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Log any fans of printed cases?

EdgeCaseSFF

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Oct 25, 2021
5
0
Hi everyone, I would like to share my latest 3D printed case project with you maybe it is of interest to some of you.
I would also like to know what are your opinions on printed cases in general and the positive and negative aspects of them.

Short bio: I caught the SFF bug about three years ago and have been making weird cases since. Started off with basic open air extrusion frames then made them into meshed boxes and finally jumped on the 3D printing craze. During the printing craze I found out how to design weird stuff like this and it's not exactly the intended result but more of a requirement for lowering the filament cost. I found that the voronoi pattern is one off the best at saving material while also making for a sturdy structure due to the nonrepetitive node arrangement. I've taken a liking to more rounded cases as opposed to the monolithic ones but I know there is a clear size advantage to the latter and even printed cases are easier to make if the panels are flat.

FIles for this case can be found here:

Project EC-S120 & EC-S140 (EC stands for EdgeCase and S-1X0 stands for the slim exhaust fan and it's respective size)







This case in not entirely a purely printed case as it's making use of an extrusion frame to hold all the parts together. There was no reason to design it using extrusions but I had them already on hand from my previous projects so I made use of them and it makes the whole case feel sturdy.


Common specs for both EC-S120 and EC-S140:

  • Internal MakerBeam frame, brackets and fasteners are identical on both
  • CPU cooler max height: 48mm
  • PSU compatibility: SFX-L or SFX
  • Storage: up to 1x 2.5” drive
  • Power switch cut-out: 12mm
EC-S120 specifications:

  • External dimensions: 130x190x330mm (7.8L)
  • Top exhaust fan: 120x15mm slim fan
  • GPU compatibility: 240x120x44mm using regular display connector, and up to 280mm if special angled connectors are used
EC-S140 specifications:

  • External dimensions: 150x190x330mm (9.1L)
  • Top exhaust fan: 140x15mm slim fan*
  • GPU compatibility: 240x120x62mm using regular display connector, and up to 280mm if special angled connectors are used
 

Gilles3000

Airflow Optimizer
Oct 6, 2018
241
246
They're are cool af, spotted them on reddit not too long ago, didn't know you were the same guy that made the Hex mesh makerbeam case.

Did you ever end up printing the EC1? Your newer designs are great as well, but I prefer superior cooling and cleaner i/o cable routing of the EC1.
 

robbee

King of Cable Management
n3rdware
Bronze Supporter
Sep 24, 2016
883
1,388
That's an awesome case! I take it the GPU mount is flexible and the GPU can be mounted at the required height? Perhaps it can be lowered further by using ADT-Link DP or HDMI cables like these? These require only about 12mm of clearance beneath the GPU (fits within the height of the pci bracket).

1636891944933.png

Also, do you experience turbulence noise on the top fan, having it so close to your hardware?
 

EdgeCaseSFF

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Oct 25, 2021
5
0
They're are cool af, spotted them on reddit not too long ago, didn't know you were the same guy that made the Hex mesh makerbeam case.

Did you ever end up printing the EC1? Your newer designs are great as well, but I prefer superior cooling and cleaner i/o cable routing of the EC1.
Didn't print the EC1 design as I don't have proper sized parts to fit inside and EC-S120 is a scaled down version with the IO at the back that also fits my parts better. EC-S120 is considerably smaller than EC1 and I'm not a big fan of the IO at the bottom as it's a pain to connect and has clearance issues with longer USB drives like the nvme enclosures. Size comparison between EC1 and EC-S120: Imgur
 

EdgeCaseSFF

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Oct 25, 2021
5
0
That's an awesome case! I take it the GPU mount is flexible and the GPU can be mounted at the required height? Perhaps it can be lowered further by using ADT-Link DP or HDMI cables like these? These require only about 12mm of clearance beneath the GPU (fits within the height of the pci bracket).

View attachment 1434

Also, do you experience turbulence noise on the top fan, having it so close to your hardware?
Yes, the GPU mount can be adjusted up/down on the whole length of the frame and it also can be adjusted left/right by 10mm increments depending on the riser cable used. That cable is perfect for longer GPU's than what I used as it can be lowered down completely to the bottom. I'm using normal cables for the display output as there is plenty of clearance, but the base plate has a large opening that will let the cables escape out even if they are no slim profile, although the case will need to be placed front side down.

There is slight turbulence if I set the fan at 60% or higher but I'm not sure if that is a result of the fan itself or the close proximity. The NH-L12S has the fan pulling air trough the heatsink and it's even closer to it than this, I would like to know how it sounds like that. I keep mine under 40% all the time so it's basically inaudible and the loudest noise comes from the SGX PSU turning the fan on.