Project: mdf

adbp1

adbp1

adbp1

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Hi, so ive been looking for a case that i like and cant really find what i want, said to my brother i would love to build my own case from aluminium but wouldnt have a clue where to start!

he said why not from mdf, hes cnc wood machinst so he could do it all at work and put together, i just need to design something.

so heres a quick design ive put together using google sketchup.

idea is: plain and simple, no grills and fans and silly amount of cd/dvd drives or hdd drives.

plan on using my current parts in sig but add to it with something like H50 water cooling and a few 140mm fans, with the slot loading blue ray drive.

case will be made from 18mm mdf which can be thinned if needed but using thinner i cant add more if needed!!
will also be sprayed and lacquered.

suggestions and comments welcome please! im not so good at all the airflow thing and never built a case before.
insideairflow.jpg

slotload.jpg
 
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i used mdf on case a long time ago, the thread might still be on here somewhere. i cheated and put the mdf onto a case, looks like your going for all of it.
there have been other builds too, worth looking around and seeing different ideas but yeah! looks good.
 
EMC issues and heat will be concerns. Metal cases are not used just because they are strong - they also reduce electronic interference and help radiate heat away.

The former could be reduced by applying a layer of tinfoil inside the case (essentially creating your own internal faraday cage) and the later can be reduced by including more fans.

In keeping with your design principles, more fans on the base and more on the back would be ideal.
 
Not sure if this is a good idea, there are two main issues:

Heat- MDF has no thermal conductivity, it is actually more of an insulator, so an insane number of fans would be advised. The good thing is it will reduce the sound from the fans. As you are going for a chamber approach, connect each chamber with at least 1 fan, with at least an extra side intake on the motherboard part.

Fiber- There is a lot of fiber in MDF, similar to asbestos. The issue is so bad that MDF is banned in some American states. My concern is that the MDF will retain a lot of the swarf (forgot the word!) from when you are cutting it, as well as just the fiber in it. If you rub a bit of MDF you will see what I mean. Then when you add your fans the bits retained will play havoc with your fans and clog stuff up. I strongly advise you treat all of the MDF used (including interior) which should help stop that problem.

Its not the most practical of ideas, but will be interesting!
 
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