--- r e f l e X i o n ---

[Xion X2]

Oh man.... I've been through all the pic's in your log and I have to say that I'm pretty amazed by both the quality of them and the quality of the object itself! Your parts are stunning, and your ideas are just amazing!
What came out of the page for me is the idea with the SSD's. Such a simple thing, basically a vertical plexiglass (or glass) rectangle with some holes and screws, but the final effect is just amazing! I love it. Inserting some diodes into the glass would give a nice light effect on the edge of the glass mounting plate, but I guess you would loose the "zero-G" effect.
Anyway, keep up the great work!

Thanks, brotha!

So that brings up a good point. Which do you guys think would look the best on that front side: bubbling res of the two pumps (as shown in the concept renders) or the zero-g SSDs? One will be showing on the front and one on the back. I haven't decided for certain which to display on the front yet and am looking for opinions.

[Wezly]

Well, would you be able to view the SSD's and the res through the same window, or would there be a divider?

I'd say whatever is easier for plumbing purposes, but if it's a pain either way, go for what will show you the most from one angle

[Mabyboi]

One res at the top and the ssd's in the bottom? half and half... would look amazing!

[Xion X2]

Well, would you be able to view the SSD's and the res through the same window, or would there be a divider?

I'd say whatever is easier for plumbing purposes, but if it's a pain either way, go for what will show you the most from one angle

Right now, there is no divider, and the windows will sit parallel to each other. However, the windows for the res tops are sized to fit them only, and since they will be filled with coolant, you probably won't be able to see through them to the other side too well where the SSDs are floating.

The windows for the SSDs are a little larger to give the "weightless" appearance, so you'll be able to see through them/plexi and see the pumps behind them.

One res at the top and the ssd's in the bottom? half and half... would look amazing!

That would have been kind of neat, but:

1) The bay cover windows have already been cut so that both pump windows are on one side and the SSD windows on the other side. So that piece would need to be cut again if I change it.

2) I would lose the reflecting properties as seen when you open the case (radiator on top/bottom, same size bay cover window on top/bottom.) I like the symmetry that's consistent so far.

Hmm.. I'll keep thinking about it. Thanks for your feedback.

[kgtiger]

As the paten/shape on the side of your door is so large and dominant. It will be the first thing that you will see when you look at the case from the side or at an angle.
If you intent is to make this case you look refined and sophisticated.
Then I would be cautious of not making it look to busy/ to detailed, to much or to bright color.
Most, if not all refined and sophisticated things are simple, easy on the eyes and give you that feeling of WoW, but only when you have that feeling of being calm, at ease with it.
If there is just to much detail to look at, your brain is constantly looking at it, this can give you the feeling of being uneasy/ even an awkward feeling.

Don't have everything on show and in your face like, make people interested enough so they want to look at it closer, and by looking, the case will reveal it's secrets.

When that happens, you have reached "sophistication"

Just my take on it.

[Xion X2]

As the paten/shape on the side of your door is so large and dominant. It will be the first thing that you will see when you look at the case from the side or at an angle.
If you intent is to make this case you look refined and sophisticated.
Then I would be cautious of not making it look to busy/ to detailed, to much or to bright color.
Most, if not all refined and sophisticated things are simple, easy on the eyes and give you that feeling of WoW, but only when you have that feeling of being calm, at ease with it.
If there is just to much detail to look at, your brain is constantly looking at it, this can give you the feeling of being uneasy/ even an awkward feeling.

Don't have everything on show and in your face like, make people interested enough so they want to look at it closer, and by looking, the case will reveal it's secrets.

When that happens, you have reached "sophistication"

Just my take on it.

I appreciate your feedback, kg.

As I said in my opening statement to the project, the goal is to build a machine that's both "edgy" and "refined." I believe in a proper balance of the two. There are plenty of things with lots of flash that are refined; they don't always need to be of the "sleeper" caliber. A Ferrari Enzo is refined/sophisticated, despite being flashy and eye-catching. This is the look that I am going for. Something with lots of flash yet at the same time refined, with an exotic feel.

The most important design aspects have not been revealed yet but will in due time. When that happens, I think this will all come together into a fluid and consistent theme that will impress.

God willing, that is. There is still a ton left to do, and I'm still running into several things that I lack experience in and am having to learn.

[Xion X2]

I've redesigned the custom SSD mount and have now termed the custom bay device as the "Zero Gravity Chamber." Two things that have changed with the custom SSD mount:

1) I've widened the clear perspex backing to keep its edges from showing through the window at an angle.

2) I've added a U bracket onto the top to help brace the piece against the side of the bay cover. The bracket will fit flush to give the piece more support.












A view from the pump side.

[millertime359]

It is going to be sweet dude.

[Mabyboi]

Looks great man! keep up the good work!

[Equinediver]

Those renders look lovely Just wish wireless drives were invented!!!!

[Xion X2]

It is going to be sweet dude.

Looks great man! keep up the good work!

Those renders look lovely Just wish wireless drives were invented!!!!

Thanks everyone.

Yeah, I wish wireless drives were around, but what I'll do is use p-clips to run the wires horizontal and parallel out the back of the drives to the right side of the window. This will make the wires look like they, also, are suspended in mid-air and keep the weightless effect. The p-clips will mount to the back of the front facing of the chamber.

Since the drives themselves are black and are on a black background (inside of chamber will be painted black,) and since both the SATA and power cables will be sleeved black, it should help the wiring to blend in with the surroundings.

The design is complete on these now, and they'll go into production soon.

[kgtiger]

Renders look good, I like the changes.
Looking forward to some photos of the zero gravity chamber.
Also looking forward to see photos of the other design aspects still to come.

[Vinas]

I think you should angle the drives a bit downward. This way people can see the info on top of the SSD.

[Xion X2]

Renders look good, I like the changes.
Looking forward to some photos of the zero gravity chamber.
Also looking forward to see photos of the other design aspects still to come.

Thanks, kg. Do you have any experience in cutting plexi? I tried with a hacksaw tonight, and it just destroyed it. I'm sure the blades weren't nearly fine enough. Will try with a jig tomorrow with 36 TPI blades.

Some guys say to score it, but I haven't had much luck with that in the past. When I try to break it, it will break in jagged, uneven edges.

I think you should angle the drives a bit downward. This way people can see the info on top of the SSD.

Why would people want to see the SSD sticker?

[kgtiger]

Hi Xion, Yes I have work with Perspex before.
Most of the time I have used a table saw with a blade that has 80 teeth, it has the "Triple Chip" format with 0 degree offset, the offset part is very important as it helps to stop the perspex from chiping.
I had a look at the jigsaw blades "36TPI" as these are for steel you may find that they are a tad too fine for perspex and will get hot and melt the perspex, also not sure if they are 0 degree offset .
I have used these Bosch T101A Jigsaw Blades for Perspex/Acrylic and are excellent.
They do have larger teeth than the 36TPI however they are designed for just cutting perspex and cut through it like a hot knife through butter.
I have had a looked on the net for blades these blades, however only foud links to the UK, I did found this site in the US that sell jigsaw blades for perspex,
or you can just look at you local hardware store.http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...roduct_id=2304
You may need to play with the speed you set your jigsaw at to find the right speed for the thickness you are cutting.
It also halp a lot to use that ali angle section that charles h recommended to give you a straight edge.

As for hacksaws they do work, however take a dam long time to get there, limited with the depth of cut you can make and near impossible to keep a straight cut.

Good luck with your cutting, I am looking forward to seeing the outcome.

[Xion X2]

Hi Xion, Yes I have work with Perspex before.
Most of the time I have used a table saw with a blade that has 80 teeth, it has the "Triple Chip" format with 0 degree offset, the offset part is very important as it helps to stop the perspex from chiping.
I had a look at the jigsaw blades "36TPI" as these are for steel you may find that they are a tad too fine for perspex and will get hot and melt the perspex, also not sure if they are 0 degree offset .
I have used these Bosch T101A Jigsaw Blades for Perspex/Acrylic and are excellent.
They do have larger teeth than the 36TPI however they are designed for just cutting perspex and cut through it like a hot knife through butter.
I have had a looked on the net for blades these blades, however only foud links to the UK, I did found this site in the US that sell jigsaw blades for perspex,
or you can just look at you local hardware store.http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...roduct_id=2304
You may need to play with the speed you set your jigsaw at to find the right speed for the thickness you are cutting.
It also halp a lot to use that ali angle section that charles h recommended to give you a straight edge.

As for hacksaws they do work, however take a dam long time to get there, limited with the depth of cut you can make and near impossible to keep a straight cut.

Good luck with your cutting, I am looking forward to seeing the outcome.

Thanks, man. I appreciate the suggestions.

I'll check my local hardware stores to see if they have any of these jig blades that you recommend. I already picked up some aluminum angles thanks to Charles' recommendation and can't wait to try them out.

I just don't think the hacksaw is going to "cut it" () for this job. As soon as it cut into the plexi last night the plexi broke into 5 or 6 pieces. It was almost comical how bad it was.

[Xion X2]

FYI - For anyone who's joined the project just recently, I've now included a project progress map in the first post with key accomplishments to make everything easier to follow.

Project Milestones/Progress:

I. Side panel design completed
II. Zero Gravity Chamber Conceived
III. Case Layout Design Completed
IV. Zero Gravity Chamber Waterjet Cut Completed
V. Side panel waterjet cut completed
VI. Zero Gravity Chamber design completed

[Red-5]

Really like your designs of the "Zero Gravity Chamber" and the excellent final renders.
Looking forward to seeing this piece of your project come together. Definitely one of my favourite builds on the forum.

[masxerofkartis]

Thanks everyone.



Since the drives themselves are black and are on a black background (inside of chamber will be painted black,) and since both the SATA and power cables will be sleevekd black, it should help the wiring to blend in with the surroundings.

Why don't you try dressing them like sniper trees? Brainiac says its the best camo suit:P

Seriously, i really admire your work and am really anxious to see the final product. Well done

[TMWH]

Amazing work! Keep up the good work, and it will be so hot

[Xion X2]

Really like your designs of the "Zero Gravity Chamber" and the excellent final renders.
Looking forward to seeing this piece of your project come together. Definitely one of my favourite builds on the forum.

Why don't you try dressing them like sniper trees? Brainiac says its the best camo suit:P

Seriously, i really admire your work and am really anxious to see the final product. Well done

Amazing work! Keep up the good work, and it will be so hot

Thanks for the continued support, guys. It's also nice to see a few new faces around. Glad that you guys are enjoying the project.

Who's ready for an update? Huh? Huh? Let me hear ya.

An update to the "zero gravity" SSD project.

So, I've began to work on cutting the plexi for the SSD mounts and, as is often the case, it's been tricky to cut it and have it look clean and neat. In fact, forget "clean and neat"--just keeping it from shattering into about 7 or 8 pieces as soon as a blade touches it would describe my recent experiences a little better. I've tried both a hacksaw and jigsaw--even special bought blades tonight that were supposedly made for cutting plastic and acrylic--and both tools have failed miserably. It could very well be user error since I'm not used to working with plexi all that much, but regardless, I'm thinking to myself that there has to be an easier way to cut this stuff.

So I was talking about it with a friend of mine today, and he had this "crazy" idea to use my bending brake to cut the plexi with. I thought this was a superb idea.. not because I thought it would work, but because it would make for some outstanding pictures when the brake shattered the plexi into about 100 pieces. Live action shots.. maybe a collage that I could hang on my wall. "Plexi Distress," we could call it. "At the least, it'll get some laughs from a lot of guys on XS," I told him.

Well, what you're about to see may be hard to believe and is evidence that the "brute force" approach sometimes works in the cases that seem to be born for finesse. And since I'm finally done yapping, let's get into the action shots, a.k.a. the good stuff.

Here I've marked the height and width that the plexi cutout for the drives needs to be. I've provided enough clearance to keep the edges of the plexi out of the window view, even from an angle.



Alright, let's throw this sucker on the brake. *straps on protective eyewear, ducks and covers head..*



Actually, before we go ahead and break all the rules of physics, modding, and general common sense, let's score this sucker and lessen our chances of being splintered in the eyes with shards of plexi.

I'll use a straight-razor and angle-cut it toward the steel brace.



It's tough to see there because my big fat hand is in the way, but I scored by holding the straight razor at a 45 degree angle, cutting against the steel brace that I was using as my straight edge. Clamping the brace down just held the straight edge in place and made things easier.

Alright, here we go. *ducks*



This will either be genius or Captain Idioto Magnifico, I was thinking to myself at about this point. I think I was also checking for nearby objects of value that could be destroyed by plexi snapping off at speeds in excess of 50mph.

*SNAP*



Well, it didn't go flying at the impact point, so that's good. So.. wait, what's this?



Would you look at that?

Who would have thought that a 70 lb. steel brake would offer one of the cleanest cuts on fragile little plexi that you've ever seen? For the last two days that I've worked with it, it's seemed to crack right down the middle if I sneezed anywhere near it. Yet it butts heads with the bending brake and comes out beautiful.





It was a mixture of excitement and disbelief at this point. Not only did the brake make an extremely clean cut, but because the brake cuts against the steel brace/straight edge, it was a perfectly straight cut as well.

So that takes care of one side. Now to cut the other side to size.

So let's score the other side for cutting.



And let's cut this sucka.

*CRUNCH*







Let's take a closer look at the finished product.





Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Still can't believe how easy and efficient that was. Who would've thought.

And .. hey! You guys are early!



Apparently I'm not the only one who's excited at this new discovery. I'm not ready for you guys yet, but that didn't stop you from scampering out in front of the camera and posing on your new plexi window, did it?

Well since you're out here, make yourselves useful and show everyone how she fits.



There's now an inch and a half clearance on each side of the SSDs. Plenty to hide the edges behind the window.



That's all for now. Tomorrow I should have some time to cut and bend the mounting brackets.

Thanks for checking in!

[millertime359]

WOOT!!!!

More work.

Looks great bud, Keep it up.

[Weevil]

Looks like you're having fun, nice work, I enjoy watching this build.

[kgtiger]

Well done, I am glad you score the perspex first.
Looks good.

[TMWH]

That SSD "case" will look so good