Can We Design a Case for LTT to Make?

[TechyBen]

Can we help LTT avoid the "wooden PC case" and design a fully 3d printed and laser cut case for them? I can give Sketchup a go for really quick prototyping designs. I could give a go at a free copy of SolidWorks or similar (I've specced out the measurements of a case in it before, but am a total novice ).

An example of the designs I've tried in Sketchup:

Spoiler

 

 

If you think it is worth the community designing one to at least try to put forwards to LTT to try and make, then I am open to suggestions for a theme! Once there, I can post up some quick design ideas.

 

What theme would you like to see in my our design?

[InertiaSelling]

I agree, they need to make more custom cases, and they should make it in a more profesionnal way. Their "Mystic Space" thing would have looked a lot nicer, had they used angled aluminium, rivets and metallic feet instead of just wood, glue and screws. Your design example looks a lot like a node 202 though.

 

[TechyBen]

Yeah, I did my design that like... a year before that case came out!  I also "designed" (drew on a post-it note) a phone with rounded corners at my college about 3 years before Apple did.

 

I wish I had an engraver/CNC/etc machine as my design was going for a pico power supply, or mounting the GPU above the motherboard. (I got a case made... but only for my Raspy Pi! ). So I at least know it can be done in concept.

 

For LTT I would stick to acrylic though, as I would not ask them to shell out for some more hardware. Some of the brackets can be laser cut or 3d printed. Then assembled nicely and neatly. RGB would certainly be part of the topic! Possibly something retro looking? Perhaps cameras or photography?

 

[Edit] Something like this 5 min concept? It would have to be spray painted acrylic or colour chosen acrylic to colour match some classic cameras!

Spoiler

Or something totally different? (Cookie for anyone to guess what it is, no it's not No Mans Sky!)

Spoiler

 

[Jtalk4456]

I would love to see them make more of their own products professionally

[TechyBen]

1 hour ago, Pangea2017 said:

You don't need expensiv tools to work with aluminium. Sure a lathe and milling or even blasting give your more oportunity but you can do good work with cheap or no tools. Saw, rasp, vise and eyeprotection would be enough for building a simple good looking case. All of these tools are in there workshop.

 

Why did they done this awful job? Time is money. They have to pay the staff and this would cost much more time but did not result in video length.

 

If they would do it right they release it in 5 seperate videos or even more parts in a series like DIY case or modding guide. For example the one part would be anodizing or tips on led strip and how use them for more then just glue it in the case and call it a day. The last part would showcase the final epic build (maybe for LTX).

 

Will they do it? no

Would it be cool? yes

would it be profitable? don't think so

Which is why they need our help. We could get the design 99% done. Then they can print/cut it out, and that leaves them with assembly only, and one or two adjustments if we get all a couple of mounting holes wrong.  

[TechyBen]

Plastic (acrylic) looks fine. Can be painted or vinyl wrapped. 3D printed plastic can be kept inside/minimum.

 

It's something they can build vs something they cannot. Plus any design can be prototyped in 3d print/cut then made out of metal! Or if everyone really prefers, I suppose a retro wooden case could be done. Old radio/TV style?

 

I can always prototype in Sketchup, then transfer to an autocad later.

[TechyBen]

So, a basic render of the shape I would be going for:

 

I could pull that into a CAD program and get the cutouts for Acrylic and mounting points for MB, PSU and GPU.

[TechyBen]

So, Fusion 360 is a lot more annoying to use than the older/better versions. Wow, I hate the "cloud". But here is a draft for size/shape comparisons. Mini ITX, SFX PSU and about an AMD Vega card (needing a riser ribbon/cable for the GPU). It's a tight fit, as we would be limited to 60cm cut on the laser cutter (case is 58cm high without using any feet). It would need a PSU extension power cable too, as the PSU is mounted internally for the cables, so they fit... but it could be re-orientated if the case was given legs/feet I suppose.

 

[TechyBen]

OnShape is horrid. Fusion 360 is rubbish... So I'm prototyping the entire (near enough) design in Sketchup for speed, and hope to transfer the design to Solidworks (yeah, as if I can get a copy ) or AutoCAD (hopefully I can use a 30 day trial version ).

 

[TechyBen]

So, I've done the somewhat impossible. Sized it out to fit a custom cooling loop (I hope), a nice sized GPU. All with parts cut under 60cm tall! Though arguably it's only mini itx and SFX PSU. Though a wider version could to micro itx board, full sized PSU and possible dual graphics cards.

 

[Jtalk4456]

i like the aesthetic, but if we're gonna design this for them, we need more design than the outside

Let's make a list of common complaints with pc cases.

My List of design considerations:

1. Nice Buttons, no hair-thick reset button you need a paperclip unrolled for.

2. I/O! for a modern PC, I need at least one type c plus 2-4 3.0's in the front

3. This is probably a minority of preference, but i still want room for a bay up front, be that a optical bay or a sd card reader or extra usb's. Basically at least one front bay.

4. Removable hard drive bays

5. Those thumb screws that don't fall out, whatever they are called

6. Enough room for 4 SSD's and 4 HDD's combined

There's more things I want in a case, but i can't think of them right now

[TechyBen]

Thanks for the input!

 

It's got the insides too.  I'm not showing everything just yet. Working on the structure/mounting points now.

 

As said, it's a tight fit, so making it wider/bigger might be the only option... but then again, when has LTT done anything easy? So why should we!

 

I was thinking of hiding the button in the dome sides, or at the top/rear/sides.

I/O is accessible at the back (will upload pics soon). Extra possibly at the top? Otherwise, we could have the side slanted panel open to show a USB / HDD bay! That way it looks tidy, but still has access.

 

I think a slimline optical may fit just behind the GPU+ reservoir, but tight fit. Not worth the hassle IMO for a first attempt.

 

Thumb screws in acrylic is not really an option.  But perhaps LTT can get it sent over to one of those custom case companies (Protocase?)?

 

4 SSDs should squeeze in there... as I've added liquid cooling, not sure if the full size drives will fit. That depends on the internal structure I get up and running (cable management too!).

[Jtalk4456]

35 minutes ago, TechyBen said:

Thanks for the input!

 

It's got the insides too.  I'm not showing everything just yet. Working on the structure/mounting points now.

 

As said, it's a tight fit, so making it wider/bigger might be the only option... but then again, when has LTT done anything easy? So why should we!

 

I was thinking of hiding the button in the dome sides, or at the top/rear/sides.

I/O is accessible at the back (will upload pics soon). Extra possibly at the top? Otherwise, we could have the side slanted panel open to show a USB / HDD bay! That way it looks tidy, but still has access.

 

I think a slimline optical may fit just behind the GPU+ reservoir, but tight fit. Not worth the hassle IMO for a first attempt.

 

Thumb screws in acrylic is not really an option.  But perhaps LTT can get it sent over to one of those custom case companies (Protocase?)?

 

4 SSDs should squeeze in there... as I've added liquid cooling, not sure if the full size drives will fit. That depends on the internal structure I get up and running (cable management too!).

for your design i agree some of my design considerations are more for a generic box case than what you have designed. I think we should make a few designs for linus. 

1. Aesthetic - basically what you are doing, not very standard shape, made for high end

2. Powerhouse - Standard box style, couldbe cube or tall, either way

3. Budget - Small profile, no liquid cooling, but still enough room and good design for any good computer

[TechyBen]

I'm going to have to make it larger.

 

Wait, I did it. I have no idea how... but I did the impossible! and I may have made a mistake, but it fits a water res, pump, block, 1 HDD, 4 SSD, mini itx, SFX PSU!

 

Rear of case is planned at being see through perspex/acrylic. Front of case black/blue (Vega colours and old ATi 5000 series imitation Obelisk).

 

I'm planning on making the top bay removable, with GPU, Cooling loop and HDD.

Mid bay is radiator.

Lower two bays are Motherboard, PSU and SSDs (Yes, I put the expensive stuff under water ).

 

PS, I am adjusting the pump and drive positions... then to figure out how to run a PCIe ribbon up that thing!

[TechyBen]

ForTheLTTTeam1.skp Any feedback or assistance much appreciated.

[Jtalk4456]

so first off, i'm not sure why you had to put everything under the water. Since you are designing from scratch, that shouldn't be hard to fix. Next I noticed that based on the way you have the GPU sitting, you're gonna have to wire the PSU connectors in a very tight spot, plus the actual Video out will be shooting out of the top of the case. If there's a way to have the gpu pointing down and have a 90 degree male to female video out to create ports on the back, that would be better. It would be easier if it were horizontal with the ports facing the side or rear, but this is a tall narrow build so that might not be possible. Also with just a small change in the width of the case, you could add more than enough room for some thicker HDD's if someone wants a raid setup and can't afford raid ssd's

On 2/27/2018 at 1:51 PM, TechyBen said:

I'm going to have to make it larger.

 

Wait, I did it. I have no idea how... but I did the impossible! and I may have made a mistake, but it fits a water res, pump, block, 1 HDD, 4 SSD, mini itx, SFX PSU!

 

Rear of case is planned at being see through perspex/acrylic. Front of case black/blue (Vega colours and old ATi 5000 series imitation Obelisk).

 

I'm planning on making the top bay removable, with GPU, Cooling loop and HDD.

Mid bay is radiator.

Lower two bays are Motherboard, PSU and SSDs (Yes, I put the expensive stuff under water ).

 

PS, I am adjusting the pump and drive positions... then to figure out how to run a PCIe ribbon up that thing!

what is the green on the bottom right?

[PortzJ]

On 2/20/2018 at 4:42 AM, TechyBen said:

Can we help LTT avoid the "wooden PC case" and design a fully 3d printed and laser cut case for them? I can give Sketchup a go for really quick prototyping designs. I could give a go at a free copy of SolidWorks or similar (I've specced out the measurements of a case in it before, but am a total novice ).

An example of the designs I've tried in Sketchup:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

If you think it is worth the community designing one to at least try to put forwards to LTT to try and make, then I am open to suggestions for a theme! Once there, I can post up some quick design ideas.

 

What theme would you like to see in my our design?

yeah, I think a case made of concrete would be pretty tight!

[Jtalk4456]

2 hours ago, PortzJ said:

yeah, I think a case made of concrete would be pretty tight!

why concrete?

[TechyBen]

Thanks for the advice. I'll see what I can do.

GPU airflow will be blocked if it points down. Unless it is also water cooled.

Cabling hidden and tidied in the back, may use an extension for the HDMI/display port sockets.

A bit of adjusting, about 10cm deeper. Flipped the GPU orientation to make it easier to fit the watercooling loop, no left to right now, just up and down.

Green blocks are SSDs, Orange HDD (except for the PSU).

 

 

I agree if this was for anyone else, I'd do it totally different to fit more normal 3.5' drives. But why be normal here?

 

PortzJ, Concrete could be the second design.

 

[edit]

Thanks JTalk! I've just figured out a compromise that will keep the "look" of the design, but allow the extra space down below, and possibly the drives... not sure if the GPU too. (Why did I spend so much time making the "perfect" top loading bracket for it.  )

[PortzJ]

31 minutes ago, Jtalk4456 said:

why concrete?

Have you ever seen braille skating? They have a skate anything show and they will skate anything with wheels. That being said it could be awesome to build a case with whatever. Plus concrete is highly energy efficient because they take advantage of concretes inherent thermal mass or ability to absorb and retain heat. It would be cool to see linus try to keep the beast nice and cold when its prone to being hot.

[Jtalk4456]

13 minutes ago, PortzJ said:

Have you ever seen braille skating? They have a skate anything show and they will skate anything with wheels. That being said it could be awesome to build a case with whatever. Plus concrete is highly energy efficient because they take advantage of concretes inherent thermal mass or ability to absorb and retain heat. It would be cool to see linus try to keep the beast nice and cold when its prone to being hot.

i'll disagree with you on it being energy efficient. Concrete is the most energy intensive material to make, and being concrete, you better not EVER want to move your desk! Some materials just don't deserve to be a computer case

[Jtalk4456]

48 minutes ago, TechyBen said:

Thanks for the advice. I'll see what I can do.

GPU airflow will be blocked if it points down. Unless it is also water cooled.

Cabling hidden and tidied in the back, may use an extension for the HDMI/display port sockets.

A bit of adjusting, about 10cm deeper. Flipped the GPU orientation to make it easier to fit the watercooling loop, no left to right now, just up and down.

Green blocks are SSDs, Orange HDD (except for the PSU).

Thanks JTalk! I've just figured out a compromise that will keep the "look" of the design, but allow the extra space down below, and possibly the drives... not sure if the GPU too. (Why did I spend so much time making the "perfect" top loading bracket for it.  )

I would say not being a normal case here, you might as well water cool the GPU

I like the design overall! Hopefully Linus sees this

[TechyBen]

I don't think there is room for fitting a water cooling block. Unless top mounted pipes only. It cannot be wider than it already is. Unless the water cooling pipes go outside the case. 

 

Adding a bit on the back, similar to the front. Makes the whole design/build more complex, but gives more space. So I can see about moving things around a bit more.

 

 

Or perhaps like this? (cable extensions to move power socket to the bottom, and hdmi/display port cables to the bottom. Mouse/usb will have to run down a cable tidy to the bottom from the mid mounted motherboard though.

[Jtalk4456]

2 hours ago, TechyBen said:

I don't think there is room for fitting a water cooling block. Unless top mounted pipes only. It cannot be wider than it already is. Unless the water cooling pipes go outside the case. 

 

Adding a bit on the back, similar to the front. Makes the whole design/build more complex, but gives more space. So I can see about moving things around a bit more.

Or perhaps like this? (cable extensions to move power socket to the bottom, and hdmi/display port cables to the bottom. Mouse/usb will have to run down a cable tidy to the bottom from the mid mounted motherboard though.

I like the second design better. My main concern is the wiring, having outputs coming out of the top defeats the whole aesthetic of the case. Having the graphics in the middle lets the cords go out the back. Cable management will be tight, but everything will look better coming out the back vs the top

[TechyBen]

It was never out the top, there would have been cable hides if using right angled cables. But I've gone for the design you chose. I have made the rear square, not tapered, to simplify the build. Fitting he drives in is hard. I have 3 2 4 ssds and 1 hhd so far.