09/10 Project

[callen_1]

space ship.

Could be

beuatifull update.. love your work

Thanks, mate. Yours too



I'll stop bumping until i have an update now,

Cheers, guys

[dreamaxx]

Wish I could come see it Whereabouts in SA do you live mate? You're incredible Good work!!!!!! This is the best build on XS in my opinion. Ever probably

[Saltire]

Can't believe I missed this log.

This is truly the best build/log I have ever seen.

I'd cut my friggin legs off to have just a fraction of your skills.

Awesome ! Can't wait for more updates and to eventually see the finished product.

Subscribed

[voigts]

Incredible work as always. I really marvel at the incredible precision of the parts you are making. They honestly look like parts that were laser/plasma CNC cut out. I have a hard time having the patience to get things that exact when it comes to places that won't even be seen once the build is complete.

I honestly haven't figured out how all of this goes together yet, but the precision is impeccable.

[Lu(ky]

Any updates callen?

[the_dope_chaud]

Wow, this is so nice !!! I love it when these are more than just build logs. Some people have so much talent and knowledge to make items that are more than just computers, there a reflection of someone. Cannot wait to see more.

[nipper575]

Just read from start to finish, I'm honestly at a loss for words. Absolutely everything you have done with this case looks fantastic. The tiny things like making your own thumbscrews and springs for the power/reset buttons just puts a huge smile on my face.

It's safe to say that reading these worklogs inspire many people to give DIY a go, that is a big part as to why I am a member here. There's nothing more satisfying than turning a raw material into a functional product.

Another talented Australian modder to recognise, on ya.

[callen_1]

Wish I could come see it Whereabouts in SA do you live mate? You're incredible Good work!!!!!! This is the best build on XS in my opinion. Ever probably

Hey Dreamaxx . I'm in the one and only rAdelaide lol. The case is generally pulled to pieces so it basically looks like a pile of metal and plastic for the moment anyway.

Thanks so much for the incredible complement too! Although i think saying it's the best build on XS ever may be taking it a tad far haha but i appreciate it none the less

Can't believe I missed this log.

This is truly the best build/log I have ever seen.

I'd cut my friggin legs off to have just a fraction of your skills.

Awesome ! Can't wait for more updates and to eventually see the finished product.

Subscribed

i had a good laugh at "cut my friggin legs off" . I think everyone has the skills, you just need the tools. Most of the stuff i've done can actually be made with a simple file and ruler though (have you seen Atila's mdpc worklog?) it just takes time and patience, something a lot of people lack.

Anyway, i'd strongly recommend investing in some aluminum sheets and trying new ideas, it's the best way to learn imho

Thanks for the kind words, mate!

Incredible work as always. I really marvel at the incredible precision of the parts you are making. They honestly look like parts that were laser/plasma CNC cut out. I have a hard time having the patience to get things that exact when it comes to places that won't even be seen once the build is complete.

I honestly haven't figured out how all of this goes together yet, but the precision is impeccable.

Much appreciated, Voigts. I don't know why i bother with the parts that wont be seen, it just doesn't feel right to leave it half-assed, especially at this point . But i can totally see where your coming from .

hopefully you'll see how it all goes together soon. I can't wait to see how your awesome project pans out too

Any updates callen?

Yepp

Wow, this is so nice !!! I love it when these are more than just build logs. Some people have so much talent and knowledge to make items that are more than just computers, there a reflection of someone. Cannot wait to see more.

Thanks, mate. That's not a bad way to put it either . Makes me want to clean all my parts though, i don't want people thinking i'm some filthy, jumbled mess lol

Just read from start to finish, I'm honestly at a loss for words. Absolutely everything you have done with this case looks fantastic. The tiny things like making your own thumbscrews and springs for the power/reset buttons just puts a huge smile on my face.

It's safe to say that reading these worklogs inspire many people to give DIY a go, that is a big part as to why I am a member here. There's nothing more satisfying than turning a raw material into a functional product.

Another talented Australian modder to recognise, on ya.

I agree 110%, it's THE reason i joined this forum in the first place. Pure inspiration at it's finest!

Even the projects which have to be built on a budget have their own touch of magic. In fact it's usually those builds that force people to think outside of the box, and fantastic new ideas and tricks start to emerge which 100s of other people end up using!

Cheers for the kind words, nippers .

[callen_1]

Hey everyone, I have an update, huzzah !



Getting straight into it i made some little door stops as Kibbler suggested. I made them removable in case i need to
make adjustments later. They're a little gritty too so i'll need to give them a cleanup too (like everything else )
but basically they reduce the twist in the sata cables so they run parallel to the mobo when entering the channels -








I also installed the momentary switches in the buttons i made (so now they actually work ) -





Using a 2mm routing bit (set to the right depth) i routed out a small channel on each side -





And now the switches sit in their new holes nice and snug -










My next little project was the hinges for the pannels. You'll probably notice i'm only making 3 in several of the pics;
this is because i had already made one to see if the idea would actually work -











Centring in an independent 4-jaw chuck is a bit more complicated than the 3-jaw self centring -



















If the "swivelling" part of the hinge is to actually turn, then it mustn't press up against the case (unless it's round,
which it's not). As i had already routed off most of the corner to avoid this (see the above pic) I still had to take off
about a mm from one side (it would be much easier to explain this with an actual demo ), anyway -



















In the pic below you can see the small amount of metal i had to remove from the edge to allow the hinges to twist
when installed (look at the lower half of the two left hinges) -



















Sorry, no pics of them installed yet, i made a boo-boo (error) with the back plate as you'll see below.



When i cut out the side panels i calculated the overhang i would need so i could screw the panels to the hinges. I
left an extra 2mm for the thickness of the backplate, and an extra 10mm for the thickness of the hinges.

This was all fine, the cuts came out at the right dimensions (and i almost lost the end of my finger in the process).
The problem was the hinges aren't 10mm thick like i thought, they're 12mm .

So i had 2 choices; i could either cut new side panels (not f*cken' likely after the last scenario!) or cut gaps in the
backplate so the hinges could bolt directly to the chassis and everything would be flush like it should be.

I went with the gaps.... unfortunately -











That's not so bad, right? WRONG! lol.

What i didn't realise was this; 3 of the corners at the back of the case look like this -





One looks like this -






I had another problem with the backplate anyway, and that was fitting in the PSU bracket. I figured i'd have to get
the whole backplate re-cut at the laser/water place after the gaps i cut turned out wrong, but thought i'd give
welding the PSU bracket to the backplate a try anyway -













The welding turned out ok but I gave up filing and sanding after about an hour (the weld is as strong as mild steel)
but i think if i had kept at it the final result would have been good. Anyway, here's what i was left with -









Again, I won't be using this backplate. I'll have another one correctly cut at the laser/water jet cutters. I'll get
them to do the side panels too, which will save me a chunk of time.



I also made a new rad bracket to shift the rad to the front by a couple of centimetres. Originally it was right on the
edge of the chassis -












Almost finished off the pumps and bracket too. Turns out that when you sand a Laing pump casing, it turns brown
, so i'll have to paint them later -
















After finding out my mid-plate was 2mm higher at the front of the case than the back i decided to make a new one
out of 3mm aluminum instead -











It still needs a few more holes cut and a good sanding but it fits like a glove



Moving on, I whipped up some thumb screws in keeping with one of the themes -

















Now, because my lathe is a POS, this is what happens with the parting tool when there's only about 3mm of metal
left (it's also the reason i use the hacksaw with smaller parts. Oh, and please excuse all the grit, it's not clean yet
) -





After facing off the crap at the end, i made 12 more of the little buggers -







(yes, yes, everything needs a good clean :p)



I have also started working on a lighting solution -































Please note that none of the acrylic has been sand blasted yet so hopefully the end result will look more even
around the edges. Overall i'm really happy though.


Same deal with the mid plate -








All the acrylic slots (the ones where the drive bay used to be) need lighting. The top three will have a chunk routed
out for the three SSDs to be mounted in so i couldn't run LEDs in any of the edges. The other slots have less than
2mm of room between the back edge and the rad fans, so again, i couldn't run LEDs in any of the edges.

The only place left was to rout out part of the centre (like above) and install a small strip in the middle, but i had
nowhere to run the power cables. In the end this is what i came up with, and if all goes according to the sketchy
plan in my head then it should look ok -







I drilling through just enough to mark each slot -



















The slots aren't screwed into place in the last two pics, which is why the jacks don't appear to line up with the
holes. Once screwed into place everything lines up much better.



I wanted the power cables for the slots to be kind of different, not just a cable running straight to the PSU. I also
needed a cable routing solution for the 24-pin. So in the following pics i basically killed 2 birds with one stone -



















After marking where i wanted to mount them, i made some stand-off's at the correct height -







The stand-off's can't touch the aluminum in the case as they're going to be mounted to the copper strips which are
live -







If required, i can remove more metal, but as it stands there is a 1mm gap around the stand-off's and there will only
be 12 volts and a tiny amperage running through them so there's litterally no chance of arcing (i need a preying
smiley )


Here they are installed (i still need to de-burr the holes) -






For some reason at this point i decided to install the lighting in the acrylic around the mobo tray. I couldn't rout out
the centre this time so it was done around the edge with a cover -























Just need to rout a channel for the power cables now (which i've actually done but don't have any pics yet ).



Anyway, back to those birds i was trying to murder with that stone (aka the LED power and 24-pin cable routing).


I needed to cover the copper strips so i don't zap myself and i also wanted to cover that big hole the 24-pin cables
run through on the mobo tray -













After a quick file down -







After all that i realised it was 10mm too short . I wanted a cover on the bottom end too so i mad another one -







Here's the acrylic cover for the copper strips -





Two correctly sized stand-off's -





Drilled, tapped and countersunk -







Onto the cable routing. I made up this little guy -







If you came up to me a day ago and asked me if it was possible to rout out a piece like that, i'd have laughed so
hard i'd probably have thrown up. I honestly didn't think it would be possible to rout out a piece of 10mm acrylic to
the point it's walls were less than 1mm thick (0.7mm to be exact) by hand. I basically just did it to prove you
couldn't . So to say i was amazed it didn't disintegrate on contact wit the router would be an understatement!
And it only took 10 minutes to fully rout! Crazy $h!t, to be sure


Well, that's enough rambling, time to put it to use -





Before it was properly installed though i gave the mobo tray and it's components a 1 over with the mouse -

















The cover sits about 1/2 a mm above the screws -





I have to finish off some other parts before i can complete the rest of it, unfortunately.



And last, but not least, i added the led's to the door (i don't have power running to it yet though). I used a similar
process as i did with the mobo tray lighting, except, now that i think about it, i should have done it the same way
(litterally, as i was writing this i was like "wait, why the hell didn't i do it the same way" ). This time i made
it mich harder on myself and routed out a 2.5mm deep x 6mm wide channel in the centre of the edges. I then routed
out a step which was 1mm deep around the edge of that. Anyway, this pic will explain -





You can see i nicked off one of the corners, luckily it will be all covered up -





Here's how it works when the cover's on -







And lastly, this is just showing the edge cover installed and the top cover installed -







Well that only took about 5 hours to sort through photos and write up .

God knows how long it'll be before i do enough work for another update but at least this one should hold ya for a
while .


Adiós Amigo's, and thanks for dropping by

Callen

[Wezly]

Well done sir!

Glad you aren't hurt again.

I like that "told you so" routing for your cable manager; very impressive.

[josk1]

dude, have you ever thought of making a living out these skill of yours???!!!
i really can't wait to see where you're goin'

[Colossous]

Yet again - top notch work dude

[ed_den]

amazing works & great skill callen!

[.raw]

I am really looking forward to seeing all this beautiful work together in one case! Awesome

[callen_1]

Well done sir!

Glad you aren't hurt again.

I like that "told you so" routing for your cable manager; very impressive.

Thanks, Wezly. I'm glad i didn't hurt myself either lol.

dude, have you ever thought of making a living out these skill of yours???!!!
i really can't wait to see where you're goin'

I doubt there are any decent jobs out there which would use any sort of skill i have? If you could list a couple of examples i'd be really interested to know (i'm looking for a new line of work/study). The only job i can think of is a toolmaker, and the only toolmaker i know is a little...odd... to say the least and doesn't make all that much money (he pretty much relies on his other half's income)

Yet again - top notch work dude

Cheers, colossus . I appreciate it, mate

amazing works & great skill callen!

Thanks for having a look, ed_den. And thanks for the kind words too

I am really looking forward to seeing all this beautiful work together in one case! Awesome

Cheers, bud. i just hope it all fits . Knowing my luck, i'll finish the last piece and nothing will line up any more!

[josk1]

I doubt there are any decent jobs out there which would use any sort of skill i have? If you could list a couple of examples i'd be really interested to know (i'm looking for a new line of work/study). The only job i can think of is a toolmaker, and the only toolmaker i know is a little...odd... to say the least and doesn't make all that much money (he pretty much relies on his other half's income)

well when I said that, I meant something like charles doing murdermods!!!
from what i've heard so far the people that haven't been hit to much by the economic crisis are the one working in the luxury fields...
and if your built ain't luxury i don't know what would be!?

it's kind of a joke first, but really, remember my desk?? well it's been 3 months now that i'm using it in my office. there hasn't been a day without compliment. and many people asked me how to get one of these!!

expose your work when it's done, in the right place to the right people, you never know...

[Polizei]

All I'm going to say after taking a CNC class where we programmed a mill and a lathe is that you sir, are a master. Most of the time we used sub routines to cut threads, but here you cut them by hand on a regular lathe. I'm honestly impressed with just your thumb screws and stand offs. I'll look back through the thread to see everything else.

[Red-5]

Just finished reading your latest update. Fantastic work as always mate. Love the 2 copper bars for running power. It seems such a simple solution and really looking forward to seeing how that turns out. In fact just looking forward to your next update.

[nigelke]

dude I love it

[The_Gnu]

That is one massive update and one massive pool of drool on my desk. But hey.. you need to keep those fingers away. Every second update your fingers are in some kind of danger.... thinking about it, I bet you could impress me with half the fingers aswell.

[Alexandr0s]

By the looks of it, he'd be able to do more with thumb and index than most people do with both their hands.

[shazza]

Now he's making his own thumb screws ... and hinges. I think the hinges are my favorite part so far!

[callen_1]

well when I said that, I meant something like charles doing murdermods!!!
from what i've heard so far the people that haven't been hit to much by the economic crisis are the one working in the luxury fields...
and if your built ain't luxury i don't know what would be!?

it's kind of a joke first, but really, remember my desk?? well it's been 3 months now that i'm using it in my office. there hasn't been a day without compliment. and many people asked me how to get one of these!!

expose your work when it's done, in the right place to the right people, you never know...

I don'y blame people for complementing you all the time, it's pretty fricken awesome .

If i managed to pull off a fraction of what charles has accomplished i'd be a very happy chappy! But i have no knowledge about marketing, and that doesn't even matter if nobody wants the parts i make.

I guess your right though; "expose your work when it's done, in the right place to the right people, you never know..."

All I'm going to say after taking a CNC class where we programmed a mill and a lathe is that you sir, are a master. Most of the time we used sub routines to cut threads, but here you cut them by hand on a regular lathe. I'm honestly impressed with just your thumb screws and stand offs. I'll look back through the thread to see everything else.

Whether i'm good with my hands or not, CNC is definitely the future. I really want to do a course sometime soon, because it looks really interesting. Did you enjoy it??

Just finished reading your latest update. Fantastic work as always mate. Love the 2 copper bars for running power. It seems such a simple solution and really looking forward to seeing how that turns out. In fact just looking forward to your next update.

Thanks, Red. I'm happy with how they turned out. I'll be extra happy if i don't manage to electrocute myself too

dude I love it

Good to hear, mate . It's really appreciated

That is one massive update and one massive pool of drool on my desk. But hey.. you need to keep those fingers away. Every second update your fingers are in some kind of danger.... thinking about it, I bet you could impress me with half the fingers aswell.

I know, i know lol, but without a proper milling machine it's impossible not to put my digits in danger ! I just hope i stay lucky until i finish this build

By the looks of it, he'd be able to do more with thumb and index than most people do with both their hands.

haha, doubtful but appreciated . Thanks, Alexandr0s

Now he's making his own thumb screws ... and hinges. I think the hinges are my favorite part so far!

Well the stock screws look crappy, and the only after-market ones i found didn't fit lian li cases! I do like the hinges though, they came out better than expected . I love it when that happens .

Thanks, Shazza

[Blacky]

I wished I had this Godsend talent and skill...

[Dahaka]

This thread make me cry like a baby.

SIMPLY AMAZING!!!