Page 6 of 30 FirstFirst 123456789101116 ... LastLast
Results 51 to 60 of 299

Thread: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

  1. #51
    ATX Mental Case
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    109

    Default Re: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

    So I'm not at the point that I wanted to be right now, but I'm still hard at work on completing the Zero-G chamber and have a small update to share.

    I'm afraid that my lack of experience in fabrication is what's holding things up at this point. That, and my crazy brain that keeps coming up with new ideas. The latest challenge has been getting the shelves into the chamber so that I can test the drive and pump mounts.

    To begin, I need to state that the design of the Zero Gravity Chamber has changed a little. The reason for this is because I've decided to spotlight it in this build by making the front panel of the case retractable--allowing one to see inside the chamber even after it's installed in the case. I'll have more cad drawings on this later to better illustrate the idea, but for now, just picture the front panel as a door that swings open allowing open access to the Zero-G chamber.

    Since I've decided to spotlight the chamber internals, I wanted to make them more attractive/innovative. And to do this, I believe that plexiglass will do the trick a lot better than metal shelving. It will also, from certain angles, give off the appearance that the components are weightless--even when looking at them from inside the chamber (I have photos below to illustrate what I mean.) In addition to using plexiglass for the shelving and drive mounts, I've decided to light the inside of the chamber with a softbox. This will give it a nice, even glow effect on the inside and help highlight the components.

    A quick personal note -- Sometimes I wish that all these crazy ideas in my head would automatically materialize. Because the building part is much, MUCH more difficult. I know this, and I don't want to get too carried away with design changes so that I'm stuck in an endless circle (like a galaxy vortex?), but I'm pouring my heart and soul into this build and don't want to have any regrets later.

    So if you made it through all that babbling, here are some updated CAD drawings to illustrate the new effects.










    The entire inside will be made of plexiglass--at least that's the idea. I plan to experiment with some different adhesives such as epoxy to see how clean a bond I can make with the plexi, because I don't want something that's going to be messy since I'll be showing it off.

    I don't know yet how well this is going to work; I may end up going back to metal shelves or metal brackets, or both. But I'm going to try this and see how well it works.

    Here are some actual shots of the effect it will have on the pumps using a shelf of plexi that's been cut to size:








    You should be able to see through the shelves into the very bottom of the chamber. And at the bottom, I plan to add an additional effect later.

    I'm afraid that's all I have for now. I was hoping to have a little more to share by this point, but I'll continue work and will hopefully have the chamber finished soon.

    Thanks for checking in!

  2. #52
    ATX Mental Case
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    109

    Default Re: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

    Great news, everyone! When I say that I'm excited to announce my next sponsor, it's a serious understatement.



    EK Waterblocks has agreed to help sponsor r e f l e X i o n! More details to come later on the blocks that I'll be using, but r e f l e X i o n will be running blocks from EK exclusively for the CPU, chipset and GPUs.

    Eddy is a very skilled craftsman, and I've been a fan of his work for quite a while. My first purchase was a full cover block for an 8800GTX SLI setup on H20 that I built around two years ago. Since then, I've been a big fan of his work and am extremely excited to have my project associated with his wonderful products.

    Thanks, Eddy, for your generosity in helping this project come to life!

  3. #53
    Now making cases for the heck of it =) Waynio's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Manchester / UK
    Posts
    1,661

    Default Re: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

    Outstanding presentation Xion, I could learn a thing or 2 from a clean worklog like this I tend to stray and waffle on a bit like now , what applications are needed to do renders like that & easy to follow tutorials to look into?, they are jaw droppingly awesome , maybe too much to learn, I'm only on to google sketchup to get a precise idea of how it should work with heaps of room for improvement lol.

    I like the floating ssd's idea, man this rig is going to be totally bad a$$ with the uber tech going into it .

    I think once I start work I'll be saving for a Canon EOS 40D, a quality camera makes a big difference in showing the greatness of a mod, my current cheapo one takes poor pictures that picks up loads of noise in dark areas and lacks detail.

    I totally related to the 1st bend you made not being sure if it'll work well , I have the same brake as you very useful piece it is too was 1 of the 1st tools I bought getting into fabrication.

    Gaming and spending most of what I have on it is really holding my modding back thou, I recently bought a ps3 and a stack of games, an extra £150 and I could have got the Canon EOS 40D or bought enough aluminium, a quality air brush, a range of colours & extras to do many new cases, doh!, but to be honest I really enjoy gaming & modding 50/50 so dems da breaks .

    Subscribed & +rep .

    ps TBCS is my no1 favourite modding site, so much talent in 1 place .

  4. #54
    ATX Mental Case
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    128

    Default Re: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

    If your looking to glue two pieces of plexi together, then Nothing beats WeldOn. I use #2 all the time, and i have used #4. As long as you keep the bubbles out of the joint, it will be seamless and offer great clarity.


    Mike
    Whatever can light up, should light up brightly and in many different colors.

  5. #55
    ATX Mental Case
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    109

    Default Re: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

    Quote Originally Posted by Waynio View Post
    Outstanding presentation Xion, I could learn a thing or 2 from a clean worklog like this I tend to stray and waffle on a bit like now , what applications are needed to do renders like that & easy to follow tutorials to look into?, they are jaw droppingly awesome , maybe too much to learn, I'm only on to google sketchup to get a precise idea of how it should work with heaps of room for improvement lol.

    I like the floating ssd's idea, man this rig is going to be totally bad a$$ with the uber tech going into it .

    I think once I start work I'll be saving for a Canon EOS 40D, a quality camera makes a big difference in showing the greatness of a mod, my current cheapo one takes poor pictures that picks up loads of noise in dark areas and lacks detail.

    I totally related to the 1st bend you made not being sure if it'll work well , I have the same brake as you very useful piece it is too was 1 of the 1st tools I bought getting into fabrication.

    Gaming and spending most of what I have on it is really holding my modding back thou, I recently bought a ps3 and a stack of games, an extra £150 and I could have got the Canon EOS 40D or bought enough aluminium, a quality air brush, a range of colours & extras to do many new cases, doh!, but to be honest I really enjoy gaming & modding 50/50 so dems da breaks .

    Subscribed & +rep .

    ps TBCS is my no1 favourite modding site, so much talent in 1 place .
    Thank you very much for the kind words.

    For the renders, I use Autodesk 3dsMax 2009. It took me a few weeks to learn it through following video tutorials and lessons.

    When you purchase your camera equipment (if you decide to,) keep in mind that it doesn't take the most expensive camera to put out good pictures. I'm using a Nikon D40 for everything that you see which is the cheapest DSLR that Nikon makes. The only alteration I've made to it is purchasing a 35mm 1.8 Nikkor lens which cost me an extra $180 or so. It was recommended to me as a good upgrade lens from the original kit.

    Taking good photos is mostly about lighting and lens. Of course, you also need to spend some time learning the basics of shutter speed/ISO as well, and get yourself some good light like a small softbox or two.

    Quote Originally Posted by rithunder916 View Post
    If your looking to glue two pieces of plexi together, then Nothing beats WeldOn. I use #2 all the time, and i have used #4. As long as you keep the bubbles out of the joint, it will be seamless and offer great clarity.


    Mike
    Thanks for that suggestion, Mike. I've recently purchased Weld-on #3 and 4 for welding the plexi pieces as it's been recommended to me through several outlets. Just have to wait for it to come in the mail.

  6. #56
    ATX Mental Case
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    109

    Default Re: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

    Alright, an update.

    I have FINALLY resolved the leveling problem with the shelves in the Zero-G Chamber. It's been driving me crazy, because if the shelves aren't level then the whole effect is ruined since both the pumps and the drives are visible from the outside and are supported by the shelves.

    With the help of KG's suggestion about using legs to support the shelves, I had Home Depot slice me up some 2x4 for that purpose, and it's made things a lot easier.

    First, the revised shelves. You'll notice that they're no longer a single piece of aluminum. I've redesigned them to include 3 pieces, two L brackets and a plexi shelf.



    The plexi will be screwed down into the brackets from the top. It'll mount to the brackets like this:



    I ran out and picked up this little guy, who was sorely needed:



    I had no levels that were small enough to fit inside the piece that I was working with, so I picked him up for the job. I ended up removing the square as it was just getting in the way.

    Then, the blocks and clamps:



    The blocks are very useful, as they allow me not only to hold the shelf brackets in place under the lip but also provide tension so that I can adjust the brackets in small increments to ensure they're level.



    Here's me adjusting the shelf in small increments. Having the tension from the clamp was very helpful!



    My new best friend (I call him Lil' Lvl) will help me ensure my parts aren't all crooked!



    For a straight-on view I can look through the windows.



    Bubble in the center, so I know that I'm good.

    So by this time, " Lil' " is telling me both of my brackets are level, but the final test will be to see if the entire shelf sits level once it's sitting on the brackets.



    Awww yeah. That's it.

    Now, while the brackets were clamped in place, it was time to mark the screwholes. They'll never be as accurate any other way.



    It's maddening to think that all these steps were to mark one lousy dot. Well.. I guess that would be 4 lousy dots then wouldn't it? Still doesn't ease the pain much.

    (To be continued.. in next post.)

  7. #57
    ATX Mental Case
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    109

    Default Re: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

    Like always, I'll use a drill punch to mark the holes.



    Then drill away..





    After drilling all holes, I riveted the brackets into the frame.



    And now, the final test. Are they level with the shelf sitting on them? *guuuuulp*



    Ouch. That's just not good en.....


    Kidding.

    I am picky, but I'm not going to get all wound up over that little variance. I'm happy with that.

    I then checked the edges to make sure that the shelf lined up nicely with the edge of the brackets.



    That looks good, too. Let's look at it from an overhead view.



    Check out the floating effect. Let's put something a little more relevant down there, though.





    I like. :yepp:

    That's it for tonight. What'll be cool is to see the top shelf which I should have installed tomorrow. Then you'll get to see the layout of what the pumps look like with the new interior weightless effect when they're mounted one above each other.

  8. #58
    ATX Mental Case
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    109

    Default Re: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

    Alright, bear with me here as I have to show off my new toy with you guys.

    Personally, this is the first time that I've either owned or operated a drill press, and I have to say that this thing kicks serious ass. It's so precise, smooth and quick compared to having to tap and drill by hand.

    It came boxed in pieces, so I spent some time today in assembly mode. This was the base and table assembly laid out.



    And the head assembly.



    While reading through the manual, I saw that there were varying speeds that you could set depending on what material and thickness it was that you were working with. By removing the hood of the head assembly, I saw the pulley and belt system.



    The belt was attached to the middle pulley, and the label recommended the first pulley for drilling through thin aluminum at an operating speed of 3050 RPM.



    The belt is loosened by a tension bolt located toward the back of the head assembly (boy do my fingers look long in this pic..)



    The tension bolt provides slack in the belt so that it can be moved from pulley to pulley.



    And now, I've finished moving the belt to the top pulleys. This will cause the spindle to spin at an increase from 1390 > 3050 RPM.



    There, all set. She's tuned and ready to go.

    A close up of the damage seeker.



    And now for the coolest part. The laser-sighting for ultra-precision.





    (Don't worry about the lack of clamps as I was only sighting the laser.)

    It has dual lasers that can each be adjusted individually to form an intersection at the drill point.

    I'll have some action shots of the work I'm doing on the Zero-G chamber and shelves later on tonight or by tomorrow morning. So far, the press has been extremely helpful. I don't know if it was my hand drill or the type of aluminum I'm working with or what, but I was getting a lot of drifting in the bit even after punching my holes and buying new bits. So I figured instead of buying a new hand drill I'd get this, and it's made things a lot easier.

  9. #59
    ATX Mental Case
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    109

    Default Re: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

    Project Update

    The ongoing...



    So, continuing on this long and winding journey of finishing up this complex piece, I have some live action shots of some drilling action on the Zero-G Chamber. I had previously hand-drilled the bottom 4 holes for the bottom shelf, so that left me with the top four holes for the top shelf plus the top two mounting brackets. All of these have been drilled now, so in the next day or two I should be able to show what the pumps look like mounted both on the top and bottom of the chamber.

    I'm laser sighting here and almost ready to drill one of the top two holes on the pump side which the shelves will mount through.



    Since the chamber shell has already been bent, it was necessary to support the pump side from underneath for a steady drilling surface. For support, I just used some spare 2x4 blocks that I had laying around and two flat metal brackets. The brackets gave me just the extra 1/4" that I needed.



    I used clamps whenever I could, but this piece was too thick, so I made sure to hold it firmly to the table and use very light pressure on the press. I'm still wallowing in kgtiger's horror story of his co-workers who've ripped their scalps off with this thing (my hair is short, though, so maybe I'm safe on that one. And I do trim my armpits every once in awhile to keep from looking sasquatch. Okay. Maybe that last bit was too much information.)





    Spot-on with the laser. I've found it to be really helpful thus far. You can always plunge your bit down to test your drillpoint, but the laser saves you a lot of time by being able to sight on the fly.

    Next up were the shelf brackets. The bottom two had been drilled by hand to mount the shelf to the chamber. Next was to drill the top two holes that will be used for screwing down into the plexi shelf.





    I'm loving the precision of this press. And it's not just precise but it's quick. Very quick. I can drill a hole in about 1/10th the time that I can by hand. I don't know what grade aluminum this stuff is, but it was giving my cheap hand drill fits. Not so with this bad boy.

    It was necessary to stagger the holes in the brackets so that the mounting points don't intersect one another. Two holes were drilled on each end. One for screwing the plexi shelf in, one for mounting to the side wall of the Zero-G chamber.




    That's all for tonight. I'd say at this point that the Zero-G Chamber is about 80% complete. I'm waiting on some Weld-on #3 to get here so that I can experiment with welding some plexi together. That should arrive this week.

    Thanks for following,

    X

  10. #60
    ATX Mental Case Couch3ater's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    158

    Default Re: --- r e f l e X i o n ---

    Absolutely loving this build. And for the record: totally jealous of that drill press. Seeing as how I'm just a youngling, I can't afford such an expensive toy... OH DAAAAD... Hehehe

    But seriously, I'll be looking forward to seeing the finished product. Can't wait. ^_^
    "Don't imitate the world; Create your own."

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •