Planning my first Custom Case

[shabranigdo]

I started this thread in the water cooling section but it really belongs here. My plan is to build a case to hold my new PC. The case is based on a MM Horizon case, only a little bigger overall ( 2' cube ). It will house a Intel quad core processor, 2 8800 series video cards and 2 water loops for cooling. I am looking for comments/ suggestions on the design. Also will be looking for any tips/suggestions on the fabricating process. My plan is to build the frame out of 1/2" square AL rods screwed or welded together. The panels will be a mix of AL panels with cutouts/ mesh inserts and Plexiglas panes. I plan to use a off the shelf motherboard tray and 5 1/4 external bays. the case is split into a top and bottom section, the top being 10" and the bottom 14". The top will house the MB, external bays and probably the PSU, the bottom will house the 2 radiators and 2 pumps along with some kind of bays for internal hard drives. My plan is to make the bottom section of the case mesh all the way around or at least on the 2 side panels and mount the radiators behind the side mesh. My reasoning for the mesh on the bottom is switching radiators/fans without having to re-cut panels if i switch in the future. My concern is if I have the bottom all open like that will it cause airflow issues as is not running through ported vents and will be mostly open? I would think being all open would allow a lot of free flow of air but would that cost me in performance?



Well here is my first attempt with a CAD program:






The colors are not some mad fashion sense, more to keep the different parts identified, I imagine I will paint it black.
I have 2 ideas for the top venting not sure how I will go there, both would support 2 120mm fans. The front panel has holes for 2 - 5 device 5 1/4 external bays(MM bays probably), 2 120mm fans and 2 small cutouts (may fix in windows?) to see 2 swiftech micro reservoirs. Back of the case has cutout for a slide in MB tray, 120 mm fan and power supply, i will probably have to build some internal support for the PSU, and possibly more for the MB tray. For the sides i am thinking 2 pieces the vented bottom part and top transparent Plexiglas. Bottom may just have 4 casters.


Questions:

How thick Plexiglas and AL panels? For the front should I have a support frame for the drive bays, and for the PSU in the back? Given that that top panel will support 2 or 3 120mm fans should it be thicker than the side windows?

Sources for the support frames/panels I have found a few places on-line listed below though for the AL parts at least I am going to try and find them locally, probably won't have it at a home depot type place but maybe some kind of metal fabricator, not sure never tried to buy anything like this before.

AL
http://www.onlinemetals.com/index.cfm
http://www.brunnerent.com/default.asp?reset=1
http://www.jlindustrial.com/cgi/jisrhm

ACRYLIC PRODUCTS
http://www.delviesplastics.com/


What can I use to weld the AL rods together with? Looking for something simple I do have a large propane torch that I use for cooking. Could I get rods of AL sodder?

Thoughts on airflow? I will have 2 120 mm fans on the top half of the case sucking air in and 4 120 mm fans (2 top 1 MB tray 1 back pane) blowing air out. The bottom half of the case will have at least 6 120mm fans attached to 3 PA 120.3 radiators sucking air in from the sides of the case. Give the open mesh bottom half I was not planning any fans blowing out. Should I? There may be an additional fan or 2 blowing through the hard drives and or on the pumps.

Parts, MM has MB trays and 5 1/4 drive bays, I have also gotten a link to some Li Lang parts, any suggestions on other 5 1/4 bays or mountings, same for MB tray, these are things especially the MB tray that I would want pre- built.

Any suggestions comments? This is my first attempt at a project of this magnitude so I am trying to gather as much information as possible before I start. Thanks for any help.

[Leeghoofd]

Looking good mate , why not go in the middle with a triple rad ? I posted some more info on my link

Anyway here's the link of my old cube as you requested :

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...highlight=cube

[shabranigdo]

Looking good mate , why not go in the middle with a triple rad ? I posted some more info on my link

Anyway here's the link of my old cube as you requested :

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...highlight=cube

Thanks for the link and info in the other thread very helpfull. I'm not sure what you mean by tripple rad in the middle, my plan is 2 tripple rads mounted on the bottom sides of the case. If you are refering to the 2 120mm holes in the middle front of the case, those are just to blow fresh air over the MB in the top half of the case.

[Leeghoofd]

My bad then , I just thought hot air wants to go up as it's lighter ? so i would never fight the laws of physics and would opt to mount them in the front... rear or top... but in the bottom they are out of sight and those thermochill rads are huge but oh so effective!!

[Sideroxylon]

That looks like it's gonna be nice. Kinda funny, this weekend I was kicking around the idea of building my own custom case. My ideas are very similar to yours. Basically a case that will accommodate 2 triple rads. I'll be keeping on eye on this thread for updates. Good luck on the build.

[shabranigdo]

Thanks I'm probably a few weeks from building, the more I look the more ideas I come up with. Now that SketchUp is making a little sense to me I should have a few more pick with how I want to setup the components and airflow. Mostly my setup is how I want things laid out in my PC, I am hoping once I can better show/explain it, some members here with some experience can let me know if it will work. In searching threads about this I have found lots of great ideas and links to materials.


Some other Interesting links

80/20 Industrial Erector Set - This is some way cool sh.. !! All kinds of interlocking components/bars in AL that you could make just about anything out of. I just started looking at this today and even if I don't make my case out of it I am sure I will end up making something. There are a few different lines of products they that would lend themselves very well to making a case out of, both the frame and integrated panels, they will also cut and even fabriacte parts for it.

http://www.8020.net/Default.asp

McMaster-Carr - tools, materials you name it. Again while browsing thru their offerings I can across the solutions to a few projects ( unrelated to my PC) that I was stumped on.

http://www.mcmaster.com/

[Navig]

I've been building custom frames and cases for a while.

Could sneak a peak here at my current log.


You can find square tube aluminum at Home Depot and Lowe's, stock varies. Everybody uses onlinemetals and mcmaster carr.


My understanding is that welding aluminum takes a lot of practice and dedicated tools. Corner brackets, or inventive thinking and rivets, and you can figure plenty of ways to connect corners.


Heard a lot of good things about 80/20, I think you contact them and they put a package together for you. Seems a little pricey tho.

You can put together your own basic packages from mcmaster, search for t-slot components.


1/8in acrylic (from Delvies or other quality source ie not Home Depot) is fine for non-structural paneling.


navig


ps. Ruby Eyed Shabranigdo?

[shabranigdo]

Yeah I have done some more research into the welding idea and I dont have access to anyone with an arc welder, the best I could come up with is some stuff from a infomercial Alumaloy. I know it would have no where near the strength of a arc weld but it's a computer case not a airplane or bomb shelter so it or something like it may be a option, I'll have to experiment. Bleow is a pic of what i was thinking of for the corners then adding L brackets from my original plan but I might be able to do the pining idea and some alumaloy or similar to tack it all together. I would think even little pins like below would give me a decent stength.




The other option is the hollow tubes, a few places I found the nylon corner pieces to join it all together. 80/20 has a line of these too call quick frame. It has the standard tubes and pieces with a flange or grove for panneling that looks like another decent option. The only think I do not like about this is if I wanted to add framing as I go I have to pull it apart and cut in a new nylon connector as opposed to tacking in a new bar. 80/20's T slot and HT series seem a little overkill for a PC case. A case made out of those would probably support my car sitting on it. It has a intersting industrial look to it that I like and tons of options. I may make a desk/workstation out of it in the future. ( I loved my erector set as a kid, along with legos)

Thanks for the links to more builds, I have been spending hours looking at theses and parts sites for inspiration and ideas. I think I am still partial to the sold rods if I can make it work.

Oh and yeah Ruby Eyed Shabranigdo, loved Slayers I'm a real big fan, been using that nick for years, and I can probalby still recite the Dragon Slave from memory

[Leeghoofd]

Those are the joint things I found in the aquarium shop, and it makes ya cube super rigid, easy to assemble , change parts and it will be perfectly square !!!

[Solarfall]

looks like a great plan.. good luck on your project shabranigdo

[shabranigdo]

Little update. I hit lowes today and got some AL strips to test with. I found I had some Benzomatic AL solder I picked up ages ago so I gave that a try. One nice cut and a minor burn later I had a minor test done. I bought a strip of 1/2" by 1/8" of AL and a 1/4" AL rod. I drilled holes in 2 strips of the AL and put a 1/4" pin in it and set it on a little block of wood and grabbed the propane torch from the kitchen. Well for starters I will need some kind of jig to hold the parts in the the future and not wood, I mean I knew it would burn, but did not expect it to catch that fast. Also I need to work on my solder technique. Though I did not get the 2 bars fixed together I did bond that pin to one of the AL strips and it seems damn solid, some prying with a vice grip did not budge it so this shows some potential if I can learn to do it better. This was really just a test of concept, and it looks pretty bad so no pictures. Well off to research soldering some to see how I can improve my technique.

[Leeghoofd]

Good luck mate with the technique it will be bloody hard to master

[shabranigdo]

Good luck mate with the technique it will be bloody hard to master

Yeah the AL solder does not flow too well and has to get pretty hot (around 700 f), I'm afraid that doing one joint will heat the bar enough to melt another joint I already did. Damn AL conducts heat fast. Maybe a hotter torch like map gas could get it hot enough fast enough or using a lower temp solder. I did find one thats a paste with flux that only needs to get to around 400 f I will see if I can find any of that locally and give it a try. Baring that either use angle brackets with taped screws or one of the hollow tube options with the nylon corner and tee connectors. Finding the nylon tube connectors has been a little annoying , I thought I read Mcmaster has them but I have had no luck finding them there, 80/20 has them, and 1 or 2 other sites had it too.

[shabranigdo]

Some new thoughts that came to me for the radiators in the bottom of the case. I don't recall seeing anyone do this so I wonder if there is some reason to not do it but here goes. If I made two square duct tubes (1 for each radiator) around 5"h, 5"d x 20" l and mounted the with a 17"x5" or so cut out on one face to mount the radiator to and had the 3 fans on the outside of the radiator suck air in thru the radiator, cap the front of the tube and either mount 1 more 120mm fan on the back opening of the tube or just leave it open. My thought is the cold air would come in the sides pass thru the rad then exit the end of the tube at the back of the case, this should keep the heat dump from the radiators mostly out of the case and would avoid the 2 radiators blowing hot air at each other. I am assuming people don't do this due to lack of space. I'll try and work up a diagram. Anyone have any thougths/suggestions on this?

[jtf2]

have you looked at riveting the outside frame?.that was the method i used
to build an open air watercooling box.i used channel aluminum for the build,and the riveting process worked very well imo.

[shabranigdo]

The frame was going to be out of square stock, though that may change, been looking at doing parts of the case with rivets, I assume with solid bars it would be too thick to use rivets, but not angle or hollow stock. After looking at some materials the size will have to change, seeing a 2' cube irl is alot differnt that on paper/comp so I am working on what will have to go inside then get back to the frame, I have found several good options from posts and suggestions.

To my above post about the ducts for the radiators here is a quick mock up picture of the idea.



The plan would be to have 2 of these in the bottom half of the case.