Daniel's murderbox - with a sLight twist

[charles_h]

Cheers Guys.


Project Update: Friday I get the final pieces - one being a last minute faceplate/mount for the aquaero that's being powder coated and the other is the SSD mount structure. The SSD mount almost did me in! Hopefully, it will be worth the grief and ultimately serve to offer balance to the overall design. I won't say more on it - best to just wait and show.

The Aquaero mount is intended to blend the unit more than simply mounting it with the existing brackets and faceplate. Being that it's inboard and not facing out the front (Kirk's great idea) I thought it would be enhanced by extending the facade down to include a base for mounting to the midplate. This will help further conceal wires and clean the look in general. The angle should assist with visibility of the display through the side panel window. I took a quick shot before bringing it to the Powder Coater's - I guess it won't hurt to show.






Still finalizing some of the wiring and of course, there's miles of sleeving to be done. Fortunately, I've been working on that for the past few weeks here and there so there's just a few bits left to complete. The plan is to do the final assembly this weekend once the last two pieces are ready. I thought about showing more progress shots but decided I'd rather reveal the machine in it's entirety - hopefully some time next week (weather permitting for pics).

This machine is way beyond anything I've ever done and it's going to be an emotional time when it's finally altogether. This project started 6 months ago and has mutated many times since. I'm very excited to reveal this machine as it's the total culmination of everything I've learned in the last few years and more importantly, the collaboration of many highly skilled individuals. Most importantly, I wouldn't even be in this position or have the opportunity to create something without limit or restriction had it not been for one person - I'm referring to Daniel of course. We're days away now my friend...

[Dangals]

nice update - looking forward to the final pics!

Keep up the good work

[pingpong1455]

looks beautiful

and thanks for the update

[Kibbler]

oooohhhh....giddy with anticipation...

[Ashraf]

Oh, man. This picture made me want to scream! I think I fell in love with that reservoir with the holders.

Beautiful work as always, Charles!

[dsecrieru]

Getting close now, woot!

D.

[Kibbler]

Hey Charles: Just a small suggestion if you've not already considered it. I found you can attach plastic p-clips to rad fans, as long as your fans have open corners.

Please forgive me for posting pictures in your thread...pictures speak a thousand words.


I used 3/8" socket cap screws to attach my fans to the rad. Of course you would need to double check against your rads to make sure you don't puncture anything. With slightly longer screws you can attach p-clips to each position. That's 6 p-clips along each side of the rad/fan assembly, very useful for tidying up fan cables without using zip-ties and glued on mounts. I ended up not using this method but it should work wonderfully.

Oh how did I miss that this is a two-loop build!!!! Love it!

Can't wait to see more!

[JoeChuo]

Charles you da man! Awesome job! I'm new here in XS!
I got the murdermod sleeve too ... must have product.

[dingdong555]

Awesome !

[charles_h]

Thanks for the comments Guys.


Kibbler: Thank you for the "P-clip" idea - it's a good one! I've grown very attached to my little square zip-tie mounting do-hickeys but you're right - I should use more "P-clips" - especially in the lower section. Soon you'll see your suggestion in action! or is it inaction? Anyway, I better get back to work.



Project Update: Final assembly has begun - lot's of tweaking, wiring, pondering and dremmeling going on. Ok, maybe not a lot of dremmeling but a wee bit. This thing is like a Chinese puzzle! In some cases there are four "layers" that have to all fit together in a specific order (and more importantly, be able to come apart). Taking my time - don't want to goof up now! The Zen Frog is on duty of course - doing what he does best... Actually, that's about all he does - attempts to put him on cleanup duty failed miserably!

I hope to have things wrapped up in the next few days. I feel like a Muttonhead not posting any pics so here are a few that will likely create more questions than answers... Sorry!















On this shot there appears to be a missing hole in the 4th drive sled - I assure you its there - its just shy of breaking through the surface.



More coming - thanks for looking in.

[millertime359]

Charles, you really must stop teasing us

Its really not fair

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

Mmmm fancy drive mounts charles, cant wait to see where they actually go

[DragoonXX]

why...they're going into my computer </wish>

[PeterStoba]

I've just found this thread. I was expecting another murder box like the others, but this is awesome!

The drive mounts are interesting

[shazza]

I've just found this thread. I was expecting another murder box like the others, but this is awesome!

The drive mounts are interesting

hint: Never pass up a TJ07 thread authored by Mr. murderMod himself

I'm reserving judgement 'til we see the final pics, but I'm guessing things are going to come out okay

[LogAn'sRun]

I love the innovation that just keeps coming and coming!

You know - I honestly don't know why you guys don't design/produce cases. Everything you touch is golden and I'm sure with your idea's and skills that you could *hands down* make the best watercooling case. Shame that MM is already associated with something else, otherwise there's your logo. Maybe back to MB?

[Dangals]

I agree with Millertime - this teasing is killing me!!

Looking forward to seeing how you put everything together

More, Give us MORE!!!

[dsecrieru]

Oooooh, pretties!

D.

[dingdong555]

Oh man! I'm going to go insane very soon!

Those SSD's cost more than most of my hardware LOL.

[pingpong1455]

THose ssd mounts look awesome !

but where do they go ?

[hiiyah777]

I love how you call them "sleds"

Keep up the excellent work, Charles!

[Nate P.]

Amazing work as usual, I always enjoy your builds!

[charles_h]

Thanks for the comments Guys.


Project Update: Had a productive weekend - got most of the wiring done and the SSD mount unit installed. I also installed the USB hub - there's 5 USB devices so Daniel came up with the idea to use a hub rather than run all that extra wiring to the mobo USB headers - great idea! I mounted the hub on the side opposite of the PLED mount - this will be the best spot since all the USB devices are in the vicinity.

A bit about the SSD mount - the drives are attached to sleds (as previously seen) and then slid into their shelves from the front of the case - accessed by removing the faceplate. While there are three drives now, a forth can easily be added as its shelf will already be wired for action. The idea behind the design was to create clean, "floating" shelves that were flush with the back edge of the existing TJ07 drive structure and helped balance the build. SSDs are so tiny, I thought it would be interesting to create a mount design that added a bit of substance without being too monolithic. There's more behind the concept and I'll discuss it further when the build is complete. While the drive "sled" mounting design is a bit complex, the reason for doing so will be evident when the SSD mount's best feature is revealed in the near future. All I can say is it will be an illuminating experience. Ok, that was weak... Anyway, I'll wait till the build is complete to showcase the lighting feature.


A few pics fur yer viewing pleasure...






















Next up is the installation of the loaded motherboard tray and then the fittings above and below the sLight panel will be connected. Then it's final wiring followed by filling and bleeding the loops - that's the bestest part! Once that's complete, I'll install the PSU and connect 'er up. Then it's time to hit that power button!


Stay tuned...

[Kibbler]

Let me guess...an indicator somewhere lights up with a particular drive is installed? I'm envisioning something like those light-up stairs in big toy stores, each a different color which light up. Plays a tone when you step.

This whole build is just brilliant. Just amazing.

(your roof makes a better lightbox than many professional setups...but only certain times of the day...and only when it's not raining lol)

[xpatar]

charles_h you are the king of creation