Interocitor Mk15

[Ouch!]

Update...

Right, so I temporarily put the frames back on the front panel so I can measure accurately.

The aluminium I got from ebay was bent using nothing more complicated than a couple of straight bits of wood and some clamps.....then I smacked it with a rubber mallet to obtain this:

Perfect fit......phew!

Dry fitting the back panel.

The motherboard tray will have to be cut slightly smaller to fit perfectly.
Then all the components will have to be flush riveted, so that the whole thing will slide in and out of the case. I will need to prime & paint the inside surfaces, unless I decide to polish all that aluminium.

I'm still worried about fitting the PSU I do not think the ATX style will fit and I want either a 1U or a 2U Rackmount PSU, but I'm not sure if they will be suitable for ATX.
A micro ATX would be better, but I don't think they will be 'beefy' enough for the job..

Decisions decisions?

I'm enjoying this mod, even though my plans are fluid, at the moment.

Ouch!

[Xperiment]

Really good job on bending that aluminum there, very clean and professional.

[Ouch!]

Update......

Okay, so I clamped the aluminium side to the frame today and drilled all the positions for the pop rivets; to hold the thing together. Once riveted, this should made a really sturdy structure. The original Interocitor (Mk.14) had nearly 2mm aluminium and weighs a ton, so this time the aluminium is only 1.2mm thick. The benefit of this is, it is very easy to bend and work. It should still be strong enough for everyday use.

Drilling for the rivets

Contersinking for the rivets that need to be flush

Because of the unusual size of the case I was puzzling about how to put a normal sized ATX power supply in this case without running into major problems. The last time I did it the PSU ended up covering the motherboard and was very close to the CPU cooler. With this machine I intend to run either a Dual Core or Quad core chip with a Arctic Cooling Pro 7. So there simply would not be room. Also, I would like to run a respectable graphics card. Either the Nvidia 880GTS or the ATI X2900XT So I need plenty of power and plenty of clearance.

Some of you have been helpful in suggesting a solution with the Shuttle series of PSU's but I thought I'd try modding an old 500w ATX supply, that I have here at home.

Here goes....

With the lid off, you can see the rear of the power socket. This needs to be moved to the other side of the PSU, so I can mount it near the top, without having the power cable emerging fron the top of the machine.

Using tin snips, I cut a slot for the socket, drilled and tapped holes for the screws.

Having de-soldered the plug and re-soldered it in the new position I got this.....I'll make some blanking plates for the holes later.

This is roughly the position I'll have the PSU in, there is a convenient blow-hole in the case above this position that will allow the PSU to blow directly out of the case.

More soon...


Ouch!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Mate great work so far, keep it up.

[Ouch!]

Got loads done today....I'm back to work tomorrow

I marked out and cut out the holes in the back plate for the internal part of the case. Then loads of filing to get a straight line.

Dry fitting the motherboard tray

From the back

Then I started cutting out the back of the outer shell; a very dusty and dirty job.

I have some ideas, in my head, for the side window and I have already got some nice chunky perspex. So If I dont run out of dremel cutting disks I think that my be the next job.

See you soon,

Ouch!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Don't use a Dremel for cutting the plastic, if you have one use a jigsaw, just a get a plastics blade and your set. I guarantee you it will be ten times as fast and if you use a plastics blade you wont get any melting.

[Ouch!]

Don't use a Dremel for cutting the plastic, if you have one use a jigsaw, just a get a plastics blade and your set. I guarantee you it will be ten times as fast and if you use a plastics blade you wont get any melting.

Oh, I use the dremel for cutting the window out of the metal and then I actually use a coping saw to cut the plexi.

I found I get a straighter cut, than with the jigsaw and there is less filing and sanding to do afterwards. I may be tempted to buy a plastics blade and give it a try though.

I've looked on the internet and I can't see a specific blade for plastics here in the U.K.

Cheers

Ouch!

[Xperiment]

I've looked on the internet and I can't see a specific blade for plastics here in the U.K.

I haven't been able to find one in the UK either, strange. I find any fne toothed blade works really well though.

Looking good BTW, keep it up dude

[calumc]

look for metal cutting blades, they work fine and can be used for loads more stuff too

[The boy 4rm oz]

I just found a pack of blades that were multi purpose, there was 1 each for plastics, metal and wood. Compared to a metals blade a plastics blade has much finer teeth.