Posting development of our case

[AlexTzone]

Hi!

I'm new to this forum, is it against the rules to post about development of PC cases that will be available for purchase in the future? Something like this for instance: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/update-5-5-mjolnir-i-8-5l-unibody-mini-itx-case-thor-zone.3500/

I would like to get your advice and concerns regarding our case, but I don't want to break any rules and be a spammer.

Best, Alex

 

[AlexTzone]

Not sure about the rules of the forum, but that's a lovely looking case!

Couple of questions (not criticisms at all!)

Where are you hiding things like USB ports and power / reset switches etc, the look of a case of important, but so is usability.

Secondly, how are external connections managed and kept tidy? The case has a great aesthetic that would be easy to compromise with a poorly placed display connection and power lead ect? Also not seeing anywhere that a WiFi antennae could be tucked away, or a network cable, or will the motherboard IO be accessible from the bottom of the chassis?

Lastly - cooling, some airflow will be required over the VRMs etc, how will air flow over the motherboard tray?


Good luck with this, looks incredible! Keep up the good work, we need more people making better cases!

For your first question:
The I/O is limited to the back of the case (I/O that comes with your MOBO).

For your second question:
All connections are on the back of the case (I/O and power connector), so it's up to your epic external cable management skills

Lastly, sorry for the late reply. We have focused on completing tolerances adjustments for the internal frame of MJOLNIR I this month, making our reply speed turtle-level.

I personally have no issue with it, providing that once you are ready for mass production, you contact ourselves and Caseking about the opportunity. The case itself looks great. I will keep an eye on the progress.

I'm honored that you allow us to do this! And yes, once we're ready for mass production we'll definitely make sure to contact you and discuss how we can do some great things

Just a small heads-up, I'll let everybody in our "Project logs" post know that we'll be moving the discussion about MJOLNIR I to this section of the forum. I'll delete that original post after 1 week (so that people who follow the progress there have time to see where we're going to continue the conversation). Just let me know if you want me to do it some other way

 

[AlexTzone]

Registered interest as this is exactly what I am looking for.

Awesome! Have some good new for you today

 

[AlexTzone]

Hey guys, I'm extremely happy to share some major updates with you!

Tolerance optimization & production readiness of MJOLNIR I is finalized. IMHO this has been the most time-consuming and crucial step for this project, taking us a good 4 months to complete.

Here are some specs about the final product

Now I know what some will say; nothing is final before the prototype is complete and tests are done. I totally agree and we built the 3D model to be very flexible and interlinked (almost everything can be altered to some degree and re-optimized & production-ready in mere seconds).

We'll start to build the prototype in the beginning of June, and as I have said before there will be no Kickstarter launch before you've seen a prototype and thermal tests


Improved Glass Panels

10mm mounting pin width instead of 5mm. We also removed the unnecessary (and weak) frame around the glass panels.

Improved vertical distance between the PSU and AIO fan

Added the option to add 4mm of extra space between those components if you wish to use modded cables or something of that sort.

Check it out

You can see that the PSU was very close to the AIO fan before (below image), this should be quite a bit better now.

Best,
Alex

 

[AlexTzone]

This is a beautiful case - no suggestions to make, just appreciating good design.

Really appreciate it! Now we're moving on to the prototyping stage, so soon you'll see it taking form IRL

 

[AlexTzone]

Lovely looking case. It's a good time to get into this market because I think with Dan Case and Louqe and others on the horizon it's going to get quite competitive. Your styling is a nice USP that sets it apart.

However, after a lot of deliberation I gave up my order for Dan Case and I'm going for the Louqe. I like their tophat feature and it bridges the gap between compact and custom cooled. Would you consider such a feature?

Thank you very much!

I haven't tried out Louqe first hand but I like the features they want to bring to the table. Perhaps we'll find our own take on case-expansion in our next project

 

[AlexTzone]

Heey guys, time for an update

1. We're aiming to prototype the unibody enclosure first, given that virtually every other part (including the internal frame) is dependent on it. It's the most time consuming part to prototype (3 weeks to 3D print and another 2 weeks to cast and get back to our doorstep). We're basically trying to avoid having to re-create prototype parts (glass panels, aluminium panels, laser cut panels) if the dimensions of the unibody enclosure need to be slightly changed.

2. We have been talking back and forth with virtually every active investment casting firm in Sweden (7 firms) to identify potential problems with our 3D models. Luckily there were very few problems, and those that did exist are now fixed. However, one part of MJOLNIR I is now significantly different: the frontal intake grill. Check out the new version below:

The previous grill was to thin according to producers, this new one doesn't have that problem and is a bit more robust. What do you think? Did you like the old one better?

Best,
Alex

 

[AlexTzone]

Hard to find much fault with this. Love the design, look forward to further updates.

So happy to hear that man, we'll keep you posted

 

[AlexTzone]

Hey guys,

After listening to feedback on the new frontal intake mesh (V2) we decided to redo it again. Hope you like V3 more It's once again similar to V1, but much more rigid.

Best,
Alex

 

[AlexTzone]

V3 is nice, I personally prefer that to V2.

Can you give any indication at all on pricing, ballpark even?

Awesome, happy that you like it!

Standard Edition - 299 USD
RGB Edition - 349 USD

I know this is relatively steep compared to other cases and this is not because we want to grab a lot of profit, it's simply because the cost of manufacturing such a case/quality is very high.

 

[AlexTzone]

Tbf a lot of us will gladly pay for quality, in the sense that it will easily last through several generations of systems

I'm def going with a super-mini next time!!

That's certainly awesome to hear. As long as you don't have an elephant living close by MJOLNIR I should survive quite some time (6mm thick walls).

 

[AlexTzone]

Hey guys, time for an important one!

This is a big day - below piece of machined & bead-blasted aluminium is the first part to ever be created for MJOLNIR I! I shiver at the thought of how many calculations went into making this one part, seeing as almost every other component of MJOLNIR I is dependent on it. It's not as sexy as the unibody enclosure will be...but it sure is the most complex. Anyways, I personally think it turned out quite beautiful, what do you think?

* NOTE: I don't have the best camera so the images have a bit of noise *

I marked the part in blue so that it's easier to understand how it's connected.

Now we just need to finish the rest! We'll update you as soon as anything new turns up

Best,
Alex

 

[AlexTzone]

Looks v nice indeed
Looking forward to see it with all the cables and aio installed. (Most small mini itx cases fall down at this step as no consideration is given to the cable management)

Yeah, you'll see that in about 1 month

 

[AlexTzone]

Hey guys, MORE PROTOTYPE!

Another big day - this piece is identical to the previous one but in anodized dark gray. IMHO I couldn't be happier with how it turned out, it's exactly what we had in mind for MJOLNIR I in DARK color. What do you think?

* NOTE: I don't have the best camera so the images have a bit of noise (iPhone 6S+) *

Here's a pic of the two color (STEEL and DARK) next to each other.

I marked the part in blue so that it's easier to understand how it's connected.

The rest of the internal frame will be shipped very soon! We'll update you as soon as anything new turns up (except for screws and washers, not so exciting XD).

Best,
Alex

 

[AlexTzone]

Great looking pieces of metal there. Looks solid and of high quality.

How long is the fabrication taking for the back piece? The milling on that must take some time.

What do you mean by 'being shipped'? Are you sending this out, or buying it in?

Thanks!! I don't know how much actual machine time each piece takes up, but I do know that 1000 and 3000 of said units have lead time of 35 and 50 days, respectively.

As for the parts being shipped, I mean shipped to us (buying it in)

 

[AlexTzone]

Time for an UPDATE!

2 new pieces arrived yesterday, 50% of the locking mechanism (lock wheel) and the power button cap. They are precisely CNCd, glass blasted and anodized in much the same way the previous prototype parts were. Really happy with how it all turned out Check it out below:

Marked them in blue below:

More pieces will arrive shortly, keep an eye out!!

ALSO IMPORTANT
We are going to have combo-pack rewards at Kickstarter launch (get different upgrades by either buying more than 1 unit yourself or invite friends to back the project). Still working on these upgrades so they really become worth your while, this also means I can't unveil what they are yet.

Hint

• Get 2 units or invite 1 friend: this will yield the first upgrade.
• Get 3 units / 2 friends up to 5 units / 4 friends: this will yield some really really nice upgrades.
• Get 6 units or invite 5 friends: I know, this is a lot to ask, but when you see what you get for this...it will be legendary!

Best,
Alex

 

[AlexTzone]

Hey peeps,

@Quartz mentioned that placing the reservoir below the pump (AIO rad below the CPU block) is not optimal, especially if there's air in the system (either due to evaporation of fluid or bad manufacturing). Not only did he bring the problem to our attention, he also suggested an elegant solution:

Now you can ensure the radiator stays above the CPU block by simply flipping the whole internal frame This also switches up the aesthetics for a new fresh look.

Best,
Alex

 

[AlexTzone]

UPDATE, A BIG ONE!

The part we've all been waiting for is finally here - The Unibody Enclosure / Outer Shell. It feels UNREAL to see it IRL after countless hours spent refining and perfecting it. Big thanks to everybody here for supporting us and providing valuable ideas Hope you guys like how it all turned out, can't wait to see what you can do with this case once it's shipped. Now, let's finish the prototype and launch the campaign.

Sorry if the images have a bit of noise in them, I used my iPhone 6S+ camera.

More parts will arrive on Monday, stay tuned. Damn exciting times!! Did the real enclosure meet your expectations?

I spent so much time staring at this part yesterday I think my gf got jealous XD

Best,
Alex

 

[AlexTzone]

that is cool, i never realised the outside of the case was one unit with no parts to attach or remove. very innovative.

my one worry seeing how great this case is, is the price. this is going to be the wrong side of £200 i bet maybe 50% more than that.

Yeaaaah! Oh the back panel in the pics above is removable, but the rest of the shell is 1 solid piece of glass-blasted anodized aluminium

Well here are the prices:

Standard Edition - 299 USD
RGB Edition - 349 USD

So yes, it's relatively expensive but it should last you forever and be one of the most premium PC cases you've seen.

 

[AlexTzone]

Hey guys, time for a flashy update!

The custom RGBW setup for MJOLNIR I has arrived, really happy with the end results. Check it out:

Lighting specs

• LED type: 5050 RGBW
• LEDs / meter: 60
• Individually addressable: yes
• Number of colors: 256
• Number of presets: 200
• Waterproofing: IP65
• Fixture: adhesive tape (3M)
• LED Controller: controlled from your phone (App: MagicLed)
• Power source: 4-pin Molex from your PSU

To be confirmed

• Compatibility with 3rd party software (AuraSync, etc...)

What do you guys think? Imagine how this will look inside MJOLNIR I once it's assembled!!

Best,
Alex