Case Mods - New custom acrylic case -- Worklog to come

[radodrill]

I've been working on a Custom acrylic PC case that I designed.

Case features a double sidewall to allow intake air without the need of front holes; also good for cable routing. Designed to hold 2 360mm Radiators; will only use one ATM with a Y-line loop. Stealthed CD slot; will wire the eject button and activity LED to an illuminated pushbutton to preserve the clean look of the front panel.

Here are some pics of the 3D model in it's current state. I'll update with pics of the actual build as well.











Expected Hardware Requirements:
DFI Lanparty UT 680i SLI T2R/G ---- Out of pocket
Intel Q6600 G0 ---- Out of pocket
Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer ---- Out of pocket
2x BFG 8800GTX ---- Out of pocket
2x1Gb DDR2 RAM (been eying the Corsair Dominator PC2-10000)
Lite-On SATA DVD burner ---- Out of pocket
Silverstone ST1000 Modular PSU ---- Out of pocket
500+Gb SATA2 HDD ---- Out of pocket
2x X-Flow Black Ice Extreme III ---- Sponsored by DangerDen
Variable speed D5 ---- Sponsored by DangerDen
20 feet 1/2" ID Tygon ---- Sponsored by DangerDen
2x Brass Fill-port ---- Sponsored by DangerDen
TDX for LGA775 ---- Sponsored by DangerDen
Maze4 chipset block (regular block) ---- Sponsored by DangerDen
875 chipset block ---- Sponsored by DangerDen
2x 8800 GTX blocks ---- Sponsored by DangerDen
2x single-slot PCI bracket for the 8800s ---- Sponsored by DangerDen
Fill-port Reservoir ---- Sponsored by DangerDen
6x 120mm Case Fans ---- Sponsored by A.C.Ryan
Wire-sleeving ---- Sponsored by A.C.Ryan
2x dual 30cm red CCFLs ---- Sponsored by A.C.Ryan
dual 30cm UV CCFLs ---- Sponsored by A.C.Ryan
dual 20cm UV CCFLs ---- Sponsored by A.C.Ryan
Acrylic Case feet ---- Sponsored by Petra's Tech Shop
H2O Dies ---- Sponsored by Petra's Tech Shop
Biocide H2O additive ---- Sponsored by Petra's Tech Shop
AS5 ---- Sponsored by Petra's Tech Shop
36" SATA2 cables ---- Sponsored by Petra's Tech Shop


Sponsors:

[ineedaname]

woot awesome i definitely wanna see that


and WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT 1000th post!

[radodrill]

I spent last night and today working on the motherboard panel.

Sketched panel in Pro/E


Masked the Acrylic sheet and marked the locations for the MB standoffs, RAD, and Front-panel port mounts.


With old MB to verify markings


Drilled pilot holes


Cutting the fan/RAD holes


Finished fan/Rad holes


Drilled out holes to secure the RAD


Illustration of MB standoff mounting


Drilled out and threaded holes for MB standoffs and FPIO mount


Unmasked panel


Mounting of FPIO


Added slots for cable pass-through. All cabling will be routed underneath the MB panel


Test fit of my current MB and FPIO ports




I don't have the new RAD/fans yet so I couldn't test fit those.

If anyone would like to see other detail shots/angles please LMK

Sponsors:

[railmeat]

u do amazing design\build work!!!

but to bad u already scratched the plexiglass sheets up beyond repair.u have a good quality camera and i can see em all.i built a few plexiglass cases myself(kits)and thee slighest scratch u get,your screwed cause they stick out from a mile away.and from the looks of those sheets slammed on that horse u scracthed em up REAL good.sheets should always be placed on a clean tshirt etc...not wooden horses(atleast cover the horses)

my old p4..plain jane yes,but cool 4 years ago
http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...older_p4-1.jpg

my buddys current case now,e6600,8800gts,raptors..its %100 scratchless minus 1 tiny scratch in the back.we used cotton gloves putting it together.
http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...t=edsstuff.jpg

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...=edssikrig.jpg

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...t=eds_p4_4.jpg

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...dsbasement.jpg

every second u touch these,u must be uber careful cause end result after putting it all togther the scratches show up so easily and its ruined.either ccfl\neon\uv bulbs show scratches 10x more no matter what bulb type or color u use..

incredible clear acrylic case deal $80
http://www.svc.com/acuf-huvb.html

[SP1]

What speed setting did you have on your dremel when cutting the fan holes?

[radodrill]

u do amazing design\build work!!!

but to bad u already scratched the plexiglass sheets up beyond repair.u have a good quality camera and i can see em all.i built a few plexiglass cases myself(kits)and thee slighest scratch u get,your screwed cause they stick out from a mile away.and from the looks of those sheets slammed on that horse u scracthed em up REAL good.sheets should always be placed on a clean tshirt etc...not wooden horses(atleast cover the horses)

my old p4..plain jane yes,but cool 4 years ago
http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...older_p4-1.jpg

my buddys current case now,e6600,8800gts,raptors..its %100 scratchless minus 1 tiny scratch in the back.we used cotton gloves putting it together.
http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...t=edsstuff.jpg

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...=edssikrig.jpg

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...t=eds_p4_4.jpg

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...dsbasement.jpg

every second u touch these,u must be uber careful cause end result after putting it all togther the scratches show up so easily and its ruined.either ccfl\neon\uv bulbs show scratches 10x more no matter what bulb type or color u use..

incredible clear acrylic case deal $80
http://www.svc.com/acuf-huvb.html

Actually my first modding project and first real 3D model/assembly (only other 3D work I've done was for a Pro/E class I took this summer).

Thanks for the tip on the T-shirts. At least this is the only panel I've started working on (and it'll be inside). I do plan on polishing it with Novus Plastic polish and maybe with the Novus fine scratch remover to remove any scratches.

Any other tips are most welcome.

[radodrill]

What speed setting did you have on your dremel when cutting the fan holes?

5-7 seemed to work real well. I then used some fine sandpaper to make sure it was nice and smooth.

Edit: BTW I was using the bits from the router attachment.

[radodrill]

Today I started working on the drive Bays:




Laid out the parts on the masked acrylic:


The cut out panels:


Threaded side panels for drive retention mechanism (will into detail on that later):


Cut drive support rails:


Unmasked 5 1/4 bay panels:


Unmasked 3 1/2 bay panels:


I have to wait on an order from US Plastics before I can glue these parts together.

Sponsors:

[ineedaname]

DAMN

I really gotta get a hole saw attachment 4 my dremel. That looks a lot easier than my regular drill attachment hole saw that i used for my acrylic window. I was so close to cracking the window the entire time i used it. Thankfully I didn't.

Oh and btw two questions.

1. How did you cut the long tunnels for the wires?
2. What bit did u use while using the hole cutting attachment.

[radodrill]

DAMN

I really gotta get a hole saw attachment 4 my dremel. That looks a lot easier than my regular drill attachment hole saw that i used for my acrylic window. I was so close to cracking the window the entire time i used it. Thankfully I didn't.

Oh and btw two questions.

1. How did you cut the long tunnels for the wires?
2. What bit did u use while using the hole cutting attachment.

1) I used the router attachment for the slots http://www.dremel.com/en-us/attachme...=69679&I=69795
2) One of their cutting bits that came with the router attachment http://www.dremel.com/en-us/attachme...188549&G=66357

The slots didn't turn out perfectly; so the next ones I'll use my jigsaw on the straight sections and either just finish the rounds with the Dremel; or I may even cut the rounds first with a spade-bit drill the cut the straights.

[radodrill]

Minor update:
Been busy with work the past few days and haven't gotten much done on the case. The good news is that DangerDen is on board to sponsor the Liquid cooling aspect of this case build

[The_Beast]

wow looking good

[radodrill]

Today I received the 1" Acrylic cubes that I'll use to assemble the main panels of the case


Drilled/Tapped the cubes so that I could screw on the panels


Closeup of one cube


Next I polished the parts for the 3.5" drive bay


3.5" Drive bays clamped and glued


Sponsors:

[ineedaname]

Sweet nice cubes

I'm guessing ur using them 2 hold the walls together?

Would b cool if u had something like that for the on/reset switches too

[radodrill]

Sweet nice cubes

I'm guessing ur using them 2 hold the walls together?

Would b cool if u had something like that for the on/reset switches too

Thanks

Yep; the cubes are going into the eight corners on the box to connect the main panels.

I'm actually waiting on some LED illuminated pushbutton switches that I'll be using for power, CD eject, and case lighting. They'll be mounted along the right side of the front panel (between the MB panel and the side panel).

[phelan1777]

Eager to see this one when its done.

[radodrill]

Eager to see this one when its done.

Thanks I'm quite anxious to finish it myself.

[radodrill]

Finished the 3 1/2" drive bays


Drive retention mechanism; screws on one side with nylon spacers on the ends


Test fit with old drive


Sponsors:

[lloydsmart]

Looks awesome! Can't wait to see finished product.

[pranko1]

Me too, very nice

[radodrill]

Polished 5 1/4" drive bay panels


5 1/4" bay panels glued together


Finished 5 1/4" Drive Bays


I also polished the MB panel


Laid out side, front, and back panels


Cut out front/back panels


Cut out side panel


Sponsors:

[.Logic]

It looks really nice so far, all of your cuts have been super clean and I can't wait to see the final product.

If you don't mind me asking, how much are you paying for your acrylic? It seems that alot of the members of the forum (especially from America) pay ridiculous prices for acrylic.

[radodrill]

It looks really nice so far, all of your cuts have been super clean and I can't wait to see the final product.

If you don't mind me asking, how much are you paying for your acrylic? It seems that alot of the members of the forum (especially from America) pay ridiculous prices for acrylic.

Thanks!!!

I bought 3 610x1220x5 mm (24x48x0.2 in) sheets for ~$30US each. Mind you, this was Acrylic and Lexan is more expensive.

[sssf]

Is it not enough to glue everything to each other.
I see you are using cubes , is this really needed?

[radodrill]

Is it not enough to glue everything to each other.
I see you are using cubes , is this really needed?

I'm only using the cubes in the eight corners of the case to screw the outer panels together. I don't want everything glued because I wouldn't be able to get in there.