Project - Air Cube v2

[waynio]

Thanks, thanks & thanks Dubs, it's kinda cross between a lian-li x2000 but with different hdd cooling, cross a PC-888 cross my own touches but the PC-888 part was by accident , Just wish I could start it right now, kinda chomping at the bit , shouldn't be too far off before I get started though, I'm hoping any time between a week from now & at the latest january , depends if I go for the new tv or not.

So in a banzai style which will come first tv or aluminium, place your bets now lol .

This is the tv I'm after, heared nothing but good about it & it's full LED backlit unlike most LED screens.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=AV-015-SH&groupid=703&catid=1564&subcat=

Ha, after seeing the screen again I gues I'll start this new project in january .

 

[waynio]

Forget the TV, get the alu ordered

Hehe, probably the right thing to get, maybe 3d led screens will be more affordable by the time I get the next project done .

 

[waynio]

I know where you're coming from re wanting to get started on things. My water-cooling project is nearing an end and already i've got ideas for what I want to do next. Money problems aside, I live in an old cottage that is in dire need of decoration. My good lady in a frank "discussion" we had the other day with regards to the work that needs doing on the house and my apparently misplaced priorities said "It's a shame you can't be so enthusiastic about modding the wallpaper and woodwork". Which left me a bit confused as I didn't think she'd want the dining room black and yellow with UV lighting

It's probably best not to tell her i've already got a shopping list together for the next project.

LMAO

 

[waynio]

Thanks Tealc, I think I'll leave it til january, it'll give me chance to make absolutely sure the design will work & tweak the design a bit more, just the alu alone is gonna cost more than my previous projects so don't want to be rushing things it'll be nice to get everything done right the first time for a change , besides power tools don't overheat when it's freezing , the dremel can go on & on without getting warm, same with any of the power tools I use.
And if I take my time it might be a nice warm spring ready for painting, I got word that 1 of my old mates does anodising too so I'll see if he could do some bits for me, could end up looking like a nice lian-li case if I do it all right, I'd feel better having someone I know handle it rather than posting parts for couriers to possibly mangle them up.

I got that Fractal design R3 case which I'll mod instead for the rest of this year, all it's short of for a full system is an AMD cpu & a cooler so should make a nice little project, I'll class that one as my first sponsored project & the sponsor is bit-tech or CustomPC or Dennis publishing , well it's not a sponsor but it's tech I did not have to buy .

Thank you benhomer737 , can take ages looking through a long project log eh , I go to bit-tech & TBCS & theres just so many crazy cool logs, it would take me forever to look through them all so I just randomly check a couple out now & again.

 

[waynio]

I sacrifice doing sooo much to support my hobby & with doing so I can save up a bit here & there & when I have a saving goal I want to achieve in a shorter time I sacrifice even more so.
I guess in other words I am very very good at budgeting & scraping by on minimal money.

 

[waynio]

My next project preview

So, I made the rough design which I already shown & just spent all day rebuilding the design from the ground up (trimming things down & squishing things in basically just readjusting the design for the changes) so it will now have full length panels instead of separate ones & will be a bit more sturdy, also I'm going to do a 2 tone tint that will all fit flush to the alu so will be a heck of a lot more difficult to do but I believe the higher the challenge the more you learn, sure I could get the acrylic pieces laser cut but there's no fun in that & it would bump the cost very high, oh & it would be over all too soon .

Already ordered the acrylic & the clear acrylic adhesive.
So now it's just a case of saving & raising the cash for the aluminium.

Base panel & motherboard tray is 4mm, 2nd panel, back & sides is 3mm, acrylic is 3mm with a 2mm layer of clear acrylic to properly support the 2 tone flush fit.

I'll be aiming for a whisper quiet case with this by using these fans throughout, they are only 41cfm so are lower than what I'd usually go for but with the orientation of the fans should do the job fine to enable a nice overclock too, they also fit the colours of this build perfectly.
120mm Enermax UCTB12 T.B. Super Silent 11 dBA
http://www.enermax.com/home.php?fn=eng/product_a1_1_1&lv0=4&lv1=32&no=108

Also with me doing windows on both sides I'll be having my first proper go at custom length sleeved cables so it all looks neat on both sides & possibly take a leaf out of Attila's book & make little wire cover boxes to completely hide wires.

The reason there are no vent holes on the curved piece is I have no idea how to do what I want on curved pieces in sketchup, also if you think I've done away with the optical drive I haven't I will make a new bezel for it which will blend with the stripes .

I might get the aluminium anodised black once all the metal work is done rather than paint it this time, depends if I can get it done at an ok price.

I just hope I don't have too much trouble making the curves as I want them, there will be 3mm aluminium flat bars which should be quite easy to do, originally had it designed for 5mm bars which may have been a nightmare to do right, 3mm acrylic should be very easy considering it will be 3 separate fairly slim strips, the 2mm clear acrylic should be a doddle.

I'll be taking my accuracy to a new level too by getting some digital callipers which I'll need to go along with the disc sanding work.

OK after all this blah blah explanation next time I post will be with actual progress on a new thread , so hopefully this year, if not then early next year, so I'd say either in December or January.

This will probably be my last big project for some time as I'm liking the tiny pc's that are popping up, much cheaper on materials & awesomely small yet powerful & not thirsty for electric, seems the way to go imo but I feel I must whoop my first attempt of a tower pc before I go there .

For now though here's a bunch of the revised design pics, say what you think (positive or negative any opinions appreciated) .

So until I get all the materials I'll just keep cheerleading for other modders lol .

 

[waynio]

I hear it looks rainbow like lol can't be having that , which prompted me to show it in black .

Also don't forget the aluminium might be treated to a brush effect with black anodise, I just keep my models in white as it's easier to model.

A couple of alternative panels.

 

[waynio]

Can't wait to see this mate your one of the very few I enjoy reading going from start to finish keep it up i hope you get the funds soon

Wow, thanks I'm flattered

Looks extremely impressive mate, as one would expect

Thanks TB.

Fully coloured it in to give a better idea of what I'm aiming for, showing 2 tone & 1.

Size is
235mm wide
391.7mm deep
747.2mm high at the highest point & will be a little bit higher with case feet, I'm considering Mnpctech billet machined aluminium "Diamond Knurl" case feet in black anodise, they look good & sturdy as well as being very nice looking.

 

[waynio]

Thanks SuermotoMX, appreciated .

Here is what I posted on bit-tech which may answer a few possible questions

I'll be putting a hole for cpu cooler changes, also for sata & power cables etc.

The slot & lip in the top at the back isn't a handle & it's not a decorative bit, it has a function, I done something similar in the Xbox mod I done, it's basically an air duct so the air from the top fan gets guided out the rear without the need for holes in the top so sides would be added to the fan mount so it gets properly guided out, but I could change it so the lip goes away for a minimal grill, I just like the way everything flows nicely with this case.

It could house at least 6 hdd's with nice spacing & an optical drive in the bottom area & could also have a fan controller mounted the same as the optical on the back panel with hidden wire management but if I wanted to I could have 3 or 4 hdd in the hidden psu area at the front & dedicate the bottom area to water cooling but I don't do extreme overclocking & we don't get much warm weather in the UK so I don't really have a need for water cooling.
It sure is tall but that's how it is when you go more vertical with separate cooling sections than horizontal like most cases for the layout.

Never been a fan of fans in front of warm hdd's then the main components are catching warmer than ambient air, just doesn't make much sense to me, not only that but the push of air completely loses it's focus by the time it passes through the hdd cage.

The only reason it is so deep is if I wanted something like a 5970 it would fit in.
I could shrink the size a bit but I like an easy maintenance pc.

I'll sum up what makes it so tall going from top to bottom
Height 747.2mm = yes it is rather high , but the Lian Li PC-X2000F is 695mm high & is deeper & wider.
fan mount with air duct
small space
motherboard including back IO fixing points
small space
fan mount
small space
full case length psu cover
layer with grill for overflowing air from hdd's going to the psu
optical mount & possibility of a fan controller mounted in the rear.
tiny space
2x 3 well spaced hdd's with push/pull/exhaust 120mm fans
platform for hdd's where the hdd cages slide in & a slot in bar holds them in place
layer
case feet

Also it's possible for future upgrades to take away the fan below the motherboard & change it into xl-atx. Actually I'll make an xl-atx IO/pci piece, with mobo mounting holes, that way all I need to do is remove the fan

Width 235mm
33.5mm gap behind the motherboard tray so heaps of space for good wire management.
Enough room for the tallest of cpu heatsinks
standard ATX .

Depth
Now this could be shrunk by a further 22mm or even more if I discard the possibility of the long 5970, I mean I don't have one & have no intentions of getting one but it's good to have the option .

 

[waynio]

Absolutely awesome, I fixed a neighbours laptop the other day, the screen was damaged so needed a new one & the hdd had spyware/adware & a trojan on it so needed cleaning up & a fresh reinstall of the os.
Ordered a brand new screen & replaced & is working sweet.
Reinstalled vista for them & got it all up to date & put eset smart security on it & made a ghost image of it for if it mucks up again so it can be easily restored.

The extra coin I got for doing this has risen my balance to the magic number so has just about enabled me to order the aluminium so I could be starting this project within 2 weeks, depends on how long the delivery takes, sometimes it's a couple of days, sometimes up to 2 weeks, but this is awesome, I was thinking I'd be lucky if I could start within a month so now it's even sooner, I'm over the moon woo hoo .

I held off on saying this until I ordered it, I'll be flat broke for a bit, but it'll be worth it.

I'm gonna need to think up a name for the project, hopefully something more catchy than the air cube this time & more distinguished & something that describes it's features, it's going to be a virtually silent running machine so that's 1 element to tie into the name.

Here's how I worked out the amount of aluminium I needed so I'm leaving myself no room for error on many of the parts so the golden rule of measure twice, maybe 10 times & cut once absolutely applies with this build .

So...

Disc sander = check
Acrylic = check
Aluminium = ordered
Name for project = thinking

 

[waynio]

Ah, it's ok guys no need for suggestions now but thanks for offering .

I think I've got the perfect title & even better as it has zero results in google at this moment when I add "Project ?" with it being a mix of 2 very fitting words that will work awesome to describe it, I'll keep it to myself though until I start the new thread once I've got a little progress to show .

 

[waynio]

Can't you give us a hint? Just a little one

LOL I've sparked a bit of curiosity eh .
I'm tempted to just let you know the name but I'm definately keeping it zipped until I start the new thread lol .

I know you've already got a name but I was thinking "project Air Curve". it describes it well and keeps with the Waynio Branding.

Audi Vide Tace = See, Hear, be silent.

Thanks Dubs but I've got a pretty cool name for it in english or slightly modified english anyway .

The only clue I'll give for the name is a simple but meaningful couple of english words merged together, no latin or any other cryptic word that needs google to find out what it means so even the name is scratch built lol .

 

[waynio]

If we guess correctly will you say so? Do we get a prize if we guess it?

Sorry to be a spoilsport but no & no .

 

[waynio]

What's all this about prizes lol .

Question to you all , been scratching my head big time over which front/top to do after making an easier plan b for the top/front, so want to know what you all think about this possible v2 top/front.

Original would look great but I feel it could be a nightmare to add grills that don't look a mess without CNC for new air to get inside the case, I'll possibly make both though just to be sure.

New version would be awesome for ventilation, the bars could either be shaped nicely on top of the side bars or flush fitting with the main side bars.

Try to ignore the colouring as it's completely undecided for what colours it will be.

Also I'm very close to starting this thing .

 

[waynio]

Thanks for feedback/ideas mate's .

Here's another alternative, I'm unable to cut out shapes in curved models in sketchup so did a rough drawing instead lol.

What this will do is with the fans being a bit of distance from the cover it should enable it to catch plenty of ambient air while keeping the look clean, could even put some mesh as suggested by Diggsy in these side vents.

PSU has been decided & will be the corsair 850W AX 100% modular psu so I don't need to void the warranty , been looking at MDPC sleeving, their sleeving is just the best imo, even though hardly any wires will be seen except the pci express power, the wire work will be seen from the other side so it's going to be super neat with precise length cables so will be my first proper go at doing good sleeving .

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27 nov
Updated the model with basic vents, I can't do shape cut outs on curved surfaces.

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Lols I've been spending like a crazy fool after seeing through some eBay sales , was split between a corsair 100% modular psu & MDPC sleeving start-up, just made my first order with Nils for some of that super awesome sleeving, I had to buy a good crimping tool & a Molex extractor, nearly bought the ATX extractor but looked up the pins method which looks easy enough after plenty of practice, loads of cable fasteners of all sizes, sata connectors for custom length cables, 10 metres of sata sleeving, 40 metres of small sleeving & the relevant heat shrink.

Going with plain black for my first go at good sleeving, was going to buy a corsair 100% modular psu but when I seen how much it's going to cost to start doing quality sleeving I thought my enermax galaxy 1kw is doing fine so I'll just sleeve that instead & replace the noisy fans on it .

Anyway this will let me find out roughly how much of whatever I need to do a full psu & fans, headers etc so my future orders with them should hopefully be lower cost.

Got all the case fans, replacement psu fans ordered, a GTX 580 so I'll be selling my gigabyte hd 5870 1gb soon, some basics like low tack masking tape, digital callipers, m3 inserts.

One thing I do know is if I have to stick with my gigabyte p45-dq6 for another build I'm going to make a casing for it so it's mostly hidden but so it still gets plenty of air flow, in fact if I do do that I'll try to make it highly focused air flow, the colours are just way to discombobulated for this build .

Still waiting for fine tip permanent markers

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Was looking at the wire work on cases at MDPC & Charles Harwood is the main uber slick type sleeving type I want to try & match on my next, I noticed he does a shape in the wire work so I'll do my own version, a W if possible but yeah the sheer slickness of the wire work he does is what I'm gonna try to achieve, it looks a fine art & he has it absolutely nailed, it'll be tough to match though with 11 case fans, 6 HDD, 1 SSD & 1 optical.

Glad I had a big space of time to think things through before diving in, should help the course of the log quite a lot.