So it wasn't tall enough yet?
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So it wasn't tall enough yet?
Noooo lol. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Stonerboy779
With the pedestal it's 4 foot 5
HTPC - 400mm high === Gamer - 440mm high === Together - 840mm high === 249mm wide === 342mm deep
Pedestal 530mm high.
Due to Cleveland expressing some disappointment about the standard fan controller knobs which has an effect like being shot with a think deeper gun lol I looked around the net for something to replace them with, bought chrome dice & marbles then did a mock up in sketchup & I just didn't like the mock-up, might look better in reality but anyway I took to designing my own knobs to fix onto the stock ones.
These have good pointiness, they sit 4mm lower than stock & will look even lower to the panel due to the pinch type grip on them.
Hopefully these appeal more, they do to me so that's what matters most. :)
Done some more designing on the pedestal, the form & function is complete now & it will be awesomely strong, only decorative stuff left to tweak on it now.
Also designed a mounting sheet for the rig to slot into.
I am really glad Cleveland pulled that trigger to zap the thought cogs to start them turning again because when looking around the net for things I could use, marbles really stood out for me, particular artful type ones hand made made by glass masters, I was like a kid in a sweet shop (but these days a retail riot) picking the right one out for this build, I was very tempted to go for one with colour but managed to stay on theme by keeping it neutral & I haven't given a power switch any thought at all other than same old vandal switches as a last minute function detail mounted wherever I could when it's done.
Here is a group picture of the bits I ordered, the 2 small marbles & chrome dice was an option for the fan controller that I doubt I'll go ahead with, the black & white marble they had sold it in the shop earlier that day but didn't get it updated in time on the site so they offered a refund for it or let me choose another 1 & let me go for one that was £5 more so I chose the same clear with detail one so will be able to pick which one looks most interesting & have a spare now, think this will be a regular feature in my projects starting from this one, such an awesome range to pick from & they will always looks different. :)
Marbles ranging from 5p to £800 some really nice pieces of glass art here from £20 to £800 but £40+ ones are keen collectors items but if I was a millionaire I'd probably buy loads, :D there is a good range of really nice ones £20 to £40, I'll be a regular shopper here for the magic ingredient for these power switches. :)
http://www.houseofmarbles.com/
Dice, crazy enormous range of dice. :D
http://www.thediceshoponline.com/categories.asp
So I've worked out a really kickass idea for using awesome marbles as power switches & I'm sharing the idea before I've even made 1 because I'm so excited about it & can't keep it to myself without my brain melting & dribbling out of my ears. :D
The marbles I'll be using are 40mm diameter & are hand made & I'll make them function like a vandal switches & here's the good bit, illumination & crazy interesting colours & shadows being cast from them, it will involve springs, a basic switch, a box to enclose it all & 5mm opal frosted acrylic formed into perfect fitting cups for the marbles, primary power indicator LED's, secondary LED's for HDD activity, could use different colour or slightly different or even the same but placed in different spots, I could also use layers of tinting film if they are too bright, I anticipate these power buttons to look & perform pretty incredible. :)
Should cost me no more than £30 to make this power button & £25 of that was for the marble so 3 times the price of a vandal switch but infinitely more awesome especially where I'll be mounting it. :D
Not really a good enough spot for this on the gamer rig sadly so I'll go with a typical vandal switch for that but I'll try to hide it away or might even use a chrome dice for a switch. :D
Front mount not a good idea.
Top mount, bit too cramped to mount nicely so would work best closer to the top back.
Did I express how awesome I think this power button will be :D
Workshop progress will continue ASAP, this update represents the past few days of thinking, designing & getting better at sketchup, learnt so much more on sketchup since starting this project & can keep it so I can realistically make whatever I design also. :D
Extra bits came in. :)
Chrome dice.
Marble.
Razer Lachesis pulse light on the mouse.
Alarm clock LED.
Standby light on TV.
This power button will be awesome. :D
Should hopefully be able to go at this regular again after such a good session, started 21:30PM last night & called it a day today at about 16:00 (took plenty of quick breaks) so feel I've got a good bit of my drive back to really get this back on now, lesson learnt, don't slack off during a project even if good things like marble power buttons do come to mind & with that in mind it's worth thinking of taking a month off a project midway though if it's a big project. :D
Curve panels for the gamer rig now ready & waiting to be bent & curved, yes I checked all the oval holes to make sure they work right & they do, if anything they might need bevelling slightly when it's curved to give a near seamless look or as close as I can get to that, I'll make an exaggerated tighter version of the curve for a curving jig to form it perfect which I'll do when I get some mdf. :)
PSU box section panels with 92mm grill & straight air though, also did a little filing to do the rough cut outside edges since it was late to keep the noise down, these parts still need an angle bar job doing on them & I'm thinking of trying the popular file it with a square file to fold it over to reduce the number of parts.
I somehow skipped taking a picture of the 140mm custom frame piece in progress but caught a couple of the 92mm fan, I stuck the templates directly to the aluminium because of lifting problems & they totally remained held down this way, hassle to clean off but worth it to be able to see what I'm cutting properly.
By this time it was ok to use the noisy disc sander to finish off all the external edges to the lines.
So now getting higher & moving into the gamer mobo area & started using an aluminium flat bar for a drill guide, easier to see the alignment & don't need a deep one for normal panels, this method is far more accurate than my drill press.
Feels like the land of good progress within 24 hours. :D
There are still a bunch of decorative panels to make for the HTPC I'm not exactly looking forward to cutting :D & the pci/io pieces which should be nice & easy with the saw & many more bits to do but next session I'll try to finish off the fan frames, got 4 more 2mm pieces for the 2 120mm fans to make & then 8 1mm ones, might do the rods for the frames also & make a few spares for in case I screw up drilling any.
I'll also try to get the power switch mechanism designed, ordered some of the needed bits, couple of Lian Li cable replacement kits, I like having writing on the plugs for what the cables are for & the switch will do fine for this, only thing I'll need to order is springs unless I can recycle some from some old battery taking device. :D
BTW I know, brightness a step or 2 or even 3 too high in the shots. :p
Had last minute thoughts about the HTPC detail panels just as I was about to enter the workshop yesterday evening, :D so took to tweaking the design instead of more workshop progress all night until just a couple hours ago, one thing led to another & another & another & glad I did because the pattern didn't quite flow perfectly just like the gamer pattern panels didn't until I noticed it clearly when I took to cutting them, :D I've made it so it will be easier to do & better looking by using some contrast & extra layers. :)
New plan for the high detail panels is 2 1mm panels & colour them differently & use washers in-between to make up the extra 1mm.
Some old vs new pics, I love this contrast, looks different from every angle & can look crazy if using a bright hot colour on the inside edges.
Old
New
Old
New
Now rather than let my sleep pattern get screwed up I'll get back in the workshop & continue until the evening. :)
Showoff :D
Hehe :D:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by AmEv
With some wanting to see this start coming together I measured everything relevant for the HTPC again to see how things are going because when I did the loose fit it a bit ago the height was a little off but all the parts I made was spot on, turns out it was the psu & optical making it 2.1mm higher than it should be.
So had some troubleshooting to do, I made the psu level 86mm for a perfect fit, with the stock grill it's 87.8mm, no good, bye bye stock grill.
Not certain if the optical drive will be a problem but probably will be, it's 41.3mm instead of 41mm, the optical level has 41mm space but I might get away with it but it will be a ultra tight squeeze, but if not I'll have to sand the panel above the optical to give it that tiny bit of extra space so it can slide in/out easier, think I'll do this anyway to not put needless strain on the threads.
I fixed the design & applied a partial template to the bottom 2 levels which bring air in for the psu to make the hole be in the right place & removed the psu fan grill & tested some 1mm material in place of it & it will work so I made a replacement, same grill design as the others & I'll paint it matte black.
I would have been busy busy a heck of a lot lately getting all the other panels done or giving it a very good shot to but instead was in a pickle of what to do to fix some bits that needed fixing, absolutely knackered already but I'll continue tomorrow refreshed. :)
Moving into 1mm cutting time & wow it's a heck of a change of pace, I have to be very careful because it cuts heaps faster. :D
Also turns out I need 5mm rods & 2mm, I can't get 2mm alu rods but can get 2mm craft wire but it comes on coils so I'll have to straighten it out perfectly.
Got some milling needs doing so I'll drill the heck out of the plate & finish off with files, the scraps of the 10mm plate have been really useful & got quite a bit. :)
Looking good!
Thanks Fuganater. :):up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuganater
For some reason I decided to do the last 4 2mm fan assembly panels instead of the front panels, I held off doing them until I come up with a better way to stick the templates so they wouldn't come loose & flap about while cutting, stick them directly to the aluminium, had to re do the sticker sheets since the ones I done earlier & stuck was very bubbled up & useless, here is this batch tacked together before I cut them with the scalpel.
Only downside to this is it is more hassle to remove the sticker, have to scrape it off with finger nails & then rub paint thinner on & it cleans up perfectly, thank you Craig for the 2nd opinion on that. :D
This what they look like after cleaning them with paint thinners. :banana:
All the 2mm fan frame panels to make 2x 140mm fans, 2x 120mm fans & a 92mm fan, got the same amount to do in 1mm now & 16x 19mm rods to cut, file, sand, drill, tap & file before I can assemble them together & then use the drum sander to really clean up all the edges. :)
The PSU fan grill, I primed, wet sanded & coated matte black earlier today with spray cans, thought I'd show it as it is before I sand the internal edges to see if people think I should or not, it would highlight the pattern more with the contrast when seen at angles. :)
Now I'll do the detail panels, tomorrow. :D
Would you ever consider doing commissioned fan grills? These things are serious works of art and look fantastic.
I would, but I'd also prefer to sell the design to someone who makes batches & sells them, a good sized batch could be made much faster than I can make 1 of these, unless it's the fact these are hand made also though. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Stonerboy779
I said as much on bit-tech, maybe someone will come forward & propose something to make it happen but I don't know yet, I hinted at me being happy to let MNPCtech do them but I might have to just go & ask him to see if he's interested, basically offering to him first because he is great for modding. :)
Just made the ATX mobo tray & it's spot on, the slot at the top which is the point where the slide in/out function of the tray will secure in place, tested mounting a GPU in both pci express slots & the mobo slots are perfect, yay. :)
And here is the motherboard that needs a clown honker nose power button to go with it. :D
I may as well get making both the pci/io pieces today, be a few less technical pieces to make, only placed this retail one on it to see it lines up right. :D
man the things I could make if I had the kinds of cash to spend on aluminum like you do :D
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by SXRguyinMA
I'm not well off but I'm good at saving :D & to be honest projects like this keep me so busy it makes saving up even easier lol. :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by SXRguyinMA
Acrylic is more expensive than aluminium here for some reason. :?
:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Fuganater
So many cut outs but get on with it, :) the distance of cutting is very similar as the gamer side panel but in a very compressed small area & in 1mm aluminium so it's quicker to cut but still takes ages with having to be really careful to not deform the heck out of the material or miss-cut it, drill holes 1mm & 2mm.
Now get on with it. :D
9 hours through the night.
Cleaning with thinners gets it clean but also adds bits in the sharp corner gaps so need a tooth brush to get all the bits out after cleaning, not done in this picture.
One down, one to go & some more bits. :)
I'm taking a break, knew these pieces would take some effort & I still need to design the switch mechanism but it's already there in my head, just need to turn the vision into a working design & then make it. :D
Next time you see these pieces I hope to have them put together as 1 super duper panel With functioning marble switch. :D
Since doing the high detail 1mm panel the other day I slacked off until last night & got rather busy. :D
Completing the 2nd high detail panel took about 5 hours this time, wasn't messing about or taking any breaks but this whole session represents 1AM to 1PM & it all holds together as 1 piece, still need to make the switch box to support the marble properly but that's all for this front piece other than cleaning up. :)
What was done...
Made the 2nd detail panel, filed & sanded the edges of the 10mm piece to be rounded, sanded the inside of the 10mm piece so the 3mm panel I cut out would fit in, took ages making it fit in, cut the back panel with basic circle, to align them perfectly for drilling mounting holes I simply took my time aligning them together right & clamped a piece of plate alu to it to give a good surface clamp & just done random mounting holes in the corners & tapped the 10mm panel & used 8mm countersunk screws from the inside with a bunch of 1mm thick washers to create gaps between the panels.
I really like this piece. :D
But guttedly I just noticed the 3mm panel placed inside the 10mm panel isn't aligned correctly due to making the hole bigger so it would fit in so I'll need to remake the 10mm piece & the 3mm piece. :( Oh well, worth redoing I believe. :)
The heck with it I'll see if I have the spare 10mm & if I have I'll do it now. :)
Figured a good solution for the hiccup, cut where the red lines are.
To be honest I was going to have the inset 3mm panel a bit further in rather than just plugged in the end so I think I'll cut where the red lines are & make 1 more panel like the faulty one but without the extra details but give the inside edge a bevel all around simply making it even more awesome, filling the gaps & having the ring where it should be. :banana:
I have options now. :bunny:
sooooooooooooooooo.....
Whats the over/under on how much this thing is gonna weigh?
I have no idea yet mate :D but if it is heavy I'll be lightening it up a nice bit by cutting bits out but in a way so it retains it's strength, be nice if I can get it close to the weight of a regular retail case but miles stronger. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuganater
Traced around the insides of the 10mm panel shape so I can make a blank perfect fit panel before I complete the fix, ready for continuing now.
Think I'll do all the set in pieces like this now, more straight forward.
So much awesome for just one power switch keep up the good work
that psu fan cover is Epic!
Thanks mate, quite a bit for a tiny bit but it's worth it. :):up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Stonerboy779
Cheers mate. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by 985323
Fixing that 3mm panel so it aligned properly for the marble power button was difficult, the difficult part of it was getting the template stuck in the precise needed spot.
Anyway any other inset pieces don't need such strict alignment thank goodness so everything from here should be a bit more straight forward.
You are a true artist sir, inspiring, masterful work my friend!
Thank you jdbnsn, accidental artist, never originally set out to find myself on a road to trying to do stuff like this. :D:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by jdbnsn
The reason of the high detail is I just wanted a case that would make me not believe I actually made it every time I see it lol, :D think I'm on track still. :)
Got some prepping done for cutting the 4 HTPC side contrast panels & made a little start on them, once they are cut & cleaned up they are ready to mount, I also worked the fixing of the layers before cutting them because I really wouldn't fancy trying to drill these frail panels once they are cut, then have 6 smaller 3mm detail inset panels to make.
Drilled access holes on both ends so I can work it better, kinda like a beat'em'up game where your used to playing on 1 particular side, can do both but seem to find it more familiar once you get used to following the cut line, the countersunk mounting holes in the corners didn't quite align properly to the panel I tapped so countersunk a little further so it gives a touch of wiggle room to align properly. :)
Probably the most boring update of the log but I'm just posting this now so it is known progress is still rolling but I had a couple days off due to lacking energy & focus so been recovering, very important to do that when not feeling on form else I'd screw something up. :D
I intend to get back into it now that I just have a big cutting session ahead I need to focus on, no idea how long these will take but they are only 1mm thick & cut easy but I do need to be careful to not mangle them up, that's the difficult part. :)
And today I'm 12,775 days old. :D:eek:
Happy 35th crack a cold one and take a break from your work :D
No, it's all epic.Quote:
Originally Posted by 985323
Waynio, when you described this as 'alien,' I think that's just it. It reminds me of what I might see on a UFO post abduction. It scares my subconscious. :D
Also, happy belated b-day. Keep up the lunacy.:up:
Cheers Stonerboy779 :D sorry for being out of it since my birthday, I got plastered & I some how woke up in Hawaii & looked like there was a beach party been going on so had to find my way home by sneaking onto aeroplanes & going to random countries until things looked familiar & then a long walk home. :banana:Quote:
Originally Posted by Stonerboy779
:D Cheers mDust will do mate. :):up:Quote:
Originally Posted by mDust
Previously on Waynio has an update to show...
It was a boring update.
Now...
Yes, another boring update, 1 down 3 to go of these. :)
But...
reikmaharg2 on bit-tech creator of Silent fibreglass PC & Blue Horizon offered help on making a super duper light mod called the Spindicator & made the complicated part for me. :D
I've got my soldering kit & LED's ordered & should have them soon. :)
Here is a video of it in action.
OMG I really want an activity light like that, that is awesome.
There must be a market for this type of stuff even if it was just modders, hopefully someone would step up to do cool bits like that & keep it so they can be used anyway the modder sees fit. :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Stonerboy779
Got the secondary layer cut & fixed the 2 together to the 3mm panel with washers inbetween them, here is a bunch of pics of it because I won't post any more updates until the other side is done. :D
Enjoy the wavy line trippage. :alien::up: (been told they make peoples eyes go funny :D)
I seem to be making nice progress again. :)
Got the last 2 of 4 internal dual layer panels cut & cleaned overnight, they just need sanding to remove any scratches, I'm happy with them. :)
Wonder if I can keep this up every day, hope so. :D:crossed:
Looking awesome as ever! :up:
I don't know about the eyes going trippy from looking at them, but I imagine my eyes would go all trippy staring at the line while cutting them.
You know its hard to believe this is the first time you have done something like this, I know you have done aluminum scratch builds before but to this insane level of detail no. Still amazed that this is by hand and not cnc milled, keep up the amazing work on this piece of art.
Cheers msmrx57 :) some people do struggle operating a scroll saw for long times driving them mad with boredom, I'm just keeping my eye on the goal & it's working, good lighting helps a lot, the daylight bulb I use is perfect for it. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by msmrx57
Crazy determination really :D the real difficult bit was getting my head around the amount of cut work needed doing, too easy to think about can I be bothered doing all that, :eek::facepalm: just have to get stuck into it. :):up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Stonerboy779
Before I could go & make the inset panels for the stand sides I had to smooth the 10mm panels now or leave them rough so been smoothing the inside edges for the best part of Sunday, still needs more perfecting on the smoothing particularly in the corners where the drum sander couldn't reach but the bulk of it is done & should be insignificant what will be removed later to affect the fit of the inset panels, nice & smooth all over the internal edges though but not a uniform finish in the corners, I'll sort that at a later time but they are now ready for making the inset panels.
Drum sander all the way would have taken too long & probably burn my drill out so got the files out & took the bulk of the teeth marks out so all the edges just needed a final smoothing with the drum sander & a bit of sandpaper on a file.
I hope to get right back onto this later on Monday.
Do you reckon you would have the patience to work out just how many meters of cuts you have made?
I'll tally it up once it's all done :D can quickly do it in sketchup, but it wouldn't be accounting for bits that didn't pass quality control, there has been a few. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Stonerboy779
More progress.
With finding how some things still need that bit of manual touch on marking from the front detail marble panel, I did the same on the templates for the inset pieces to make life a touch easier.
Used some decent scrap 3mm & roughly cut them out, roughly because I knew I'd need to file to make a perfect fit for them all.
Whole lot of file, check, file, check etc.
Until yay they all fit perfect.
Pop them all out & drill start holes.
I got 2 of the panels patterns cut out but I really needed a rest which I'm going to have now, back was aching like crazy so gonna have a little nap & then get back onto it. :)
Finished cutting the 3mm inset panels & would have done this update at 8PM but I passed out while sorting through the pictures & woke up at 2AM lol.
Scraped the templates off & then cleaned off the glue with paint thinners & scrubbed with a brush in hot soapy water & dried.
Slotted them all into their homes, they slip in nicely & then push them so they go in fully with a little added pressure.
Then thought let's see what they look like with the other side panel bits.
Then thought why the heck not clean up the table to do another loose fit of the HTPC & stand.
Now I can work on the power button design, once that is designed I can complete the Spindicator also, the most significant cut work to be done now is completing the custom fans & I might re make any acrylic bits because the adhesive was well past it's best so any flat pieces stuck together could be done much better, edge to surface bits are fine though & I got some new tensol 12.
I think because I left most if not all fixing together points out of the early design I'll go freestyle on that & use a good adhesive so parts stay exactly where I want them to & then drill so everything goes together perfectly & then remove the adhesive so I'll have to use one I know is strong but can be separated with the right methods, araldite rapid steel I've used before & is strong for something like that & it just requires heating with a heat gun & slide a razor between the joints & it does the trick.
Lookin' good! :)
Now that you can see it all coming together it is so god damn sexy
Thanks AmEv :):up:Quote:
Originally Posted by AmEv
:D Cheers Stonerboy779, once I get this front switch made I will just have to make the back pci/io piece & then fix the HTPC & stand together, can't wait so I'll get pushing on now. :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Stonerboy779
Needed a massive countersink bit to get the marble flush or close to flush to the inset pattern panel, the marble is 38mm but big countersinks at 55mm cost £60 & then another £30 to £70 for a chuck with 20mm capacity & not willing to spend money like that for a rare tasks bit so I filed & drum sanded as a cheap alternative, did the job, now I can design the switch mechanism. :)
Got the 4mm acrylic rod, got the m4 washers & springs so yes, it's time to work out the design of how this switch works.
More soon. :)
That switch is gonna look sick. Will it be backlit?
