09/10 Project

[CptDreadFlint]

Nowaii, a pirate that is known with the force?

May the Force be with you, Alexandr0s
If you want to see something hysterical, watch "Aliens in the Attic" and listen to the off screen cat noises.
<OffscreenNoise>Meow!</OffscreenNoise>

Hysterical!

To Callen:
You are truly an inspiration, Cap'n! Can't wait to see further development of your drive config situation and...well...among everything else!

[callen_1]

Unbelievable.

Thanks, ding. I love all your builds so the complement means a lot.

Excellent work mate.

Will be looking forward to see what you do with the res.

I have been looking for alan head CSK screws like yours here in Perth, but the ones I have found are not cheap.
Where did you buy your (I am guessing M4) counter sunk alan head screws from?
And cost, if thats ok.
Feel free to pm me if you like.

I bought mine from coventry fasteners (in store) and the pack of 100 8mm M4 CSK cost roughly $18. I'd be happy to grab you a pack if they're in stock because i should be heading back there soon?

May the Force be with you, Alexandr0s
If you want to see something hysterical, watch "Aliens in the Attic" and listen to the off screen cat noises.
<OffscreenNoise>Meow!</OffscreenNoise>

Hysterical!

To Callen:
You are truly an inspiration, Cap'n! Can't wait to see further development of your drive config situation and...well...among everything else!

Thanks, Cap'n. Your too kind for a pirate!

[Red-5]

Awsome work mate. Looking forward to seeing some more pics.

[kgtiger]

Thanks Callen for offering to do that, I do appreciate it.
I see we have a few coventry fasteners aroud here, so I will take a look first and see what else they have.
I know, I am a sucker for hardware, hay.

Keep up the good work mate.

[charles_h]

Just awesome, Callen.

Mad skills + creativity = something really special. Anxiously awaiting more updates.

This.


Callen, I really have no idea where you're going with this but I know for certain that judging from the quality of work, it will surely be spectacular.

5 gold stars Sir - keep up the great work!

[callen_1]

Awsome work mate. Looking forward to seeing some more pics.

Glad to hear it mate . Hopefully i can deliver

Thanks Callen for offering to do that, I do appreciate it.
I see we have a few coventry fasteners aroud here, so I will take a look first and see what else they have.
I know, I am a sucker for hardware, hay.

Keep up the good work mate.

Always happy to help bud. Just give us a yell if you need something

This.


Callen, I really have no idea where you're going with this but I know for certain that judging from the quality of work, it will surely be spectacular.

5 gold stars Sir - keep up the great work!

I'll see your 5 gold stars and raise you 10 lol. Thanks for the kind words Mr. H. it's always appreciated.

[callen_1]

Hi again everyone! I received all my hardware the other day and did some light fab work so i figured i'd post an update.
When i first typed this sentence it actually said "little" update but it turns out i had more pics than i thought. So if you
don't like it, sue me


Anyway, here's all the hardware and, currently, it all seems to be working -





(need more testing space!)


Well that's that, so here's the rest of the work.

Firstly i drilled, tapped, countersunk and screwed every piece of the case. To get this right it took a veeeerrrryy
loooonnnnggg tiiiiiiiii......mmmee . Not because i screwed up, but because the process involves doing the first couple
of screws of each and every piece 1 at a time (as opposed to drilling all holes at the same time, countersinking all holes at
the same time etc...) so i was changing bits every 2 seconds. And don't even get me started on tapping, it's so freakin'
time consuming! So it took all last weekend but i got through -

Mid-plate Front -








Mid-plate Backside -








Mobo Acrylic -







I could show another 2 dozen pics of the rest of the parts i did, and the oh so exciting installation into the case (which
used the exact same method) but it would be pointless and boring. You'll just have to take my word for it that it's all in
the case and all bolted down!


I also had to finish installing the screws for the acrylic slots under the drive bay. They were needed to support the weight
of the acrylic properly -








Now that everything was installed properly i started working on the last acrylic slot -




Square it off -











Looks rough doesn't it but thats just the crappy paper on the outside. Don't worry, you'll see


Due to the spinning nature of the router bits, it's impossible to get sharp "inside" corners. The smaller the radius of the bit
you use the better but it'll still have a rounded corner. To fix this i find it's easiest to use a file and some elbow grease -




Finally i needed to rout down part of the surface to allow it to sit flush in its intended position. I also gave it a light sand
with the mouse -



Not too shabby.

I'll show some decent shots of how it'll be installed in the next update as it's not quite finished yet.


Next up i'll be working on the following parts -




I needed to prepare the metal pieces before they were bent. Well that's a lie, i didn't have to but its much easier to do
most of the work while it's flat -







Not really showing a lot, i know, but basically i cut and drilled a few holes to fit around screws and rivets etc.


Here are the pieces after bending. The larger parts are the radiator brackets, the other 2 are pump brackets -




Still had some work to do -








After riveting -




This next piece needed to slot under the acrylic so some more routing was needed -






After some routing and light sanding -






If you look at the bend in the bracket you'll notice it's protruding about 2-3mm from the edge of the aluminum mid plate,
so i whipped out the old dremel and had at it -




Its hard to tell but it's been ground down to a 45 degree angle -




And now it buts up nice and close -




And a shot just to show the brackets installed -



Case looks pretty yucky in there ATM but that's a relatively easy fix after fab work's complete.


Next up was the mid plate. I needed to cut some holes to allow for tubing -




errr... rough much?




Better -




Next up was my flash new uni-bit -





It seemed to vibrate a lot, even in the drill press (not the bit itself but the aluminum i was cutting, even clamped down).
While the holes still came out clean, it just didn't seem normal to me. It's the first time i've used one so has anyone else
experienced this? I'm more than happy to take advice, That's why i stated coming here after-all.


That's it for now . I'll Try and have the entire case complete and assembled for the next update, then i can run tubing
loops, work on LEDs, and prepare for any coating, plating, blasting and anodizing!

So, thanks for checking in.


Lots of love,

from Callen

[dingdong555]

Callen, your machining skills are phenomenal!

[shazza]

Oh ... My ... Gosh ...

Can't even take it all in with one reading - going to get my morning coffee and study this one.

[illidan]

i see mdpc here

great skill u have!

[Xion X2]

Looks super, bud.

On the vibration w/ your unibit.. I would try placing some wood underneath your drill point and drilling through the aluminum and into it. Should get rid of the vibration. I always use wood when drilling aluminum.

I haven't tried my unibits on aluminum yet, but I had no vibration at all with the plexi. Smooth as butter. I go really light on the press and let it work its way through slowly. It gives an extremely clean finish.

I'll have some work on aluminum to do with the unibits soon as I'm installing pass-thrus on the exterior of the Zero-G chamber.

[kgtiger]

Excellent work Callen, nice attention to detail too.
Yeah your right about drilling and tapping holes, that really does sux, but it's the cracking open that chuck open every two sec's that gets me, even with a keyless chucks.
Really need to have two drill to work with, hay.

As for all the photos mate, I feel it's a good thing, as the photos show us how you got from one point to the next.

It's all Good champ.

[Oli4v]

hmmmmz, dajum

next mdpc goes to callen 01 with his 9/10 project, and if it doesn't make it to mdpc, it deserves at least the 1st Oli4v ultimate awesomeness award !

[CptDreadFlint]

You've made my Friday, Callen! Inspirational updates as usual.

Can we name your Unibit "Goldilocks"?

[Liderc]

Amazing work, thanks for the update.

[callen_1]

Callen, your machining skills are phenomenal!

Cheers, Ding! I'm still new to all of this so i'm sure there are many tips and tricks left to pick up in the future.

Oh ... My ... Gosh ...

Can't even take it all in with one reading - going to get my morning coffee and study this one.

lol, i'll take that as a complement . Enjoy your coffee

i see mdpc here

great skill u have!

I appreciate it mate but mdpc is for the elite and i don't feel i have the skill or creativity to wind up on that site yet. Maybe someday, but for now, maybe not? Thank you very much for saying so though

Looks super, bud.

On the vibration w/ your unibit.. I would try placing some wood underneath your drill point and drilling through the aluminum and into it. Should get rid of the vibration. I always use wood when drilling aluminum.

I haven't tried my unibits on aluminum yet, but I had no vibration at all with the plexi. Smooth as butter. I go really light on the press and let it work its way through slowly. It gives an extremely clean finish.

I'll have some work on aluminum to do with the unibits soon as I'm installing pass-thrus on the exterior of the Zero-G chamber.

I'll definitely give that a try, thanks for the advice xion

Excellent work Callen, nice attention to detail too.
Yeah your right about drilling and tapping holes, that really does sux, but it's the cracking open that chuck open every two sec's that gets me, even with a keyless chucks.
Really need to have two drill to work with, hay.

As for all the photos mate, I feel it's a good thing, as the photos show us how you got from one point to the next.

It's all Good champ.

I totally agree, it drove me mental but it's finally done. I threw the tap in the bin afterwards (not really lol). Thanks for the kind words too mate.

hmmmmz, dajum

next mdpc goes to callen 01 with his 9/10 project, and if it doesn't make it to mdpc, it deserves at least the 1st Oli4v ultimate awesomeness award !

I appreciate it mate but as i said above, that site is for the best of the best. I'd be exceptionally happy with the Oli4v ultimate awesomeness award though haha, seriously, i'm gonna hold you to that

You've made my Friday, Callen! Inspirational updates as usual.

Can we name your Unibit "Goldilocks"?

Goldilocks it is haha, your a goofball . I can see it now - I'm searching for it because i've misplaced it (like everything) screaming "where the f*&% is Goldilocks!!!"

You know what, i think it'll work haha.

Amazing work, thanks for the update.

No worries and thank you very much

[Rise]

hey - what are you using to bend the metal? and what gage is the metal? looks like mild steel..

i'm debating buying an 18" brake or a 30" brake... but it either looks super cheap quality, or it costs a fortune. got any pics?

[callen_1]

hey - what are you using to bend the metal? and what gage is the metal? looks like mild steel..

i'm debating buying an 18" brake or a 30" brake... but it either looks super cheap quality, or it costs a fortune. got any pics?

The bending is done professionally as i don't have a brake. I looked into a 75cm one (~30") but it's too expensive ATM at around $800, although it does come with a roller to curve metal too. if i bought one it'd have to be able to bend at least 50cm sheet but the brakes i looked at only came in 30cm, 75cm and 1m.

And your right about the mild steel, not sure what gauge though but i can tell you it's 2mm thick.

[shazza]

OKay, Callen --

I've had my morning coffee (lunch and dinner too, by now). I've read, and re-read your entire worklog several times throughout the day, and am now ready to make my critique ................. hehe, I jest - I'm not in any position to critique your work, but I can make a few more comments:

1) somehow I missed that you were new to some of these tools, like the router - very hard to believe. You obviously know your way around machinery and power tools.

2) love your DIY lighting solution - very clever way to mount the lights - and a great way to manage photos of large pieces and a larger work area. Nice

3) the other thing that is easy to gloss over - you didn't have enough workspace, so you just knocked out another bench - very casual character, aren't you? (that's a compliment, by the way )

4) While you haven't shared a lot of the planning/CAD process - it has to have been extensive. I can only imagine the planning that has gone into this build.

5) And - too many other things to mention, but thanks so much for sharing the detail you're going through - on the SSD drives, the metal work, and everything.

Sorry - didn't mean to restate your worklog, but your style is very under-stated, and it's easy to miss some of this stuff going through on a quick read. Can't wait for more.

[callen_1]

OKay, Callen --

I've had my morning coffee (lunch and dinner too, by now). I've read, and re-read your entire worklog several times throughout the day, and am now ready to make my critique ................. hehe, I jest - I'm not in any position to critique your work, but I can make a few more comments:

1) somehow I missed that you were new to some of these tools, like the router - very hard to believe. You obviously know your way around machinery and power tools.

2) love your DIY lighting solution - very clever way to mount the lights - and a great way to manage photos of large pieces and a larger work area. Nice

3) the other thing that is easy to gloss over - you didn't have enough workspace, so you just knocked out another bench - very casual character, aren't you? (that's a compliment, by the way )

4) While you haven't shared a lot of the planning/CAD process - it has to have been extensive. I can only imagine the planning that has gone into this build.

5) And - too many other things to mention, but thanks so much for sharing the detail you're going through - on the SSD drives, the metal work, and everything.

Sorry - didn't mean to restate your worklog, but your style is very under-stated, and it's easy to miss some of this stuff going through on a quick read. Can't wait for more.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my log shazza, it really is appreciated! And the fact you've even dot pointed parts of interest has really blown me away.

Thank you very very much

[Kibbler]

I'm not ashamed to say your machining precision makes everything I do look like a hack. Really mind-blowing stuff man. I agree with Shazza you must have done a huge amount of CAD homework for everything to fit *just right*. Well done mate I love it.

[callen_1]

I'm not ashamed to say your machining precision makes everything I do look like a hack. Really mind-blowing stuff man. I agree with Shazza you must have done a huge amount of CAD homework for everything to fit *just right*. Well done mate I love it.

Thanks, Kibbs.

I'd sit down and literally do 14 hour sessions straight, just measuring and typing, measuring and typing.... And since i had never used a cad program before starting this project, i didn't know any of the short cuts/tricks, so it took forever.

CAD is also the primary reason i couldn't post anything for a couple of months, as i needed the second lot of laser cut parts before i could continue. Anyway, it's all here now so i can really start to knuckle down. Speaking of which....

[Xion X2]

Callen, you sound a lot like me. I spent a good 3-4 weeks doing nothing but CAD work for the first time before starting refleXion. Before that, I spent about a month learning photography for the first time. And now, I'm spending about a month learning workshop (many tools which I'm using for the first time).

It's a lot to digest, but you seem to be a quick learner with some good creativity and shop skills. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the build pans out.

On a related note, I'm enjoying the routing table so much that I want to invest in something nicer with more space like you have with your Kreg. This Ryobi I'm using is only 18x13". I think I'm going with a Rockler next as it's a nice 32x24" table with lots of room on that back fence.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21295

[callen_1]

Callen, you sound a lot like me. I spent a good 3-4 weeks doing nothing but CAD work for the first time before starting refleXion. Before that, I spent about a month learning photography for the first time. And now, I'm spending about a month learning workshop (many tools which I'm using for the first time).

It's a lot to digest, but you seem to be a quick learner with some good creativity and shop skills. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the build pans out.

On a related note, I'm enjoying the routing table so much that I want to invest in something nicer with more space like you have with your Kreg. This Ryobi I'm using is only 18x13". I think I'm going with a Rockler next as it's a nice 32x24" table with lots of room on that back fence.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21295

That looks like a great table, nice size, solid frame, and a great price point to boot. Even with the size of my table, it's still not enough! But it'll do for now i guess. i just find myself doing things really awkwardly sometimes to make the cuts i need. The miter fence has helped HEAPS though.

Thanks for the kind words too bud, your advice in regards to the unibit and wood worked a treat too. Give yourself a pat on the back for me

[callen_1]

I did some more work today so i figured i'd post something

Finished of the last 2 holes and used xion's advice, which, by the way, worked a treat -












Next up i had to tap the acrylic holes. These had to be tapped perfectly straight so i made a little jig -




I thread the tap into the jig which holds the tapping bit straight. Once it protrudes from the other end by about 5mm
it's inserted into the hole to be tapped and held flat on the surface. Then you can turn and tap like normal -












Here's the results. I realise that some of the pics have a blue tinge while others have a red tinge. This is a result of my
hack editing job in picasa, as i didn't realise i could change the type of lighting source in the camera until it was too
late -








Now with the cover on you can see how the bits appear recessed. This is what i was hoping for and the holes in the
cover were the perfect size! i was worried that after i screwed the cover into position that the holes would be slightly
off-line but thankfully it all turned out well. My lucks bound to run out soon though -






Next was the back piece -




I just used the same method as before. So here's the results -






And all together now -




Due to changes in plans, i had to increase the size of the holes in the mobo tray to pass the cables. The holes will not
be seen later though so its no big deal, although i tried to cut them as cleanly as possible -




Jigsaw needs a clean-up lol -















Turned out pretty well i think.


Next hole -








I also finished up the last acrylic piece but it's too hard to tell what changed so i'll move onto the rad mounting -






It sits at a slight angle at the moment but that'll be fixed with button head screws, which will give me some room for
adjustments -




It's a pretty close fit -




And i'm done for tonight -




Cheers for checking in again guys,

Callen