Laser Oak: Kodi htpc [Case Build]

[zool]

Hi all,

I have loved kodi since it was called XBMC and ran on an original xbox.

This project started with the need for a HTPC as my raspberry PI just just doesn't have the grunt I need these days.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so.......

If you're too lazy to read, here are all the pictures plus a few that didn't make it into the post

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/52jswxghjx2pu71/AACY3VGu_4hYHJate5K64sp5a?dl=0

PC components:

• AMD Athlon 5150
• Asus AM1I-A mITX motherboard
• 4gb Kingston value RAM
• Pico PSU 160W Module
• SanDisk 60gb SSD
• Gelid slim silence heatsink

It's not a beast but it sure beats a Rpi!

Case Construction:

• 3.3mm hardwood plywood
• Aged oak peel and stick veneer
• A few bits of acrylic
• Gloss varnish spray

This is actually my first pc built from scratch! My desktop pc was upgraded bit by bit until it was a new computer so that doesn't count. I'm lucky enough to own a CO2 laser cutter, so I abused that privilege for this build, I'll start to run you through how I made it.

It started with inspiration seeing http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/162200-stealthray-10-a-silent-build-in-a-custom-case/ by manwithbeard1990 and its pretty cool! i wanted to make a case in wood, I had lots of plywood and veneer already so I decided to use that. The next step was some prototyping:

I thought the bendy wood was a pretty unique feature.

It took a while to nail the basic design but I now had a rough idea of what I was going to make. Now it's time to prep and finish the wood

Prep and finish!?!? Yes...... to stop the vaporized sap ruining the wood while laser cutting, I sanded then varnished the wood as a sheet. Isn't it nice how veneer can make crap wood look good!

Most of the parts were still on order but I was getting impatient....

That's the front panel sorted, then i made the top section

The Kodi logo on the top adds some much needed ventilation. I forgot to take photo's of making the mesh bit, it's just some material stretched tight across a wood frame and glued in. The inside of this case looks horrific, but you'll see soon enough......

The lettering on the front was engraved to get it bang in the middle and then had the metal effect material slotted in.

Then the mobo, ram and cpu turned up. So I cut the base

I eyeballed the height of the IO cutout and got it right first time! Cut a hole for the picoPSU aswell, The PSU is really the star, allowing such a small case. Also instead of messing around with the holes for the mobo in the laser software, I just did a slick, I put it in place and drew through the holes and drilled them out. Boom, motherboard installed!

Time to show you where I hide all my sins.....

Yeah, it's a mess....

The whole thing is glued together with epoxy resin. The joining edges are nearly deliberately messy to give the glue enough strength without seeping through the edges and ruining the outside.

That's about the jist of it! Glam shots in the next post

[zool]

GLAM SHOTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TheRandomness]

Ok, you get 50 likes for this. It looks so niiiice

[Ceatra]

awesome

[Sithhy]

Oh damn, that looks so cool [emoji1] Wish I could build one myself to hook it up to my TV [emoji1]

[elkenrod]

This is Legit!

[saab_gobbler]

This looks incredible! The bend is particularly impressive! Nice work!

[zool]

Thanks guys.

 

Top posts edited

[KJaboski]

That looks sweet, nice work.

[ManWithBeard1990]

Nice work, mate. Well done. Good job on selecting plywood as well, because solid wood probably wouldn't have liked being bent that way.

[zool]

Nice work, mate. Well done. Good job on selecting plywood as well, because solid wood probably wouldn't have liked being bent that way.

 

Thanks, yeah 'real wood' has a hard time bending like this. It is possible if it's thin enough and you put in enough kerf lines

 

Edit to top post: added the extra photos in a link