ASPHIAX - VENATOR Class Republic Star Destroyer

Hello everyone,

Here he is again with a new build!

*Mumbo Jumbo *

ANYWAY >>>

As you may know I am a bit of a SCIFI fan. So my next build is going to be another SCIFI build. After the USS EURISKO and the IMPERIAL AT-AT its time for another Star Wars build.

And one I have been dreaming of for SOOOO long but now finally have developed the skillset to actually start building it !

ASPHIAX - VENATOR Class Republic Star Destroyer !

You are probably wondering, how the hell is he going to fit a liquid coooled high spec pc in there ??!!??
Well that's the beauty of these concept builds, i dont fully know yet !
Offcourse I have made some designs and done a ton of research on fiberoptic lighting, weathering and aluminum builds but for the finish it will come down to improvisation and working with the curveballs it will most definately throw me !

For the purists amongst us, I will try to keep to the original design of the VENATOR as mush as possible but there will be a couple of compromnises made to allow the hardware to fit in.

What do I want to do ...
Its gonna be big. Over 5 feet long , almost 2,5 feet wide and 1,5 feet high. The topside will be complete modellled and the bottomside will be the hardware side. More on this as i get there. Liquidcooled Mini-ITX with CPU, NB, Mosfets and Nvidia 670GTX all with waterblocks, Laing pump with reservoir. 2 x 240 rad with 8 x 120 slim fans or 6 x 92mm fans for intake and 4 x 120 fans for push pull (depending on the final design discision i make) and finally a good PSU and 2 x SSD or 1 x SSD and 2x HDD.

*More Mumbo Jumbo*


Here are some of the design sketches I made a couple of weeks ago when on vacation !

And now ... On to the build !!!
I have done some work already, here are the updates on that !

Sit Vis Vobiscum !

Ok, lets start by building a simple frame to see if it all will fit !
I always do this phase of a build. Slam together a couple of pieces of cheap mdf, saw some blocks of styrofoam (the size of the rads, psu, mobo and stuff) and move them around. You will be amazed at the configurations you can come up with that way.

Then took the big step! Ordered a couple of aluminum 2 mm sheets that were delivered pre-bent!

Sawing and filing, sawing and filing, sawing and ....

At a certain I had to stop grinding the ALU as the petting zoo behind my house came complaining about the noise. I lie awake cause of that damn new donkey with its ... well whatever donkeys do and I have to stop during the day cause I make to much noise ... GRRRRR !!!!

Oh well, its starting to take shape now. Now time to start thinking on the room for the side trays.

Also managed to score a couple of kilometer of old fiber optic cable from a datacenter project at my office. If i were to get the fiber optic cabling out I might be able to use that for the lighting setup I have planned. Will save a couple of hundred euro I think !

Well that was it for this weekend !
Laters !

Here is another weekend update !!

Started work on the bulkheads !

I have 3 bulkheads planned cause the 2 mm aluplating should be strong enough to hold all the hardware but I am leaving room to place more if I need to!

Quickly mapped out the location of the fans, mobo window and psu intake. This is the bottom side now facing up. The intention is to place a mirror underneath the model as a base showing the bottomside hardware.

My fathersday present came early this year! Last week I got this beautifull aluminum bending table from my daughter

Put it directly to work !

Also started on the back flaps. Everything will be covered with 1 mm styrene sheeting for the panelling and detailling

Some nice lines already visible !

And that was it for this week (well last week actually, lol)
Laters !

And I thought Mr. Owen was overkill.... >_>

This is looking really good already. I can't wait for more.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AmEv

And I thought Mr. Owen was overkill.... >_>

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WOW, Do I feel welcome here ... The very first post ... Well DONE !!!
I think you have just proved why forums are loosing their appeal to new and old modders and are changing to the likes of facebook. I mean really, is this your first thought when I post all of my hard work on this forum?
If so, please dont post anymore ... You really make me feel to stop telling you guys about what I like to build.

Here is another weekend update !
Had a stagnight so couldnt do much but still a small update!

Started on the commando tower. even though this looks like a small and easy job, it actually was a lot of work getting the right angles and dimensions.

This makes my blood run a little faster !

The engines need to be reworked offcourse. I want to do this according to spec but i had to place a couple of tubes to see the overal design

The next step is converting the mdf bulkheads to aluminum and making the fan assembly for the bottomside of the ship. I will be going for the 6 x 92 mm fans that will be visible through the mirror, On top of that will be the 2 x 240 rads and 4 x 120 mm slim fans. The warm air can escape through a mesh on the top of the ship.

Laters !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ASPHIAX

WOW, Do I feel welcome here ... The very first post ... Well DONE !!!
I think you have just proved why forums are loosing their appeal to new and old modders and are changing to the likes of facebook. I mean really, is this your first thought when I post all of my hard work on this forum?
If so, please dont post anymore ... You really make me feel to stop telling you guys about what I like to build.

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I'm pretty sure he was giving you a generous compliment by comparing you to Bill Owen, who is known for doing some fairly high end computer mods. If I'm interpreting it correctly, he is saying that your mod is way better than the stuff Bill Owen does. I would have to agree.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ASPHIAX

WOW, Do I feel welcome here ... The very first post ... Well DONE !!!
I think you have just proved why forums are loosing their appeal to new and old modders and are changing to the likes of facebook. I mean really, is this your first thought when I post all of my hard work on this forum?
If so, please dont post anymore ... You really make me feel to stop telling you guys about what I like to build.

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Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. I meant it as a compliment. :(

I just didn't get my thoughts down completely. I was in a hurry at the time.

Seriously though, I'm always excited to see your work.



What I meant by "overkill" was the amount of design put into it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by d_stilgar

I'm pretty sure he was giving you a generous compliment by comparing you to Bill Owen, who is known for doing some fairly high end computer mods. If I'm interpreting it correctly, he is saying that your mod is way better than the stuff Bill Owen does. I would have to agree.

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Thanks! I think Bill Owen is a class in himself. I wished I could spend 60 hours a week on my builds. I think I have around 4 hours actual build time and another 2 hours planning to get the most out of it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AmEv

Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. I meant it as a compliment. :(

I just didn't get my thoughts down completely. I was in a hurry at the time.

Seriously though, I'm always excited to see your work.

What I meant by "overkill" was the amount of design put into it.

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Ok, maybe it was lost in translation then. I find it hard sometimes to put your words in proper perspective as they can be interpreted one way or the other.

Here is another weekend update (23-6-12)

This was the status of the topside where i left off the other day.

Cut out the marked section to make way for the fans and radiators.

The started on the fan assembly ! The bottom side will feature these 6 x 92 mm Be Quiet 1800 pwm fans.

This is the bottom side thats visible !

This is really bugging me. I had to bend the alu the old way... with a hammer. This is the result. This will not do.
After the styrene covering you wont be able to see it, but I will know its there. So I will replace it !

Cut away the bent pieces and reinforced the fan tray with some 12 mm rods I had left over from the AT-AT. Will have to file it down to a better degree but its an improvement already.

Could have continued work but my saw blades were all used up, the last one broke (off course) 5 minutes after closing time of the local hardware shop ...

Untill the next update !

That old fiber optic cable is GLASS fiber. You probably won't really be able to use it the way you think you are. I'd just look online for spools of 0.020" plastic fibers. Pull the fibers through a hole, leaving 3/4" or so extra, secure with super glue, paint, then trim them off close to the surface.

until now i had no idea you could get 92mm rads.

looking good so far

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ASPHIAX

Ok, maybe it was lost in translation then. I find it hard sometimes to put your words in proper perspective as they can be interpreted one way or the other.

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Yeah, you probably had a bad day, and just needed to vent.


*pats on back*

We cool now?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TLHarrell

That old fiber optic cable is GLASS fiber. You probably won't really be able to use it the way you think you are. I'd just look online for spools of 0.020" plastic fibers. Pull the fibers through a hole, leaving 3/4" or so extra, secure with super glue, paint, then trim them off close to the surface.

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Yeah another problem is the width compared to the ship. The fiber is 0.009 thick which is way to thin for the relative size the light has to be on a ship of this size. Oh well, was an idea anyway. I have seen some 64 strand 0.256 fiber in 1 cable. Sold by the foot, it should fit on 1 led perfectly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stonerboy779

until now i had no idea you could get 92mm rads.

looking good so far

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Thanks! For the Deep Space 9 build I was planning I was planning to use 12 x 2x40mm radiators by magicool.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AmEv

Yeah, you probably had a bad day, and just needed to vent.
*pats on back*
We cool now?

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Sure we cool, just make sure you explain a little better what you mean dude!

Hmm, I need to start planning the internal hardware scheme and I am running into a problem. The topside will have red accents around the mesh area just like in this picture.

The engines are going to be fitted with white leds and lenzes like in this picture.

The idea is to make a bent plexiglass window just behind the fan assembly to give a view on the hardware through the mirrorbase under the ship. It should resemble the engines . Like this

What colourscheme should the internal hardware have and be complemented with what colour leds.

Poll: What colour scheme should the internal hardware be ?[*]Red[*]Blue[*]White
^Tussenstand:
http://poll.dezeserver.nl/results.cg...ut=10&sort=org
^{Ook een poll maken? Klik hier}

Unfortunately there is no weekend update this week!
My 23 month old daughter has been rushed to the hospital last monday with 7 times the amount of bloodsugar in her blood. Diabates 1 is the diagnosis.
I have been learning how to count carbohydrates and adjusting the insuline pump accordingly so there's no work done this week.
We are back from the hospital now but our life has been changed irreversibly.
Time out for now ...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ASPHIAX

Unfortunately there is no weekend update this week!
My 23 month old daughter has been rushed to the hospital last monday with 7 times the amount of bloodsugar in her blood. Diabates 1 is the diagnosis.
I have been learning how to count carbohydrates and adjusting the insuline pump accordingly so there's no work done this week.
We are back from the hospital now but our life has been changed irreversibly.
Time out for now ...

---

Sorry to hear that. Glad that things are under control and she is back home. It is a very dramatic change indeed. I hope that you can get your daughters needs sorted and your family can get adjusted to the new normal without any further scares like I'm sure that trip was.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by msmrx57

Sorry to hear that. Glad that things are under control and she is back home. It is a very dramatic change indeed. I hope that you can get your daughters needs sorted and your family can get adjusted to the new normal without any further scares like I'm sure that trip was.

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Thanks man ! It sure was a big scare indeed. One minute i was calmly cutting down aluminum for the venator and the next I am doing 200 miles an hour in a hospital. Sooo glad she is responding beautifully to the insuline and injections.

definitely... one of the coolest nerds i have ever seen...


this rocks... nough said

Quote:

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Originally Posted by licenseless

definitely... one of the coolest nerds i have ever seen...


this rocks... nough said

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Thanks man !

Thought about a 4x120 rad instead of 2 2x120s to save a few cm? Temps would almost certainly be better running them on one loop anyway, and you could reduce some of the front overhang (underhang?) that seems to be an issue.

Looks great though. You guys are making me wish I could work more on mine, but until this EKG comes off I'm just about tied down.

That is a bad ass theme dude! This is going to be a monster, I love it!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kayin

Thought about a 4x120 rad instead of 2 2x120s to save a few cm? Temps would almost certainly be better running them on one loop anyway, and you could reduce some of the front overhang (underhang?) that seems to be an issue.

Looks great though. You guys are making me wish I could work more on mine, but until this EKG comes off I'm just about tied down.

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That was the initial idea also! Except I am doing this without sponsors so money is tight. I had these 2x 240's lying around ...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jdbnsn

That is a bad ass theme dude! This is going to be a monster, I love it!!!

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Thanks man ! Still in the middle of some family problems so expect no update real soon (maybe in a month or so)

Well its been more then a month ...

Good to hear from you! I hope all is going well or at least better now.

Thanks man! Been a couple of hard years but as my health improves, so does the need to build again!

"YAZI" - Venator Class Star Destroyer 3D Printing Update 001

Since the venator went into storage and I went off to pursue my dreams I learned a lot.
Learned about materials, fabrication, design and so much more.
So I decided I needed to build the YAZI in a different way then what I was used to before (ie jump in feet first and hope for the best lol)

I think that 3D printing is the way of the future of casemodding. To be able to create any (case)structure you want, any mounting option you want, any decoration theme you want, all from the comfort of your house is what I believe will be happening in the next few years. Offcourse you will need to use common sense like "reservoir before pump" and mounting a drainport 2 cm above your PSU is still not a good idea, but the way we look at computer systems and how they should be constructed is about to get a major overhaul. (ok rant off)

So I bought myself a 3D printer after a LOT of research. I decide on the TAZ5 from Lulzbot.
When you get past the name (lul means d!ck in dutch) its one hell of a machine.
Travel speed 185mm/sec, print speed 80mm/sec, dual extruder option and a nozzle that can heat upto 400 degrees. That means its capable of aluminum powder and carbonfiber printing.

So I started learning how to design and print.
Here is the first print ever I did on the machine and its a part of the detailing (also called Greebles or Nurnies) that I am planning to put on the YAZI.

Not too bad I think, but it has lots of room for improvement.

After several test prints I decided it was time to up the stakes.
This engine part will hold a reservoir. (there will be 2 with and 2 without)

BUT , lets make it interesting and connect the 2 reservoir engines

This is what i mean with iteration based building. Small to large but in steps.

Some shots from the print itself. It different then with designing for laser or cnc. You think in single lines mostly when you design for those, for 3D printing you have to think in 2 lines as a wall.
Small but important difference IMO.

So that was it for this update, the final design and prints will come in a later update!

Have a good one!

Working my ass off in the 3D files atm.
If all goes according to plan, we can start cutting and welding aluminum this weekend.

FINALLY getting my hands dirty again with some REAL work lol

Somebody asked me where the hell I was going to put the YAZI When it was finished ..
Well right next to these !

Got some filament in today, time to crank up the volume !

https://scontent-ams2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...f0&oe=56B0C8B1

Sorry for the facebook link but for some reason I cannot get the picture to work properly!

Nice! Looks like you should be set for a while on filament. I picked up a Migbot Prusa i3 not too long ago. It was a kit I had to assemble, but it was only a few hundred and it prints well. The Lulzbot is a really nice machine, and those prints look great.

Are you using PLA or ABS? Are you going to be using any smoothing techniques or products? I am not recommending that the parts need them, in fact I rather like the look of some 3d prints because of the surface finish it leaves. More curious at what other people are doing.

Looking forward, and its damn good to see you back on here!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OvRiDe

Nice! Looks like you should be set for a while on filament. I picked up a Migbot Prusa i3 not too long ago. It was a kit I had to assemble, but it was only a few hundred and it prints well. The Lulzbot is a really nice machine, and those prints look great.

Are you using PLA or ABS? Are you going to be using any smoothing techniques or products? I am not recommending that the parts need them, in fact I rather like the look of some 3d prints because of the surface finish it leaves. More curious at what other people are doing.

Looking forward, and its damn good to see you back on here!

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Yeah got it straight from the factory so good deal indeed!
Migbot is also good, see them with other modders too.

I started with HIPS (High Impact PolyStyrene) cause well I just love polystyrene lol. But changed over to PLA after having amazing results with that. No smoothing used yet. HIPS can be acetone vapoured though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OvRiDe

Looking forward, and its damn good to see you back on here!

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Thanks buddy, means a lot to an old dog like me!

OK, I am going to need your help regarding the detailling of the hull.
Will it be option 1 or 2?
1. The horizontal lines will be lower and have more detail like structures etc,
2. More fine detail with structures here and there ..
Let me know !

Personally I like the clean lines of the option 1, but I think option 2 looks more star destroyer. I really don't know.. either will look great.

I agree that option 2 looks more Star Destroyer-esque.

Thanks guys, I went for combining the two designs. Few more big structure lines and more details!
Result will be posted soon!

"YAZI" - Venator Class Star Destroyer * * * Exterior bottom hull details

Well the design for the bottom hull is done and ready to print.
This was NOT a small job.

Here are the different iterations of the design from start to finish.

Combined a little bit of design 1 with a lot from design 2 and extruded it as seperate blocks to get a highth difference as well.

Quick shot to see the hight difference better.

And did a quick bend of the planes so you can get a good feel of the design when its on the YAZI.
The colour scheme might differ a bit in the end.

And offcourse there will be some styrene work done to detail it further.

Let me know what you think!

I like it! Should look GREAT!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OvRiDe

I like it! Should look GREAT!

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Thanks bro!

Sneak preview of the tower design