Completed Kibo K1 | 3D printable Case | customizable & expandable | 60h | 10L |

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Kiborato

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Jun 3, 2021
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Patreon & K1 Max Launch​



Creating these modular and versatile ITX PC cases takes a lot of time and effort.

But hear me out!

It all started with the Kibo K1 240 as an novelty project, bringing modularity and design together to create a 3D-printable Competitor to the Boutique ITX Case Scene(e.g. T1, Wintercase, louqe S1, etc.), that were at the time (2021) not broadly accessible.

As time moved on, newly released GPU sizes grew, resulting in a new demand for cases for those larger GPUs. Thus a new dream was born, to create a fully 3D-printable Mainstream ATX Tower. And the first step for me was to adapt the old K1 240 to the current demands:

Fitting an oversized GPU in an ITX Case, while preserving the same space efficiency is hard!

If you find value in the K1 concept and want to support me on these projects you will find me at my Patreon page, offering membership rewards such as the Files of the K1 Max.

If you want to make a purchase instead of joining a membership, I also have set up my Ko-Fi Shop.

Thank you for the support!




PCIE Riser length​

The minimum length of the dual reverse riser will be 190mm, as my ssupd 185mm one is a bit short to be mounted into place.


GPU MTB Gap​

I hope that an 8mm gap between GPU Backplate and Motherboard will be enough to avoid shorts or any unforeseen electrical issues. If so pls „mach mich schlauer!“ fill me in.

 
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Kiborato

Trash Compacter
Original poster
Jun 3, 2021
42
122

Back to the drawing board​

You may have been under the imppression, that this Concept has been turned into an aimless drunkards driving lesson 😒 .
So I am taking some time to do some experimenting with the following two Topics.

K1 Concept Ambition​


Expanding the K1 Concept to an Family of interchangeable parts​

At this stage of prototyping I realize that with the accessibility of the 3D printer
A 3D printed PC Case shall not be limited by anything such as Dimensions and written down specs,
as the Case you are printing can be truly made to size to your needs and tastes.

The Family of Interchangeable frame parts​

What parts will be interchangeable?
  • Beams to change the Case Length
  • Spine(back/mid/front) changing case height and Format(Sandwich <-> Normal)
What are the limiting factors after this change?
  • Width of Case is locked (e.g. at 145 or 165 for correspondingly Fan sizes 120&140)
  • Printsurface size (80-90% of all consumer printers have 21x21cm printsurface)
What am I expecting from these changes?
  1. More Hardware Compatability
  2. Expanding the potential use-cases(NAS, APU-Case, ATX-Tower)
  3. Gaining Mainstream status as the "3D Printable Case"
What challenges will there be?
  • many, i dont want to think about yet
  • but will propably find a solution to🥲 eventually

Monetization Strategy​

This part is a bit of an experiment-and-learn part for me, as i didnt really study this topic enough.

Community-Plattform limits​

Monetizing digital files are tough and not all 3Dprint-files-sharing plattform accept monetization /profit-oriented-Projects.

At one end there is Thingiverse having the tough stance of no monetization accept through any form [i got suspended😒].
At the other end there is cults3d and minifactory having healthy 3D print economies going on with plattformfees such as Steam and co..
Printables is orienting itsself in between, accepting the implemetation of thirdparty paywalls for additional parts or accessories.

Previous naive Monetizing Strategy​

Create a free version appealing to majority of Enthusiasts,
while limiting its hardware compatibiity to create a need for more custom solutions,
locked behind memberships and paywalls, peatreon & co.

Current much more naive Monetizing Strategy​

I wouldnt want to change much in that,
except for improving the microtransaction-funnel,
building up the offerings and expanding the pricerange of the offerings.
Making full length build videos to gain a broader audience, we will see if this will fail or succeed.

What will be freely accessible?​

I had to think about this one a lot,
because the main strategy is limiting the free stuff
so you will be incentivised to buy premium stuff to expand/ customize.

The biggest change will be that all different beams and corresponding spines will be freely accessible.

Let's hope that my greed doesnt pend up and does something random.

Moving on​

I came to the conclusion that I will close this K1 Concept Thread and mark it as completed,
And I will open a new thread "K1 Modular System" for the further ambitions.

Thank you!

K2 will be the next productline after K1 Modular System.
As there will be much more problems to come.
 

Kiborato

Trash Compacter
Original poster
Jun 3, 2021
42
122

K1 Max 240 & 280​

completed the remixes for Big GPUs and 280 Rads / AIOs!
Every Remix is printable on a 3D Printer with an printsurface larger than 20x20cm!

K1 Family Overview 👈with pictures 😏

K1 240 v3K1 240 v2K1 Max 240K1 Max 280
max GPU300x160mm290x120mm350x160mm350x160mm
max thickness60mm59mm60mm80mm
Footprint320x150mm315x145mm375x145mm375x165mm
PSUSFX&-LSFX&-LSFX&-LATX&SFX&-L
MembershipFree6€6€
Kofi-ShopKofi-ShopKofi-ShopKofi-Shop

For more miscellaneous Project Updates, you can follow me on Kofi!
 
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