Project: Rogue (A little SFF insanity)

[craigbru]

Hello all! There are many mods out there that have inspired me to take on a few projects of my own. The following log, is my most recent project based on the NZXT Rogue. I started it a year ago last fall, but didn't finish until August of last year. Although this may be re-posted content, I like the thought of possibly inspiring others to take on projects of their own.

I'll post my progress from the beginning for the sake of continuity, and add the appropriate dates. I won't edit my comments much, so you'll see that a few things have changed since I started work. Anyway, please feel free to contribute, or ask if you have questions about anything!

So, it begins...

November 5, 2007

Well guys, the dust has barely begun to settle on project L.O.S.I.A.S and I'm at it again. This time around of got a little help from NZXT, and lead designer Johnny Hou. As of three weeks ago, they supplied me with one of only two Rogues in the US, in hopes that I could create something pretty kick-ass. Well, who am I to turn down a challenge? I've got a thing for small form factor cases, and you can guarantee I'll use up every bit of room in this case when given the chance. Although I've got free reign with this project, there were specific goals that I set out to achieve. Let's see... for starters...

Watercooling - Oh, without a doubt. This thing must be watercooled. How does dual loops and dual 240.2 radiators sound? A loop for the CPU, and a loop for the GPU's.

LCD - I don't think I could build a case without one. How does a 10.2" widescreen sound?

ATX motherboard - Been there, done that? Well, there have no doubt been mods before this that incorporated an ATX motherboard in a mATX case. However, due to the size of the Rogue, it's possible to fit one in the case a little easier than in others. The biggest difference here, is that all connections will be routed to the rear of the case. That's one thing most other ATX -> mATX mods haven't been able to achieve.

Everything else - Well, this is a big category. Lots of little things that add up quickly. How about a hard drive rack that's removable without opening that case, integrated fan and lighting controls, custom plexi side panels, automotive digital gauges, and the list goes on.

Other hardware specs are still up in the air, but the design goal will remain, regardless of the components used. That being said, would quad Crossfire be overkill? Nah, didn't think so... I've got big plans here, so I'll do my best not to let all of you down!

Now that I've got the preliminaries out of the way, how about a few pics? Here is the case as it arrived to me.

Like a kid on Christmas morning, let's rip this thing open!

Most of you have probably seen the stock photos, but here are a few shots that you haven't seen before. I've started to disassemble the case. You can see shots with the face removed, followed by the hard drive and CD/DVD trays.

More coming shortly!

[craigbru]

November 6, 2007

Everyone that has seen this case, wants to know about watercooling. Is it possible? Of course! This case does have plenty of room for expansion if you're willing to get a little creative.

My little red beauties...

So, what do they look like in the case? Well, this is where we run into a minor clearance problem. As configured, one of the hard drive racks prevents the radiator from sitting any further forward than pictured. However, you could simply mount the radiator as is, or remove the rack on one side of the case for clearance. You would still have the rack on the other side of the case, and the 3.5" bay to utilize if so desired. Of course, with my plans, I could ditch both drive racks completely.

Oh yeah, now that's a little better!

[craigbru]

November 6, 2007

Here comes the fun part... It's also the most work. I mentioned custom plexi side panels earlier. Well, let's get on with it!

The side panels are easily removable with two screws. These things are very solid, and are the perfect foundation for what's coming next.

What would we do without masking tape? I've marked out the pattern and everything looks ready for the dremel.

Time to cut. Man, this stuff is thick!

Okay, what now? The hole is cut, but I'm nowhere near finished. I've got to nix those ribs. The plexi panel will sit in a recess in the side panel. What I wouldn't do for a machine shop and some CAD/CAM equipment. For now it's just a dremel and a file. This might take a while...

Well, it's back to work for me guys. More updates coming soon...

[craigbru]

November 14, 2007

For all of you patiently waiting... I've got another update here.

I never seem to get as much done as I would like, but I'm always making progress. With this update, you can get an idea of how the radiators are going to be placed in the case. It may not be what you were expecting...

Let's start this off with one of my new toys. It's an 18" metal brake! I'll be using this for all of the fabrication work on the case. It's not huge, but then again, it doesn't need to be. The thickest material I need to bend, will be 1mm aluminum.

Here I've got a picture of one side panel almost completed. There's a little filing to do, on a few rough edges, but it is 95% completed. It's enough for me to move on to the next step. I'll come back to the side panels later.

Here are a couple of shots with the side panel placed on the case. You should clearly be able to see the recess in the panel where an acrylic panel will be fitted.

Finally, I've started test fitting cardboard inside the case. These are approximate representations of the aluminum radiator mounts. A hole will be cut in the mount to match the radiator, and the radiator will be mounted on the inside of this panel. Once the case is assembled, there should be about 1cm or so, between the mounts and the side panel. There is a certain look I'm going for here, and when finished, there will be CCFL's located on both the top and the bottom of the panel. This should add a nice glow to the acrylic and radiator, without being over the top.

More coming soon...

[craigbru]

November 15, 2007

I should have a decent updated posted by tomorrow. In the meantime, I've been pulling in and finalizing a few more ideas. The more I plan, the more I realize, that I'm gonna have this case packed! It may have twice the volume of the Sugo in my previous project, but it's still a SFF case. The radiators and fans are taking up a fair chunk of space all by themselves. I've already had to do some behind-the-scenes re-envisioning to make sure I have room for all my components. In order to fit a full size ATX motherboard in this case, it's simply not feasible to have the fans mounted directly on the radiators. However, in order to achieve airflow through them, there will be six 120 mm fans exhausting air from the case. The case will be sealed, with the only air inlet being though the radiators. This will ensure that the coolest air possible, finds its way in to the case. In addition, I should now have room for 6 hard drives. As started earlier, these will be on a custom removable rack. The rack will sit forward of where the current rear 120mm fan sits. With the removal of a couple of screws, the entire hard drive assembly should slide right out the back of the case. I hope to give more details when I get a little closer to that part of the mod.

Other notes here...

The case will have a slightly automotive type theme. As such, the case is going to have a pair of these Dakota Digital gauges to measure the water temps for each loop.

I'm also going to incorporate one of these Griffin Powermates...

I've got my LCD choices narrowed down. I'm going to be using one of the following. Which one, will be determined on available space left after gauge placement is decided.

10.2" 4:3 ratio 800x600

10.2" 16:9 ratio 800x480

9" 16:9 ratio 800x480

[craigbru]

November 16, 2007

I needed a short break from modding while my drill charges, so I thought I'd upload a few pics of what I've been working on tonight. I decided to get one of the radiator mounts made. In order to do so, I needed a guide to make sure my bends were accurate.

Here is the 1mm brushed black aluminum I'll be using for the mounts. This stuff looks great!

I've started to mark where I need to make the bends. Tape was used to prevent scratching.

All clamped in...

2 bends down, 2 more to go.

Perfect! I couldn't ask for better results. The brake performs as expected, and I couldn't be happier.

Next up, I'll test fit the mount inside the case. Assuming all is well, I'll mark out, and cut the hole for the radiator.

[craigbru]

November 21, 2007

Another day, another update... It seems that no matter how hard I try to get away from it, all of my projects seem to involve insane amounts of filing. In fact, that's what I've been doing for the past couple of days. I guess I shouldn't complain too much though, as I've always been happy with the results. All of that filing, leads to the following update.

When I left off with the last update, I had just finished making the bends in the radiator mount. Next up, was the hole for the radiator. I used a template and careful measurements, to make sure everything was where I wanted it to be.

I didn't get any pictures of the cutting process, but a dremel and a reinforced cutting wheel made pretty quick work of the aluminum. At that point, I had to file and straighten the cuts, followed by a light sanding of the edges. The work and patience paid off, and I was left with the results below.

A test fit with the radiator, and all looked well!

The only thing to do at this point, was take a look and see how the mount and radiator fit into the case.

Finally, with the side panel on.

I've got get the mount fastened into the case yet, and before I do, all exposed edges will get a touch of black paint. I've also got to get low profile mounting screws for the radiator. These will be black as well. There is a little work to be done on the case side panel yet, but I'll try and get the other radiator mount finished first, then worry about finishing the panels. Stay tuned!

[craigbru]

December 4, 2007

I've got a small update here. I'm currently waiting for a few parts and the guages to arrive, but in the meantime, I'm close to finishing the second side panel. Unfortunately, until the missing parts arrive, they're won't be much in the way of huge progress. I can tell you this, Summit Racing sure isn't Newegg or FrozenCPU...

Who doesn't love new tools? I've been meaning to get taps for a while, this project was just the push I needed.

A little panel prep...

Here you can see where one of the CCFL's will fit. There will be an identical one on the bottom.

More to come...

[craigbru]

December 10, 2007

Sometimes I just can't help myself... I get these ideas in my head, and think I need to find a way to follow through. Just like my L.O.S.I.A.S. project, it seems I want to find room for one more component. Well, today I've found two more items that I want to cram into this case.

The first is a fairly new Matrix Orbital display. The GX Typhoon to be specific. The only problem I see at this point, is the very limited availability. It's currently backordered until the 31st of January...


Here is a video of the display in action.

The second item is a barebones Pico-ITX system courtesy of Via. The sheer number of possibilities with this thing is a little crazy to think about. It could easily make use of the LCD that will be on the case. It would also be networked, and could allow 'offline' downloading of files even when the main machine is off. Just dump the data on a shared network drive, and you're good to go.

December 13, 2007

I've got a small update here. The past week has been pretty hectic for me, but I've managed to get some work done on the motherboard tray. I'm also still waiting on a few parts that have yet to ship. I'll blame it on the holiday season...

The tray will be cut out of 2mm brushed aluminum. Frankly, it's a shame this won't be visible to anyone. I really do love the look of this stuff. Below I've marked and cut the tray.

Pretty simple, huh? Now I need to find a way to secure the tray in the case. I'm basically making brackets that will slide in to the old motherboard tray's original position. This will allow for the tray to be easily removed from the rear of the case.

Time to put the metal brake to work... The two brackets were taped together during the bending. This ensures matching bends on both pieces.

Here we have the brackets sitting in their approximate positions on the upside down tray. The brackets will be bolted to the tray shortly...

[craigbru]

December 30, 2007

Who's ready for an update? Things have finally gotten a little slower for me. Most of the holiday season has passed, and I've finally been able to get a little work done. Actually, the work's never really stopped. It's just been awfully sporadic with everything else that has been going on. That being said, I've now got a self imposed deadline. My goal is to have the project completed by the next Netwar in Omaha. That gives me a little less than two months. Wish me luck!

One of the things I really needed to get done in order to move forward, was to finally finish the second radiator mount. Here we see the bending in progress. This looks kind of familiar...

It's a perfect match...

A test fit inside the case shows that everything lines up perfectly.

Due to the positioning of the front USB and sound ports, I need to notch the radiator mount.

A little help from the dremel and a file got the result I wanted.