NFC S4 Mini 3D Printed

[Ionrent]

@Josh | NFC Did you think about manufacturing the case in Europe or Asia? I'm sure you could cut the cost of the inner chassis and the bazel in half. I'm a CAD engineer from central Europe myself, prices here aren't as high as in the US.

Time zone differences, quality/process control, and travel burden are no joke.

 

[Matt3D]

Time zone differences, quality/process control, and travel burden are no joke.

That's true but we are from different parts of the world so we can help each other out. Person with access to cheaper manufacturers could do quality/process control, no need to travel at least at the beginning.

 

[jtd871]

@George__Sm1th:
TL;DR is that @Josh | NFC seems to be OK with using his CAD to make yourself a case for personal use, and he'd prefer you to credit him in your build log. However, he seems to think that 3D printing this case may be more expensive than actually buying one once he gets more stock.

There are other custom 3D printed cases with threads on this site (the LZ7, for example) that might be more in the zone of affordability for you. IIRC, @Thehack also has 3D-printed corner pieces available which you could use to connect panels that you could print on your local printer.

 

[George__Sm1th]

Wow... I was not expecting so many replies. This is my first thread and I have looked more into this and realised I don't think it us worth it. I would have loved to do this project but my local 3d printer, despite being massive, charges a huge premium and when I brought it up to them they said it would cost at least £150! Instead I was looking at doing some mods to the Logic Supply MC600 (Which was recommended here) and then I saw the MC500 which would be awesome to mod. I want to make it so the side of the case has a PCI-E extender that allows me to hook up a custom built external GPU case. However there are no reviews that I can find on the MC500. I know that the case is mainly for businesses but I would have thought that people would have found this case. Anybody here know anything about it? Might start a new thread about it as this is not really relevant to my original thread. Thanks

 

[jtd871]

Darek from Logic Supply is a member here (@DarekLogic), so if you have questions, that's where I'd start.

 

[K888D]

Wow... I was not expecting so many replies. This is my first thread and I have looked more into this and realised I don't think it us worth it. I would have loved to do this project but my local 3d printer, despite being massive, charges a huge premium and when I brought it up to them they said it would cost at least £150! Instead I was looking at doing some mods to the Logic Supply MC600 (Which was recommended here) and then I saw the MC500 which would be awesome to mod. I want to make it so the side of the case has a PCI-E extender that allows me to hook up a custom built external GPU case. However there are no reviews that I can find on the MC500. I know that the case is mainly for businesses but I would have thought that people would have found this case. Anybody here know anything about it? Might start a new thread about it as this is not really relevant to my original thread. Thanks

£150 for a fully 3d printed case the same size as the S4 is actually really cheap!

 

[DarekLogic]

Wow... I was not expecting so many replies. This is my first thread and I have looked more into this and realised I don't think it us worth it. I would have loved to do this project but my local 3d printer, despite being massive, charges a huge premium and when I brought it up to them they said it would cost at least £150! Instead I was looking at doing some mods to the Logic Supply MC600 (Which was recommended here) and then I saw the MC500 which would be awesome to mod. I want to make it so the side of the case has a PCI-E extender that allows me to hook up a custom built external GPU case. However there are no reviews that I can find on the MC500. I know that the case is mainly for businesses but I would have thought that people would have found this case. Anybody here know anything about it? Might start a new thread about it as this is not really relevant to my original thread. Thanks

Hey George, I replied via PM but thought this info might be useful here. I asked our Engineer Hans (who designed the MC500 and MC600) about this and here's what he had to say:

The case is super small for cramming in a CPU cooler and GPU. In general I'd say don't do it because you're likely to be underwhelmed.

If someone wants to get real crazy, they could theoretically make a low end gaming rig.. You could get a sub-45W CPU and low profile cooler in there, paired with a single slot + half depth GPU. To do that you'd need a DIY backplate, and yes - probably to cut some holes in the lid. The issue with this is that its going to be underpowered, pretty loud, and a bastard to cable manage.

More people have heard of the 600 because its just large enough to support 65W CPU's and double slot GPU's - you can actually game on that hardware, compared to what I described above which is going to perform like a mediocre laptop.

-H

Darek from Logic Supply is a member here (@DarekLogic), so if you have questions, that's where I'd start.

Thanks for the mention, I appreciate it.

 

[i4mshepard]

@George__Sm1th:
TL;DR is that @Josh | NFC seems to be OK with using his CAD to make yourself a case for personal use, and he'd prefer you to credit him in your build log. However, he seems to think that 3D printing this case may be more expensive than actually buying one once he gets more stock.

There are other custom 3D printed cases with threads on this site (the LZ7, for example) that might be more in the zone of affordability for you. IIRC, @Thehack also has 3D-printed corner pieces available which you could use to connect panels that you could print on your local printer.

Actually i can't find CAD file. Only sketchup. i want to build one S4 mini for myself.
Can someone point out where i can find the CAD file?

Here in Ukraine we have cheaper prices for laser\CNC than in US
i think the whole price for S4 mini (without button and pci-e rizer) will be smaller than 100$
but we will see... i just need accurate 3D model to know the exact price

 

[thewizzard1]

@i4mshepard Open the Sketchup model in Sketchup and export a CAD file of your preference.

 

[Marcus Hughan]

Love what you do! You put so much into the community.

Considering the cost of the bezel would you consider making an S4 Mini "lite" or similar which just has a less expensive bezel (thinner, less machined, different alloy) for the market of people who want cheaper minis? It would also make the product lighter which for some people could be a bonus

 

[Josh | NFC]

Considering the cost of the bezel would you consider making an S4 Mini "lite" or similar which just has a less expensive bezel (thinner, less machined, different alloy) for the market of people who want cheaper minis? It would also make the product lighter which for some people could be a bonus

It's a great idea, especially with how many people order my aftermarket bezels, but it requires 100% commitment to dropping the wrap-around from all MINIs. I need to hit MOQs for the sake of the bezel, so it is all or nothing. I might have mentioned that before so I apologize for bringing it up again.

Peace

 

[Choidebu]

@Josh | NFC, much respect and thank you for a very educational post. I've always wondered how these indie cases work at these low quantities, with all the prototyping costs etc.

On the other hand, I can't help to notice the $60 wrap around bezel too, in which I too seconded the replies above, it could be made cheaper. I mean, take an example of your 1080 mini build for cubanLegend, you ended up with thick one part acrylic bezel which I think looks superb anyway. Can't it just be factory stamped?

By the way please start the next run.. please. I beg you.

 

[Biowarejak]

By the way please start the next run.. please. I beg you.

Pretty please... with a cherry on top?

 

[Biowarejak]

I did PM @Josh | NFC but I figured I'd share this potential solution with you all too.
Simple, strong, customizable, laser-cuttable. I know the cost of that doesn't scale well, but it's neat and potentially cheaper assuming it isn't being mass produced

 

[Matt3D]

I saw the exact same thing browsing the web yesterday!

 

[QinX]

That's certainly possible

Another option that is more premium is steam wood bending.

 

[VegetableStu]

That's certainly possible

Another option that is more premium is steam wood bending.

ooh which case is that?
kinda loving the idea of a completely living-hinge case that ships as flat as an ikea cupboard (on a separate note)

 

[QinX]

ooh which case is that?
kinda loving the idea of a completely living-hinge case that ships as flat as an ikea cupboard (on a separate note)

It's a case I've made as an inbetween project. On occasion I've been working on it but there's a slight lack of motivation in getting it going properly again.

 

[jtd871]

Nice to see you back, @QinX.

 

[el01]

Oh and this may or may not be of interest for people wondering where all that money goes:

S4 MINI cost breakdown (with MOQ).

Inner chassis and outer panels: $45
Finishing costs (hairline brush, anodized, inner chassis dyed, sealed) $15
Bezel (which is formed, CNCd and brushed, anodized, dyed, and sealed): $60
Brackets ($8)
Hardware ($2)
Double-walled cardboard box ($4.50)
Custom fit packaging foam ($5)
Shipping to me $9 (including pallets amortized)
Sticker, Insert card, and plastic sheeting: $4
Paypal Fee 2.9% + .30 for US customers, foreign customers 4.4% transaction fee plus a fixed fee based on currency received
E commerce Fee: 2.0% + about $2.50 per MINI to cover sub (amortized)

It is worth noting that some of those prices are higher than the BOM, because of the cost for rejects and redos to make each part as perfect as possible. So then we are about at $163 for a U.S. sale my costs. If you notice that the $200 price tag includes free shipping to 48 states, and a large subsidy for foreign customers. Some customers get more benefit than others--if you purchased a MINI in neighboring states shipping cost me around $17. The thing is, most of my customers are west coast, where shipping a MINI costs about $33.

So if you live in California, the cost to get you a S4 MINI is about $196. This doesn't include the hundreds and hundreds of hours I have spent writing emails, making videos, answering PMs, inspecting MINIs, boxing them up, trips to the post office, gas, electricity, internet, or the vast majority of the money it cost to engineer, patent, get licensed etc. Just the other day I wrote a check for $500 to the state of MS so I could have the privilege to collect sales tax for them. I have received some flak for "raising my prices" when I put the MINI up for $195 (btw, that $5 shy of 200 is a BIG DEAL FOR ME so I am stressing 195 not rounding to $200) but the reality is they mostly stayed the same and in some cases cost me more. I changed the price solely to help my customers retain value in their purchase so if they went to resell their MINI they were selling it at $195 and didn't immediately eject $50+ in fees and shipping. Plus it makes things easy when you want to know the cost. The cost is $195...not 150 + paypal + store fees + shipping.

Oh last thing, I purchased 250 units for run 3, which helps bring the cost down some. Samples cost me $600 each and I order them every time to do everything in my power to make sure they will be of the highest quality. I am at 14 samples for the MINI. Not prototypes, samples. If you can make the S4 MINI as good or better at a lower cost with the same order quantities, please let me know, because I would love to work with you.

I really don't want to think about the total cost of delivering a S4 MINI, and I don't need to. I am blessed to be able to use them to meet new, interesting, wonderful people. I get to share in their computer adventures. It generates full build business for me. It makes me happy because it makes other people happy. If I dropped the wrap around bezel and ordered 2000 units, then I would make good money, and maybe one day that will happen. Right now I am content with what you guys helped me accomplish.

This is the longest wall of text I remember writing on this forum...sorry.

I love you all, and peace to you!

Late to the party but...

Make a Patreon page and be like "plz hlp me buy more S4 Minis so i can lower prices more plz..."

This may go against your ethos of "Not From Concentrate," but a laser-cut but still high-quality "budget" version of the S4 Mini could help you with profit margins. Lazer3D sells their cases (unassembled) for around 150 Euros and their cases are 3D printed and laser cut, which I imagine is fairly cheap. Just a suggestion.

You should ask people who order on April Fool's day to drive to you to pick up for kicks