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Production Lazer3D LZ7 - Quiet Gaming Cube PC Case

K888D

SFF Guru
Original poster
Lazer3D
Feb 23, 2016
1,483
2,970
www.lazer3d.com
I could see doing the front panel in a lighter colored wood that would have a laser etching on it...

Hmm... Hackintosh in the vertical orientation, wood front panel, ORIGINAL Apple logo laser etched onto same...

If you wanted a light wood then Maple could be a possible choice, these are the woods available from the supplier that I am going to be ordering test sheets from:
  • Walnut
  • Oak
  • Cherry
  • Maple
  • Alder
Those are in order of cost, starting with most expensive at the top.

Oh yeah, make sure you get a fire extinguisher.

Yes definitely will be getting a fire extinguisher, its high on the shopping list! It will probably be a CO2 type suitable for electrical fires.

You would definitely want a laser cutter with proper ventilation; both for general health

I've ordered one of these BOFA filtration systems to go with the laser cutter which will extract and remove any harmful fumes. I iwll try and post some photos and videos once its all up and running.

If I mod the Lz7 for using a G-Unique, could I fit in a tall CPU heatsink?

Yeah removing the SFX power supply opens up another 64mm of CPU cooler height. If you wanted to do it properly you would need a modified rear panel with the SFX cutout removed, possibly replaced with a 92mm exhaust fan vent.

See this:

LZ7 #8 High End Build

I believe the upper limit would be 125mm...

Sounds about right!
 

Netzon

Caliper Novice
Netzon
Apr 26, 2017
28
61
Sounds great! I'm thinking of either a tall aircooling heatsink or possibly a 92mm/120mm AIO. Probably the former though.

Will modified rear panels be directly available?
 

K888D

SFF Guru
Original poster
Lazer3D
Feb 23, 2016
1,483
2,970
www.lazer3d.com
Sounds great! I'm thinking of either a tall aircooling heatsink or possibly a 92mm/120mm AIO. Probably the former though.

Will modified rear panels be directly available?

I haven't worked anything up for a modified rear panel yet, but it wouldn't take long if there is interest for it. It could be a popular addition, I will see if Overclockers would like to add it into their configurator, or perhaps even stock it as a spare panel.

My only concern is creating confusion amongst buyers who do not understand the difference between SFX, DC-DC and AC-DC power supplies. Its a minefield, even I struggle to understand the different types we are starting to see on this forum and the terminology they all use in their descriptions!

None standard/custom panels is an area that I am not sure how to approach yet. Overclockers have given me a huge opportunity and in return I was happy to agree for them to be the exclusive retailer, they don't sell to all countries so I should be able to accommodate those customers directly.

I may be able to do custom work as singular panels, but you would need to order a full case from Overclockers UK as well, this way all parties are kept happy. Only downside is increased cost as you are dealing with 2 separate retailers.
 

robbee

King of Cable Management
n3rdware
Bronze Supporter
Sep 24, 2016
881
1,387
The bamboo looks stunning! Would be so cool if it could be CNC'd to avoid the burn marks...
 
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T_Tank

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Mar 16, 2017
137
113
just a random question but would a slim seperation wall to keep most of the hard air of the gpu out from leaking into the cpu chamber how much better would thermals be? and also adding ducting say for cards like the r9 nano so it only can vent out out the appropriate vents so it doesn't recycle exhaust back into the gpu
 

Boil

SFF Guru
Nov 11, 2015
1,253
1,094
just a random question but would a slim separation wall to keep most of the hard air of the gpu out from leaking into the cpu chamber how much better would thermals be? and also adding ducting say for cards like the r9 nano so it only can vent out out the appropriate vents so it doesn't recycle exhaust back into the gpu

The LZ7 chassis is designed as a Positive Pressure system; the 140mm intake fan pulls from the right side, pushing air thru the CPU chamber & into the GPU chamber, exiting thru the top / bottom / front / side openings of the GPU chamber...

If you actually closed off the two chambers, then you would either have the CPU chamber venting from the small slotted area on the back panel & somewhat thru the small slotted area on the bottom panel (under the mobo), or you would be going Negative Pressure & having the CPU chamber venting out the 140mm fan..

But with the Negative Pressure setup, you are still limited to the two small slotted venting areas for the CPU chamber...
 

K888D

SFF Guru
Original poster
Lazer3D
Feb 23, 2016
1,483
2,970
www.lazer3d.com
Thanks everyone!

Received the first samples of the new packaging prototype:


Its been beefed up from the First Edition packaging to include more padding and separated compartments to house the different components:


The design needs a small tweak as the main panel compartment is too big even with the extra padding, this is after all an SFF project so I need to make the packaging more space efficient!

The final box will be brown with black printed graphics on the outside.
 

K888D

SFF Guru
Original poster
Lazer3D
Feb 23, 2016
1,483
2,970
www.lazer3d.com
Very nice! I assume the two boxes to the side are for the smaller pieces like corners and can be pulled out?

I'm very happy you kept the plastic screw box, that is such a nice thing to include!
Thanks!

Yes there are 3 main pieces to the packaging, the outer box (pizza style), the main compartment (which can be adjusted to suit future cases), and the side compartment which forms a tube to hold all the corner pieces and accessories.

The screw box is an important part of the overall kit so I wanted to make sure it stayed. It can sometimes be daunting to build something you buy as a kit such as flat pack furniture, you get a bunch of screws in a bag and it can be a pain in the ass to figure it all out. So I want to try and make it as simple as possible with separated labelled fixings and clear instructions, so maybe the end user can get some enjoyment out of building the case?! Got a huge box full of these little plastic containers imported from China ha ha!
 

K888D

SFF Guru
Original poster
Lazer3D
Feb 23, 2016
1,483
2,970
www.lazer3d.com
Some good news, we have decided to officially launch the LZ7 around the Insomnia 61 event, the UK's biggest gaming festival held at the NEC in Birmingham from 25th - 28th August. The aim is to have stock ready to go for the start of the event.

Overclockers UK will have the LZ7 on display at their booth along with some high end gaming systems built around their new custom case (slightly larger version of the LZ7, name TBD).

I'm hoping to be at the event on the Friday, excited and nervous is an understatement!
 

K888D

SFF Guru
Original poster
Lazer3D
Feb 23, 2016
1,483
2,970
www.lazer3d.com
The laser cutter has now arrived, training is complete and its all set up ready for me to cause havoc:


(Workshop is a work in progress!)

Fine tuning the laser speed and power settings is key for neat edges. Every material type, surface finish, sheet thickness and even colour requires different settings for a perfect cut. First thing I did was run a series of square cuts and engraving details with varying power and speed settings to determine the best results. If you cut too quick it doesn't penetrate through the full sheet thickness, cut too slow and you get flashback (reflection) from the knife bed which leaves small pits along the edges:


Here is a video of the machine in action, cutting the very first full test panel:


The panel looks great and fits perfectly onto an existing case, very happy with the results:


Also received stock of all the raw Perspex sheets for the initial case stock, its been pre-cut into various sizes to suit each panel type based on optimal nesting. Storing large amounts of Perspex is going to be tricky in the space I have, this is around half of the Acrylic received:


Next up I should be receiving all the 3D printed pieces by the end of this week, ready to start inserting all the metal threads.