Log Cost estimation needed for "simple" Prototype case.

[MvKeinen]

The case I'm looking for doesn't exist AFAIK. And I know the production of a single prototype can be quite expensive. So I thought I ask here to get a feel for what I'm getting myself into and maybe there is someone who likes the case and is interested. I'm sure there are some in this forum who have the ability to produce such a case.

The machine has two jobs,

• Music production in a recording studio
  • Very silent yet powerful CPU needed focus on (but not only) single thread performance.
• Musical live performance on stage
  • 1st priority: stability of the system
  • extensive Multichannel realtime DSP processing
  • Doesn't have to be silent (its a very hot and loud environment)

No discrete GPU needed -> easier cooling, less power, smaller case
2 cooling scenarios, either near silent or very cool.
has to be mobile to get it from the studio onto stage as easy as possible (solo artist)
no clumsy 2.5 disks, only M.2
to reduce costs no aesthetics needed.

The idea is having a cube sized case of about 22 - 24 cm³ to hold the mini itx motherboard, two 20cm(!) case fans and the new HDPlex 250W unit, so that there is no big psu. The cooler would be the massive passive Noctua NH -P1 oriented in an angle so that the fins face sideways towards the two 20cm fans.

The very slow spinning big fans could make for good silent cooling in studio operation and also for extensive cooling in a hot stage environment.

The plan is to wait for Raptor lake and build something around the i7 or even the i9
I kind of gave up to wait for such a case to emerge and would like to find out what kind of cost I should expect if someone would make such a case for me.

Also any kind of pointers to solutions would be nice, maybe I've overlooked something. Or maybe my idea isn't working for whatever reason.

thanks in advance

 

[PVC]

It's called an APU build (no graphics card) and you are right; no one makes a case for an APU build. I am trying something similar in this current build (Finally found a case/SKTC A09 3.8L for my Mini-ITX APU-Builds/no graphics card!) which is almost done (awaiting CPU cooler).

I don't have the same cooling requirements?? Though it may give you some ideas.

 

[aromachi]

A simple cube-shaped case with these options could be drawn out in CAD in an hour flat. You’d just have to decide on the case material (metal, acrylic etc), material thickness, and then pick a lasercutting company to produce your parts. Then you’ll probably need to do some thread tapping and basic assembly at home. Easy peazy.

 

[aromachi]

Thought I'd have a go at it. This is with 3mm material. 226 mm^3. Couldn't find a NH-P1 model so I used a NH-D15S.

 

[Valantar]

Looks nice. I like the addition of structural supports - definitely necessary for something as large as this if built in acrylic. And I'd use relatively thick acrylic, at least 5mm, but ideally something like 6-7, just to be safe. A great thing about a flat panel design like this is that you can have it cut by one of the many online laser cutting/CNC services for relatively cheap - Ponoko, SendCutSend, etc.

It could also be a good idea to use some kind of threaded cube in the corners to simplify installation, even if it can tend to get in the way of components at times.

 

[tinyitx]

The closest that I have seen is Revoccases' Cube-P1.
Check it out and contact him who is a member and comes here often.

Completed - REVOCCASES CUBE-P1 | Cube style ITX NAS/HTPC Case with NH-P1 and 200mm fan support

The CUBE-P1 is a design we came up with on my Discord channel... As the name suggests it is meant to be used for a silent (semi-) passive build. The case has a drive cage for a couple of 2.5" drives, so you could also use it as a home-server / NAS. Specs: ITX motherboard SFX (-L) PSU ITX...

smallformfactor.net

 

[MvKeinen]

Wow, @aromachi thats great, thank you so much for putting your time into this! The model is helping me a lot to get a picture of the case. Would the joints have to be glued or just stick them together? I guess glue would make disassembly difficult.

@all Thats a lot more help than I was hoping for!! THX! The good thing is I have some time, maybe until raptor lake pricing settles in. I also have a 3d printer guy at my direct disposal So I might be able to get those parts done by myself. But I'd have to ask if he can provide the right material.

Also: The 200mm fans wouldn't be directly attached to the nh-p1 cooler. Is that a problem concerning turbulence? Or does that diminish the efficiency of the cooling? Is the whole concept feasible? Expert opinion would be great.

Thanks again!

 

[Valantar]

The NH-P1 has very wideliy spaced fins to aid in passive cooling, so having the fans spaced out a bit shouldn't be an issue. That's mainly with dense heatsinks where the surface effects of the densely spaced fins serve to resist airflow and require significant pressure to overcome this. In this case (pun kind of intended?) I wouldn't worry about that at all. Given how much of the case the heatsink will take up, and how much airflow those fans will create across it, it should work excellently.

Turbulence noise might be a worry with the side panels though - fans directly against panels will make noise, and the larger the fan, the more of it (as larger fan = higher blade speed). Thanks to the low rpm of such large fans the pitch might be low enough to not be bothersome, but it's worth considering spcaing out the fans by ~5mm from the side panel, with a gasket between them and the panel.

 

[aromachi]

fans directly against panels will make noise

I've never found this to be the case unless the vents are super restrictive and/or you're running fans at very high speeds.

I also have a 3d printer guy at my direct disposal

I don't think most 3d printers are large enough to print panels this size

Would the joints have to be glued or just stick them together?

They fit very tightly together; glue is definitely not needed. I just took apart my old acrylic case in preparation for my new build and it was amazing how much effort it took to get it all apart. This particular design has a pretty wide opening with the lid off, so I don't see you needing to disassemble too often.

Here's a screenshot of the parts in Ponoko to give you an idea of what it might cost. Acrylic works just fine for cases, but honestly I really want to give the 1.5mm steel a try next time I order.

 

[Valantar]

I've never found this to be the case unless the vents are super restrictive and/or you're running fans at very high speeds.

It's as much about the geometry of the side panel cutouts and the thickness of the material as it is about restrictiveness and fan speed - and to a large extent, larger fans are roughly equivalent to higher fan speeds, as blade speed at the outer edges increases with fan size. The exact nature of the turbulence noise and whether or not it's bothersome comes down to the specific interactions of the fan, its rotational speed, blade geometry, blade count and more, and the cutouts and panel thickness. But in general, the thicker the material and the straighter the cuts, plus the less they align with blade rotation, the more turbulence noise.

As an example, my HTPC lives in a Lazer3D HT5 with an enlarged version of its grille pattern and a Noctua NF-A14 mounted to the panel as a top exhaust. That PC runs passively >95% of the time, but when the fan kicks on, it's quite audible as there's a distinct "whoosh" generated by the grille pattern that is significantly louder than the fan on its own or with a wire grille. It's not enough to be bothersome (and is easily drowned out by any moderately noisy thing on the TV), especially as the fan rarely turns on, but it's very clearly noticeable if it's somewhat quiet even at 3-4m distance. And as far as I can tell, that comes from the relatively high speed large fan (it jumps to ~1000rpm when it turns on), the thick (5mm) acrylic panels, and the straight edged laser-cut slots that cut across the fan blades' rotational angles and generate turbulence. I could likely have avoided this somewhat if I had chosen Lazer3D's 'vortex' cutout shape instead (seen above the rear I/O on this case), but I chose aesthetics rather than absolute silence. And, to be clear, I'm happy with my choice, and it doesn't bother me, but it's something to be aware of.