Siverstone TJ 07 Build - Dark Water

Brizzles · 12 Jun 2008 at 16:39

Finally got the pennies together for my perfect case , the Silverstone TJ 07.

But no case is perfect !

I wanted black inside and to hide as much " stuff " as possible from view. Anodising black was an option , but that would still leave drive bays and cables etc. exposed.

So i decided on acrylic to shroud and shield as much of the inside as possible.

A sort of Z shape for the drive bays , a false floor ( and possibly a roof ) and a back panel.

2 water loops Black and Purple ( though the Purple is getting more like a Lilac colour as no-one makes "proper" purple lights and fans ).

DTek fusion + On board NB
EK 3870 Full cover
D5 and DB1 pumps
PA120.3 and 120.1 ( for gfx card ) Rads
2 Alphacool Repack Black Res'
Black and Purple Primocoils
Black Feser and D-tek dyes

Black 3mm Acrylic
1500watt Heat Gun
Dremel ( Ryobi )
Drill
Clamps

An empty shell gathering dust :

A naked TJ07 :

Brizzles · 12 Jun 2008 at 16:41

The hard drive shroud and the floor :

First time using acrylic , surprised by how easy it is to use. Heatgun for bending and Dremel for cutting.
Slight ****-up with the heatgun ( too close to the acrylic ) as you can see the burn near the top of shroud.
Easily removed later with some uber fine wet and dry ( or Photoshop

).
The hardest part is keeping the protective film on the acrylic , this stuff scratches so easily.
8 of the holes are for water tubes , the other 2 are for wiring.

Internal mesh panels

The one time in my entire life i need some Black AC Ryan mesh , there is a world shortage !
Couldn't find it anywhere , only the Hexx which was too big. Managed to track down a sheet of plain Alu , and had to spray it.

Brizzles · 12 Jun 2008 at 16:42

Finished the Hard Drive shroud and floor :

Finished the Back wall :

Next up , hiding the wiring. Need to cut holes in the mobo tray to hide the ATX psu lead , and then the plumbing.

Cheers for now,

Mark

Brizzles · 12 Jun 2008 at 16:43

Update 20/6/08

Few bits of tidying up done.

Sprayed the Souncard PCI plate black and some other small things.

Braiding , love it or hate it , it has to be done.

Mobo ATX Header :

Before :

After :

First problem , the Silverstone HDD caddy i had planned to use was 10mm too long.

So i made a ( far more silent ) alternative :

M3 Bolts and nuts + rubber washers :

Medium density foam ( the type a case would be packed with ) Cut into L shapes and threaded onto the bolts :

The finished article :

Far better than any HDD silencers/mounts i have previously used , well pleased

Brizzles · 12 Jun 2008 at 16:44

The first "incase" fitting of the acrylic pieces :

Inside Front ( fitted a 120mm fan behind the shroud ) :

Inside Back :

Outer :

( Yes , the Silverstone HDD cover is poking out , need to trim the foam behind it abit )

Taking shape nicely

Wiring to tidy up and some minor adjustments to be made to the acrylic pieces.

Plumbing the watercooling next.

Cheers,

Mark

Brizzles · 12 Jun 2008 at 16:44

Reserved 3

Brizzles · 12 Jun 2008 at 17:18

Delvis said:
Question, how have you done the back part of the chassis? Where the rear exhaust fan is etc? Or have you just put Acrylic over that too?

Thats an acrylic piece , cut to fit , in the same style as the shroud and floor.

They are actually intakes .I've mounted the fans on the outside of the case ( they were internal originally ).

The exhaust will be the roof , 2 x 120mm fans.

Mark

Brizzles · 13 Jun 2008 at 12:30

Biffa said:
What temperature does acrylic bend/melt at?

No idea , trial and error

A 1500w Heatgun , 6 inches away for a minute or so.

Keep it moving along the bend line ( Stay in one place too long and it will burn the Acrylic , as i found out ! )

If you clamp one end over a block of wood ( where you want the bend ) , heatgun in one hand and apply pressure with the other you will "feel" as it starts to become soft enough to bend.

Bear in mind , this is HOT !

I used an oven glove for the hand i was bending with.

Mark

Edit :

If you Google " A Modder's Guide To Acrylic " ( can't link / competitor forum ), theres some decent info.

Brizzles · 13 Jun 2008 at 19:49

Blackhawk47 said:
looks great but it also looks very big . and looks a bit dusty in there , especially the heatsink

The heatsink is temporary , water cooling going back in soon.

Dusty , yes very !

Acrylic is like a magnet for dust , so i won't bother dusting untill its ready for final assembly.

Mark

Brizzles · 20 Jun 2008 at 19:49

Thread updated and pictures added

Mark

Brizzles · 29 Jun 2008 at 14:47

Update :

CPU and NB waterloop fitted.

Clear tubing , Black Feser and Purple Primocoils.

Lots of reflections ( including cat on sofa ! ) , hence the name Dark Water.

GPU loop next.

Clear tubing , my own mix of Purple dye ( DTek Purple and Blue ) and Black Primocoils.

Cheers,

Mark

Brizzles · 7 Jul 2008 at 17:16

A small update as i wait for final parts.

I never use the front connectors on a case , largely due to the miles of wiring attached which has to go to the mobo.

So i removed the front connector panel and replaced it with this :

Closed :

Open :

Temp display needed filing down about 2mm to fit , then just drill a hole in some black acrylic for the internal case light switch.

Simple, and much better than an empty gap !

Mark

Brizzles · 7 Jul 2008 at 19:58

benji182 said:
can i ask what the toggle switch does ?

also whats the name of the fan speed display about in the bottom drive bay. looks lush.

Switch will be for turning the internal case lights on/off

Fan controller is a " Scythe Kaze Master "

Brizzles · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:46

Update .

Had a break ( Lost momentum and interest tbh. ) , always happens 3/4 of the way through.

Anyway , on the final straight and the finish line is in sight

GPU loop had to be fitted.

Distilled water and my favourite dyes ;

A bit of mixing and a colour "close" to purple :lol:

Last minute addition , a 2nd 3870 card - but didn't have a block that fitted it.

Brizzles · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:48

Had an idea to personalise the case , in a way that would not be permanent ( so i could sell the case on in the future )

Huge thanks go to my friend Tom here.

Acrylic panel was cut by Tom , and then i glued some AC Ryan MeshX to the back :

Then mounted 2 x 12" Purple ( well dark pink ! ) cathodes to the back :

Then just thread the wires through the case door , and onto the inverter and switch.

You can also just see a glimpse of the smoked window panel i have used in
place of the stock clear one.

Will be posting the final built pics shortly.

EDIT - Finished case pics : http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17901084

Thanks to all that have posted in this thread , the kind words and encouragement are much appreciated.

Cheers,

Mark

Brizzles · 26 Jul 2008 at 12:22

dark_shadow said:
What fan controller is that out of interest?

Fan controller is a " Scythe Kaze Master "

Thanks for your comments

Brizzles · 21 Jun 2010 at 16:39

Camoe said:
Where did you get your Fan controller from?

Can't remember where, but it was a 'Kazemaster'

Jay85 said:
Oh my the gloss blackness of this case is beautiful! Makes me want to do more glossing on the interior of mine! You sir are a true inspiration to us!

Cheers, for the comment

It was my first attempt at using acrylic to form an inner shell for the case.

Think it turned out OK, looking back. The basic idea has been used in quite a few builds after mine, so i would say it was a decent idea

Bit of a nostalgia trip looking at Dark Water

Cheers,

Mark