is weird. Normally it'll resize the image, just still have to load the whole massive thing, but in this case it's not loading anything...maybe a problem with the embedding? /shrugs