MicroFusion - Perspex Scratchbuild

[DeMoB]

So I've always liked the challenge of down-to-the-mm casemods; as evidenced by my last (working-but-unfinished) 'Perennial P182' case mod. In which I shoehorned an Alphacool NexXxos Monsta 420 radiator internally into an Antec P182 case.

Lately though I've been focusing my creative thoughts on further modding my HTPC. It's currently running in a modified Silverstone SG-05, and while that's a decent sized SFF case, I'm running a mentally-big-for-ITX graphics card that overhangs the front of the case by 25mm.

I mean, just look at the size of this card compared to the standard height PCI bracket:

At 290mm long and stupid tall too, it's mental for mITX use, but I got a steal of a price on a brand new card last year and I couldn't just refuse.

The saving grace from all of this is that I now have access to a laser cutter.

My original plan was to just put a new 25mm thicker (laser cut) front panel on the SG-05, but I recently discovered this SFF forum and was inspired to push it further!

Now that I've waffled enough, here's the mockup's so far...

CPU side:

GPU Side:

Front:

CPU Side Detail:

Back Detail:

GPU Side Detail:

Top Detail:

CPU Side Inside:

CPU Side Empty:

GPU Side Inside:

GPU Side Empty:

Front Inside:

Back Inside:

Top Inside:

So a little explanation of the photos:

• I'm using existing components of:
  • ASRock Z77e-ITX
  • 8GB DDR3
  • Intel i7 2700K
  • Thermalright AXP-200
  • Silverstone 450W SFX
  • Asus 280X DirectCU II
  • 256GB SSD/1TB 2.5" HDD
• The red rectangle is approximately the size of the Asus 280X vs the sketchup 7970 stand-in
• I'll use a 20-30cm PCIe extender (not modelled) to put the GPU round the back
• The main case material is 3mm perspex
• The motherboard tray will be re-purposed from another case (and metal)
• I've designed it with 12mm Parvum Modding Cubes, but I need 10mm modding cubes for this to work at it's current dimensions. They don't exist to buy!
• I need the side panel vents dust filtered, but aren't sure how yet

The current (external) dimensions are: 298mm (L) x 145mm (W) x 180mm (H)

For a grand total of 7.78L volume.

I quite like the sound of 7.78L, but I think I'm going to have to make this case a little bigger to work though and that makes me sad!

 

[iFreilicht]

Neat idea, in terms of layout it's very similar to the HASSIUM case we've got on here and the DAN A4-SFX, which will start its crowdfunding campaign soon, but there are a few things worth mentioning:

1. There's no space for a power plug to fit into your PSU, it's blocked by the fan.
2. There's no space for the PCIe riser currently, but it could fit underneath the motherboard if you're lucky.
3. There's no space for the PEG connectors on the GPU you're planning to use as the cables will hit the fan blades. If you were to mod the connectors a little bit, that wouldn't be a problem, though.
4. Why is there an exhaust fan in the front? It serves no practical purpose, the PSU gets rid of its heat on its own and the GPU will only fit with it for air. Just having vents in that space makes more sense to me.
5. Vents in the back above the motherboard I/O or at the top of the case would be helpful with passive heat exhaust.
6. With the PSU so close to the mainboard, you'll be having trouble plugging the ATX24pin connector in if it's in a similar location as the one in your model.

 

[DeMoB]

Neat idea, in terms of layout it's very similar to the HASSIUM case we've got on here and the DAN A4-SFX, which will start its crowdfunding campaign soon

I'll freely admit I borrowed inspiration from both of those cases, but the main difference is that I've adapted the design for my much larger AXP-200 cooler and GPU and to use manufacturing equipment I have access to.

1. There's no space for a power plug to fit into your PSU, it's blocked by the fan.

I moved the PSU up late in the design to fit an anti-vandal power switch under it and forgot to re-check clearance for the power cord! It'd be easy enough to flip the switch to the GPU side and move the PSU back down though.

2. There's no space for the PCIe riser currently, but it could fit underneath the motherboard if you're lucky.

Under the motherboard was my original plan, but I'll not know for sure if the design will work until I buy one and measure its thickness/bend radius etc

3. There's no space for the PEG connectors on the GPU you're planning to use as the cables will hit the fan blades. If you were to mod the connectors a little bit, that wouldn't be a problem, though.

The PEG connectors aren't at the full height of the card (the shroud overhangs the PCB by a considerable amount at that point) so I'm confident I can fit the connectors in that space even if they need a small amount of 'low profile modding'

4. Why is there an exhaust fan in the front? It serves no practical purpose, the PSU get's rid of its heat on its own and the GPU will only fit with it for air. Just having vents in that space makes more sense to me.

The card is dual radial rather than blower, so it would help exhaust case heat. It looked like I had enough space in there to include it so I did, but I'm not against dropping it.

5. Vents in the back above the motherboard I/O or at the top of the case would be helpful with passive heat exhaust.

I am however a little bit worried that having three sides completely vented will start to compromise the structural integrity of the 3mm perspex. Do you think I'm being overly cautious by thinking that?

6. With the PSU so close to the mainboard, you'll be having trouble plugging the ATX24pin connector in if it's in a similar location as the one in your model.

It was a compromise to keep it sub 8L total volume. It'll fit, but require removing the PSU to do so.


Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it!

 

[iFreilicht]

I see you've put a good amount of thought into this, that's always great to see.

For the vents in the top, I wouldn't say you'd have to completely vent them, just put two to four rows of hexagons in there, that should absolutely suffice. No idea how problematic this could actually become, it kind of depends on how much load you want the case to bear. Maybe someone with better knowledge about this sort of thing can help you.
But, for aesthetic reasons, you might want to keep the fan you've got up top there. As it's a 120mm model, just getting a slim one would probably solve all your problems. It doesn't need to move a lot of air anyway, so it could just spin constantly at the lowest RPM possible and still be much more effective than passive exhaust.