Prototype The world most flexible SFF case? LOUQE Ghost S1

[iFreilicht]

@PaChalski just so you know, you can quote multiple posts by either pressing the "+QUOTE" button below each and then clicking "Insert Quotes..." in the reply window, or by clicking "REPLY" on each one of them. A quote of the post you're replying to will then be inserted into your reply wherever the cursor currently is. You can also mark parts of a post with your mouse and only quote those instead of a whole post if you want to address multiple points separately.

 

[PaChalski]

Will it be open source? It is mentioned in one of the photos on your website, but later on you mention a patent pending. I sincerely hope that you decide to make the case open source as I believe that will foster creativity and a rich user & modding community.

This has been a hot topic from the start of this project within the team. We are all fans of the open community.

In many ways, john Carmack and ID Software paved the road for open source games (apart from their official use of the 666-port , by releasing their Quake source to the community. Something that seamed insane to many back then – today it is expected. LOUQE aims to do what mr. Carmack did for the gaming community for the PC HW community.

With the Ghost S1 and (hopefully) coming products we are envisioning a strong and creative user and modding community, hopefully outside of our control, at domains that don’t have a direct connection to us.

For instance: The possibilities with the TopHats are endless, there is a simple yet functional base plane that everything can be mounted to, but there is no way we will have the patience or resources to develop fittings for all these variations, some are being developed this very moment but they won’t come close to meet everyone’s individual needs. Every creative addition will make this product more valuable for everyone.

What does this mean in practice, you ask yourselves… let me ease the suspense (as one of my favorite characters would put it):

- All the designs and CAD files for every component will be downloadable and free for everyone to experiment with or just manufacture their own copies as they stand

- We will gladly publish mods or additions created by others on our side that we feel meet some level of quality if you allow us to

What about the patent? Yes, there is a patent filed for the Spine. Since we decide what we do with it, it isn’t a problem. By promising to deliver on our statements above, the patent should be viewed as a protection of this community platform and it’s realization.

If this makes it “Open source” we don’t know, what should we call it?

 

[PaChalski]

Have you seen the detailed specs in the PDF on the homepage?

http://louqe.com/files/ghost_s1_technical_drawing.pdf#page=2

 

[blubblob]

It shows my trust in advertising nowadays that the first thing I do whenever I see a new SFF case is to calculate the volume from the listed dimensions and compare it to the published volume.

I realize it is tempting to list a number that is just shy of the number listed by your most obvious competitor.
But from what your specs suggest the 7.1l volume seems out of reach even without the "shell". Or do the "core dimensions" include the rear protrusion?
There is a point to be made to not include case feet and the GPU rear protrusion in the volume calculation, as they are either removable or overshadowed by the cables sticking out of the back, but the side/front/back panels of the case? Please, no. Otherwise we might as well see "0l cases" (testbenches) advertised next.

 

[Ceros_X]

Much better OP.

Will you have an option to buy a case without a riser? Some of us have several riser cables already and I know the 3M cable will add 75-100 USD to the case, probably.

 

[Josh | NFC]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this looks like the exact same design as the Dan A4. You should also post the hardware that the case can hold, it would really help. Beside that, you have some really good renderings there! And the case looks awesome. Cheers

It is a really beautiful design that is a evolution of @dondan 's groundbreaking work. Dondan is one of the giants whose shoulders we stand on, and has allowed PaChalski to be really innovative in some of his new features and refinements.

I'm very impressed with the construction, simplicity and beauty of your chassis, @PaChalski. The extruded frame and shell are breathtaking and I look forward to seeing how they fit together. Don't be too swayed by people's ideas for your project...you very clearly have a mastery of this and know what belongs and what doesn't.

Peace and best of luck to you!

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Subscribed to news letter and will postpone chassis purchase till the campaign. Truly what I was after, great job !

 

[PaChalski]

But from what your specs suggest the 7.1l volume seems out of reach even without the "shell". Or do the "core dimensions" include the rear protrusion?

Good question, There is no universal standard to calculate the volumes in the case industry. Here is how we have calculated the volume of the core:

pA * h

pA = Projected area of the core seen from above as if it had no holes = 39 557 mm2
h = Core height = 179 mm

39 557 mm2 * 179 mm = 7 080 703 mm3 ~7.1L

From this one could reduce some of the cavities for the back plate opening etc. but we have decided not to (160mm * 58mm * 2,5mm)

The point is that it is small, if it is 7 or 8 liters doesn't really matter. Should we remove this information from the specs to avoid confutation?

 

[PaChalski]

Will you have an option to buy a case without a riser? Some of us have several riser cables already and I know the 3M cable will add 75-100 USD to the case, probably.

We fully appreciate the concerns of the high cost of this component. It's defiantly something that is bothering us as well. However, for the KickStarter we are aiming for shipping it with the Riser included. After that we will most likely sell the case both with and without it.

 

[Kmpkt]

Just my two cents, but have you guys considered at the very least taking out a provisional patent on the tophat idea? It's a pretty cool idea and so far as I can tell, completely novel. I know you want this case system to be open source, but having this would basically protect you from someone else patenting the idea and then suing you out of your own design (it has happened before in this very community). If you're the patent holder then you essentially have the right to determine who uses your idea (which protects your ability to keep it open source).

Provisional patents are relatively cheap (costs about 1500 CAD where I live in Canada) and give you a one year filing window everywhere in the world via the Paris Convention. If someone else takes your idea and tries to crowd out your market then at least you have a means by which to defend yourself. If someone files patent after you and tries to pull some bullshit, you can just exercise your patent filing date and shut them down.

 

[Necere]

This is a very impressive design, on a number of fronts. The level of thought and care you're putting into the design details, quality of materials and novel construction, and innovative features are things that have been sorely lacking in the standalone PC case market for ages. It's clear that you/your team have industrial design and engineering chops that's a cut above the rest of the industry, and I'm happy to see a product like this coming to fruition. If cases like this had been around 5-10 years ago, I very likely wouldn't be doing what I'm doing right now. Keep it up, and I'll have to find something else to do with my time

 

[PaChalski]

Are you exhausting PSU heat directly into an unventilated floor panel?

PSU FLIPED

The results from the PSU flip test look promising. Some design adjustments are needed in a number of areas to make this happen and the designs of this change need to be refined.

SOME EARLY RESULTS

Cons:
- Likely better airflow (to be tested), however, the PSU fan seams to spin up significantly more - maybe the sensor in the tested unit sits further to the back this needs to be investigated
- A 2.5" drive will likely fit under the PSU
- A possible guiding channel for optional water hoses is created, clearing the RAM sticks nicely

Cons:
- More excess cable to be managed when standard lengths are used

CONCLUSIONS
We will implement the changes to enable both PSU orientations

RENDERING of early design

Test rig pic. 1

Test rig pic. 2

 

[blubblob]

Good question, There is no universal standard to calculate the volumes in the case industry. Here is how we have calculated the volume of the core:

pA * h

pA = Projected area of the core seen from above as if it had no holes = 39 557 mm2
h = Core height = 179 mm

39 557 mm2 * 179 mm = 7 080 703 mm3 ~7.1L

From this one could reduce some of the cavities for the back plate opening etc. but we have decided not to (160mm * 58mm * 2,5mm)

The point is that it is small, if it is 7 or 8 liters doesn't really matter. Should we remove this information from the specs to avoid confutation?

The volume declaration is a useful tool to judge overall size of the case, lacking any other known reference objects in pictures. So keeping it has its merits. Just don't be selectively specific (in measurements) and broad (in designation of those measurements) when it suits you.

And while there is no universal standard to calculate the volume of pc cases, there are some established practices (like not subtracting minuscule nooks and crannies from the "box" volume if the form of the case is based on a box), calculating it without the case walls seems to me like a dishonest approach.
Yes, the walls are removable (a number of cases share this feature) but looking at it from a realistic standpoint most prospective customers will be buying and using the case with your shell applied. All your product beauty shots show the case with the shell applied, so one should expect a general "volume" number to include what you see, not just a subset of it.

If the 39557 mm² for the projected surface area is accurate I would probably rework the "Core Dimensions" to specify that they include the GPU rear protrusion? As the listed 128mm x 315mm result in 40320 mm². Something is shaving of a ~6mm slice from the length of the case.
All the other sides (aside from the corner profiles, but they won't make up that difference) seem to be flush with the bounding box so that seems to be the only place for the discrepancy.


And some minor tidbits regarding the "technical drawing" document on your site:
- the headlines and your logo jump a few pixel from page to page
- the font you are using seems to have some broken ligatures (all the tts and fts default to another fontstyle)
- Cable management tunnel

 

[PaChalski]

The volume declaration is a useful tool to judge overall size of the case, lacking any other known reference objects in pictures. So keeping it has its merits. Just don't be selectively specific (in measurements) and broad (in designation of those measurements) when it suits you.

And while there is no universal standard to calculate the volume of pc cases, there are some established practices (like not subtracting minuscule nooks and crannies from the "box" volume if the form of the case is based on a box), calculating it without the case walls seems to me like a dishonest approach.

I'm leaning towards providing a range for the different sizes implying the flexibility: something like 10.0 - 7.3L

And some minor tidbits regarding the "technical drawing" document on your site:
- the headlines and your logo jump a few pixel from page to page
- the font you are using seems to have some broken ligatures (all the tts and fts default to another fontstyle)
- Cable management tunnel

No idea what a Tidbit is, but equally grateful for them! Thank You @blubblob

 

[PaChalski]

Some questions have appeared regarding the TopHat fixation, and I'm sure they well surface here soon as well. They are an extension of the shell and slide of together with the shell when take off. The design is being polished but the image below shows the general idea, m2 alen screws from the inside.

 

[PaChalski]

The pink color is being discussed in www.sweclocker.com, what is the international view of this. The alternative color that seams to be most popular in Sweden is pure anodized aluminium - no color.

 

[PaChalski]

This is a very impressive design, on a number of fronts. The level of thought and care you're putting into the design details, quality of materials and novel construction, and innovative features are things that have been sorely lacking in the standalone PC case market for ages. It's clear that you/your team have industrial design and engineering chops that's a cut above the rest of the industry, and I'm happy to see a product like this coming to fruition. If cases like this had been around 5-10 years ago, I very likely wouldn't be doing what I'm doing right now. Keep it up, and I'll have to find something else to do with my time

@Necere I have mad respect for you and what you have accomplish, truly inspiring journey! let's have beer some time, Cheers!

 

[Necere]

@Necere I have mad respect for you and what you have accomplish, truly inspiring journey! let's have beer some time, Cheers!

Thanks, I appreciate it. I like to think we helped to pave the way for projects like these, and also to nudge the industry in a more design-conscious direction. All I ever wanted were good looking, highly functional PC cases in the DIY/performance market, so I'm glad to see more popping up.

 

[Ricky]

(Assuming L-TopHat is selected) Will we be able to install dual 120mm rads? I only ask because room seems like it'd be tight with tubing.

 

[PaChalski]

(Assuming L-TopHat is selected) Will we be able to install dual 120mm rads? I only ask because room seems like it'd be tight with tubing.

We have designed Ghost for one set of tubing, It could work with two but it will have to be confirmed later.