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[Complete] Halcyon

65K views 327 replies 87 participants last post by  CyberDruid 
#1 ·


















Detail of the HDD tower top panels:









Detail of the optical drive slot:



Detail of the loops (essentially the same as Gemini was):



Detail of the rear HDD chamber door and the fan contols:



Lights Out:





















Another Member chided me about
that I was even building something....


Okay...okay. Here is a "silent" photoshoot of some basics.











Please excuse the acrylic dust, fingerprints and unfinished quality of some of the components... WIP.

 
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#3 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by holtzman View Post
I'm a bit confused, is this a case from scratch, an external cooler, or a radical case mod?
Beggin' yer pardon holtzman.... I kinda just dropped in without any preamble.


This is a complete re-build of the Gemini project. That case was simply too big, and rough around the edges.

This is an attempt to scale it down, and end up with a cleaner finish and improved case performance insofar as air-cooling the motherboard module. Gemini had a passive intake/active exhaust. Although not a complete debacle, it was not nearly optimal.

In short... I am correcting some errors.

 
#4 ·
That is some thick acrylic in some places. I love it! Makes me want to build a acrylic case...
 
#5 ·
This shall be cool. Subscribed

and why do you have Latin in your sig Syrillian?! I'ma shoot myself by the end of the vacation if I dont understand my Latin crap b/c mid terms are here.
 
#6 ·
This little thread has made my day


It looks awesome already Syr, nice "teaser" pictures


Have you finished the article? Still slated for January?

Just looking over the pictures I'm inspired, really want to build a case using acrylic now. Obviously I wouldn't be able to post it up on this forum in fear of embarassing it compared to yours though


Anyway, keep us updated, and take care of yourself. And most of all, enjoy it, even when things go wrong
 
#7 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sum0n3 View Post
That is some thick acrylic in some places. I love it! Makes me want to build a acrylic case...
Go for it Bro!


Carpe Diem!

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmegaNemesis28 View Post
This shall be cool. Subscribed

and why do you have Latin in your sig Syrillian?! I'ma shoot myself by the end of the vacation if I dont understand my Latin crap b/c mid terms are here.
Hi, Omega!


My Parents were Professors.... My Father spoke Latin (I did not), and My Mother taught Literature (i.e. The Iliad, The Odyssey). I have had a fascination for the Greek Empire for a long time now... A few years ago I took a vacation to Greece and travelled out to the Ionian Islands to walk in the footseps of Odysseus... incredulous, beatimus... just being there sets the imagination on fire. ...and oh so beautiful.

I saw the place where the Spartans made their last stand, the Death Mask of Agamemnon, and countless other wonders...

Seems I lhave a fascination for the dead....

"Semper Fidelis" is the Creedo of the United States Marine Corps - I am a Marine.



Quote:

Originally Posted by prosser13 View Post
This little thread has made my day


It looks awesome already Syr, nice "teaser" pictures


Have you finished the article? Still slated for January?

Just looking over the pictures I'm inspired, really want to build a case using acrylic now. Obviously I wouldn't be able to post it up on this forum in fear of embarassing it compared to yours though


Anyway, keep us updated, and take care of yourself. And most of all, enjoy it, even when things go wrong


My Brother from another Mother - prosser...

...this is your fault.... you know that right? Well M8...here is your proof


lol.... J/K

Yah. I was able to get the stuff that Mr. W needed (thanks for your help +
). I think that the date is still January... we shall see...

More soon, guys.
 
#9 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Syrillian View Post
My Brother from another Mother - prosser...

...this is your fault.... you know that right? Well M8...here is your proof

You trying to make me feel bad?


Because it's not working, the special feeling those pictures give me override all my other thoughts


Quote:

Originally Posted by Syrillian
Yah. I was able to get the stuff that Mr. W needed (thanks for your help +
). I think that the date is still January... we shall see...
Haha, is it Syrillian the drug dealer talking?


"Yes, Mr W., the package will be in a black suitcase on the corner of West Avenue at 8pm sharp. If your late, your dead. You have 3 days to make the money drop at the arranged location. If your late, your dead"



Good to hear it's going well, and keep the pictures coming! xD

 
#12 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Syrillian View Post
*backside smarts from whiplash*....

prosser... you feelin' bad yet?

Don't lie, since when did those sexy women I send over for you make you feel unhappy?!


Quote:

Originally Posted by Syrillian View Post
*Look at all the extra work you are making me do...meany!
It's not work man, it's fun
Treat it like that and enjoy yourself, and if you don't finish it for 4 months it doesn't matter =]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syrillian
lol.... Happy Holidays guys!

You too dude!
 
#17 ·
Subscribed. Man, that black acrylic is just freakin' sexy!

My Wife just walked into my office and see me glued to my monitor, bug eyed, big grin...

[her] Are you lookin' at nekkid girls?
[me] nope, better...
[her] What are you gawkin' at?
[me] Syrillian's latest case mod....


Preach on, my brother!
 
#18 ·
*giggles*.... lol?

Thanks for the levity guys.


On to the matter at hand....

Here are some images of techniques that might be useful to modders:

This is why I really need a table saw.

Using a level, a 90-degree angle, C-clamps, and the end of a tape measure is not the most efficient or accurate of way of cutting panels made from any type of material.

<OT> &#8230; that is what I have until I can clear the cupboards for the DeWalt table saw that I have my eye on&#8230;next week, maybe? *hopes*

Again&#8230; an overly-complicated way to match dimensions whilst ensuring 90 degree angles while bonding. Lol&#8230;.


When possible it is a handy and extremely accurate to use existing hardware as templates&#8230; please note that this should be done with great care unless the component is dispensable.


Here is what Santa brought me for Christmas:

Ha! No more buffing large areas with that Dremel&#8230;yay!

But in situations like this the Dremel is once again in the limelight.


When cutting multiple holes at one time, I have found it to be a good idea to mark which holes are which&#8230;. I have erred here on several occasions&#8230;D'oh! Marking the holes saves me from a lot of aggravation and embarrassment.


For larger holes (> .50") I use a Forstner bits. These bits must be started slowly until the bit has started to shave material and has seated itself inside the hole that is drilling. If care is not taken, then the acrylic can chip or crack and the bit may also have a tendency to travel.


Tower top panel windows:




Tower Assembly


Completed Tower


Raptors (taken from Gemini) and Zalman coolers (lol&#8230;mounted upside down intentionally).


The stock anti-vibration bushings were great and all if they were to be used in a stock case. For what I hoped, they proved to be as useful as a flaccid member in dire need of Viagra. I dug through my hardware cache and was able to come up with 8 sets of hardware that might do the trick. I apologize for the lack of quality on the close-up&#8230; erm&#8230; I had turned the Macro function off and did not realize it until it was too late.






Case Fans

One of the gripes that I had with the Gemini project was the cooling for the motherboard module. I was determined not to make that mistake again. This iteration will have dual 120mm intake fans on the front. Most of the time I use filters on intakes (rads are the exception) as my cat sheds at an alarming rate. I decided not to use filters, but acrylic grills instead&#8230;. this was a choice based on vanity; I hope that I do not regret the choice&#8230;

Too complicated:


I simply need the fans to run at full power when plugged into a 3-pin connector. A quick mod will take care of that. Note that staggering the connections in the line will alleviate the "Boa constrictor that just ate" look.






ah. That is much better:


I have had to re-fabricate some of the panels. I messed up the rear doors to the HDD chamber something fierce, and the front window panel for the mobo module was a little skewed&#8230; nothing a Dremel or Cordless can't fix&#8230; I hope.
 
#23 ·
Thanks guys.


CD - I haven't forgotten about the panels.

Valrum - Any news or updates on your design?

Subtle - NP
- enjoy.

On to the build...

One of the main headaches about this infernal hobby is all the wiring and cabling that there is.

In order to keep things as simple as possible I exclude the cables that I will not be using. When using a modular PSU this is not an issue, but some PSUs come with so many power options that one can feel as though they are attempting to wrestle a Kraken into submission.

The Silverstone PSU that I am using is not modular. This means some creativity will be needed to effectively eliminate the unused cables (short of taking the scissors to them). I coiled the unused cables on top of the PSU in such a manner so that the 120mm intake fan’s intake would not be blocked. There is enough headspace above to compensate for the small berm that the coiled cables create. Additionally the 120mm intake for the PSU provides plenty of airflow and pressure to keep the PSU cool when under load.



The next step I take is to separate the various cables into logical groups and then zip-tie the bundles together.

The Kraken emerges:



Once I have all cables organized in a pattern that is natural with the directions that they need to travel, I use self-adhesive mounts and zip-ties to mount the various groups to the motherboard panel. I invariably miss things (this time it was the SATA cables… lol *removes motherboard, clips ties, adds SATA cables, re-ties, re-installs motherboard*. S’kay… evidently I need the practice,,, or more Ginko.

Heh!... looks like a nervous system:



Motherboard and RAM:



…and mounted:



During all of the wiring I let the CPU loop run so that it could be purged of air.



The Fuzion mounted:



The stock Northbridge fan was mildy underwhelming. Instead of using it I decided to use one of the Antec Spot Cool fans… more air less noise.

 
#24 ·
Is it just me, or is that graphics card leaning nastily to the side?


That is one nice motherboard - dual LAN ports, plenty of USB, and a decent heatpipe setup.

Hmmm...that meant to be red?
Looks more red than others I've seen, but still seems to be lacking a bit of that oomph which you normally expect from the words "red coolant". I want blood!

*checks PM box*

Kidding
Keep safe man
Nice pictures, nice pictures!
 
#26 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by prosser13 View Post
Is it just me, or is that graphics card leaning nastily to the side?


That is one nice motherboard - dual LAN ports, plenty of USB, and a decent heatpipe setup.

Hmmm...that meant to be red?
Looks more red than others I've seen, but still seems to be lacking a bit of that oomph which you normally expect from the words "red coolant". I want blood!

*checks PM box*

Kidding
Keep safe man
Nice pictures, nice pictures!

hehe... yah. listing like a drunken sailor.
...no PCIE bracket to support that monster.

Indeed, it seems to be okay so far: Q6600 @ 3.15 (9 x 350 / 1.32 Vcore). This is my initial plateau; it ran Prime95 on all 4 cores for 5+ hours then locked up
. ... a little more tweaking, then onward and upward? The QX6850 will eventually migrate into this build.

And Yes. I want you to buy me somethin' and send it to me...
....
shamless of me ain't it?

...so send me the answer already.
...lol j/k... I mean about the tone and all... I really do want that info though.


Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberDruid View Post
That is really an interesting case design. Could you post some pictures that better illustrate the whole layout?
Certainley... lol... I did that thing that AKAeric razzed me about...tiny pic and all...lol



Just a rough outline of the general layout. A dual loop, twin tower, with a horizontal mobo and separate PSU chamber. With how much tinkering and constant fiddling with stuff I do, this mobo orientation works best for me.

Thanks for dropping by guys.

 
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