10mm Mod Cubes?

DeMoB

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Jan 28, 2016
13
1
Hi All,

I'm toying around with designing a SFF case out of laser cut perspex, and was thinking of using Parvum's Modding Cubes to secure the sides together.

However, in true SFF spirit I'm trying to cut every last mm out of my design and really want something just a tiny bit smaller.

Parvum's cubes are 12mm diameter, and I really could use something identical in function but in a 10mm diameter. The only ones I've managed to find online have been 10mm with only 2 sides tapped or the original 12mm size.

Does anyone have any secret suppliers, or am I doomed to try and fabricate these myself with some 10mm square aluminium bar?
 

PlayfulPhoenix

Founder of SFF.N
SFFLAB
Chimera Industries
Gold Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
1,052
1,990
Welcome to the forum, DeMoB :)

I only know of the 12mm ones; I don't expect that you'll find anything much smaller than that, especially with all sides tapped.

Mind sharing your design, or at least a basic idea of it? You might be able to secure the sides some other way, or relocate the cubes in a manner where you can still tighten the panels some.
 

DeMoB

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Jan 28, 2016
13
1
@PlayfulPhoenix Thanks!

I'm not sure there's going to be enough room for an alternative mount 'style'. I've posted a complete overview of my design in this post
but here's a couple of close ups that show my intended use.



And as you can see inside it's clipping a 120mm fan on both sides by 2mm. :(



@ilovelampshade: Good shout, but I'm afraid it's unworkable for my current case design at my GPU section (which is one that I need to swap the 12mm cubes to 10mm on:



The longer I think about it, I might have to just make the mental sacrifice from 7.XL up to 8.XL and use the 12mm spacers after all. :-/
 

|||

King of Cable Management
Sep 26, 2015
775
759
This is just going to be a one-off, correct? If so, you can take the 12mm cubes and grind down specific areas of interference with the cubes to keep the overall dimensions down.
 

DeMoB

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Jan 28, 2016
13
1
This is just going to be a one-off, correct? If so, you can take the 12mm cubes and grind down specific areas of interference with the cubes to keep the overall dimensions down.
Using a slim 120mm fan and a slight re-jig of the GPU side, I could make this work!
 

DeMoB

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Jan 28, 2016
13
1
Bit late to this thread but I came across these recently:
http://uk.farnell.com/ettinger/05-60-533/cube-standoff-threaded-m3-10ni/dp/1466868

Other sizes are available but they don't all have the holes centred on each face (e.g. they do an M2.5 x 8mm http://uk.farnell.com/ettinger/05-60-125/cube-standoff-threaded-2xm2-5/dp/1466864).
Thanks for thinking of this! However, both of those are only threaded on two axis, and I need them on 3. I've been all over the farnell site and I can't find any either.

I've given up hope these exist and have tried to remake my plans with 12mm cubes now. :)
 

Ceros_X

King of Cable Management
Mar 8, 2016
748
660
Shipping to the US is 22 euros and the cubes are glass reinforced plastic meant to be used with self tapping sheet metal screws. I don't think it would hold up well to removing a panel multiple times.
 

Shubi

Case Bender
New User
Apr 27, 2016
2
1
Yeah, didn't check the shipping costs of the shop, but maybe its interesting for someone in the EU.
 

EdZ

Virtual Realist
May 11, 2015
1,578
2,107
Shipping to the US is 22 euros and the cubes are glass reinforced plastic meant to be used with self tapping sheet metal screws. I don't think it would hold up well to removing a panel multiple times.
Depending on how much effort you want to put in, a self-tapping threaded insert could help with regular removal.
 

TunnelVision

Cable Smoosher
Apr 29, 2016
11
8
MakerBeam corner cubes aren't threaded (probably an obvious point). The Maker Beam system as a whole has potential for testing case ideas although the beams can get in the way if you're trying to minimise dimensions.
 

Hermit2001

Trash Compacter
Apr 26, 2016
43
31
Thanks for thinking of this! However, both of those are only threaded on two axis, and I need them on 3. I've been all over the farnell site and I can't find any either.

I've given up hope these exist and have tried to remake my plans with 12mm cubes now. :)

Yup they are, realised that after they arrived. Seems rather pointless to do it that way which I think is why I missed it. May have to drill and tap the 3rd axis.
 

Shattucknick

Chassis Packer
Oct 12, 2016
19
10
If I am not to late to this conversation might I offer the obvious solution? Just file out some plastic on the fan and it shouldn't even get in the way of the mounting screw. Removing plastic would be easier than the suggestion to grind the cubes. If I am to late could I get a link to your build I would like to see it.
 

DeMoB

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Jan 28, 2016
13
1
If I am not to late to this conversation might I offer the obvious solution? Just file out some plastic on the fan and it shouldn't even get in the way of the mounting screw. Removing plastic would be easier than the suggestion to grind the cubes. If I am to late could I get a link to your build I would like to see it.
I redesigned the case in sketchup to be the 2-4mm wider, so it theoretically should now work without modding anything.

However life has happened and that's about as far as I got!

The original non-widened sketchup shots are in this thread here.