2 Weeks, 2 Steam Box Designs

kkpatel87 · February 7, 2015

Thanks man! I didn't know about not using tapped holes in aircrafts, and I'm majoring in aerospace engineering lol...

I'm not sure if I'll need the extra reinforcements on the removable frame, since only 2.5" drives and cables will be hanging from it. I'll be doing a rough prototyping this weekend though, so we'll see about that.

I didn't know people do CFDs on PC cases

I do have colored boxes in place of internal components to figure out if everything will fit. Working on adding CAD models of internal components in the render of the next iteration. Aside from intake vents, there is a vent on 2 sides of the GPU, and a vent on 2 sides of the motherboard. I think the airflow should be sufficient.

Yay another AeroE!

Tapped holes have the ability to get stripped the first time you use them and then that hole becomes unusuable and you have to do a destructive repair. With a combination clearance hole and nutplate of some kind, you replace the nutplate and you are good to go. Or you can use blind or solid rivets instead.

It all depends on the material and thickness. That will dictate what you need to do for the internal frame.

I dont know if major case companies do CFD but I doubt it considering how expensive it is if you dont have that knowledgebase.

esplin2966 · February 7, 2015

Yay another AeroE!

Tapped holes have the ability to get stripped the first time you use them and then that hole becomes unusuable and you have to do a destructive repair. With a combination clearance hole and nutplate of some kind, you replace the nutplate and you are good to go. Or you can use blind or solid rivets instead.

It all depends on the material and thickness. That will dictate what you need to do for the internal frame.

I dont know if major case companies do CFD but I doubt it considering how expensive it is if you dont have that knowledgebase.

Yeah, that's true about tapped holes. I will look into using nutplates. It may be implementable without adding too much thickness.

Yeah, I really doubt any case companies do CFD. You'll probably need at least a masters in aero to properly implement CFD, which will cost the company like 80,000 a year per person.

Enzo_Mofo · February 8, 2015

WOW! this is amazing.

esplin2966 · February 9, 2015

WOW! this is amazing.

Thanks! Any features you would like to add/change?

Vacsol · February 10, 2015

I wouldn't use front-panel audio. and I think most people would be fine with rear audio

esplin2966 · February 10, 2015

I wouldn't use front-panel audio. and I think most people would be fine with rear audio

Thanks for letting me know man! Do you think 2 front panel USB ports are sufficient?

Vacsol · February 10, 2015

Thanks for letting me know man! Do you think 2 front panel USB ports are sufficient?

Yeah. Most motherboards have like 6 in the back.

esplin2966 · February 10, 2015

Yeah. Most motherboards have like 6 in the back.

Cool. Anything other features you would like to see? Or things that you think are unnecessary?

Vacsol · February 10, 2015

Cool. Anything other features you would like to see? Or things that you think are unnecessary?

~~I was just checking the specs and it doesn't look like a reference Titan/980 etc would fit as they are 10.5 inches. are the dimensions finalized?~~

~~another 1.5" on the front might open up some room for cables and fit a reference card.~~

nevermind. I was looking at the first one

esplin2966 · February 10, 2015

~~I was just checking the specs and it doesn't look like a reference Titan/980 etc would fit as they are 10.5 inches. are the dimensions finalized?~~

~~another 1.5" on the front might open up some room for cables and fit a reference card.~~

nevermind. I was looking at the first one

lol no problem. I know it's a long ass post. What did you think of the first one vs the second one, conceptually? I'm still not sure if people will want ASAP (as small as possible) or like medium size, but with loads of features.

esplin2966 · February 16, 2015

Hi all, just want to update on the progress:

I spent last weekend on Makeathon, which is a school sponsored event for you to build something. I took this opportunity to do an extremely rough prototype of the Minimal Steam Box skeleton using a water jet cutter. Here are my conclusions:

1) 1.5 mm aluminum is definitely thick enough.

2) Cable management holes are very helpful. My Flex ATX PSU is non-modular, yet most of the cables, used or not, is hidden. However, I need to make some changes to it so that it is easier to attach zip ties/velcro ties.

3) I allocated too much room for the GPU. This means I can definitely make the internal layout even more compact.

4) Using a PCIe riser card is not a good idea. Better to use a PCIe riser cable.

Pictures:

Raw Skeleton 1: