Custom wall-corner mounted case

[Symma]

1st of all, if this is wrong forum pls move this.

 

OK, so, i moved to a new apartment and have about 2x2m space that will serve as a "man cave". 

To maximize the space and also display my PC i want to make (or let someone else make) a custom PC case that is wall mounted in the corner (so between 2 90 degree walls). Only CPU would be water cooled but probably with a preinstalled cooler since i'm a noob in that department. 

I don't expect this to go fast, and i can do my own CAD (or Inventor) sketches. Also, let's consider budget unlimited for the time being.

All that said, where should i start with all that? What materials i should use, how far ahead do i need to plan for hardware (i do want it to be upgradeable) and what are some pitfalls i could run into and should watch out for?

[OddOod]

For my scrapheap wall mount HTPC I just took my parts and peg board and zipties and went to town. If you truly have unlimited budget, you could probably go to whatever local custom fab place you have near you (google custom metal fabrication) and talk to them.

[Symma]

the thing is, i want to build an actual closed case out of acrylic plastic or something.

also, since it's corner mounted i'd want to put PSU behind the MB so it's not visible and it's easier to hide the cables (in theory at least).

[frokes]

Hi! I recently built a PMMA case for my NAS (Build "log") for which I did all of the CAD myself and while it is quite different from what you want to do I thought I'd just mention some of the things i ran into.

 

One of the most frustrating things was to actually find exact measurements for all components, having the components next to you helps a lot but the wonderful mix of freedom and real-units used for the different standards makes it take more time than one might expect. As with all projects, be prepared to iterate! Access to a lasercutter can help you during this step as you can quickly iterate designs out of ply-wood or similar.

 

I would also recommend trying a few different types of glue before you start assembling stuff, if you are going for a mostly acrylic or plastic case that is. I started out with super glue and while it was strong enough I found it to be a bit too brittle for my design.

 

Finally, I don't know how serious you are about air flow but there are a few good and simple CFD/Thermal softwares out there that can give you an idea of the thermal performance. ANSYS Discover is probably the easiest and fastest way to sanity check your case flow and while I havn't used it for PC cases I've used it for other stuff to get a rough idea of what the air is doing inside. AFAIK there is a free trial for it.

[Symma]

1st of all, your build is awesome!

2nd, did u take any measures and dimensions from this Forum?

also, regarding those thermal performance programs, what kind of file do i need for those? maybe making everything in Inventor instead of CAD would be better?

 

[startrek03]

1 hour ago, frokes said:

Hi! I recently built a PMMA case for my NAS (Build "log") for which I did all of the CAD myself and while it is quite different from what you want to do I thought I'd just mention some of the things i ran into.

 

One of the most frustrating things was to actually find exact measurements for all components, having the components next to you helps a lot but the wonderful mix of freedom and real-units used for the different standards makes it take more time than one might expect. As with all projects, be prepared to iterate! Access to a lasercutter can help you during this step as you can quickly iterate designs out of ply-wood or similar.

 

I would also recommend trying a few different types of glue before you start assembling stuff, if you are going for a mostly acrylic or plastic case that is. I started out with super glue and while it was strong enough I found it to be a bit too brittle for my design.

 

Finally, I don't know how serious you are about air flow but there are a few good and simple CFD/Thermal softwares out there that can give you an idea of the thermal performance. ANSYS Discover is probably the easiest and fastest way to sanity check your case flow and while I havn't used it for PC cases I've used it for other stuff to get a rough idea of what the air is doing inside. AFAIK there is a free trial for it.

 

2 minutes ago, Symma said:

1st of all, your build is awesome!

2nd, did u take any measures and dimensions from this Forum?

also, regarding those thermal performance programs, what kind of file do i need for those? maybe making everything in Inventor instead of CAD would be better?

 

I mainly get my measurements from these two spec sheets:

• https://cdn.instructables.com/ORIG/FS8/5ILB/GU59Z1AT/FS85ILBGU59Z1AT.pdf
• http://read.pudn.com/downloads166/ebook/758109/PCI_Express_CEM_1.1.pdf

They're basically the most direct source you can get, However, the Protocase page from the Modding FAQ should also be fine. I just like working wih the original spec, since it gives you the most freedom in design imo.

[frokes]

21 minutes ago, Symma said:

1st of all, your build is awesome!

2nd, did u take any measures and dimensions from this Forum?

also, regarding those thermal performance programs, what kind of file do i need for those? maybe making everything in Inventor instead of CAD would be better?

 

Thank you!

I mostly used the ATX documentation (the one @startrek03 linked above), manufacturing specification (for aftermarket coolers etc.) and measured components I had access to.

I don't quite remember exactly what formats are supported but if you are using a mainstream CAD software like Autodesk Inventor you should be fine.

 

 

[Symma]

OK, i gave up on this for quite some time cause of rona and the work i had to do on my apartment, but now i'm ready to start over.

So here's a pretty rough 3D of the idea i have and i need feedback.

PSU is in the back and the front canals are for glass to slide in.

If someone has a good idea for mounting GPU and connecting wooden plates like in picture would be good.

Also, if someone has an STP file of any component it would help a lot with planning.