Joey's FIRST Work Log - HELP GREATLY APPRICIATED

[Joey1558]

Hello TBCS!!!,
I would like to start this off my saying thank you to everyone here! what an excellent forum with a wealth of info in case modding. I have made 1 post so far, and everyone has been friendly. I am looking forward to becoming an active member here and am thankful for everyone's courtesy.

STORY
Let's me start the story with some background about myself. I have always been savy with computers, however I have NEVER built a computer myself, or build my own case. My father is excellent at overclocking and computer building, but I don't believe he has much interest in case modding. Anyway what started me off was he had a ton of very good parts just laying around his office he said I could have...They are not top of the line, but they are free! So I decided to build my own computer with his help. Now I was planning on just getting a cool looking case, (I would love to case mod myself, but I didn't feel I had the necessary skills for it), so I was very close to buying an NZXT Lexa S until I saw it in stores and knowing it was a Mid size i was still pretty surprised how small it was, especially compared to my dad's CM 830. It also kind of seemed cheap and the plastic would break easy...So i kind of dropped the subject for a while.

Now my college application will need to be submitted in a few months, and I was looking for a little more "umph" behind my engineering portfolio, as well as strengthen extra-curricular. As well as doing some upcoming projects in the NASA/physics club i started, I though an excellent way to demonstrate my AutoCAD, Inventor skills would be to design, draft-up, and make a computer case, and computer...I need to make one anyway right! So the main purpose of the case was going to be used for SOME type of computer distributing project, and since my dad already is an avid Folder, I decided to go with that. Now I'm not going to lie I really wanted just the full Silverstone Raven 01, but the price was wayyy out of what I would allow myself to spend, and lets be honest here...Does a first time builder even deserve such a run way? So anyway I wanted to make my own designed shell and Loved the 90 degree MB on the Raven So I called Silverstone up told them my situation and asked if they had any chassis laying around, and what do ya know! ((( One a side note SilverStone is an excellent company, who are honest, very friendly, and provide excellent products))) So the chassis came yesterday, and it was a little more beat up than I had initially expected. I was not mad at all because the guy had told me there was no "damage" but it did have scratches from removing parts, etc., however they were a little more extensive that I had anticipated. Anyway I have been looking for some sponsorships for the project in past week, and if I didn't have to invest a lot of money, i was going to donated the rig to the University. However I had real trouble with finding any sponsorships, even though EVGA said they would provide a "TRIAL" GPU, and Crucial though about it, but didn't have anything to provide in the end :\ This was kind of a disappointing set back, but oh well. It looks like this build will be staying at home with me :) but I still plan to do some major folding.

Currently I am still drafting up my designs, figuring out exactly what I am going to do, and now I plan to powder coat the case. Anyway right now I am trying to figure out how to organize this work log into subjects, so I can start showing you IDEAS, INSPIRATION, DRAFTING DESIGNS, etc. but I can't figure out how to make separate pages for this, and have a Table of Contents on this post, but I'll figure it out shortly and post everything up.


***NOTE: I apologize for the very wordy Story above, but I am very new here and just wanted everyone to know where I was coming from on this project. I promise I will keep this log short and to the point for you guys, as well as try my best to keep it organized.

One thing I want to make VERY clear. I am NEW... I want, and would GREATLY appreciate, ANY constructive criticism, ideas, comments, etc. I am going to do the project how I would like to do it, but you guys are SO creative and have so many out-of-the-box concepts I would be happy to look into your ideas, if you would be interested in sharing.






Thanks again everyone for all your help, and I look forward to learning from all of you, as well as hearing your feedback!!! I hope you enjoy my work log, and I hope you guys stick with it because I feel I have some great ideas,


-Joey



Table of Contents

Inspiration

Silverstone Chassis: Quick look, Day: 1

[diluzio91]

joey, Welcome to TBCS! We are all pretty helpful, and everyone here is glad to chip in our expertise. My first piece of constructive criticism. WE LOVE PICTURES! take a ton of photos, we rarely get bored with them (see: Never). Good luck with grabbing a sponsorship, JW, but what kind of specs were you thinking about for the guts? Air or water cooling? I know that the raven cases are notorious for being awesome for water. Ill be watching this

[Joey1558]

Hey Diluzio! Thanks for the comment...I actually just took a ton of pictures...but I really want to organize this log...How do I create specific pages within a thread??? Also specs...meh ok, compared to everyone on here whos got a i7...My big thing is I want an excellent case so I can upgrade in the future, but for now, the parts I was given are still very good, and I don't want to waste them...I have a Quad Core 6600, uhhh I wanted to get a GTX 400 series GPU, but I'm gunna wait till I upgrade some other stuff, couple Mb's of DDR2, a gigabyte Mobo with P45 I think but its not the newest stuff, as for air cooling/water cooling I REALLY wanted to make my own water cooling unit, but I nor my dad has any experience in this, and I'm a little worried about the pricing...I have to look into them more first...But I definitely want to eventually get it...my case is going to be similar to the original Raven with that Stealth fighter look, So I wanted to mount like 1 or 2 reservoirs (if thats possible) on the back that are kind of cylindrical/ rectangular prism shaped haha. Like the Vents on the jets kinda I guess...I will explain all this in the the Ideas/design sketch/inspiration/initial photo section haha when I figure out how to do a separate page...but I wanted to keep about 4-5 fans in it...so I will be adding a few fans. Check back in about 20mins and I'll have my pictures up :up:
Thanks again

[Oneslowz28]

Hey Diluzio! Thanks for the comment...I actually just took a ton of pictures...but I really want to organize this log...How do I create specific pages within a thread???

Formatting information can be found here http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/misc.php?do=bbcode

[Joey1558]

Formatting information can be found here http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/misc.php?do=bbcode

ahh there it is, thank you

[Oneslowz28]

NP! Good Luck on your build!

[blueonblack]

Closed.

Open.

Closed.

Open.

Closed.... no wait, it's open.

(We really do know what we're doing here, honest.)

Welcome to TBCS!

[SXRguyinMA]

welcome and good luck! I can't wait to see your project! I had never built a case before (but I had built my own computer[s]). Check out my first scratch build Rockin Case (link in my sig) and maybe that'll give you some ideas. Granted that was a full scratch build and not starting with a case, but either way :D

Welcome and good luck!

[Joey1558]

Inspiration

My initial thoughts were based mainly off the original Raven01 because I really liked it. However I kept that stealth fighter look, with the jagged edges, but I used TONS of images to change the shape and some concepts around...anyway since there are so many images I compiled them together...but I'll post em up so you can see...

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/CompIdea3-1.jpg

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/CompIdea2.jpg

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/CompIdea1.jpg

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/compidea6.jpg

[Joey1558]

Day 1

So this is what I'm starting with...there are a lot more scratches than I anticipated, so it will be sandblasted and powder coated when I am ready...I need to finish the design if i should go with glossy black with accents of flat black, or flat black with accents of glossy, or flat with accents of bronze/goldish...etc. What do you guys think? If some images look really similar I appologise...I'm by no means a photographer and have a crappy camara. I was just experimenting with some lighting changes.


-Thanks

Box is HUGE, with great packaging!
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0025.jpg

some scratches...sorry its blurry
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0019.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0017.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0015.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0013.jpg

Some of it is good
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0012.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0010-1.jpg

and others not so good
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0011.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0009-1.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0008-1.jpg

The drive bays were crooked and bent????
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0007-1.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0006-1.jpg

overall nice case
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0005-1.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0004-1.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0003-1.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0002-1.jpg

THANK YOU DAD!
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0026-1.jpg

[raistnox]

im guessing the case came from e-bay? if not and you got it from the manufacturer that way i do hope your sending vicious e-mails on that subject lol

[SXRguyinMA]

o he got it from the MFR, read the first post :D

[Joey1558]

ya, they dont sell just chassis, but but they guy was nice enough to get me that one for $20, that sounds like a good deal right?

[blueonblack]

Yes, I'd say that's a good deal even with the... issues it's got. An excellent base for a mod.

[mDust]

If you want a nice, simple introductory water cooling setup, check out some of the all-in-one setups that have been reviewed in the last couple of weeks on the TBCS Frontpage (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/frontpage/).

I like that case and the sources of inspiration...I don't think you can go wrong with this.

[x88x]

Awesome deal with the chassis! Definitely worth $20. :D Heck, I've seen clearance cases at Microcenter in worse shape than that going for 60-70% retail. (Granted, I've never seen one sell at those prices, but that's another story. ;) )

This looks interesting, I'll definitely be watching.

Don't feel bad if you can't get any sponsors, especially since it's your first build. Think of getting a sponsor kind of like a cross between a job interview and a date (I know, weird combo, bear with me :P ). You need to convince the company that a) you know where you're going with the build (ie, sketches, CAD models, etc), b) that they should like it, and c) that having their name associated with your build is beneficial to them. You have to convince them that they will be entering into a mutually beneficial relationship. One thing that helps is to have a portfolio of previous builds that you have done that you can take to a company and say "This is what I've done in the past, this is what I want to do now. I make awesome things, you make awesome things; let's make something awesome together." That being said, it never hurts to ask, you might get lucky! :D (Like you already did with the Raven.)

[Joey1558]

thanks for the helpful response...and ya I presented pretty much all of those qualities in a very professional manor, but I'm not gunna lie, I didn't really put that much time into it, just called some of them up....I wasn't really concerned with getting sponsors it just would have been nice...anyway, I need some updates I need to put up here so I'll do that in an hour or so. Again thank you

[Joey1558]

I just got a Vizio LED LCD HDTV/Monitor!!! 26" its nice...ill post up some pictures soon : )

[blaze15301]

hey to save you some time. if your still going to paint it, sand blasting it will work alot faster and better. but that's is only if you have a air compressor and stuff.

[Joey1558]

So I got a Vizio I think its a M260VA, and its really nice, but I haven't found any reviews on it...can anyone tell me if its a good one or not??? for gaming I know its only got a 8m/s response time, but thats OK for gaming right, I'm not gunna see a HUGE difference in a 8m/s BTB (I think) compared to a 2m/s GTG????

[x88x]

Can it actually do 1920x1080? The Vizio website lists its native resolution as 1366x768, but says that from PC input it can do up to 1920x1080. ..this is odd since in my experience the native resolution for an LCD panel is always its maximum resolution.

Other than that, it looks good. LED backlit, which will give you great colors, and the internals are all LG, so you know it's good quality. ..the casing might be mostly plastic, but that's easier to fix and/or change.

EDIT:
Oh, and 8ms is fine for anything. It always amuses me when people ask that about 8ms refresh rates (don't feel bad or anything, it's actually a very common question). I remember when LCD refresh rates finally dropped below 10ms and we thought we would never again have to worry about ghosting. ..and actually, we were right. :P For context, a nice CRT would be able to run at about 80Hz, which works out to 12.5ms. Yes, the tech is very different, but it still holds that modern LCDs can change any pixel or group of pixels faster than all but maybe the very best CRT displays (the highest I ever saw a CRT go was 120Hz).

[Joey1558]

ahhh excellent response! thank you

[Joey1558]

How To Remove Rivets


Hello, so I don't want to type a lot because I hurt my arm, but I didnt ever really see any pictures or posts on how to remove rivets. I thought this would be pretty important because if you are trying to mod your case you need to be able to get it apart. Granted you know that once you remove them you will either have to just use a screw to hold it back in place, or purchase a rivet puncher (which are only like $15) Anyway I'll go back and edit this all in a little, but I figured I'd put up some pictures for now

EDIT: Ok, so taking off rivets might be common sense, however for those of you who are like me that did not figure it out right off the bat, I wrote this quick tutorial

Supplies Needed:

A drill: http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0047.jpg

counter sync punch
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0045.jpg

hammer
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0046.jpg

and a drill bit slightly smaller than the hole your drilling:
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0048.jpg


Steps:

Now the idea is to get the rivet out without doing any damage to the case...you don't want to make the hole larger than it already is because this would cause you to have to use a different size rivet. However I accidentally drilled threw a few times, and if you do its not that big of deal...

First you want to drill the top off the rivet...being careful not to go through the hole...all you are trying to do is break or damage the little metal ring holding the rivet in place...you cant exactly see this ring until you take the rivet off
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0029.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0050.jpg

the ring looks like this
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0044.jpg


Next place the counter punch in the center of the drilled rivet
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0030.jpg

Give it a tap, or a little extra if you need it, and your done!!! :)
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0031.jpg
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0032-1.jpg

Be careful on using the drill and punch on parts that are flimsy
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0034-1.jpg

Simply support the part on something before you punch it
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0036-1.jpg

Clean up the rivets you punched out:
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0053.jpg

your done!
http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/Joey1558/DSCF0051.jpg


***P.S.- I by no means am a photographer. I am really bad at taking pictures and have a crappy old digital fujifilm camera.

[x88x]

Huh, I hadn't thought of using a countersink punch; I always just use a #00 philips. ..of course, I don't actually have a countersink punch...anyways, good idea. :D :up:

[Joey1558]

There used to be a work in progress thread, and the guy used a heat sensor and a motor to adjust how far open these vents on the top of his case were....I cant fin the thread anymore!!! anyone know what im talking about?

[SXRguyinMA]

that was me :D it got moved to the featured section, click on the "project tempest sxr" link in my sig :up: :D

[Joey1558]

haha that is AWSOME! do you mind if i ask you a few questions about it, also do you mind if I incorporate that idea into my build...I'll def give you credit

[SXRguyinMA]

not at all :D I stole the idea from an Alienware Aurora case I saw, and figured out on my own how to do it :D

[x88x]

do you mind if i ask you a few questions about it, also do you mind if I incorporate that idea into my build

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say nobody on this site is ever going to answer 'no' to either of those questions. :D

[SXRguyinMA]

I absolutely agree x88x :D

[Joey1558]

haha, thank you guys! :up: :)

[interceptor1985]

Looks good so far:)

[blaze15301]

what if its a million dollar idea and that person make a million off it.

[x88x]

what if its a million dollar idea and that person make a million off it.

Well, then:
a) I like to think if that happened between any two people on here they would be good enough to compensate the originator of the idea.
b) If not, well...the person who takes the idea might still be a jerk, but the originator put their idea freely available on the internet...as far as I'm concerned, that means it's fair game. :P

[TheGreatSatan]

^That happens a lot too.

[Joey1558]

Yooooo, I've been so busy with school I have had very little time to work on the case designs...I am getting some drafts done now, and will have some designs up for interpretation...NEED YOUR HELP on if its good or bad/ suggestions/comments

[Joey1558]

Hey everyone!!! I haven't posted in about a month! sorry, been really busy...anyway I just ordered my PSU, HHD, and have my Mobo, GPU, fans, Chassis, Monitor, uhh pretty much everything...anyway I'm really lost on how I'm going to go about putting my case together....I want to use Aluminum, and I just don't know how im going to put pieces together...any in site on this. JB Weld? Screws :\...some type of glue...I cant really weld...umm idk? some help here please Thanks...BTW I think i want the brushed aluminum look :))))) but I want it in black, so I'm going to try to anodize it myself haha...maybe

[x88x]

What materials are you wanting to join? For structural stuff the most common methods are rivets, screws, nuts/bolts, and (for acrylic) epoxy. Personally, for joining two metal pieces I'm partial to machine screws and tapping one of the pieces. Pick up a tap and die set (I got one that does everything I need at Harbor Freight for ~$12), and see what you can do. It's a lot nicer to actually have a tapped hole than to have a nut on the other side...I did all of the frame for mightyMite with nuts...not fun. :dead: When you tap a hole, first clamp the two pieces you want to connect together and drill a hole through both of them where you want to put the screw. Make sure you drill through first with the smaller bit (the one you'll need for the hole you'll be tapping). It's a lot easier to drill out the outer hole than try and get the inner hole lined up just right in the middle of an existing larger hole. Oh, and make sure you keep the tap well lubricated when you're using it. I use 10W-40 engine oil. Nothing special about that particular type, it's just what I happened to have lying around. I keep about half a cup of it in a small glass jar just for lubricating tap/die tools and drillbits when I need to drill through a lot of metal (read: more than ~1-2mm).

[Joey1558]

Great advice thanks...as said above I am wanting to join aluminum

[Joey1558]

btw....can anyone recommend a great aluminum and plexi distribution place...like local store or website...I know a few websites, just wanted to hear your input

[x88x]

What size/shape/type/etc? For normal aluminum bar, I just use local hardware stores. Sure, it might be cheaper to buy it online in small quantities but if I buy an 8' length of it, it works out cheaper to buy it locally...so I just buy 8' whenever I need some. :P

[Joey1558]

thanks...And I was looking for aluminum sheets....I already have a chassis...just need to build plates for it...I'm not sure what a normal thickness is...I assume .04"...1mm...is this right?

[x88x]

Ah, right, forgot about the chassis you have. I'm not sure there's a standard thickness for aluminum, most of the cases I've dealt with have been SEC (steel). SEC tends to be ~1mm thick (usually a little thinner, ~0.8-0.9), but the aluminum side panel on my Cosmos is ~1.5mm.

[Joey1558]

ok, thanks, ya I think I'll go with 1mm or 1.5mm Aluminum sheets...I dont want it to be too flimsy, but I dont want it to be impossible to bend