Completed Jeffinslaw's Trials and Tribulations of Designing a Case

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
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Feb 22, 2015
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It certainly isn't "sharp" due to the powder coat dulling the point essentially.

Ok, just checking. I've cut my hands enough times working on cheap (and sometimes not so cheap) cases that it's a pet peeve of mine.

How heavy is it? I'm used to 18 and 20 gauge steel, never handled one made of as thick a gauge steel as yours.
 

Jeffinslaw

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Mar 3, 2015
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Nice work ! Congratulations on (almost) finishing the project !

Thank you! It is quite an exhilarating feeling seeing something you designed and then being able to hold the completed item.

Ok, just checking. I've cut my hands enough times working on cheap (and sometimes not so cheap) cases that it's a pet peeve of mine.

How heavy is it? I'm used to 18 and 20 gauge steel, never handled one made of as thick a gauge steel as yours.

It is quite heavy! Not too bad when it is empty, but when it is filled up, it'll be quite heavy, maybe around the 20kg mark.
 

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
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Feb 22, 2015
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Wow. I bet it feels as tough as a piece of military equipment though :D
 

iFreilicht

FlexATX Authority
Feb 28, 2015
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If you're going to produce more, you should probably still round that over. Better safe than sorry :)

Awesome case though came out quite nicely, I still remember that PSU from your Schwarz Nickel build in the Compact Splash, I think.

What is that small chamfered flange on the bottom of the PCIe mount? It looks like it is connected to the bottom of the case somehow.
 

Jeffinslaw

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Mar 3, 2015
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Hey guys, if you are interested in ordering your own Project mATX case, please sign up for an account at overclock.net and then read all the information in this thread: http://www.overclock.net/t/1580191/...-all-information-provided-first#post_24597594

Thanks! - Jeffinslaw

Wow. I bet it feels as tough as a piece of military equipment though :D

It is a very nice case. Slinger Designs did a fantastic job!

Outstanding! :) Looks road/tour worthy.

Thank you!

When, Where, and How do i order one of these suckers?!

Check out the link posted above!

If you're going to produce more, you should probably still round that over. Better safe than sorry :)

Awesome case though came out quite nicely, I still remember that PSU from your Schwarz Nickel build in the Compact Splash, I think.

What is that small chamfered flange on the bottom of the PCIe mount? It looks like it is connected to the bottom of the case somehow.

I'll update the design so that corner has a small fillet to it :thumb: that piece at the bottom does exactly what you thought! There is a sort of tab that the back panel pops into and it is another way to hold the case together and make it sturdy.

-Jeffinslaw
 

PNP

Airflow Optimizer
Oct 10, 2015
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Liking that heavy gauge steel and dedicated pump mounts. Could you post the dimensions? Looked in both OCN threads and couldn't find it.

Do you still plan to do the V2 with support for 280 mm rads and 3.5 inch drives?
 

Jeffinslaw

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Mar 3, 2015
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Done, excited for you!

Thanks!

Liking that heavy gauge steel and dedicated pump mounts. Could you post the dimensions? Looked in both OCN threads and couldn't find it.

Do you still plan to do the V2 with support for 280 mm rads and 3.5 inch drives?

Height: 32.78cm (327.8mm), length: 36.92cm (369.2mm), width: 16.51cm (165.1mm). In inches, that is 12.91in x 14.54in x 6.5in (H x L x W). Volume is 19.98L.

Unfortunately, no V2. Since this one isn't selling as well as I thought it would, it pretty much confirmed it for me that I wouldn't be doing a V2. However, I have figured out some options for this case to entice more people. Those include:

-adding a third 240mm radiator mount point on the bottom of the case
-optional full size PSU mount with SFX PSU blanking plate
-optional acrylic side panel in either clear or smoked

Hopefully these simple changes will generate more of an appeal to people!

-Jeffinslaw
 

iFreilicht

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Feb 28, 2015
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That case layout is predestined to get a window panel, good idea!
I'm wondering whether you could actually change the back of the case to fit one of two brackets, one for SFX PSUs and one for the biggest fans you can fit there. Not sure whether people would use a fan mount in that location, but just blanking it seems to be a bit of a waste.
 

Jeffinslaw

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Mar 3, 2015
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That case layout is predestined to get a window panel, good idea!
I'm wondering whether you could actually change the back of the case to fit one of two brackets, one for SFX PSUs and one for the biggest fans you can fit there. Not sure whether people would use a fan mount in that location, but just blanking it seems to be a bit of a waste.

I should have added that there will be a cutout for an IEC socket connector on the blanking plate.
 

iFreilicht

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Feb 28, 2015
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Right, didn't thank about that. Actually, that connector might also fit into the gap next to the PCIe slots quite nicely. IIRC, @WiSK did something like that with the Compact Splash.
 

Jeffinslaw

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Mar 3, 2015
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You have my attention. Well, this plus that 2 x 3.5 inch bracket you mentioned on [H]. What sort of limitations would these introduce?

Well, unfortunately, the dual hard drive cage has been nixed. After designing it out, it became far too complicated to produce. Plus, it takes up the spot of the bottom 240mm radiator. So, if you planned on using the ATX PSU bracket (which takes up the spot of the front 240mm radiator), you'd be left with one 240mm radiator for all of your parts. Not the best solution.

The ATX PSU mount attaches to the front 240mm radiator location. Because of the limited space from the front of the case to the motherboard tray, you cannot mount ANYTHING else on that radiator mount. My case is so narrow that it fits a normal size ATX PSU width wise, but only with about 16mm left of space. Length wise, the PSU will touch the end of 10.5in cards. If you go with the PSU mount, you'll have to get VERY creative with tubing runs and pump/reservoir placement. Also, you'll have to limit the card length to 10.5in when purchasing components. Won't be an issue for cards such as the GTX 980/Ti, Titan/X or R9 290/X/390/Fury/X but some cards may not fit.

About the hard drives: with SSDs becoming larger and larger, and also cheaper, I fail to see the need for 3.5in drives. This is my personal opinion on that matter and I realize it may vary from person to person. However, with that idea in mind, that's why I never intended to be able to mount 3.5in drives anywhere in my case. In hindsight, I could have widened the case a little more so you could fit 3.5in drives underneath the motherboard. However, to do that now would cost me several hundred dollars on a new prototype and take more time so I am trying to find simpler solutions to the few existing problems.

-Jeffinslaw