Stalled Freilite Brevis S: <5L Gaming Case with internal PSU

[iFreilicht]

Here's an idea:

The horizontal stand allows a TKL or smaller keyboard to be slid under (inspiration taken from the Cryorig TAKU). The good thing about this design is that it can be used for both horizontal and vertical orientations, so that reduces the cost quite a bit, but the stand looks awkwardly tall in the vertical orientation.

An alternative solution would be to use a different piece for the vertical orientation:

Still needs to be tweaked, but it looks much nicer already, though it also increases cost if I bundle both variants with the case.
With the space savings the tall horizontal stand brings, using the case in a vertical orientation seems like a much less desirable option to me, so maybe it doesn't need to be bundled. The second benefit of that would be that I could make the horizontal stand look a bit nicer, right now the angle seems a little awkward to me.

Not really sure which route to take here. Any thoughts on the matter?

 

[Hahutzy]

Honestly, in terms of aesthetics, I think the angled hooks takes away from the sleekness and curves of the Brevis S.

Have you thought about just adding compatibility for some kind of stand that already exists?

Regardless, I think a radial stand like the vertical stand for PS3:

Would look nice if you replace the PS3 with Brevis S

 

[CC Ricers]

I think legs with a larger, more rounded curve radius would look good for both horizontal and vertical stand placements. Maybe as large as the curve in the front corner of the case, with a radius around 1 inch / 25mm. And have the legs sprawl outwards from a vertical direction before curving so they follow along the sides of the case.

 

[iFreilicht]

Honestly, in terms of aesthetics, I think the angled hooks takes away from the sleekness and curves of the Brevis S.

Have you thought about just adding compatibility for some kind of stand that already exists?

Regardless, I think a radial stand like the vertical stand for PS3:

Would look nice if you replace the PS3 with Brevis S

Absolutely fair, something looks off about them.

Not sure what existing stands there are that would be suited for this, and that would only work for vertical orientation anyway. The thing is, I absolutely want the stand to be mountable without tools to allow quick assembly and disassembly for LAN-goers without a screwdriver.
Otherwise I could just use a thick rectangular plate screwed to the bottom with two screws, which was the initial plan.
A fun idea for horizontal mode would be to then add holes to support handles like these and use those as feet.

That radial stand for the PS3 has a similar premise, but I'd also want it to be mountable without tools. Maybe the keyhole studs from PEM would be useful for that. Or the base was really massive and allowed captured thumbscrews to be used from beneath.

I think legs with a larger, more rounded curve radius would look good for both horizontal and vertical stand placements. Maybe as large as the curve in the front corner of the case, with a radius around 1 inch / 25mm. And have the legs sprawl outwards from a vertical direction before curving so they follow along the sides of the case.

Hm, I tried that quickly and that just makes it look like a giant crab. You might be on the right track about larger radii, though. I'll play around with that during the next few days and see what can be done.

 

[iFreilicht]

Hey, look how professional I am:

If this works out, the front I/O will be hidden behind a small hinged door, so no compromises between aesthetics and connectivity will be required.

 

[QinX]

Looks familiar

Curious to see the solution you've come up with. Are you taking into account metal/plastic fatigue over time?

 

[iFreilicht]

No, I don't, but I don't think I need to. The hinge will actually be two 3D printed parts and an ISO-normed metal pin, what you're seeing is just part of the mechanism that will keep the pin in place, and it will only be in this stressed state during insertion, so I don't really worry about plastic fatigue. The only strain on the hinge will be during operation. If any of the parts break for whatever reason, one can replace the 3D printed parts using the .STL files and the pin by ordering it from a hardware shop.

This also allows the more tech-savy users to modify the base of the hinge, which is also the mounting plate for the Front I/O, to modify the Front panel to their liking and it allows me to offer upgrades and a lot of variants for I/O (USB C comes to mind) without needing to meet a high MOQ to reach reasonable prices.

 

[Hahutzy]

Any concerns with the 3D printed part looking out of place amidst the smooth, shiny aluminum face though?

If I remember correctly, the SLS plastic parts K888D is using have quite a bumpy looking finish.

 

[iFreilicht]

You're totally right, but the door itself will still be made from aluminium, just the hinge itself is printed. So while the door is closed, the rough surface will not disrupt the aesthetics.

 

[iFreilicht]

Update! First hinge and Front I/O prototype.

I got a package from shapeways today. The final result first:

As you can see, the hinge works pretty much flawlessly, there's very little play in it. This solution for Front I/O is the easiest and cheapest one to manufacture and it's the minimum base option that I can guarantee will be offered. More complex I/O or upgrades (more USB ports, audio, USB C-Type, etc.) will probably be implemented as stretch goals.

That way the savings made on the metal parts from selling more units actually benefit the consumer and don't just result in me getting a higher margin, which seems like a fair way of doing things.

Now for a few more details. This is how the hinge arrived:

The two pieces are connected to reduce cost. Having a single piece is easier to handle for the manufacturer than having multiple pieces that need to be searched for in the big pile the printer creates.

First step is to break the studs off, which works very nicely.

Then insert the nuts into the holes. Those will be used to mount the hinge to the frame. Nuts are more durable and precise than printed threads or self-tapping screws.

And finally, a small metal rod is inserted into the base of the hinge, the moving part is aligned and the rod is pressed through to make the hinge you saw above. The two hooks keep the rod in place to give the hinge a sturdy feel. If it could move around the hinge might feel cheap.

The USB ports are actually mounted with self-tapping screws, but as they won't be replaced, I'm not concerned about the thread wearing out.

As stated previously, STL files and ISO-numbers for all parts will be publicised to allow builders to make custom front-I/O and get cheap replacement parts no matter where they are in the world. It also has the benefit of massively increasing the lifetime of the case. You'll be able to replace any of those parts even in 10 years if you need to.

I'm not sure about what license to use for the STL parts, if anyone has suggestions, please let me know.

 

[Phuncz]

Excellent work, even for such a small part of the case, but it brings the total package to a new level !

 

[Hahutzy]

Nice! Did you have to do any sanding after you broke off the studs?

 

[iFreilicht]

Fortunately not. While it's not really visible in the pictures, the points where the studs broke off left almost no marks behind. Some very unnoticeable dimples, but that's not a problem functionally nor visually.

 

[Marv21]

Hello, will the
6144MB ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060
fit into this case?

 

[iFreilicht]

Hello, will the
6144MB ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060
fit into this case?

That depends on which one you're talking about:

This is the AMP! version, and it will not fit without extensive modding. It might be possible to make it fit by removing the shroud and cutting off about 12mm of the heatsink, but I'm not sure you'd want to do that and you'd then have to mount a different fan there as well. As the heatsink is flat, you could fit a 140mm fan above it, but I currently have no mounting points for a fan. I think there's a way to include some, though.

This is the Mini version, and it will fit perfectly.

 

[Marv21]

Yeah the GeForce GTX 1060 ITX Version So everything is good and i will get one now Thank you for the fast response!

 

[iFreilicht]

Are you sure you want that one? The EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SC Gaming seems to have a cooler with heatpipes, whereas the Zotac and the normal EVGA ITX 1060s have an extruded heatsink like the stock intel coolers, I would suspect it has superior cooling performance.

 

[Marv21]

Are you sure you want that one?

Nope .
Ok then that one. 20€ more or less dont get me. Thank you

 

[iFreilicht]

No problem! What case will you put it in for the time being?

 

[Marv21]

The S4 Mini.