Completed S401: Salvo Studios <8L mITX Steel Unibody Chassis w/ GPU & CPU fans in same direction

[grsychckn]

Updates (taken from the newsletter):

Bad News
One day after submitting my final designs to the fabricator, they informed me they received two large (>$250k) orders from two of their largest customers. This is good news for them as they needed the work but bad news for me as I've been informed my first batch (quantity 50) of cases will be delayed until the end of August.

Good News
I have two pieces of good news however. With the knowledge of when the first 50 units will be delivered, I am now ramping up my efforts to prepare for a pre-order. I expect to list a quantity of 50 units on my website for immediate reservation with the understanding the units might not ship until late August/early September. The next bit of good news is that with the delay, I'll be able to finish the design of the removable handle and purchase a certain number of these to be ready for the first shipment (current estimated price of $20). Also, I just added a placeholder for purchasing custom side panels and included the ability to request your own logo be etched on the material (acrylic or wood options, $20-30). I don't have the final list of all available materials for the laser cutting but if someone pre-orders this as an option I should have enough time to purchase and engrave/cut their panels by the time the products are ready to ship.

I was also just informed that the laser cutter will be delivered this week so on top of getting all the accessories packed up and ready to ship, I will now be learning how to use the laser cutter and attempting to produce several different custom side panels. I already have enough materials to produce 3-4 sets of the panels in different materials/colors.

 

[annasoh323]

Updates (taken from the newsletter):

Bad News
One day after submitting my final designs to the fabricator, they informed me they received two large (>$250k) orders from two of their largest customers. This is good news for them as they needed the work but bad news for me as I've been informed my first batch (quantity 50) of cases will be delayed until the end of August.

Good News
I have two pieces of good news however. With the knowledge of when the first 50 units will be delivered, I am now ramping up my efforts to prepare for a pre-order. I expect to list a quantity of 50 units on my website for immediate reservation with the understanding the units might not ship until late August/early September. The next bit of good news is that with the delay, I'll be able to finish the design of the removable handle and purchase a certain number of these to be ready for the first shipment (current estimated price of $20). Also, I just added a placeholder for purchasing custom side panels and included the ability to request your own logo be etched on the material (acrylic or wood options, $20-30). I don't have the final list of all available materials for the laser cutting but if someone pre-orders this as an option I should have enough time to purchase and engrave/cut their panels by the time the products are ready to ship.

I was also just informed that the laser cutter will be delivered this week so on top of getting all the accessories packed up and ready to ship, I will now be learning how to use the laser cutter and attempting to produce several different custom side panels. I already have enough materials to produce 3-4 sets of the panels in different materials/colors.

Good, I didn't want to comment on content from the newsletter here before you did. Good news/bad news indeed, just the way things go.

Re: the handle, how did you plan for it to attach to the case? Was it going to make use of the stand mounting points? I'm no MechE but I imagine that there's a tradeoff between making it easy to take on/off and security of mounting. I don't want to have to bring tools with me if I were to travel with the computer but the last thing I'd like to have happen is to have it back off on me. I've presently got a (handle-less) Silverstone RVZ02 so that's the model in my head.

Re: laser cutter and custom panels: That's pretty exciting! I've never seriously thought about a personal logo... this is going to keep me up at night...

 

[grsychckn]

Good, I didn't want to comment on content from the newsletter here before you did. Good news/bad news indeed, just the way things go.

Re: the handle, how did you plan for it to attach to the case? Was it going to make use of the stand mounting points? I'm no MechE but I imagine that there's a tradeoff between making it easy to take on/off and security of mounting. I don't want to have to bring tools with me if I were to travel with the computer but the last thing I'd like to have happen is to have it back off on me. I've presently got a (handle-less) Silverstone RVZ02 so that's the model in my head.

Re: laser cutter and custom panels: That's pretty exciting! I've never seriously thought about a personal logo... this is going to keep me up at night...

For the handle, there will be two thumbscrews included with it as it reuses the stand keyhole and thumbscrew mounts.

As far as the laser cutting/etching is concerned I think the logo will have to be quite small for the S401 side panel as the vents still need to be cut. However, I'm thinking of offering either an etched or custom cut acrylic panels for the back side and because it is solid, the log could be quite large, I'm just not sure how visible it will be unless it's etched on wood. I'll have to play around with that idea after I get the laser cutter.

 

[annasoh323]

For the handle, there will be two thumbscrews included with it as it reuses the stand keyhole and thumbscrew mounts.

As far as the laser cutting/etching is concerned I think the logo will have to be quite small for the S401 side panel as the vents still need to be cut. However, I'm thinking of offering either an etched or custom cut acrylic panels for the back side and because it is solid, the log could be quite large, I'm just not sure how visible it will be unless it's etched on wood. I'll have to play around with that idea after I get the laser cutter.

The more I look at the wood finish panel proto in the newsletter, the more it grows on me. I'm just not sure if that means it'll clash with the RGB strip I was planning on cannibalizing from my existing build.

The option for a full-sized back panel engraving will give me even more heartburn deciding but it sounds awesome. I wonder if it will make a difference noise-wise to have the back panel facing me vice the vented panel since the fans will be facing the other way. That would mean making use of the stand screwholes on the "top". Have you already tried having the case mounted vertically from either end? I'd be most worried about the GPU mounting holding since it's sort of cantilevered from the GPU bracket. Granted, I've already given that a shot in the Silverstone and it shouldn't be that different.

No sense worrying about it yet though. In the eventuality that laser emblems are possible, how do we transmit those to you? It will probably mean I have to learn a new file format creation and I should get started on that.

 

[DSmithBYU]

Excellence. Awaiting the preorder date and am intrigued with the addition of a handle.

 

[grsychckn]

Have you already tried having the case mounted vertically from either end?

I have, but have not run the case (S400 or S401) very long in that orientation. I will say that the Li-Heat PCIe extender has a "locking" tab that should keep the GPU held in place well. I've seen more secure mechanisms than the Li-Heat but so long as the tab is in place it shouldn't be going anywhere.

In the eventuality that laser emblems are possible, how do we transmit those to you? It will probably mean I have to learn a new file format creation and I should get started on that.

For the laser cutter I have a few image formats that are possible but most likely I'll want to use a vector format for anything requiring detail. I have a template for the vented panel that is in an *.eps format ready to go when I get the laser setup. I have CorelDraw as well as some free image editing apps so I *should* be able to convert most image files into something useful. I will probably have a standard set of file formats though that I'd prefer but I'll have to figure out what these are. Long story longer, I'll have to figure out what files work best as I get requests.

 

[grsychckn]

I wanted to write a quick update to say that the pre-order has been delayed just a little bit longer as I want professional pictures posted to the website before I ask people to commit to purchasing. I also want pictures of the custom acrylic/wood panels and the new removable handle. The sample (marketing) unit I've special ordered from the fabricator should be here soon so I can get these done.

I also am working on both 3.5" and a 2.5" brackets that will allow the drives to be vertically stacked. With thin 2.5" drives, I think I can support up to 5 vertically stacked drives per mount location - depending on the GPU length. With no GPU, that would mean 20 x 2.5" drives and 4 x 3.5" drives. Like the handle and custom side panels, these would have to be purchased separately from the S401. They don't require bending so if I can get these designed soon I should have some of these available for the launch of the S401 as well.

 

[DSmithBYU]

Understandable on the delay. Take your time to make this chassis awesome.

 

[annasoh323]

I wanted to write a quick update to say that the pre-order has been delayed just a little bit longer as I want professional pictures posted to the website before I ask people to commit to purchasing. I also want pictures of the custom acrylic/wood panels and the new removable handle. The sample (marketing) unit I've special ordered from the fabricator should be here soon so I can get these done.

I also am working on both 3.5" and a 2.5" brackets that will allow the drives to be vertically stacked. With thin 2.5" drives, I think I can support up to 5 vertically stacked drives per mount location - depending on the GPU length. With no GPU, that would mean 20 x 2.5" drives and 4 x 3.5" drives. Like the handle and custom side panels, these would have to be purchased separately from the S401. They don't require bending so if I can get these designed soon I should have some of these available for the launch of the S401 as well.

Good plan to make the most of an unexpected situation, what with the pictures and everything. Certainly nothing like pictures of the real deal to get us SFF connoisseurs salivating. It'll be nice to see the panels and handles fabbed to be sure but I'm most intrigued by these proposed drive bays. I'm not sure my video card is short enough to support one, but if I can fit one in somewhere, that's nearly triple the number of drives I can fit compared to my current build. My last challenge, then, will probably be CPU cooling. I just saw @confusis post his C7 Cu review which does differ from the conclusions you drew, @grsychckn. Well, to be fair, the conclusions are maybe not that different: marginal improvement on the original on which buyers will have to determine their own value proposition. Still waiting for that miracle, I suppose.

 

[grsychckn]

I just @confusis post his C7 Cu review which does differ from the conclusions you drew, @grsychckn. Well, to be fair, the conclusions are maybe not that different: marginal improvement on the original on which buyers will have to determine their own value proposition. Still waiting for that miracle, I suppose.

Yeah, I read his review and I began questioning my results as well. The discrepancy between our findings regarding the CPU temp is what concerned me most. That said, I think the reason for this is just simply that the 1800X heat-soaks the C7 (and C7 Cu) much faster than the 1600X even though the rated TDP for both is 95W. This is why I ran some tests using 4 and 2 threads but still found no difference between the C7 and C7 Cu. What an odd product the C7 Cu is.

 

[annasoh323]

Yeah, I read his review and I began questioning my results as well. The discrepancy between our findings regarding the CPU temp is what concerned me most. That said, I think the reason for this is just simply that the 1800X heat-soaks the C7 (and C7 Cu) much faster than the 1600X even though the rated TDP for both is 95W. This is why I ran some tests using 4 and 2 threads but still found no difference between the C7 and C7 Cu. What an odd product the C7 Cu is.

That's a good point about heat soaking the different processors. The testing with the slim Noctua confirmed my suspicions: swapping to it would be a noise improvement but a performance downgrade. I've been enjoying using the full-size 92mm Noctua fan on the C7 heatsink but it looks like it's back to stock once the S401 rolls around. I do keep telling myself I need to tweak my CPU settings to be better optimized but never get around to it.

 

[grsychckn]

I'm beginning to collect wood materials for the laser cutter. I have seen several custom cases with wooden panels and I think they look really good. The problem I'm having is finding 1/8" or ~5mm thick panels that are large enough to cut a side panel from. I'm toying with the idea of using a high-quality plywood and simply fixing a veneer on one side before I cut with the laser to achieve that exotic wooden look without the price of the exotic wood. I'm wondering if there are any wood-workers out there that might have an opinion, but all feedback would be welcome. Price is my main deciding factor as I think anything over $30/panel would be too much.

 

[grsychckn]

Below are pictures of 2.5" drives using the brackets I designed.

9.5mm = 24 drives

12.5mm = 20 drives

15mm = 16 drives

Where do you put the controller? I have no idea but I'm sure someone resourceful enough could find a way. Also, you'll note these are nothing fancy - just flat brackets that rely on the bottom drive for stability. Also, the brackets are full height so if you wanted to stack two disks, you might be better off purchasing a set of the disk stackers I've seen that are 3D printed. These are an inexpensive solution to what I will deem as an infrequent request. After I submit the drawings to the machine shop today and get word on pricing I'll determine if it is worthwhile to produce them and sell them. I would plan on selling the brackets in single sets so for 4 stacks you would need to purchase a quantity of 4 brackets.

A single bracket will require a GPU length of 235mm or less.

The 3.5" drive stackers are below. They only allow one 3.5 drive to stack on an existing drive.

 

[annasoh323]

A single bracket will require a GPU length of 235 or less.

<frantically checks my video card size specs> Shucks. 266mm video card. Oh well. I had to go back to the first page of the thread to remind myself what disk support looks like natively. Can you refresh my memory: you mentioned that the case supports 4 x 2.5mm drives by itself. Do they go behind the video card? For a backplate-less card, should I worry about shorting i.e. should I be looking to find some way to get a pseudo-backplate?

I guess at the end of the day, it is a blessing in disguise (not being able to fit an HDD bracket). It will keep unobstructed access for the video card to that front vent.

 

[grsychckn]

<frantically checks my video card size specs> Shucks. 266mm video card. Oh well. I had to go back to the first page of the thread to remind myself what disk support looks like natively. Can you refresh my memory: you mentioned that the case supports 4 x 2.5mm drives by itself. Do they go behind the video card? For a backplate-less card, should I worry about shorting i.e. should I be looking to find some way to get a pseudo-backplate?

I guess at the end of the day, it is a blessing in disguise (not being able to fit an HDD bracket). It will keep unobstructed access for the video card to that front vent.

The 4 built-in 2.5" mounts will have approximately 20mm from the mounting surface of the SSDs to the backplate of the video card. Let's say you have a 15mm drive you want to mount - this means there *should* be around 5mm of clearance between the disk drive and the backplate of the video card.

For 9.5mm or smaller drives, there is no concern for interference.

 

[Poblopuablo]

<frantically checks my video card size specs> Shucks. 266mm video card. Oh well. I had to go back to the first page of the thread to remind myself what disk support looks like natively. Can you refresh my memory: you mentioned that the case supports 4 x 2.5mm drives by itself. Do they go behind the video card? For a backplate-less card, should I worry about shorting i.e. should I be looking to find some way to get a pseudo-backplate?

I guess at the end of the day, it is a blessing in disguise (not being able to fit an HDD bracket). It will keep unobstructed access for the video card to that front vent.

You could always put a small piece of adhesive foam (like a 3mm doubledsided adhesive foam) on the SSD (sticking it to the SSD, but leaving the paper covering the adhesive on other side - facing the GPU). Then it puts a safe barrier between the SSD and the GPU, just a suggestion. (Hope this makes sense) lol.

 

[DSmithBYU]

A single bracket will require a GPU length of 235mm or less.

*Hands tented, looks at a Zotac 1070ti Mini GPU...

Joking.

If I were to ever add in just 1 3.5" HDD, I cannot add in that one 60mm case fan behind it?

I'm thinking about adding in my own demciflex magnetic dust filters. They'll be placed on top of the primary top panel.

 

[annasoh323]

*Hands tented, looks at a Zotac 1070ti Mini GPU...

Joking.

If I were to ever add in just 1 3.5" HDD, I cannot add in that one 60mm case fan behind it?

I'm thinking about adding in my own demciflex magnetic dust filters. They'll be placed on top of the primary top panel.

Wait! Stop! Hold out until they start releasing Mini Turing cards and enjoy mini-ITX ray tracing or whatever it is the chef is cooking over at Nvidia R&D (I get it, it'll probably take a long time before anyone figures out how to make mini Turing cards or even if it's possible, what with die size ostensibly being much larger than Pascal but, hey, a dream's a dream, ain't it?)

I've never ordered demciflex dust filters (I know it's been a point of discussion earlier in the thread somewhere). Interested to see what method works out the best, though... certainly magnetic filters would be incompatible with a wooden side panel. Ouch. More food for thought...

 

[grsychckn]

*Hands tented, looks at a Zotac 1070ti Mini GPU...

Joking.

If I were to ever add in just 1 3.5" HDD, I cannot add in that one 60mm case fan behind it?

I'm thinking about adding in my own demciflex magnetic dust filters. They'll be placed on top of the primary top panel.

1. None of the 60mm fans will interfere with 3.5" HDDs when installed. For the "bottom" (GPU location) 60mm, you can use a 25mm thick fan whereas the 2x60mm fans at the top (Motherboard) have to be 15mm thick.
2. For the Demciflex filters, if you are going to place them over the large vented panel (CPU/GPU/PSU intake), I've been using these for mock-up purposes.

 

[grsychckn]

... certainly magnetic filters would be incompatible with a wooden side panel. Ouch. More food for thought...

The Demciflex filters offer a non-ferrous version that basically includes a thin magnetic layer with adhesive on one side so you can apply their filters to non-ferrous materials (wood, plastic). It's indiscernible from the standard ferrous version (I think it only adds a fraction of a mm of thickness) and sticks very well.

To clarify: the non-ferrous product includes an adhesive magnetic strip so the filters can still be removed easily and re-installed onto the magnetic strip.