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

[Xyllian]

Subscribed, but man, u gotta get working, I'm hoppin' on my chair of anticipation =)

I'm sure it's gonna end out sweet!

[Xion X2]

Subscribed, but man, u gotta get working, I'm hoppin' on my chair of anticipation =)

I'm sure it's gonna end out sweet!

Thanks, Xyllian. Doing my best.

Here are the measurements for the bay frame (mount) and cover. It's an overhead view as if you were looking down on the fitting from the top of the case. I have two stops to make tomorrow to pick up some ALU to do some cutting this weekend on these.



The frame will be cut a 1/4" shorter in length to allow rubber stoppers to be inserted between the edges of the frame and the cover face. This will keep both from being scratched up and also allow some dampening in case there's vibration from the pumps or any other hardware in the case. The frame will also be cut 1/4" shorter in width on both sides to allow some room to insert standoffs for where the cover will screw onto the frame. Again, I didn't want these flush with each other because I didn't want them rattling against one another should there be any vibration from the pumps or other hardware.

For the windows, I will offset them 1 1/8" from the right due to the side panel lip. This will keep the windows looking centered since the lip will be hiding part of the bay cover and frame.

Both the frame and the bay cover have been enlarged a bit to allow room for mounting the PSU in the bottom. The PSU is 8" x 5.9" and should fit in the bottom of the bay just fine. By oversizing the frame and cover just a bit (8.75" x 6.5") it offers some flexibility should future PSUs continue to increase in size.

And just to recap, here is what the finished bay cover and mount should look like:

[duckbillclinton]

For certain glue, using a hair dryer or pour boiled/ hot water (if parts are water proof) on it might be the easiest way to remove it without making a scratch. Not sure the type you worked on though, but worth a try.

[Xion X2]

It's about to get serious, boys.



The world's about to see just how dangerous I am w/ a Rotozip. Hide your valuables, secure your pets and children, shatter-proof your windows, protect your noggins. Who knows what's going to happen.



This will be my first outing w/ the RZ. I'll humbly admit that I don't have a wealth of experience w/ metalwork and cutting, but I feel that I have most of the tools I need to do the job I'm trying to do now, and I'm excited about giving things a go to see what happens. The good news is that I'll have plenty of opportunity to practice due to the 70 or so pounds of aluminum that's in my trunk right now.

I'll be heading up to the mountains in the morning to my dad's isolated cabin. Plenty of room to work (since I live in a small apartment, it's needed) and no one to bother with noise. I'm hoping the weather will be nice so I can take some good pictures of the nearby mountain ranges while I'm there as it's really a beautiful location. I think it's supposed to rain tomorrow but should begin to clear up on Sunday, so I'll probably be working out of his garage tomorrow.

The good thing is that, although my experience is limited thus far, my father has a wealth of experience with power tools and cutting and can help me fill in some of the gaps. I even think he's kind of looking forward to helping out as it may give us some nice father/son bonding time.

Here's a closer look at one of the carbide bits that I invested in tonight.



If you all don't hear from me by Sunday, then it may mean that the RZ got the best of me.

Til then...

[shazza]

Really interested to see your progress with the Power Tools.

And, I don't mean to go off topic, but what's the major advantage of a RotoZip over something like a Jigsaw?

[Darth_Penguin]

Really interested to see your progress with the Power Tools.

And, I don't mean to go off topic, but what's the major advantage of a RotoZip over something like a Jigsaw?

With a rotozip you aren't limited in direction of the cut. with a jigsaw you can only cut in a forward motion.

[WhiteFireDragon]

interesting on the cut tool used. does this rotozip bit heat come in a size that can be used for dremels?

[Xion X2]

And, I don't mean to go off topic, but what's the major advantage of a RotoZip over something like a Jigsaw?

Like Darth said, multi-directional cutting. Also, rounding off edges since the cutting bit is circular instead of a straight blade like a jig.

http://www.rotozip.com/Learn/ProductVideos

I'll be using it for a similar application such as Charles did in his last project in that I'll be cutting the windows in the frame and bay cover with it.

[millertime359]

Really interested to see your progress with the Power Tools.

And, I don't mean to go off topic, but what's the major advantage of a RotoZip over something like a Jigsaw?

If you are only cutting straight lines, a Jigsaw is better as it is easier to control.

But if you need to fancy cutouts, the RotoZip is a great tool. Just takes some practice as they can get away from you.

A Dremel and Rotozip are pretty much the same thing. A RotoZip just has a bigger motor, and is geared more for cutting where a Dremel is multipurpose.

[Xion X2]

Bear with me here, guys. I'm just putting up some measurements since I don't currently have a printer for the dimensions.





The frame windows will be cut larger so as to hide fully behind the bay cover windows. I don't want them showing from an angle such as they did here:



Both the frame and cover will both be painted black, but I still think this will give things a much cleaner look since you won't have a trace of another window showing behind the outer cover, even from a sharp viewing angle.

[dingdong555]

/Mr.Burns
*excellent**

Dam man, I'm running out of things to say!

[ohms]

Damn man, your 3D renders of your case are phenomenal! I'm dying to see the 3D renders put to metal for the custom stuff you have going.

[Xion X2]

/Mr.Burns
*excellent**

Dam man, I'm running out of things to say!

Damn man, your 3D renders of your case are phenomenal! I'm dying to see the 3D renders put to metal for the custom stuff you have going.

Thanks, guys. I'm about to shut down here in a few minutes to head over to my dad's place. I may not be able to update anything until tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

[kgtiger]

I am wishing you luck!
Also hope you come back with all your fingers

Looking forward to see how it all turned out.

[ohms]

Good luck! Hey the loss of a finger is worth it Just kidding! Come back with all of your fingers, we need speedy updates

[charles_h]

That carbide bit looks good - I reckon you'll be happy with the results.

I really like your designs and am anxious to see it all come together! Looking forward to your next update upon your return.

[Xion X2]

Thanks, guys. I'm just getting back into town and will be posting an update later on tonight.

[Mr_Armageddon]

Your pics and renders look great. Can't wait to see the finished product. Good luck with the rest of the build.

[Xion X2]

Ahhhh. Ok. I'm all settled. Finally. A soft, cushy couch has never felt so good.

Oh man.. you ever have one of those weekends where you spent every minute busy doing something but, at the end of the weekend, there just didn't seem to be a lot to show for it? Well, this was one of those weekends.

I've spent the last two days on hard concrete bent over a workbench and either sawing or scribbling over layout designs time and time and time again because something didn't quite fit. I won't get into the gory details now, but suffice it to say that deciding to mount the PSU in the bottom of the custom drive bay has proven more than a little tricky. I've had to redo measurements and layout several times to make enough room for the components without the design looking too cramped.

Anyway, enough on that for now. I'll share some shots below from the work that was done over the weekend. Some of it was simply experimental due to the fact that my workshop skills are quite rusty, and I have never worked with a bending brake. And I apologize in advance, because I've found out it's a lot tougher to snap off a crisp photo when you're holding a heavy power tool in one of your hands. So some of these may not be of the level of prior shots when I have the luxury of a tripod and softboxes.

This little guy was a lot of help and an absolute necessity for the project. You just can't beat a nice sturdy workbench, and the Workmate 400 was just the right size for the cutting I needed to do.



A look at the dimensions of the cutting I needed to do. I'm pretty sure these changed 93 times within the last 48 hours. But then, who's counting?



Somewhere around the 87th design layout, I think it was, I felt a migraine coming on and began to hyproventilate. So I decided to step outside and get some air.

The weather was kind of overcast this weekend with a low cloud cover. Here I am standing in the driveway looking at a nearby mountain just across from us.





Ahh, breathing in the fresh mountain air, and I'm starting to get a second wind.. feeling revitalized. I'm near the end of the design stage.. I can feel it. And I'm ready to start cutting. Finally. It's taken about a month and a half to get to this point, but I'm there. I begin walking back through the garden and up the stairs back into the house when the unexpected happened. I found this little guy hiding in the garden...



Ok, ok.. alright already... I'm going. Keep your shell on. A good build takes precise and proper planning, etc.

Wait .. am I actually talking to a reptile? Maybe it's not the best idea in the world to pick up a power tool right now...

Nahhhhh, let's go have some fun.


So, we're back in the shop again. And here we're beginning to measure off the 2x4 050 gauge ALU for the bay cover.



Sharpie's great for this. This sucker will write on anything that's solid.



It's go time.





Gentlemen [echo]gentlemen..[/echo] .. start your eng.. wait, hold on a second. Seems like I'm forgetting something.



Can't forget the lube, now can we? Need to have that handy.

This stuff made a real mess, but it did the trick. Graphite, right? Yeah, well it didn't occur to me, even though it said "GRAPHITE" clear as day on the side of the spray bottle, that it would come out black as tar. I thought most of this stuff was clear or like a white grease, but oh well. It kept the blade nice and cool whenever the metal started to burr, and that's what's important.

I'm afraid that I don't have a finished shot, but a straight cut was made on both the side and bottom of the ALU panel to size it down for the drive bay dimensions.

A jig is fun in its own right, but this little baby right here was what I had the most fun with over the weekend. It's time to get the bending brake on the bench.



More to come...

[archieb]

I love the amount of detail you're putting into this project! Do you mind me asking where you got your 050 aluminum stock?

[Xion X2]

The first experimental test with the bending brake.



I don't know why, but I really love this thing. For some reason, I feel a sense of power from it. It's solid steel, weighs about 60 lbs, and just bends the crap out of anything that you put in it. Plus, it's easy to work.

Some nice bends..









That's all for tonight. I have some more shots I'll be putting up in the next day or two.

[Xion X2]

Your pics and renders look great. Can't wait to see the finished product. Good luck with the rest of the build.

Thanks, Mr. A!

That carbide bit looks good - I reckon you'll be happy with the results.

I really like your designs and am anxious to see it all come together! Looking forward to your next update upon your return.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to dust off the RZ yet, but its time is coming.

Thanks again for the kind words!

Good luck! Hey the loss of a finger is worth it Just kidding! Come back with all of your fingers, we need speedy updates

All fingers intact.

Better yet, no serious injuries.. not even the slightest cut, which is pretty darn good for a weekend of sheet metal work, I'd say. It pays to be cautious.

I am wishing you luck!
Also hope you come back with all your fingers

Looking forward to see how it all turned out.

Thanks, kg!

I love the amount of detail you're putting into this project! Do you mind me asking where you got your 050 aluminum stock?

Thanks, man. I picked it up at a local sheet metal yard near home. If you google your area, you'll likely find plenty of shops nearby that you can pick it up from. Some won't carry it in stock and will have to order, but some will already have it. It was about a 50/50 draw for me when I looked for it.

The only problem I really ran into.. although I wouldn't really call it a "problem" is that most shops will want to sell it in 4x10 sheets, but I just got them to cut it down for me to a size I could haul it around with.

[Xion X2]

Man, I can't believe you guys. I finally give some "actual parts" by posting some workshop progress, and my build log begins to collect cobwebs like an old dusty attic. Someone better speak up in a hurry or it's back to nothing but renders again.

Ok, a quick recap and maybe some clarity for the direction that the build is going in.

First of all, there are multiple cuts that will need to be made on the case to have the bay cover fit properly. Some unexpected obstacles showed their ugly heads just as I was about to exit the design stage. That's what took up a lot of my time this past weekend--figuring out how to fit the bay cover device in without compromising the overall structure. Again, the concept shot of the bay cover:



Fear not. This thing will be built, and it will be soon. But since the Cosmos is not a huge case, and since the inner frame is a very thin gauge aluminum, careful measurements and consideration for the structural integrity is crucial.

The first step was to generate a test part that was made true to scale in both width and depth to the concept bay cover in order to test the clearance on both sides for the latching side panels. The below is the test piece that was cut:



The concept has changed a little to accommodate the PSU being mounted into the bottom. The bay cover will need to be enlarged to a length of 9 1/2" as compared to the 8" that it was originally. This will give the PSU plenty of clearance while also allowing a flusher mount with the back of the case frame.

So after cutting and bending the test piece to spec, here is an idea of how the custom bay will fit. Please keep in mind that the drive cage that's in the way will be removed so that the piece sits more flush with the motherboard backplane. And again, the height on the test fitting is not to scale as this is just testing the length and width of the piece:



The following shot is with the test piece mounted on the opposite end. This is only to check the clearance as it will be mounted to the motherboard backplane on the opposite end where the stock drive cage sits now:





That last shot is a little blurry, but as you can hopefully see, there's just enough clearance for the side groove that latches the panel. The frame will be disassembled by the weekend so as to remove the stock drive cage for good. Good riddance, won't miss ya. Unfortunately, I won't be able to rivet it out and will have to actually cut it out of the frame, so it won't go easy and without a fuss. Nothing is ever as easy as you hope it will be...

Another shot of the sheet metal brake that was used to do the bending for the test piece:



Here's the drawn layout for a final cut of the bay cover. This is to scale. The two windows are marked with Xs:



And, here are some random pictures that I took of our cat, Scully (Mom and dad were huge X-files fans back in the day.) She's a good girl and very friendly. These turned out so well that I thought I would post them.





That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoy. I'll be doing some more cutting this coming weekend, but there will probably just be minimal updates until then. My goal is to have the bay device completed by the weekend, windows and all.

Thanks!

[Weevil]

What did your Dad think of all this? Did you show him the build log here?

[millertime359]

More kitty pics. Damn dude, your parent's place is really nice.

Metal work looking pretty good too there. Not bad for a test piece.