Wow thank you for the kind words, that's quite a task to read through this whole thread!
I am not fully sure what you mean? Are you talking about making the side panels more translucent so that you can see into the case through the side panel? Like a clear panel but with a slight colour tint?
The HDD panel is a separate panel that sits inside the case, it is optional whether you fit it or not if you don't need to mount any 2.5" drives.
Yeah I'm using a slightly different way of securing the PCB to the side panel, but I'm not 100% happy with it so I will likely be adding another screw for extra security.
OK I will see what I can do with photoshop and post some different options.
I wouldn't go that far, but thank you very much, appreciate the support! I don't get chance to do as much design work in my day job as I used to, so this project is filling a void for me!
The parts are made by Shapeways, I am hoping to set it up so that you can buy spare corner parts or different colours with custom text, accessories, etc.
I know, very annoying! The Aero vent still lets air through, it was surprising just how much of a reduction in airflow you see through perforated holes compared to other vent styles.
Interesting, definitely something to think about.
I was actually meant to put some kind of power symbol laser etched into the button area, but I forgot before I ordered the samples, doh.
But it seems quite a few people aren't keen on white contrast from the laser etching, I think I need to play around a bit with some different ideas.
More revisions and samples though means more time to get the design finished and released!
I am indeed hoping to make the panels available to order separately, but through which platform and method I am not sure yet. There are a few hubs around the world for making panels to order which you can open a mini store on, they handle the manufacture and shipping, but the difficulty is each one has different materials available (matte materials specifically) and they charge high shipping costs if you want to ship to the other side of the world.
I estimate the cost for a set of the 3mm panels (GPU Side, Power Panel, Rear Panel) to be in the region of $35 + shipping. I know this is steep, but it will include many different panel colours (including completely clear if that's what your into!) and even different materials to choose from, including 3mm woods with a variety of finishes.
The same can be done for the 5mm panels (Front, Base and Top) which I estimate to be in the region of $45 + shipping. Again a range of Acrylic colours and materials are available including some woods, but unfortunately matte Acrylic is not available in 5mm from these hubs.
One idea I am playing with is to offer a bare bones kit which includes all the essentials, you would then go to the laser cutting storefront and order your preferred panel design and material. So if you wanted for example wood panels with the Cyclone vent you wouldn't need to order a full case + buy wood panels on top of that. Just buy the Bare Bones Kit + custom panels. The price will likely be a bit higher going this route, but you get exactly what you want.
The long term plan is to invest in a good laser cutting machine, this won't necessarily reduce the price of the case as it will be more labour intensive for me and the cost of the machine will also need to be recovered. But what it will allow is unlimited customisation for every case with different colour combinations and vent designs, etc from a single point of shipping. To achieve this I would only need to hold stock of the raw sheet materials rather than finished laser cut panels which is risky if they don't sell. That is the long term goal, something I want to start looking into near the end of this year, maybe.
I'm rambling again.
