Liquid cooled wood case *WORKLOG*

[Elusid]

THE FIRST DESIGN FOR THE CASE DIDN'T WORK OUT LIKE I WANTED IT TO. I STARTED FROM SCRATCH WITH A NEW DESIGN, WORK LOG ON REV2 OF THIS CASE STARTS ON PAGE 3









So I have been looking at getting a new computer case for months that will work with all the things that I want to put in it and will also look the way I want it and I have found absolutely nothing so I've decided to take a plunge and go for making my own case. I originally had a TJ07 type design but ended up being about twice as wide and 1.5X as tall and it wasted a lot of space. :shakes: So I decided to just come up with a whole new design that wasn't like the standard computer case, didn't waste any/much room and actually would do what I want and this is what I've come up with.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/casefront.jpg

1: CPU loop 50mmx400mm acrylic reservoir
1A: LCD screen with temp reading for CPU loop
1B: Dimmer knob to control fans on the radiator for CPU loop
1C: CPU loop radiator PA120.3 with 6 fans blowing into the case

2: GPU loop 50mmx400mm acrylic reservoir
2A: LCD screen with temp reading for GPU loop
2B: Dimmer knob to control fans on the radiator for GPU loop
2C: GPU loop radiator PA120.3 with 6 fans blowing into the case (not shown but on top of case)

3: Mobo loop (mosfet, NB, SB) 50mmx400mm acrylic reservoir
3A: LCD screen with temp reading for Mobo loop
3B: Dimmer knob to control fans on the radiator for Mobo loop
3C: Mobo loop radiator PA120.3 with 6 fans blowing into the case

Also shown in this picture are the blue lines where my slot loading DVD drives will go (aprox) Also above these on the inside is where I will put my HDD's (2 slots per side)

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/caseside.jpg

Once again this shows what the radiator holes will look like. I will eventually push mesh through from the inside and make it flush on the out to cover up the fans. Also I'm trying to decide what I want to do on the sides of the case. I was thinking of putting a vent up towards the top on each side but now I'm starting to think that an acrylic window on each side might be nice because it's the only place I could really put one. If I did that then I would put probably 6 exhaust fans on the back of the comp which now that I write it sounds like a good idea.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/caseback.jpg

This is a view from the back of the computer (I still haven't made the back section for it because I wasn't sure how I wanted to do it when I was at school) Where the red box is is where the PA120.3 for the GPU loop will go (2C) and where the green box is is where I'll put the motherboard. When I was first designing this the motherboard was going to be mounted on the back wall but after I decided to raise the radiators on the side so that they are in the center of the panel instead of sitting on the inside of the case I now have room to do that. It's awesome, I now have the whole back wall to work with where I'll have exhaust fans at the top and a hatch in the middle section so I can get into the and work once I glue everything together.

Directly behind each reservoir is where I'm going to put the pumps. They will basically go directly from the reservoir to the inlet on the pump and then go off to their corresponding loops. As for the PSU I think I'm going to put it on the top just in front of the radiator and extend the power pluggin to the back of the case and the power button I'm going to put up towards the front on top dead center =)

Unfortunately I'm broke so I won't be able to buy any of the liquid cooling stuff for a while but I'll be able to continue working on everything else. If you have any comments of suggestions I would love to hear them. I'm leaving Saturday though for a week so I won't have access to my schools shop for a while but you can bet that when I'm gone I'm making a very detailed todo list ;)

[Brother Esau]

If you would truly like some advice and help with any suggestions or ways to go about working with wood or anything else for that matter I am a Master Wood Worker that Specializes in 18th & 19th Century Period Furniture Reproductions by hand and I make Violins and Guitars as well......So I think I can help a brother out......this thread is my work and you can see my qualifications:yepp: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=160207

[Yeknom]

looks like a nice start

[Elusid]

Wow very impressive! I think I have the overall layout of parts figured out but what would you suggest as far as wood accents in some areas perhaps or a type of finish that would go well with silver/black mesh (haven't decided yet depends on finish), UV lighting, and blue/green fluid? Are there any other things you could suggest that you have in mind? Thanks!

[Lagaaja]

I like the symmetrical desing, looks bit like something that I would come up when desinging custom case for three loops.

And thats one heck of a load of fans!

[Elusid]

I like the symmetrical desing, looks bit like something that I would come up when desinging custom case for three loops.

And thats one heck of a load of fans!

Thanks =) Yeah I'm a bit OCD when it comes to symmetry but so far this design seems like it'll do all that I want and I can still upgrade it later because I'm not gluing the mobo to the wood or anything. Ha and as of right now there's going to be at least 24 fans and that's not including the on on the PSU but that's why I'm adding fan controllers and I'm going to add sound deadening material to try and make it not sound like a freaking wind tunnel. I need to come up with a place to put the fan controller for the rear fans but I will probably just put it under the center loop's controller. I think what I'm going to do since I don't have enough $ to buy all the parts now is just buy one LCD screen, one fill port, one dimmer, one reservoir and one radiator with fans so that I can use those to get the measurements of everything just to speed up this process a bit. Once I get the general measurements made however I can go ahead and glue everything together and fill/sand all the cracks. I just can't put paint on it or anything yet.

[KiDMaioRKz]

nice case ^^

[Elusid]

Thanks =) I just finished drawing out where I will cut the top radiator, DVD drives, dimmer knob for the rear fans and the fill ports. I leave tomorrow so I won't be able to work on this project till the 21st so in the mean time if anyone has any suggestions let me know. I know it looks really rough right now but all I had to cut the holes shown is a dremel

[Lagaaja]

Sounds really good. Subscribed:up: I'm starting my own wooden case too, few hours of SketchUp and came up with final desing, FINALLY got it out of my head:D

Tough my case is going to be somewhat opposite to yours, so it's quite interesting to watch this project of yours:)

[Brother Esau]

Thanks =) I just finished drawing out where I will cut the top radiator, DVD drives, dimmer knob for the rear fans and the fill ports. I leave tomorrow so I won't be able to work on this project till the 21st so in the mean time if anyone has any suggestions let me know. I know it looks really rough right now but all I had to cut the holes shown is a dremel


How do you have the case fastened? If just screwed together and you can disassemble it and redo the front this time use a Jig Saw which you can buy for like $25.00 a cheap one that is. Working with wood takes patience and the right tools for the particular application and job.

Probably this is not a available option for you but what I would do redo the front make sure your layout is accurate (measure twice cut once) and take a jig saw and cut very carefully about a light 1/6" of a inch to the inside of the line and then take a Flat and a round wood rasp and file it "Carefully up to the layout line and then refine what you just did with a smooth Wood File both Flat and Round if you corners are radiused :yepp:

Because how clean and neat and accurate you're work is now will dictate how your remaining work goes. In essence If you start straight & accurate you finish straight and accurate as well......dig:)


Its not to late to do as I suggest and if you take my advise you be thankful and it will make you a better craftsman:yepp: Besides tis better to go slow and work accurately then to rush and have to do things over a second time.....speed is not everything:clap:

Remember too that case will be a reflection of who you are and what you stand for. What defines a true Craftsman is his ability to give a damn and take pride in what he does ,,,,, Perfect is just good enough! You too have this ability and capacity you just have to find it:yepp:

I could go on and on with ways to do this for Professional results but I doubt you have a Router , Table Saw , Router Bits and the desire to make Template Jigs for you're Cut outs but if you did whoaaa baby watch out smooth as a babies but and accurate within a Knats ASS:up:

EDIT: ........In the Front of the case I can foresee a immediate problem >>>> The space between long Cut out below the small cut outs is too small and you will find that you are going to want to make that space (reveal) Larger to accommodate your over laying grill or Fan Covers!
What you have currently is not big enough and wehn the Over laying covers are applied you will want about a Inch reveal or larger preferably between them!

[Elusid]

Thanks for your comments. I actually haven't cut all the way out where I need to so I left space to still cut with a jig saw or w/e I'm going to use. The front pannel is exactly how I want it so there isn't any need to redo it. I have access to a full wood shop like I said in my post but all I had at home was some crappy tools which is why it turned out like that. Also all the measurements are there and ready (if you look closely there are pencil marks where I need to cut) so everything is clean and straight (just not the cuts)

I'm not sure what you're talking about in your edit... but if you're talking about the front panel there aren't any fan grills going on it. This is going to be my last post by the way till the 21st

[Grnfinger]

Why not just use a router and template? lines will be clean and acurate and a hell of alot faster, with a round over bit the edge will be finnished at the same time, no rough edge or splinters

[Elusid]

Hm I'll ask my woodshop teacher exactly how I would go about doing that because anything to make cutting out those holes will be awesome. I just got back from backpacking in Canyonlands park in the Needles for the last week so I'll be back to school on Monday and I'll have updates probably Tuesday afternoon.

[Elusid]

Alright wooo some updates finally

Looks a little cleaner doesn't it ;)
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4288.jpg


one of the sides cut for window hole
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4293.jpg

the base with the holes drilled where the standard ATX mounts are
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4279.jpg

I just used stand offs, gridded off the thread and glued them in the holes, I need to buy more though because I don't have enough
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4280.jpg

Here's the top panel. I cut the radiator hole and the 3 fill port holes
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4292.jpg

Here's what it looks like with the DVD drive installed, wanna see behind the scenes? ;)
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4284.jpg

Side view, but what's that space on top?
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4281.jpg

Yeah so I have the hard drive there too
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4282.jpg

What it looks like without the drives
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4285.jpg

Alright well I ran into a problem here... not only do the bays extend into where the top radiator will be but also they hit each other. I'll be able to just cut off the ends of the bay making the HDD flush with the back and come up with another way to hold it in place.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4294.jpg

On the way home I was also able to stop by and pick up some free 1/4" clear acrylic for my side windows =) I'll be working on that after I fix the bays so probably Thursday. I'm going to fix the bays tomorrow at lunch.

[Yeknom]

Looking nice!

[Elusid]

Thanks =) It's getting there... slowly... but it's nice that I have 4+ hours every other day in the wood shop so I can pay attention to detail and stuff (not really right now). I can't wait till I get the basic frame made so I can start filling cracks and chips and sanding it down. It'll look so much better.

[spotswood]

Elusid, I admire your ingenuity wrt modding the standoffs into inserts. :up:

For other future wooden case builders out there, I'd recommend using real threaded inserts.

http://www.spotswoodcustomcomputers.com/photos/ThreadedInsertCloseup.jpg

The inserts can be purchased with 6/32 internal threads to match those on threaded standoffs.

[Elusid]

Elusid, I admire your ingenuity wrt modding the standoffs into inserts. :up:

For other future wooden case builders out there, I'd recommend using real threaded inserts.

http://www.spotswoodcustomcomputers.com/photos/ThreadedInsertCloseup.jpg

The inserts can be purchased with 6/32 internal threads to match those on threaded standoffs.

Thanks :) Yeah I had no idea there was anything else out there for something like this and I had a few sitting around so I figured why not =) By the way does anyone know where I can get more of the stand offs? I found some chrome ones on frozencpu but they are $.50 each and I'm sure there are better deals out there.

[Elusid]

Alright another update =)

So here's what I came up with to fix the drive bays
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4301.jpg

Here's what they look like in their place
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4296.jpg

Gluing the strips on to hold in the acrylic windows
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4297.jpg

The lip
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4298.jpg

Bondo to fill in the cracks so it's all smooth and one piece when painted
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4299.jpg

Gluing on the back strips to hold the windows in
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4300.jpg

TADA! (almost) finished window. Just need to bondo the back and sand that so it's smooth
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4302.jpg

Alright tape it back up so that no bondo/paint/scratches get on the acrylic
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4303.jpg

[Elusid]

Just a quick update. I glued everything together except the back which I'm still working on building and I also bought some mesh that I'm going to use over the radiator holes. Tomorrow I'm going to work on installing that and also bondoing cracks and sanding

[yankee]

Excellent work, man!

[Elusid]

Thank you =)

EDIT: Oh does anyone know where I can get more standoffs and also dimmer switches that have a silver slip on knob?

[spotswood]

Thank you =)

EDIT: Oh does anyone know where I can get more standoffs and also dimmer switches that have a silver slip on knob?

www.mcmaster.com has the standoffs (and a whole lot more).

[Elusid]

^^^ Thanks

Alright another update. I added bondo and also cut mesh for the windows and also got farther on the back panel. Some of the pics are before I sanded so it's really rough looking

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0428081317.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0428081327.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0428081326.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0428081317a.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0428081317b.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0428081330.jpg

[Chewbenator]

Wow lookin good especially with the mesh. Reminds me of one of those hexagon fish tanks. Can't wait to see the final project.

[Lagaaja]

What kind of res' are you going to use?

[Elusid]

What kind of res' are you going to use?

Three of the 400mm EKs from Petras

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-65556269779593_1995_25440897

[Soulwind]

It may be too late to change now, but one thing you might consider is to use the "fan to hdd connections" that mountain mods sells.

Basically they are metal panels that screw into the outside case of the fan
and then let you mount the hdd's there. It ensures that your hdd's are directly in an air-flow, and with a little neoprene between the panel and the fan case it isolates any vibrations very well too.

Mountain Mods sells them seperately from thier cases, and you certainly look to have plenty of room for them.

Although I wouldn't of bothered with a third loop (especially to a PA120.3) just for the motherboard components, it's certainly looking like a nice case so far.

[Goreg]

looks nice! although wood probably wouldn't me my choice of material if i ever built my own case...

[Elusid]

It may be too late to change now, but one thing you might consider is to use the "fan to hdd connections" that mountain mods sells.

Basically they are metal panels that screw into the outside case of the fan
and then let you mount the hdd's there. It ensures that your hdd's are directly in an air-flow, and with a little neoprene between the panel and the fan case it isolates any vibrations very well too.

Mountain Mods sells them seperately from thier cases, and you certainly look to have plenty of room for them.

Although I wouldn't of bothered with a third loop (especially to a PA120.3) just for the motherboard components, it's certainly looking like a nice case so far.

Yeah I've seen those before and I could do it but I would rather not. I would need to mount it to one of the radiator fans because I don't have any other intake fans. I know a PA120.3 is total overkill for the mobo components but I'm a semetry freak so they all needed to be the same :p: and also this allows me to change things around to basically anything in the future.

looks nice! although wood probably wouldn't me my choice of material if i ever built my own case...

Thanks! Yeah if I knew how to work with anything else I would haha but wood seems to be working out great so far. As soon as my deposit clears in the bank I'm going to order one of the LCD screens, Reservoirs, Fillport, and power button so I can go ahead and get all of those figured out on the front panel and make sure that everything will fit correctly. I sort of have a feeling that I'm going to need to cut out the front panel and re do it because it's not that accurate but that won't be too hard. Hopefully I won't need to but I guess we'll see when the reservoir and screen come in. I'm currently in the woodshop right now working on it so I'll upload some more photos later tonight when I get home.

EDIT: Umm hmm crap... well I was an idiot when I was designing the case apparently because I made the holes for the radiators basically 3 120mm fans on top of eachother and didn't go look at the actual radiator dementions... greaaaaat so a PS120.3 won't fit into the case in any of those places but I can fit three Black Ice GT Xtreme 360's in there if I do push/pull (having the fans take up the hole space) but I see a potential problem in that... I'm afraid it will then stick out too much and get in the way of my video cards... ughhhhhh well I guess I could use a Black Ice GTX Xtreme 240 for that side and then do the 360's in all the other locations and just make the 240 my mobo loop and if I do push/pull on everything + add a fan in the lower section of the hole where the 240 is then you won't be able to tell from the outside that it's not the same thing... hmmmmmmmmmm ok that's what I'm going to do. I guess because those are the only radiators that will fit in my case that have a high performance level.

[Soulwind]

Yeah I've seen those before and I could do it but I would rather not. I would need to mount it to one of the radiator fans because I don't have any other intake fans. I know a PA120.3 is total overkill for the mobo components but I'm a semetry freak so they all needed to be the same :p: and also this allows me to change things around to basically anything in the future.

--

EDIT: Umm hmm crap... well I was an idiot when I was designing the case apparently because I made the holes for the radiators basically 3 120mm fans on top of eachother and didn't go look at the actual radiator dementions... greaaaaat so a PS120.3 won't fit into the case in any of those places

I've got my fans in a push configuration:
Case->Fan->Shroud->Radiator->(with mm hdd bracket attached to the rad, each with only 1 hdd in them so as not to restrict air flow)

It works pretty well, but it's of course up to you. The only thing I was kind of looking at is that the hdd trays you've built look like they would actually insulate the hdd's some...but I haven't seen a pic with them actually mounted so I could be wrong.

Well if you cut the holes for 3 Fans stacked on each other, why not just run them that way? You say you want 6 fans per rad (overkill but what the hey, this whole thing is a design in overkill so may as well go for it :D ), so why not go something like this:

Case -> Fans (push) -> [optional shroud] -> PA 120.3 -> [optional shroud] -> Fans (pull)

That way the holes you cut at fan sizes would be using the fans and should fit? No?

Looking forward to seeing your end results. Are you going for paint or a nice stain?

[Elusid]

I've got my fans in a push configuration:
Case->Fan->Shroud->Radiator->(with mm hdd bracket attached to the rad, each with only 1 hdd in them so as not to restrict air flow)

It works pretty well, but it's of course up to you. The only thing I was kind of looking at is that the hdd trays you've built look like they would actually insulate the hdd's some...but I haven't seen a pic with them actually mounted so I could be wrong.

Well if you cut the holes for 3 Fans stacked on each other, why not just run them that way? You say you want 6 fans per rad (overkill but what the hey, this whole thing is a design in overkill so may as well go for it :D ), so why not go something like this:

Case -> Fans (push) -> [optional shroud] -> PA 120.3 -> [optional shroud] -> Fans (pull)

That way the holes you cut at fan sizes would be using the fans and should fit? No?

Looking forward to seeing your end results. Are you going for paint or a nice stain?


I would use a PA120.3 but I can't for 2 reasons. First of all the radiator is too tall to fit into any 3 of the places where I was going to put it without it hitting something and 2nd because it's designed so that from fan center to fan center is 130mm not 120 which means that the holes for the fans are too small to actually fit them that way. I think what I'm going to do now that I've looked into it is use a MCR220 for one of the sides and (hopefully) 2 MCR320s for the top and the other side but I am making a mock up right now of the 320 to see if it will fit. If it doesn't I'm going to need to resort to using 3 MCR220's with high CFM fans push/pull. I would use a PA120.2 but if I'm using high CFM fans it should be around the same as if I was using low CFM fans on the PA and also I can get the 220 for $36 off of newegg and the PA I usually see for around $120 and I would rather be able to get ALL my rads for that much haha.

Anywayws my net stopped working last night so here's just a quick update of what I did yesterday.

Installed screens, sanded, and made LED brackets for UV LEDs (wireing's going to be a :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana: haha)

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0429081453.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0429081452b.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0429081452.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0429081452a.jpg

[Elusid]

Quick update

I figured out how I can mount two MCR320's in the case, all I need to do is move the mobo over about 1" so that the rad won't hit my video cards so I did that and came up with an easer way to mount my mobo by drilling through the bottom and using bolts and nuts. I'll take a picture tomorrow of it with an old mobo attached.

Also I just ordered the following so that I can finally get the rest of the case at least built even if I don't have all the parts.

MCR320
MCR220
X4 EK High-Flow Fitting (for the MCRs)
EK-RES400 Rev.2 (+ 1 extra barb for top as fillport)
Danger Den Acetal FillPort
Illuminated power button (blue LED)
LCD Thermometer (blue light)
MCP655
X6 120mm Scythe (110.31 CFM, 37 dBA)
500 UV 5mm LEDs

Those should come in over the next week so you will start to see some major updates once that happens but between now and then all I have to work on is the mobo mounting and the back panel.

EDIT: Oh and I think I'm going to do black case with silver mesh and then have the center reservoir be UV blue and the outer two reservoirs be UV black and then use clear antikink along all the tube (more for looks then anything) thoughts?

[Lagaaja]

Umm, five hundred uv leds:woot::confused::confused:

Anyways, looking good so far. I hope you get your rad problems sorted out:) Color scheme sounds good, but what's the uv black going to look like? It'll be quite dark case if there's going to be only one colorful loop.

Led fans, cathodes?

I'd say well placed white cathodes would kick some ass in that case.:up:

[Crazy Chuckster]

Looking great so far!

You should think about actively cooling any hard drives you put in the system as wood is an insulator and with it crammed in that box its gonna get hot!

Maybe add the hard drive to your mobo loop?

[Elusid]

Umm, five hundred uv leds:woot::confused::confused:

Anyways, looking good so far. I hope you get your rad problems sorted out:) Color scheme sounds good, but what's the uv black going to look like? It'll be quite dark case if there's going to be only one colorful loop.

Led fans, cathodes?

I'd say well placed white cathodes would kick some ass in that case.:up:

I HATE cathodes, just an FYI lol. Any ways the 500 UV leds were only $32 so it wasn't that bad.

Looking great so far!

You should think about actively cooling any hard drives you put in the system as wood is an insulator and with it crammed in that box its gonna get hot!

Maybe add the hard drive to your mobo loop?

Thanks =) Well we'll see how hot they get and if it's too hot I'll figure something out.

[Bubbaxm2]

Wow I can't wait to see the finished product. They looks pretty darn good already!

[Elusid]

Thanks =) yeah it's going slower then I would like because I don't have the parts right now but that will change next week ;) Any ways, I got the mobo mounting figured out and started working on the back panel but I'll upload them tonight when I get home.

[bluc]

what are u using for a power switch and where ya getting it? Im in middle of wood case build to and am looking for power/reset switchs know nuthin bout setting up these sort of things so would need something pre wired.

[spotswood]

what are u using for a power switch and where ya getting it? Im in middle of wood case build to and am looking for power/reset switchs know nuthin bout setting up these sort of things so would need something pre wired.

Bulgin illuminated switches are nice because they can fit a 12mm thick panel:

http://www.spotswoodcustomcomputers.com/photos/L24Build/L-24-Yellow-Switches-640.jpg

Plus the LED in the switch can be used to indicate power or hard drive activity.

[Elusid]

Bulgin illuminated switches are nice because they can fit a 12mm thick panel:

http://www.spotswoodcustomcomputers.com/photos/L24Build/L-24-Yellow-Switches-640.jpg

Plus the LED in the switch can be used to indicate power or hard drive activity.

Yeah that's what I'm getting. I'm getting the black with blue LED ring. I was going to do silver switch + blue and silver fillport but the only thing is that the fillport silver and the switch silver didn't match and it would piss me off so I just did both of them black to be safe.

So here's the old mobo used to make sure everything put in place right.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4307.jpg

I swear if it moves at the entire world as we know it is going to be turned inside out. It's not going ANYWHERE
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4308.jpg

Here's the back, those 4 holes are for the outtake fans. I still need to figure out how I'm going to do the whole card and port thing... I think I'm going to drill out the one that is in my current comp case because it needs to be so accurate... hm well I can figure that out later.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4306.jpg

[bluc]

very nice!!

[spotswood]

:shocked: Wood can be slightly conductive, so I hope that board isn't resting directly on it (I can't tell from the picture). :shrug:

Also double-check to make sure expansion cards can fit into the mb. You may have to remove some material for the bottom of the card's mounting bracket (see http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2946359&postcount=44 ).

[KiDMaioRKz]

Cool !!

[Elusid]

:shocked: Wood can be slightly conductive, so I hope that board isn't resting directly on it (I can't tell from the picture). :shrug:

Also double-check to make sure expansion cards can fit into the mb. You may have to remove some material for the bottom of the card's mounting bracket (see http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2946359&postcount=44 ).

Thanks, I have a bolt under the mobo as well so it's holding it off of the wood and as far as the brackets go, I made it so that they go over the edge of the wood into the groove where the back panel will go. There's a 1/4" groove there and it fits perfectly =) Anyways I checked the status on my orders and all the parts (except the LEDs) will be here Wednesday so Thursday night I should have a big update but until there there's not much else I can do.

[Atal]

it has be the most time taking mod I have ever seen, it also requires a lot of creativity!! wow, I'm admiring u every step of the way:)

[Elusid]

it has be the most time taking mod I have ever seen, it also requires a lot of creativity!! wow, I'm admiring u every step of the way:)

Wow thanks man =) Yeah it's not the easiest thing I've done that's for sure. Doesn't make things any easer that it's my first case I've ever built AND the first liquid cooling system I've ever done so a lot of the times I'm sort of sitting there looking at it like :hm: uhhhh... and then finally figure it out haha. Well I'm glad people are enjoying the log, I'll update it asap :D

[Elusid]

Alright well I've been thinking and i want some input from you guys before I start to go ahead and do this but the more I think about it the more it make sense.

I'm thinking it'll be a good idea to mod the current bay's I've created to get rid of the HDD areas and expand the optical slots to standard 5.25" bays so that it will be cheaper/easer to upgrade in the future. I need to look into this before I can say that for sure to see how far back a standard optical drive will go because it can't stick out into where the top radiator is but if it will fit doesn't that sound like a better idea? I can change it now when it's not as much of a pain in the ass (haha...) then I would get two of the mountain mods HDD racks that mount on 120mm fans (suggestion from Soulwind) and put them probably hanging from the MCR220 on the top of the case.

Also I've run into a few snags that shouldn't be too hard to fix (I say that now...) but when I glued the windows into pace I forgot that you'll be able to see on the inside of the frame (being that it's acrylic and all) and see unpainted wood which is BAD! So I need to cut out the window from the inside so that I can paint that. I think what I'm going to do though is instead of re gluing it in is make a frame that I can screw on so that I can remove the window if needed so if it brakes or anything I can replace it. Also I think I've said that I'm probably going to need to redo the front but that will be really simple and fast once I get the parts on Wednesday to do proper measurements with. I'm not even going to touch the front till I have those parts.

Another thing I've run into (not really a problem [yet]) is the back and how I'm going to hold my PCI cards in place and still have the back be removable... I'll worry about that after I have the above fixed, mainly the windows which will hopefully be tomorrow.

So I basically took five steps backwards but it will make my life easer down the road and also boost the quality of the end product so it's worth the time and effort. I still haven't spent a dime in materials so I'm not wasting any money luckily... just frustrating I'll probably wait to do any pictures till Friday so I can focus on getting these problems fixed then getting all the new hardware figured out when it comes in Wednesday. I'm going to be SOO busy on this over the week... here we go! =D

[spotswood]

Alright well I've been thinking and i want some input from you guys before I start to go ahead and do this but the more I think about it the more it make sense.

I'm thinking it'll be a good idea to mod the current bay's I've created to get rid of the HDD areas and expand the optical slots to standard 5.25" bays so that it will be cheaper/easer to upgrade in the future. I need to look into this before I can say that for sure to see how far back a standard optical drive will go because it can't stick out into where the top radiator is but if it will fit doesn't that sound like a better idea? I can change it now when it's not as much of a pain in the ass (haha...) then I would get two of the mountain mods HDD racks that mount on 120mm fans (suggestion from Soulwind) and put them probably hanging from the MCR220 on the top of the case.

Also I've run into a few snags that shouldn't be too hard to fix (I say that now...) but when I glued the windows into pace I forgot that you'll be able to see on the inside of the frame (being that it's acrylic and all) and see unpainted wood which is BAD! So I need to cut out the window from the inside so that I can paint that. I think what I'm going to do though is instead of re gluing it in is make a frame that I can screw on so that I can remove the window if needed so if it brakes or anything I can replace it. Also I think I've said that I'm probably going to need to redo the front but that will be really simple and fast once I get the parts on Wednesday to do proper measurements with. I'm not even going to touch the front till I have those parts.

Another thing I've run into (not really a problem [yet]) is the back and how I'm going to hold my PCI cards in place and still have the back be removable... I'll worry about that after I have the above fixed, mainly the windows which will hopefully be tomorrow.

Optical drives are around 170-175mm deep (not including any of the cabling).

You might be able to avoid having to paint the grooves by applying black electrical tape around the edges of the acrylic. :shrug:

[Elusid]

Optical drives are around 170-175mm deep (not including any of the cabling).

You might be able to avoid having to paint the grooves by applying black electrical tape around the edges of the acrylic. :shrug:

Thanks, yeah I just found an old optical drive I'm going to bring in for reference tomorrow. Unfortunately that won't solve the problem for the window. If you look in this picture you can see what I'm talking about. See at the top and bottom that lip that the acrylic is laying over and that I'm now gluing strips of wood over to hold in place? You can see that from the outside and will look like ass if that's wood color and the rest is black so I need to fix that but like I said shouldn't be too big of a problem... hopefully... I'll find out tomorrow. That's the first thing I'm going to be working on.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4300.jpg

EDIT: hmmm this design is giving me some problems (understatement) so I think that I'm going to consider starting from scratch *gasp* I know crazy right? Well at least this has given me ideas on what NOT to do for this next one so I am going to sit down here for a few hours and come up with a new design and then go in tomorrow and weigh out which will be easer. I will admit that this original idea was very poorly planned. This next one will not be so ;) I'm going to design it though so that it's much easer to build. I'm going to make the walls out of my 1/4" that I have and not that 3/4". It'll make things fit together nicer. the base will still be 3/4" just for stability.

[Yeknom]

1/4th seems rather thin...

[Elusid]

It's not. I'm still going to use 3/4" for structural support but the 1/4" is for the panels

EDIT: Alright I have the basics of a design and I'll start working on it tomorrow. I'm not going to post in this topic again until I have the majority of the case built so for now this work log is postponed. Hopefully I will be back to around where I was before by next week. The new design will not only look better and sleeker but it will also be easer to upgrade in the future. This will be worth the wait I just wish I actually sat down and looked at the first design so I didn't get this far in the process before realizing I needed to start over *sigh* oh well learn from your mistakes I guess.

[Elusid]

***REV2 WORK LOG START***


Alright well I finally got some pictures taken of the new version of this case that I'm working on. I've already put ~ 12 hours into it.

As you can see there's a totally new design for the back. I now have room for 8HDDs and they are spaced ~1/4" apart and in a way where I can mount fans to blow through them to keep them cool. Also the PSU fits in the same general area.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4313.jpg

Front pic
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4312.jpg

Now one thing that I added that is a HUGE improvement over the first design is the implementation of a removable motherboard tray as you can see in here along with the PSU in place.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4314.jpg

Front view w/ mobo tray and PSU
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4315.jpg

New windows. I made them so you can't see under the mobo tray
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4323.jpg

I got smart after the first build and actually made it so that the windows can be removed for painting of the case and also if they break (they won't, I tried breaking the windows in the other case by kicking it and it didn't do jack...) I think I might get the windows etched but that can be done after the case is finished.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4324.jpg

LCD holes cut. Cutting holes for reservoirs is going to be a :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:...
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4322.jpg

Gluing support beams to radiator/optical sides
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4310.jpg

With fans installed. Suuuuper tight, they literally need to be put in with a bit of force
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4311.jpg

First pump placement =D
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4316.jpg

Pump placement on right (will be mirrored on left) and how close it is to the radiator.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4317.jpg

I decided I would have 4 optical drives because there's enough room for them so here's a test fitting with a crappy drive for one of the spaces
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4319.jpg

Final holes cut for radiator/optical sides, all it needs now is the screen, frame to hold the screen and then on the back some mounts to hold in the optical drives
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4321.jpg



So yeah that's where I'm at with the new version as of today. I ran out of 1/4" wood which I need to do the back and top where then I need to drill holes for the MCR220, 3 fillports and power button. I also need to drill holes for the reservoirs and dimmer switches and a bunch of other things before I can glue the structure together. Anyways comments, suggestions?

[Yeknom]

Wow, that looks excellent! A lot better than the previous design, which was pretty good.

[Elusid]

Thanks =) Yeah the other design seemed great until I started trying to fit things inside of it and actually getting parts and then I realized that it was actually a P.o.S. haha

[Soulwind]

Looks much better. I really like the psu/hdd enclosure, and a removable mb tray is gonna make your life so much simpler.

Are you still going with a more or less hexagonal outer shell like before? I did like the way your outer case was going to look.

One thing though. 4 optical drives? Wow, serious overkill there. How often do you ever need more than 2 (a burner and a [blu-ray] player)?

Do you have a position for fan controllers designed in yet? I know you're putting in the lcd's for display, but what about your actual rheobus's?

Maybe stick with 2 optical drives and use the other 2 slots for some of those 6 channel heavy duty rheobus controllers

(that would end up giving you 12 high-amp channels, 3 for your pumps and 9 for fan sets...)?

[RealRedRaider]

Subscribed
:up:

[Elusid]

Looks much better. I really like the psu/hdd enclosure, and a removable mb tray is gonna make your life so much simpler.

Are you still going with a more or less hexagonal outer shell like before? I did like the way your outer case was going to look.

One thing though. 4 optical drives? Wow, serious overkill there. How often do you ever need more than 2 (a burner and a [blu-ray] player)?

Do you have a position for fan controllers designed in yet? I know you're putting in the lcd's for display, but what about your actual rheobus's?

Maybe stick with 2 optical drives and use the other 2 slots for some of those 6 channel heavy duty rheobus controllers

(that would end up giving you 12 high-amp channels, 3 for your pumps and 9 for fan sets...)?

Hey thanks for your comments. I tend to need more then 2 optical drives actually quite often. When ever I burn multiple CDs or rip DVDs or w/e it's nice to have especially when I have a game or two in the drives although I might change my mind as time goes on. I'm putting individual fan controllers under each reservoir to adjust the fans on the radiators of the loops. The pumps I have also have a adjustable switch on the back I don't think I'm going to be changing the pump speeds much/at all. I really only need 5 dimmers. Each radiator fan set, HDD fans, and exhaust fans in the back.

As far as the shape yeah it's the same the only difference is that it's a little bit wider and then a little bit deeper. I just made the Optical cadges and attached them to the backs and that's all I can really do this week. Next week I'll bring in my old case so I can get the spacing of the PCI slots and rear ports right. I might just cut out the back of my old case and attach it.

[RockfordFosgate]

I like wood cases easy to modify ;)

[Elusid]

I like wood cases easy to modify ;)

Haha yeah that's for sure.

I think next week when I get back to school I'll work on getting the screen put in for the two MCR320 holes as well as figure out some sort of mounting for them and then also work on figuring out some more ways to support the top of the case and the back. I also need to still figure out how to cut out the reservoir holes but I'll worry about that later. Does anyone have any suggestions so far?

[Lagaaja]

Whoa!:up:

Looking good! New desing seems to be quite firm. You give me a lot of inspirations for my project too:yepp:

[Elusid]

Haha thanks =) I'm sort of glad I started building the first one because then I was really able to see what DID NOT work at ALL haha. If I want to fill my HDD slots and do 4 SATA optical drives I need to get a PCI card that has 4 other SATA ports which I think I might do anyways so I don't need to worry about it later. I sort of need to finish the case in the next 3 weeks because then school is out and I don't have access to the tools but then also hopefully by the end of the summer I'll have all the liquid cooling parts and it will be 100% finished =)

[BigDK]

Just seen this build, great idea to use wood, can't wait to see the end result.

Subscribed:)

[Elusid]

UPDATE!!! yeah I know it's been a while...

So here's the start of the bottom back panel which will be able to be removed independently from the main back panel and will keep the HDD's, PSU, and mobo tray in place as well as have a screen over that hole that you see to provide ventilation for the HDD cadge.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4352.jpg

Screens are now put on the radiator sections along with trim
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4345.jpg

Optical rack
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4346.jpg

Here's to give you an idea on what the reservoirs will look like. I'm going to make custom mounts that will mount where the Acatel is so that you can see through them into the case
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4344.jpg

Get that bondo'd up and I'll sand it tomorrow as well as make the mounting system... still need to figure it out 100%
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4351.jpg

Here's what I did for the radiator mount system, it's all screwless
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4347.jpg

These hold the radiator up to the front of the panel on the bottom (that's sawdust and not paint/chips by the way)
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4349.jpg

Here there is a 1/4" lip that the fans sit in front of and then two triangles that wedge it into place on the top
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4348.jpg

Here's what it looks like without the radiator installed
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4350.jpg





So that's what I did today. Tomorrow I plan on finishing the reservoir front and mounting hardware for it and then we'll see where I get. I think I'm going to do the top panel in sections too so that I can at least get fillports and power buttons put in it and also have something to keep the front 3 walls up and then the back section of the top will have the radiator... well I guess I don't need to figure that out right now. So I've been thinking of painting the fan blades that will show through the mesh so they just aren't all black what do you guys think?

[fungry]

Wow that looks great! Good to see a wood-based case here and there.

[Soulwind]

So I've been thinking of painting the fan blades that will show through the mesh so they just aren't all black what do you guys think?

Well I've never been a fan (heh) of painted fans.
Unless it's done very carefully, you tend to get mis-balanced spins.

Also, unless you're using lighted fans (and painting would ruin that effect) or have a lighting system around them, you're not really going to see them through the mesh that well anyway.

I tried mounting a CCFL behind my radiator (I go rad, shroud, fans, case from inside to outside order) in the hopes of getting some backlighting to my non-lit fans, but nothing really showed through. I've thought about mounting a set of CCFL's inside the shroud itself, but haven't gotten around to trying it yet.

Anyway, I personally think you should just go with standard black fans which keeps them kind of stealthed against the mesh.

Looking good so far...keep up with the updates. I really want to see the finished case :clap:

EDIT: Oh, and I really like the "screwless" mounting on the radiators. Is it stable enough to block vibrations and keep the fans pressed up against the case though? It's a very inventive solution, haven't seen it done that way before.

[RealRedRaider]

WOW, great work so far...

[Yeknom]

Looks nice, but as Soulwind said, is the mounting system really stable?

[Elusid]

The mounting is stable but I'm not sure if it will be able to keep viberations out. I think today I'm going to work on that a bit more and try and come up with a way to wedge it in there better. With the fans you can actually really see them through the mesh quite a lot which is why I was thinking of painging them in the first place. I have a crap fan that came with one of my older cases that I'll paint and try it so I can see how it looks before I decide if I want to do it with the other ones.

[[XC] NetburstXE]

Great work!

[Bubbaxm2]

Looking good!

[Elusid]

Thanks =) I need to figure out how the hell to mount the reservoirs... I got the front sanded though which is good haha. Ugh I'm getting to the point where everything now needs to be so exact that it takes forever just to do one thing

[lazy]

That looks nice! Always did enjoy looking at builds including wood~

[lokitexas]

That looks nice! Always did enjoy looking at builds including wood~

That COULD be nasty :rofl:

But yeah...wooden cases have class.

[Lagaaja]

I like the idea about the res' acting also as windows:yepp:

[Elusid]

--UPDATE--

I did this last Friday but just got a chance to upload them now

Front of the case with the 5 walls put together + reservoir mounted. I just test painted some of the walls to get a general idea on what it would look like.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4355.jpg

Side view
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4354.jpg

Back view
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4356.jpg

Back view with HDD/PSU cover. I still need to cut out a place for the PSU but that will be later
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4360.jpg

Back view with mobo tray
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4358.jpg

Back view with mobo tray + HDD/PSU cover
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4359.jpg

Here's how I have the reservoirs mounted. It's just a piece of acrylic that will hold them up to the front of the case so that you can still see through the whole thing
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4357.jpg

[Voo Doo]

This is coming along nicely since I last check up. I'll have to keep an eye on this one.
Sure that this will turn out brilliantly.

[Luka_Aveiro]

Insane modding, keep going I am very pleased to se someone's effort into a mod like this :)

[Soulwind]

Looking good, keep it up. I really want to see this thing finished and working :)

By the way, been meaning to ask; what size reseviors are those? They are huge :0

I see the acrylic holding them in back (nice), but what's keeping them from tipping forward?

(just the tubing/barbs? that might end up putting pull-off pressure on the tubing....)

[gearhead364]

Elusid, first of all the case is looking amazing; I have always enjoyed wood working and it is nice to see others take part. However, I was a little disappointed when I saw that you are painting it black, I would have loved to see what the case looked like finished with a few coats of poly.

I have one suggestion for you, this may be too late or maybe you have already thought of it, why don't you use a motherboard tray from a company like Lian Li to mount the motherboard. HERE (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210&products_id=21885) is a motherboard tray that looks like it would fit. Unfortunately the link I provided is out of stock, but if you are interested I will try and find a link with them in stock.


I see the acrylic holding them in back (nice), but what's keeping them from tipping forward?

It looks like the diameter of the reservoir is greater than the gap between the wood, so all he needs to do is apply pressure from the back.

[Elusid]

This is coming along nicely since I last check up. I'll have to keep an eye on this one.
Sure that this will turn out brilliantly.

Insane modding, keep going I am very pleased to se someone's effort into a mod like this :)

Thanks =)

Looking good, keep it up. I really want to see this thing finished and working :)

By the way, been meaning to ask; what size reseviors are those? They are huge :0

I see the acrylic holding them in back (nice), but what's keeping them from tipping forward?

(just the tubing/barbs? that might end up putting pull-off pressure on the tubing....)

The reservoirs are the EK 400mm ones, the largest ones I've been able to find haha. gearhead answered your other question.

Elusid, first of all the case is looking amazing; I have always enjoyed wood working and it is nice to see others take part. However, I was a little disappointed when I saw that you are painting it black, I would have loved to see what the case looked like finished with a few coats of poly.

I have one suggestion for you, this may be too late or maybe you have already thought of it, why don't you use a motherboard tray from a company like Lian Li to mount the motherboard. HERE (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210&products_id=21885) is a motherboard tray that looks like it would fit. Unfortunately the link I provided is out of stock, but if you are interested I will try and find a link with them in stock.



It looks like the diameter of the reservoir is greater than the gap between the wood, so all he needs to do is apply pressure from the back.


Yeah that's exactly how it's held in place. I was going to try and have the full width of the reservoir be in the front but because of the barbs on the top and bottom of it that won't work. It's currently sticking out as far as it can go before the barbs get in the way.

As for the paint job, I might not paint it black but clear poly is out of the question unfortunatly because the tools in this shop aren't exactly percision tools so there are a lot of gaps I've had to fill with bondo to get a flowing look and bondo+clear coat = :banana::banana::banana::banana: =/ If anyone has an idea on a different paint design I would be more then happy to hear it. Like I said right now I'm sort of thinking black and then silver mesh but I could do some color combos with the trim and stuff.

With the motherboard tray I think I'll be fine. I'm going to use the same method I used on the first build I think but a little different. I'll show you when I come up with it but it's free and simple and that's how I like it =). For the PCI slots and stuff in the back I'm just going to cut out the one that's in my NEXT Lexa (current case) and mount it to a wooden back plate because that really does need to be exact but other then that I'm aiming for the whole thing to be made out of wood.

I've done a little bit more to it and I'll upload the pics when I get home tonight. The last 2 days have been really odd schedules at school so I haven't had as much time in the shop as I normally do. Thanks for the replies and suggestions. Keep em comin! :up:

[gearhead364]

Cant wait to see the new pics.

[gearhead364]

Elusid, here is an idea. On the back of you hard drive rack you could install a piece of acrylic and then mount your PSU and SATA connectors in it. That way when you removed a HDD, all you have to is pull on it and the cables will stay in place, almost like a hot swap system. You could even cut cooling slots in the back of the acrylic for air flow. If this doesn't make sense, I can make a drawing.

[spotswood]

Elusid, here is an idea. On the back of you hard drive rack you could install a piece of acrylic and then mount your PSU and SATA connectors in it. That way when you removed a HDD, all you have to is pull on it and the cables will stay in place, almost like a hot swap system. You could even cut cooling slots in the back of the acrylic for air flow. If this doesn't make sense, I can make a drawing.

GearHead, Please provide a link to those SATA panel mount connectors/cables!

[gearhead364]

GearHead, Please provide a link to those SATA panel mount connectors/cables!

I don't think that the panel mount SATA cables actually exist, but you could use a right angle SATA data cable, right anlge SATA power cable, some epoxy or a clamp, and a piece of acrylic. You would simply cut some holes in the acrylic to fit the power and data cable connectors, then glue or clamp them in place (clamps would have to be custom made) and as long as you aligned everything correctly you would have a hot swap like panel to plug in hard drives. If anyone is interested, I could create a drawing, might take a little time though.

[Elusid]

I don't think that the panel mount SATA cables actually exist, but you could use a right angle SATA data cable, right anlge SATA power cable, some epoxy or a clamp, and a piece of acrylic. You would simply cut some holes in the acrylic to fit the power and data cable connectors, then glue or clamp them in place (clamps would have to be custom made) and as long as you aligned everything correctly you would have a hot swap like panel to plug in hard drives. If anyone is interested, I could create a drawing, might take a little time though.

I get exactly what you're talking about and it sounds like a great idea and I would probably do it too if it weren't for the fact that I need to have the project 100% finished before next Wednesday. I'm going to focus on getting the important things done first and if I get this project done and the other one that I'm working on at the moment I'll add this in. I have pictures on my comp but I'm having issues uploading them right now. If it works I'll add them into this post.

[gearhead364]

I get exactly what you're talking about and it sounds like a great idea and I would probably do it too if it weren't for the fact that I need to have the project 100% finished before next Wednesday. I'm going to focus on getting the important things done first and if I get this project done and the other one that I'm working on at the moment I'll add this in. I have pictures on my comp but I'm having issues uploading them right now. If it works I'll add them into this post.

I think I might try it on my CM 690; if I do I will post pics.

[MasterChiefElmo]

Its looking grate man Keep it up.... Be the most unique coffee table..hehehehehe

[Elusid]

Alright FINALLY I have some picture updates. I just brought my laptop to school so I could upload the pics because the net at my house sucks balls. There's a bit of a gap in progress because some of the pics are on my HDD which is at home.

Mobo tray finished
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0527081349.jpg

Outside of tray
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0527081349a.jpg

With PSU
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0527081349b.jpg

With PSU/HDD cover
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0527081349c.jpg

PSU bracket fix
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0528081445.jpg

With mobo
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0528081447.jpg

Back frame to hold on back panel
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0528081446.jpg

Back panel. The holes are actually ~130mm because that's the only size that was in the shop so I'm going to look for larger fans to fit them
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0528081445a.jpg

I start to paint on Monday. Currently the color choice is gloss black with silver mesh. If you have an idea post it before the end of the weekend or forever hold your peace :P

[Isaac MM]

Where do you learn to do stuff like that?

[Elusid]

Where do you learn to do stuff like that?

All of this stuff I've taught my self over the years basically, seeing what works and what doesn't. I've been building computers since I was in 8th grade (Just finishing my Jr. year right now) and decided to go ahead and take it a step forward with liquid cooling and building my own case.

[Pedalmonkey]

SICK BRAH!! now put wheels, and an engine in it. WOO. JK but seriously, wish i could do/afford this :banana::banana::banana::banana:.

[Goreg]

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/0528081445a.jpg
Looks nice, but aren't those holes a bit close together?:eek:

[Voo Doo]

Those holes are 130mm so it should be fine.
Looking good.

[Elusid]

Looks nice, but aren't those holes a bit close together?:eek:

Yeah they are a lot closer then I would like them to be but because of the way that the back needs to mount they can't be any closer to the edge without getting in the way. I think I'll still use 120mm fans though if I can't find good 130mm ones.

[Colossous]

Great design and work duder :up:

[[XC] NetburstXE]

What motherboard is that?

[Elusid]

NetburstXE;3022823']What motherboard is that?


P5E WS

[BiFfMaN]

Great job so far....

But since its a water cooled wood case..maybe you should have called it *WaterLOG*

[[XC] NetburstXE]

P5E WS

Thanks.

[Elusid]

Great job so far....

But since its a water cooled wood case..maybe you should have called it *WaterLOG*

Lol I never thought of that :P well it doesn't really have a name at the moment but it probably will at some point.

Any ideas on color combos? I'm going to stop by lowes on saturday or sunday to pick up primer and the colors. If I don't get any suggestions I'll just pick up what ever I think will look good together. I'm using UV black and UV blue liquid and most likely painting the mesh metalic silver it's just the case/trim color that I need to think about. Also does anyone know where a good place to have acrylic windows etched would be?

[Elusid]

Update:

Alright I finished it finally! Well the actual case part anyway, I still need to get the rest of the parts to go into it and I still need to do the lighting but here it is.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4411.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4409.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4410.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4415.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4416.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4417.jpg

I think it turned out well for only being made out of plywood and all. I think the next case that I make though will be with metal or acrylic

[[XC] NetburstXE]

Amazing!

[AustraliaFou4]

woah extremely good job..

[MINIz guy]

Looks great! How heavy is it in total with most of the parts in?

[Pedalmonkey]

WOOO!! now lest get the thing water cooled!!

[R1C0CH3T]

Nice! inspires me to do a wooden case

[Elusid]

NetburstXE;3036880']Amazing!

woah extremely good job..

Thank you =) I'm glad people like it!

Looks great! How heavy is it in total with most of the parts in?

I don't have a scale or anything but it's a heavy mofo. If I had to guess I would say between 60 and 70 lbs. The case by it self isn't all that bad, may be 10 or 15 lbs.

WOOO!! now lest get the thing water cooled!!

haha yeah working on it. I just started work yesterday. I'm juggling 4+ jobs this summer so I should be able to get the parts soon but I'll keep this up to date. I think I might just go ahead and start a work log in the liquid cooling section because the actual computer case aspect of this is done. If I do that I'll post a link in this topic but that won't be for another 2 weeks at least.

Nice! inspires me to do a wooden case

You should =) I always like seeing what other people can do with wood and how they go about things differently.

Oh does anyone know where I can send in my acrylic windows to get laser etched by the way? I'm not going to do it right now as getting all the parts is a priority but it would be nice to add that as a sort of final touch.

[RealRedRaider]

Your case turned out NICE...

[DIE-TEMP]

hey mate, that looks really cool. I very much like the display case look.

congrats on getting this far, can't wait to see how it looks when all running and lit up :)

[philbrown23]

nice dood! I commend you for following through this looks like a complicated build, but it came out nicely!

[Elusid]

Thanks everyone =) I have a few things to get before I get the actual liquid cooling up and going... like DVD drives haha but I'll keep everyone in the loop. I'll keep posting in this topic until I start on the liquid cooling stuff which shouldn't be more then a few weeks. I still need to get dimmer knobs for each of the 3 loops but I think what I'll just do is make a dimmer panel in the back or something. I know exactly what I need I just need to find it.

[Elusid]

woops, double post

[Elusid]

Alright, I know it's been over a month since I last posted but I finally have an update! Well really I had an update a while ago I just didn't have internet when ever I had free time so here it is.

I finally got my 4 DVD drives and got them up and running
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4442.jpg

My 3 Scythe Ultras used as vent fans (sounds like a vacuum at full speed... not even kidding)
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/discjockykid/compcase/IMGP4443.jpg

And on top of that, I started the liquid cooling! I've got to go pick someone up really quick though so I'll start that thread over in the liquid cooling section when I get back and post link here.

EDIT: here's the liquid cooling topic http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?p=3145016#post3145016