Modular.

[ALXAndy]

Thanks boys. Might look for a cereal box or something later. Level is not really the issue, as I want to go all the way through. I just don't want it hitting the MDF. The noise, gawd.

Was also thinking like, neoprene. But I am not sure if it would gum up the bit.

G - stop being a pervert, sheesh

 

[ALXAndy]

Loving the mill work here! We've had a laser cutter for a few years (partner makes acrylic jewellery) so I had to learn 2D design. Like you, 3D eludes me but I can do technical drawing and vectors on paper, so adapting to Inkscape wasn't too painful.

I was eyeing up one of these little CNC mills after trying to make distro plates and reservoirs on the laser. No way to do blind channels for o-rings consistently. And gluing clear acrylic so it's water tight, is almost impossible to get pretty.

Looking forward to seeing the finished box

I almost went for the laser module. Problem is it stinks right? yeah, I would totally gas myself in here Good thing with this machine is you can buy a module or spindle motor.

 

[LuckyBenski]

I almost went for the laser module. Problem is it stinks right? yeah, I would totally gas myself in here Good thing with this machine is you can buy a module or spindle motor.

Yep, we've got a proper enclosure and extraction fan etc (laser's quite a big/pro-ish model) and it still smells. Especially on certain colours - I THINK darker colours smell worse?

For levelling the bed, have you thought about sticking it on another layer of scrap acrylic? At least you know how it sounds!

 

[ALXAndy]

Yep, we've got a proper enclosure and extraction fan etc (laser's quite a big/pro-ish model) and it still smells. Especially on certain colours - I THINK darker colours smell worse?

For levelling the bed, have you thought about sticking it on another layer of scrap acrylic? At least you know how it sounds!

Yeah I could do that tbh. 3mm maybe... I would imagine there are stronger dyes in the dark stuff? Even cutting it with the diamond blade makes a unique whiff tbh. I would hate to know what it smells like burning

Had a talk with mum yesterday and I am going to put up one of those metal sheds next spring. That will help no end. I can deffo look into lasers then !

Edit. Sorry dude I forgot to say.. Minor digress... My uncle is dying (terminal cancer) and my brain is all over the place.

In the end the PNG thing did not work. It was importing them, but they were coming in the totally wrong size. Which if you start putting multiple pieces down getting it the correct size would be a nightmare. This has all been drawn in 3D. I used the line tool on the brackets, hence why it's a bit skew whiff and the corners are all sharp.

 

[LePhuronn]

When you have sufficient brain space, honestly get stuck into Fusion 360. Don't be put off by it being 3D, everything is based around 2D sketches (you can do 3D sketches, but ignore them for now). The learning curve is a bit weird in that it's easy to do simple stuff drawing sketches on planes, extruding them, doing sweeps and such, then has no middle ground before it gets very complex.

I was up and running just using sketches and basic features so quickly, and went from designing LED light rings and a DDC top to fully modelling entire systems in about 6 months.

Silverstone SG05 internals, custom aluminium skin, distro plate, waterblocks, motherboard, fittings and tube runs all modelled (and many revisions since).

Never used the CAM side though.

 

[ALXAndy]

Amazing. Yeah, at some point I think I will have no choice, but at least I am learning a lot from Easel and how it all works at a basic level.

Moving forward.

Not doing any machining today. To all forums, I decided to buy an A4 069 opal (same as what I am milling in 5mm) in 3mm to put under the cut pieces. The bit absolutely adores turning acrylic into sherbet, but not hitting the MDF. It hates that, and has burn marks on it. So I can and will cut the power socket for the cooling box, but will then wait until the A4 comes in to line the spoil board with.

I also finished up the design of the rear panel.



And ordered some supplies. Lots of M2 buttons in gold.



I am going to be using plastic weld for the inner structure, but I want the front and sides to be removable. This way if I end up with a longer GPU in there (hint, I won't, but never say never....) I can take the front off and possibly extend the front. What I don't have is an M2 tap, so I will have to get one. That is all for the future though, and the only place to get them is China, so yeah. That could have to wait until after Xmas. I also got this. This should be UK, and I will need this sooner for the front panel.



I checked my stash and they are all either latching, or ano red. I think gold goes with white perfectly. Oh and these are arriving in a hour or so from Amazon, too.



Will need those.

 

[LePhuronn]

Hit up UK Drills on le fleabay. I get all my drill bits and taps from them, really good stuff for the money. No need to faff with China.

 

[ALXAndy]

Hit up UK Drills on le fleabay. I get all my drill bits and taps from them, really good stuff for the money. No need to faff with China.

Cool. It's the nuts I ordered from China.

 

[ALXAndy]

Update 13 - "Unlucky for me".

So this evening I figured I would plumb the cooling box. "Easy, ten minute job!". Not.

It was an absolute nightmare. Mostly because it was completely unorthodox and I have never done a loop that needs to be open before. Ten minutes turned into three hours, and having to take that annoying hex res apart five times to keep changing the outlets. I also had to reposition the pump because it was so close to the "out" plate on the rear that there was no way I could get a tube on it.

Got there eventually, but have used nearly all of my fittings. Oh well, that gives me an excuse to buy all new ones for the modular box.



And yes, it is extremely convoluted. Sadly that was just how it had to be. Thankfully even though the res to pump goes uphill I can prime the pump by sucking the out tube on the back.



Now that would have been a milestone achieved. Sadly the fans run into the ridiculously large pump top. So, I need to mill some spacers out of some 5mm scrap before I can put those back. Will do that tomorrow.

 

[LePhuronn]

You hav CNC now, should've just done a distro

 

[LuckyBenski]

Could you not prime it using the other pump? Or have I misremembered the plan (thought you'd have a pump in the main system too).

 

[ALXAndy]

The other pump is going in the other box dude. So it will need water before it can pump anything. I need to be able to pump water out of the cooling box and into that first.

Ross - I am saving that stuff for later. This is not my dream build. I have always wanted to do one based on a Radiohead song, my fave song of all time, and it will be extreme. Like, tree shaped distros and all that stuff. But for now I want to get this done, then the modular box will be replaced over time. There are no LEDs in the cooling box, no windows and bugger all else. IE, I have done more than I should on that already tbh.

Also..

Well that is a relief. I just did a count of what is left, not enough.

For a while I thought I would have to buy all new fittings in a larger size. Thing is? the whole build has been designed with small clearances in mind. IE, not for big fittings and big hoses. I was extremely relieved to find 10 of these.



They are Bitspower, same as what I have now. They were on sale for £3.70 each, which saves me a lot. Mostly because I don't have to buy all new hose (I love the black hose and I have tons) and, I was going to try and strip the red off for the modular box. Now I don't need to. If I need any more fittings (like elbows, 90s etc) I can order them in chrome to match. Phew.

 

[ALXAndy]

Gotta love Royal Fail. Two weeks late this was what I got in an email earlier.



Public road. So there is a 99% chance that won't be there waiting for me when I get home FFS.

 

[ALXAndy]

Update 14 - "Unforeseen Circumstances"

Tonight I made my first somewhat major mistake. I came up with a really good idea for the spoil board. IE, cover it in double sided masking tape, then put on a cardboard sheet, then put on more tape.

This was the best idea I have had yet. Also, because this tape is so incredible when I messed up it saved me. Sort of, it saved me another 30 mins and a crap load more tape.

OK, so for tonight's hi jinx I decided to go balls out and cut the hardest part of all. The back. It is the hardest because it is the only piece that is dimension critical. It is also pushing the bed to the limit. And that was why I made a mistake. Any way, what I was cutting and milling.



Now this is where I went wrong. For some reason I got blinded by the measurements on the board (spoil board) and thought I should start where the numbers start. DON'T. This had the whole piece 1cm too high and of course the bed can't cut that far. So, what you see in the next picture is a whole hour wasted, then another 1 hour and 20 mins (I reduced the depth of the lettering as it was taking the longest.



If you look up top you can see where I went wrong. It got to the top of the writing, maxed out before even starting the hole for the IO which then messed up everything after. Thankfully I realised my error and stopped the machine before I wasted any more time and materials. I wasted 1/4 of a sheet, £2. I was far more miffed about the time I wasted.

It doesn't look fantastic yet as I am not removing the peel off protection yet. I still have to cut it to the correct height, so that is staying on for now. But it is done.

I also snapped my first bit. I changed it to a 1.2mm bit before I began and when I started round 2 (with the material in the correct position on the bed) I got annoyed and impatient setting the depth. It was too deep, and it quickly snapped becoming lodged in the acrylic. IO tried to pull it out and it snapped twice more, so I drilled it out. Because I switched to a larger bit it then removed all of that damage.

But note to self, 1.2mm bits are really too thin. I would have used the 1.4, but I was paranoid about it being dull after being dragged through MDF. So, I used a 1.6mm which was perfect any way.

I also forgot to say I ordered these.



I've used them before. They are anodized billet spacers people use for drift racing (on the bonnet, or hood to our colonial cousins). The great part is they are cheap AF (about $5) and come with all of the hardware you need whilst looking fantastic.

 

[ALXAndy]

Update 14.5 "That sucks".

Firstly the PSU tray I modelled was completely wrong. One hole lined up, so I had to work it to make the PSU fit.

It then dawned on me that I don't have the bed height to cut what I was wanting to, and that is why the IO is 5mm too low.



I am going to have to cut that bigger and try and cover it up.

Bed upgrade needed....

Actually no, bed upgrade not needed. I needed to leave 1cm sticking out of the bottom of the bed. So that is my fault.

Ugh. Might redo it tomorrow, we'll see.

 

[LePhuronn]

Measurement issues aside, it's looking like really clean and precise cuts. Get your practice in, you're not gonna nail it first time with a new toy.

And get some 3mm endmills in there, that'll cut through the acrylic in no time and you can use the smaller sizes for finishing.

 

[ALXAndy]

3mm will be too big to do any lettering.

TBH the pocket carves yes, take ages, but they are the quietest thing it does tbh.

 

[LePhuronn]

3mm will be too big to do any lettering.

Ah yes, the cornerstone of all milling: TOOL CHANGE!

It all depends on how rigid the overall unit is, whether you can change the bit without knocking anything out of alignment and then accurately rehoming the spindle to continue with the next processes.

Still, it's all good learning if you ever get the itch to move to a larger or more capable machine.

 

[ALXAndy]

Not going to risk that tbh dude. Honestly, the cut time was fine with me. Like I said at the beginning I am not in a rush. It's just annoying to waste an hour is all.

I'm going to bin it. I wasn't terribly happy about the PSU and two things were my fault. Not the PSU ! I modelled the bracket I removed from the Cougar. The first thing I put my hands up to is forgetting to offset the sheet by 1cm. That is most certainly my fault. I could have gotten away with it, by mashing the hole for the IO bigger. However, I also forgot that at the end I was supposed to basically go through everything with everything "in hand" and make sure it all fits. And I didn't, and that is my fault.



With it offset by 1cm at the bottom leaving tons of room for the PCIE slot. Right now it protrudes out of the back panel 7mm too low (again would have been fine if I had left that 10mm poking over the bed). I have reduced the large hole for the PSU because it was a little on the big side and it is still plenty big enough to exhaust, modeled the actual bolt layout that was not my fault *and* remembered to leave clearance for panels to fit inside. That was another F up I made. I forgot to account for the PSU halo and the actual PSU itself.

Oh and getting the GPU in would have been fun too, given I also totally forgot about the part that sticks out to be bolted down.

 

[LuckyBenski]

All part of the learning! Really common this sort of mistake/hiccup. On the laser before using 10mm acrylic, I'd cut out of scraps of 3mm or even turn the lower and speed down/up so I just got a quick etch to measure against. At the very least, do a quick trace round of your layout above the work. If you're not cutting the outside edge using the CNC, I'd probably do all the milling before you trim the overall piece to size.

Critical with anything dimensionally important, but also do confirm that your machine cuts to scale. On the laser there's an adjustment for number of motor steps per unit of movement.

You're getting there and fast I'll post a pic of the scraps just from experimenting on reservoirs/distro plates...



Edit: actually the full units I made aren't even in that pile