I'm making a wooden-pc with a similar design.
How thick is your plywood, and how is your PSU being held up? Is it simply attached via the 4 screws?
I'm super excited about your case - i might even order one.
Production Lazer3D LZ7 - Quiet Gaming Cube PC Case
- Thread starter K888D
- Start date
I'm making a wooden-pc with a similar design.
How thick is your plywood, and how is your PSU being held up? Is it simply attached via the 4 screws?
I'm super excited about your case - i might even order one.
Thanks!
It was made with 4mm plywood, yes the PSU is simply screwed through the rear panel. The screws provided with the PSU (Corsair SF450) had just enough length to engage the threads through this thickness.
I will probably supply some longer screws with the cases so there is more thread engagement.
Thanks for the comprehensive response. Quite surprised how the 3D printing costs work out. Can't wait to see how this progresses.
So I've had a delivery:
I ordered some test parts from Shapeways to evaluate strength, surface finishes and colour available before I order the first proper prototype parts, they took 9 days to arrive from ordering which isn't too bad.
I must say, I'm blown away with the quality of these parts, especially the parts that have been polished. They look and feel like pretty much like injection moulded parts that have been given a light spark (matte) surface finish. The photos below don't do them justice,
they look much better in front of you.
Here is a white version of the front IO cover clipped onto the PCB, the buttons work great and the snap fits are nice and secure:
It's so difficult to photograph a white part and capture the subtle details, but here is a closeup comparing the Shapeways SLS Nylon part (on the right) to the previous FDM ABS part (left) that I had made, as you can see the SLS is much smoother and has much greater detail, the white is a little washed out in the photo but hopefully you can tell what I mean:
A shot of the underside, very good detail level:
One of my concerns was part strength, but the parts are actually amazingly strong considering they are 3D printed with similar characteristics to what you would expect from an injection moulded part. You can properly bend these components and they just won't break, they just spring back to their original shape. I am satisfied that these parts will be more than strong enough for the final product:
Polishing the parts adds around £0.50 per component which I think is worthwhile hit to take, again it's difficult to tell but here is a comparison with and without the polishing, the difference is allot more obvious in person and to the touch than what you can see in the photos. The polished parts looks less grainy on the surface, but to be honest the unpolished versions would be acceptable as well. The polished is on the left:
I ordered a red and a black part to see how the colours came out, the red is described as being a light red in the description as the colours are post dyed, but the depth of red is not too bad, the other colours available are described as vivid. The black looks very, well, black so that's good. The only downside to the black is that it's the only colour not available with polished finish, I presume this is probably because the polishing will fade the colour down. Please bare in mind that these parts are very small and this is a closeup picture so the surface finish looks heavier, they actually look really nice. The red is polished and the black is unpolished:
The last point to test was how well self tapping screws would bite into the part, as previously mentioned this material is very durable, below is a 3mm self tapping screw in the part, the screw took a very strong hold with just 1 thread engagement, in reality there will be 5mm of thread engagement to give a very strong fixing:
I was able to screw in and out many times without any noticeable degradation to the bite of the screw. But as with the self tapping screws you get with case fans, if you excessively over-tighten the screw then the thread does strip, it is only plastic afterall. A point will have to be made to customers to take care not to overtighten the screws to maintain thread strength. These parts will be available to order as spares if anything happens to them.
Overall I am very happy with the parts and excited to order the first prototypes hopefully within the next few days!
I ordered some test parts from Shapeways to evaluate strength, surface finishes and colour available before I order the first proper prototype parts, they took 9 days to arrive from ordering which isn't too bad.
I must say, I'm blown away with the quality of these parts, especially the parts that have been polished. They look and feel like pretty much like injection moulded parts that have been given a light spark (matte) surface finish. The photos below don't do them justice,
they look much better in front of you.
Here is a white version of the front IO cover clipped onto the PCB, the buttons work great and the snap fits are nice and secure:
It's so difficult to photograph a white part and capture the subtle details, but here is a closeup comparing the Shapeways SLS Nylon part (on the right) to the previous FDM ABS part (left) that I had made, as you can see the SLS is much smoother and has much greater detail, the white is a little washed out in the photo but hopefully you can tell what I mean:
One of my concerns was part strength, but the parts are actually amazingly strong considering they are 3D printed with similar characteristics to what you would expect from an injection moulded part. You can properly bend these components and they just won't break, they just spring back to their original shape. I am satisfied that these parts will be more than strong enough for the final product:
Polishing the parts adds around £0.50 per component which I think is worthwhile hit to take, again it's difficult to tell but here is a comparison with and without the polishing, the difference is allot more obvious in person and to the touch than what you can see in the photos. The polished parts looks less grainy on the surface, but to be honest the unpolished versions would be acceptable as well. The polished is on the left:
I ordered a red and a black part to see how the colours came out, the red is described as being a light red in the description as the colours are post dyed, but the depth of red is not too bad, the other colours available are described as vivid. The black looks very, well, black so that's good. The only downside to the black is that it's the only colour not available with polished finish, I presume this is probably because the polishing will fade the colour down. Please bare in mind that these parts are very small and this is a closeup picture so the surface finish looks heavier, they actually look really nice. The red is polished and the black is unpolished:
The last point to test was how well self tapping screws would bite into the part, as previously mentioned this material is very durable, below is a 3mm self tapping screw in the part, the screw took a very strong hold with just 1 thread engagement, in reality there will be 5mm of thread engagement to give a very strong fixing:
Overall I am very happy with the parts and excited to order the first prototypes hopefully within the next few days!
That looks amazing ! A posterchild for learning CAD drawing if I ever saw one !
Tip on the photography: for light objects, use a light background (sheet of paper for instance) so the camera can compensate the dynamic range. If this fails, you can look at "EV offset" or using "ND filter" if the camera doesn't compensate enough. I usually run with an EV offset of a click lower than 0 (usually the range is -3 --- 0 --- +3 with 0,5 increments) because it's easier to compensate shadows than highlights in my experience.
Photographing the black and white part together with the same amount of detail on both parts is going to test your camera's dynamic range, which is hard to overcome. It would be easier to photograph the seperately, but don't forget to also use a dark background for the black part.
Tip on the photography: for light objects, use a light background (sheet of paper for instance) so the camera can compensate the dynamic range. If this fails, you can look at "EV offset" or using "ND filter" if the camera doesn't compensate enough. I usually run with an EV offset of a click lower than 0 (usually the range is -3 --- 0 --- +3 with 0,5 increments) because it's easier to compensate shadows than highlights in my experience.
Photographing the black and white part together with the same amount of detail on both parts is going to test your camera's dynamic range, which is hard to overcome. It would be easier to photograph the seperately, but don't forget to also use a dark background for the black part.
Thanks for the tips @Phuncz, I'll try and use them on my next photoshoot! My camera did struggle with the lighting, it's a Sony Nex C3 compact system camera, not quite a DSLR!
Shapeways offer quite a big range of materials to choose from including rubbers simulants, transparent materials and higher detail acrylic type materials. They even have the options for plating with metals such as steel, they can also cast in metals such as Silver and Gold by printing in a wax type material, the wax is then cast in plaster and then melted away to produce a mold into which the precious metal can be poured.
I'm not sure exactly what material the Nylon SLS is, Shapeways call it 'strong and flexible plastic', the company I work for had some prints done a few years ago through a bureau which was the exact same material, but they called it 'Nylon EX'.
The first black FDM prototypes I had made were done on a Fortus 360 MC, these machines start at around £80k, not cheap. But SLS machines are considerably more expensive costing upwards of £250k (last time I checked).
My workplace has just purchased an Object 260V Eden which cost around £50k, they are capable of printing much higher detailed parts than FDM and SLS, they can also print in a range of materials such as ABS 'like' materials, transparent plastics, rubber simulants and soft plastics. The only downside to the Objet materials is they aren't as tough as SLS materials.
Stratasys (who own Objet and Fortus) have just released a new printer called the J750, I went to the launch event last week and it's very impressive, the cost is £205k which isn't bad for its capability. It prints using the same materials as the Objet 260V Eden, but faster and in slightly more detail. But its main feature is that it can combine materials to produce many different composite combinations, it can also do full colour printing onto each layer. So the end result is a machine that can print an entire full colour multi part assembly in a single print. For example a toy car with transparent windows, blue shell and black rubber moving wheels.
Shapeways offer quite a big range of materials to choose from including rubbers simulants, transparent materials and higher detail acrylic type materials. They even have the options for plating with metals such as steel, they can also cast in metals such as Silver and Gold by printing in a wax type material, the wax is then cast in plaster and then melted away to produce a mold into which the precious metal can be poured.
I'm not sure exactly what material the Nylon SLS is, Shapeways call it 'strong and flexible plastic', the company I work for had some prints done a few years ago through a bureau which was the exact same material, but they called it 'Nylon EX'.
The first black FDM prototypes I had made were done on a Fortus 360 MC, these machines start at around £80k, not cheap. But SLS machines are considerably more expensive costing upwards of £250k (last time I checked).
My workplace has just purchased an Object 260V Eden which cost around £50k, they are capable of printing much higher detailed parts than FDM and SLS, they can also print in a range of materials such as ABS 'like' materials, transparent plastics, rubber simulants and soft plastics. The only downside to the Objet materials is they aren't as tough as SLS materials.
Stratasys (who own Objet and Fortus) have just released a new printer called the J750, I went to the launch event last week and it's very impressive, the cost is £205k which isn't bad for its capability. It prints using the same materials as the Objet 260V Eden, but faster and in slightly more detail. But its main feature is that it can combine materials to produce many different composite combinations, it can also do full colour printing onto each layer. So the end result is a machine that can print an entire full colour multi part assembly in a single print. For example a toy car with transparent windows, blue shell and black rubber moving wheels.
My pleasure, spread the knowledge ! Even the best camera in the world doesn't take the best pictures, most is done by the person taking the photograph. Lighting is key and knowing how to deal with technical limitations will yield better photos from your NEX C3 than the most expensive Hasselblad in the hands of anyone who doesn't know what they're doing. With a few tips, most people can take excellent pictures even with a smartphone, along with a little preperation.
Wow 80k for an FDM. That's pretty steep, and FDM Printer prices are dropping rapidly still.
I think SLS printers are coming down in price as well. It might get into consumer price range soon, but I have reservations about the safety of SLS printers in the hands of the masses.
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Yeah and that £80k is the base model, we had ours upgraded to a larger build envelope and the ability to print Nylon and Polycarbonate, the total price was nearer £120k plus an annual service contract!
Hello again!
I have a little question: Did you see that case before? I think it is very similar to what You want to achieve (maybe a little bit bigger because of ODD)::
Lian-LI PC-TU100:
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-tu100/
http://lanoc.org/review/pc-hardware/6743-project-build-lunchbox-v3-part-2?showall=&start=1
I have a little question: Did you see that case before? I think it is very similar to what You want to achieve (maybe a little bit bigger because of ODD)::
Lian-LI PC-TU100:
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-tu100/
http://lanoc.org/review/pc-hardware/6743-project-build-lunchbox-v3-part-2?showall=&start=1
Some quick updates on the case progress, the case is going to be called the LZ7, the reasoning being is that its laser cut (LZ) and under 7 Litres in volume (7). The smaller version will be called the LZ5 and the larger version will be called the LZ9.
The LZ5 and LZ9 aren’t quite finished yet, but I will try and put a render together of the 3 cases side by side.
The first full case prototype of the LZ7 was ordered on Monday this week, I'm hoping to receive the parts next week and I will post some photos once its built it up.
Here are some quick comparisons of the specifications between the 3 cases (these are not finalised and subject to change):
LZ5
Dimensions – H93mm x D191mm x W280mm (4.97 Litres)
PSU Support – TFX up to 85 x 65 x 175mm
CPU Clearance – 70mm (without case fan)
Case Cooling – Top mounted 140mm x 25mm Fan (above CPU)
GPU Support - Low Profile Dual Slot up to 183mm (7.2”) length
HDD Support – 2x 2.5” HDD up to 10mm thickness + M.2 on motherboard
Case IO – Power Button only
Accessories included – 1x 140mm Dust Filter, 4x rubber feet, pack of screws, manual
Price – Estimated at £90 inc VAT
LZ7
Dimensions – H150mm x D205mm x W227mm (6.98 Litres)
PSU Support – SFX or SFX-L (SFX-L is unconfirmed)
CPU Clearance – 59mm (under 40mm recommended)
Case Cooling – Side mounted 140mm x 15mm or 120mm x 15mm Fan
GPU Support – Dual Slot Full height up to 196mm (7.72”) length, with 20mm extra height above PCI bracket
HDD Support – 2x 2.5” HDD up to 18mm thickness + M.2 on motherboard
Case IO – Power Button, 2x USB 3.0, Mic + Headphone
Accessories included – 1x 140mm Dust Filter, 4x rubber feet, pack of screws, manual
Price – Estimated at £120 inc VAT
LZ9
Dimensions – H155mm x D270mm x W215mm (9.00 Litres)
PSU Support – SFX or SFX-L
CPU Clearance – 64mm or watercooler
Case Cooling – Top mounted 140mm Fan compatible with 140mm water cooler up to 90mm thickness (need to confirm)
GPU Support - Dual Slot Full height up to 260mm length (10.24”), with 25mm extra height above PCI bracket
HDD Support – 2x 2.5” HDD up to 15mm thickness + M.2 on motherboard + 1x 3.5” or ODD slot drive (need to confirm)
Case IO – Power Button, 2x USB 3.0, Mic + Headphone
Accessories included – 2x 140mm Dust Filters, 4x rubber feet, pack of screws, manual
Price – Estimated at £140 inc VAT
For the LZ9, I'm not sure whether to increase the depth of the case slightly so it can support up to 280mm (11") length GPUs, this would take the volume up to 9.66 Litres, is it worth it? Even at 9.66 Litres it would be 1.79 Litres smaller than the Silverstone SG13 and offer much better cooling performance.
No the Lian-Li TU-100 isn't a case I have seen before, but there are bound to be many cases with a similar layout to the LZ7 as its a very standard layout. The aim of the LZ7 is to make this common configuration as small as possible whilst also providing very good thermal performance allowing for a quiet gaming system.
The Lian-Li TU-100 looks like a very nice case and one I would consider buying for myself if I wasn’t developing this one! But in terms of volume its quite a bit larger than the LZ7, without feet and handle the TU-100 is around 11 Litres and closer to 12 Litres when you do include them, whereas the LZ7 is under 7 Litres and supports a (slightly) longer graphics card.
Other things to point out – the TU-100 has a very restricted intake for the GPU as it looks like the Hard Drives are positioned directly under the GPU fans suffocating the card, it also has limited exhaust ventilation for the GPU forcing the hot air to circulate round the case which could affect system temps, I would expect a card with a TDP of above 70W to have a very difficult time trying to stay cool in this case. On the plus side it does have an ODD drive, if this was removed from the layout then the volume would come down to around 10.5 Litres.
On the same website that you linked to they posted another article of the finished build, and whilst benchmark testing the GPU in this case they found that the GPU went up to 100C with a recommendation to remove the side panel to reduce the temps. There was also no mention of noise levels, but I would guess with the card running at these kind of temps it would be pretty loud:
http://lanoc.org/review/pc-hardware/6745-project-build-lunchbox-v3-part-3?showall=&start=1
The LZ5 and LZ9 aren’t quite finished yet, but I will try and put a render together of the 3 cases side by side.
The first full case prototype of the LZ7 was ordered on Monday this week, I'm hoping to receive the parts next week and I will post some photos once its built it up.
Here are some quick comparisons of the specifications between the 3 cases (these are not finalised and subject to change):
LZ5
Dimensions – H93mm x D191mm x W280mm (4.97 Litres)
PSU Support – TFX up to 85 x 65 x 175mm
CPU Clearance – 70mm (without case fan)
Case Cooling – Top mounted 140mm x 25mm Fan (above CPU)
GPU Support - Low Profile Dual Slot up to 183mm (7.2”) length
HDD Support – 2x 2.5” HDD up to 10mm thickness + M.2 on motherboard
Case IO – Power Button only
Accessories included – 1x 140mm Dust Filter, 4x rubber feet, pack of screws, manual
Price – Estimated at £90 inc VAT
LZ7
Dimensions – H150mm x D205mm x W227mm (6.98 Litres)
PSU Support – SFX or SFX-L (SFX-L is unconfirmed)
CPU Clearance – 59mm (under 40mm recommended)
Case Cooling – Side mounted 140mm x 15mm or 120mm x 15mm Fan
GPU Support – Dual Slot Full height up to 196mm (7.72”) length, with 20mm extra height above PCI bracket
HDD Support – 2x 2.5” HDD up to 18mm thickness + M.2 on motherboard
Case IO – Power Button, 2x USB 3.0, Mic + Headphone
Accessories included – 1x 140mm Dust Filter, 4x rubber feet, pack of screws, manual
Price – Estimated at £120 inc VAT
LZ9
Dimensions – H155mm x D270mm x W215mm (9.00 Litres)
PSU Support – SFX or SFX-L
CPU Clearance – 64mm or watercooler
Case Cooling – Top mounted 140mm Fan compatible with 140mm water cooler up to 90mm thickness (need to confirm)
GPU Support - Dual Slot Full height up to 260mm length (10.24”), with 25mm extra height above PCI bracket
HDD Support – 2x 2.5” HDD up to 15mm thickness + M.2 on motherboard + 1x 3.5” or ODD slot drive (need to confirm)
Case IO – Power Button, 2x USB 3.0, Mic + Headphone
Accessories included – 2x 140mm Dust Filters, 4x rubber feet, pack of screws, manual
Price – Estimated at £140 inc VAT
For the LZ9, I'm not sure whether to increase the depth of the case slightly so it can support up to 280mm (11") length GPUs, this would take the volume up to 9.66 Litres, is it worth it? Even at 9.66 Litres it would be 1.79 Litres smaller than the Silverstone SG13 and offer much better cooling performance.
No the Lian-Li TU-100 isn't a case I have seen before, but there are bound to be many cases with a similar layout to the LZ7 as its a very standard layout. The aim of the LZ7 is to make this common configuration as small as possible whilst also providing very good thermal performance allowing for a quiet gaming system.
The Lian-Li TU-100 looks like a very nice case and one I would consider buying for myself if I wasn’t developing this one! But in terms of volume its quite a bit larger than the LZ7, without feet and handle the TU-100 is around 11 Litres and closer to 12 Litres when you do include them, whereas the LZ7 is under 7 Litres and supports a (slightly) longer graphics card.
Other things to point out – the TU-100 has a very restricted intake for the GPU as it looks like the Hard Drives are positioned directly under the GPU fans suffocating the card, it also has limited exhaust ventilation for the GPU forcing the hot air to circulate round the case which could affect system temps, I would expect a card with a TDP of above 70W to have a very difficult time trying to stay cool in this case. On the plus side it does have an ODD drive, if this was removed from the layout then the volume would come down to around 10.5 Litres.
On the same website that you linked to they posted another article of the finished build, and whilst benchmark testing the GPU in this case they found that the GPU went up to 100C with a recommendation to remove the side panel to reduce the temps. There was also no mention of noise levels, but I would guess with the card running at these kind of temps it would be pretty loud:
http://lanoc.org/review/pc-hardware/6745-project-build-lunchbox-v3-part-3?showall=&start=1
Do you plan to put the TFX depth-wise or width-wise?
191mm is not enough for some TFX after you factor in the bundle of cables sticking out behind it.
Especially the Seasonic TFX 350
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It would be positioned depth wise along the 191 dimension, but after you factor 3mm Panel thickness your left with 185mm.
Thankyou for pointing this out, I was hoping 10mm would be enough clearance to allow the cables to bend round, but as you say it probably won't be.
How much length would you say is enough to allow the cables to bend at 90 degrees. The TFX units are 175mm long, how much extra clearance do you need?
Depends on which unit you want to be compatible for.
I only tested the Seasonic TFX 350, which is modular but came with a harness that took up more space than non-modular units.
From what I measured you need at least 215mm to fit the unit + the cables, maybe even 220mm to be safe.
I only tested the Seasonic TFX 350, which is modular but came with a harness that took up more space than non-modular units.
From what I measured you need at least 215mm to fit the unit + the cables, maybe even 220mm to be safe.
Wow, an extra 40mm clearance!
I was hoping for the case to be compatible with the 65mm wide Be Quiet! and Seasonic units.
But if they need that much clearance then I may will need to rethink the layout of the LZ5. TFX may not be the way to go as increasing the depth to 225mm is wasting space with regards gpu length, I'm not aware of any low profile cards that stretch much beyond the ITX board.
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