The STL files for this case are now available for purchase here: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-82231
Dimensions:169.6 x 187.7 x 305.64mm (9.7L) TINY footprint
Max CPU size: 55mm (possibly 60mm but haven't tested)GPU: ITXPSU: SFFHDD: M.2 SSD only
I'm happy to answer any questions
Thank you for reading and I hope some of you can try this one out as I'd love to see your builds!
*Original Post*
Hello everyone,
I've been lurking these forums for the past year and posting my personal 3D printed case projects on reddit over the past few months. There has been some interest in purchasing my most recent case so I thought I'd share it all with you here, too. I probably visit this site 5-10 times a day for the past year. I love it. It'd be great to hear from you guys.
I already made a couple of very lengthy posts on reddit so, if it is okay, I would like to copy/paste the content of the first one here as a starting point.
Final product & render first! Every component can be printed in almost any imaginable colour
I posted a survey here asking for help deciding the fair price for the product. Please consider filling this out for me (it's only 2 questions): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7MHHL82
Also, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post reddit links here but here are the original articles as I have already answered many, many questions there so it might be worth checking.
I'm very happy to answer any questions you have here too and I hope you like my case
Dimensions:169.6 x 187.7 x 305.64mm (9.7L) TINY footprint
Max CPU size: 55mm (possibly 60mm but haven't tested)GPU: ITXPSU: SFFHDD: M.2 SSD only
I'm happy to answer any questions
Thank you for reading and I hope some of you can try this one out as I'd love to see your builds!
*Original Post*
Hello everyone,
I've been lurking these forums for the past year and posting my personal 3D printed case projects on reddit over the past few months. There has been some interest in purchasing my most recent case so I thought I'd share it all with you here, too. I probably visit this site 5-10 times a day for the past year. I love it. It'd be great to hear from you guys.
I already made a couple of very lengthy posts on reddit so, if it is okay, I would like to copy/paste the content of the first one here as a starting point.
Final product & render first! Every component can be printed in almost any imaginable colour
I initially designed a couple of small APU cases and then began working on a bigger one to use as my main case. You'll see influences from the likes of the Dan, Louqe, Osmi & CCD in my designs. I wasn't trying to copy them, there's just only so many ways you can physically arrange the parts.
Initially I set out to create a Dan/Louqe style layout. The issue is that an ITX Mobo next to a Corsair SFX PSU is right at around 300mm which is the maximum size my printer can handle, and this is excluding the external chassis. This would be impossible for me to make without making it in multiple parts but my goal was to create something with no visible gaps or screws (except for a lid).
My first design: A Dan/Louqe style case with the PSU flipped to fit into a smaller space. More like 270mm than 300+. It turns out the upcoming DNK Prime will have a similar layout.
Some cutout pattern tests
I messed around with this idea for a while but it was just too difficult to make. I was tearing my hair out trying to come up with solutions of attaching the chassis to the supporting frames and it was all so close to the maximum my printer could handle. I eventually decided I didn't want a case with so much depth due to those complications and I moved onto my next attempt - a case similar to the HG Osmi.
I spent a lot of time designing this HG Osmi - style case. I was so happy with it. I thought this would be the one! I printed it. It was beautiful. It was all fitting together perfectly. And then.... snap. The plastic between the mobo + GPU was too thin. It works in a metal case but the plastic couldn't withstand the pressure. I spent a long time trying to solve the issue but it seems unworkable with plastic. Again, I had to move on. Finally, I came up with a simple design that worked. It is very similar to the CCD Mi-6. I didn't intend it to be that way, I just continued rearranging parts to find ways to assemble them. This one was the best one as it is easy, very sturdy, and I love the form factor. Here is the base:
The Mobo+GPU holder (blue), the main frame (white) and the back (blue). I went through a few prototypes of these designs (by 'a few', I mean more than 10 of each).
I decided to screw standoffs into these holes, then the parts into the standoffs, to separate them a little from the plastic and also give a very easy assembly process. Many of the various holes you can see are for tiny magnets I bought. They are incredibly strong. My idea was to use the magnets to create a screw-less front&sides design. It turned out that the chassis fits SO snugly that the magnets aren't even necessary. It's going nowhere. You can throw the case around to your heart's content and the chassis isn't budging. Also, I added a few extra holes in the bottom for a modular component I can add - the plan was to allow it to easily slot in a couple of 60mm fans or an SSD. Turns out the case is a little small for it. Not a big deal to me, just thought it would be a cool idea to make it a little modular.
Finally, a real photo! Here are the parts assembled to the frame. I didn't really decide on these colours, I just printed with what I had on hand as I went through so many prototypes of everything.
The base frame (white) holds all the wires snugly. I only had the need for 1(!) cable tie in the whole build which you can see near the IO shield. My build is very simple, using an M.2 instead of a 2.5" SSD so there are very few necessary wires.
My first prototype of the chassis was a little larger than this and didn't have enough vent holes. I wanted to share it with you guys anyway. Here's chassis prototype 1:
I loved the look of this case but unfortunately it was an oven. There are nowhere near enough holes. The open-air temp of my CPU was about 45-50 degrees. That's a little hot but I'm running a 2600x and I also ruined my L9a when switching heatsinks before and now I'm suspicious it doesn't have a great connection to the CPU. Anyways, 45-50 degrees was my base temperature and it jumped to over 95(!) in this case!
So, here it is... Finally the final prototype. It is sitting across from me now, looking at me as I type this up using it.
I -LOVE- it. It's insanely small. The final external dimensions (excluding feet) are 169.6 x 187.7 x 305.64mm. That works out to around 9.7 litres but almost all of that is in its height. It takes up less than 170x190 of my desk space. I realise that it can only fit mini ITX GPUs and there's barely any space for any SSDs or anything, all in a package that is more litres than a Dan or Ghost which can offer so much more. But I made this for myself and I'm delighted with it.
I'm finishing this up now, looking at the computer on the corner of my desk, and decided to snap one last pic of it as I finish this. Here it is. So small. I love it. Thanks for reading!
Initially I set out to create a Dan/Louqe style layout. The issue is that an ITX Mobo next to a Corsair SFX PSU is right at around 300mm which is the maximum size my printer can handle, and this is excluding the external chassis. This would be impossible for me to make without making it in multiple parts but my goal was to create something with no visible gaps or screws (except for a lid).
My first design: A Dan/Louqe style case with the PSU flipped to fit into a smaller space. More like 270mm than 300+. It turns out the upcoming DNK Prime will have a similar layout.
Some cutout pattern tests
I messed around with this idea for a while but it was just too difficult to make. I was tearing my hair out trying to come up with solutions of attaching the chassis to the supporting frames and it was all so close to the maximum my printer could handle. I eventually decided I didn't want a case with so much depth due to those complications and I moved onto my next attempt - a case similar to the HG Osmi.
I spent a lot of time designing this HG Osmi - style case. I was so happy with it. I thought this would be the one! I printed it. It was beautiful. It was all fitting together perfectly. And then.... snap. The plastic between the mobo + GPU was too thin. It works in a metal case but the plastic couldn't withstand the pressure. I spent a long time trying to solve the issue but it seems unworkable with plastic. Again, I had to move on. Finally, I came up with a simple design that worked. It is very similar to the CCD Mi-6. I didn't intend it to be that way, I just continued rearranging parts to find ways to assemble them. This one was the best one as it is easy, very sturdy, and I love the form factor. Here is the base:
The Mobo+GPU holder (blue), the main frame (white) and the back (blue). I went through a few prototypes of these designs (by 'a few', I mean more than 10 of each).
I decided to screw standoffs into these holes, then the parts into the standoffs, to separate them a little from the plastic and also give a very easy assembly process. Many of the various holes you can see are for tiny magnets I bought. They are incredibly strong. My idea was to use the magnets to create a screw-less front&sides design. It turned out that the chassis fits SO snugly that the magnets aren't even necessary. It's going nowhere. You can throw the case around to your heart's content and the chassis isn't budging. Also, I added a few extra holes in the bottom for a modular component I can add - the plan was to allow it to easily slot in a couple of 60mm fans or an SSD. Turns out the case is a little small for it. Not a big deal to me, just thought it would be a cool idea to make it a little modular.
Finally, a real photo! Here are the parts assembled to the frame. I didn't really decide on these colours, I just printed with what I had on hand as I went through so many prototypes of everything.
The base frame (white) holds all the wires snugly. I only had the need for 1(!) cable tie in the whole build which you can see near the IO shield. My build is very simple, using an M.2 instead of a 2.5" SSD so there are very few necessary wires.
My first prototype of the chassis was a little larger than this and didn't have enough vent holes. I wanted to share it with you guys anyway. Here's chassis prototype 1:
I loved the look of this case but unfortunately it was an oven. There are nowhere near enough holes. The open-air temp of my CPU was about 45-50 degrees. That's a little hot but I'm running a 2600x and I also ruined my L9a when switching heatsinks before and now I'm suspicious it doesn't have a great connection to the CPU. Anyways, 45-50 degrees was my base temperature and it jumped to over 95(!) in this case!
So, here it is... Finally the final prototype. It is sitting across from me now, looking at me as I type this up using it.
I -LOVE- it. It's insanely small. The final external dimensions (excluding feet) are 169.6 x 187.7 x 305.64mm. That works out to around 9.7 litres but almost all of that is in its height. It takes up less than 170x190 of my desk space. I realise that it can only fit mini ITX GPUs and there's barely any space for any SSDs or anything, all in a package that is more litres than a Dan or Ghost which can offer so much more. But I made this for myself and I'm delighted with it.
I'm finishing this up now, looking at the computer on the corner of my desk, and decided to snap one last pic of it as I finish this. Here it is. So small. I love it. Thanks for reading!
I'd like to firstly talk about the more negative points of this case. I don't want to suggest it is perfect.
1. There are some artefacts next to the holes which, as far as I can tell, is unavoidable. It is noticeable if looked at from extreme close range but unnoticeable at the distance I sit from my case. Here is how it is made as shown from the 3D printing software and how it appears in person. I have attached extreme close up pics which exaggerate the effect worse than would be seen with your eyes.
I think some paint and possibly sanding would make it look incredible but I don't have the experience to do that. Personally, I'm fine with how it is, as it is unnoticeable when sat away from you on your desk. I'm not sat with my eyes 2cm from my case.
2. The next downside is there's currently no place for 2.5" drives which I know a lot of people here love. I made all the vent holes 3.5mm so it'd be easy to screw anything into them and I could design some adaptors to fit these drives, perhaps in front of the graphics card, in front of the part that doesn't have the fan. There are some places they could fit. I'd be willing to work on some adaptors for people, it's just tricky as I don't have any drives on hand for test fits.
3. The bottom of the case is open. I decided to leave it open as it would allow for more airflow and it is unseen. There are no dust filters in my case but I'm sure it would be very easy to buy some mesh and add it for almost no money. It could be added to the inside of the case or the outside and perhaps screw the feet into it for security. These are just ideas off the top of my head. I'm personally not too concerned with dust filtration; I clean my desk regularly and it's working well so far. I'm just outlining this for anybody concerned.
4. The case is printed in PLA. Some people have concerns over this. The Mobo & GPU are mounted onto metal standoffs instead of the plastic itself, with 6mm standoffs holding the GPU riser cable and 10mm ones for the mobo to keep it 1cm away from the plastic. I'm pretty confident this should eliminate issues. The GPU is a little close to the PLA. If I had large worries about it then I wouldn't have my computer in it right now but it is important for me to mention this for anybody who may worry about this.
Those are the main negatives I can think of regarding this case. Aside from that, I'm very happy with everything. The case looks beautiful to me and I LOVE the tiny footprint. So what are the positives?
1. Beautiful. Everybody has different beauty standards but this is personally my favourite looking case in existence. I made it to be my favourite so of course it is that way, haha. I hope you like it, too.
2. TINY footprint. It may not be the smallest in calculated volume at 9.7L but the desk footprint of 169.6 x 187.7 for a system that can run a 1080/2070 and SFF PSU is pretty hard to beat.
3. Customisation. This is the big one. I hope you can see from my posts over the past few months that I've worked very hard on these projects and learned a lot in a short time. I'm very dedicated to this project and I can help you with any custom requests you may have. I'll work to create custom SSD mounts, fan mounts, whatever ideas you have if they are workable. Also, because it is printed in PLA, there are a crazy amount of colour combinations. If you look back over my last post you can see the case is split into these parts: Main Chassis, Lid, Back, Mobo&GPU holder, Bottom PSU Frame, Feet. ALL of these parts can be any colour from the ones you can pick here: You can see the sheer ridiculous amount of colour choices. The 4th selection set are special filaments I've not tried before and therefore can't guarantee success with. I should maybe get some for some tests. I'd recommend sticking to normal colours if you're interested. (Side note: No black. I've had nothing but problems with black PLA. I don't know why but it's just awful to work with.) There are 70+ different colours there for the 6 different components (assuming all feet are the same colour) which is.. how many combinations?! I have no idea but probably 100 times more than any other case in the SFF market. I can also offer a smooth front panel like in my 1st prototype and potentially make the case taller or longer etc depending on requirements and for extra costs.
1. There are some artefacts next to the holes which, as far as I can tell, is unavoidable. It is noticeable if looked at from extreme close range but unnoticeable at the distance I sit from my case. Here is how it is made as shown from the 3D printing software and how it appears in person. I have attached extreme close up pics which exaggerate the effect worse than would be seen with your eyes.
I think some paint and possibly sanding would make it look incredible but I don't have the experience to do that. Personally, I'm fine with how it is, as it is unnoticeable when sat away from you on your desk. I'm not sat with my eyes 2cm from my case.
2. The next downside is there's currently no place for 2.5" drives which I know a lot of people here love. I made all the vent holes 3.5mm so it'd be easy to screw anything into them and I could design some adaptors to fit these drives, perhaps in front of the graphics card, in front of the part that doesn't have the fan. There are some places they could fit. I'd be willing to work on some adaptors for people, it's just tricky as I don't have any drives on hand for test fits.
3. The bottom of the case is open. I decided to leave it open as it would allow for more airflow and it is unseen. There are no dust filters in my case but I'm sure it would be very easy to buy some mesh and add it for almost no money. It could be added to the inside of the case or the outside and perhaps screw the feet into it for security. These are just ideas off the top of my head. I'm personally not too concerned with dust filtration; I clean my desk regularly and it's working well so far. I'm just outlining this for anybody concerned.
4. The case is printed in PLA. Some people have concerns over this. The Mobo & GPU are mounted onto metal standoffs instead of the plastic itself, with 6mm standoffs holding the GPU riser cable and 10mm ones for the mobo to keep it 1cm away from the plastic. I'm pretty confident this should eliminate issues. The GPU is a little close to the PLA. If I had large worries about it then I wouldn't have my computer in it right now but it is important for me to mention this for anybody who may worry about this.
Those are the main negatives I can think of regarding this case. Aside from that, I'm very happy with everything. The case looks beautiful to me and I LOVE the tiny footprint. So what are the positives?
1. Beautiful. Everybody has different beauty standards but this is personally my favourite looking case in existence. I made it to be my favourite so of course it is that way, haha. I hope you like it, too.
2. TINY footprint. It may not be the smallest in calculated volume at 9.7L but the desk footprint of 169.6 x 187.7 for a system that can run a 1080/2070 and SFF PSU is pretty hard to beat.
3. Customisation. This is the big one. I hope you can see from my posts over the past few months that I've worked very hard on these projects and learned a lot in a short time. I'm very dedicated to this project and I can help you with any custom requests you may have. I'll work to create custom SSD mounts, fan mounts, whatever ideas you have if they are workable. Also, because it is printed in PLA, there are a crazy amount of colour combinations. If you look back over my last post you can see the case is split into these parts: Main Chassis, Lid, Back, Mobo&GPU holder, Bottom PSU Frame, Feet. ALL of these parts can be any colour from the ones you can pick here: You can see the sheer ridiculous amount of colour choices. The 4th selection set are special filaments I've not tried before and therefore can't guarantee success with. I should maybe get some for some tests. I'd recommend sticking to normal colours if you're interested. (Side note: No black. I've had nothing but problems with black PLA. I don't know why but it's just awful to work with.) There are 70+ different colours there for the 6 different components (assuming all feet are the same colour) which is.. how many combinations?! I have no idea but probably 100 times more than any other case in the SFF market. I can also offer a smooth front panel like in my 1st prototype and potentially make the case taller or longer etc depending on requirements and for extra costs.
I posted a survey here asking for help deciding the fair price for the product. Please consider filling this out for me (it's only 2 questions): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7MHHL82
Also, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post reddit links here but here are the original articles as I have already answered many, many questions there so it might be worth checking.
I'm very happy to answer any questions you have here too and I hope you like my case
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