[COMPLETED]The Caliga Project:Update 02-15-2010

Caliga4221 approached me about a custom case and after some discussion the case turned into a rather large oak cabinet/bookshelf/TV stand.

Have a look at this dual rad 5 HDD PC case I designed for Caliga4221



The dimensions on that are 40" tall, 28" wide and 16" deep.

Note the removable back panel to allow access to radiator mounts, cabling, and cleaning of the ductwork. Removable filter carriers of black powdercoated Hexmesh over each vent should keep dust to a minimum however.

Two 360 rads with 38mm fans will mount up to the false back from the back of the unit for easy access and installation. I'll be using custom cut strips of 1/8" thick aluminum to attach the fans flush to the back of the wall. The rads are diagonally opposed on the back wall of the center compartment to allow for optimal use of space and promote good crossflow across all the hardware.

The false back is trapped permanently between the sides and closes in the two shelves. The back also supports the radiators and the mobo tray which sort of "floats" in the middle of the 13" tall, 12" deep, 26" wide center compartment. This will be accomplished by using .75 ID tubes and threaded rod on an 1/4" polycarbonate mobo tray just the size of the mobo. Cabling can be fished to the mobo from above or behind making for a neat installation. Airflow from the Radiators will be forced to pass around the mobo by a divider that is part of the tray support.

HDDs will go in Norco Hotswap bays, 4 Drives per Bay. The Norcos go in a vanity hutch of matching oak. A small door of smoked acrylic will go in front of the hutch with a 1" air gap to tone down the hideously bright HDD activity LEDs on the hotswap bays.

The PSU will be suspended from the top of the compartment in a hutch of oak ply and will be oriented switch/AC plug toward the front to allow easy access to that all important PSU power switch. The cable will be hidden by the hutch cover (again smoked acrylic with a 1" air gap).

The pump(s) will be mounted to the side of the center compartment.

A pair of bronze tint tempered glass doors on magnetic touch latches enclose the PC/LC hardware, dampening the sound but allowing for a look at the good stuff. When it's time to tinker all the HW is front and center and easy to access.

Above the Center compartment will be a slot the height of a typical optical drive. Using the mounting holes on the bottom of the drive these can be secured discretely from inside the PC/LC cabinet. A memory card reader and an other bay devices can be fitted into this wide slot and the unused space can be filled with wood inserts. The power and reset switches and any other switches for lights or whatever needs controlling can be mounted in the wood filler blocks. The devices are depicted recessed into the slot as an aesthetic point.

The thought behind this design is for simplicity, cleanliness, silence, and of course looks.

Although the airflow through the upper rad wil be warmed by the first rad and the HW in the cabinet I don't see that is a major concern. The design is as usual a compromise of a myriad of concerns and I feel this is the one to stick with.

I'll be starting on the panels Monday so stay tuned for the cabinet to start taking shape directly.

Pictures of the completed unit taken by Caliga4221











And a shot with the lights off.

Edited by CyberDruid - 2/22/10 at 10:15am

More are uploading including the grand finale so stay tuned.
Edited by CyberDruid - 1/18/10 at 5:46pm

Here are a series of 10 video snippets I shot while Caliga4221 and I set up his custom PC at his home in the Mississippi Delta.

I'll add them as Youtube processes them so check back.

Edited by CyberDruid - 1/18/10 at 8:13pm

See the Grand Finale pictures HERE
Edited by CyberDruid - 1/18/10 at 1:46pm

Even the back is pretty. In this pic Caliga and I have finished putting the rig in the case and sealed it up.


You are looking at my Grand Finale, my last client build.


Under the 5 layers of gloss is an Oak Cabinet built without the use of hardware. Every joint is biscuited and glued with West System Epoxy.


Behind the bronze glass doors Caliga has an incredible amount of hardware installed. 2 HW Labs GTX360 Radiators with Ultr Kaze fans, MCP655 Pump with the Full Monty of BitsPower accessories, Top of the line Classified mobo with the factory waterblock, a pair of XFX 295 GTX graphics cards under MASSIVE HK full coverage blocks, untold numbers of BitsPower fittings...the really expensive ones like the snakey 5 rotary pieces, Tygon R3603, gorgeous RAM with matching red heatsinks, a 1200 Watt Silverstone PSU...it just goes on and on...and that's not the half of it.


A T-Virus reservoir by Frozen Q is trapped between the shelves forming a focal centerpiece for the unit. A Silverstone 6 pot fan controller, Sunbeam 20-in-1 Card Reader and a BluRay drive are seperated by tasty Vandal Power and Reset switches.


A Norco 5-HDD Hotswap bay is diagonally symmetrical to the PSU hutch which features a smoke acrylic vanity plate with 4 switches for the Case lighting.


The HK blocks are simply monumental. I've done a lot of PC plumbing and this by far is my favorite loop. The use of untold numbers of rotary 45 fittings allowed for exact placement of the tubes. The tubes are so short and direct I dare say we used less than 3 feet of Tygon in the whole loop.


For once I did not have to work around obstacles...I love this case design. Almost all the wiring is out of sight.


That RAM is just RED as hell..love it. The layout makes for a great presentation of the hardware. You get to see everything front and center.


Lit from above and below, behind and either side this hardware is going to look amazing at night with the rig humming away.


I am still very pleased with myself for getting the plumbing to work out the way it did...I really like it. Amny thanks to Cailga4221 for providing literally thousands of dollars of the best of the best for me to play with


Just love that fat Tygon in this case. It's so clear




Some parting shots as I was literally on my way out the door.

Thanks That was one wild ride.
Edited by CyberDruid - 1/18/10 at 5:05pm

I've got bids in on oak and should know in a few hours if I have the materials coming. I've contacted a local glazier and will follow through on that Monday to see if I can get a quote on a pair of 13" x 13" doors in bronze tint. They do deep etching too...

Just won some oak off ebay. Had a little bidding war toward the end on a piece of 1-3/16" thick S2S 7" wide and 49" long. It's nice to have some beef just in case I end up making some heavier trims for the sides and top. And I have a piece of 7/8" thick S2S about 6" wide and 5 feet long that will be perfect to rip into strips to trim off all the shelves.