Bob 2.0 - a small custom laser-cut HTPC case

cHubbyFker · November 17, 2016

Hey everyone! Have been enjoying the build logs here for quite some time, and it seems that the time has finally come for me to contribute!

A while back, i put together a pretty decent and cheap HTPC to go together with my new projector, using a mix of reused and new parts, and some second-hand stuff. It's meant to run as a somewhat capable console, running emulators, some couch-friendly games, and possibly as an extra gaming pc for LANs.

The components:

Mobo: MSI B75IA-E33 mITX

CPU: Core i5 2320

Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i

Ram: 2x4gb Avexir ddr3

GPU: EVGA 950 sc

SSD: Some 60gb sh*tbox I got for free

HDD: 1tb WD Green

PSU: My old craptastic 500w unit from a noname brand

Case: An old HP pavillion previously housing my girlfriend's old PC, lovingly named Bob.

The CPU/Mobo/Ram was purchased from a friend for about the equivalent of 100USD. He even threw in the crappy old SSD (seriously, it's a dual-interface SATA/microUSB) for free!

The PSU is kinda iffy, but it's the one that used to power my old rig, and it's been serving me well thus far! Besides, this was meant to be a quite cheap build, so don't want to spend any more money than needed.

The only new parts are the GTX950 and the Noctua cooler. The latter purchase was made out of necessity, as the stock cooler failed. All in all, I've spent about 250USD on the system, and I'm quite happy with how it performs.

Old Bob, the case, isn't very living room friendly, however. So for some time I've been meaning to make a tiny custom case for it, but I've put it off due to university and work. Today we screwed up at the design workshop, though, and wound up with some spare MDF boards. I figured that it would be silly to waste it!

The plan is to make a fairly simple model in sketchup to check measurements and layout, and make a laser-cut box which I will turn into a sweet custom-made and painted little case! Depending on how things go, I might also try my hand at some custom sleeving, and building/programming a microcontroller to do some cool custom-lighting and activation method.

Threw together a quick-n'-dirty model, and it looks a bit like this

I'm trying to keep the overall aesthetic clean. The front panel comes off, giving access to the innards. It's going to be tight, especially seeing as the PSU is a bit on the big side.

It has an intake grille on the top right side, which is going to have a 120mm NZXT fan mounted behind it, blowing down directly on the CPU cooler and GPU. I might also include a 120mm silverstone fan filter.

Exhaust will be handled entirely by the PSU.

The base will be 3d-printed, and the two grooves will be used for cable management, as the system will be placed in the windowsill behind my couch.

As for the method of powering the system on, I'm considering doing a simple resistive-touch solution, or a knock-knock function where you do two quick knocks to turn the system on. I have access to a good variety of sensors and tools though, so let me know if you have any suggestions! The same goes for design cues you'd like to see!

I'll try to update the build regularly, and include progress in this original post as it comes. I'm heading off to work at Dreamhack next week, and I'm hoping to have the laser-cutting done by then. The next update will most likely include some more images of the internals and component layout.

cHubbyFker · November 19, 2016

An update on the design, and how it's coming along!

Let's start on a side/read view.

So there you have the 120mm intake fan I mentioned in the previous post. You can also see one of the little difficulties I'm designing around - the MDF I will be using is 6mm thick. Waaaaaay overkill. It's the thickness that I wound up with after the screwup though, and it's a bit of fun to design around. It's also going to make the case extremely sturdy.

One of the problems this creates is how to deal with the rear IO. The IO shield most likely wouldn't get on there voluntarily, and the angled tab where you fasten the GPU would be pushed too far in to actually screw it down. I could laser cut away 5mm of thickness around this area, but this would only possibly solve the IO shield, and would make the whole section quite brittle. Therefore, I went with solution number two:

A simple metal cover plate screwed down over the top. I don't have the required skills to use our metal mills, though, so I will have to make this entirely by hand. That's fine by me, as I'll probably have to do some manual minute adjustments to make everything line up properly. On a side-note, I actually quite like the way this looks, and I'm considering painting it in a different color to the rest of the case, for some contrast. Maybe orange to make it a LTT-themed build?

Now, onto the internal layout.

As you can see, it's quite packed. The PSU just takes up a silly amount of space. The biggest worries when it comes to clearance are the PCIe-extension and the intake fan, as the area around there is pretty damn tight (only about 2-3mm). I might cut a 2-3mm recess for the fan to sink into, to give me a bit more peace of mind.

A view without the surrounding case.

Now, an exploded view of all the components. Some of you might notice that there's no 3.5 inch HDD. Quite simply, it didn't fit if I wanted an intake fan, and I'm not comfortable going without one. Besides, the old drive was on its last leg anyway. In stead, I will be going with a 1tb 2.5 inch HDD, which leaves me with the option of adding another one in the future. It's an added cost which I wasn't too keen on, but in the end it's not a big deal.

And finally, a look at the case by itself.

Some notes on the layout:

The CPU and GPU are sandwiched together quite tight. The idea is that I will reverse the CPU fan, making it force air straight into the GPU fan. The intake fan is blowing straight onto them both, along with the motherboard, so I don't think cooling here is going to be an issue.

The PSU fan is angled inward, with about 10mm of clearance between it and the back of the GPU. Once again, it has pretty good access to fresh air from the intake, so not too worried here either.

Cable management would be an issue with the very long cables it's got currently (it's non-modular). There's actually a good 40mm of clearance for cable management back there, though, so after cutting away unnecessary cables and shortening the rest, it should be manageable.

The largest issue will most likely be gaining access to connectors and stuff during the build (the 4-Pin EPS connector is in a particularly idiotic place, squeezed between the cooler and rear connectors). Putting the GPU in last will provide some much-needed free space in the middle to get everything else sorted first, so I'm hoping that should be enough!

That's it for this update! Gonna try to get the vector files for the laser cutter done over the weekend, so that I can get the cutting done on Monday or Tuesday, before leaving for Dreamhack on Wednesday. I still want to get some fun ideas for design ideas and start-method, so the deadline for any changes is monday!

Cheers!

_blackknight_ · November 25, 2016

interesting

ccRicers · November 26, 2016

That looks like a cool design. And also tilted makes it stand out from the other cubes.

Is the BOB gonna be all black parts like you show in the render? That would look really great I think, You can call it Black Out Bob, B. O. BOB or BOB for short