# INVERTED by ToB1



## ToB1 (May 27, 2010)

*Sponsored by:*



ZyXEL sponsor with a GS-108B




Dremel sponsor with a Dremel 4000




Lamptron sponsor with power and reset switches, and a few other useful things.




Phenoptix sponsor with red 3mm LEDs!




Komplett.no sponsor with Corsair H50, Silverstone SST-SOD01, Arctic Silver ArtiClean, Arctic Silver Alumina and Fractal Design EFS Fan Accessory!

*Thank you very much for sponsoring my project!*  

I started up this project a few months ago, but there is still a lot left to do, so I thought i would be appropriate to start a worklog hare at this forum too.

The main goal of this project is to create a computer case out of MDF, and later use it as a server or guest computer.

Here's the first draft of the unfinished 3D-modell.








The grey box under the motherboard tray is a gigabit switch that will be usefull at LAN-partiese etc.

And here are some pictures that shows the work I did earlier:
The vertical separator was a bit too large, så I had to resize it to make it fit inside the frame.




And then I had to drill a few holes for the screws...






















































I've milled the outer edges of the case, and sanded a bit.














































There are a few screws located at the rear end of the case, so I'm not going to mill that part of the case yet...








What do you think about the result so far?

*List of things left to do*
- [X] Make feet out of MDF, or purchase aluminum feet
- [X] Attach the vertical separator
- [X] Make or buy a mount for harddrives
- [X] Purchase fans
- [X] Purchase power/reset-button
- [X] Drill holes for the fans
- [X] Drill holes for cable management
- [X] Paint the case and the motherboard tray
- [X] Milling the edges of the case

*Hope you like the project!*

- ToB1


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## Cuzza (May 27, 2010)

I think it looks great so far, you don't see many cases with a built in network switch, that is a nice touch.

Perhaps you should consider rewiring the power feed to the switch so it doesn't need it's own external supply? 

You say you're going to drill holes for cable management? Do you have a cavity on the back side of the case to run the cables through? It's not clear from the pics.


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## jellyrole (May 27, 2010)

http://modmybreakfast.webs.com/photos/mini-SNC11141.JPG

It looks like there's a ton of space back there^


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## ToB1 (May 27, 2010)

Cuzza said:


> I think it looks great so far, you don't see many cases with a built in network switch, that is a nice touch.
> 
> Perhaps you should consider rewiring the power feed to the switch so it doesn't need it's own external supply?
> 
> You say you're going to drill holes for cable management? Do you have a cavity on the back side of the case to run the cables through? It's not clear from the pics.



Thanks! 

Yes, I'm planning to use a switch to switch between power from the external power supply, and the internal power supply. The reason why I'll do this is to be able to power the switch even if my computer is turned off. If I for example participate at a LAN-party and turn off my computer, people gets disconnected because they are connected through my switch...

There is a vertical separator 3 cm from the inside of the right sidepanel, and I'll drill holes through that separator to run the cables behind that "wall" to hide them. 

- ToB1


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## Dippyskoodlez (May 27, 2010)

How are you planning on mounting the drives, and where did you ninja that mobo tray?

I made a wooden case a few years ago (Ugh make that 5, WOW!), but I used solid red oak, because I strongly dislike the look of MDF. It looked beautiful when it was finished, but wood gives a lot of problems with mounting, unless you use a motherboard tray and such.

For the sides I also made a little dado to recess the connecting edges, and then glued it using finishing nails that were then covered up and invisible after staining/poly.

Also, how are you handling ventilation? It appears there's only the one fan in the back. Wood will sustain the heat extremely well.


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## ToB1 (May 27, 2010)

Dippyskoodlez said:


> How are you planning on mounting the drives, and where did you ninja that mobo tray?
> 
> I made a wooden case a few years ago (Ugh make that 5, WOW!), but I used solid red oak, because I strongly dislike the look of MDF. It looked beautiful when it was finished, but wood gives a lot of problems with mounting, unless you use a motherboard tray and such.
> 
> ...



I think I'll make some kind of internal hotswap or something. Here's a quick sketch I did...











I think I'll place it at the lower front of the case, but I'm not 100% sure yet...

What do you mean by "ninja" the mobo tray?

I'm not quite sure where I'll put the fans, cause I'm not sure if I'll water cool the system or not. But I think there will be three 120mm fans at the top of the case, and maybe two 120mm on each side of the HDD-cage. But if you got some ideas, feel free to yell it out! 

By the way, I'm planning to paint the case, and I'm looking for som sort of theme for the painting and all. I've allready made a draft as you can see in the intro of this worklog, but I'm not sure about it


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## Dippyskoodlez (May 28, 2010)

ToB1 said:


> What do you mean by "ninja" the mobo tray?
> 
> I'm not quite sure where I'll put the fans, cause I'm not sure if I'll water cool the system or not. But I think there will be three 120mm fans at the top of the case, and maybe two 120mm on each side of the HDD-cage. But if you got some ideas, feel free to yell it out!
> 
> By the way, I'm planning to paint the case, and I'm looking for som sort of theme for the painting and all. I've allready made a draft as you can see in the intro of this worklog, but I'm not sure about it



Wondering where you obtained it  Bought a case with one or what?

If you're gonna air cool, I put a 120mm fan right above the CPU, and a rear exhaust. It worked well. 120mm at the top, too. Water cooling, is another ball game tho. just need overall ventilation.

The major downside to paint IMO, is its easy to scratch/mess up, since MDF is soft. (This is the reason i used solid red oak, the thing was a TANK.). Stain/Poly gives the wood a nice finish, and is strong enough/wont scratch and ruin the whole effect.


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## ToB1 (May 28, 2010)

Dippyskoodlez said:


> Wondering where you obtained it  Bought a case with one or what?
> 
> If you're gonna air cool, I put a 120mm fan right above the CPU, and a rear exhaust. It worked well. 120mm at the top, too. Water cooling, is another ball game tho. just need overall ventilation.
> 
> The major downside to paint IMO, is its easy to scratch/mess up, since MDF is soft. (This is the reason i used solid red oak, the thing was a TANK.). Stain/Poly gives the wood a nice finish, and is strong enough/wont scratch and ruin the whole effect.



It's a Lian Li motherboard tray I bought from a Norwegian Lian Li importer 

Unfortunately there's not enough room for a 120mm fan at the rear end of the case, so I may have to use the 80mm that came with the motherboard tray.


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## Cuzza (May 29, 2010)

ToB1 said:


> Yes, I'm planning to use a switch to switch between power from the external power supply, and the internal power supply.



I'm curious to see how that will work. I think it would be nice to not have an external power supply at all, perhaps you can mount the power brick inside the case? But you would still need to plug it into the mains, which would probably mean tapping into the mains voltage from inside your PSU which is not really advisable. Anyway, I'm just throwing ideas out there.


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## ToB1 (May 30, 2010)

Cuzza said:


> I'm curious to see how that will work. I think it would be nice to not have an external power supply at all, perhaps you can mount the power brick inside the case? But you would still need to plug it into the mains, which would probably mean tapping into the mains voltage from inside your PSU which is not really advisable. Anyway, I'm just throwing ideas out there.



That would be great, but I got Enermax Revolution 85+ 1250W, so I'm not going to take the risk of voiding the warranty just to get rid of the external power supply...


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## v12dock (May 31, 2010)

Good Luck looks like its going to nice!


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## ToB1 (May 31, 2010)

v12dock said:


> Good Luck looks like its going to nice!



Thanks!


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## ToB1 (Jun 5, 2010)

I just cut out the upper MDF parts for the feet, but since I don't have any hole saw, I had to use a multipurpose cutting kit (656) for my Dremel...















As you see there are a lot left to sand/polish, but I'll fix that soon


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## ToB1 (Jun 9, 2010)

*New sponsor: Lamptron*





Lamptron have agreed to sponsor the project with power and reset switches, and a few other useful things for the project.

Thank you very much for your contribution!


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## ToB1 (Jun 13, 2010)

I started cutting of a 15 cm long piece of the 1 m long screw, and then mounted the feet using two smal pieces of plywood and two nuts.













And as you see, the result turned out pretty well


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## ToB1 (Jun 23, 2010)

*New sponsor: Phenoptix*





Phenoptix have agreed to sponsor the project with red 3mm LEDs!

Thank you very much for your contribution!


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## ToB1 (Jun 28, 2010)

The package from Phenoptix has arrived!

Phenoptix is sponsoring with 32 red 3mm LEDs that will be used to light up the feet and the back of the motherboard.

















Thank you very much for your contribution!


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## ToB1 (Jul 13, 2010)

The package from Lamptron has arrived!

Lamptron is sponsoring withpower and reset switches, cables, FC6! 

































































Thank you very much for your contribution!


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## ToB1 (Jul 14, 2010)

*New sponsor: Komplett.no*





Komplett.no have decided to sponsor the project with Corsair H50, Silverstone SST-SOD01, Arctic Silver ArtiClean, Arctic Silver Alumina and Fractal Design EFS Fan Accessory!

Thank you very much for your contribution!


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## ToB1 (Jul 15, 2010)

Because the old feet came out a bit smal, i decided to make a set of new ones.

This update wont be that interesting since you've seen this part before.

This time I used a 57mm hole saw, which means that the diameter of the feet got about 1cm longer than last time.


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## ToB1 (Jul 29, 2010)

The package from Komplett.no has arrived!

Komplett.no is sponsoring withCorsair H50, Silverstone SST-SOD01, Arctic Silver ArtiClean, Arctic Silver Alumina and Fractal Design EFS Fan Accessory! 





Corsair H50:













































Arctic Silver ArtiClean:





Arctic Silver Alumina:





4xFractal Design EFS Fan Accessory:





Silverstone SST-SOD01:

































Thank you very much for your contribution!


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## newtekie1 (Jul 29, 2010)

Holy shit, if it wasn't bad ass enough looking(and it does look like it will be totally bad ass), it also has a network switch built right into the case!  That is fucking genius!  Best idea for a custom lan case ever!


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## ToB1 (Jul 29, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> Holy shit, if it wasn't bad ass enough looking(and it does look like it will be totally bad ass), it also has a network switch built right into the case!  That is fucking genius!  Best idea for a custom lan case ever!



Thank you very much!


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## Completely Bonkers (Jul 29, 2010)

Nice 1 ToB1.  However, why did you choose to work in "soft" MDF/fibreboard and not aluminium or steel?  MDF is a great insulator, terrible heat conductor. Alu or steel would be much better.


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## ToB1 (Jul 30, 2010)

Completely Bonkers said:


> Nice 1 ToB1.  However, why did you choose to work in "soft" MDF/fibreboard and not aluminium or steel?  MDF is a great insulator, terrible heat conductor. Alu or steel would be much better.


Unfortunately I do not have that much experience on working with aluminium or steel, but I've made "a few" things in wood during the years, and thought MDF would be fun to try out.

I would probably made it out of metal if I had the abilities needed, but at this point I do not


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## ToB1 (Aug 7, 2010)

I got wires, tips for det soldering iron, experiment card and 3mm LED-holders from Clas Ohlson yesterday, and I've done some work on the frontpanels.










The guy I'm planning to order plexi from is om vacation, but I think you get the idea of what the feet will look like...













The inner frontpanel...













The outer frontpanel...













I've cut the motherboard tray so it looks a bit better, and dont use to much of the space at the rear end of the case.





And here's a test to show you how the LEDs will be mounted on the motherboard tray...





I've also made a test on how the fan controller will be mounted on the front panel, and I hope to post som pictures of that soon.

What do you think about the project som far?


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## ToB1 (Sep 5, 2010)

A few weeks ago I got some new hardware, but unfortunately I've had a lot of things to do lately.

But anyway, here's some pictures of my new motherboard, CPU and RAM-modules 

I've got a pair og WD Caviar Black 1TB 64MB as well, and pictures of does might come later.






















































- *CPU:* AMD Phenom X6 1090T
- *RAM:* Corsair Dominator GT 2x2GB 1600MHz
- *Motherboard:* Asus Crosshair IV Formula


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## Loosenut (Sep 5, 2010)

Beautiful work ToB1, can't wait to see more of it


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## DaveK (Sep 5, 2010)

Looking good man, can't wait to see more 

Komplett FTW


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## Chicken Patty (Sep 5, 2010)

Very nice work so far, stunning!  Subscribed.


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## ToB1 (Sep 6, 2010)

Thanks for the great comments!


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## TechnicalFreak (Sep 6, 2010)

Can't wait to see the finished product.
Wish I had time to do something like this..


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## NAVI_Z (Sep 7, 2010)

you've got good taste in hardware my friend. i'm salivating for the rest of the build.

subbed.


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## ToB1 (Oct 14, 2010)

Sorry for taking so long, but here's a new update!

Testing the LEDs for the feet:









Mounting and testing of the LEDs on the motherboard tray. Unfortunately 2 of the diodes seems to me a bit defect, and on of them doesn't work at all 





































Mouting hinges on the to sidedoors:





























Testing the holes i made for the locks:

















Milled/Routered an edge so the motherboard tray will be mounted tighter:









76mm-hole for the rear 80mm fan:





The content of the package from performance-pcs.com. Unfortunately I got a 3mm thick panel of acryl instead for 5mm thick as I ordered. Therefor I ended up buying 6mm thick clear plexi for Clas Ohlson.





































Hope you like the update, and I promise to post a new one soon!


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## garyinhere (Oct 14, 2010)

Looking Nice!


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## ToB1 (Oct 14, 2010)

Thanks!


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## ToB1 (Oct 17, 2010)

Almost finished with the feet! 





































Hole for the fans on the top of the case...

















Last to holes for the locks:









What do you think about the feet?


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## TheMailMan78 (Oct 17, 2010)

This joint looks a little rough compared to the rest.






Other then that little nit-pick it looks awesome man! Keep it going!


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## ToB1 (Oct 17, 2010)

TheMailMan78 said:


> This joint looks a little rough compared to the rest.
> 
> http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/65/87/42328765/photos/Inverted-by-ToB1/mini-SNC11668.JPG
> 
> Other then that little nit-pick it looks awesome man! Keep it going!



The front is not mounted on that picture  And I'll sand everything before I paint it


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## Cuzza (Oct 18, 2010)

The lights in the feet are the best


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## Akumos (Oct 18, 2010)

Great project so far! Can't wait to see it finished!

Integrated case switch... GENIUS! Feet are great looking too.


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## ToB1 (Oct 18, 2010)

Thank you for your great comments!


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## nessu (Oct 18, 2010)

I dont usually like these scratch wood thing builds  But this I love  Nice job there! Sub'd.


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## ToB1 (Oct 20, 2010)

Thank you!


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## Akumos (Oct 28, 2010)

Updates!!!


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## ToB1 (Oct 28, 2010)

I'll probably make a small update tomorrow!


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## NAVI_Z (Oct 29, 2010)

yes please! more pics. love the mobo tray l.e.d's.


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## copenhagen69 (Oct 29, 2010)

this looks awesome! sub'd


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## ToB1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Thanks for the comments! 

I've cut the motherboard tray, and made a piece of MDF to cover the gap between the motherboard tray ant the vertical separator.


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## ToB1 (Dec 12, 2010)

Some of the work that still remains, and some more pictures of the case...






































Here are the spacers I've cut to hold the HDDs in place, and the new SATA-cables that will be used to make this a homemade hot-swap.






























Hope you like what you see!


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## copenhagen69 (Dec 12, 2010)

HDD brackets are looking very good.


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## ToB1 (Dec 12, 2010)

Thanks!


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## ToB1 (Feb 20, 2011)

After waiting half a year to purchase the right fans from a Norwegian store, I've finally got 6 new Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1850RPM! 

I'll try to get most of the work that's left on this built, done during a few weeks, but all the painting will have to wait until the temperature rises. I don't think spray-paint and -20°C is the best combination 























My desktop at the moment


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## ToB1 (Mar 4, 2011)

I've got a lot of things done lately, and I hop you are ready for a new update!

This update includes the mounting of the feet, hole for the fan controller, testing of the front panel, and cable holes.

First some soldering to do...

























Then I had to lower the screws.





Finally ready to be mounted!





























I've also milled and drilled hole for the fan controller in the outer front panel.













The result!













Holes for the cables, and testing of the hot-swap function...





















The holes for the hot-swap connector looks pretty ugly on the photos, but they actually look quite good in real life.

Now, what do you think?


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## copenhagen69 (Mar 4, 2011)

very cool!! cant wait to see more


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## Cold Storm (Mar 4, 2011)

looking real good! Thanks for the showing.


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## ToB1 (Mar 5, 2011)

I'm glad you liked it!


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## {uZa}DOA (Mar 5, 2011)

brilliant build so far!


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## ToB1 (Mar 5, 2011)

Thanks!


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## ToB1 (Mar 7, 2011)

New update!

The pictures speak for them selves, so I'm not commenting this update, but if you got any questions, feel free to ask! 






















































































































































































































































Short video of LED testing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-7cZjvkD2w&feature=player_embedded

Hope you like it! Please leave a comment!


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## t_ski (Mar 7, 2011)

Two questions: What's the point of the network switch inside the rig, and what do you plan to finish the exterior with?


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## ToB1 (Mar 8, 2011)

t_ski said:


> Two questions: What's the point of the network switch inside the rig, and what do you plan to finish the exterior with?



The network switch will be useful because I got more than one computer in the same room, but only one internet cable. And of course it will also be great at LAN-parties.

I plan to use some kind of wood filler, then sand it, use a primer, and finally spray paint it.


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## brandonwh64 (Mar 8, 2011)

I bet that PC is heavy!


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## ToB1 (Mar 8, 2011)

brandonwh64 said:


> I bet that PC is heavy!



It sure is! I have thought about maybe installing some handles, but I really don't know if that would be so pretty.


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## ToB1 (May 16, 2011)

I promise to bring you a proper update soon, but in the meantime you can take a look at some fresh pictures of the case over at Cooler Masters case mod competition!


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## ToB1 (May 28, 2011)

*WARNING: Lots of pictures (114)!*

I have decided not to comment the pictures because of the large amount. Feel free to ask if you wonder about anything!





































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Here is a video that shows one of the features I am working on for the feet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv4UJDa1wE4&feature=channel_video_title


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## JrRacinFan (May 28, 2011)

That is just some splendid work. I have been following this but never commented. Love the video!


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## Sasqui (May 28, 2011)

^Ditto, subscribed.  Fine workmanship!

I dig the drive bays on the bottom... are those simply sata backplates, hot swappabe?


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## ToB1 (May 28, 2011)

Sasqui said:


> ^Ditto, subscribed.  Fine workmanship!
> 
> I dig the drive bays on the bottom... are those simply sata backplates, hot swappabe?



Thank you both for nice comments! 

I made holes for 6 SATA-cables from dealextreme.com on the vertical separator, and then just pushed in the connector so it was possible to connect the HDDs. The harddrives are pretty easy to connect and disconnect, and do not recuire anything else to hold them in place. The nice thing is that they don't wobble to much.


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## ToB1 (Jun 27, 2011)

I believe the end of this build is near... Here are some more pictures:






































































































































Hope you have enjoyed reading this worklog! If you wonder about something, feel free to ask!

(I will probably upload a video of the case in not too long, but it is pretty much done now)

Now I have to thank my sponsors for helping me out on this build. Thanks for all the support I have got from you! You have made this a lot easier for me! :thumb:


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## mATrIxLord (Jun 28, 2011)

awesome case dude!!! it will give me a couple of ideas for a build that i'm going to start in a couple of months...


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## ToB1 (Jul 27, 2011)

mATrIxLord said:


> awesome case dude!!! it will give me a couple of ideas for a build that i'm going to start in a couple of months...



Thanks!


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## erixx (Jul 27, 2011)

Cheers TOB1!

(AND lmao of that many photos of the same parts!!!  hahaha WTF?!!! hahaha sponsors rule!)


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