Chimera Industries Cerberus: The 18L, mATX, USA-made enclosure

VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
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Today I didn't feel like doing anything, so I drew a wind tunnel.
 

jsco

Average Stuffer
Feb 2, 2016
60
55
Today I didn't feel like doing anything, so I drew a wind tunnel.

that was essentially the build that i had in mind, with the 140 on the side bracket blowing on a noctua nh-c14. running the three bottom/front fans at low RPM (or GPU controlled a la strix 1080) would give excellent cooling at very low noise.
 

VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
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I'm thinking of modding my 1060 a bit to get and split its PWM signal too. Only problem is I'd really need MSI Afterburner running for the case fans around the GPU to spin. I'm using it to get my GPU out of zero spin mode currently, but I'd really like the case fans to not idle ._.

On a separate note, anyone knows where I can get pairs of 2.5" drive stacker plates? I'm looking into the possibility of stacking two SSDs in the top SATA disk mount area (I'll be using the included ones for mounting on the hinge frame).
 

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
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On a separate note, anyone knows where I can get pairs of 2.5" drive stacker plates?

Double-sided tape works really well. There may be spare 2.5" brackets available, not sure on the logistics yet, and I designed them such that they can be used to stack drives on the mobo tray mounts.
 

PNP

Airflow Optimizer
Oct 10, 2015
285
257
I'm also switching over to the C14S. I'm not comfortable with making tight bends with fittings directly attached to the CPU block, too easy for the extra leverage to torque something loose. SFX PSU is moving back to the front.

Not sure what I'll do about the GPU area. The 1080 Seahawk fits but I dislike such a price premium for something that can't really be re-used. The Eiswolf GPX Pro radiator may fit with a single fan but is impossible to find on this side of the Atlantic.... Decisions, decisions.
 
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VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
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Double-sided tape works really well. There may be spare 2.5" brackets available, not sure on the logistics yet, and I designed them such that they can be used to stack drives on the mobo tray mounts.

Not really a fan of taping them together... I'll find a way for that
If there're enough for an optional addition I'd pay for them though.
 

EdZ

Virtual Realist
May 11, 2015
1,578
2,107
If you use a double-sided pads like 3M's Command Strips (get the 'refill packs'), 'Joe's Sticky Stuff' rolls, TESA Powerstrips, etc, those do not leave any residue on removal: you 'stretch' the adhesive pad and it releases mechanically.
 

VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
1,949
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If you use a double-sided pads like 3M's Command Strips (get the 'refill packs'), 'Joe's Sticky Stuff' rolls, TESA Powerstrips, etc, those do not leave any residue on removal: you 'stretch' the adhesive pad and it releases mechanically.

Will those rot or melt though? I'm thinking the PC would be warm enough over some time...
 

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
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I'm also switching over to the C14S.

I really like my C14S, does a great job.

Will those rot or melt though? I'm thinking the PC would be warm enough over some time...

At work we use some fairly cheap double-sided tape for SSDs and after several years some of them have loosened up a bit but that's it. And those are usually the drives I mounted with small pieces, my coworkers use big pieces of tape and I've had to pry those drives out with a flathead screwdriver on a few occasions.
 

Qrash

Cable-Tie Ninja
Aug 10, 2015
198
152
Will those rot or melt though? I'm thinking the PC would be warm enough over some time...

I've used the 3M's Scotch Brand Clear Mounting Tape on occasion and it seems to be very durable. Some people use it to attach windows to case panels.

http://www.scotchbrand.com/3M/en_US/scotch-brand/products/mounting/

If you expand the Common Questions section on this webpage it answers a question about temperature:

What are the temperature limitations of the Scotch® Brand Mounting Tape and Mounting Squares?

Indoor: 40 to 120 F (5 to 50 C)
Outdoor: -30 to 195 F (-30 to 90C)
Extreme: -5 to 175 F (-20 to 80 C)
Clear: -30 to 195 F (-30 to 90C)

All temperatures are valid when used on smooth, clean surfaces.​
 

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
5,937
4,951
Apple uses 3M VHB clear mounting tape for many store demo applications, or they did when I was in retail. Two strips the size of a stick of a gum was enough to make a Macbook Pro seem welded to the table and it left ZERO residue. Awesome stuff. A single square of this in 3/4in width is enough to secure an SSD forever. But with almost every application of paint or adhesive, clean and degrease the surfaces first !
 

PNP

Airflow Optimizer
Oct 10, 2015
285
257
I can also recommend Command Strips provided you stay under the weight limit, they hold for a long time and require no clean up.

I'd be careful with heavier duty mounting tape made with foam though. After a few years, the foam gets crumbly, that includes tape still on the roll. I'm not sure if it's because of oxygen or humidity, but the stuff my predecessor at work put up is a real pain to clean.

I really like my C14S, does a great job.

The reviews have it within a margin of error with my old TC14PE and absolve me from having to spin up the Gryphon's awful 35 mm fan. It's as good a solution as I can ask for, weight notwithstanding.
 

VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
1,949
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Okay, I'll give the 3M a shot. Thanks for everyone's input c:

Bloggy EDIT: price for the mobo and cpu combo lowered in my area. I might be getting them slightly earlier than planned O_O
 
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jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
4,969
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We're currently waiting on development of a new angled C13 to panel-mount C14 cord (that will be just as low profile as the one in the M1 but higher quality) that another group is working on.

However, we are doing a small run for a business customer in the near future and will have leftover units since they need less than the MOQ.

There should be about 10 units available split between Cerberus and Cerberus-X, with the ATX PSU mounting only, non-windowed panels, handle kit, and any color you like so long as it's black. Not 100% on price yet but it should be ~$500 before shipping.

If anyone is interested in one of those units send me a PM.
 

3lfk1ng

King of Cable Management
SFFn Staff
Bronze Supporter
Jun 3, 2016
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www.reihengaming.com
Thank you for the update Aibohphobia.

As these cases continue to shrink, I'm hopeful someone will eventually come up with a ribbon power cable that sits flat or is easy to route through the frame.

They use these special flat/ low-profile audio cables to run under the carpet for home theater systems. I'm no expert but I cannot imagine it being that much harder to make one for power to run through.

They make them to some capacity in the $400+ Audiophile category but something like this without the noise filter would be close to perfect.
 

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
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I imagine it's because for one with sufficient amperage and insulation it wouldn't be that flexible, so then if you have to bend it around other components you have to twist the cable, negating the thin profile.
 

DonLKSAB

What's an ITX?
Aug 25, 2016
1
0
Aibohphobia.
Any info about weight?
Im looking for a small case but since i do alot of traveling i dont want a heavy case to carry around :)
 

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
4,969
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Welcome to the forum!

I'll need to weight one of the new prototypes to be accurate but the Cerberus with the production design aluminum panels should be about 4.3 kg.
 
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