PCFormat Forum Archive

I have decided to start a new project. Scratch build as always. Like these:



I am going to call this mod: "Mecha"

Now I wont bore you with how the final box is going to look, but I will show you the inside:



This is the frame on which everything will be mounted. I will obviously add the usual electronic stuff like homemade fan controllers and HDD activity LEDs and maybe a servo motor controller for the servo's I want to add.

I have placed my order for the aluminium of this frame and am going to get it this afternoon. So I might do a bit of work over the weekend and maybe I'll post a small update on Monday.

Cheers,

S

Looking forward to it!

Does anyone know of someone who can weld aluminium?

I got the bars and still need to cut and file them but have to get someone to weld it all together.

PM me if you know of someone in the PTA area

Update!!! Dont worry - I found someone

I just tried to get mesh sheets for this project...

Bloody HELL its expensive!!! 2.45m x 1m x 0.00075m = R830 with some cutting

I only need 4 strips of 20mm wide x 1.2m long but I'm not willing to pay that price for 4 strips and a sheet I am probably never going to use again...

I'll have to make another plan here

Good grief.

Have you considered importing mesh from P-PCs.com?

Samaya wrote:I just tried to get mesh sheets for this project...

Bloody HELL its expensive!!! 2.45m x 1m x 0.00075m = R830 with some cutting

I only need 4 strips of 20mm wide x 1.2m long but I'm not willing to pay that price for 4 strips and a sheet I am probably never going to use again...

I'll have to make another plan here

Try Aluminium Trading Company, they cut to size. Don't know if they have mesh, but they have dimpled plate and lots of other sections, I get my stuff from them. I might be able to help with the welding too, depending on what it is

Apocalypse Boy wrote:

Samaya wrote:I just tried to get mesh sheets for this project...

Bloody HELL its expensive!!! 2.45m x 1m x 0.00075m = R830 with some cutting

I only need 4 strips of 20mm wide x 1.2m long but I'm not willing to pay that price for 4 strips and a sheet I am probably never going to use again...

I'll have to make another plan here

Try Aluminium Trading Company, they cut to size. Don't know if they have mesh, but they have dimpled plate and lots of other sections, I get my stuff from them. I might be able to help with the welding too, depending on what it is

I know them - I got aluminium for my previous mod there - I'll call them on Monday. Thanks

Update time

Yesterday, I started cutting the angles off and finished today.



Took a while to get it just right 'cause filing with a hand file is time consuming. Now I just need to have everything welded together and then some more fun can happen.

Oh and for those that like working barefoot in your workshop, its a bad idea. I stepped on a piece of aluminium that fell to the floor after cutting it off with the angle grinder. My little toe will never be the same... I'll take a picture later tonight

Have you found someone to weld it for you yet?

Looking great dude!

Machining one off's in Centurion (HennopsPark) I'll go there tomorrow during lunch to find out how much they are going to charge me...

As promised earlier...

Never go work in the workshop without shoes. (Don't look if you're squeamish or anything like that)



That was from cutting a small triangle off a bar of aluminium. It got to the muscle

Did you hold the aluminum bar with your foot while cutting or what?

No, he just stepped on it.

Hey, it could be worse, you could have dropped something heavy or heavy and sharp, on your foot.

Prime wrote:No, he just stepped on it.

Hey, it could be worse, you could have dropped something heavy or heavy and sharp, on your foot.

That nearly happened... I had just switched off the grinder and moved forward to put it down when this happened. I almost dropped the still turning machine.

Anyway, updates will follow after the weekend. I am still trying to figure out how exactly I am going to access the case (to get to the MoBo and other stuff) from my drawing and how the cables will run inside the box. The shell is looking good but the inside needs a lot of planning still.

I am almost done with the sketch-up design. I have one more issue to address before I am putting up pictures here. Its quite a biggie. I don't know how I am going to get to the inside of the box to install the actual computer hardware...

post the image, and maybe someone will come up with a suggestion?

Samaya wrote:I am almost done with the sketch-up design. I have one more issue to address before I am putting up pictures here. Its quite a biggie. I don't know how I am going to get to the inside of the box to install the actual computer hardware...

its mecha, let the sides fold open in some manor

Prime wrote: its mecha, let the sides fold open in some manor

That is the root cause of the problem...

Ok I have made my plan to get to the inside. So here are the ALMOST done pictures and it will give you an idea of what is to come.

Box off


Box on


I still have another small problem with regards to the DVD drive - its placement. And on the pix you guys are seeing there are also no other buttons but the power button visible. Those will be added in the "wings" with the indicator (hdd, power, DVD) leds and USB ports.

I am going to use servo's to open the sides for ventilation and close them again when the machine switches off. I will also control all this with a seperate controller which I have to build. There are some other safety switches that will have to be added for when a USB device is still plugged in. The moving parts will be the wings and internal fans.

Let me know what you think.

S

Sounds amazing. DO WANT.

I'd ditch the DVD drive if I were you. How often do you ACTUALLY use it? I took mine out about 6 moths ago, and I've only ever needed it about 3 or 4 times since, and in that situation, I just copy whatever it is I need to write or read over the network to/from another PC.

I am contemplating removing the drive but its SOOOO handy when you are at a LAN and you forgot to bring the external drive...

I took the frame to get welded it is going to cost me R250 and I might just get it by Friday lunch time.

Do you LAN often enough to warrant building an entire machine to support a drive?

Fine I'll put it there...



And now that you have seen the entire case, what do you think about it?

The only place a DVD drive belongs is in the trash can

If you want to have the dvd drive, why not integrate a sata port and power connector in to the case, so that you can connect the DVD-Rom externally when you need it?

You get PCI brackets that do that

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