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Protocase

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Everything posted by Protocase

  1. Completely understand! Feel free to check out our website - if you have any questions, even in the "info gathering" stage, we are here to help. Happy researching
  2. Hi all, thanks @thegreengamers for giving us a shout-out. We do indeed offer custom CNC machining - with no minimum orders whatsoever. It's difficult to provide pricing and other details unless you have a design or vision in mind. But our team is ready to answer your questions and provide quotes! Best way to get connected with an account manager is to email info@protocase.com. Our website has info about our CNC machining, although we are in the midst of updating it with a lot more content.
  3. Ha! Honestly don't know how we missed your original post - shame shame shame on us! Shipping is included in all Protocase orders. So, I'd recommend checking out Protocase Designer and building a 3U chassis with the approx. size, look and cutouts you'd be looking for. You can do Instant Quoting anytime while you're designing to get a sense of the cost for your case. The price you're quoted is in USD, so you'd just have to convert to Euros/zloty. The only other cost you'd need to factor in is import/custom fees - this is a cost you would likely incur once the order is shipped to you. We have no view into how much that will be without a sense of the box dimensions and weight for your shipment. You can get a rough quote using FedEx online, but you'd have to guess at the box dimensions and weight. Hope this helps!
  4. Hi - you might've gotten the answers you needed already, but just wanted to mention that we do ship worldwide
  5. Thanks @1080 for the shoutout! Linus did use SketchUp for his case design. You can design custom rackmounts (between 1U and 10U) in our free CAD software, Protocase Designer. Give it download and check it out...
  6. Thanks @W-L for the mention! @Problader, we are based in Nova Scotia (but we offer free shipping everywhere!). Feel free to email info@Protocase.com with your design to get a quote. There may be some local shops that we can't beat on price, but we do offer all kinds of finishing services like powdercoat, graphics, etc. All built in 2-3 days! Let me know if you have any questions
  7. You bet! That's definitely the most cost-effective option
  8. Thanks for the shout-out! Wanted to also mention that our Design Services team provides CAD services for a reasonable hourly fee, if that's a route you wanted to explore. Feel free to email info@protocase.com with an idea of what you're looking for, and an account manager can give you a quote.
  9. For more than a decade, our How to Design Custom Enclosures for Motherboard-Based Systems has been a solid resource for designers looking for guidance on things like mounting the board, vent cutout placement, PCI card tabs, etc. We recently published an updated version to make it more clear and even more helpful. Plus, we've made several key additions and changes: • Added Micro ATX boards to the document • Added height constraints • Changed mounting fastener configuration • Changed PCI slots so they don’t restrict protruding connectors • Added new detailed illustrations and diagrams I shared this as a reply to one particular thread earlier last week, but wanted to share it as its own unique post, in case it would help you on your next design. Check out the new version here, also available to download as a PDF. Happy designing!
  10. New version of the How to Design Custom Enclosures for Motherboard-Based Systems guide is now live! Here are the major updates: • Added Micro ATX boards to the document • Added height constraints • Changed mounting fastener configuration • Changed PCI slots so they don’t restrict protruding connectors • Added new detailed illustrations and diagrams
  11. Thanks @Enderman for sharing our PDF! Hope it's useful to you, @Potentate18 - we are actually very close to publishing a new and improved version of this doc (it dated back to 2007 ). I'll share the new link once it's available, hopefully later this week.
  12. Oh that's excellent! Glad you got all of the info you needed. I'll pass on your feedback to the team - you've made our Tuesday already
  13. That's me! Thanks @W-L for the mention. @Gich165, I can't confirm off the top of my head if we'd be able to do it, as I don't have the specs of the panel (do you have that info? Feel free to post here, or send me a message). We have fiber laser and CNC routers here onsite, so it may be doable. Just can't say for sure until I run it by our engineering team. If you've already emailed info@protocase.com, you should be hearing back from us soon anyway. Let me know if you have any other questions, or run into issues.
  14. Awesome - very excited to see your build once it's complete! Keep us posted
  15. Good luck with your build, @PlatinumStorm - sounds like you have a pretty solid vision in mind! Not sure if you're familiar with what we offer, but feel free to check out our website. This profile of one of our customers, Lukas Dyjakon, and the custom PC case he built, gives a nice picture of what we do. Happy designing!
  16. Sounds great! Thanks for your patience while I went back and forth with our engineering team - just wanted to check with the experts before I confirmed any info for you.
  17. Yes, from the looks of everything you've captured in your screenshots, it all looks correct.
  18. You've almost got it - just one issue with the dot, it's not set properly. You've aligned your dot with the first black line in the picture (which means you've set the dot to a height equal to the bend radius). This is actually a modeling mistake in an older version of Protocase Designer - we've since corrected that in the newest release of PD, which is coming out within the next few weeks. Our engineering team recommends you use the measure tool to click on both the red origin and the center of the dot, set the 'Y difference' (the field on the right side of your screen) equal to whatever metal thickness you're using, then press enter. The x values can be left alone. Then you should be set!
  19. The PEMs (studs) in the ATX group are a constant .25" (inches) tall. What we include with the PEMs are threaded posts (and screws for mounting the board to these posts). These threaded posts screw onto the studs. The threaded posts are .375" from the inside bottom of the case to the top of the posts. One thing to note - in my previous reply, I misspoke - when it comes to PCI/IO cutouts, the vertical offset of .375" is from the inside bottom of the case, not the outside bottom of the case as I said before. My apologies for the confusion!
  20. Apologies, I'm realizing now that my screenshots that I've attached above aren't labelled: #1 - Vertical Offset #2 - Vertical Offset from document #3 - Standoff Offset #4 - Standoff Offset Reference #5 - Vertical Offset Reference
  21. Okay @TrollPlattformen - got some answers for you (forgive me in advance for the long post!): -Correct that the green line in your screencap is the board itself. So your assumption is correct - you can use this to determine the standoff length. If you're using self-clinching standoffs, the length includes the case thickness. (If you're using studs and threaded posts, then the length would be referenced from the inside of the material thickness). -The green dot - as you guessed - is a guide to getting the right offsets. -So for the PCI/IO cutouts, there is a vertical offset of .375” from the bottom of the case. This means the dot should be set at Y=0 with respect to the reference origin. See attached photos verticalOffset, verticalOffsetFromDocument and verticalOffsetReference for some additional clarity. -The ATX pem layout also has a dot. The center of the dot is .065” from the edge of the board. This means the dot should be placed at Y=”MetalThickness” with respect to the reference origin. See attached photos standOffOffset and StandOffOffsetReference. So, what's left for you to set are the X-values for both of these dots. As long as you set them to the same distance, the PCI/IO cutouts and PEM layout should line up properly for your board. As always, once you submit your design, you can definitely include a note that you'd like your design checked (beyond the automated checks that happen anyway). Our engineering team would reach out to you if there were any issues that needed to be addressed before your case was manufactured. Hope this helps?
  22. Okay, appreciate your feedback above - I'll provide them to the team and see if we can make some tweaks to address the items you brought up. Re: your final screencap, with the line that shows up the face editor, I'm going to check with the engineering folks and get back to you.
  23. Okay, heard back from our engineering and design services team: -The rackmount template that you used in Protocase Designer doesn't have a specific computer case option. The computer case cutout that you selected from the library and placed it on the rear of the 19" rackmount case doesn't work well for this arrangement, because A) the rear panel is bent inward when it should be bent outward and B) it also needs a jogged section where the PCI cards would screw into. -The 0,0 reference origin in Protocase Designer is the same on each face of the case, so this should help with knowing where you are placing cutouts (though this would require some calculations). -Eventually, Protocase Designer should have a template for a rackmount computer case, but our software team doesn't have an ETA on when this will be completed in their development queue. For now, they recommend you complete your design as best you can, and when you submit the order, make a note of what you're trying to achieve. The engineering and design services team will address it once the design gets submitted. (One thing to note, though - these changes could affect the price you are quoted in Protocase Designer, depending on how much additional design time is needed.) Hope this helps!
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