Production Velka series cases for ultra compact and portable desktops

[sid21177]

Drives hanging vertically with two screws each. There is still some time for revision, so maybe we'll find a better way to add more storage support.

The reason why I am hesitant to make a hard drive bracket is because keeping them in stock as an add-on item may be tricky logistically, and including one with every case would tip its weight over a certain threshold. Then, people would have to pay more for shipping.

Cool,
In this case, then maybe move the slots towards one end of the base to still mount a fan in the remaining area. Non connector side of the drives can be flush with the vertical panel

See the SSD drive mounting on this case (3rd from last pic)
https://www.quietpcusa.com/Streacom-DA2-ITX-Aluminum-Case

 

[sid21177]

Volume clarification
3.6 liters is the external volume.
Height: 225 mm
Width: 94 mm
Length: 172 mm-186 mm

The only magic at play here is that at the "compressed" configuration of 3.6 liters, it fits cards that are exactly 170 mm long. You need to pull the two halves apart and increase case volume to 3.7, 3.8, up to 3.9 liters depending on how much extra clearance is needed, up to 184 mm. The side panels are rigid and measure 225 x 185 mm; they extend out the back when the case is "compressed" and match the length of the protruding part of the PCI card. The space that protrusions take up is typically excluded from the volume calculation for other cases.

Wow - I like this concept

Do you plan to offer non-protruding side panels for 3.6L config as well ??

 

[VELKASE Michael]

Cool,
In this case, then maybe move the slots towards one end of the base to still mount a fan in the remaining area. Non connector side of the drives can be flush with the vertical panel

See the SSD drive mounting on this case (3rd from last pic)
https://www.quietpcusa.com/Streacom-DA2-ITX-Aluminum-Case

Unfortunately that may not be possible, as the maximum internal clearance of the case is 184 mm. The drive will be 101 mm long, the fan is 80 mm long, and there is a restriction as to how close the fan can be moved to the front panel due to the bend. Placing a drive to the side may not be possible either as the case is only 87 mm wide internally, drive is 7 mm wide, fan is 80 mm wide, and the fan cannot be placed all the way to the side either because of bends.

That is a good idea, so please let me know if I misunderstood.

 

[VELKASE Michael]

Wow - I like this concept

Do you plan to offer non-protruding side panels for 3.6L config as well ??

Most likely not, unless if several people are willing to pay extra for a separate group order. Is there any particular reason why you would want them?

Extending the case can also be useful for improving PSU cooling and making room for cables. I apologize for the incomplete information; some of what you currently see in the post is actually outdated. The details of this case will be more clear later this month with new renders, an instruction manual, and specification slides.

 

[sid21177]

Unfortunately that may not be possible, as the maximum internal clearance of the case is 184 mm. The drive will be 101 mm long, the fan is 80 mm long, and there is a restriction as to how close the fan can be moved to the front panel due to the bend. Placing a drive to the side may not be possible either as the case is only 87 mm wide internally, drive is 7 mm wide, fan is 80 mm wide, and the fan cannot be placed all the way to the side either because of bends.

That is a good idea, so please let me know if I misunderstood.

What you say makes sense, and sticking a drive on the leftover fan space is not worth it.
Perhaps I should have worded it like "as close as possible to one side rather than bang in the middle"

Having the slot run across the width as shown in the render will allow for 4 7mm, 2 15mm, 3/4? 9.5mm drives - plenty of flexibility

I dont suppose there is a 40mm slim fan available ?? - lol

 

[sid21177]

Most likely not, unless if several people are willing to pay extra for a separate group order. Is there any particular reason why you would want them?

Looks more than anything - but I see your point. No worries

Also, many thanks for being so patient and listening to my ideas. I hope it was worth your time

 

[VELKASE Michael]

What you say makes sense, and sticking a drive on the leftover fan space is not worth it.
Perhaps I should have worded it like "as close as possible to one side rather than bang in the middle"

Having the slot run across the width as shown in the render will allow for 4 7mm, 2 15mm, 3/4? 9.5mm drives - plenty of flexibility

I dont suppose there is a 40mm slim fan available ?? - lol

Yes. As long as you are willing to sacrifice the fan space, several drives can be mounted. Slim 40 mm fans exist. It is possible to split up the 80 mm mounts such that 4x 40 mm fans can be mounted on one side, taking up half the space while drives take up the other half. This may or may not be useful as the drives will be out of the way of the flow of air.

Maybe it will be possible to mount a drive diagonally while using one fan. Not sure how useful that would be.

 

[sid21177]

Yes. As long as you are willing to sacrifice the fan space, several drives can be mounted. Slim 40 mm fans exist. It is possible to split up the 80 mm mounts such that 4x 40 mm fans can be mounted on one side, taking up half the space while drives take up the other half. This may or may not be useful.

Centered 40mm mount on the opposite end of the drive mount slots, if at all, would look more aesthetic

Maybe it will be possible to mount a drive diagonally while using one fan. Not sure how useful that would be.

Nah, thats plain ugly - lol

 

[VELKASE Michael]

Centered 40mm mount on the opposite end of the drive mount slots, if at all, would look more aesthetic



Nah, thats plain ugly - lol

Okay, that can be implemented

 

[sid21177]

Okay, that can be implemented

Look forward to the latest renders then

 

[Analogue Blacksheep]

Riser power limitation
This issue is present in perhaps every case that does not provision cards to be plugged in directly into the motherboard, which is probably most ultra SFF cases. This applies to Custom Mod cases, Dan Cases, maybe the S4M as well. A few of my customers have reported being able to use either a GTX 1050 or GTX 1050 TI with these LiHeat risers, but it is still outside of specification.

The only risers that can deliver 75 watts are those powered by Molex or a 6 pin connector. You can purchase these from retailers for cheap, but they are typically un-shielded and are of much lower quality overall. I have not personally tested how GTX 1050's behave with any of these risers yet.

It's a pity that the current powered riser cables look shoddy. I get they were made for the bitcoin rush, but you would of thought at least one company out there (like Thermaltake, EZDIY, LINKUP, etc) would of made something to a premium standard. It would be quite the game changer for SFF.

 

[VELKASE Michael]

It's a pity that the current powered riser cables look shoddy. I get they were made for the bitcoin rush, but you would of thought at least one company out there (like Thermaltake, EZDIY, LINKUP, etc) would of made something to a premium standard. It would be quite the game changer for SFF.

According to Larry from HDPLEX, their riser is rated for the full 75 watts. However, it is not compatible with this layout. There are plans to release a different lineup of slim cases some time this year, so it is not completely out of the question.

 

[Analogue Blacksheep]

According to Larry from HDPLEX, their riser is rated for the full 75 watts. However, it is not compatible with this layout. There are plans to release a different lineup of slim cases some time this year, so it is not completely out of the question.

I'm assuming it's this one?

Pity it's only 21cm in length, but regardless it is pretty awesome if it can do 75W. At least things are going in the right direction, later this year should bring some interesting products to the market.

 

[VELKASE Michael]

I don't know if it's in program but every itx gpu needs exhaust back (front) holes.

The structure of the case is such that adding cutouts to the front where they would make an impact would also make the part significantly weaker. Additionally, they would either make the case asymmetrical or reveal colorful power supply wires.

 

[QuantumBraced]

Volume clarification
3.6 liters is the external volume.
Height: 225 mm
Width: 94 mm
Length: 172 mm-186 mm

The only magic at play here is that at the "compressed" configuration of 3.6 liters, it fits cards that are exactly 170 mm long. You need to pull the two halves apart and increase case volume to 3.7, 3.8, up to 3.9 liters depending on how much extra clearance is needed, up to 184 mm. The side panels are rigid and measure 225 x 185 mm; they extend out the back when the case is "compressed" and match the length of the protruding part of the PCI card. The space that protrusions take up is typically excluded from the volume calculation for other cases.


Riser power limitation
This issue is present in perhaps every case that does not provision cards to be plugged in directly into the motherboard, which is probably most ultra SFF cases. This applies to Custom Mod cases, Dan Cases, etc. A few of my customers have reported being able to use either a GTX 1050 or GTX 1050 TI with these LiHeat risers, but it is still outside of specification.

The only risers that can deliver 75 watts are those powered by Molex or a 6 pin connector. You can purchase these from retailers for cheap, but they are typically un-shielded and are of much lower quality overall. I have not personally tested how GTX 1050's behave with any of these risers yet.

Thanks for the reply. Still, 3.9L for a case that supports a 184mm card is quite an accomplishment, the Hutzy XS concept only supported up to a 177.8mm, was 4L and seemed to be as small as possible. Maybe it used thicker aluminum. And you also somehow managed to fit 2 80mm fans in there, that is amazing. I assume the default config would be to use those fans for bottom exhaust since the top is solid? Sorry if this has been addressed. I love the flexibility, very cool design. Can't wait to get one.

Regarding the riser, is this really true? I've never heard of such a limitation for the A4-SFX, certainly not listed in the specs. And for the S4 Mini, there are lots of 1050 Ti builds and Josh has frequently recommend the card. What am I missing? I guess either way stepping up to a 1060 is not a big deal if you're gonna go for a niche build like this.

 

[VELKASE Michael]

Thanks for the reply. Still, 3.9L for a case that supports a 184mm card is quite an accomplishment, the Hutzy XS concept only supported up to a 177.8mm, was 4L and seemed to be as sas possible. Maybe it used thicker aluminum... And you also somehow managed to fit 2 80mm fans in there, that is amazing. I assume the default config would be to use those fans for bottom exhaust since the top is solid? Sorry if this has been addressed. I love the flexibility, very cool design. Can't wait to get one.

Regarding the riser, is this really true? I've never heard of such a limitation for the A4-SFX, certainly not listed in the specs. And for the S4 Mini, there are lots of 1050 Ti builds and Josh has frequently recommend the card. What am I missing? I guess either way stepping up to a 1060 is not a big deal if you're gonna go for a niche build like this.

Sorry for the confusion about the fan placement. The render explanations are not detailed yet, and the case is sometimes shown flipped over. The front, top and bottom panel are one piece. One of the sides has mounts for fans while the other holds the power supply and is mostly solid. The case can be oriented to have either of two sides facing up. If fans are used, then it might make more sense to have the ventilation on top. If a 2.5" drive is used instead, then it might make more sense to have the ventilation on bottom.

I made a mistake regarding the S4M mini because it uses the HDPLEX riser, which is rated for 75 watts.

 

[QuantumBraced]

Sorry for the confusion about the fan placement. The render explanations are not detailed yet, and the case is sometimes shown flipped over. The front, top and bottom panel are one piece. One of the sides has mounts for fans while the other holds the power supply and is mostly solid. The case can be oriented to have either of two sides facing up. If fans are used, then it might make more sense to have the ventilation on top. If a 2.5" drive is used instead, then it might make more sense to have the ventilation on bottom.

I made a mistake regarding the S4M mini because it uses the HDPLEX riser, which is rated for 75 watts.

Ah I see, that's very cool actually, the case is even more flexible than I thought! Are there case feet and are they swappable if you want to flip the case over?

This is a bit of a random suggestion, but I think it would be great if the side panels were magnetic, that way you could screw them in for transportation but otherwise they'd be easily removable for cleaning and access to components.

Regarding the riser, what about the A4 SFX riser, I think Dan will be using the ADT R33UF-TU for V4. I couldn't find any information on what it's rated for, but I have to assume 75W as Dan wouldn't use it otherwise. I'm sure you know a lot more about risers than me, but I'm just a bit puzzled at this limitation, there has to be an option out there that will work for the Velka 3, so people can use any card they like.

 

[VELKASE Michael]

Ah I see, that's very cool actually, the case is even more flexible than I thought! Are there case feet and are they swappable if you want to flip the case over?

This is a bit of a random suggestion, but I think it would be great if the side panels were magnetic, that way you could screw them in for transportation but otherwise they'd be easily removable for cleaning and access to components.

Regarding the riser, what about the A4 SFX riser, I think Dan will be using the ADT R33UF-TU for V4. I couldn't find any information on what it's rated for, but I have to assume 75W as Dan wouldn't use it otherwise. I'm sure you know a lot more about risers than me, but I'm just a bit puzzled at this limitation, there has to be an option out there that will work for the Velka 3, so people can use any card they like.

Case feet: there will be small rubber adhesive feet, most likely a pack of 12. They are removable but can sometimes leave some residue behind that should be wiped off.
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Magnetic side panels: To have magnetic side panels, either the side panels or the case body would have to be made powder-coated steel instead of anodized aluminum. I think that this would cheapen the case since powder-coating is inferior to anodizing in virtually all regards except for being less expensive and being able to achieve a white color. This leaves two options:
1) If demand ever becomes high enough, create a separate steel variant of the case colored white to set it apart.
2) Offer an add-on kit consisting of magnetic strips and steel side panels colored white or black. The body will remain anodized silver, gray, or black, and a color match between anodized and powder-coated parts is impossible. This would allow for two-toned cases like silver + black, gray + black, or black + white.
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Riser:
The best way to put it would be that if you would be comfortable using an HDPLEX, ADT, or some other riser with a 1050 TI, then you should be comfortable using a LiHeat riser as well. At the end of the day, un-powered risers are more similar to each other than they are different when it comes to power delivery. We recommend using them with lower wattage cards not because it is a sub-par product, but rather because it is a more conservative estimate of what kind of power it can handle in the long term.

 

[sid21177]

2) Offer an add-on kit consisting of magnetic strips and steel side panels colored white or black. The body will remain anodized silver, gray, or black, and a color match between anodized and powder-coated parts is impossible. This would allow for two-toned cases like silver + black, gray + black, or black + white.

Oooh - does this mean we are getting multiple color options on the anodizing ??
When can you post some samples (besides the black one)??

 

[VELKASE Michael]

Oooh - does this mean we are getting multiple color options on the anodizing ??
When can you post some samples (besides the black one)??

I will show a gray and silver one soon, around April 20. There will be silver and gray or black available. Right now I'm leaning towards gray over black because it gives it a more unique appearance.