[Intermediate] Project RGB

Finally, I have found time to post up my worklog. I welcome you all to:



My whole theme behind this project was the RGB (red-green-blue) color system. I like graphic arts, and we work in either RGB or CMYK, and personally, I think red-green-blue looks a lot better than cyan-magenta-yellow-black as a theme. Some of my brainstorming and crappy sketches trying to come up with a design, and then finalizing it. This is actually going to be a case for my folding rig, which happened to follow the RGB theme very well. The hardware I am going to be using is: EVGA 750i FTW, 2x EVGA gtx260, Cooler Master Real Power Pro 750w, 2x1gb Patriot ddr2 800 c4, e1400, Noctua nh-u9b se2, an old sata hdd, and I think that is pretty much it. So back to my designs and ideas. The last picture is a pretty much final idea of the front and top of the case, the colors being painted mesh (the black line is the break between the front and top).


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Edit: For those of you who just wanna skip everything and see the final product: http://www.overclock.net/14077832-post19.html
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I wanted to keep this build fairly clean and simple, so I cut out some optional parts of a system, mainly the dvd drive; I figure if I need something I can download it, or if it is only on dvd, hook up an external. Along with this, taking away a dvd drive let me keep the build extremely sleek.
I also wanted to do a semi-scratch build, so I could really infuse my ideas how I wanted, without much or any interference from the case I started with. So, I found an old Dell Dimension 4600 case tucked away in my workshop. I had sold the guts of it, so I only had the case left. This thing was a tank though, going something like 8 years strong before we retired it. But, now, it had collected some dust, and seems so sad just sitting under a workbench in the corner of my workshop. I wanted to give it a full revival.















Anyways, I started taking it apart to see if I could work with it. I already had the hardware I was going to put in the build because I couldn't afford to buy brand new hardware for this build.

First problem, the case was micro atx, and I had an atx board. I fiddled with the design for a while to get an atx board to fit, and I ended up with a Silverstone Raven top-down mobo configuration you will see later. So, I obviously needed an atx mobo tray, so I bought a Lian-Li replacement one to work into my build. A new part, a new issue. The mobo tray was wider than the case by a bit. I knew this going in, so I had a plan. I cut down the width of the backplate for the tray to make it fit the case. Note I also cut the filed the corners back to curves to make it look stock again. Along with this, I cut the actual mobo tray shorter, to work with my design I had started working out for the inside of the case, which you will see some of later. Lots of filing ensued after all the cuts(and would throughout the build).































Oh yes, I also put up a big painting sheet to keep metal filings from getting on my computer stuff I had in the workshop. And I bought some new files, and some JB Weld which I will use later. (and my crappy jigsaw snuck in a picture of it's own)

Next, I had to cut the top of the Dell case to fit the mobo tray, ala Raven style. A lot more filing too, haha. I also drilled holes in the top to mount the mobo tray - it is a removable mobo tray.































Next I went to work cutting out and filing the front and back panels. I will be making my own custom ones to mount to the dell.

Woohoo! My package of a big steel mesh sheet, a big aluminum sheet, and a big angle aluminum came!







Now, just mocking up my current progress with old parts to see how everything is working.



















So, since I have a vertical mounted mobo, I figured it would look terrible having tons of wires coming out of the top of the case. So I started designing a sort of false top to cover all those wires.













More to come; i have more progress/pictures, i just have to upload them and write up for them, but for now, i am tired from what i have already posted!

More worklog madness now.

Next I got the front and back plate replacements cut out of the aluminum sheet.



I then started making the false top and midplate (interior design I mentioned earlier) out of newspaper to get their unfolded dimensions. I then proceeded to cut them out of the aluminum sheet as well.









Next I worked on the side panels. One of them was actually attached to the top of the case, so I had cut that off earlier, and now I wanted to get it to look like the door you can take off. Masking and cutting ensued.







Oh yes, now one of my many stupid mistakes. I forgot that the mobo tray back panel has a fan hole, so I had to go back and cut out more of the dell top panel to accommodate for the fan.

Now I started to work on the false top and midplate bending. I first tested on a smaller piece of metal to see how it would work. Came out pretty good imo. I then proceeded to the midplate, the more complicated one. I don't know why I bent the trickier one first, I just did, lol. I had to actually make a cut into to go with a little double bend (was one of the hardest things to get right in my build; hard for me to do with a table, a piece of wood, and some clamps) I had in the middle of it. I finished the midplate off later, as these were just rough-ish bends.

















Then I bent the false top and started testing it to make sure the size was right compared to the normal top.























And the state of my basement, lol.



I later cut some of the mesh to go with the false top and the front plate, those places being where the majority of my design is.













Filing/smooting steel mesh is a total pita.>















I then tested the sizing to make sure they would work with the parts I cut them for.

So I apparently was too cautious in my early cuts, as my mid plate and top plate were too long. Cut those down in no time though.

















Hell of a lot of filing. I think I'm gonna crazy from all of it.



Next, mocking up with the mid plate.











Now that I got that in place, I made some brackets to attach to the mid plate to hold the mobo tray in place so it doesn't wobble. I drilled them and the midplate. I actually used a scrap piece of the mobo tray to get just the right width between the brackets to hold the mobo tray in place. Also made a little jig on my drill press to get the holes in the same place on the brackets every time.







Made a little jig to get the same hole on the angle aluminum pieces.









I also used a scrap piece from the mobo tray to get the distance between the two brackets just right.







And the mobo tray fits!



I also made a way to mount the midplate to the case, by using a piece of angle aluminum.

So now I started working on the top plate, getting the mesh aligned with the aluminum and drilled some mounting holes. I also did the same with the front panel.



























I then got a hinge and some latches to use for my false top.















Next I worked on the back of the case, and cut out a notch in the aluminum sheet for that for the unlocking latch of the case door. I realized it was bigger than it needed to be though, so I JB welded a small piece into the cut area to make it smaller.

Next I worked on JB welding the midplate. I also taped off the top and front to prepare them for cutting the designs, and also cut out the circular area on the side panels.











But disaster! My JB weld broke. But I will fix that later on.







I also worked on cutting out the side panels.

The next day, I worked on sanding and cleaning the parts to be prepped for painting.









I then proceeded to primer and coat them with a gloss black. I bought lots of pain, but it would end up being like half of the amount I actually needed, lol.