Project Stealthlow

[waynio]

This is looking great. Keep up the good work can not wait to see this completed

Thanks gary I'll do my best to keep the updates coming speedily .

Sounds like those Helicoils have really helped your cause mate. Looking great thus far. I would add the extra 2 screws up top anyway, if nothing else just to improve the looks.

Great little bits I'll use them in all my future mods too, might add the extra bolts but if it gets anodised black it will be barely noticable so undecided if I'll add the extra bolts.
Really looking forward to getting the motherboard tray made then it will be a solid form without flex , but the bit I'm most anxious about now if I'll be able to do it is curving the acyrlic piece to match the bars but if I make the jig spot on it should work, I would go & do a complex curve for my first time bending acrylic lol .

 

[waynio]

It is gratifying to have been of some help. Even if it was just to give you an idea to follow up.

Keep up the excellent work! I really enjoy your build logs!

Very glad you mentioned them mate it's given the build a lot more strength as I can properly tighten up the bolts now & I'll try to keep up the quality & regularity of the updates .

Some very nice work there - looking epic!

Thanks Cookeh .

I'm up early again so should get something done today, next bit is remaking the jig according to the curve of the bars.

 

[waynio]

I can see some H&S issues looks great though...
well... maybe apart from the top bend which I cannot really see looking great with the rest. I guess it's just user preference

H&S health & safety? yeah there will be many I'm sure but as long as I'm well aware of them & be careful I'd be ok , at the begining of this project a vice fell on my foot but got off luckily with just a very sore foot & it's fine now but it totally encouraged me to keep the work space in better order .

The thing about the top curve & the overall curve is so the case has no dead air spots & it's extra challenging with it having 2 curves.

The curved bars added a little unsquareness as expected so I need to get it squished a tiny bit so it's in perfect square form so I can get the accurate curve line for the motherboard tray, this bit really needs doing to keep the squareness of the case, so really I need to make a jig for a jig for a jig lol, I'll have it sussed & done soon, I could simplify this part but it would be a gamble for it being perfect so I'll go for the j4aj4aj , had to take a break to have a think of a solution & the day is still young so I'll get started on it in a mo .

 

[waynio]

Waynio, does your mrs ever see you??? mine would go nuts !!! lol

What mrs, this modding hobby is part of my turning loneliness into something cool , probably should have though, all that uptight energy is probably the special ingredient for me being like an energizer bunny lol .

Can't put my finger on it, but I think there's a piece missing...

There are many pieces missing but 1 will be added in the update incoming in about an hour or less .

 

[waynio]

Just wanted to say this is an amazing project and it is nice seeing it all coming together! Can't wait to see the finished product!

Thanks Guitarman0, glad people are enjoying it , hopefully won't be too far away before it's complete, can never put a date on things like this though .

OK here is the jig to keep the case in correct position so I can mark the motherboard tray panel.

Here it is in the jig.

The rest of the 4mm sheet.

Cut to required size & this picture shows how much the curve bars are pushing it quite unsquare hence the need for the jig .

Lined it up which was quite fiddly to get in the exact spot but got there & marked the curve.

Jigsaw time .

Cut done.

Filed down to precise size using a rough half circle file, then a medium, then soft & forgot to file the bit at the top out where the connector pieces are so went back & filed it out.

Woo hoo, motherboard tray panel ready for mounting which I'll try & get done tomorrow .

 

[waynio]

Nice progress cant wait to see the full standing tower

And I can't wait to get it anodised thanks Mister Wolf .

 

[waynio]

What colour's it going to be?

If I'd have got the gigabyte p67a-ud7 I'd have done some little bits in gold & mostly black & gun metal, but when I seen the price of it it floored me lol so lowered what I went for.
I'm thinking black, possibly gun metal & blue .

Ehhmmm.. dude.. are you making it all in your living room ?

Health & Safety hazard is the two top bits sticking out with sharp angles lol (from the curved bars).

Have a productive day today

Hehe no it's in the garage, just there's a carpet down , there not sharp really & even if they were they'd be facing the wall & I'll try & get the mobo tray mount fixed up today, the plan is to get the basic form done & then treat it like a blank canvas case mod .

 

[waynio]

Well got about 4 hours in today so not bad but nothing like the days when I'm up at 6am & put a solid 8 to 12 hours in .

The jig can hold in the case upright lol but put a plank of chipboard for a little extra support, spent most of the time lining up the mobo tray with the curve bars so it doesn't need forcing in so started marking the areas that need shaving down a bit shaving bit by bit off & re marking over & over about 10 or more times until it naturally slid in, so got the mobo side of the case nice & square now even without it properly fixed in place with angle bars, but the other side is unsquare by a little but that will be fine once the side panels are made , when taken out of the jig the mobo tray stays in place which says it is doing it's job of keeping it square like in the jig .

So once I got that done I started on the side panels, they were already to rough size needed but needed straightening by filing away, so marked a perfectly straight line to file down to & got busy, my right forearm is like popeye's now lol , the next pic shows the side panels filed to size with 2x 3mm flatbars also & it's nice & ready to get them marked up, cut & filed & the 2nd pic shows how it's to precise size , actually when I think about it I could make it so the side panels click into place rather than use bolts but either way They will need a little handle of some sort on them so I can remove them .

I'm leaving the acrylic curve piece until I have the metal work ready so I can make an accurate as possible curve .

 

[waynio]

Thanks Liam nor can I so I'm gonna drink a couple pints of water so I wake up early & get the mobo tray fixed on & make the basic form of the side panels .

 

[waynio]

Only got 2 hours in today, the natural alarm clock did nothing this time lol.

Left panel cut to rough shape.

Right panel cut to rough shape.

All 3 panels but the side panels only got filed to a rough form of what they need to be so I'll be filing to exact shape tomorrow as I got kicked out of the garage so my dad can get some excercise lol .

 

[waynio]

Already happy I got up early, filed both panels to fit perfectly, basically I only needed to get 1 of them spot on & then align it on top of the other & mark around it, then file away so they are both the exact same shape so now I'm going to go draw the simplish window design & maybe get them done today , came over to the house so I could do the measuring & drawing in the warmth & thought why not post where it's at after a few hours .

 

[waynio]

This is really taking shape now. Great work, and great updates too. Can't wait to see the finished product

Thanks Diggsy , was thinking I was on a roll of nothing going wrong lol , pretty big hiccup on this update .

Bulmers Pear and Vimto. Nice.

Project coming along nicely Waynio.

Those side panels look very thick. Must be hard work filing them down by hand.

I must admit you must be very dedicated to venture outside the house on a day like today. I just spent an hour chopping some wood in my Mum's garage and I was so glad to get indoors afterwards.

Yeah my dad likes em, not tried them myself, project was coming along nicely .
Theres been times where I took my fleece off with all the filing, even broke a sweat lol had steam coming off me , can get chilly though.

Here we go with what started off really well & when packing up for the day I put the panel on again to take a few pics & .

Whoops or flipadeedoodar or colourful language flowing , the curves are different to the sketchup model, I knew this but some how forgot I was going semi freestyle with the curve related bits & just using the sketchup as a reference, well here's what went wrong, I drew the window cutout I wanted to do which was correct, but I added the borders seperating the top & bottom wrong so the 2nd level will be seen through the bottom windows, already weighed up the cost for another big 3mm sheet & a word similar to sheet springs to mind mostly because I had it near half done before I tried it out on the case , damnit chin up & just order the sheet. Gutted because if I held off on putting all the holes in for the jigsaw I'd have been ok, shame but sheet happens .

No worrys, I'll just have to order a new sheet & at least I can quickly shape it back to the needed form, but damn it was starting to look cool .

Here it was in progress & when I put the panel on loose I seen it & insta face palmed lol.

OK until I put the jigsaw start holes without checking the panel, what a crapper.

Something good has come from it though, I can handle the jigsaw a heck of a lot better now .

So pretty major hiccup but I'll get it fixed asap, just a shame but I can get to work on the connector pieces while waiting for the new panel & just use the failed panel as a template.

 

[waynio]

How far you away from powder coating?

Don't know, depends if things go smoothly & I'm going for anodising .

These are the things that come to mind & are the basics, might be some more bits i'm missing.

Structure supports to add
get the fluffed up side panel re made & complete the other
Motherboard mounts to add
pci/io piece to make
fan mounts
cable holes
LED sockets
vents
optical stealth
sleeving with custom length wires
make a psu wire stash cover
curve the acrylic piece & have it ready to install
cut the window acrylic pieces to precise size
dismantle & engrave codes on all pieces so I know how it goes back together again lol
get rid of all scuffs scratches
give it all a satin brushed finish
get the parts with helicoils in masked ready for anodising, then get them anodised, put together & smile & post pics of it in action .

i would say he is a quite away from it but as they say looks can be deceiving. Anywho the build looks amazing i love it when people make there own i like lol.

Yeah could be anything from a month to 3 years lol, depends what life throws at me . Thanks alex .

 

[waynio]

Okey dokey I extended the length of the upper windows by properly measuring & marking & shortened the length of the lower windows, these should be spot on how I want them now, I'm using this faulty piece as a crash test panel so I get it totally spot on & will make doing the other 2 quite easy, anyway got the rest of the cutouts done today, only spent about an hour today, tomorrow I'll cut all the lower windows out & get all the the windows filed down to exact pattern then I could make 1 of the panels & wait for the sheet to come & with me posting these pics I'll cut back on pictures of the same process when I'm doing it for the finished pieces .

This picture shows clearly where I mucked up :facepalm:.

Nearly all of the aluminium looks quite a mess by now but I'll be cleaning it all up & then doing a brush on it all so don't think it will be this rough looking when complete .

 

[waynio]

Amazed at the effort thats gone into this Waynio. I'm not sold on the window(s) though as they don't look symetrical. The thin bars don't seem to follow the others.

Other than that its starting to take shape nicely and credit to you for having the balls to make your own case!

Thanks w3bbo , yeah I suppose I should explain the window pattern .

Firstly it's not finished yet taken straight after the jigsaw work, still needs filing.
The pattern is just the other side panels outline, I moved it 45mm to the left & 45mm down, then 10mm to left & 10mm down over & over until it met the other side, it's how I did it in sketchup & same in reality which is why all the lines are slightly different but it's correct .

 

[waynio]

looks sick buddie
keep up the good work!!

Thanks mate will do .

 

[waynio]

This really is starting to look like a fully fledged case!

So impressed with how this is coming along!

kd

Thanks KD I'm aiming to progress this project every day if poss .

 

[waynio]

And one template ready for the new sheet, 1st picture shows straight after all the jigsaw work, 2nd shows after some filing & also shows how it's perfect size & shape for either side .

 

[waynio]

Are you having a window on both sides? If so, what about the cables?

Yes I'll be using the black MDPC sleeving but I also have a load of black molex wire so I can do exact needed custom length cables, want to add super neat cable management on both sides so it'll look cool from every angle, well that's the plan , never had a proper full on go at sleeving but I'll practice until I have it sussed to a good level before I start for real .

 

[waynio]

I think he was just showing how the panel fits into both sides

LOL you must have been typing while I was sending .

But there was that too .