Custom NUC case questions

fminus

Cable-Tie Ninja
Original poster
May 14, 2016
225
123
Hi guys, haven't posted in awhile!

We are currently renovating the apartment, and unfortunately the NUC does not pass the WAF (Wife acceptance Factor). Our apartment is modern looking, and well, that NUC in it's blocky case is ugly. So I decided to build a new case! Dimensions would be 19 x 12 x 3.5cm. (Hopefully).

I made a quick design in Sketchup and wanted some feedback + suggestions.


I am going with a sleek minimalistic design, white matte exterior, with black grills on the sides. The grills on the side are modular and slide in and out. I thought this would be useful in case you decide to upgrade your NUC and port positions change, or perhaps you want to swap out a side grill and have it positioned vertically with a stand.

Here are a few notes maybe someone can help me with:

What type and thickness of aluminum is recommended? I do not have access to a brake press, but can DIY one at home with a couple blocks of wood. since it is two bends...eh...I don't think it will be much an issue. Please correct me if I am wrong.

In regards to the aluminum shell again, what would be the best way to add the grooves for the sides to slide in to? Perhaps I can use a circular saw, set the depth, and grind down a line before I do the bends.

The side panels would be 3d printed. Thoughts on this?


Thanks again guys.
 

confusis

John Morrison. Founder and Team Leader of SFF.N
SFF Network
SFF Workshop
SFFn Staff
Jun 19, 2015
4,129
7,057
sff.network
I love it!

To be honest, at that size, even 1-1.5mm thick aluminium should be enough for panels. go for 2mm if you want to start getting into routing slots for mounting things. A circular saw or router would be your best bet for the grooves.

My suggestion would however be to find a different way to hold in the sides - something easier to make with limited tools. Think bent tabs for screws, maybe magnets on tabs, etc.