Project Stealthlow

[Waynio]

Stealth merged with flow = Stealthlow = Project Stealthlow :)
Because it's going to be quiet & powerful with a great air flow layout.

Finally got the magic ingredients :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/Newbits001.jpg

Funds
I sold a pile of my things to fund much of this project, so new system components for the finished project too :), won't be for a while so I need to get saving, had a couple of extra things to sell thanks to everyone involved at bit-tech & Dennis publishing for the magazine spread on Project Air Cube, highly appreciated, those parts helped me buy a 12 inch disc sander which will get a lot of usage in my modding & covered the cost of the fans for this project & a little extra towards the components which I'll buy later :thumb:, I went crazy & bought a GTX 580 though but I can enjoy that in between working on this & logging, awesome card btw runs metro 2033 @ 1080p dx11 max settings smoothly & runs GTA IV excellent with awesome settings, 2 very demanding games out of the ones I have.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlowComponents01.jpg

These are the fans I'll be using, the 80mm & 140mm are for replacements on my enermax galaxy 1kw & the 120mm ones are for the case.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlowComponents02.jpg

Sleeving, this is a first attempt at doing a quality sleeving job, wanted to buy a psu & sleeving but couldn't afford both after splashing out on the GTX 580 so was split between buying a Corsair 850w 100% modular psu & MDPC sleeving from Nils, I opted for the sleeving ;) all black because I'm a beginer in this area of modding so wasn't sure how much I'd need so this first attempt should let me know what's needed for future cases. I'll be replacing the fans & sleeving my aging but trusty enermax galaxy 1kw psu & possibly give it a paint job too.

Layout
HDD air tunnel push/pull/pull out the back.
PSU fan facing down with vents that catch the excess air from the HDD fans.
A bombardment of low flowing air coming from the front & bottom of the motherboard.
Colour undecided until I figure out what hardware is going in, waiting to see next gen CPU's up next from Intel but I'm keen to see what the new AMD cpu will be too.

Updates
Had the materials sat in my room for about 2 weeks now but been busy tweaking the design & making a solid game plan for the project so I know exactly what I'm doing when I go to the garage, every other time I've done a case I spent heaps of time in the garage just pondering on what to do, not this time, being far more organised about it & will keep the work area clean after every session ;).

Idea
It all started with me wanting to remake my first scratch build which was based on the Lian-Li x2000 & was awfully planned & shoddily done as I was learning metal work & construction from scratch so was a thoroughly half arsed effort & was put together very fast but I definitely learnt a good bit from it so this remake has evolved massively imo I started doodling silly concepts & quickly came to the conclusion unconventional pc case shapes often equal wasted space or cramped space compared to a square type form like most cases although some people are doing a fine job of proving otherwise :thumb:, so I ended up making a curved front/top while keeping all the rest square, so this is my first go at a slightly unconventional shape to break out of the square box mode & to keep it so I learn something new on each case :).

These were the first models that were presentable :hehe:.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0000.png


Size & planning
The final design is definitely a tall case, 77.6mm taller than the Lian-Li PC-X2000F but it will be good for maintenance & cable management & have an excellent fan layout.

During each update I'll paint the aluminium pieces as being cut-out in grey & once the particular pieces have been completed I'll paint it blue like this, keeps it really well organised like a check list but more in depth & easier to know what stage I'm at on the project.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0001.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0002.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0003.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0004.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0005.png

Also every piece has got to be done 100% perfectly accurate to my sketchup model for all this to work so no 2nd tries on this project, gulp :D, ordered just enough materials, bad idea maybe, extra challenge definitely. But have planned heavily on the stages of the case so it should be pretty straight forward other than the acrylic curve, I haven't even done a simple acrylic bend before so if I'm careful & lucky I'll manage it, got a heat gun & a range of hard tubes so if I clamp them down good in key spots I should manage it ok I think, if not plan b to the rescue :D.

Almost every single bit will be DIY like my others, I've looked into anodising & no I'm not DIY'ing that, way to hazardous for my liking especially for big panels :eek:. It's possible I'll paint or powder coat but I would like to get it all anodised ideally.

So since my last post on the concept I added structure supports, case feet, grills, mobo mounting holes, expansion card mounting holes, the slot piece for holding the HDD's in place & added simple vents for it to get the ambient air & also worked out a plan b in advance for if I fail or don't like the middle curved acrylic piece.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0006a.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0006b.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0007a.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0007b.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0007c.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0008.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0009.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0010.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0011.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0012.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0013.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0014.png

Had to scrap the full length acrylic piece as I was out by 11mm once I figured out how to accurately measure the curve, the bottom area will be easier to do, stronger frame, better looking & more functional like this.

Anyway, I've officially started :), a tiny bit but still it's on.

First cuts & they went very nicely, I left about 1mm for error which I'll need to file & sand down to the exact spec, I really put the reciprocating air saw to the challenge by starting on the thickest sheet of 4mm, it took a while & was pretty deafening but got the base level & a few of the bits for the HDD cage mounts done, would have done much more but didn't get any sleep last night so went to make a coffee for a quick break & while I was doing that it hit me how totally shattered I am so need a rest else I'd probably mess up if I continued :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0015.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0016.jpg

Looking forward to a fresh day after a good sleep to get stuck in on the other panels :), just cutting out what is needed to do the bottom level & the hdd slot stand & cages & fan mounts to start with, then I can focus on the tricky part above.

Sorry about the huge splurge of text, hopefully I won't need to type too much on the updates & you can all just check the progress out with very brief details of how or what or why I done things like I do.

06-feb-2011 got sponsored for feet from Bill Owen :banana:.
http://www.mnpctech.com/CaseModStore.jpg (http://www.mnpctech.com)

[billygoat333]

looking forward to this one!!

[Indybird]

Woah, this one looks intense as hell. Can't wait to see where this goes. :up:

-Nick

[Waynio]

Thanks billygoat & Nick, had a good sleep & up nice & early today so should get some progress done :up:.

I really had my doubts about being able to cut the 4mm sheet but it went nicely, went slow but accurate :).

[msmrx57]

Epic start. Definitely be watching.

[SXRguyinMA]

+sub, definitely :D

[Waynio]

Epic start. Definitely be watching.


+sub, definitely :D

Thank you mateys :banana: :D:up:.

[Waynio]

Wow Converted the 1000x1000x3mm & 500x250x3mm sheet to the sizes I need them at so they are ready for the detail adding to them :up:, don't know how long it took to mark up correctly but it took much longer than cutting it all & I'm glad I bought a good few sharpies, with the cold it was making them useless pretty fast, should be able to do all the rest of the marking indoors with the sheets being smaller, this is what's left of the sheets.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0021.jpg

Before the cut-up.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0018.jpg

Started cutting (point of no return :D).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0019.jpg

Here's the pieces ready for details.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0020.jpg

And to think I was never going to use this tool, it seriously kicks booty :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0017.jpg

And here's the status of what's done & needs to be done, grey indicates cut to size & bits that are done will eventually be painted blue, seems a good way to tell what percentage it's complete :up:.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0022.png

[SXRguyinMA]

new pics aren't workin :think:

[RogueOpportunist]

Workin fine for me.

[SXRguyinMA]

yea they're fine now, my P4 work computer was just buggin out from the sheer awesomeness :D

[Waynio]

yea they're fine now, my P4 work computer was just buggin out from the sheer awesomeness :D

LOL :banana:.
Gotta say it is so much nicer doing a case with a plan, really simplifies it all :).

[SXRguyinMA]

yes, yes it does. I found that out doing my Tempest SXR mod. if it weren't for sketchup, building that thing would have been a lot harder

[billygoat333]

yea they're fine now, my P4 work computer was just buggin out from the sheer awesomeness :D


hahaha thats the best thing ever.


and sketchup is awesome, the little I have played with it. :)

[x88x]

Looks like an awesome plan. :D And yes, reciprocating saws are awesome. :twisted: ..never used a pneumatic on before though..hmm...

[jpmeyer038]

Cant wait to see more pictures!

[Waynio]

yes, yes it does. I found that out doing my Tempest SXR mod. if it weren't for sketchup, building that thing would have been a lot harder
Thank goodness for the awesomely free sketchup :banana:.


hahaha thats the best thing ever.


and sketchup is awesome, the little I have played with it. :)
:D:up:


Looks like an awesome plan. :D And yes, reciprocating saws are awesome. :twisted: ..never used a pneumatic on before though..hmm...
Never tried an electric one but being able to control the speed from the pressure is saweeeeet & so are the blades it takes, you can basically mod a hacksaw blade to work with it, so awesome 8):up:, not only that but I've done a ton of cutting with the 1 blade & is still great for cutting more.


Cant wait to see more pictures!
Neither can I :D, the only thing slowing the pace down now is my sleep pattern sometimes goes out of sync like last night, didn't get to sleep til 5am so woke up late but I'll get the rest of the marking done with the rest of today & start the cutting tomorrow, marking takes much longer than cutting for getting the initial sized pieces.

[x88x]

Never tried an electric one but being able to control the speed from the pressure is saweeeeet & so are the blades it takes, you can basically mod a hacksaw blade to work with it, so awesome 8):up:, not only that but I've done a ton of cutting with the 1 blade & is still great for cutting more.

Heheh, yup, I love them. :D Several times over the years when my dad has done various home improvement stuff and needed to cut a hole in an outside wall, they make it really easy. Just cut off all water/electric/etc to the wall (just in case), drill a hole through it at a corner of the cut you want to make, put a biga** blade on the saw, and just cut through the whole thing. :twisted:

[Waynio]

Heheh, yup, I love them. :D Several times over the years when my dad has done various home improvement stuff and needed to cut a hole in an outside wall, they make it really easy. Just cut off all water/electric/etc to the wall (just in case), drill a hole through it at a corner of the cut you want to make, put a biga** blade on the saw, and just cut through the whole thing. :twisted:

:) So utterly glad the dremel was done for at the time otherwise I may have not tried it :facepalm: lol.

[Waynio]

Got all the marking up done yesterday :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0027.jpg

Another bit I was slightly worried about was cutting the acrylic, worried if the saw cracks it so tested it out on a small

corner first & it did the job fine at a lower pressure :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0023.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0024.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0025.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0026.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0028.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0029.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0030.jpg

Cut the pci/IO pieces & the hdd fan holders to size.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0031.jpg

I coloured the cut to size bits for the acrylic white on the checklist.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0032.png

Tomorrow I'll hopefully put the disc sander to use & get the aluminium & acrylic slimmed down to the precise sizes needed, then they will be ready for marking up again for details :D.

[SXRguyinMA]

mmm stack-o-plastic :D

[Waynio]

:D Yeah not much else to say yet I know LOL.

Wow that's a lot of edges I'll need to smooth & polish :eek:.

[SXRguyinMA]

yea it is. have fun with that one :whistler:

[Waynio]

yea it is. have fun with that one :whistler:

:) So glad I bought a disc sander :banana:.

Woooo, package from Nils Germany & with his funky personalised drawings on, awesome :D, can't say I know another shop that does anything like this ;).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0033a.jpg

Anyway molex pin removal tool, crimping tool & nice stack of fan/atx pins which came with the crimp tool, 9 sata power through, 6 sata power ends, 150 pre-cut heat shrink, sata heat shrink, 2 lots of each sized cable management clips, 40 metres of small sleeving, 10 metres of sata sleeving & an example of a good crimp.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0033b.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0033c.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0033e.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0033f.jpg

Just gutted I didn't order a 1 metre sample of all the other colours, something I really should have done D'oh, he did put a sample of grey & red though :).

All of this won't be used for quite a while yet but it's here & ready for when I get to the sleeving stage of the mod which will be near the end of the mod.

Here is the disc sander :D, super awesome tool.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0034.jpg

Here is the mess it created after slimming down all the acrylic & aluminium pieces to the precise size :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0035.jpg

And here is the aluminium & acrylic to perfect size ready for adding details but still need to polish the edges of the acrylic :facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0036.jpg

Also ran the unigine heaven benchmark 2.1 with the GTX 580 & wow it really out performed the 5870's in crossfire which I just switched from, I knew it would be good though after trying out metro 2033 with it being able to run maxed with dx11 & physx & was very playable, the 580 is not as long as the 5870 also, really amazing GPU honestly if the 480 was this good at launch I wouldn't have bothered with the 5870, not seen temps go higher than 70c & it runs quieter too, brilliant GPU & I'm enjoying Two Worlds 2 at the moment in-between the project & logging, the game looks & plays amazing :D.
Here are the Heaven results, ran it default 1080p no tessellation, default, default extreme tessellation, default extreme tessellation + 8AA & it performs awesome & all this was run on a p45 motherboard with q9650 @ 4ghz & 8gb ddr2 @900mhz so with even better system specs should perform even better.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0037a.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0037b.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0037c.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0037d.png

Up next, polish the edges of the acrylic arrrrrrgh lol.

[x88x]

Nice new toy. :D Can you get a polishing wheel attachment for it? That or a polishing wheel on a bench grinder would be great for polishing all that plexi.

[Waynio]

Yeah it's a very useful machine :), already got a bench grinder adapted for polishing :up:.

But crap, here's my first set back.

The drill press really isn't up to the accuracy challenge, marked the hdd mounting holes, took it to the drill press very carefully aligned it, plunged in still being careful but it still wandered off & was a good 1 to 2mm away from where I tried to drill, I've had it with this drill press lol it's just not accurate, my dad got it off someone a fair while ago & only started getting any use when I did my last project, honestly it's like a 1 in 4 chance of getting the holes where you want them, I'd have been much better off using a normal drill.

I knew I should have got a new one a bit ago.

Just ordered a cheap clarke one, I'm sure it'll do better than the one which has been wonky for so long, also had to order another sheet of 3mm aluminium so I can redo the part but to my surprise I found some much cheaper than the place I get it from usually, I only need 145mm x 108mm as well, just wasn't quite enough spare.

Anyway while I wait for these very much needed bits I'll get the acrylic edges polished up, but damn that's annoying, was hoping to get the hdd cages done today but can't do anything that requires accurate drill holes so with a bit of luck I'll have the new drill press on tuesday.

[mDust]

Do you have any pics of the sanded edges? I'd like to see how well they came out. I've heard it's better to sand acrylic edges in one direction, parallel to the face. It sounds like the disc did a good job though, so I'm curious as to whether what I heard was just a bunch of fluff.
If you don't have 'before polishing' pics, at least post some pics of all your hard polishing work!
I like the design so far. Nice work!

[Waynio]

Will do mate, had an accident earlier, today I was going to make the hdd cages but the drill press is playing up & I messed up 1 of the 4 pieces & later went back to check out the drill press, a loose vice fell off the work top & straight onto my foot when I went for a double check, should have left it til tomorrow, knackered from lack of sleep, hurt like crazy lol but I'm just hoping there is no real damage, can move my toes ok & can walk so both good signs :), but it just doesn't feel right, here's hoping it's just a bad bruise.

Anyway I'll get progress pictures up of the polishing when I start tomorrow, thinking of getting a bunch of 5 at a time & sanding them like I would if I lap a heatsink, move up in grit & eventually pollish it off with a soft mop on the bench grinder, the disc sander will mostly be used for getting straight clean edges straight after cuts also great for bevels & angles.

Might have the new drill press on Tuesday if there's no delivery problems with the snow/ice.

[Luthien]

Will do mate, had an accident earlier, today I was going to make the hdd cages but the drill press is playing up & I messed up 1 of the 4 pieces & later went back to check out the drill press, a loose vice fell off the work top & straight onto my foot when I went for a double check, should have left it til tomorrow, knackered from lack of sleep, hurt like crazy lol but I'm just hoping there is no real damage, can move my toes ok & can walk so both good signs :), but it just doesn't feel right, here's hoping it's just a bad bruise.



Ouch! I hope your foot's okay.

[Waynio]

Ouch! I hope your foot's okay.

Thanks Luthien I think it is, just bruised, never usually yell out in pain but did with that lol thought I obliterated my foot, took my shoe off expecting something nasty but seemed to have got off lucky so back to doing the project later :banana:.

[x88x]

This is why steel-toed boots are a good thing. ;) Good to hear your foot's ok.

[Waynio]

Same thing my dad said lol :D, I like to mod in comfy trainers so I'll be more careful in the future & do a quick hazard assessment before I do anything ;), the garage is just all out of places to put things.

[x88x]

You could always make steel toe covers for those trainers...we are modders, after all. ;)

[Waynio]

You could always make steel toe covers for those trainers...we are modders, after all. ;)

LOL :up:.

Here's pictures of the edges after cutting & using the disc sander.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0038.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0039.jpg

Couple of action shots while I was doing the 240 grit, I found switching between these 2 grip styles kept my hands functional for longer.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0040.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0041.jpg

And the mess & result from many hours on 240 grit.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0042.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0043.jpg

Then did 600 grit, then 1200, could go & do the 2000 & polish but feel there is no need, now all thats left to do with these pieces is when I get the new drill press cut fan holes in all the big pieces, sand inside the hole & start sticking them all together with the clear acrylic adhesive, then that's all the hdd fan holders made, I'm going with light, dark, light, dark, light

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0044.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0045.jpg

Holy sheet an entire day of wet sanding 6:30am to 6pm so I think I'll have no problem getting to sleep tonight, feel like I've been doing the twist dance all day lol :D.

[DonT-FeaR]

i like it mate thats a bit of work to get em to look good

[Waynio]

i like it mate thats a bit of work to get em to look good

Thanks mate, it's good to see you around again too :):up:.
Today I'll mostly be waiting for deliveries, but if they come early I'll get something done :up:

[Boddaker]

Good job man, that's a ton of work! But you will really notice the difference in the end, so it was worth while.

[Waynio]

Good job man, that's a ton of work! But you will really notice the difference in the end, so it was worth while.
Thanks Brian & yeah it sure was but it's worth it :):up:.

I put the tensol 12 acrylic adhesive I bought to work, holy crap, nasty toxic fumes come from it, I was on the edge of not using it because it's so bad but made sure the front garage door & the other door was wide open & wrapped a thick towel around my face & got on with sticking the little pieces together, I used an art brush to apply it, my heart was beating way faster than normal & felt a little shaky (might have been because of the cold though), awful adhesive, I should have a quality respirator but they cost too much for one that offers genuine protection.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0043.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0044.jpg

And here they are stuck together.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0047.jpg

They are a bit wonky so I'll need to sand them all down to be level with each other, yay more sanding, also mucked up by filing down all the middle pieces instead of just the 3 for the fan wires :(, but luckily they won't be seen thanks to the flat bar which covers the bottom area phew :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0048.png

Just made a nasty discovery.
The 5mm sheets of acrylic are more like 4.9mm so all the fan holders are out by 0.5mm which is bad as the fan holders don't connect to each other now, so my only option is to sand down the bottom 3 fans by 0.5mm how s*** is that, so yeah this means anything I'm making with the 5mm sheet is not going to be correct thanks to the bad materials, the hdd fan holders is bad enough but I was going to make my own pci/io piece too, but might just about get away with 0.2mm error from the material, but holy sheet this isn't good :(, I can only guess they measure the materials with the protective backing :mad:.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0049.jpg

Here is the new drill press with my hole cutter attached, I find it to be better & cleaner cutting than a hole saw :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0046.jpg

[mDust]

I can only guess they measure the materials with the protective backing .

Acrylic shrinks a bit while cooling after being cast or extruded. It actually expands and contracts A LOT with temperature changes...which has me worried about the case I've been designing for going-on-forever. You'll never see acrylic sheet with precise thicknesses because they have to approximate for shrinkage which isn't always consistent.

[Waynio]

Acrylic shrinks a bit while cooling after being cast or extruded. It actually expands and contracts A LOT with temperature changes...which has me worried about the case I've been designing for going-on-forever. You'll never see acrylic sheet with precise thicknesses because they have to approximate for shrinkage which isn't always consistent.

Learn something new nearly every day :D, thanks for that info mate, now I'm not peed about it :) +rep for that even :D, still it's a shame I have to sand down the bottom fans, got 1 done 2 to go & working on making the fan holes in the bigger acrylic pieces, got 4 out of 14 done & aiming to get all 14 done & the other 2 fans by the end of the day :up:.

[Boddaker]

I've never come across a piece of acrylic that actually was the size it's supposed to be. .25" sheets are more like .22" in reality, and yet they are sold as 1/4" lol.

[Waynio]

I've never come across a piece of acrylic that actually was the size it's supposed to be. .25" sheets are more like .22" in reality, and yet they are sold as 1/4" lol.

Suppose 0.1mm out is very very good then :D:up:.

Update :banana:.

Razzed through doing the fan holes & sanded the fans down just enough so they fit in the holders, the fan holders still require a bit more work & then sticking them together, then the fans can slide in & out.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0050.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0051.jpg

[DonT-FeaR]

although they arent quite right. it still looks good :)

[Waynio]

although they arent quite right. it still looks good :)

Thanks mate, I think once I have them stuck together I'll sand them down again so they all blend together seamlessly, the exhaustion has caught up with me though & just woke up from a 14 hour sleep lol :eek::D.

[Waynio]

Update

A day just doesn't feel complete to me without making some progress & an update while creating something lol.

Decided to change the hdd cages a little for more air flow & this will make it less work too ;).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0052.png

Cut out & marked the extra hdd cage piece I messed up the other day from the new sheet of 3mm aluminium, so I have some spare if anything else goes wrong on the smaller parts, still only have 1 shot at the mobo tray & side panels though so I'll have to be extremely careful doing those :).

Woke up too late in the day to be using noisy tools but had a very long 14 hours sleep so I'll be up all night & all tomorrow so I'll try to get the hdd cages, hdd stand & fan holders completed tomorrow but can do some drilling as that's not noisy.

So here is the hdd cage pieces ready for drilling.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0053.jpg

And drilled, still need to use this nice stepless cone drill bit so I can get a nicely rounded ends & so I can use the reciprocating saw on it, then file & sand.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0054.jpg

And a quick test of the hdd mount holes, had to let them acclimatize to the warmer room, condensation aplenty :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0055.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0056.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0057.jpg

Also with my brain not freezing up in the garage & being well rested I've had a chance to figure out how I'll make the multi layer curved front/top pieces & in theory it works excellent & is pretty simple to be honest so that's 1 less thing to be concerned about ;), I think the bulk of the hard work will be making the side panels.

[DonT-FeaR]

looking very good. cant wait to see more

[Waynio]

looking very good. cant wait to see more

Thanks mate :):up:.

The supercharge from the long sleep wore off by the time I was able to get busy today but still got a bit more done today, took just over 3 hours to do these.

And thought why not do a step by step picture update for a change.

Piece ready for drilling with big enough drill bit to let the saw inside.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0058.jpg

Start & end points in.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0059.jpg

Clamp & cut.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0060.jpg

The finished cut with selection of files.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0061.jpg

After the coarse file.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0062.jpg

After medium file.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0063.jpg

After round file.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0064.jpg

After rough sanding unwanted marks off.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0065.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0066.jpg

Another test fit.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0067.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0068.jpg

Not sure if the reciprocating saw needs a new blade or because it was a hard piece to clamp properly but the cuts took ages & left a nasty mark on the pieces so I used the disc sander to level it all off so they just need wet sanding now.

[DonT-FeaR]

:up: very nice will look awesome once cleaned up

[Waynio]

:up: very nice will look awesome once cleaned up

And anodised black :D but that won't be until all of it's complete. Thanks mate :up:

[Waynio]

Sheesh, very insignificant update here considering the time spent on it today :facepalm:.

Took all day to sand the hdd cage bits.
I have learnt not to use the reciprocating saw without good masking tape on to protect the surface & never to use the disc sander on surfaces, edges are fine but definitely not surfaces, creates way too much work & as you can see on the piece at the top it left quite a big scrape, I did wet sand them but when I cleaned all the crap off the water must have had a bad reaction with the aluminium & left blotchy stains so I dry sanded them with 240 grit.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0069.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0070.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0071.jpg

I'm not happy with these to call them finished so I'll have to put another day into these pieces, all the inside edges are good though so at least I did something good on it today lol :).

[Waynio]

Actually I just put them together & they don't look as bad as I thought they were lol, sure they could use a little more sanding especially the one with the scar from the disc sander but yeah, not as bad as I first thought :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0072.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0073.jpg

[Waynio]

LOL :banana:, I don't know why but I felt like doing a little more so I cut all the rest of the bars for the lower part to rough size so they just need sanding down to precise size, then drilling & tapping, wanted to use the disc sander but was a tad too loud for 10pm :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0075.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0074.jpg

[Waynio]

Sheet I don't like tapping aluminium, managed 1 side for the angle bar & managed 1 of 2 taps on the other side, the 2nd tap the bolt just slips in & out, it's a very hit & miss thing for me & is prooving a real PITA on these hdd cages, I might use a high quality adhesive if it irritates me too much, but if I do I can say bye bye to anodising :(.

Anyway I think I'm at a point where I should step away from it until I get my sleep pattern straight & to relax a bit, turn off machine mode & become human again :D & so I don't have to worry about a noise curfew lol :D. 3 days max & I'll get get my sleep pattern straight & get the needed materials for making some jigs too.

[mDust]

Sheet I don't like tapping aluminium, managed 1 side for the angle bar & managed 1 of 2 taps on the other side, the 2nd tap the bolt just slips in & out, it's a very hit & miss thing for me & is prooving a real PITA on these hdd cages, I might use a high quality adhesive if it irritates me too much, but if I do I can say bye bye to anodising :(.

Anyway I think I'm at a point where I should step away from it until I get my sleep pattern straight & to relax a bit, turn off machine mode & become human again :D & so I don't have to worry about a noise curfew lol :D. 3 days max & I'll get get my sleep pattern straight & get the needed materials for making some jigs too.

The mounting hole on the side of the HDD is tapped and will hold that bolt just fine. Who's gonna know?:whistler:

[x88x]

I've never had any problems with tapping aluminum as long as I lubricate the tap with some engine oil.

[Waynio]

The mounting hole on the side of the HDD is tapped and will hold that bolt just fine. Who's gonna know?:whistler:
:D, yeah they are fine, but the base plate is seperate from the side plates so need to mount an angle piece to join the 2, I've got a solution now though, it came straight after posting lol, typical :facepalm:.


I've never had any problems with tapping aluminum as long as I lubricate the tap with some engine oil.
It's always been a thing I've dreaded as it's always been a hit & miss task for me, I think I have it completely sorted now though :santa:.

Not an update, but a nice break through for me.

LOL, I just got an idea for drilling & tapping straight after saying I was going to have a little break.

I have used a cordless power drill before for doing some tapping but some how forgot about the success it was if done carefully, I also realised when using the drill press I didn't have the drill bit in far enough for it to drill exactly where I want.

So I thought I'd have a little practice/test with my usual 10/10 test to make sure something works :D, this time I made it 11/11 & they all came out absolutely perfect, so no need for a time out woo hoo :D, was really thinking I'm screwed when it comes to drilling even on a drill press, d'oh :facepalm:.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0076.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0077.jpg

Only downside to this is now I can drill precisely where I want so none of this 0.5mm out annoyance I've been getting because of the drill bit not hitting the bullseye, so yeah I might remake the 4 hdd pieces, luckily the bases are spot on but the holes for the hdd mounts only just connect & is a struggle getting them to work right so I may re do these pieces, shame but I want perfection on all the function of this build :devcool:.

[Waynio]

I tried doing these simple angle connections 3 times now & still not happy with the results & 1 more muck up & I'll run out of spare angle bar, I think it's the low grade of the aluminium sheet, when I tapped the bars which is a high grade quality the taps were perfect & strong, not so with the sheet So I'm going to skip trying to tap them again & use adhesive, I'll be sure to run some strength tests before I do though ;). I'll buy the adhesive tomorrow along with materials for making some jigs.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0078.jpg

It kind of looks fairly acceptable but really it's gotta be better than how it is, a big part of the design is easy maintenance & if kept like this it could be a slight PITA maintenance :P.

Also came across a sweet way of painting aluminium in Darth Beavis's new lan rig which I'll be doing & keep the metal visible like anodising & it's simply candy paint straight onto the aluminium & clear coated so this is what I'll be doing for finishing & can do a good colour coordination this way too.

[x88x]

What if you ran the screws the other way (ie, tapping the angle bar) or used rivets?

[BS Mods]

Looking good!

As a former journeyman machinist I may have a tip for drilling and tapping for you.:think:

If you are not using a "center drill" before drilling the holes then make your mark and punch them so a regular drill bit will follow the mark.

Make sure you are using the correct drill size for the tap. Not just something close.

You can use a cordless drill to tap the holes but set the clutch at a low number to keep from breaking the tap off.

Also, try to use a 3 fluted tap instead of a 4 fluted one. The less flutes you have the stronger the tap. There are also "spiral" taps that are awesome but you may want to use them with a drill press to insure they go straight in.

Hope this helps.:glasses:

[Waynio]

What if you ran the screws the other way (ie, tapping the angle bar) or used rivets?
I've thought about doing that & probably will :up: but not rivets, wouldn't work.


Looking good!

As a former journeyman machinist I may have a tip for drilling and tapping for you.:think:

If you are not using a "center drill" before drilling the holes then make your mark and punch them so a regular drill bit will follow the mark.

Make sure you are using the correct drill size for the tap. Not just something close.

You can use a cordless drill to tap the holes but set the clutch at a low number to keep from breaking the tap off.

Also, try to use a 3 fluted tap instead of a 4 fluted one. The less flutes you have the stronger the tap. There are also "spiral" taps that are awesome but you may want to use them with a drill press to insure they go straight in.

Hope this helps.:glasses:

Thanks BS :up: I looked into getting a center drill but I'm really put off ordering bits with christmas delivery being very unreliable, I do use the correct drill size for the tap, for the m3 tap I'm using I drill a 2.5mm hole & is spot on, I really should get myself a good machine tap bit but again christmas delivery being unreliable unless I can pick express delivery which the ones on ebay are not making available :facepalm:.

I found for drilling & hitting the bullseye putting the drill bit as far in as I can & it doesn't bend to the side when contacting the aluminium so can drill spot on now so as long as I mark up completely accurate then it's good so I must pay more attention to my marking :glasses:.

LOL I did a mock put together to remind myself it is progressing dispite the hold up on a couple of simple pieces :D, the corner square bars aren't to precise size just yet, was like making a tower of cards :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0079.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0080.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0081.png

[x88x]

Another tip for getting exact holes with small bits is to use a center-punch to mark the spot first. That makes a small, pointy depression that the bit can go into.

[Waynio]

Thanks mate :up:, I have got a center punch set but only use it when using a normal drill, the problem was the drill bit was bending when coming into contact with the aluminium so all what was needed was to put the drill bit in as far as I could so only a bit of the drill was poking out & it's hitting the target perfect consistently now :up:.

My sleep pattern is a mess & not been making much progress the past few days so I'm staying up all night & day to fix this & I'll use the time to make some good progress so I hope to have a real update tomorrow night :).

[Waynio]

OK I stayed up all night so I could make some progress & managed to make some woo hoo :D.

Filed a bevel on each of the fan holder pieces that come into contact with the fan blades because of having to slim the fan frames down by 0.5mm, these pieces still need a good bit of filing & sanding on them, then sticking together.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0083.jpg

Then slimmed down all the bars to precise size & done another mock fit.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0084.jpg

Then added the angle bars to the 2nd hdd cage so the hdd cages have turned out quite acceptable to be honest.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0085.jpg

Marked up the bottom panel & 2nd panel for fixing the square bars to the 2nd panel, but first I tried doing the tapping with power drill thinking I've done it before & was ok, well the tap snapped first try lol, had to cut another piece & get it to precise size, switched to doing the tapping manual & very careful, did ok for 2 of them, then another one snapped, cheap taps, then another, then went to try a new tap & found it was the wrong pitch size so the screws didn't screw all the way in properly lol, so I'm left with a 2 legged panel until I can get a new tap which I just ordered a few, cheap taps again because they were the only ebay seller that offered express delivery, it's the only sure way to get deliveries on ebay at this time of year.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0086.jpg

The ones I tapped successfully are very good, solid & perfectly in place wooooo :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0087.jpg

So not much done but any progress is progress + I'll have my sleep pattern fixed after today even if it is temporary :).

[Waynio]

Just ordered a couple of milling bits, 1 for doing small cutouts & 1 so I can use nut rivets with a flange mounted flush no I don't have a mill, just a drill press, there was 1 more thing I was completely unsure about how to do, the bar slots for the fan mounts on the motherboard tray, so I'll be sure to get some practice in on doing what I want to do before actually doing it :D.
It's a far fetched idea milling on a drill press but it might work :) I guess people who do milling will probably say nooooo idiot but I enjoy a bit of trial & error ;).

[DonT-FeaR]

this is quality fabrication :) this is the stuff that i love

[Waynio]

this is quality fabrication :) this is the stuff that i love

Thanks mate, glad you like :banana:.

Got the fan holder pieces all stuck together & is a very very strong bond & since they are all together now I decided I'm going to make it so I can slip any standard 120mm fan in these holders as originally intended, none of this sanding down a fan frame nonsense, imagine the hassle of a simple fan change lol, also they all need a hefty sanding session to make them all blend together, unsure if I'll go for a polished finish or frosted finish.

Also I took over my desk fan to waft the nasty fumes well away from me this time, only problem with using a fan in below 0c temperatures is my hands were getting frozen lol, but thats way better than feeling awful from fumes :up:.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0088.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0089.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0090.jpg

I'm thinking enermax apolish fans would look amazing in these holders especially if I frost the edges & would also serve as the power light so if I use a vandal switch which is highly likely because I just really like them :D I could use the LED bit as hdd activity, not bothering with reset switches anymore & for power light I'll just use case lighting from now & onwards :).

My bro would like some quiet case fans so I think I'll give him the 3 sanded fans for christmas hehe :santa:.

[BS Mods]

Just ordered a couple of milling bits, 1 for doing small cutouts & 1 so I can use nut rivets with a flange mounted flush no I don't have a mill, just a drill press, there was 1 more thing I was completely unsure about how to do, the bar slots for the fan mounts on the motherboard tray, so I'll be sure to get some practice in on doing what I want to do before actually doing it :D.
It's a far fetched idea milling on a drill press but it might work :) I guess people who do milling will probably say nooooo idiot but I enjoy a bit of trial & error ;).

This may help you a lot...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FGAJTA/ref=s9_simh_gw_p60_d0_i4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=069N852STAKZKAE367PS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

[Waynio]

Looks a good idea for small panels & bars but not the big motherboard tray panel that I'll be working on, I have some experimenting to do with the milling bits before I have a go on an actual piece for this project.

Thanks for pointing out such a tool though BS, really does seem worth considering for working on bars :up: +rep.

:( Can't seem to find 1 in uk, shipping was sky high from usa naturally for a heavy item.

[Waynio]

Awesome, the new taps came today & I didn't waste no time turning the 2 legged plate into the foundation base, so that's the first & second level fully attached & 2 of the square bars for the hdd platform, this is really starting to feel like good progress.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0092.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0093.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0094.jpg

Done a couple of dummy fixes to show the hdd cages how they will be once fixed & with the front/top flat bars & front low piece loosely fitted, just couldn't be bothered doing more in the freeze today I'd end up naturally getting a cold :P.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0095.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0096.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0097.jpg

Think I'll finish these off tomorrow.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0089.jpg

[Waynio]

Ahhh, got past a fiddly time consuming bit, the hdd cage mount clamps & still managing to avoid adhesives completely except for the acrylic adhesive, all the metal work so far has been countersunk bolts & tapping :), finished this bit at 11pm & was a rather chilly -5c.

What you are seeing is 4mm sheet, then 19mm square bar, hdd cages inbetween slim 3mm pieces & another 3mm piece on top that overlaps the hdd cage base & meets up with the angle bar of the cage, it's such a good fit that I might leave the extra clamp I was going to make for the front & back of the cages as it takes a little force to make the cages slide out.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0098.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0099.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0100.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0101.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0102.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0103.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0104.jpg

[x88x]

Nice work. I love the sliding HDD trays. :D Once it's done this thing is gonna be like a tank...all that solid bar. :eek:

[Waynio]

Thanks mate :) tank indeed, just weighed it for a laugh & it comes in a tiny bit under 10 lbs already lol :D.

[artoodeeto]

pish. you've got 5 or 10 pounds to go before yours weighs as much as mine. :D
Looks like some nice metalwork - I've been a little afraid to delve into metal, not knowing much about it (except it's vulnerability to a hacksaw + determination).

[x88x]

pish. you've got 5 or 10 pounds to go before yours weighs as much as mine. :D

Oh, I think he'll make it. :D This is only, what, they bottom 1/4 or so?

[artoodeeto]

LOL...man...just one bit of advice then. Put wheels on that thing...or grease the heck out of the underside before you move it LOL :)
Did I mention mine isn't metal? ;)

[Waynio]

pish. you've got 5 or 10 pounds to go before yours weighs as much as mine. :D
Looks like some nice metalwork - I've been a little afraid to delve into metal, not knowing much about it (except it's vulnerability to a hacksaw + determination).


Oh, I think he'll make it. :D This is only, what, they bottom 1/4 or so?


LOL...man...just one bit of advice then. Put wheels on that thing...or grease the heck out of the underside before you move it LOL :)
Did I mention mine isn't metal? ;)

LOL Yeah the base will be the heaviest part & will weigh a lot more filled with HDD's & a PSU above it :eek: :D, I want to make or buy some chunky case feet so I can easily pick it up from underneath so not to potentially damage the threads of the little m3 screws that go into the corner square bars.

Wish I bought the lathe when I was thinking about it a while ago, could be making some sweet additions to this by now, particulary with case feet, 3 main tools I could do with having a lathe, router & scrollsaw, then I think the only limit would be my imagination.

Also when it comes to either painting or anodising this I'll engrave codes to the unseen areas so I know how to put it back together lol :D.

[artoodeeto]

Also when it comes to either painting or anodising this I'll engrave codes to the unseen areas so I know how to put it back together lol :D.

That, my friend, is a REALLY good idea. :up: It's so easy to think, oh I'll remember how it all goes together, only to discover once it's disassembled that it just looks like a big ol' pile of parts.

[Waynio]

That, my friend, is a REALLY good idea. :up: It's so easy to think, oh I'll remember how it all goes together, only to discover once it's disassembled that it just looks like a big ol' pile of parts.

:D Had to be done, gonna be sooo many parts with unique mounting hole positions so will save me heaps of messing about :up:.

[Waynio]

:( I'm a bit down, the fan holders just aren't gonna happen, the thickness of the sheet was 4.9mm not 5mm & I never knew until after I made the holders that cast acrylic sheet varies in thickness, this made the slot for the fans shrink by 0.5mm I tried filing & finger sanding to make the gap bigger but failed making a dogs dinner out of it so no striped lit up parts now, I sure don't fancy spending another £50 to replace the acrylic & rebuild, I'd sooner put that towards a scroll saw so I'm gonna time out & think about an alternative, actually I'm really disappointed with acrylic now after finding this fact out the hard way, sure it's fine for single layered tasks but for layered stuff that requires absolute precision it really isn't good if you don't know about this lack of precision in the material, however if you know about the varying thickness & plan according to that fact then it's not all bad & workable so I'll know for the next encounter I have with acrylic, also I messed up by not making jigs for while I stuck the holders together so they became rather wonky & required heaps of sanding to blend them seamlessly, done the sanding on 1 of them but wasn't happy with the result, they were supposed to be perfect fit & like I said, dogs dinner lol, so it's time to forget about the first big hicup & focus on an alternative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPWaQKuqENU

I wrote this a few hours ago, was tired & hungry, since had a meal, awesome far better alternative ideas already brewing :yellow_green: :D so there will be a surprise in this log after all :D, I might let the silly season pass through until I get started back up though & enjoy a bit of that GTX 580 goodness while it's still a beast ;), so over & out until January :bunny:.

[DonT-FeaR]

i love this project

+ vento weighs close to 15 kilos

[Waynio]

i love this project

+ vento weighs close to 15 kilos

Thanks mate is that with or without hardware? :eek::D, I don't believe I seen the end of that log, it was a cool project :).

:yellow_green::yellow::yellow_green:
Was about to post a why I can't fix it splurge of text & thought damnit I aint quitting on it yet lol, just checked what 5mm acrylic I have left over & only just have enough to remake the 1 I really messed up, the other 2 only got a light mess up so I got the 2 ready made ones put them in a tuppa ware box perfect fit & poured boiling water on them & put a lid on it & left for 5 min & simply hoped it would loosen the adhesive a little & it did, had to use a very thin blade to slowly force them open & finally got all the pieces for the 2 holders seperated so I have a lucky 2nd chance to do these holders correct with jigs which I will definately make this time ;)

Here is the redesigned fan holder which accounts for the 4.9mm pieces so with this they should work perfect.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0105.png

Did a loose fit together with a side & back panel to see what it looks like for the overall height.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0106.jpg

[Waynio]

Very little done but made the basic form of the extra hdd cage clamps, just need to shape the flat bars now & trim any excess material away from the stand & the hdd cages for it to work 100% correct.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0107.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0108.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0109.jpg

[billygoat333]

jeez... I don't look at this thread for a few days, and its grown exponentially! lol looking good sir!

[Waynio]

jeez... I don't look at this thread for a few days, and its grown exponentially! lol looking good sir!

:) Thanks billygoat yeah it's grown a bit in 23 days but the brakes have been jammed this week as I'm relying on my bro to take me to the diy store to get some jig materials, been putting it off every day with him saying tomorrow over & over lol, but hopefully I'll at least get the materials tomorrow :up:, also just ordered a scroll saw & range of blades able to cut from 0.7mm up to 6mm aluminium & looking forward to playing with it :D.

[Waynio]

Still not got to the diy store so it'll possibly be boxing day to new year before I get the materials now.

But in other news Air Cube is a MOTY nominee over on bit-tech which has made me extra happy for this time of year :santa:, there are 18 awesome mods on display & can pick 3 this year, I'm not asking for votes & didn't even vote for myself but if you like it enough compared to the other nominees then why not :D, but just vote for the ones you like the most, there is some really awesome mods on :).

http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2010/12/24/mod-of-the-year-2010/1?tcs=nl

[msmrx57]

Awesome news!!! Congrats. :up:

[Waynio]

Tell me about it :D thanks msmrx57 :up:, I thought the Air Cube coverage ended at the magazine article so it's a real nice surprise christmas present even if I don't place well.

Forgot to mention also the scrollsaw came yesterday & the blades came today, so I have some experimenting to do to see how intricate I can go with patterns on it so I can weigh up what's possible & what isn't.

Oh & merry christmas to all at TBCS :):up:

[SXRguyinMA]

Merry Christmas to you as well. and scroll saws rock :D

[Waynio]

Merry Christmas to you as well. and scroll saws rock :D

Cheers mate :up:, not tried it out yet but most certainly will soon enough :D.

Woooo hoooooooo produced an update in the freezing cold :D.

Had to re do the optical flat mounts as I did it so the optical were sticking out by 3mm by accident (I'm blaming the cold :wacky:)

So got all the bottom storage bits done, :) hmmm maybe not, still need to shape the flat bar clamps.

I'll work on getting it all cleaned up & brushed nicely later, just focusing on getting the basic form first, that is definitely it until I get the jig materials & on the 3rd jan I'm painting the house so that might take a few days.

Anyway it feels good to have made a little more progress :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0110.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0111.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0112.jpg

[DonT-FeaR]

this is looking brilliant. i really wanna steal this hahah

+vento was never completed. will be eventually

[Waynio]

this is looking brilliant. i really wanna steal this hahah

+vento was never completed. will be eventually

LOL Tanks mate :D:up: is it in a usable state though?.

Here's a picture to show the clearance between the fan holders & the optical.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0113.jpg

And here is rough concept of the jig I'll make for doing the bending, this is with a slightly adjusted curve at the top so it will duct the air out better.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0115.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0114.png

For the poles I'll be chopping up broom sticks lol :D.

[DonT-FeaR]

yes vento is in a state where ive been using it for about.. 6 or more months as my case.. it just needs paint a nd a hard drive rack honestly.. AND back to your log :P

[Waynio]

The wheels of progress are slowly starting to turn again :), got the jig materials & cut the 2 main panels to size & have an accurate model made for a guide for the jig, I'll mark up with the rest of today & get them made tomorrow.
I was recomended to get dowel poles but for ones of decent thickness it would have cost too much just for a jig so stuck with original plan of broom stick handles :D, they are 28mm thick & cost £2 per 1200mm pole & got 3 of them, I'll get 4 poles out of each one.
The panels are 18mm chip board, why get quality wood to be wasted on a jig?.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0116.png

[Waynio]

Brought the new year in with the bending jig :yellow_green::banana::yellow_green: all the best for 2011 everyone :up:.


http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0117.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0118.jpg

[Waynio]

LOL, I really need to tidy & clean up the garage before I can proceed, started playing twister again & it totally wrecks my concentration for what I aim to do when over there so cannot think on the objective lol :D.

So I'll get it as sorted as possible tomorrow, it's a shame as it's a nice sized garage but the work space is made ultra small with the 2 motorbikes, 2 big fridges, multigym & barbells, dumbells stacks of beer all over the place so can barely move, just wish my dad would get rid of the bikes then I could set all the machines up properly would make working over there like a dream compared to how it is.

Probably got 4 foot by 8 foot with obstacles so really need to have a good tidy then I might be able to think straight when over there.

---------

:D Just finished the big tidy & clean up so I'm good to start tomorrow, got heaps more space again, should have taken a before & after picture for LOLs.

[Waynio]

Yaaaay got past the worst of the man flu so only got lots of mucus now lol.

Marked the acrylic to re-make the failed fan holder, then cut & this time I decided to use the jigsaw, went very well, I remember the first time I tried cutting thinish materials with the jigsaw & I never knew of the essential concept of clamping down a work piece very well before trying to cut so now I do & it went perfectly fine, it's a very cheapo jigsaw too so was pleasantly surprised with the clean cuts :), then I used the disc sander to get perfect edges, then used the hole cutter to add the holes.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0119.jpg

Now then, I put the milling bit to use, first I changed the drill speed to max & all I did was get the work base to the height I wanted to cut at & clamped a piece of wood so I could slide the acrylic pieces through slowly, do this for all 3 pieces adjusting the clamp as I go, did 2 cutting stages for all pieces, now standard 120mm fans can slide in & out without modification.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0120.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0121.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0122.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0123.jpg

I found I'll need to make all the thin sticks of acrylic a little thinner to match the edges, then I'm good to start making jigs for these fan holders, then I should have perfect fan holders as I originally intended :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0124.jpg

Here is a picture of the flanged nut rivets experiment that I milled just enough depth for them to sit flush, when I ordered the 8mm milling bit I had other nut rivets in mind so to use these how I want to I should buy the correct size mill bit so it looks correct.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0125.jpg

[x88x]

Hahaha, nice job with the plexi 'milling'. :D You should look for a 2D drill press vise. Basically a poor man's manual milling table.

[Waynio]

Hahaha, nice job with the plexi 'milling'. :D You should look for a 2D drill press vise. Basically a poor man's manual milling table.

:D Thanks 88 :up:, I've tried looking for those but can only find them in USA & the shipping is a scary £100+ lol.

[Waynio]

Text update for today :).

Spent the day wet sanding the acrylic adhesive off all the pieces, had to else the bond would have been off, then cleaned them all up & about an hour ago used the acrylic adhesive again but with jigs this time ;) so I only stuck the thin pieces together & the pieces with holes, so tomorrow I'll get the thin blocks sanded down to correct size & then stick the thin pieces to the larger holed pieces, then sand again for a nice smooth finish, looking forward to getting these pieces done with, that bending jig I made is begging to be used :D.

[x88x]

Hey, I just thought of something... You should ask slaveofconvention to pick up a 2D drill press vise and bring it back on the plane (note: I'm not volunteering him, just a suggestion ;) ). I happen to know they have a car and there are two Harbor Freight's in Las Vegas.... Even if you have to pay him for an extra baggage weight fee (idk what airline he's using) and ship it to you once he's over there, but I imagine even so it would be a lot cheaper than normal shipping. Just a thought.

[DonT-FeaR]

very nice :) cant wait for more mate

[Waynio]

Hey, I just thought of something... You should ask slaveofconvention to pick up a 2D drill press vise and bring it back on the plane (note: I'm not volunteering him, just a suggestion ;) ). I happen to know they have a car and there are two Harbor Freight's in Las Vegas.... Even if you have to pay him for an extra baggage weight fee (idk what airline he's using) and ship it to you once he's over there, but I imagine even so it would be a lot cheaper than normal shipping. Just a thought.
Sounds a great idea & thanks for the thoughtful offer of help 88 ;) but I need every bit of money so I can get a new sandy bridge system, I even skipped the steam xmas sales to let the money raise lol :).


very nice :) cant wait for more mate
I'll have an update ready later today :), the fan holders stuck together nicely, there was a hiccup but was easily fixed, it did have me a little worried at first though, I'll show the hiccup in the update too lol.

[Waynio]

Jig for the pieces with holes, 2 seperate layers to save space.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0126.jpg

The stick bunches.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0127.jpg

Hiccup of adhesive bonding the pieces to the chip board, D'oh.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0128.jpg
Had to line up a piece of wood on the floor & whack away with a mallet to release them, the stick bunches stayed intact but messy :D.

Did a quick dry fit trying out all 3 holders.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0129.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0130.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0131.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0132.jpg

Sanded down all the chip board & whilst I was at it I blended the stick bars together to make them seamless.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0133.jpg

Then combined them all how I wanted them about an hour ago by sticking them together, so need to let them set & cure for a few hours at least, the day is still young so I might be able to wet sand them all later in the evening for a perfect finish so another update today is possible, it'll take a fair bit of wet sanding though :thumb:.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0134.jpg

[x88x]

Looks like a perfect fit. :up:

[Waynio]

Looks like a perfect fit. :up:

Yeah thought I possibly milled a little too much out with the step I added, not so ahh :).

[msmrx57]

Sounds a great idea & thanks for the thoughtful offer of help 88 ;) but I need every bit of money so I can get a new sandy bridge system, I even skipped the steam xmas sales to let the money raise lol :).

Now that's dedication. ;)

[Waynio]

Now that's dedication. ;)

Wasn't easy watching some awesome deals pass me by :D but been on socket 775 & ddr2 for too long lol.

I was really wanting to order gigabytes p67-ud7 but at £285 it takes the p so I am no longer loyal to gigabyte, they out priced themselves :eek:.

So I had a good look through others that have ok overclocking ability, 8 sata ports & have good reviews on them, no need for multi gpu or some other advanced features so I got my eye fixed on a ASUS P8P67 Deluxe at £185, then researched a little more & settled for the ASUS P8P67 Pro at £140 :banana:, asus is a brand I dodged like the plague as I had nothing but faulty boards in the past but gigabyte prices convinced me to give them another try ;) & they have the funky looking BIOS so that might be nice :up:.
So this enabled me to buy some other bits so I ordered a corsair 850w 100% modular psu, 3 enermax apollish white led fans, prolimatech megahalems heatsink anodised black :up:, & when I get the money for the gigabyte hd 5870 I just sold I'll be able to buy a i5-2500k when they release on sunday :D.
Already received the ram I ordered the other day, it's ocz platinum 1600mhz 6,8,6,24 so should be good & is normal height heatsink so no problems with air cooling :up:.

[Waynio]

Did a few hours wet sanding then called it quits @ midnight, I'll finish them off tomorrow, got 1 of them close to perfect though so far, the one with the fan in :), they all only had a simple wipe down with tissue, once they are to a standard I can't fault I'll wash them properly & call them complete ;).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0135.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0136.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0137.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0138.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0139.jpg

[Waynio]

:) Got all the system parts ordered now & should have them on Monday, the spec will be.

Corsair Pro Gold AX850 PSU
ASUS P8P67 Pro Intel P67
I5 2500K
Prolimatech Megahalems Black
4GB OCZ Platinum 1600mhz 6,8,6,18

I've got these fan holders extremely smooth all over now but still parts here & there aren't seamless, truly is a monstrously tedious part of the mod, don't know if I can take another day of trying to make them seamless lol, anyway I won't bore you all with any more pictures of these until I get the apollish fans lit up inside them, the original goal was just to get them all perfectly aligned which I achieved but then the goal turned into trying to make them seamless so rather than waste more time on these I want to see what they look like lit up before I do any more on them which means :) upper level time, hope it goes smoothly & no major hiccups :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0140.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0141.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0142.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0143.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0144.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0145.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0146.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0147.jpg

[x88x]

They look awesome, I can't wait to see the top. :D

[billygoat333]

this thing is turning out awesome! :)

[Waynio]

They look awesome, I can't wait to see the top. :D
Thanks 88 :):up:.


this thing is turning out awesome! :)
Thanks billygoat :):up:.

Ugh the man flu left me with a nasty cough so not really been on top form since the 1st also my sleep pattern has flipped upside down again, tried to put that right last night but fell asleep at about 7 am when I should have gone over to the garage & put a day of modding in, so I woke up at 7 pm lol so I'll do a bit on the case today & re start at 6 or 7 am, go at it all day & have the sleep pattern fixed & a bit more progress :D.

For the curved bend I'm going to use some spare flat bar to test how well it goes & how well it stays in it's form, I was going to form a joining piece at the top back out of solid square bar & tap it but I think it would be best to get some 20x20mm square acrylic bar, form it, drill it & push nut inserts into it, I just think it would be the easier & more reliable option for a semi pemanent joint.

If I do decide to go with acrylic to join the curved pieces to the top back then that will cause a small delay, but I could do a couple of other bits so no time would be wasted :up:.

[Waynio]

Alright, I tried out the bending jig on some spare flat bar, used 3 clamps to hold it in place, thought it might snap & give me a mighty slap in the face lol, I think the way to make it so it doesn't spring back so much will be to use a piece of wood & a mallet to whack the bar against the jig bit by bit, then it might keep the form I'm after, simply way too much tension in the bar which would make it lose form massively to do it any other way, but yeah it seems a faily simple process :), the hard part is making the bar the correct length, but I can get around that by cutting the bar with 50mm longer than I think I need & then cut it down to exact size needed :):up:.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0148.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0149.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0150.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0151.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0152.jpg

[Waynio]

I got the form but not sure if I'll let it pass & take up Attila's tip about getting a roller or Kojak's awesome offer of rolling it for me :banana:, if I go with the roller I'll need to make a new jig also so I can take the curve from the roller & align the curve correctly, but I could keep on doing all the rest while I save up, I really shouldn't be spending any more for a bit so the roller might have to wait a couple of months before I can spend any more on it, undecided.
Heres what I managed through over bending, just not sure the acrylic piece will match for a flush finish :think: but I could remake the jig so it does match :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0153.jpg

[Waynio]

And here it is with both bars to perfect form woo hoo :D, just needs fixing to the base & the back panel & then I have my template for the mobo tray & side panels :D.
Used a big stew pan to perfect the curve :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0154.jpg

[SXRguyinMA]

looking good!

[Waynio]

Thanks SXRguyinMA :):up:.

[x88x]

Nice job on that curve! :D:up:

[Waynio]

Nice job on that curve! :D:up:

Thanks 88 :):up:.

[DonT-FeaR]

gret progress i love what you have done so far

[Waynio]

gret progress i love what you have done so far

Thanks bud :up: if I'm not waiting all day for deliveries I'll try & get the bars & back panel fixed on today so fingers crossed I won't be waiting all day & the boredom of waiting doesn't squeeze all my enthusiasm out lol :D.

The motherboard has arrived, so waiting on the psu, fans, heatsink & cpu & have to say the motherboard looks really nice for a cheap one :):up:.

[Waynio]

LOL sitting around watching TV made me vegetate a little so I'm not in the mood for modding today but got the new parts :banana:.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0155.jpg

[Waynio]

Grrr as I was a little worried about the light doesn't spread through the stick bars so the only way to do this right would be to plug some diy LED's in the base on both sides, but this could make for some extra nice effect :):up:.
Here it is with the LED strip draped around them.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0157.jpg

And here with just the fans.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0156.jpg

I suppose with the motherboard having bits of a nice blue I could use blue LED's the stick bits might look really nice too in a 2 tone :).

These fans are silent too BTW :up:.

[Waynio]

Bad news or typical news lol.

I'm gutted I chose to give asus a last chance, years later & same old asus, honestly every single asus board I have bought has been a PITA, should have waited a little longer to raise the money & bought the p67-ud7, all asus is good for is wasting my time & stressing me out, honestly I'd be happy to pay double for a product that works so I take that back about gigabyte out pricing themselves lol I guess their price is very well justified.

Obviously there are many who don't have issues with asus but me I have been very unlucky with every single asus board I ever owned, I'm going to try & get a refund to put towards a gigabyte p67-ud7 I haven't got time for asus BS & waiting for a stable properly functioning bios.

Switched my socket 775 back in play until I have the gigabyte board which won't be for a while :(.

Cold boot & restart issues btw so freaking annoying utterly temperamental on how it works, wasted an evening & all night so I declare asus as total garbage.

Not sure if I should bother wasting more time trying to get it working :?.

[Waynio]

The store I bought the asus board from confirmed it as being dead so I wasn't wrong :banana: so got it switched for the msi p67a-gd65 & it is awesome :up:.

I'm not certain but I think intel advise not to go above 1.5v on the ram & think I found out why, when I did put my ram up to 1.6v it also increased the cpu volts from 1.17v to 2.05v

My ram is 2x2gb ocz platinum 1600mhz 6,8,6,24 1.65v so not rated for these new sandy bridge rigs & I'm running it as 1600mhz 7,8,7,24 1.6v but holy sheet this memory wipes the floor with my previous 900mhz ddr2 big time more than double fast & with good low latency too.

I'm yet to overclock this rig, just been getting things sorted before I go there but I'd be really happy to achieve 4.5ghz on this & with the temps I'm getting on this I see no reason not to get to 4.5 or higher :).

Ran some bench marks with my overclocked q9650 & ddr2 so when I've benched this new rig on stock settings & overclocked I'll post my findings comparing the 2 :).

I'm super impressed with the msi board being rock solid & for having a reset cmos switch that totally works the second it's pressed so now I see gigabyte & msi in the same light, heck msi might be my new favourite as it had 2 extra sata ports & the cost was good & affordable which is a nice bonus so while msi are probably under selling themselves while their name rises to greatness, gigabyte is ramping up the price because of it's already situated good rep I think the winner of these new boards is msi in the premium low end :up: and asus pffft :(:facepalm:.

[Waynio]

Got the needed bits to carry on so can start back up whenever which will probably be tomorrow :up:.
Helicoil kit, helicoil removal tool, 100 m3 helicoils for 3mm material, hex driver since it's the 2mm size I always use, aluminium case feet which I'll heavily mod, m8 countersunk high tensile bolts, m3 countersunk bolts & m3 button head bolts.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0158.jpg

[Waynio]

Project is alive again :banana:.

Here's the helicoil set minus the 3.2mm drill bit, very glad I tried them out, all you do with these is drill the hole, tap it, use the question mark shape tool to put the helicoil on (it has a slit & the helicoil has a stick out bit) & you place it in the hole & turn until it sits in the thread by 0.5mm or 1mm, then you pull it out & then push in the hole with the blunt tool & shake out the bit from the helicoil & woo hoo you have a very good reliable thread :up:.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0159.jpg

I put helicoils in all the corner bars, top & bottom so they are solid now.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0160.jpg

Back panel fixed onto the base.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0161.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0162.jpg

This is how I did it instead of messing with the drill press I used the cordless drill, clamped it in place measured & marked, did a spot drill, then a 2mm drill, then the 3.2mm drill for the helicoils so it was perfectly placed ;).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0163.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0164.jpg

The front optical/fan plate clicks in place (nice fit) & holds without bolts but it will be bolted up.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0165.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0166.jpg

Didn't take pictures of my attempts but started off wasting a couple of hours trying to use the disc sander, getting toasty throw it in cold water at least a hundred times D'oh, then switched to the air finger belt sander, was taking too long, then went on to vice & files & if I'd have started off with vice & files I'd have probably got them both made lol, but spent too much time on them for today so I'll do them tomorrow, anyway nice progress making up for down time I think :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0167.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0168.jpg

Ah & the wood piece is to keep the back panel straight, some how it is slightly curved but will be fine once the motherboard tray is made & installed :up:.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0169.jpg

[SXRguyinMA]

lookin good :up:

[Waynio]

lookin good :up:

Thanks mate :up: & wow :eek: I'm up at 6am so another full day at it ahead :D.

[Waynio]

OK set out to at least make the curve bar connectors & get the curve bars fixed to the rear panel today & done it :).

It was hell to make the connectors from the 19mm square bar & didn't truly fancy using the acrylic bar so luckily I had some 6mm by 25mm flat bar that I bought when making the stack unit that never got used & turned out to be perfect for making the connectors with so with them only being 6mm thick they wasn't to thick or to thin for putting helicoils in, thought I'd need to put 2 bolts on each curve bar but 1 on each was good enough, if I'd have known that I'd have put the bolt in the middle, oh well.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0170.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0171.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0172.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0173.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0174.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0175.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0176.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0177.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0178.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0179.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0180.jpg

So with this done now I'll be able use the fixed curve for making the templates for the side panels, motherboard tray & bending jig for the acrylic :).

[Waynio]

The curved bars added a little unsquareness as expected so I need to get it squished a tiny bit so it's in perfect square form so I can get the accurate curve line for the motherboard tray, this bit really needs doing to keep the squareness of the case, so really I need to make a jig for a jig for a jig lol, I'll have it sussed & done soon, I could simplify this part but it would be a gamble for it being perfect so I'll go for the j4aj4aj :D, had to take a break to have a think of a solution & the day is still young so I'll get started on it in a mo ;).

[x88x]

Looking great. Good luck with that j^3. :P

[Waynio]

Looking great. Good luck with that j^3. :P

Thanks 88 :):up:.

OK :) here is the jig to keep the case in correct position so I can mark the motherboard tray panel.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0181.jpg

Here it is in the jig.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0182.jpg

The rest of the 4mm sheet.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0183.jpg

Cut to required size & this picture shows how much the curve bars are pushing it quite unsquare hence the need for the jig :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0184.jpg

Lined it up which was quite fiddly to get in the exact spot but got there & marked the curve.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0185.jpg

Jigsaw time :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0186.jpg

Cut done.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0187.jpg

Filed down to precise size using a rough half circle file, then a medium, then soft & forgot to file the bit at the top out where the connector pieces are so went back & filed it out.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0188.jpg

Woo hoo, motherboard tray panel ready for mounting which I'll try & get done tomorrow :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0189.jpg

[x88x]

Very nice. How are you going to be connecting that panel?

[Waynio]

Very nice. How are you going to be connecting that panel?

Angle bars connected to the bottom of the mobo panel & the rear of the panel which will make it keep it's square form & possibly a couple of support bar bits connected to the curve bar if needed but kinda doubt I'll need to add support bars to the curve as it's a perfect fit so might be able to get away with not adding more holes to the curve :).

[Waynio]

Well got about 4 hours in today so not bad but nothing like the days when I'm up at 6am & put a solid 8 to 12 hours in :).

The jig can hold in the case upright lol but put a plank of chipboard for a little extra support, spent most of the time lining up the mobo tray with the curve bars so it doesn't need forcing in so started marking the areas that need shaving down a bit shaving bit by bit off & re marking over & over about 10 or more times until it naturally slid in, so got the mobo side of the case nice & square now even without it properly fixed in place with angle bars, but the other side is unsquare by a little but that will be fine once the side panels are made ;), when taken out of the jig the mobo tray stays in place which says it is doing it's job of keeping it square like in the jig :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0190.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0191.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0192.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0193.jpg

So once I got that done I started on the side panels, they were already to rough size needed but needed straightening by filing away, so marked a perfectly straight line to file down to & got busy, my right forearm is like popeye's now lol :D, the next pic shows the side panels filed to size with 2x 3mm flatbars also & it's nice & ready to get them marked up, cut & filed & the 2nd pic shows how it's to precise size :), actually when I think about it I could make it so the side panels click into place rather than use bolts but either way They will need a little handle of some sort on them so I can remove them :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0194.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0195.jpg

I'm leaving the acrylic curve piece until I have the metal work ready so I can make an accurate as possible curve ;).

[x88x]

Looks great! :up:

[Waynio]

Thanks 88 :), I'm gonna drink a couple pints of water before I crash out tonight so I wake up early :D, I'm eager to get the mobo tray fixed on & get the basic form of the side panels ;).

[Waynio]

Only got 2 hours in today, the natural alarm clock did nothing this time lol.

Left panel cut to rough shape.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0196.jpg

Right panel cut to rough shape.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0197.jpg

All 3 panels but the side panels only got filed to a rough form of what they need to be so I'll be filing to exact shape tomorrow as I got kicked out of the garage so my dad can get some excercise lol :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0198.jpg

[x88x]

:? Where are the little ones going?

[Waynio]

:D The smaller one is the mobo tray ;).

[x88x]

Ooooh. Nice. :D

[Waynio]

Ooooh. Nice. :D

:) I'm feeling great with all this progress each day :up:, it's like spring has come early :banana:.

:D Already happy I got up early, filed both panels to fit perfectly, basically I only needed to get 1 of them spot on & then align it on top of the other & mark around it, then file away so they are both the exact same shape so now I'm going to go draw the simplish window design & maybe get them done today :), came over to the house so I could do the measuring & drawing in the warmth & thought why not post where it's at after a few hours :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0199.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0200.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0201.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0202.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0203.jpg

[Waynio]

Whoops or flipadeedoodar or colourful language flowing :D, the curves are different to the sketchup model, I knew this but some how forgot I was going semi freestyle with the curve related bits & just using the sketchup as a reference, well here's what went wrong, I drew the window cutout I wanted to do which was correct, but I added the borders seperating the top & bottom wrong so the 2nd level will be seen through the bottom windows, already weighed up the cost for another big 3mm sheet & a word similar to sheet springs to mind mostly because I had it near half done before I tried it out on the case :facepalm:, damnit chin up & just order the sheet. Gutted because if I held off on putting all the holes in for the jigsaw I'd have been ok, shame but sheet happens :facepalm:.

No worrys, I'll just have to order a new sheet & at least I can quickly shape it back to the needed form, but damn it was starting to look cool :D.

Here it was in progress & when I put the panel on loose I seen it & insta face palmed lol.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0204.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0205.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0206.jpg

OK until I put the jigsaw start holes without checking the panel, what a crapper.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0207.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0208.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0209.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0210.jpg

Something good has come from it though, I can handle the jigsaw a heck of a lot better now :).

So pretty major hiccup but I'll get it fixed asap, just a shame but I can get to work on the connector pieces while waiting for the new panel & just use the failed panel as a template.

[x88x]

Ouch, that sucks. The panel's coming along nicely though.

[Waynio]

Ouch, that sucks. The panel's coming along nicely though.

Yeah, I won't let it slow down the progress though ;), think I'll finish the panel off & keep it as a template & this way I'll be able to get at least 1 of the panels fully done for the time being, can't believe I did the pattern spot on but got a simple line off by 20mm :facepalm:.

[Waynio]

Okey dokey I extended the length of the upper windows by properly measuring & marking & shortened the length of the lower windows, these should be spot on how I want them now, I'm using this faulty piece as a crash test panel so I get it totally spot on & will make doing the other 2 quite easy, anyway got the rest of the cutouts done today, only spent about an hour today, tomorrow I'll cut all the lower windows out & get all the the windows filed down to exact pattern then I could make 1 of the panels & wait for the sheet to come & with me posting these pics I'll cut back on pictures of the same process when I'm doing it for the finished pieces :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0211.jpg

This picture shows clearly where I mucked up :facepalm:.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0212.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0213.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0214.jpg

Nearly all of the aluminium looks quite a mess by now but I'll be cleaning it all up & then doing a brush on it all so don't think it will be this rough looking when complete ;).

[Waynio]

And one template ready for the new sheet, 1st picture shows straight after all the jigsaw work, 2nd shows after some filing & also shows how it's perfect size & shape for either side :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0215.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0216.jpg

[Waynio]

Got some supports added for the mobo tray, still needs securing to the curve bars & I think I'll wait until it's anodised to do those as rather than adding more holes to the curves I'll use a super strong metal adhesive & bolt the mobo tray & side panels into the pieces I stick in.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0217.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0218.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0219.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0220.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0221.jpg

[Waynio]

I started really late today but luckily I seem to be able to do the more technical mounting stuff better & faster late in the day & it's all quiet work so I took another step forward by getting the angle bars mounted for the side panels.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0222.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0223.jpg

Also I've been looking for alternative ways to colour aluminium without painting or anodising & found alcohol ink, anyone ever tried it, I've ordered 1 bottle of black & 1 blue to test out on some scrap, apparently it comes off if handled regular but to prevent this you can brush a sealer onto it so ordered some matt sealer too, can't wait to try it out, also it is dirt cheap so if it turns out ok then that's a heck of a break through when it comes to finishing for me, reason I'm looking for alternative colouring is I'm having great difficulty finding info on how to mask the mounting holes for if I get everything anodised as the helicoils would be damaged without masking but I suppose I could change all the bolt sizes to m3.5 or m4 if I have no luck in finding out how to properly mask the holes.

[Waynio]

Found what I'll need for masking the helicoiled holes, they are like ear plugs but made from silicone specially designed for the job :).

Been going at a good pace but I think I'll pass on making a physical update today & let my energy build back up :D, I got the replacement sheet of aluminium ready & waiting but I ordered some better jigsaw blades so hoping they come tomorrow, if not then I might just get started on the final side panels, I should be starting with the fretsaw really to get the pci/io piece made but I'll probably get around to that in less than a week :).

I have however thought up a much better looking & way of mounting the fans around the mobo, was going to keep it secret though until I've managed to make at least 1 of them, it's a sweet idea in my head so hopefully it'll work as I imagine it would ;), ordered 3/16 inch round bar for these.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0224.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0225.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0226.png

Also the aluminium case feet I ordered & planned on modding them, I've scrapped that idea because they take m8 bolts & I got some m8 countersunk bolts & they are way too big & blompy so decided to order some 2 inch round bar & I'm going to make them myself :D sorry Bill for using a rough design of yours hope your ok with that :redface: I do plan on adding some forms of detail on it too so it's not just plain, I have a plan of using the drill press like a lathe with long full threaded bolt & nuts lol should be interesting, I have my doubts about this one but it's worth giving a try :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0227.png

[Waynio]

Ugh, my energy & concentration levels peak at the wrong time of day, think it stems back to when I excercised every single day for a few years late in the evening so naturally the best time for modding is evening onwards which is bad if I have any noisy stuff to do so I'm finding it very difficult to progress at the moment, don't want to be going at this with my head not being 100% else I'd probably muck up.

I tested the alcohol ink out though, had trouble applying it nicely with cotton wool, so tried a brush, then tried a sponge but I think some kind of feather would apply it pretty well, but I have an airbrush which I think I should try out with this stuff as I wasn't able to get consistent application, anyway the below pics show the ink applied with sponge & the final 2 pictures show it with a fresh spray of clear lacquer so I'll see what it looks like tomorrow, there are loads of bits on the surface though so it's far from optimal lol.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0228a.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0228b.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0228c.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0228d.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0228e.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0228f.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0228g.jpg

[Waynio]

:) About the black ink, someone said it looked copper, someone said brown lol it's supposed to be black :D, anyway the black turned out pretty naff, 1 of the blues turned out half decent though but I'll stick to the anodising with the case ;), even tried the ink out in my air brush, it gave a much better finish but I'd need quite a bit of the ink to do the whole case so figure a nice solid protective anodising job would be best.

Here they are once the clear had dried.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0228h.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0228i.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0228j.jpg

Not got my tripod handy.

[x88x]

Very nice finish; I like the blue.

[Waynio]

Very nice finish; I like the blue.

Thanks 88 :):up: I dunno maybe I could go this route instead of paying out a load for anodising, it's like £3 for a small bottle that goes a long way, do you think it's worth persisting with this ink stuff to see how good a finish I could end up with?.

Not sure if black is an option though :neutral:.

[SXRguyinMA]

get creative and anodize it yourself! :D

http://www.rapidfirepaintball.ca/Anodizing.htm

[Waynio]

get creative and anodize it yourself! :D

http://www.rapidfirepaintball.ca/Anodizing.htm

:D To be honest I'd really love to but anodising is something I'd need to have someone who knows the whole process teach me lol, I couldn't read up info & try doing it myself, too dangerous & I'd have no idea where to get the chemicals :D.
Looks like a lot of good info on the link though :):up:.
Also where the heck would I get an 800mm long by 500mm deep tupperware box lol :D.

I really like doing everything myself so when the time comes for finishing maybe I should just practice my air brush skills from zero to ok :D.

[Waynio]

:D So I want to make the case feet now since I got the 2 inch round bar, I really should have got it cut to size as it took me from 8pm to 1:30am just to get them to size, flat & square wow that was sooo tough & thought I'd never get them simply to size & square lol, was all nice & quiet work though so didn't matter ;).

Here is the case feet choices I've set for myself & still think the ones modelled on mnpctech look the best lol but I might get a last minute idea like with the fan mounts, suppose I could keep them as they are & add simple grooves into them :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0229a.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0229b.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0229c.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0229d.png

Here is the 2 inch bar next to a 3/4 inch square bar & the daunting task ahead of cutting it straight & to required size, it's by far the thickest stuff I've ever cut through.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0230.jpg

Would have used the mitre saw but I find it difficult to clamp in place properly if it's a short length like this 125mm piece which is only just enough for 4 feet :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0231.jpg

So I took it to the vice, with it being so thick I put a mark about every 15mm & just used the hacksaw to get the saw line twisting the bar around bit by bit & carrying on until I cut all the way through, if I'd have gone straight though from 1 angle it would have been way off & the end result of the first 1 was spot on, however one of the others came out at 23mm instead of 25mm so had to file them all down to the same length, oh how I wish I had a chop saw lol would have been done in a few minutes, anyway got them all to the required same size & square flatness.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0232.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0233.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0234.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0235.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0236.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0237.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0238.jpg

Woooooo :D almost ready for the drill press lathe trick, just need to drill the bolt hole for mounting it in the drill press.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0239.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0240.jpg

Sooo just hope I don't balls the next stages up :D.

[x88x]

Wow, nice work with those....and yeah, I can't even imagine cutting that thick aluminum with handtools. :P

I also like the first foot style best, fwiw.

[Waynio]

Yeah the first ones pictured are the mnpctech design feet I think might be as good as can be done with some round bar, it's the only reason I want to do my own, don't want to copy but yeah it's hard to do better than that :D.

[diluzio91]

That ink looks Awesome! can you post a more detailed process of how you got it to look like that? I want to color my next project made from aluminum, and dont want to play with sulfuric acid in my apartment...

[Waynio]

That ink looks Awesome! can you post a more detailed process of how you got it to look like that? I want to color my next project made from aluminum, and dont want to play with sulfuric acid in my apartment...

It is a lot better than I expected it to be :up: & it is sooo cheap, plenty of colours, I like the way I can still see the brushed aluminium underneath it, I bought the silly applicator that goes with these inks but the applicator is garbage as the so called felt patches are actually cotton wool & leave bits of the cotton wool on the piece, could have bought 3 extra colours for the price of it too :facepalm: so I tried out a normal house paint brush which left it all too streaky, then I got the results shown by gently using a sponge to brush it on, just takes a few drops of the stuff & it dries extremely fast like less than a minute, then did an abuse test to see how well it stays & if it's on a part that will be handled regularly it will rub off so it needs a sealer so I'm going to get some matt sealer for it & give it maybe 2 coats, just need to find the right applicator to get it applied nicely then I think good things could come from it & it opens up creativity massively for anyone who is ok with art.

I'll do a mini interval post when I have another go at applying it with step by step picture guide :up:.

[Waynio]

Been messing to try & design my own feet.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0229e.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0229f.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0229g.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0229h.png

Also just used my new jigsaw blades & wow they cut miles faster, got the new side panel cut & filed to size in about half an hour, was easier than cutting cardboard with scissors lol :D.

[Waynio]

Sorry about all the feet talk lol but just designed another but with an inclusion of LED's.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0229i.jpg

[Waynio]

Ugh marked the feet very precisely to get the center & done the spot drills but when I was drilling with the 2.5mm bit it snapped & the bit that is in is unreachable & it's truly peeing in the wind to try drilling it out, so only got 3 feet now :redface:, soo I think I'll leave making my own case feet until I get a lathe which would be over a year away, I know the lines don't look right in my marking but they were just a rough guide of an inch, I used my digital calipers to mark the center, anyway the feet I'll forget about for now & get to work on the rest of it.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0241.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0242.jpg

There is possibly some news on feet but I'll leave it for now :).

So I turned my attention to cutting out the windows for the side panels, would have got all the jigsaw work done today but on the last 2 windows the blade kept falling out as soon as it touched the aluminium, it fell out about 40 times before it even got to cut 1mm, was driving me mad especially with it just being 2 small windows so called it a day lol :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0243.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0244.jpg

[x88x]

Bad luck on the feet. :( New side panels look great though.

[Waynio]

Bad luck on the feet. :( New side panels look great though.

I'm no longer down about the failed feet ;) thanks 88 :).

Heres the news bit I left out, totally worth mentioning, the one & only Bill Owen of MNPCTech mod supply store & youtube tutorials living legend offered me sponsorship for some feet after me asking if it's ok if I make 1 of his designs so seems like diy feet weren't supposed to happen with this case at this point in time, this is hugely awesome news for me as I learnt a lot about modding from his tutorial videos & this would be my first sponsor, honestly can't think of a better sponsor for a first, I's a happy chappy :banana:.

http://www.mnpctech.com/CaseModStore.jpg (http://www.mnpctech.com)
http://modmenshow.com/

[x88x]

Awesome! Congrats!

[Waynio]

Thanks 88, I had a sudden depression when the drill bit snapped off & was unreachable, then super Bill saved the day :banana::up:.

[SXRguyinMA]

congrats!

[mDust]

Way to go on the sponsorship!:banana:

If you still want to salvage those feet to use for another project, try one of these (http://homerepair.about.com/od/interiorhomerepair/ss/screw_extractor.htm). They work well and any place that sells tools should have them.

The case is looking good. Where did you get that ink from?

[Waynio]

congrats!


Way to go on the sponsorship!:banana:

If you still want to salvage those feet to use for another project, try one of these (http://homerepair.about.com/od/interiorhomerepair/ss/screw_extractor.htm). They work well and any place that sells tools should have them.

The case is looking good. Where did you get that ink from?

Thanks guys :):up:.
Will a screw extractor remove a snapped off drill bit :facepalm: nonetheless I should get some of those as I've had screws lose their socket before & it's hell to get them out :D.
The ink I wouldn't know where to get it in the US but try googling alcohol ink, afaik it's scrap book background colouring lol :D I was really clutching at straws to find a way to colour the aluminium but so it keeps the grain like how anodising would, it didn't survive a simple nail scratch though even with 1 coat of clear on so I think for it to work well it would need a clear primer coat, then the ink, then clear lacquer but I can only find clear primer in the US :facepalm:, in the UK I can find clear primer but only for plastic or wood, I'll try a few more things before I give up on the ink & if any degree of success I'll post how it went :up:.

[x88x]

Will a screw extractor remove a snapped off drill bit

Probably, but you'll probably need a carbide-tipped drill bit to make the initial hole in the bit.

[Waynio]

Probably, but you'll probably need a carbide-tipped drill bit to make the initial hole in the bit.

:think: Maybe my spot drill bit could do that :up:.

Got the rest of the windows cut out & mounted the side panels to the bottom corner bars today (they both still need to be filed smooth & to the guide lines) but on 1 side the helicoils aren't working as they should so before things get anodised I'll need to fix this by either drilling the helicoils out all the way through the corner bars & then putting longer helicoils in or drilling holes for m4 helicoils & bolts, the side panels are essential to function spot on, sure I could relocate them but then there will be un-needed holes & I don't want that similar thing happened with my first scratch build & won't let that happen again :D, I'll try longer helicoils first but I won't be able to buy them until next week.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0245.jpg

[Waynio]

Was up early so got started on filing the left side panel & wow was I seriously wrong about it being a half hour to an hour task :D :facepalm: started at 6:30 am had the filing done by 10:30 am, only had a 5 minute break, the satinising mops came the other day & thought I'd clean up the freshly filed panel with the coarse grit one & wow I really like it, possibly even enough to not get it anodised but thats my initial reaction to how good it looks anyway :D, also used the satinising mop on the curve bars.

Fixed the 2 iffy helicoils on the right side, managed to remove them & tap it again & put new ones in & it's good now :D.

Did what I planned on doing by doing the brush flow the same as the shape ;).

Currently taking a little break to post this update, then I'll watch a show then get back to doing the right panel, need a good hour break after all that filing.

So here is the coarse satinising mop on my drill & a scrap piece for testing.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0246.jpg

Heres the another test piece after the brush.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0247.jpg

Heres the left panel after all the filing.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0248.jpg

After the satinising.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0249.jpg

Closer look.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0250.jpg

Back on the case with both curve bars brushed too.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0251.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0252.jpg

Hopefully if I can stand it I'll get the other panel done today :).

[TheMainMan]

Wow, that's quite a difference. I'm picturing that with the blue colour and I think that would be a really stunning look. Great work and congrats on the sponsor!

[Waynio]

Wow, that's quite a difference. I'm picturing that with the blue colour and I think that would be a really stunning look. Great work and congrats on the sponsor!

Thanks MainMan :), I still need to find a good way to apply the ink if I go with that, the sample pieces I done with a coat of clear on was able to scratch it off with my nail quite easily so probably need a clear primer for extra grip, I give up with the black ink, just can't get it looking good even with the airbrush it has hints of purple :facepalm: but there is hope in the colours next time I'll try a few coats of clear :up:.

OK don't know what driven me but I filed the other panel & brushed it so that must have been about 8 or 9 hours today filing so have sore finger tips lol, still needs a good bit of work like sanding the edges so they are perfectly smooth looking & need to get rid of some scratches which the alu already had when I received it but it's going well, also I thought I fixed the right side panels helicoils but no they are still iffy so best thing to do is remove the helicoils & use m4 helicoils & bolts, shame as the left sides helicoils are perfectly fine so I must have drilled the right side badly creating too much space.

Bunch of pics of the pieces for today, couldn't help myself & took quite a few :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0253.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0254.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0255.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0256.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0257.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0258.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0259.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0260.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0261.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0262.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0263.jpg

[x88x]

Looks awesome! :up:

[AmEv]

Can't wait to see it done!

[Waynio]

Looks awesome! :up:
Thanks 88 :):up:.


Can't wait to see it done!
Thanks AmEv :):up:.

Up early again but not sure what to start on today :D.

[Waynio]

Holy sheet I've developed a muscle in my forearm I never knew existed & it aches a lot, filing total for yesterday & today rounds up to about 17 hours, gahhh I feel like a zombie.

The brass thread inserts are meant for acyrlic but I must have miss drilled the bottom right side holes for the helicoils so were not a good tight fit so I used a 4mm drill bit for the brass inserts, placed them in the hole.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0264.jpg

Hammer time :D

Put masking tape over it to keep it in place & whacked it in with a hammer, then fine tuned the whacking with a small hammer so it was in flush, good stuff :D, seems I clipped the back panel & it made the right panel not go on correct so whacked the excess off with a chisel & it goes on fine now.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0265.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0266.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0267.jpg

Fan mount bars.

Cut the main 6 bars to required size & was only gonna do these 6 & the other optional 2 or 4 tomorrow but done the lot today.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0268.jpg

Many hours of this.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0269.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0270.jpg

Test fit
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0271.jpg

Panels on with an extra bolt near the top back of the side panels & the front 2 fan mounts, top fan mount & bottom fan mount filing done.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0272.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0273.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0274.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0275.jpg

[AmEv]

Lookin' schweet!!!

+r

[Waynio]

Thanks AmEv :):up:

Just taken the mobo tray out & going to use the rest of today to get it measured & marked up for the motherboard & fan mounts.

[Waynio]

Knowing people are following the log & commenting really does give me that bit more drive to keep moving forward, without the comments from people I'd still be doing slack efforts lol so thanks for that :up: & last but not least thanks to every other modder who do amazing projects who have inspired me to do better :):up:.

I marked up the mobo panel for the fan mounts & where the pci/io piece will go during the night but need to make the pci/io piece before I can mark the mobo mounting holes so I'll work on that tomorrow, had a crazy long sleep waking up at 2 pm yesterday after the filing so I count that as 2 days worth of sleep :D, I should have been up all day too which should mean a decent update by the end of today but I nodded off the sleep so wrecks the acceptable noise time levels so tomorrow it is :up:.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0276.jpg

LOL I can't figure out why I didn't draw the pci/io lines on the materials when I drew the mobo tray layout last night as it's taken near 3 hours & it's ready for taking to the garage to be cut out which with it being near 8 pm I'll leave until tomorrow now but a little more rest won't hurt :D.

This was inspired by an aluminium billet pci/io piece I seen a while ago here on bit-tech but the guys price was I think nearly 200 euros (about the cost of the aluminium on this project), I was in love with it but the price ended that lol so I decided to make my own solid pci/io piece by making layers, the theory is spot on, just hope it turns out the same :) taken precise measurements from a lian-li piece, made the sketchup model & now it's time to make it.

I'll be using 2x 5mm acrylic sheets, 2x 2mm aluminium sheets & 1x 1mm sheet to make a 15mm thick piece, only the 2mm inside sheet will have slots, all the rest will be plain cut out area, always wanted to make my own & figure this will be the easiest way to do it compared to bending a sheet of alu.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0277.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0278.png

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0279.jpg

[Waynio]

This was going to be an update earlier but got cracking on with an alternative so it wasn't a wasted day :up:.

LOL didn't go to plan :facepalm: the metal work did but the 5mm acrylic pieces didn't it's just soo brittle so came back in to get my thoughts together & as usual came up with an alternative which is all aluminium & if that fails then I could always go with a pci/io piece from another case & admit defeat on making my own but I'll give it another try but yeah that means loads of marking up again which takes a while to do right.

So the new plan is 5 3mm pieces bolted together, got 1 done & checked the IO cover from my last mobo & it won't go in easily because of it being 3mm instead of 1mm thick so to fix that all I need to do is give it a bevel on the last piece so the notches of the IO cover can click on.

Anyway the marking up will be nice & fast actually as I have 1 of the pieces made & it's spot on so it'll make a good template even for the 1 with the slots so back to it I go :D included the failed acrylic pieces for a laugh, the 1st 1 when drilling ripped a corner off & the 2nd 1 was going ok & cut out the IO piece but the reciprocating saw melted the cuts so wouldn't fall out & with already being frustrated with the 1st piece I whacked it out & it ripped it in half lol.

Hopefully I'll have some more pieces done by the end of the day, especially the 1 with the slots.

Started off positive.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0278-1.jpg

Metal work went well.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0279-1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0280.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0281.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0282.jpg

Hmmmm acrylic pieces :lol:.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0283.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0284.jpg

Last try but this time all alu :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0285.png

Alright, got the needed pieces marked up in about 15 minutes thanks to the piece I already made, time to cut these out & even with getting them done as fast as possible it took 4 hours to cut all these & they require a lot of filing, I'll just have to remember it'll be worth it lol.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0286.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0287.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0288.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0289.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0290.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0291.jpg

Yeah they look rough as I don't know what but that will change after heaps of filing :D.

[Waynio]

Started at 9:15 PM, finished 4:40 AM lol, managed to keep the noise quiet by clamping heavily & holding the pieces so they don't make any vibration or high pitch noise, then came in & cleaned the kitchen, made a coffee & started putting this together while parking my rear, ahhhhh :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0292.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0293.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0294.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0295.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0296.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0297.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0298.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0299.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0300.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0301.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0302.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0303.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0304.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0305.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0306.jpg

They still require some more work but nothing major :).

[msmrx57]

Holy bung load of filing batman!!!! :eek: Looks like some good progress though.

BTW love the mug. :up:

[TheMainMan]

Impressive. You're going to have Popeye sized arms by the time you're done this project!

[Waynio]

Holy bung load of filing batman!!!! :eek: Looks like some good progress though.

BTW love the mug. :up:
The filing :dead: I'm hoping there won't be much more of it :D.
My modding drink of choice is cappuccino with 3 sugars, really keeps me going, well that & my mp3 player :D.


Impressive. You're going to have Popeye sized arms by the time you're done this project!
LOL Thanks MainMan :D.
The grade of the sheet aluminium is much softer than the bars but was still a fair bit of effort.

[AmEv]

You.
Are
Amazing.
Wow.

[Waynio]

You.
Are
Amazing.
Wow.

LOL Thanks AmEv :redface::up:.

About the delay.

Forgot to login to say it's on hold until I get the 15mm bolts for holding the pci pieces together, ordered them yeasterday & been told I could expect them to arrive on friday :up:.

[Waynio]

Rolling on again :).

Today I thought why not just make the pci/io jig for while I drill 2.5mm holes for fixing the plates together & used some 2.5mm nuts & bolts while I file them so they blend together better, inside work is done on the 4 plates while the slotted plate needs finishing & the exterior needs the same inside treatment to look good, but yeah I'm liking how they are turning out & the 2.5mm holes are ready to be tapped for m3 bolts :up:.

Think it took about 2 to 3 hours this.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0307.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0308.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0309.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0310.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0311.jpg

Also while I was getting busy doing this & came back over to see if the bolts had come they have :) so I have the 15mm m3 countersunk bolts & the m6 countersunk bolts for the case feet (wanted to replace the standard bolts for countersunk ones) but thinking about it I might go with the easy option of using the stock bolts, undecided :think:.

[AmEv]

Snazzy.


I'm just curious what you would need 4 network ports for.
Just curious. ;)

[msmrx57]

Looking good. :up:

[Waynio]

Snazzy.


I'm just curious what you would need 4 network ports for.
Just curious. ;)
Oh I only ever used the 1 out of the 4 on my last mobo lol :), thanks AmEv :up:.


Looking good. :up:
Thanks msmrx57 :):up:.

Diggsy on overclockers.co.uk mentioned to me that it looked like the slotted piece & IO was on wrong & indeed it was lol :facepalm:, just a little hiccup when I put it back together as I had the 4 none slotted pieces bolted together while I filed the inside edges, thankfully all is ok, phew was worried for a moment there :D.

[Waynio]

I tried, I failed at making my own wish it were billet pci/io piece lol bleep happens, 1 of the bolts snapped in half & is stuck in the piece & the hole is countersunk so can't hide that & can't accept such a big imperfection so I drilled a spare pci/io piece off an old case & I'll go with that now, 2 things I'm gutted about: 1 the amount of time ultimately wasted on making this part. 2: it was starting to turn out awesome.

Also the 15mm bolts I ordered were 13mm this is why I had to countersink deeper so they'd stretch the full length.

I know I could fix it by filling all the holes & using adhesive to stick them together but that's not a standard I'd be truly happy with so I'm gonna try to forget about it & use the standard piece.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0312.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0313.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0314.jpg

[Waynio]

I was premature about calling it a failure :banana:.

So here's what I done.

I did the rest of the bolts to hold the plates together & the failed 1 I ignored & did a new bolt very close to it, had to grind the bolt down so it was correct length, then started on the mounting holes for attaching the piece to the mobo tray & back panel, used wd-40 on all the drilling, tapping & then put helicoils in all the mounting holes, I left the expansion card holes alone as I'm thinking of making a clamp piece that holds all cards in place.

So I'm going to use body filler to cover all the countersunk bolt heads & to hide the failed hole & for getting the mounting holes aligned to the mobo panel & back panel I'll use my tried & tested cotton bud stick with a blob of paint on method lol it works perfectly so why not :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0315.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0316.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0317.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0318.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0319.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0320.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0321.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0322.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0323.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0324.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0325.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0326.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0327.jpg

[AmEv]

0.0
\_/

Whoa.

[Waynio]

0.0
\_/

Whoa.

:D:up:

Ugh it's 1 of those days where I'm trying to do something but getting nowhere & just over thinking & was even considering going with a regular pci piece again so came back into the warmth to get my scatterbrain together lol :).

My good old method of using cotton bud tips wasn't possible (cotton bud sticks were too thick for the holes), that method was only good for rivets or fan holes so instead I put bolts in the mounting holes, filled the sockets up with paint & then pressed it against the mobo tray so it was perfectly to the edge & it worked perfect, but I found I'll need to do that for the back panel first as there is a tiny gap so yeah that means I have 3 unwanted holes but luckily they are hidden behind an angle bar :D:p.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0328.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0329.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0330.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0331.jpg

So time to rest, then go at it again tomorrow :).

[Waynio]

All but 3 of the holes lined up, the off 3 were only off by a smidge so I used my 3mm mill bit to expand the hole to where it was needed & it's nicely done :D.

My countersink bit is past it's best though & started making a bad job of countersinking so it's time to throw it away :( but I just ordered a new one so hopefully it will be here soon :).

Also with it being so well fixed to the back panel I believe I can get away with not attaching it to the mobo panel, it's all solid so no real need :).

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0332.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0333.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0334.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0335.jpg

[BS Mods]

Looking great. That is such a nice design.

Since your countersink went dull you can also use a drill bit that is about twice the size of the hole. Just use it gently or by hand even.

Also, clean up that work area!! :)

[AmEv]

OK. I am now lurking (cough cough) this worklog.

Have I given you enough rep yet?
jk

*Apparently I have.

[msmrx57]

Very nice indeed. As far as attaching it to the mobo if theres no flex in the mobo tray or back panel there's no reason at all. Most cases just aren't built this well. :D

[Waynio]

Looking great. That is such a nice design.

Since your countersink went dull you can also use a drill bit that is about twice the size of the hole. Just use it gently or by hand even.

Also, clean up that work area!! :)
Thanks BS :):up:, I've ordered a new countersink bit & yeah it's about time I cleaned & tidied the garage :D.


OK. I am now lurking (cough cough) this worklog.

Have I given you enough rep yet?
jk

*Apparently I have.
hehe Thanks AmEv :):up:.


Very nice indeed. As far as attaching it to the mobo if theres no flex in the mobo tray or back panel there's no reason at all. Most cases just aren't built this well. :D
LOL thanks msmrx57 :):up:.

:D A bit that I think every diy modder fears getting wrong when making the mobo mounts is done & correct so with me not being a drinker or anything I'll post a load of pics instead lol :D.

So, I put the case on it's side with the io shield in.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0336.jpg

Took my last pc & placed it in the case.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0337.jpg

Held it up enough to have the io bits fit inside the shield & drawn along the edge & with the edge being drawn I could remove the io shield.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0338.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0339.jpg

Then line the board up to the line & poke a marker through to get the exact mounting positions, then spot drilled, then drilled, then tried tapping but the tap fell straight through :(, so I either used the wrong drill bit or drilled it badly so I went back to the trusty brass inserts & made the hole 4mm & whacked them in :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0340.jpg

Then put the standoffs in.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0341.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0342.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0343.jpg

Tadaaa & wooooo hooooooo :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0344.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0345.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0346.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0347.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0348.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0349.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0350.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0351.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0352.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0353.jpg

Now all I need to do is drill & file the expansion slots in the mobo panel.

Also I pre-drilled the positions for the fan mount bars.

[x88x]

Wow, I finally got around to reading through the last few pages, and I am impressed. I don't think I've rep'd you for this in a while, so here ya go. :P

I'm glad you get the IO/PCI mask/frame/whatever sorted out, it looks awesome, and much more in the theme of the case than a wimpy steel shell one would have. :D

[Waynio]

Wow, I finally got around to reading through the last few pages, and I am impressed. I don't think I've rep'd you for this in a while, so here ya go. :P

I'm glad you get the IO/PCI mask/frame/whatever sorted out, it looks awesome, and much more in the theme of the case than a wimpy steel shell one would have. :D

:banana: Thanks 88 :):up: but wow it would be soo much nicer to have access to CNC for that pci/io piece could have been done so much faster but I'll have some basic templates to make the process much quicker when I have a go in the future :up:, by the way the solid pci piece cost about £20 so is £10 less than a standard one :):up:.

[AmEv]

Huge. 0.0

[Waynio]

Huge. 0.0

LOL yeah it is a bit :facepalm::D.

Just ordered a 10mm counterbore which I'll need to mod the pilot for m3 size for the fan mount bars so they fit snug inside the positions :):up:.

[xr4man]

i fcan't believe you would let somethig as nasty as that heatsink anywhere close to that sexy ass case.

[Waynio]

i fcan't believe you would let somethig as nasty as that heatsink anywhere close to that sexy ass case.

Ah but that will make the new parts look all the more better :D :P.
Thanks xr4man :):up:.

[TheMainMan]

Looks good! Part of scratch building that has kept me from trying is the mobo standoffs. You just made that seem a whole lot easier than I imagined!
Also, just wanted to make sure you're using a tiny bit of oil when drilling and countersinking. It's hard to believe the difference it makes.
Great job!

[Waynio]

Looks good! Part of scratch building that has kept me from trying is the mobo standoffs. You just made that seem a whole lot easier than I imagined!
Also, just wanted to make sure you're using a tiny bit of oil when drilling and countersinking. It's hard to believe the difference it makes.
Great job!

Thanks mate it can be overly complicated or simple & went the simple route :D.
Yeah I only just started using a lube when drilling, tapping & sinking & yeah it makes a big difference lol :up:.

Just got the countersink & counterbore bits but the counterbore wasn't what I was expecting (the pilot was the size I needed but the cutting bit was way too big) so that won't be used & the countersink bit is garbage & might need to remake the back panel, the sink it made is nowhere near as smooth as the ones I did with my other bit so need to get same type of countersink as my last which means sometime next week before more progress :( just hope I can get away with not needing to do a new back panel.

[Waynio]

Was going to leave the project alone for a few days after finding my new countersink bit was crap (it said it is for metal but I highly doubt this & knew I needed a new one, ordered the same type as my last & decided to do the slots for the expansion cards on the mobo tray.

I also have a solution for the badly done countersinks on the back, not massively ideal but it'll work :).

The upside down hdd cage, but since found a source for left angle sata cables but I'll just have to hope that 600mm is long enough, should be :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0354.png

Marked, drilled & started using a manual fretsaw to make the expansion slots.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0355.jpg

Just needs filing.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0356.jpg

Filed & brushed both sides of the mobo panel as it was looking pretty shabby & put back in the case.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0357.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0358.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0359.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0360.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0361.jpg

:)

[Waynio]

Had a real lazy day & just tested the pci expansion cards line up correct & phew they do :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0362.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0363.jpg

Now just need to make some kind of easy maintenance clamping piece for holding cards in place :think:.

[Waynio]

Here is my first idea for holding the expansion cards in place, it would be made from solid aluminium bar with brass inserts that are screwed in from the rear panel, a hefty amount of filing again though lol :D but the theory works for me & might even look ok :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0364.pnghttp://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0365.png

[AmEv]

That looks stylish.
For more ideas, take a look at ModCron's case.

[Waynio]

That looks stylish.
For more ideas, take a look at ModCron's case.

Thanks AmEv, just checked out your project, it has potential & is a strangely awesome case for an older one, never seen an older case like it :):up:.

[Waynio]

LOL Tried that clamping block idea but couldn't seem to get the needed pressure on it while clamping, kind of a 3 or 4 handed job :D so then I tried using 6mm flat bars a piece above & below the expansion slots with a theaded insert in the ends which I have to admit is doable but might not look so good & it would still require a fiddly install which goes against the ease of use, so I ordered a lian-li part hehe, one of those toolless pci clamp things but thats just going in the spares box now but I might study it & make my own some time :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0366.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0367.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0368.jpg

The reason I didn't want to add the usual threaded holes is a 5 stack of alu wasn't the original plan so there could be issues with expanding & loss of form, maybe it would be possible to drill & tap it if held in a vice but I'm not sure it's a good idea.

I'd heartily recomend not making your own pci/io piece based on a standard one after this lol, at least I know this for sure now :D but then again this was my first time, making something fairly complex & the first time is always a bit of a nightmare when you only have a rough idea of what to do so if you do have a go at making your own be prepared for muckups :P.

Anyway I thought why the heck not just have a try at holding firm in the vice with a clamp, drilling, tapping, helicoils, now things didn't go correct with the pci/io mobo standoffs, I'd say I'm about 2mm away from where it should be but it all still works as it should so everythings ok :).

Nice technical markings ready & spot drilled lol :P.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0369.jpg

Tapping
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0370.jpg

Helicoils in & done :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0371.jpg

Ohhhhhh Shheeeeeeet :eek: but will be fixed up when I get around to doing the body filling ;).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0372.jpg

Works awesome but yeah some body filler work to get this piece spot on :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0373.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0374.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0375.jpg

And this shot shows how it's probably 2mm away from where it should be, oh well at least it all works as it should :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0376.jpg

[Waynio]

Got all the fan mount bars to the same sizes & made the notches so they are all the same & match up correct, spot drilled the mounting end, drilled, tapped, helicoiled. tried out, just need to add the fan mounting holes & countersinks as I intend to use regular black fan screws but still waiting for the countersink bit.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0377.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0378.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0379.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0380.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0381.jpg

I'll get the mounting holes ready for when the countersink bit gets here.

[Xhenthius]

Wow! This kind of work just really inspires me to start doing some mods! + rep! :banana:

[x88x]

Nicely done. Have you tried running a fan strapped into one of those brackets yet? With it just being mounted on one end, I would worry about vibration...but then that might just be my brain telling me it needs to be overbuilt 10x over. :P

[Waynio]

Wow! This kind of work just really inspires me to start doing some mods! + rep! :banana:
:) Thanks Xhenthius glad it's inspiring for you :banana:.


Nicely done. Have you tried running a fan strapped into one of those brackets yet? With it just being mounted on one end, I would worry about vibration...but then that might just be my brain telling me it needs to be overbuilt 10x over. :P
Not yet but the bars are solid thanks to the helicoils, they let me tighten the bolts up fully so I believe it'll be fine thanks 88 :).

The drilling which should have been simple went wrong so I've body filled the holes & I'll smooth it off so it's a perfect blend, then paint the fan bars & use scotch mounting tape for the fans, really wanted to avoid stuff like body filler on this but if I can hide the hiccup really well I won't mind since it was quite a mission making the fan bars :D.

[Waynio]

Ok so as I said I some how miss drilled the front fan mount bars so had to fill them with body filler, done 1 filling a good thick cover then filed & sanded down, then done another light layer to get a perfect fill & sanded to 600 grit so is ready for painting, then installed them back in the case, put thin strips of scotch mounting tape on the corners of the fans & stuck on & took a bunch more pics, & there is 320mm space for expansion cards & my tripod needs fixing up as it's getting wonky.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0382.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0383.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0384.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0385.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0386.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0387.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0388.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0389.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0390.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0391.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0392.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0393.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0394.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0395.jpg

Whats up next, who knows that acrylic has to be done at some point & the psu vents & wire management holes need putting in but have no idea what I'll do next :D.

[x88x]

have no idea what I'll do next :D.

Well, whatever it is, I'm looking forward to it. :D

[Waynio]

Well, whatever it is, I'm looking forward to it. :D

:D Thanks 88 :):up:.

Ah I think it may be the right time to work out where to put wire pass through holes & a guide for how to lay the cables out, I'm not doing a load of single wire pass throughs as seen in some other neat cable jobs I'll instead make big enough holes for the connectors to get through & make a good fitting cover that untightens a little so I can lift it up whenever I need to change things, I also want to include a way to have a wire mess hidden but accessible & functional under the hdd cages as there is some space for extras there.

Is it possible to make diy sata cables or open them up to extend them, anyone know about this? I found left angle sata cables but might need to mod the length to get it just perfect.

[AmEv]

Well, on with the show flow! +r

[x88x]

I saw a brief tutorial on modifying SATA cables a while ago...I'll see if I can find it again.

[Waynio]

Well, on with the show flow! +r
:D Cheers AmEv :up:.


I saw a brief tutorial on modifying SATA cables a while ago...I'll see if I can find it again.
Thanks 88 :):up: I measured the furthest hdd position to the furthest sata port in the layout I want to do & it comes to 615mm so I should be fine with the left angle sata cables I ordered, also John on bit-tech pointed me in the direction of a tutorial for going diy on sata cables :).

Got all the filling work done on the pci piece which has presented yet another new thing, rounded edges where I done the filling lol so yep that means I'll have to dedicate a bit more time to making the rounded edges consistant for the slots, anyway it took 3 layers of filling before I got a finish I can live with so just need to round the edges & paint then this piece is completed.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0396.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0397.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0398.jpg

Showing it with the lian-li black vented pci brackets I bought & I feel this is going to look sweet once finished.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0399.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0400.jpg

[TheMainMan]

I saw a brief tutorial on modifying SATA cables a while ago...I'll see if I can find it again.

This (http://metku.net/index.html?path=mods/baby-sata/index_eng) one?

Love the vented slots on the PCI backplate. Keep up the great work!

[x88x]

This (http://metku.net/index.html?path=mods/baby-sata/index_eng) one?

Yup, that one. :D I couldn't find it, thanks.

[Waynio]

This (http://metku.net/index.html?path=mods/baby-sata/index_eng) one?

Love the vented slots on the PCI backplate. Keep up the great work!
This is the tut Diggsy passed over to me, looks a good guide but thanks 88 & TheMainMan appreciate the help m8s :):up:, the lian-li slots were nice & cheap so thought why the heck not :D.

[Waynio]

I still need to figure out if I'm going to add a regular rear fan as I remember slightly regretting adding one to the air cube with the cpu cooler being in push/pull config so I have a tough decision on whether I should add a fan or cut out a spawling grill from the pci area to the spot where there is usually a fan, tough call but there is always the fan just above the io spot which would probably do the job fine, I'll take a bit more time to decide :up:.

Pulling away to make the rounded edge I accidentally put in consistent.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0401.jpg

Cut a little piece of wood to use as a sanding block to make the task much better & easier.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0402.jpg

Made the edges 100% square & gave the edges that show a smoothed rounded edge, so now thank goodness this piece is ready for painting at last :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0403.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0404.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0405.jpg

I was thinking of body filling all the lines where the plates connect to each other but don't feel the need to be honest because a: it will consume another day & b: it might end up a mess but I suppose I could use a filler primer which would be much easier & probably better.

And apologies for posting updates the minute I finish for the day even with fairly insignificant updates, hope it's not boring or irritating anyone lol.

[x88x]

Looking good. I can't wait to see it with paint!

As for filling the lines, personally I think I would leave them the way they are. I think they add to the overall aesthetic.


And apologies for posting updates the minute I finish for the day even with fairly insignificant updates, hope it's not boring or irritating anyone lol.

Bah! That's what worklogs are for! :D

[Waynio]

Looking good. I can't wait to see it with paint!

As for filling the lines, personally I think I would leave them the way they are. I think they add to the overall aesthetic.



Bah! That's what worklogs are for! :D

Thanks 88 :):up: yeah I think I'll skip filling the lines, I think I came out with the boring comment because the pci piece took so long to complete & was starting to bore me lol :D.

New jigsaw in action & the LED light helps big time, much smoother jigsaw than any I used before & didn't even need to clamp up like usual, yep it's a gooden for £30 :).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0406.jpg

PCI/IO cutout done.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0407.jpg

PCI piece Attached.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0408.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0409.jpg

Working on the 2nd level, never took any pics of the way I figured where the sata cables need to go through, this circle cutter scares the bleep outa me so I hide behind a big board in case it flys off :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0410.jpg

Took ages to cut it out but got there.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0411.jpg

Smoothed everything off & brushed both sides.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0412.jpg

Wire management holes & need to file a small section away from the optical angle bar.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0413.jpg

Only cut out the pci/io area on the back panel as I'm gonna ponda on what to do with the rest of it.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0414.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0415.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0416.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0417.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0418.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0419.jpg

Very hard to see it but the hole is in perfect alignment with the psu fan & will catch the excess air flow from the hdd fans.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0420.jpg

[Xhenthius]

this circle cutter scares the bleep outa me so I hide behind a big board in case it flys off :D.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0410.jpg



Thought this comment was an exaggeration til I saw the picture. LoL But awesome work, man! Wonder what you're gonna do next. :think:

[Waynio]

Thought this comment was an exaggeration til I saw the picture. LoL But awesome work, man! Wonder what you're gonna do next. :think:

The thought of the cutting bit loosening & shooting off makes me use the board it would give an awesomly bad injury if that ever happened.
:D Even I don't know, need to think up a fitting grill design :) thanks Xhenthius :up:.

[x88x]

Great progress on this. :up:

...also, on a completely unrelated note...is that a picture of an '80's Honda CM series motorcycle I see?

[Xhenthius]

The thought of the cutting bit loosening & shooting off makes me use the board it would give an awesomly bad injury if that ever happened.


Back in high school we have shop work once a week. Every time I have to use the lathe or milling machine I had to triple check if the cutting bit was tightly locked. I used to imagine the bit getting loose and all too. LoL

[Waynio]

Great progress on this. :up:

...also, on a completely unrelated note...is that a picture of an '80's Honda CM series motorcycle I see?
Thanks 88 :):up:, I think it's a honda goldwing, when doing air cube my dads bikes got covered in crap & had a mammoth task of cleaning them afterwards lol so I covered them up fully this time :D.


Back in high school we have shop work once a week. Every time I have to use the lathe or milling machine I had to triple check if the cutting bit was tightly locked. I used to imagine the bit getting loose and all too. LoL
LoL ultra fast spinning sharp things are scary for sure :D.

[Waynio]

Here is how I aligned the mounting holes for the psu, cotton bud sticks cut off ends, pressed into the mounting holes, put a blob of paint on & press against the back panel & pull away, spot drill, drill then countersink.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0421.jpg

There was 2 unwanted holes back from when I tried a clamping system for the pci cards so I used a custom circle hex graph to try & align it correct but failed on that & then failed on not using a small drill bit at first & instead used 1 that was a tad too big so silly me went & drilled big holes to remove the botched area then took a break cursing like a gooden & generally feeling down thinking I'd have to order a new sheet or an iffy repair lol, even considered cutting out the entire bad area & trying to fit another cut to precise size & fitting inside the bad area & filling the edge.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0422.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0423.jpg

Took a few hours to spot drill all these.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0424.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0425.jpg

Anyway similar thing happened when I was doing the back panel mesh on the air cube so thought screw it I'll give it a shot & the following was 100% freestyle :D but is to be continued tomorrow as it was getting a bit late.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0426.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0427.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0428.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0429.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0430.jpg

If after tomorrow I can't make it good I'll give in & get a new sheet.

[x88x]

Heheh, there you go. If the hole is too big, make it bigger. :P Looks great. :up:

Oh, and I believe you are correct..I didn't notice the opposing cylinders sticking out; I think this is a Goldwing.

[Waynio]

Heheh, there you go. If the hole is too big, make it bigger. :P Looks great. :up:

Oh, and I believe you are correct..I didn't notice the opposing cylinders sticking out; I think this is a Goldwing.

I'm stil not sure what I make of the unplanned design of the mesh but this is about half way done, it was the 2 unwanted holes from the clamping piece I was going to use that threw this mesh way off course & into unplanned territory :facepalm: lol.

If I don't end up liking what I do with this I'll order another sheet & re-do the back panel but even so I'll get the rest of the panel made & then it could act as a template which would really reduce the amount of time required to re-make it :).

[Waynio]

Well I didn't like the unplanned mess I started turning this into so I ordered a new sheet yesterday.

Wowzers just got the fresh sheet of alu a couple of hours ago & didn't waste any time :D it is now back in the shape it was before I added the 2 holes for the expansion card mounting system, all the mounting holes line up correct too thank goodness :D.

So all thats needed to be done now for the back panel is:
Cut the psu hole out, cut a hole out for the bottom hdd fan, shorten the length of the curve bar blocks so they don't interfere with the top exhaust, cut a hole out for the top exhaust, drill out a mesh then the back panel is near complete :banana:. I'll do all this if I can be bothered as that was a concentrated workload I just completed to get back to where I was the other day :D.

[Waynio]

Here, I couldn't be bothered doing more than getting back to where I mucked up but I could just about be bothered to get a pic :) lol.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0431.jpg

[x88x]

Wow, fast shipping on that panel!

[Waynio]

Wow, fast shipping on that panel!

Yeah, awesome service from my new supplier which I found on ebay & way cheaper aluminium too :), I got a 3mm x 1000mm x 500mm £30 with express delivery £21 if I could go pick it up in person.

With my old supplier this sheet would have cost me £63 & could have been waiting anything from 3 days to 2 weeks & without protective backing so could get it in bad condition but they are good for bar profiles but for sheet alu I'd never go with them again.

[x88x]

Wow...If I lived in the UK I'd ask who it was..maybe see about putting them in the supplier section on our wiki?

[Waynio]

Wow...If I lived in the UK I'd ask who it was..maybe see about putting them in the supplier section on our wiki?

Good idea, really had nothing but perfect service with them :):up:.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Aluminium-Droitwich?_trksid=p4340.l2563

[Waynio]

Started 6 am Friday, finished 8 pm had a few quick coffee breaks.

Days like today make me remember why I make my own cases, the past few days I've been questioning why am I bothering doing this lol & the answer is in the pictures, the first botch up panel was one of those where I don't know what to make of it & wondered if I could grow to like it but todays effort I knew immediately I'm glad to say wooooooo :yellow_green::D.

OK so I missed out on taking pictures with the custom circle hex pattern I downloaded, printed from http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/ but I cut to size & stuck down with cello tape & marked the centre of each circle which tested my patience over a few sessions through the night lol but whenever it got too much I just watched a show to break the monotony & when it was done I covered it in cello tape so it all stays down & left until 6 am.

Not sure how long the spot drilling took but it was quite a while, then drilled a 3.2mm bit & then used a 7mm bit, then got my bigger countersink bit & accidentally went too deep on the first one so did all the rest at the same depth & pretty fast I noticed it was a good accident for 2 reasons: 1 it adds a nice & easier way for the air to get through, 2 I think it looks pretty damn good.

The circle at the bottom I wasn't sure if I should go with a plain hole or do the mesh so I went with the mesh & had to just use a few 3.2mm holes for the ones closest to the edge of the wanted circle, not a bad result I think :).

Flipped the piece over & done slight countersinks on the exterior side, then used wd40 to get the tacky cello tape completely off & then used the satinising mop to minimise scratches & then went over it with a fine satinising mop, dusted down & installed back to the case & wow I love it when I impress myself & feels a fair while since I done that, so then enough blah blah & enjoy the pics :D.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0433.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0434.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0435.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0436.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0437.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0438.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0439.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0440.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0441.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0442.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0443.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0444.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0445.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0446.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0447.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Project%20Stealthlow/ProjectStealthlow0448.jpg

Awesome day :).

[msmrx57]

Holey carp!!! :eek: That is a lot of drilling in on day. I really like how the happy accident turns out. It's a different look and it can't hurt the airflow at all.