Just noticed that I didn't attach a pic of the McIntosh Jet Class Dinghy completed! Apologies...
Stoomdoos - steam in a box
- Thread starter robbee
- Start date
Small update!
I carved the panel for the bend. This was quite a challenge. The radius of the bend was too small for the carves alone to make the corner. So I added some steam! Good thing I ordered two front panels, as the first attempt failed. The second one was a succes though! The steam made the wood flexible enough to make the bend!
Next up, the acrylic. I'll update you on that tonight.
I carved the panel for the bend. This was quite a challenge. The radius of the bend was too small for the carves alone to make the corner. So I added some steam! Good thing I ordered two front panels, as the first attempt failed. The second one was a succes though! The steam made the wood flexible enough to make the bend!
Next up, the acrylic. I'll update you on that tonight.
Come on, no excuses extra parts are ALWAYS needed! Stuff it well!
Here's the promised update about bending the acrylic!
As with the front panels, I ordered 2 acrylic panels because this was something I hadn't done before. I decided upfront that I would bend one panel with a mold and one without.
The first one, I bent around a filled PVC tube. The tube had the perfect radius, but I couldn't get the acrylic around it tight enough. The second one, I just marked where the bend should start and where it should end. This actually went a bit better, so I went with this panel.
I think the bend did reform the acrylic a bit because it's almost a centimeter too long now. I'll have some cutting to do. Also, after dragging the case around so much, the paint is starting to come off a bit. I'm gonna redo it all together and use a primer this time.
As with the front panels, I ordered 2 acrylic panels because this was something I hadn't done before. I decided upfront that I would bend one panel with a mold and one without.
The first one, I bent around a filled PVC tube. The tube had the perfect radius, but I couldn't get the acrylic around it tight enough. The second one, I just marked where the bend should start and where it should end. This actually went a bit better, so I went with this panel.
I think the bend did reform the acrylic a bit because it's almost a centimeter too long now. I'll have some cutting to do. Also, after dragging the case around so much, the paint is starting to come off a bit. I'm gonna redo it all together and use a primer this time.
The frosted acrylic looks awesome. Definitely considering a bent acrylic panel for the future.
Waiting for the USB cable, power button and leds to arrive from aliexpress. Could take a while, so I'm now down to some details. This one satisfied me a lot!
Still doing some small details, waiting for the final parts to arrive (USB cable was lost by courier so had to order a new one). Here's some pictures from the case feet and the vandal switch:
Update time! This time I'm as good as finished. I've lent out my camera so couldn't take good 'finisher' shots, but as soon as I get it back, I'll get to that. In the meantime, here's the last things I've done and shot with my phone:
I added the led backlight to the 'STOOMDOOS' characters in the front. Initially, I ordered a 'Backlight module' from Adafruit, but it was too small to cover the whole word. Instead, I used a ledstrip with some acrylic and paper to diffuse the light. The result is surprisingly good!
I also added the USB cable. It had to be a bit of a special cable, because the wooden panel is too thick for a regular cable. The connector had to be sunk into the panel a bit. A bit of a confusing explanation, but the pictures make it obvious.
Stay tuned for the final update!
I added the led backlight to the 'STOOMDOOS' characters in the front. Initially, I ordered a 'Backlight module' from Adafruit, but it was too small to cover the whole word. Instead, I used a ledstrip with some acrylic and paper to diffuse the light. The result is surprisingly good!
I also added the USB cable. It had to be a bit of a special cable, because the wooden panel is too thick for a regular cable. The connector had to be sunk into the panel a bit. A bit of a confusing explanation, but the pictures make it obvious.
Stay tuned for the final update!
Sure! It's a simple 12v molex ledstrip like there's thousands on aliexpress. I had to resolder the wires so they wouldn't stick out on the side. I've strapped the strip behind a piece of frosted acrylic that I had left from the side panel. The paper that diffuses the light, resembles baking paper but I'm not sure how to call it. I used regular printing paper on the back to hide the light shining through the side panel.
It's very hacky, but it works
Red is the power wire, green is the ledstrip and blue is the acrilyc:
@robbee this is fantastic. I am also considering building my own mini itx MDF case because I cannot find anything on the market (USA) that I like. I just want the smallest itx case possible for a living HTPC only used for movies and web stuff but has to be 4k/60HZ and no NUC. Hense the need for a low profile GPU slot to fit a card like the rx460 or gtx 1050. How did you design the cutout holes for the back panel I/O ? Did you measure everything yourself or did you find an existing template for that?
Hi Rico! There's a great template available right here in the resources: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/resources/accurate-blank-motherboard-pcie-card-models.25/
This is a very accurate model that has measurements of many ATX standards and cutout sizes. I used this as a starting point for my design.
Keep in mind that MDF isn't a super solid material. I chose it because i'm a sucker for the 'oak look' of the veneer, but compared to metal or even real wood, it's very weak. If you're looking at making the case as small as possible, the thickness also adds to the volume.
Multiplex is a very similar option that is quite a bit sturdier and also easy to lasercut. The choice is all yours!
Feel free to let me know if you have more questions.
FINAL UPDATE!
The first post is updated with a complete worklog and final pictures. Here's a little preview:
Thanks for reading!
The first post is updated with a complete worklog and final pictures. Here's a little preview:
Thanks for reading!
