Riddle Box

[bubba]

Ok, just for the fact I can't get this out of my head. I'm going to make a cube case, I started this once already with CUBErt but the way I was heading with it nothing for new hardware would fit. So I shoved him in the corner, but he'll be back in the future I'm thinking NAS, but I digress.

So what I have in mind is taking 2 mid towers, hack them up and turn them into a cube the size I want. I picked the name Riddle Box due to the fact that I have a vague idea of where I'm going with it, but where she ends up who knows (I don't).


So were I'm at currently.

The victim, 2 of these guys. Generic case of some kind. Had a couple in the junk pile here at work doing nothing but taking up space.


naked


The theory. remove all the drive bays, shorten height by 1.5" on both cases, depth of both cases by a 1", and shorten the width of case 2 by 2.5". Thus resulting in a case that is roughly a 13" cube. The drive bays will be then put back in place but turned 90* so the mobo will lay flat, but the drives will still be in the right orientation, all said and done will have room for 3 5.25" devices and 6 hard drives in the lower half. Full size ATX in the top half. I should still have room for a dual loop with 240 rad, and pump.

[vicaphit]

If you can't find it, build it yourself!

Good luck on your chop job! You could always name it Frankencube.

[Alathald]

Looking good so far, can't wait to see the finished product. Any ideas as to the colors/exterior look yet?

[bubba]

LOL Frankencube

as for the colors, not one clue. Depending where the vents/fans/rads end up could just end up filling the holes of whats left with plexi. The skeleton will either be black or deep green.

[Bio-Hazard]

This should be a interesting project to follow............

[smack323]

are you goign to weld the cases together? you could do the bead on the inside to keep it smooth on the outside.

[bubba]

Since this is setting in my office some of the guys here have been poking in here and there to "help" me with my design. One went as far as to give me dual loop alum heat exchanger as a possible custom rad for the project.

Depending how strong the skeleton ends up once I have the drive bays removed and the case cut down I may end up recreating the outer edges with angle. I want to at least try welding it all together first, but with it being galvanized steel its not exactly healthy to be welding on it. It would look LOADS better than rivets or screws.

I'll have a better idea what is needed to put it back together after the weekend rivet drilling fest to get the drive cages out and sides cut down.

[DMB2000uk]

wow, we had loads of those generic cases at where I work. They've been around since forever, but we've thrown most away.

Dan

[bubba]

Well the wife just called me to tell me that my project had a small set back.

My son (6) was using one of the skeletons as a fort for his Doc-Oc toy (why she let him play with I'll never know), long story short, the wife tells me it got bent. Now I ask what do you mean by bent, can it be straightened? (forgetting who I was talking too).. I get silence... so when I get home tonight I will see where my case stands, may end up making a new skeleton after all and transplant the mobo tray and drive bays. I'll post a pic when I get home.

[martini161]

as long as you dont yell at your kid its fine. its not his fault its a crappy POS case that bends easy. and your wifes the one who let him play in it

[bubba]

no worries. He's not in trouble with me, the wife is, and I've done yelled at her . He's 6 I can't get all that mad at him, now if he was 16 it would be a whole nother story.

We will be setting down and going over (for the umpteenth time) "ok, this is the stuff you can't play with even if mom says you can" speech.

I have just come to accept there is a higher power that does not want me to have this case for some reason. I'm fighting back, I will have this case come hell or high water

[martini161]

i think that higher power is the people over at mountain mods

[bubba]

LOL

with the ice and crud here and the 2 hour commute home I forgot to post the pic. I now have a gauge for what my wife calls "bent"

[DMB2000uk]

Bent, lol.

Try for Take 3?

Dan

[bubba]

Take 3, yup, but I have to finish couple things on the LR 'To Do' list first. Should have a new game plan by Monday. Riddle Box will be

[Bio-Hazard]

I'd call that just a little bit more than bent.............looks like someone driving their car in the ice storm here yesterday...............

[Methious]

Fate might intervene again Bubba, A local shop I do business with has those exact cases new in the box and he got a bunch surplus. If you need one it wouldn't be a big deal to snag one and ship it up. He was charging me $15 per case if their still in stock. If not I have one, I can transfer the guts into another case from. FrankenCase can live if you want to deal with the shipping cost.

I've thought about doing some thing similar with full towers, and a little help from the local Technical school. If you have a good project, detailed specs and money for materials their a good resource. The sheet metal shops will usually fabricate what you want at material cost under supervision from the Journeyman shop teacher. With your drawing/drafting skills the possibilities boggle the mind.

[bubba]

Yeah, my nephew's PC is one of these. Think I may trade one of my spares for it... not sure as I have been thinking today about what I can do.

With your drawing/drafting skills the possibilities boggle the mind.

This will blow your mind just a bit more. I got a couple of these to play with, this is the small one




Now if I could just get my work to buy a laser or water jet table

[Bio-Hazard]

With toys like that at work that you're allowed to play, I don't understand exactly what the problem is with building a complete custom cube....................

[martini161]

thats whay i would do