[Scratch build] Project: Metro

[GreenRay]

Project: Metro

 

Background story:

This is my fourth scratch build, and first time ever working with metal. I have used wood/mdf in all of my other projects.

I started planning this project a year ago, and got the computer up and running in April this year (needed the computer when I was participating at The Gathering, the world’s second biggest LAN party) and after that I haven’t done anything but planning, redesigning and programming. But now I am ready to finish this case!

 

 

The plan:

I had some water cooling parts left over from another project, so I built the case around these components. And I had an Arduino that I wanted to use (note: I had almost no experience with programming before this project!)

So this was going to be a lightweight-Arduino controlled-watercooled-pc, with old hardware that I had left over.

I drew the whole case in a CAD program, and paid a guy to make all of the parts (except the metal frame) and when I got the parts I needed to drill all of the holes, weld the frame and put it together.

After the whole case was assembled, I had to grind all parts and get them anodized, to get a better surface and a nice color.

 

 

 

 

 

The Arduino:

I wanted to learn how to program an Arduino, and found this project as a perfect opportunity.  The Arduino is going to control the speed of the fans, waterpump and color of the leds, it is also going to log temperature and flow, and turn the computer on and off.

Everything is going to be controlled from a self-made GUI on the computer, which can “speak” with the Arduino over usb/serial.

 

 

The next step:

The case looks a bit messy at the moment! So my plan is to:

 

1. Rip everything out

2. Change the color of the frame to white

3. Make some new brackets for HDD and reservoir

4. Sleeve everything

5. Build it together, with a new water-cooled Gainward 970 card

6. Insert a new microprocessor (Adafruits Metro, yes, I took the name from them

7. Mount some lightsstrips

8. Program everything

9. Play Fallout 4

 

I am probably going to change my plan, but that’s my plan at the moment.

 

Hope you will like my project.

 

@GreenRay