Prototype Netzon: Netcase, a console style aluminum case

Netzon

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Netzon
Apr 26, 2017
28
61
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share my ideas for a console style SFF aluminum case.

Background

My company designs and makes datacenter solutions for cold data storage, with a sheet metal workshop inhouse. After discovering the SFF community on Reddit, I pitched the idea to some friends (who are all gamers and LAN party enthusiasts), who had never heard of SFF before and were intrigued. I decided I wanted to make a small batch of cases for my friends to test the waters.

Preliminary Specs:
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 351x70x310, 7.6l
  • CPU cooler clearance: up to 50mm
  • GPU: Up to 305mm in length
  • PSU: SFX(-L)
  • Drives: 2x 2.5"
  • Material: 1.58mm aluminum









Changes 8/29/2017:
  • First Prototype has been producted

Changes 6/20/2017:
  • Corners have been smoothened

Changes 6/10/2017:
  • Vent holes have been redesigned for better airflow.
  • Internal layout changed to allow for the included riser card.
  • Cutout bracket added to support 92mm/120mm AIOs.

Changes 5/31/2017:

  • Further reduce the size. 8.1l is still pretty big, and ideally, we can get it in the 7.0-7.5l range. Reduced from 8.1l to 7.6l.
  • Add additional vent holes to the side and front of the GPU bracket to allow for better airflow. Additional vent holes added and density increased.

Upcoming:
  • Design a stand for the case.
  • Manufacture a prototype.
 
Last edited:

CXH4

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Apr 18, 2016
136
87
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share my ideas for a console style SFF aluminum case.

Background

My company designs and makes datacenter solutions for cold data storage, with a sheet metal workshop inhouse. After discovering the SFF community on Reddit, I pitched the idea to some friends (who are all gamers and LAN party enthusiasts), who had never heard of SFF before and were intrigued. I decided I wanted to make a small batch of cases for my friends to test the waters.

Preliminary Specs:
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 351x70x330, 8.1l
  • CPU cooler clearance: 47mm
  • GPU: Up to 305mm in length
  • PSU: SFX
  • Drives: 2x 2.5"
  • Material: 1.58mm aluminum

The power button should be centered, which has not been adjusted in the drawings yet. I'm thinking about a vandal switch with built-in LED.

I'm still not perfectly happy about the dimensions. Ideally, the height and width can be reduced further.


The GPU compartment is designed most standard dualslot cards. I'm thinking about adding extra vent holes to the side and potentially the front for better airflow.


The top panel will be held in place by two thumbscrews. I'm considering cutting out the third drivebay to potentially allow for AIO support, though mounting it might be tricky.

Upcoming:
  • Further reduce the size. 8.1l is still pretty big, and ideally, we can get it in the 7.0-7.5l range.
  • Add additional vent holes to the side and front of the GPU bracket to allow for better airflow.
  • Design a stand for the case.
  • We will manufacture our own shielded riser and test it against some commercially available ones.

Seems like a great idea. Would this case be priced competitively against other premium SFF cases or similarly?
 

|||

King of Cable Management
Sep 26, 2015
775
759
I'm jealous that you have access to a sheet metal workshop.

You will probably want to significantly increase the density, size, or both of the ventilation holes you have. You will be surprised how much resistance they have and noise they may produce. I like the incorporation of the flange over the PCI bracket into the removable lid.
 

Netzon

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Netzon
Apr 26, 2017
28
61
Seems like a great idea. Would this case be priced competitively against other premium SFF cases or similarly?

The major cost factors for a lot of SFF cases is the PCIe Riser and the contracted manufacturing. Assuming our own riser will be up to snuff, we can significantly reduce those, so I think it could be offered way below the usual ~$200. We also have a reliable partner for powder coating, and I'm thinking about either black or silver.

I'm jealous that you have access to a sheet metal workshop.

You will probably want to significantly increase the density, size, or both of the ventilation holes you have. You will be surprised how much resistance they have and noise they may produce. I like the incorporation of the flange over the PCI bracket into the removable lid.

It's a good point, thanks! We got a punch press recently which should make that possible.
 

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
5,827
4,902
I like the incorporation of the flange over the PCI bracket into the removable lid.
Yeah that's an efficient design right there ! Well done on the overal case design, but as a general advice that's been echoed here already, you may want to increase the airflow to solid panel ratio considerably.
 
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Netzon

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Netzon
Apr 26, 2017
28
61
I looked over our inventory of power buttons today, and two different styles came to mind:

Style 1: Aluminum with LED


Style 2: Black plastic with LED


Assuming a black powder coating for the case, which style would you prefer?
 
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Netzon

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Netzon
Apr 26, 2017
28
61
Thanks for the feedback so far! I've made adjustments to the vents and managed to reduce the depth of the case by 20mm, bringing it down to 7.6l. Here are some new pictures:



Extra vents added to the GPU and CPU side to improve airflow. Vents are also increased in density now.



I've looked around a bit regarding the front IO, and it seems like I was a bit optimistic when it came to USB+Heaphone+Mic.



The GPU sidepanel has some vent holes added to it as well. I'm not entirely certain on the placement of the company logo yet, so that may change.
 

jmsantos1983

SFF Lingo Aficionado
May 12, 2017
107
23
Great idea about the ventilation. Looking at the case, looks like there too many separate cover pieces, can this be like more open and small simple brakes? About the psu, will it be better to use the G-Unique PSU or meanwell?
Riser cables from Li-heat?
Please look for the power connect, I think it could be placed better to reduce space.
Looks great.
Any idea on the definite look, like a simple apple like look?
Thank you for your hard work.
 

Netzon

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Netzon
Apr 26, 2017
28
61
Great idea about the ventilation. Looking at the case, looks like there too many separate cover pieces, can this be like more open and small simple brakes?

What do you mean by more open and small simple brakes?

About the psu, will it be better to use the G-Unique PSU or meanwell?

For the PSU, it's currently designed to fit standard SFX PSUs such as the Corsair SF450/600.

Riser cables from Li-heat?

Currently looking into making our own. LiHeat and Sinteach are the alternatives I'm considering if that doesn't work out.

Please look for the power connect, I think it could be placed better to reduce space.

I'm considering moving the Front IO to where the third drive bay would be and placing the power button on the bottom. The position of the motherboard could be swapped with the rear power connector, which might save space. I'll have to look more into that.

Any idea on the definite look, like a simple apple like look?

Powder coated anodized aluminum. I think we'll do black and silver at first.
 

jmsantos1983

SFF Lingo Aficionado
May 12, 2017
107
23
What do you mean by more open and small simple brakes?
Notice that the GPU is encloused. I think the less compartments the better with space and to work on the case and brakes for the ssd.
Please consider HDPlex/G-Unique for space.
 

Netzon

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Netzon
Apr 26, 2017
28
61
The space behind the GPU is kept as small as possible to prevent hot air building up there, which can lead to cooling issues.

Due to supporting full length GPUs, the space savings would be fairly limited. I do however have a design for a case using HDPlex/G-Unique style PSUs on my drafting board, which will be my next project!
 

yawacool

Average Stuffer
Li-Heat
Feb 1, 2017
80
154
www.liheat.com.tw
Currently looking into making our own. LiHeat and Sinteach are the alternatives I'm considering if that doesn't work out.

thank you:D
Our products as your backup program

Do not know if you are interested in understanding
We are the technology for the OEM business model and custom prices
 
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Netzon

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Netzon
Apr 26, 2017
28
61
Got some updates on the case!

Redesigned the vents for better thermal performance:


The interior layout has been changed to allow for the mounting of a 120mm AIO and the use of a riser card instead of cable. I can manufacture the riser card inhouse but currently can't do cables:


The external powerplug has been moved from the middle of the case to the bottom:


For the initial color offerings, I'm thinking of white or black:



The prototyping phase will begin next!
 

DocH

G4G
Apr 2, 2017
312
306
Got some updates on the case!

Redesigned the vents for better thermal performance:


The interior layout has been changed to allow for the mounting of a 120mm AIO and the use of a riser card instead of cable. I can manufacture the riser card inhouse but currently can't do cables:


The external powerplug has been moved from the middle of the case to the bottom:


For the initial color offerings, I'm thinking of white or black:



The prototyping phase will begin next!
really see a lot of similarities with the sentry but with some differences. Really excited for this case
 
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fminus

Cable-Tie Ninja
May 14, 2016
225
123
Really cool that you are designing your own case!

I had a question, and forgive me if it sounds rude, but what makes your case unique over one such as the Zaber Sentry? It looks nearly identical with a similar layout.

/Rant
I think we have hit a plateau with SFF case design. What sets cases apart now, is not just overall volume, but aesthetics. Most indie devs like yourself, don't have the big budgets as the larger manufacturers for fancy manufacturing methods. In return, they are usually limited to a standard industrial blocky looking case. If you really want to set your case apart, I would focus on aesthetics.
 

Netzon

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Netzon
Apr 26, 2017
28
61
Really cool that you are designing your own case!

I had a question, and forgive me if it sounds rude, but what makes your case unique over one such as the Zaber Sentry? It looks nearly identical with a similar layout.

Aside from the differences in layout and aesthetics, it's the material used. The Sentry is constructed from ~1mm thick steel while the Netcase is constructed from ~1.58mm thick aluminum.

Both cases are based on the steam machine prototype layout, which is also used in some commercially available cases from large manufacturers, like the Silverstone Raven and the Fractal Design Node 202.

Another thing we aim for is the better availability of small form factor cases in general. Most of the commercial ones are >10l, and while we're not a big manufacturer like Silverstone, Lian-Li or Fractal Design, we do have an established supply chain and inhouse manufacturing, which will allow us good quality control and production output with a smaller overhead.

I think we have hit a plateau with SFF case design. What sets cases apart now, is not just overall volume, but aesthetics. Most indie devs like yourself, don't have the big budgets as the larger manufacturers for fancy manufacturing methods. In return, they are usually limited to a standard industrial blocky looking case. If you really want to set your case apart, I would focus on aesthetics.

The current design may not be final and could undergo a multitude of revisions. In terms of aesthetics, we are looking into offering sandblasted finishes in addition to powdercoating.