[Featured on Geforce Garage] Scratch Build - Hardwood Walnut Maple Case.

[bmccarthy]

EDIT:

Featured on Geforce Garage!

 

Hey guys, I've been lurking around here for quite some time. I think it's time I post my first build log on this site. I actually finished this project over the course of a year. I finished it last month and have been putting off doing a proper build log. I have all the progress photos I'll need, but I wanted to take the time and give it a proper write up. After Quakecon (an annual Dallas based lan party), I have had a lot of requests for a write up and I finally have time to do it. So this should take me a few days to get through, but I really hope you enjoy the process along the way. I'm not going to post this finished picks until after I complete the log. So, here we go!

 

Project Breadbox

 

Project what? This is a computer, not a container to hold bread wtf. The name kind of came out of the process of building this computer. Later in the build log, you'll see that I'll be messing around with some breadboard circuits for some LED stuff. One uses breadboards for prototyping circuitry. As one of my original design concepts was to build something that could potentially be taken to market, this is my prototype/proof of concept in which I adopted the name breadbox from breadboard. 

 

Finalized Part List (I went through some changes throughout the build process)

• CPU: Intel i7 7700k Delid 5GHz
• MOBO: Asus ROG Z270i Gaming
• GPU: Asus ROG GTX 1080 8GB OC
• RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB 3200
• SSD: Samsung 960 Evo 500GB NVNe m.2
• PSU: Corsair SF600
• CASE: yours truly, 100% scratch manufactured

Liquid Cooling Parts

• CPU Block: EK Supremacy Evo Nickel/Plexi
• GPU Block: EK-FC1080 Strix Nickel/Plexi and matching back plate
• RAD: EK SE360 (360mm slim rad)
• Pump/Res: Singularity Computers Protium Pump & Res DDC Mod Kit for DDC pump
• Fittings: Bitspower assorted 
• Tubing: 12mm OD/10mm ID PETG hardline from Bitspower

Other stuff

• Fans: 3x  EK Vardar F3-120, 2x Corsair AF 120
• Lighting: Custom RGB LED

Material List

• 5052-H32 Aluminum Sheet .050" (not sure if I can list the online vendor I got this from)
• Aluminum Angle 25mm (Big box store)
• Aluminum Angle 15mm (Big Box store)
• 6/32 button head screws (online vendor)
• 1/8" clear acrylic (online vendor)
• 3/16" tempered glass (online vendor)
• 7/8" 5052-H32 American Walnut boards
• 5/8" rough sawn spalted maple boards
• 1/2" Baltic Birch Plywood

Tools Used:

• Drill with various bits and drill bits
• Ifixit tool kit. Makes assembly of the button head hex screws much easier
• Drill press (can be subbed for drill)
• Files various sizes
• Table saw (can be subbed for skill saw)
• Miter saw (can be subbed for skill saw)
• Jointer (not needed if you build plywood shell)
• Thickness Plainer (not needed if you build plywood shell)

 

Lets get on with it: The Build

When thinking of the design for this build. I knew I wanted something much smaller than my current Phanteks Evolv ATX which you can view here if you'd like: https://imgur.com/a/L39VK. 

 

I wanted to be able to incorporate a full watercooling loop without sacrifice. I also wanted to be able to see all of the hardware. This meant flipping the motherboard so that I could mount the GPU with its waterblock facing the left side of the case. (instead of only being able to see its backplate if it was mounted on the right side of the case. It will feature 3 windows in the exterior of the case: left, right, and top.

 

Here you can get a good look at the size comparison. Left: white box is the size of the Evolv ATX. Right: First Concept.

 

 

This is my proof of concept design. Mainly just figuring out if all the hardware will fit in the footprint that I want. This is also where the top manifold area idea was born. It would be quite some time before I even got to this stage in the build process. 

 

I wanted the internal frame to slide in and out of the exterior shell. One of my goals for this project was to make several different types of external shells out of different materials. Concept of personalization if I were to ever go to market. 

 

This is the motherboard I originally started out with. A MSI z270 Gaming Pro Carbon AC. This motherboard has some really good specs for the price, and has a good mono chromatic color scheme with and RBG header. I also like where the power headers are located. This will make for a cleaner look once finished. Also the steel reinforced slots are a nice touch.

 

As this motherboard would have been mounted in an inverted position. The MSI logo would have been upside down. But lucky enough for me the heatsink is symmetrical, so I was able to flip it around quite easily, as pictured below.

 

Still waiting on parts at this point, so I worked with what I could.

 

The Frame

So at first I was going to do this out of sheet metal. As I try to do my mods with basic tools so that others can replicate, this proved very difficult to get straight edges, even with filing. Steel is not easy to work with. I could of gone with a thinner gauge, which would of help significantly but ultimately I decided to change the materials. I want to have CAD drawings for panels to be laser cut but I want to work out the prototype before I invest in that.

 

This approach could have worked. I have more photos of getting to this point but ultimately I just wasn't happy at all with the result so to the scrap pile this goes. 

 

Aluminium to the rescue! This stuff is relatively cheap and far easier to work with. I can use my table saw to make straight square cuts. Here I'm using aluminium angle for the frame. I'm using clamps to mock up the shape. I wanted to see how well this would work for before I invested in more of it. But I was able to make the frame out of a single length of aluminum angle (25mm). I started by using angle for the shorter lateral supports but later I'll move to using aluminum sheet for this as it'll help keep the frame square and look much better. But I'm still waiting on that to come in at this point. 

 

I'll have a full list of materials at the top of this build log. 

 

I drilled and tapped 6/32 threads to secure the frame together. I did this while the frame was still clamped together. Later after I dissasemble the frame, I will dirll out the outer hole so the screw will pass through to the inside threads. 

 

All the lateral supports will keep their threads and the vertical supports will just have holes. This makes assembly easier and also allows the material to seat next to each other tighter. Once you remove the screws it would be difficult to get the thread patterns to line back up, which is why I drilled out the holes on the vertical supports. Also note that I used this pattern of a diagonal. This helps to keep the frame square when reassembled. 

 

Here you can see how I'm using the clamps as well as a combination square (without the ruler) to help square up the frame as I drill and tap.

 

Frame assembled. I'm still waiting on my radiator to come in. So the mid supports are not secured yet. I want to be sure I have the right clearance. But here you can start to see the concept come to life. Personally I love the look of radiators over the back side of fans, and to have it span the entire bottom of the case is going to look super clean.

 

I made a wood template to help me visualize the design further. Really I was just bored while I waited on my aluminum sheet.

 

Here you can see a good idea of the size of the project in relation to the rear I/O plate. The fan in the case is 140mm.

 

The aluminum sheet has finally came in. I cut the top plate to realize that the frame is 1/4" out of square. Son of a bitch! Eh I'll fix it later. (you cant see it but it is) I know this because the piece I cut binds as I put it in. Also you can take a tape measure and measure corner to corner in a diagonal both ways. If it is square the measurements will be the same.

 

Ok. I need to run to dinner. I'll continue some more tonight. Thanks for stopping by to check out this process!

[vanished]

 

 

 

[bmccarthy]

2 hours ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

 

 

 

Lol how about that. And here I was thinking that name would be 100% original. Whomp.

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

misleading title i tought u build a pc into a breadbox(lunchbox) :c

[bmccarthy]

Alright, one of my favorite parts of any build! When the watercooling stuff comes in the mail!

This is currently my favorite CPU block on the market right now. I prefer its simple aesthetic. 

 

I needed to change out the jet plate for the one that is recommended for 1151 CPUs. Plus it is just fun to take things apart. 

 

So this was fun... With the small form factor of mini ITX, I didn't realize how utilized the bottom of the PCB would be. I had to do a little surgery on the rubber spacer that is used between the EK backplate and the motherboard. I didn't want to put tension on these components. The rubber used is rather dense and would not allow for these components to sink into it. Best to go this route. Minor mod, but necessary. I ensured that the metal backplate did not come into contact with any of these components. Also here you can see the M.2 SSD. I realize its not the best SSD, but it'll do for now.

 

Backplate installed, sorry for potato photo.

 

I put a spare i5 in here for mock up purposes. Mainly to protect the pins. I'm sure they would be fine but I don't like taking chances. I'm waiting on my delid tool to come in, which is why I didn't just put the i7 in here. Looking back I guess I could have used the i7 for mock up, oh well, doesn't really matter. 

 

Mobo config is complete. I must say I really like these corsair modules. They feel very premium in your hand. I'll probably end up painting them. We'll see. I pre-installed some fittings. I thought I was going to need 45 degree fittings but as you'll see shortly, it'll require 90 degree fittings. That is a lot of power in a very small footprint. 

 

Oh the infamous GP104 pascal. I've always loved GPU dies. Cleaning the old TIM is a bitch with those small capacitors. Don't worry I cleaned up the loose fibers.

 

OMG you savage! How could you put that much TIM on your GPU??? Relax, I've installed lots of GPU blocks and the temps are fantastic. As these do not have an IHS, it is absolutely crucial to have full coverage of the die. The TIM is NON-conductive. I use MX-4, great stuff.

 

I wasn't sure if I was going to be a fan of the plexi, but the Asus PCB is just so damn pretty.

 

Next step is to start mocking up the components. 

[bmccarthy]

Mock Up

Just seeing if my planning worked. It looks as if there will be plenty of room.

 

I really like how the GPU takes up most of the left compartment. Really helps give a perspective on its actual size. Also, some of you might notice I'm using philips head screws. I quickly realized I was going to need quite a few button head screws and decided to use these 6/32 machine screws for mock up so that I didn't scratch all the heads of the nicer button head screws. 

 

Ok, time to fix that out of square issue. I decided that aluminum sheet would be better to secure the left and right side of the frame together instead of the aluminum angle. I know I can cut these perfectly square. So I cut my piece to size, and then used a caliper to accurately place the holes. I use the caliper itself to scribe the lines. The aluminum sheet comes with protective film on both sides, so the lines you see are only in that plastic film. All of these holes will be drilled, but not tapped. The screws will secure into the aluminum angle of the frame.

 

Because I know the sheet is perfectly square, I can use it as my reference guide. I clamped it to one side of the frame, and then drilled through the pre-drilled holes and tapped the frame behind it.

 

I did the same thing for the other side and ta-dahhh! Perfectly square all around. This will make moving forward soooo much easier. Starting to look like a case now. Woot!

 

Here you can see my design for the top manifold. When I came up with this idea I was so excited to actually build it. Even more excited when it started to come to life. The flow direction works out perfectly. I may need to do a graphic to show the flow pattern later. To help visualize how it works. IDK, let me know if you think I should.

 

Another angle. As there will be a window on top, I'm thinking about putting in a few flow meters. I know I only need one, but I want it to be symmetrical. We'll see. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here. There is a lot more to do before I actually get around to drilling the holes for these. 

 

Time To Get Dirty

Got the I/O shield cutout done. It's really nice to have a pair of calipers to figure out spacing and get good reference markings to cut your holes. Again I used the edge of the panel, as I know it to be true, to mark out the hole. I then used a dremel with a metal cutting wheel to get close to my line. Then I used a file to finish it off and knock down the sharp edge. As you can see aluminum is freakin sharp folks. Please be safe when working with metal and power tools.  

 

Perfect fit on the first try! Oh yeah. Again calipers, worth the $45 if you are going to be doing this kind of work. This part was rather rewarding. It just looks so much better than having an exposed I/O which I see on so many scratch builds. Being able to use the I/O shield that comes with the motherboard just makes it look that much better. 

 

Working on the motherboard tray. This is fairly strait forward. The key is to make sure you have the right spacing between the tray and the rear panel with the I/O opening. This all depends on your standoff height. As a template I used a spare case I had laying around and measured the distance from the tray to the I/O opening then purchased the same standoff that worked for that case. Here I used two clamps to hold the tray in place as I got it lined up just right. 

 

I used the other end of the caliper to make sure I got this part right. Also to make sure the tray is the same all the way across the opening. To attach the tray to the rear panel, I used some aluminum angle, I first attached the angle to the tray, aligned it with the clamps, then drilled and tapped two screws to secure it to the rear panel. Later, it will also be secured to the top panel as well. But for now this is enough. 

 

You can see the aluminum angle that will be used to secure the tray to the top panel here. 

 

Also you can see where I used screws to attach the tray to the aluminum angle. 

 

Motherboard test fit. I must of had a brain fart when it came to taking pictures of the standoff installation. But I just used the motherboard as my template. Placed it into the shield and held it at the right height. Then used a sharpy to mark where the holes would need to be tapped. The standoffs I used were 6/32 threads. 

 

Attached the rear panel to the frame to get a look at the progress. Pretty damn sweet if I do say so myself. 

[bmccarthy]

Hardware Audible 

So around this time I came across the new Z270i from Asus and I just had to have it. I was already using an Asus GPU so I figured I'd keep it Team ROG on this one. Also it has two m.2 slots. Which will come in handy. But if you are in the market for this board, keep in mind that the M.2 slot on the back is only NVMe not SATA. The front M.2 can do either. 

 

I had to do something similar with the back plate on this board as I did on the MSI board. There was also some ICs that looked like they might touch the metal back plate so I put a thin thermal pad over them to ensure they don't ever come into contact. 

 

Oh yeah, that's clean. The 8 pin on this board is in a less than ideal spot for what I originally wanted to do, but I think I can make it work. Oh yeah, the 90 degree fittings are in place now. 

 

Time for the GPU cutout. I wanted to use the rear panel as part of the mounting solution. Much like you would see on a regular case. Trying to keep to that manufactured look. I used my calipers and measured the slot openings on a regular case then scribed them on the panel. I made them a little longer and you'll see why in a second. 

 

I used a dremel to cut close to my line and then followed up with the file. Same technique as I did for the I/O shield. 

 

Came out pretty well. The cutting technique really helps get those strait lines. 

 

So to get a place to secure the GPU bracket to. I came up with this solution, to cut around on the black lines only. Then I can bend the metal backwards which would give me an opening for the GPU bracket as well as a place to secure the bracket. I know you see a coping saw here, but I ended up using a dremel with some older metal wheels that were smaller in diameter. Always hold on to those wheels as they get smaller, you never know when they might come in handy for these smaller cuts. 

 

To bend the metal I used a wood block below the fold line to make sure I get a good clean fold over the edge of the wood block. I then pried the metal out enough with my finger till I could use a second block to pus down from the top, and presto, GPU mounting solution. I then drilled/tapped a 6/32 hole to allow me to use a standard screw to keep the GPU bracket in place. 

 

GPU mounted! Whoohoo! This was a really exciting point. As the card wont be supported by the PCIe slot, I used another piece of aluminum angle to support the GPU. You can see it to the right of the PCIe pins. Yeah it looks like I was a little off on the support. The back of the card sags down by a few mm. But I'll fix this later. 

 

A few shots of the GPU and motherboard installed. In the top picture, you can also see that I supported the bottom of the GPU bracket by drilling a hole that goes between the fingers at the bottom of the bracket. I then used a longer 6/32 screw with two nuts on the other side to support the bottom of the GPU bracket. 

 

So I decided to make the motherboard tray longer, and for a few reasons. One, I needed a place to mount the PSU. I was originally thinking I would mount the GPU to the top panel directly, but then I would have to see the power connector through the top of the case. So I'll be mounting it on the motherboard tray.

 

Also I wanted more support for the tray. By making it longer I can attach it at various points along its length to the top panel, pictured below. It also frames in the GPU a little better. 

 

Here you can see the 3 mounting points for the motherboard tray to the top panel. At this point I have also secured the top panel to the frame as well. 

[bmccarthy]

Alright, I'm going to power through a little bit more tonight. 

 

Here is the top down view of the build without the top panel in place. I want the top openings to be symmetrical, so I'm going to base the holes off of the GPU because I don't have any room to do a bend here. So for the CPU side I will be putting some 45 degree bends in the tubing so that they will go through the top planel through holes that are in line symmetrically with GPU.

 

You know the drill, measure 100 times, then cut! Ok maybe not 100 times but definitely more than once. This aluminum sheet isn't exactly cheap and this is one of the larger panels in the build and I'd realllllly rather not have to make it again. You'll see here in a second that I actaully was off by 2mm on the top mark. Doh!

 

Here you can see my boo boo. Lucky for me it was only off by a few mm and will be covered up by the compression collar of the fitting. But not that I have my GPU holes to reference off of. I can now mark my pilot holes for the other side. This is easier as I used a square to transfer the center line over. I do have a little more wiggle room on these though as I'll be bending tube to get to them. But I like it to look perfect and it worked out just fine. 

 

See, with the compression collar on, you can't tell that hole is slightly elongated. 

 

A good shot at just how tight the tolerance is. The length of tube between the fittings is like 19 or 20mm. That includes the part of the tube that goes into the fitting about 7mm on each fitting. So a total distance of about 5 to 6mm between fittings. 

 

This part of assembly will be a little tricky but not to bad. 

 

 

 

Next I needed to get the radiator mounted so that I could figure out where to drill the holes towards the front of the case. These tubes will go strait up from the radiator to the top compartment. I use used the side of the file to make some slots in the aluminum angle that was used for the bottom of the frame. These slots line up with the mounting holes on the radiator. 

 

 

 

I needed to create a little bracket to mount the DDC pump/res to.

 

 

DDC pumps are cooled by air flow, so I cut out a hole to allow the airflow from the radiators to pass through onto the DDC heatsink. The hole saw I used walked on me a little bit, but this is the underside and it will be cleaned up before paint. 

 

So now that I have all my components in place I can figure out where all the holes need for the forward part of the top panel. The tubes will come off the inlet/outlet of the pump and go strait up. One will have a slight offset as the inlet and outlet are not inline with each other. I'm just going to show a series of pictures of the rest of this process. 

 

 

 

 

 

Not happy with the first attempt of that offset run from the pump to the top panel. But totally loving the bends from the CPU. 

 

I had to clean up that offset. Much better. 

 

To see this actually take shape was so much fun. So damn cool. Originally I was going to do hard 90 degree bends on the back center runs. But it would have been way too tight. So I rotated the fittings 45 degrees and used 45 degree bends. Turned out much cleaner and I ended up liking the result even more. Also the bends from the CPU to the top panel are also 45 degrees so win win for symmetry.

 

The mounting screws for the motherboard tray are hurting my OCD a little bit, but once I drill all the holes in the top, it won't be so bad. 

 

One more low angle shot as the sun goes down...

 

I think I'll stop there for the night. Thanks for watching!

[bmccarthy]

Hey guys, so it was about this time in my project when a terrible accident happened. Up until this point I have got away with cutting the aluminum sheet on my table saw with no issues. But that stops now. While cutting a panel the off cut of aluminum grabbed the blade and kicked back nearly severing my index finger!

 

If you are one of those, like myself, that wants to see pictures, I've provided a link below. It is a bit graphic, and not for the faint of heart. But it is a good example of why it is so important to be safe if the work place. Especially when working with powerful tools.

 

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT, Do not click this link if do not want to see the result of this accident. You have been warned. https://imgur.com/a/t5FQD

 

So to make a long story short. This ended up taking a good 2 to 3 months to heal. I'm happy to say I have since made a full recovery and only lost a little feeling on the right side near the laceration. Luckily I still have feeling in my finger tip. Feeling is actually starting to come back, freaky. But anyway, after reflecting on this accident, which wasn't cheap, I took a hard look at my work environment and knew I needed to do something to be safer and to be more productive. If I'm going to keep doing this kind of work I need to be properly tooled. 

 

I set a budget of $2500. The amount that my finger cost after insurance! I figured I could at least spin that much and the wife agreed. She doesn't want me loosing any fingers! When she initially found out what happened she was worried it was my ring finger haha. (we're newly weds)

 

So my current shop setup was less than ideal. I was using a table saw that was on a stand that came with it. It was a co-workers saw that he used for home remodels and really wasn't a great saw. The fence was impossible to lock square to the blade, most likely what resulted in my accident. (Binding happens if it is not square) And I had no support for cuts other than the table saw surface itself which was rather small.  Also I was using folding table for my work benches. My shop doubles as my garage so I need to be able to clear out the space in the event of sever storms and what not. It's been hailing a lot in North Texas over the past 3 years. 

 

So I set out to design some tables and benches that could be compact and roll away, and this was the design I came up with. 

 

 

This will allow me to have two tall work benches and well as a table saw height bench. The two table under and roll in and out on casters and then connect together so I have a large infeed/outfeed table around my table saw. 

 

 

Here is how the tables turned out. This has been super helpful in so many ways. Definitely gives me much more room to work with and a much safer environment. Anyways, on with the build.

[bmccarthy]

So fast forward a few months. I had to put this project on hold because I had so many other projects going on and I had time.

 

Sponsorship!

I've been in communication with Daniel over at Singularity Computers for quite some time now. He has been following some of my builds and he was looking at my progress on this build and decided he wanted to sponsor a few of his products. He ended up sending me his Protium Pump & Reservoir DDC mod kit and some Ethereal Single Res Mounts. I was so excited for him to launch this new product. It is by far and away one of the best pump/res configurations I have ever worked with. I was very humbled for him to sponsor these products.

 

This is the D5 version. The pump top and res are the same. The coolest thing about the way his res works is how you attach the top and bottom. If you want to make a pump/res config, you just screw off the top of the pump top and screw in the reservoir. And for the top, it works off a compression collar design, meaning you don't have to over tighten or leave it loose to get the ports lined up the way you want. You just align the top where you want it and then tighten down the collar. Genius. 

 

So of course I want to use this product but I've already designed the frame around the EK pump/res. And while I could make it fit in the frame, I also want to use his mounts. So I needed to make the frame a little longer. I think it was by 15mm or so. Also the first frame wasn't exactly as square as I would like. So I decided to take what I learned along the way and remake the frame. And it worked out perfectly. I was able to reuse all the panels I had made and only had to rebuild the aluminum angle. And now the frame is perfect all around. 

 

 

This time instead of drilling the holes for both the vertical support and the lateral support that it would connect to at the same time. I pre drilled where I wanted all my holes to be. Note the vertical supports don't need to be threaded. This allows me to be far more accurate in my placement of the screws. I marked of the locations symmetrically all around the case, the used a punch to make a divot in the metal to prevent the drill from walking. 

 

Here you can see those divots. 

 

 

Test fitting the configuration. The inlet/outlet tubes of the reservoir work perfectly here. There is just enough room on either side of the mount for them to pass unobstructed. I'm not sure if this was intended by Singularity Computers, but it just goes to show the great design. 

 

 

I used a 3.5" hole saw to cut out the fan holes. It is the perfect diameter for 120mm fans. I center punched the panel so that the hole saw pilot bit wouldn't walk. Also when making a cut like this it is best to use lower RPMs and a coolant/lubricant. I just used a can of WD40. This resulted in super clean holes that took almost no filing at all. 

 

 

Now next time I would do this a little different. I put the fans in place and then marked where I needed to drill and tap the threads to secure the fans. And they aren't perfectly aligned. Next time I'll print a template with the center mark and marks for the screw holes. That would have been far more accurate. But this works so moving on. 

 

 

 

 

A series of photos of the new frame fully assembled. At this point I can start on the exterior shells. 

[bmccarthy]

Before I worked on the hardwood version. I wanted to build a shell out of plywood to make sure my design would work out. I mocked up a design in sketchup before I got started.

 

This is the design for the left and right panel. There is a rabbit along the top and the front to allow for the front and top panel to be joined. There are slots that run the length for the rail system. I just cut these with a single kerf width on the table saw. Also I'll route another rabbit around the inside of the window to allow me to secure an acrylic window from the inside. Lastly there is a dato slot on the back (left side in this picture) for the rear I/O LEDs. This has a small lip all around the edge so that I can seat a piece of frosted acrylic to help defuse the light. 

 

This is the top panel. Similar construction to that of the side panels, just thinner. 

 

I first cut the rabbits on the left and right panels. I then marked out where the window would be cut out. I'm using 1/2 baltic birch plywood for this. 

 

I used a router with a strait edge to cut the first panel. This wasn't as accurate as I would have liked and required a fair bit of sanding to get the opening the way I wanted it. 

 

For the second panel. I used some scrap pieces of wood to create a guide all around the panel in which the router guide would follow. This made for a far more accurate cut and I was able to use it for the other panel as well to clean it up to the same size as this one.

 

I used the same technique described above to cut out the rabbit on the inside. Only this time the bit depth was set to half the thickness of the material. 

 

The other side before sanding. 

 

 

Again same process for the top panel. 

 

 

 

This was just a test fit around the internal frame. The openings are in the right spots and I can move on too creating the rails. I wanted to wait to do the rails in case I needed to make the windows larger.

 

For the rails I used 4 lengths of 15mm aluminum angle. I pre-drilled evenly spaced holes that I'll use to attach the lateral supports on the frame. 

 

Here you can see my solution for connecting the power button, front LED lights, and Rear I/O lights from the internal frame to the exterior shell. This 8pin connector will act like a harness, so that when you slide the internal frame into the shell, it will mate with a corresponding male 8pin on the shell. I held it in place with some crazy strong adhesive glue. I I tested its durability with a hammer and the connector stayed in place. 

 

As I was working in this area, I went ahead cut a hole for the power pass through and secured it with 6/32 screws. I'll be making a custom length cable for this later in the build. Also you can see where I attached the rails to the frame. They are attached to the lateral supports. 

 

I used a chisel to make a seat for the male end of the connector. There is also a channel under it to allow room for the wires. I'll be gluing this in place as well. 

 

I used a single kerf cut to make a channel for the wires. The LEDs site in the channels on either side of the front panel with a piece of acrylic on top of them that makes the back surface of the panel the same thickness all the way across. Here you can see me routing the wires for the left side. I left them long and then ran them through the connector as pictured. I then trimmed them flush with the top of the connector. This way when I go to crimp the pins, they'll be the perfect length. This part was a huge pain in the ass, but well worth the effort. 

 

 

Lighting for the front panel is finished. I'll be adding the rear I/O and power switch later. 

 

 

Next I needed to add the diffuser strips. These are pieces of acrylic that I sanded down to make it frosted. This will capture the light from the front panel LEDs and transfer it to the front of the case diffused. They are glued in place.

 

 

 

Just testing the result here. I'm really excited how well it worked out. 

 

At this point I'm pretty satisfied that the design is going to work. Now I can take what I learned and start working with the hardwood. But first I need to go back to the drawing board in sketchup and figure out a new solution as I won't be using solid pieces of hardwood and then cutting a hole out of it. That would be a huge waste and way too expensive.

[bmccarthy]

So the material I want to work with is walnut and maple. I have two lengths of rough sawn stock in walnut and two short scrap pieces of maple. The walnut stock was about 5' 6 1/2" x 4 1/4" x 7/8" thick and the other board was 64" x 4 3/4" x 7/8". So I needed to use the stock wisely. 

 

This was the concept rendering I came up with. Here you can see how each panel will be made up of 4 pieces jointed together to make a panel that will include some maple inlays. 

 

Now I needed to come up with a way to cut the joinery on a table saw. I could of bought some super expensive router bits that are typically used to make cabinet doors. But like I said they are very expensive, annoying to setup, and it wouldn't give me the look I was going for. So I came up with my own joint that can be cut on the table saw. It acts similar to a coping joint. 

 

Here you can get a look at its complexity. But in actuality it is rather simple to cut. The joinery on the piece you see here is done with 8 different passes on the table saw. Now all the pieces will have the same cuts that you see on the left side. The lateral pieces will have the tongue groove cut on the ends. 

 

 

Should be fun right?? haha

 

Here is one of the vertical pieces. As you can see this one doesn't have the tongue groove. 

 

This is the rear right stile or vertical piece. It has the channel for the Rear I/O LEDs.

 

Front stile/vertical piece. Yes I know I misspelled "stile" in the photo. In wood working, vertical pieces are referred to as stiles and the horizontal pieces are referred to as rails in relation to a hand rail. Makes it easier to understand. 

 

Alright before I started on the hardwood I wanted to test this with some MDF. MDF is stupid cheap and if I messed up I could quickly cut another piece to work on. I first cut all the pieces to their final dimensions before I started the joinery. MDF is great for this purpose as it is usually perfectly flat and even thickness. I then labeled all the pieces so that I knew what was what when I started to cut. 

 

Here you can see the first two passes. I first cut the deepest grove as I wont have much reference surface later as I move along. Also besides the first deep cut, all subsequent cuts will be at the same depth, so this helps improve accuracy by not constantly changing the height of the blade.

 

Also, when you make an adjustment to the table saw fence, it is important that you run all the same cuts at the same time. No matter how good you may think you are there is always room for error when adjusting the table fence and it may not always be exactly where it was for the other cuts if you moved it for whatever reason. So even if you're off on your measurement as long as all the pieces are the same, it wont matter. 

 

Third pass. This pass set the thickness of the tongue. The rest of the material can now be hogged out with a few more passes. 

 

Forth pass. 

 

Fifth pass. So 5 passes is all it took to get it to finish the main part of the joinery.

 

 

Here you can see all the rails for the panels. This took two passes to get the 3/16" thickness. 

 

Dry fit. Here you can see how the panels can now be joined. When they come together they create the windowed opening and provides all the needed lips and groove for the glass panels. 

 

This is what that deep groove was for. Once you have your glass panel in place. I can use this panel retention rubber to hold the panel in place. It has fingers the fit inside the groove. It is very secure and allows me to remove the panels if I ever need to refinish the case. Or repair a broken pane. 

 

Alright I think I'm actually ready to start on the real deal now. I know it looks like a lot of work, but I learned a lot through this process and should help make the next steps much easier.

[bmccarthy]

Time to start cutting into that walnut. But before I show that process I wanted to explain a little bit about wood prep. 

 

When you are working with hardwood you have to take into consideration that it flexs and warps in different climates and temperatures. For this reason when you purchase rough sawn stock you need to let it acclimate to your environment.  The material I used sat in my shop for about 3 months on a known flat surface before I even began to work on it. And a couple of things are happening here. 

 

One as wood dries out it starts to release stress causing it to warp and cup. So it is best to let this take place before you begin your project. Walnut is actually fairly stable in my experience. But it all depends on your climate. Now that my stock has acclimated, I rough cut the pieces to roughly their final dimension. I do this to release any further stress that may be release after cutting and also gives me a little extra material to work with to help eliminate snipe which I will get into later. 

 

Here are the boards rough cut. I still need to rip down the boards to their rough widths. Again leaving some room for jointing and squaring off on the table saw. 

 

Here is my setup for milling these boards. I first joint one edge and one face. The jointed edge and face gives me reference faces to square off on the table saw and thickness plainer.

 

The job of the joiner is to give you a perfectly flat edge. So when you look at a piece of stock, it will typically have a bow side and a cup side. You want to join the board cup side down so that you remove material off the front and back of the board. You don't want to put a lot of force down onto the board where you might force the cup out with pressure. If you do that, once the board goes through and you release the pressure the cup will return. The goal is to get a true flat surface. Once you have a flat surface, you can then use that surface to use as a reference to get a flat edge. You place the flat face against the fence of the joiner and remove the cup on one edge. 

 

After you have your true edge and face. You can then rip the board to its final width on the table saw using the true edge against the table saw fence. 

 

After that you then use a thickness plainer. The thickness plainer is just that, it makes boards the same thickness. Now the reason you need to have a flat face is that these plainers use rollers to feed the board into the cutting knives. This pressure will usually force the cup out of a non flat board so when it comes out the other side the cup will return. But if you have your true flat face from the joiner, then the thickness plainer will reference off that face accurately and give you a true square piece of stock. 

 

Final thickness 3/4" perfectly square all around. 

 

Just laying out the boards picking the best faces before I cut everything down to its final length. 

 

All the stock is now cut to its final dimension. I also marked the boards at this point so I can keep track of what is what when I start cutting the joinery. 

 

Main joinery cut. This time it was an absolute breeze and didn't run into any complications. I still need to cut the grooves for the rails but I can't find a picture of it...

 

Each group above is a panel. Left panel - top panel - right panel

 

 

Time for the glue up. The joinery came together so perfectly that I didn't need to use cauls to keep the boards flat against the tension of the clamps. (If you want to know more about what cauls do, check out this link: http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-how-to/shop-tips/keep-glue-ups-flat-with-these-toothy-cauls

 

Here I'm laminating two pieces of maple sandwiched around a strip of walnut. Should give a great accent to the front of the case. After the glue dries, I'll send it through the thickness plainer to make it flat across the the seems. 

 

So rewarding. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the project. 

 

 

After glue up I went to work on the maple inlays. I had no idea what I was doing here. This is my first real wood working project, I've never worked with hardwood before this. But I do know how to work a table saw. And cutting thin strips of wood isn't exactly easy. You can't just set the fence 1/8" from the bade, it just isn't safe. So instead you use a wider piece and set the table saw fence so that the off cut (the piece to the left of the blade) would be 1/8" thick. Then you just keep moving the fence over 1/4" at a time (taking into consideration the thickness of the blade, in my case it was 1/8") and cut out a bunch of strips. 

 

Chances are you'll mess up some of the inlays, so its best to have some extra. 

 

Here is how I cut the inlays. I used my scoring knife to make a light pass to cut the fibers then used a little pressure to chop through it. Worked pretty well. If I were to do it again I think I'd use my pull saw. 

 

Don't be stingy with the glue. I used my finger to ensure the entire surface area was covered in glue. 

 

The inlays are proud by about 1/16 to 1/32 of an inch. This allows me to use a hand plane to make it flush with the rest of the surface and then finish it up much easier with a random orbit sander later. 

 

 

 

Thought this would be a good point to test my glass panel design. So I dropped in the tempered glass and it was a perfect fit. Looking good!

 

120 grit sanding. I'll go over it with 220 before finish. Maybe even 350. 

 

I probably could have got these miters a little tighter but I was just eye balling it and I feel it still came out pretty well. 

 

All the inlays are done! Now all I need to do is cut the rabbits in the panels so that I can assemble them together!

 

Dry fit. This is getting rather exciting for me. So much time and work to get to this point. To see an idea come to fruition is extremely rewarding. I just wanted to make sure the rabbits came out ok. Now I need to get a few things done before I do the final glue up.

 

I needed to finish the front panel before I could glue the case together. This is how I marked the position for the male 8pin connector. I just put it into the female connector and then clamped the case together around the frame minus the top (so I could see of course). I then just used a thin sharpy to trace the edges around the connector. 

 

 

At this time I used a router to hog out the material where the LEDs for the rear I/O will go and then cut the acrylic to fit the opening. 

 

Then I soldered and sleeved the leads for the rear I/O LEDs. The sleeve really helps to clean up the look but also makes a nice tight friction fit in the groove cut for the wires as seen below.

 

The LEDS sit deep enough into the panel that they wont interfere with the rails of the frame. I just super glued the LEDs in place. 

 

Sanded the clear acrylic with 120 grit on a random orbital sander. Doesn't defuse the light all the way, but definitely helps. At least you cant see the strips directly. 

 

Now to wire up the front panel.

I drilled a hole for the switch, and then I soldered the leads for the power button and then covered the contacts with heat shrink. 

 

So funny thing about this switch. All the RGB lighting that I'll be using in the case is common anode meaning all the RGB share a positive common instead of a negative common which is common cathode. The RGB headers on the motherboard are also common anode. But this switch was common cathode. So I actually had to replace the LED inside the switch. Not fun at all. 

 

It took me a while to figure out what was going on. And I ended up playing around with some bread board circuits to figure out how to wire up this switch to the RGB lights once I replaced the LED. The RGB leds I had were low voltage some where around 2v to 3v. And the way an RGB strip works is that it sends 12v down a rail and then there are capacitors that connect to that rail to take it down to the right voltage. That is what is simulated up above. 

 

Also this is where the name of the project was born. This was a nightmare at first getting this figured out. But going through the process I learned a decent amount about low voltage electrical engineering. Much like how this entire project has been one large learning experience which is why I was kind of hooked on the breadboard theme for the name. 

 

Left RGB strip installed and sleeved. 

 

This was a challenge. I had to get 3 wires per pin for the 8pin connector. The RGB leads were split between the power switch and the left and right strips that go down each side of the panel. For the leads going to the switch for the RGB i just used dupont connectors (basically the connector inside a usb header). They hold really well to the pins. 

 

 

One more test fist before I finished up the sleeving and wires on the front panel. But looks like all will be good. 

I'm missing my finished picture  but at least you get the idea. 

 

The Moment of Truth! Shell glue up.

The glue up was pretty strait forward. I glued the panels with the internal frame in place which helps to keep things aligned. I had more clamps along the length of the top. But I forgot to take a picture before the glue dried and this is me in the middle of removing the clamps. 

 

At this point it was time to do the final sanding of the case. I went from 120 to 220 to 350. After that I blew off the dust and used a tack cloth to get any residual saw dust off the case.

 

I applied my first coat of tung oil. Cut down with a little bit of mineral spirits to help it absorb into the wood. She's a thing of beauty. Rubbing on the oil was definitely another highlight. Watching the natural grain pattern just spring to life. After this first coat cures, I'll tough it up with 1000 grit sand paper and then do another coat. 

[bmccarthy]

Ok I still have some frame mods I need to do. 

 

I need to make a ton of ventilation holes. So what I did to make this look as clean as possible was mocked up the panels in illustrator to size and made a hole pattern that I could tape to the panels. I could then follow that up with a punch to center mark every single hole. 

 

This is how the pattern looks after being punched. I made this test piece before I committed to the hole thing. 

 

 

The punching actually added a lot of stress to the aluminum. So I heated it up with my heat gun for it to settle back down. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used a drill press to drill out every hole. This took a little time but I'm happy with the result. After that I chucked up a larger drill bit in my hand drill then counter sunk and debured the holes from both sides of the panel. This cleaned up the holes and allows for better unrestricted airflow. 

 

Next I made a power supply shroud. I think it just makes builds in general much better. Plus as there is literally no room for cable management in the case it'll be nice to have an area to hide a few extra connectors that I'll need to make for the lighting. 

 

 

Here you can see how I attached the shroud to the motherboard tray. Just some small 15mm aluminum angle. The bracket are contact welded to the motherboard tray. 

 

It was at this point that I realize I was going to starve the PSU of fresh air if I didn't help it out a little bit.

 

 

 

I used the same method for drilling the holes in this pattern. Should help the PSU get plenty of fresh air. 

 

I decided to remake all the PETG tube runs. The ones I made earlier in the project had been scratched up from the mock up. I also need to drill another hole in the top panel to mount a pass through fitting for the fill port of the reservoir. This will also act as a structure element to keep the reservoir for tilting.

 

 

I used an extension fitting and a male to male adapter to secure it to the pass through fitting. 

 

 

I also decided to move the drain valve to the other side as I had way more room over there. It is connected to a Q fitting that has 5 ports on it. The inside port is connected to the pump outlet with another male to male rotary fitting. The valve is connected to the left port with a male to male rotary fitting. The top port has a multi-link compression fitting. The rear port has a stop plug, and the bottom port will have the temperature prob for the loop coolant. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full mock up is complete. You can see I also added a handle to the rear panel. This will make it way easier to pull the frame out of the shell. I used a standard drawer pull from the big box store. 

 

Now I need to disassemble and paint and finish the custom wiring! So damn close!

[Defyant]

This log has gone up so fast it's a lot to take in!  but its alot of really cool stuff.  Some awsome skills on show in a awsome diy workshop.

 

The plumbing is the most orig idea ive seen in ages.  I even enjoyed the finger pics!  i had one stitched back on too!

 

I can see from your floors and walls how nice this case is going to blend in.

 

Again top work so far.

 

 

 

[itzsnookums]

Very Very Nice

[bmccarthy]

4 hours ago, Defyant said:

This log has gone up so fast it's a lot to take in!  but its alot of really cool stuff.  Some awsome skills on show in a awsome diy workshop.

 

The plumbing is the most orig idea ive seen in ages.  I even enjoyed the finger pics!  i had one stitched back on too!

 

I can see from your floors and walls how nice this case is going to blend in.

 

Again top work so far.

 

 

 

Thanks man, I really appreciate that. And yeah its a lot of material to get through. I wanted to be thorough so that others could learn from it. Its pretty cool what you can do in your own garage! Being innovative is a lot of fun.

 

And that's crazy about your finger, its either a small world or this is a common injury among modders. 

[IAmOctonaut]

dude I love the bends! Very nice job so far

[Not_Sean]

Amazing !! 

 

Although I am surprised you didn't do a stand alone res and fit in it the top compartment in the center. 

 

Can't wait to see it all finished. 

[bmccarthy]

Alright time for paint!

 

 

First thing, obviously, was to disassemble the entire case. Here you can see all the parts that need to be painted. This is all the parts for the internal frame. 24 individual pieces. I just wanted to get everything laid out before I started surface prep. 

 

 

I was in a bit of a hurry at this point in the project. And paint is one of those things that should be rushed. Here you can see that I've sanded all the panels and parts up to 220 grit. I also washed all the parts with soapy water to remove all oils and other various substances that may have adhered to the surface. This is critical step as anything left on the surface will absolutely ruin the finish. All the panels should be handled with gloves past this point. 

 

Getting the parts laid out for paint. I placed a drop cloth over my two work tables and raised the panels. I hope to one day build a booth where I can hang the parts. It results in a much better finish. I messed up part of the finish on the rails along the edges because how I'm painting them here. Next time if I have to paint this way I'll elevate the parts on some wood blocks to minimize the surface area contact between the parts and the table. It's what I get for rushing paint. Before I sprayed the primer I wiped all the parts with a tack cloth. 

 

I'm using a grey filling primer. I shot 2 coats and then sanded with 800 grit wet sand. Then washed the parts again. The surface is pretty smooth at this point. I used a tack cloth to wipe the parts down before spraying the first coat of paint. 

 

I decided to go with a matte black finish. I like how it doesn't show finger prints as easily and its easier to paint. I ended up going with 3 coats, with a light wet sanding with 1000 grit in between coats. Also if you are new to painting and you are painting in your garage, please be sure you have good airflow to remove the paint fumes. You do not want to be breathing this stuff in and be sure to wear eye protection and a good respirator.

 

Ok now for the fun part! On with final assembly!!!

[bmccarthy]

 

Here are all the parts that will be going into the build. Still need to cut and sleeve the fans and pump headers.

 

 

Front Panel

 

 

 

Rear Panel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frame assembly complete. Just doing another test fit in the exterior shell. Everything is good to go for components. 

[Urishima]

You should head over to r/woodworking and show them your work. They like wood.

[TheCamba]

This is awesome!

[Rackooo]

just wow 0.0 would love to see that on my desk. there is soo much effin effort to make something like this. looks amazing to say the least

[bmccarthy]

3 hours ago, Rackooo said:

just wow 0.0 would love to see that on my desk. there is soo much effin effort to make something like this. looks amazing to say the least

great compliment, thank you!