Operation: Custom

[Brian]

Well, here I am boys and girls, ready to start working on my new case. No, I am not just going to mod an existing case. Yes, I am going all out and building my own case. This is a first for me, so bear with me as I venture into uncharted territory... for me at least.

[Brian]

Here are a few basic sketches of what I am looking to do:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/structure.jpg
This is the internal structure I am thinking of

http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/mobotray.jpg
here is the mobo tray (nothing special)

http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/design1.jpg
This is the original design of the case I had in my head

http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/design2.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/design22.jpg
This is a new design idea I have

The way the case will be constructed, I will be able to swap out the outter peices to change the design to something completely different, while still maintaining the functionality of the interior of the case.

[Brian]

With the complexity of this project, and the fact that I don't own a steel mill, I have decided to use acrylic for the case.

Some of the features of this case are:

I am trying to reduce the size of my computer as much as possible, while still being able to have top of the line hardware, good airflow, and room for water cooling. I am trying to make it so almost everything is easy to assemble, and remove, and customizable. Part of making the case small requires my to tear apart my PSU and put it into a tiny case, while using 120mm case fans to pull the air out instead of the standard PSU fans. The DVD/CD rom drive will be sideways (this works with my tray load drive) or if I get a slot loading drive.

[Brian]

I got a 35x35 acrylic sheet today (1/8 inch)

http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/acrylic.jpg
Nice and big

http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/acrylicstuff.jpg
I also got some bonding stuff, and some dremel disks to do some cutting. (I am using a table saw and some other tools for the major stuff)

I also have some pics of my power supply customization I am doing.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/newpsu.jpg
As you see on my current PSU, it does not have a power out for my monitor.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/oldpsu.jpg
So I decided to start tearing apart my old PSU and use its power out on my new one. This will be easy to do since I am replacing the outter shell of my new PSU to minimize space.

[fhetw]

ahh i see your time wasted in calc has paid off
looking good so far
for your new id you could just mod a suitcase

[Brian]

Eric or that other guy?!

LOL

[Kurtis]

hurry up and slim up that PSU we want more pics!

[DnD]

Whoa This looks really sweet.......you know what you should do when all this is done if their are more people like me who want it up on you're site is a instruction manual or something like that on how to build you're own case from scratch.

[Kurtis]

Whoa This looks really sweet.......you know what you should do when all this is done if their are more people like me who want it up on you're site is a instruction manual or something like that on how to build you're own case from scratch.

actually we are doing just that sir. both of us as a matter of fact. both of our cases will be totally different and 100% designed by us.

[DnD]

concerning to the diagrams in the second post with the first drawings do you saw out, drill all those wholes are do they come with the plating?

[Brian]

I am making EVERYTHING myself.

[Brian]

Ok, it's been a while since I updated, but I've been extremely busy with The Tech Lounge. Anyway, I have recieved my mesh from mnpctech today. I think I'll use it on my PSU minitur-ification (is that even a word?) for allowing airflow but not letting wires get in there.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/mesh1.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/brian_worklog/photos/mesh2.jpg

[Kurtis]

me want mesh. :)
i will probably order a buttload of that when i start with my case. ill just make a mesh case lol, forget aluminum :-p

[m[X]]

cool

[DnD]

yeah but ye have to look at a few things when you're putting you're case together with mesh....
- Sharp Edges-ouch cut my self moving the durn case
- How strong the mesh actually is....dun want the bottom to fall out from under ye when you're lifting it around.
- how you're gonna screw it or whatever together, I mean you can't just weld it together or you'll not be able to expand or move anything around easily etc. etc.

[Kurtis]

i was joking... i will not REALLY make it out of mesh haha. jees. i will be trying to do it out of aluminum but i need to find a REALLY talented person to do the metalworking for me.

[DnD]

hey hey....its custom you're making it you're self bleed alittle sweat alot do it urself :P

[Kurtis]

nah man i dont have any of the tools for it. the only thing i can do is design it in autocadd. i dont even have a dremel right now, i have to use brians. there is no way i could make a full aluminum case without some serious tools. :(

[Brian]

*wink wink*

[red999]

I like the new design its completely original, though it looks real similar to a toaster. Still is looks sick, cant wait to see it done.

[Kurtis]

lol a toaster, thats wut i said :lol:

[Brian]

Quiet you two! It's not a toaster :-(

But seriously, I have another design in my head besides the first 2. I am kinda leaning towards this idea in my head instead of the toaster one. But I may make all 3!

[DnD]

hey hey does it toast bread?? that would be cool to have a computer that toasts bread :D

[Brian]

Actually I saw this mod of a toaster. This guy turned a toaster into a computer case.

[Kurtis]

rofl yea that was hilarious. and he put cds in where toast used to go, funny stuff.

[handrail]

you could always use that diamond mesh thicker gauge wire to build an entire case. it's pretty tough. might be a bit heavy. cooling would be great, you would need to dust every other minute though.

i have thought of making a case into a couple old lunch boxes. just need a small enough mobo. that way, you could have 2 lunch boxes with all the gear in. then just open em up to use them, thus allowing heat dissapation, then close em up and carry them when you need to move.

i prefer a dukes of hazzard lunchbox or maybe an old BJ and the Bear one.

[Kurtis]

lol lunchboxes. i wouldn't like that very much, i would put sandwiches on my mobo and stuff :cry:

[MyFifthLimb]

YOU GUYS HAVE INSPIRED ME TO MAKE MY OWN CASE! The best part about this is that I have all of the tools needed. My dad built a little place in the backyard (it actually looks like a miniature house) for restoring his motorbikes and motorcycles (he buys 40s or 50s Whizzers that are in rustic piece of shit form and restores them to museum quality as a hobby then sells some to make money...smart he makes money from his hobby his god damn hobby he has fun working you too, if you make a nice case, can make some money from this shit like mnpctech)
So anyways I got enough spare metal and material for the case...I have two completely bare cases that I can rip apart and use to my liking. I am planning on making the case in the shape of a rectangle. No one makes rectangle cases..do they? No kidding...but I was thinking of something stupidly tall (to look all workstationy and server-like...the women love that) and really I was thinking of just making the outside have nice swinging doors for usb ports and the cd-rom/cd-rw/dvd-rom drives and the floppy/zip/jazz drives....thats right i said jazz drive no one freaking has those but me because i am a loser who likes industrial music. kidding that was a lame joke if you could tell...but yeah i got the tools the materials and the creative skills to freaking make this think i already made the airflow plans in autocadd 2k4 i talked to my science teacher to get literally the best airflow she (yes SHE!) said she wanted to see pictures of the final product.. she is hot and said she wanted to do me on the science lab table kidding

[Kurtis]

rofl.

Yea I will be working on my plans extensively this summer. However, Idon't know exactly how I will turn it into reality once the designs are done, I dont have tools for working with metal etc, perhaps your dad could help? :D

[MyFifthLimb]

He can do pretty cool stuff. He has never made a case. He doesn't know much about computers. But he can do just about anything you instruct him to do when it comes to this stuff. I will draw out some designs today in art. AP Studio Art. I hope my teacher doesn't get mad. Who cares, I have some good ideas. I'll scan them sometime this week.

[Kurtis]

When I have finished the ACAD designs I will show them to you, perhaps he would be up for a challenge

[MyFifthLimb]

I didn't finish the drafting in art class. I drew a top, left, right, back, inside, and 3/4 view of it. I even drew out the paint design I will do. I also drew out, which I will only add if I have the spare material, one large external device holder, and two small external device holders. They would be located on the top of the case. Also, integrated with the fan controllers, I had a funnel type thing above the heatsinks of the processor that would stem into two fans. those fans would then push the air out the back, which then goes into a tube and blows out wherever you position it. I thought of this because my computer always blew air towards my monitor. My monitor is already hot enough as it has caused hazards before.

[MyFifthLimb]

Ok. I painted some fans (I painted the blades of black fans red) and I am going to paint the outside of my case all yellow tomorrow. I haven't decided completely what I will do with the inside yet. After I paint the outside yellow, I am going to cut a blow hole in the top for an exhaust fan. I am also going to cut some slits in the bottom of the front of the case so an intake fan can get some cool air. I am also going to make a window (4 really) for the side panel with jewel CD cases. like so:
_____________
| _________ |
| | | | |
| |____|____| |
| | | | |
| |____|____| |
|____________|

(dimensions of the border is not to to scale in picture :p)

I wil then paint some flames on the top and on the side panels... I actually don't like my paint idea...I am dying for suggestions

[MyFifthLimb]

woah the case came out differently. forgot that it takes out spaces. but you get the idea

[Kurtis]

Ok. I painted some fans (I painted the blades of black fans red) and I am going to paint the outside of my case all yellow tomorrow. I haven't decided completely what I will do with the inside yet. After I paint the outside yellow, I am going to cut a blow hole in the top for an exhaust fan. I am also going to cut some slits in the bottom of the front of the case so an intake fan can get some cool air. I am also going to make a window (4 really) for the side panel with jewel CD cases. like so:
_____________
| _________ |
| | | | |
| |____|____| |
| | | | |
| |____|____| |
|____________|

(dimensions of the border is not to to scale in picture :p)

I wil then paint some flames on the top and on the side panels... I actually don't like my paint idea...I am dying for suggestions

wtf is that? how about some real pics lol. if you need me to ill upload the pics for you, you know my AIM s/n.

[MyFifthLimb]

That was a picture of what it WILL be going to look like like. I haven't done that yet. All I have done right now is painted some fans, and today after school, I am going to paint on the base color for the case. I will take some pictures, but it isn't far enough yet. Also, I am going to see if my brother still has christmas lights so I can take all the red or all the green and rewire it to a molex connector. Those christmas lights are really bright LEDs.

[Brian]

Go ahead and start a seperate thread for your case Limb. Thanks.

[MyFifthLimb]

Sorry, I thought this thread was for everyone discussing customs.

[Kurtis]

no hehe, it is for brians case, Operation: Custom = brians custom case :P

Start your own thread so we can follow your progress. Thx :)

[knucks]

Brian, how about some more information about this custom case? I would love to see more.

[Kurtis]

he hasn't had a chance to do anything else with it, we've been super busy with reviews and he works as well (40hrs / wk or more) so he doesn't have much spare time for that custom case now :(

[notobe]

:( It looked like it could of been a pretty nice case.

[Brian]

Well, I've got plans to build 2 cases now. One for a media computer, and one for a gaming computer. Both will be as small as possible. The gaming computer will have water cooling. I have a week off soon, so I may be able to start at least one of the projects soon.

[web56n]

When I have finished the ACAD designs I will show them to you, perhaps he would be up for a challenge
send me your ACAD designs maybe I can help, shearing pieces for you or cutting holes.

[Sapphire9800]

i can help you out only with the autodesk software so pm brian if u need help