Log Reusing old parts and learning CAD = 6.25L* mATX case

slydex

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
New User
Apr 30, 2018
4
12
Hey everybody,

so during Corona and lots and lots of home office i was bored with the everyday buisness and decided that i needed something to tinker on.

Getting a rudimentary understanding of CAD was always on my list of things to learn, so right away i downloaded FreeCAD and started reading/watching some tutorials.
After several simple concepts i made on a learning-by-doing basis, i made a list of all the parts i had still lying around and ended up with the following components for a potential system:
  • Intel i7-4790k
  • ASRock Z87M OC Formula
  • 4x4GB Crucial DDR3L-1600
  • Samsung 850 Evo 500GB
  • Mini-Box PicoPsu 150W
With help of the awesome 'wiki' by the protocase people, i came up with this design in FreeCAD:


It would be a small console-style case (290mm x 266mm x 81mm) with a skeleton made out of extruded aluminium rods (Makerbeams) and laser cut wooden panels mounted to it.
As i don't plan to use a dedicated gpu i went with half height pcie slots, which is plenty for a wifi and usb 3.1 card that i plan to use later on.
The pcie card will not be locked by a screw though the top panel but rather by a press fit though the top cover. For the bottom part of the extension cards i added a little slot in the bottom. As the case will be in horizontal position, i hope this will be enough to secure the cards.



Furthermore, i decided to buy a be quiet! Shadow Rock LP and make it fit by 'modding' the fan by removing the top screw mounts so it would basically just be a cylinder sticking out of the top cover of the case.

Next up, i looked around my local area and found a neat little shop with a laser cutter and after a little chat they were happy to cut my panels from birch wood.
I ordered all the other remaining parts too (power button, feet, screws and so on) and waited patiently for everything to arrive.

With the panels actually arriving last, i cut the aluminium rods, threaded the ends and carefully started assembling everything, dreadfully expecting a major mistake in my planing...
..., but somehow everything worked out just fine:


So i sanded the panels and stained the wood to give it a retro/industrial style.
And wow - the finish makes all the difference! I am really happy how it turned out given this is my first take on designing something from scratch:



I am not completely finished as of now, as e.g. the expansion cards are still missing and it needs to be seen if at all or how well they really fit and i got a couple of other ideas along the way on how to further improve the case design, but most of the work is done and i will keep you updated if you like. ☺

If you have any comments or ideas, please let me know! If not, i hope you liked this mini worklog. ?

Greetings,
slydex
 

jmarin

Airflow Optimizer
Mar 8, 2018
258
187
Wow that looks awesome man! I love the wood look and choice of stain. Where did you get your aluminum rods and screws from? I have been looking for something similar but can't seem to find exactly what I am looking for (I am probably not searching with the right terminology).
 

slydex

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
New User
Apr 30, 2018
4
12
@jmarin thanks a lot! Glad you liked it! The rods are from https://www.makerbeam.com/ . I used the 10mm x 10mm ones with the t-slot nuts. Can definitely recommend them, as they are easy to cut and work with. The ends are already threaded, but the threads don't go alle the way through.
 

Hifihedgehog

Editor-in-chief of SFFPC.review
May 3, 2016
459
408
www.sffpc.review
@jmarin thanks a lot! Glad you liked it! The rods are from https://www.makerbeam.com/ . I used the 10mm x 10mm ones with the t-slot nuts. Can definitely recommend them, as they are easy to cut and work with. The ends are already threaded, but the threads don't go alle the way through.
Hoping this catches your eye. You mentioned on Reddit for Project häx that if you never made a production run, you would share the CAD files. Thank you for graciously offering at that time to share your work with the community. If you are still willing, could you please make good on this promise and release the files?