# Wood Case idea/doodle



## Vario (Jun 23, 2014)

I made this really fast in sketchup and I might build it in the future if I go watercooling or need more space than my cosmos provides, just not sure if its too big... at ~ 28.5"x16"x9"






_Rear 3/4 ... front 3/4 ... and side_

Material would be oak plywood with dado joint 1/8" to fit it together, and metal pieces from salvaged case, mountain mods 5x5.25 bay, a few rad grills.  I'd probably put an interior brace panel too as well as a motherboard tray obviously.

This is pretty conceptual right now.  I could use some design input on doors/side panels. I could use lexan but I have never had much luck getting a clean cut with thick lexan.


edit:
heres the same thing shortened to 28" height so it fits under a "standard" table height


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## rtwjunkie (Jun 23, 2014)

Oh I like!  My HTPC is in a wooden case (purchased, not home-built), and as long as the airflow is good, you can't beat it for it's noise insulation ability!


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## Durvelle27 (Jun 23, 2014)

Looks great. Gives me an idea lol


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## Vario (Jun 23, 2014)

If you want the sketchup file for a cut sheet let me know, I'll probably keep doodling with it.

edit: I need to drop the height an inch or so to fit a standard table clearance.


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## Durvelle27 (Jun 23, 2014)

Vario said:


> If you want the sketchup file for a cut sheet let me know, I'll probably keep doodling with it.
> 
> edit: I need to drop the height an inch or so to fit a standard table clearance.


Can you sketch-up with mounting spots for 3x 240MM Rads


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## Vario (Jun 23, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Can you sketch-up with mounting spots for 3x 240MM Rads


Could be done, the height could drop substantially.  If I went with a 240 in front and a 120 in the rear the height could come down a lot.

Also thinking if I did a side by side 5.25 with the 360 in front I could drop the height a lot but it wouldn't be so narrow.


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## Durvelle27 (Jun 23, 2014)

Vario said:


> Could be done, the height could drop substantially.  If I went with a 240 in front and a 120 in the rear the height could come down a lot.
> 
> Also thinking if I did a side by side 5.25 with the 360 in front I could drop the height a lot but it wouldn't be so narrow.


That's what i currently 3x 240MM rads


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## Vario (Jun 23, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> That's what i currently 3x 240MM rads


How many 5.25 bays would you need?


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## Durvelle27 (Jun 23, 2014)

Vario said:


> How many 5.25 bays would you need?


1x 5.25" Bay and 6x HDD Bays


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## Vario (Jun 23, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> 1x 5.25" Bay and 6x HDD Bays


http://www.sketchup.com/


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## Durvelle27 (Jun 23, 2014)

Vario said:


> http://www.sketchup.com/


I'll Give it shot even though I suck with stuff like this lol


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## Vario (Jun 23, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> I'll Give it shot even though I suck with stuff like this lol


Yeah I started messin with my design to get it to your need and it started looking like a 540 air. but  I don't want to spend the hour to fine tune it sorry, just takes too much time

Anyway here was my very rough approximation





you can get some components from here
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/?redirect=1


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## Durvelle27 (Jun 23, 2014)

Vario said:


> Yeah I started messin with my design to get it to your need and it started looking like a 540 air. but  I don't want to spend the hour to fine tune it sorry, just takes too much time
> 
> Anyway here was my very rough approximation
> 
> ...


Looks great though


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## M0rt (Jun 23, 2014)

Liking your latest mockup, especially the dual 240's in the roof.

Been pondering wood case designs for an mITX build with a custom loop myself, but don't have the time to make it a reality any time soon.

Would love to see a build log of yours in the interim, if you are so inclined.

Glass raised.


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## Delta6326 (Jun 23, 2014)

If you need some rads heres a link to some that I made they are AlphaCool ST30, XT45, UT60 Rads. For quick fitting for a case design.
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=ub7d66724-a81f-487f-bbdf-5e7f53a85651

Link to my thread when I built my case if you need any ideas. In the spoilers is my Sketchup designs
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/prototype-wood-cases-for-atx-m-itx.179058/


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## micropage7 (Jun 23, 2014)

Vario said:


> Yeah I started messin with my design to get it to your need and it started looking like a 540 air. but  I don't want to spend the hour to fine tune it sorry, just takes too much time
> 
> Anyway here was my very rough approximation
> 
> ...


nice, i have the same design in my brain. leave a room on the back of board tray for psu and hdd, but not too wide, just keep it like normal case but little bit wider


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## Vario (Jun 23, 2014)

Delta6326 said:


> If you need some rads heres a link to some that I made they are AlphaCool ST30, XT45, UT60 Rads. For quick fitting for a case design.
> https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=ub7d66724-a81f-487f-bbdf-5e7f53a85651
> 
> Link to my thread when I built my case if you need any ideas. In the spoilers is my Sketchup designs
> http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/prototype-wood-cases-for-atx-m-itx.179058/


Your rig is pretty sweet thanks for the link.

I wish I had a table saw for doing box joints but I'd have to make do with a radial arm saw and dados, which aren't quite as elegant, here was my initial idea before I realized the saw couldn't do this cut precisely:







Durvelle27 said:


> Looks great though


The other approach is 240s on both sides of the front and either nothing on the top or two on top as well.


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## Delta6326 (Jun 23, 2014)

With those cuts it may make for a interesting design.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 5, 2014)

Still active in here


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## Vario (Jul 5, 2014)

Yeah man I don't know when I'll be able to do more with this, I'm healing from a spinal cord disease so wood work is limited to planning.  For the near term the cosmos is working fine.

I take it you would like to have a personalized cut sheet / blue print?  

I can help you brainstorm maybe help with some of the design.

Do you have a saw?  
What kind of wood? 
How much experience do you have with wood working? 
Case orientation: Horizontal or vertical motherboard?
Would you buy a mobo tray from a modding site or cut up a old case?


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 5, 2014)

I'm looking into doing something like this






1.) Yes
2.) Don't know yet
3.) Non
4.) Above pic
5.) No tray


Could you do a sketch for this


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## Vario (Jul 5, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> I'm looking into doing something like this
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Its a lot of work to do for free... I'll crank you out a sketchup idea but it will be slow since no $ for motivation lol
Since you are a noob to wood working butt joints will probably be sufficient, get some clamps like Irwin Quick Grips, they are useful for butt joinery, you'd need 2 or 3.
I suggest tite bond II glue.  Never had a problem with weak butt joints and this glue, built a few subwoofer cabs with this method.
Are you doing full ATX?


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## Vario (Jul 5, 2014)

I spent about 20 mins on it so far, heres where I am roughly at.  Some of the lines you see are for my reference points or are extraneous so ignore those. It is 14"x14" cube with 1/2" thick wood pieces.
Tell me if you like the design so far. Obviously you can put windows in where you like or radiators/fans


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 5, 2014)

Vario said:


> I spent about 20 mins on it so far, heres where I am roughly at.  Some of the lines you see are for my reference points or are extraneous so ignore those. It is 14"x14" cube with 1/2" thick wood pieces.
> Tell me if you like the design so far. Obviously you can put windows in where you like or radiators/fans


Looks great. I was thinking 3 bottom mounted radiators with 6x 120MM fans and see through panels on top to see board.


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## Vario (Jul 5, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Looks great. I was thinking 3 bottom mounted radiators with 6x 120MM fans and see through panels on top to see board.


Might be possible to make it thinner then, like 14x12 But since I don't have your hardware with me to measure its better to error on too big.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 5, 2014)

Vario said:


> Might be possible to make it thinner then, like 14x12 But since I don't have your hardware with me to measure its better to error on too big.


Size doesn't matter lol


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## Vario (Jul 5, 2014)

Thinking about things...
So if you have 3 sides of the bottom taken up by rad where do you think/prefer HDD and PSU and the 5.25 bay should be?

I just don't think a radiator in the front lower chamber is a good idea because then you won't have space for the 5.25. And you'd probably want the 5.25 in front.

Obviously you don't want power supply in front do you?  But if you were okay with that then put the 5.25 on the side next to the PSU and put the 3.5s below it.

You'd want the pump in the bottom too...

Maybe ms paint your ideal config for me.
You could do a top down view of the bottom space.

The other idea you could do is have one radiator up top which would also provide airflow to components, the other two still on the bottom with crossflow.

Since I am a WC noob and its your system you should make some diagrams and I'll draft to that.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 5, 2014)

Vario said:


> Thinking about things...
> So if you have 3 sides of the bottom taken up by rad where do you think/prefer HDD and PSU and the 5.25 bay should be?
> 
> I just don't think a radiator in the front lower chamber is a good idea because then you won't have space for the 5.25. And you'd probably want the 5.25 in front.
> ...


Yea I think case would be bigger than normal to fit rads

I'll see if I can do a sketchup myself of the bottom


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 6, 2014)

Tried my best


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## dr0thegreatest (Jul 7, 2014)

I thought wood cases would not be too good due to static? i guess im wrong.


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## Vario (Jul 8, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Tried my best



That would be pretty enormous.  All the radiators side by side need between 15 and 18" of space.  Did you want the radiators downfiring?  I'd think it would be more efficient to have the radiators crossflow:

How about, looking from the front:
lower left side: 1 radiator (intake)
lower right side: 1 radiator (exhaust)
lower front side: 3x5.25 bay (might as well have two or three, you got the space) and hdd (could use a hot swap bay to make it look clean)
lower rear side: psu, pump
upper front side: 1 radiator (intake)
Upper right side: window
Upper left side: window
Top panel: Window or solid wood, depends on your skill, with vent slits or possibly exhaust fans/ (or a single 200m fan)












with windows:





If you could do me a favor and measure the radiators volume dimensions roughly with fans and hose barbs installed.  So I can get an idea of how much depth I need to accomodate. So length, height, depth.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 8, 2014)

I kind wanted glass all around except the back where the motherboard I/O will be. Also only need 1x 5.25 bay and wanted rads hidden. But amazing sketch-ups. I'll measure them once i find the tap measure


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## D007 (Jul 9, 2014)

Looks pretty classy with that wood finish.
Wonder how doing with a wood inlay, like the interior of a BMW, would turn out.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 9, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> I kind wanted glass all around except the back where the motherboard I/O will be. Also only need 1x 5.25 bay and wanted rads hidden. But amazing sketch-ups. I'll measure them once i find the tap measure


Update 

1st Radiator 
      11.5" Long
       5"     Wide
       3.5"  Thick (With Fans)

2nd Radiator 
       11" Long
        5"  Wide
       2.5" Thick (with Fans)

3rd Radiator
       11"  Long 
        5"   Wide 
       2.5" Thick (With Fans)


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## Vario (Jul 9, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Update
> 
> 1st Radiator
> 11.5" Long
> ...


Okay cool thanks for the update. So you want the radiators to downfire and be invisible? The consequence is it will be huge and take up a lot of desk real estate.  I have no problem designing this for you..

The radiators might end up being invisible but how will they get enough airflow?
Would you intake from the sides of the bottom chamber and exhaust from the radiators downfiring? Then you have visible fans so you might as well just put the radiators on the sides as I suggest.

The radiator dimensions will be very helpful regardless because I can tell how large the chamber needs to be so things can fit without interference.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 9, 2014)

Vario said:


> Okay cool thanks for the update. So you want the radiators to downfire and be invisible? The consequence is it will be huge and take up a lot of desk real estate.  I have no problem designing this for you..
> 
> The radiators might end up being invisible but how will they get enough airflow?
> Would you intake from the sides of the bottom chamber and exhaust from the radiators downfiring? Then you have visible fans so you might as well just put the radiators on the sides as I suggest.
> ...


My idea was intake from the bottom. Size doesn't concern me really but sketch what you think will work best while looking good.


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## Vario (Jul 9, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> My idea was intake from the bottom. Size doesn't concern me really but sketch what you think will work best while looking good.


And its paramount that the top will be a clear box with no fans, no 5.25 etc?  I have a couple ideas for this.

The only thing is it might look really good but you will need air flow over the mobo and ram etc, because the plexiglass wood combo won't dissipate heat like a metal case would.  The top might become a "greenhouse"

Also you would need in excess of 2 feet square for the lower chamber, which would be huge.  If you take a tape measure and measure this out you will find that it is gonna take up your whole desk.





if you use 3 of these types of grill
http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g/c..._Accessories-Radiator_Grills_-_240-Page1.html
You could get a very nice look and you can mount the grill to the wood, the radiator to the grill, so it looks professional.
Like this
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2...pes_-_Black_Powder_Coat.html?tl=c637s2282b189
which has extra holes for mounting the radiator grill to the case.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 9, 2014)

Must be clear yes and no i don't mind fans but no 5.25.

2 feet is about one i was thinking before 

Also i like that grill you linked. Maybe that could work with rads mounted on the bottom sides


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## Vario (Jul 9, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Must be clear yes and no i don't mind fans but no 5.25.
> 
> 2 feet is about one i was thinking before
> 
> Also i like that grill you linked. Maybe that could work with rads mounted on the bottom sides



I have a couple of those I used for my wood itx wood project and they look really nice against the wood grain.  The 2x120mm panel I have been using as a fan/radiator placeholder in above sketchup is the same dimensions because I measured it off my rad grill.
Yes that was what I was thinking, it would look clean, you dont see the rads or the fans you see the black rad grills against the wood grain, makes it look very nice and finished.






I kinda scrapped this project because it ended up being enormous for an itx, but I liked how it was going.

The power switch plate i used is from MNPCTech.
http://mnpctech.com/pc-switch-plates/22mm-22mm-switch-plate/


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 9, 2014)

Vario said:


> I have a couple of those I used for my wood itx wood project and they look really nice against the wood grain.  The 2x120mm panel I have been using as a fan/radiator placeholder in above sketchup is the same dimensions because I measured it off my rad grill.
> Yes that was what I was thinking, it would look clean, you dont see the rads or the fans you see the black rad grills against the wood grain, makes it look very nice and finished.


Nice that's similar to what I was thinking.


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## Vario (Jul 9, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> Nice that's similar to what I was thinking.


Yep it looks pretty sharp, also the wood works as a nice deadener for noise.  That wood is 1/2" Pine.  I don't know if I'd have used pine the second time around, maybe 1/2" oak plywood.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 9, 2014)

Vario said:


> Yep it looks pretty sharp, also the wood works as a nice deadener for noise.  That wood is 1/2" Pine.  I don't know if I'd have used pine the second time around, maybe 1/2" oak plywood.


So like that. One in the front and others on left and right sides.


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## Vario (Jul 9, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> So like that. One in the front and others on left and right sides.


Awesome that was what I was thinking too.
rear view with no back panel on lower chamber




front view





could you measure the pump dimensions please?  Also do you have a HDD cage you plan to use?


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 9, 2014)

Vario said:


> Awesome that was what I was thinking too.


Awesome can't wait to see it. I'm getting excited lol


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## Vario (Jul 9, 2014)

I'll probably scale up the design to fit the 5.25 bay on the front.  Do you want it sideways in the front (as in 90 degree mount and to the left or right of radiator) or above radiator or below etc? maybe mspaint it onto my sketchup.

Also I am thinking that the back panel for the lower chamber would be removable but the others (Front,Left,Right) are glued in.

The question I have is how hard it will be to get to the HDDs.  The easy way out is to velcro them all together in the bottom I guess.  Hard way is to either make or buy or salvage a cage and throw it in next to the power supply.  I am sure if I scale the design up 2-3" cubed there will be plenty of space.  You could do 2 of these http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034XRDV4/?tag=tec06d-20 side by side.  Not sure the best way to retain them in.  I have one of those cages, I could measure and mock it up in sketchup.  I am just not sure how to mount it in such a way that you can easily remove it.
The easiest way is get some velcro tape and tape them all together in a stack then tape that to the floor of the case.

I also wonder how to mount an externally accessible 5.25 and make it look good. Obvious way is to just make a cut out but you have to have steady hands with a jigsaw to make the square cut out hole look nice and even.  Of course a scroll saw would be nice.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 9, 2014)

Vario said:


> I'll probably scale up the design to fit the 5.25 bay on the front.  Do you want it sideways in the front (as in 90 degree mount and to the left or right of radiator) or above radiator or below etc? maybe mspaint it onto my sketchup.
> 
> Also I am thinking that the back panel for the lower chamber would be removable but the others (Front,Left,Right) are glued in.
> 
> ...


below radiator 

I have 2x HDD cages i was gonna use


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## de.das.dude (Jul 9, 2014)

wood wont like heights.  why not mmake a desk since it will be from scratch?


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## Vario (Jul 9, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> below radiator
> 
> I have 2x HDD cages i was gonna use


Can you measure the cages for me and post their dimensions?


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 9, 2014)

Vario said:


> Can you measure the cages for me and post their dimensions?


5.5"     Tall
5 3/4" Wide 
6"        Thick


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## Vario (Jul 10, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> 5.5"     Tall
> 5 3/4" Wide
> 6"        Thick


Awesome, is this with all drives loaded in the cage?  Can you give me that measurement if not?


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 10, 2014)

Vario said:


> Awesome, is this with all drives loaded in the cage?  Can you give me that measurement if not?


Yes with drives and caddys


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## Vario (Jul 10, 2014)

durvelle, take a look at this
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/wallhanger-wood-techstation-latest-iteration.99984/
I think same guy made this
http://www.overclock.net/t/451332/the-official-caseless-owners-club/40#post_5844918


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 10, 2014)

Vario said:


> durvelle, take a look at this
> http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/wallhanger-wood-techstation-latest-iteration.99984/
> I think same guy made this
> http://www.overclock.net/t/451332/the-official-caseless-owners-club/40#post_5844918


Looks nice


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## Vario (Jul 11, 2014)

I increased the size to a 24"x24" square.  This gives plenty of room I believe.
The power switch/reset/usb panel stuff can go above the 5.25 (dvd image is used as a scaled place holder)
Green cubes are the HDD caddys.
If I put the 5.25 under the front radiator it will be much taller by several inches.  I think that it will be better to have the 5.25 on the side, then you can put the power switch and usbs above it or below it.
The other space efficient thing is to rotate the 5.25 90 degrees and tuck it to the left or right of the radiator.  This would make the wiring for it much easier.






*I have three questions:*
-What side of the desk will you have the case on?
-What are the pump dimensions (rough cube please just like the HDD caddy)?
-Do you like either of the designs above with the 5.25 placement and if so which one?

Position on desk could determine which side I put the 5.25 and switches.
A side benefit of not putting the 5.25 under the radiator is you will not have to reach as far if you have this to the left or right of your monitor.
So if you put this to the right of your monitor then I should put the switches and 5.25 on the left side of the case.
I also need to know if pump will fit next to the power supply (I think it will but would like to have a scaled model of it)
I think the straight flow through design of the radiators will result in very good temperatures.  You could add ducting for the radiators too.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 11, 2014)

Vario said:


> I increased the size to a 24"x24" square.  This gives plenty of room I believe.
> The power switch/reset/usb panel stuff can go above the 5.25 (dvd image is used as a scaled place holder)
> Green cubes are the HDD caddys.
> If I put the 5.25 under the front radiator it will be much taller by several inches.  I think that it will be better to have the 5.25 on the side, then you can put the power switch and usbs above it or below it.
> ...


The first is simply astonishing. I love it. 

First pump

3"         Tall
2 3/4"  Wide 
2.5"      Thick


Second Pump

5"     Tall
2.5"  Wide
3"     Thick


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## Vario (Jul 11, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> The first is simply astonishing. I love it.
> 
> First pump
> 
> ...


Cool glad you like. Do you have a plan for the switches and usb?  There is this kind of thing though its expensive
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...Quad_USB_30_Power_Reset_Button_-_BZ-U08B.html

might be able to adapt this sort
http://www.caselabs-store.com/merlin-switch-assemblies-pricing-varies/

or this
http://mnpctech.com/pc-switch-plates/


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 11, 2014)

Vario said:


> Cool glad you like. Do you have a plan for the switches and usb?  There is this kind of thing though its expensive
> http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...Quad_USB_30_Power_Reset_Button_-_BZ-U08B.html
> 
> might be able to adapt this sort
> ...


I was thinking about take the one of my current case since its removable and has USB 3.0, Mic, Headphone, Reset, Power, and it's black which would match my theme.


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## Vario (Jul 11, 2014)

Cool will it fit above the 5.25 to the left of the radiator in the front?


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 11, 2014)

Vario said:


> Cool will it fit above the 5.25 to the left of the radiator in the front?


yes


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## Vario (Jul 11, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> yes


Sweet.  Now I intend to give you a cut sheet for the bigger wood cuts (like the walls, floors) but the precise placement of items will be up to you, so you should always cut your holes after mocking things up first.
I'll work some more with the pump and the upper level today or tomorrow.   When we get a finalized design I'll help you make a cut sheet.

I am kind of thinking about making the upper level detach from the lower or have some other way to completely open it up, but I am not sure how I want to do it.

Let me know if you think this is a good idea and if you have some ideas.

Only other thing I forgot to ask is how long is your 5.25 bay device. I figured a DVD burner would be the longest 5.25 device possible so I am using that as the sketchup model.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 11, 2014)

Vario said:


> Sweet.  Now I intend to give you a cut sheet for the bigger wood cuts (like the walls, floors) but the precise placement of items will be up to you, so you should always cut your holes after mocking things up first.
> I'll work some more with the pump and the upper level today or tomorrow.   When we get a finalized design I'll help you make a cut sheet.
> 
> I am kind of thinking about making the upper level detach from the lower or have some other way to completely open it up, but I am not sure how I want to do it.
> ...


The DVD drive is about 6.5" long

I love the ideas and mockups their great. Only ideas I have is moving the PSU closer to the wall to make a ventilation hole for the fan and yes some way to access the bottom.


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## Vario (Jul 11, 2014)

Durvelle27 said:


> The DVD drive is about 6.5" long
> 
> I love the ideas and mockups their great. Only ideas I have is moving the PSU closer to the wall to make a ventilation hole for the fan and yes some way to access the bottom.


The only downside is you lose the aesthetic of having just the 3 rad grills on the bottom and no extra fans. I don't think it needs more airflow but I could do that, or I could rotate the psu so it pulls air from its top which solves both problems.  Also  I was kind of thinking of having the back exposed for convenience and to help the HDDS passively vent off.


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## Durvelle27 (Jul 11, 2014)

Vario said:


> The only downside is you lose the aesthetic of having just the 3 rad grills on the bottom and no extra fans. I don't think it needs more airflow but I could do that, or I could rotate the psu so it pulls air from its top which solves both problems.  Also  I was kind of thinking of having the back exposed for convenience and to help the HDDS passively vent off.


That seems like a good idea


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