DIY Case

[shinegull]

I thinking of converting a wooden cabinet into a unraid server case.  Its a besta frame with doors, the glass door with wooden framing.

 

Before getting starting, I'd like to know if this is a good idea at all.

I'm planning on printing out drive bracket and psu brackets.

I'll also be cutting out fan holes at the top and bottom and installing some 200mm fans.

 

But I'm a bit worried about the structural integrity of the frame itself, since i think its basically made out out of fiberboard.

 

1. Should I put some plywood on the inside of the case? since I'll be putting screws and bolts into it when I mount the brackets.

 

2. Should I add some acoustic foam to help with sound leakage? I know that theres going to a hole in the top and bottom, but maybe I can direct the sound elsewhere? Theres also a bit of a gap between the doors, do i need to seal up those ares when the door is closed?

 

3. What kind of mesh should I get for the fan holes?

 

4. If I'm installing hard drives, do i need to decrease the vibration somehow?

 

Basically, I'd like to know how deep a hole I'm digging myself into and what I need to consider as well as what kind of materials I should get before starting.

[tdkid]

i would not do it at all because wooden cabinets are not actually built to hold anything. the strength and why they can comes from the front and back. the front because that is where the wooden doors are and you cant have your product looking like crap and the back because its actually bolted to the wall on which they were installed. the cabinets themselves have zero structural support.

 

if you are still going to do it tneh

'

1. you will need plywood or some other material to add strength to the cabinet. most cabinets say they are made out of wood because technically they are but its particle board meaning that it has wood but if it gets wet then that is the end.

 

2. this is completely up to you and what you can/can not stand for noise because you are the one that is going to have to listen to it. 

 

3. pretty much any type of mesh material will work so long as it actually allows air to pass thru it easily. just going to your local walmart or similar store that sells fabrics will work but i wouldnt go with them.

 

4. yes you will need to or the drives will not last as long. most cases do this by making the HDD brackets out of a plastic material to absorb some or a good amount of vibration as far as i am aware.

 

[shinegull]

12 minutes ago, tdkid said:

i would not do it at all because wooden cabinets are not actually built to hold anything. the strength and why they can comes from the front and back. the front because that is where the wooden doors are and you cant have your product looking like crap and the back because its actually bolted to the wall on which they were installed. the cabinets themselves have zero structural support.

 

if you are still going to do it tneh

'

1. you will need plywood or some other material to add strength to the cabinet. most cabinets say they are made out of wood because technically they are but its particle board meaning that it has wood but if it gets wet then that is the end.

 

2. this is completely up to you and what you can/can not stand for noise because you are the one that is going to have to listen to it. 

 

3. pretty much any type of mesh material will work so long as it actually allows air to pass thru it easily. just going to your local walmart or similar store that sells fabrics will work but i wouldnt go with them.

 

4. yes you will need to or the drives will not last as long. most cases do this by making the HDD brackets out of a plastic material to absorb some or a good amount of vibration as far as i am aware.

 

I assumed as much for the strength and durabilty wise, i guess ill scrounge up some plywood.

 

would acoustic foam help with sound? or just any sound dampening material?

 

and Im 3D printing the drive caddies out of PLA, would that actually absorb the vibration enough or do i need to add some other things to help

[tdkid]

the sound level depends on how many fans you are going to have. acoustic foam would help but if you are going to make the case completely closed, that would help a lot.

 

i havent tried it myself so i woulndt know for sure but the 3D PLA should help out a lot. it will not absorb all of it but nothing ever will. one thing that most cases do is have some sort of feet for under the case to allow airflow and to have some sort of rubber feet to soften any vibration from people moving around the case. 

[shinegull]

15 hours ago, tdkid said:

the sound level depends on how many fans you are going to have. acoustic foam would help but if you are going to make the case completely closed, that would help a lot.

 

i havent tried it myself so i woulndt know for sure but the 3D PLA should help out a lot. it will not absorb all of it but nothing ever will. one thing that most cases do is have some sort of feet for under the case to allow airflow and to have some sort of rubber feet to soften any vibration from people moving around the case. 

got it. the case frame will be on wooden feet but the whole thing sits on carpet. carpet should probably help with that. I've already factored in some extra space at the bottom of the frame to account for additional airflow

[tdkid]

the carpet will help with it a little.