The Freilite Brevis S - A <5L case with internal PSU

The meaning of base words is different (fire vs frei - free) and owning trademark doesn't mean someone owns every possible misspelling of the trademark name. On another hand if some company makes its own product that bases on other company's trademark then it is violation. Example could be any Chinese product with misspelled brand name that is an imitation of the original like for example A-Phone, but of course Chinese law protects their own in this matter.

In Poland there's an online grocery store a.pl which was sued by apple just because "a.pl" sounds like "apple" and it looks like apple lost because the store domain is still the same.
 
Let me remind you of the Samsonite Firelite are you sure you want to risk violating Samsonite's trademark? Consider -- in the UK at least -- it sells as Samsonite Firelite Case . Now you come and want to seel the Freilite case. I am not a lawyer, I am just a satisfied Firelite owner :) and a forum member here for quite some time now so believe me, this is just a friendly warning.
that's ridiculous nobody is going to confuse "Samsonite Firelite" with "Brevis Freilite" or get sued. look here: Google
believe you huh?
 
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So i understand You are going to keep Your graphic card in a place only by "GPU holder" without screwing Your riser to anything (for me this is only one holding spot if You want to simplify torques/forces calculation, which will be acting on Your PCB in horizontal view)? There are some GPU manufacturers who use cheaper, less stiff PCB's. If You break your GPU during the transport in Your case, what do You think your GPU manufacturer say when You ask him for warranty? He'll probably ask how Your card was installed in Your case? Will You then say, that the only spot the GPU was held in a place, was the one-side holding bracket? I'm not sure this will be a good idea. GPU cards aren't designed to be installed in that way. For me this is a quick way to loose your warranty. Maybe try to attach Your riser to something? A simple steel sheet with two screws at least. It would definitely help.

The case would never be transported in this orientation, though, so the stress from transportation wouldn't be vertical on the PCB but lateral. So yes, that was the plan.
Either way the riser I'm planning to use doesn't have any mounting points, so the only way for me to secure the GPU is by adding a support bracket below it like the one the !nverse uses. I'll be looking into it. Again, I only support ITX GPUs so the stress is a lot lower than it would be with full-sized GPUs.

Let me remind you of the Samsonite Firelite are you sure you want to risk violating Samsonite's trademark? Consider -- in the UK at least -- it sells as Samsonite Firelite Case . Now you come and want to seel the Freilite case. I am not a lawyer, I am just a satisfied Firelite owner :) and a forum member here for quite some time now so believe me, this is just a friendly warning.

Thanks for being concerned, I actually didn't know about the Firelite brand but there are actually a few things that would prevent samsonite from suing me. First off, the name of the brand is different. Freilite is not Firelite. Secondly, these two brands aren't operating in the same class. The class for the Firelite Brand is 018 - "Leather and imitations of leather, and goods made of these materials and not included in other classes; animal skins, hides; trunks and travelling bags; umbrellas, parasols and walking sticks; whips, harness and saddlery. - Leather and imitations of leather, and goods made of these materials and not included in other classes; animal skins, hides; trunks and travelling bags; umbrellas, parasols and walking sticks; whips, harness and saddlery."
I'm not selling anything of the sort, my brand name would not be a try to mislead anyone and the products differ greatly that customers couldn't possibly be confused about which brand they're buying from. I could even name my company Firelite and there'd still be no problem about it, though I wouldn't want to risk that.

A few small updates:

Aibophobia on SFFn mentioned the width he used for the PCIe slot for the KI Cerberus, the distance from the mounting flange from the mounting flange to the cutout is 7mm there. So I checked my GPU and yes, 7mm would've been enough, just about. I was at 9.5, but that's fixed now.

For my current prototype, I crudely corrected it:

4x8J5b3l.jpg


I also mounted the SSP-300SUG and as I expected, it not adhering to the FlexATX Standard by makes it fit awkwardly and it can only be mounted with two screws.. I'll have to correct the cutout to be a bit taller.
XBpymA0l.jpg


Either way, the SSP-300SUG is wonderfully quiet in idle.

Right now I'm running it without a dGPU, but it makes for a lovely compact rig, too:

errxr8xl.jpg


Which makes me think whether this could be made modular. Like having the frame as three separate pieces (MB, PSU, GPU) and being able to combine them however you like. Another idea would be to have a way of making the case thicker with an additional piece to give space for taller CPU coolers and more drives if desired.
 
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Which makes me think whether this could be made modular.
this would be cool. there is another thread I'm watching that is trying the same thing. to have a modular gpu so he can take the tiny main body with him for work and then connect them at home for gaming.
 
But on another note the firelite would make a cool case mod! A roll around case for a [H] lan party build.

Now back on topic :)
 
this would be cool. there is another thread I'm watching that is trying the same thing. to have a modular gpu so he can take the tiny main body with him for work and then connect them at home for gaming.

I wasn't even thinking that far, but it would be a nice idea as well. Maybe for a different case. I want this to be transportable as a whole, and the challenges associated with a connection between two parts of case like that are hard to solve. Do you have a link to that thread for me? It sounds like a very interesting premise if it is executed well.
 
Update time!

The cable harness for the SSP-300SUG was completed in two sittings. I used pins and connectors from Icemodz, which are very, very nice connectors BTW. The 6+2 pin PEG and 4+4 pin EPS12V have a particularly nice feeling to them. They just fit together so very well. Here's how everything went:

First off, all the tools I needed for crimping were at work. While I don't trust the GPU construction yet, the main frame was just put inside my messenger bag with no further protection. Perfect plan. At least it showed how much easier this case will fit than Freilite Alpha once it's completed.

YRRfBXXl.jpg


Progress after day 1:

Transportation went flawless, I got my wiring chart setup, but I wasn't really focusing on making it beautiful. Just a somewhat good-looking proof of concept that I could use to test every component combination, no calculation of wire bends and stuff like that.

After day 1, I already had the 4+4 pin EPS 12V, 6 pin PEG and 6+2 pin PEG cables done.

lky9MTel.jpg


Of course the PEG connectors are not planned to be used in full configuration, no ITX GPU has an 8-pin and a 6-pin connector. But both two 6-pin and a single 8-pin connector are common and able to deliver the same wattage, so I had to accommodate that somehow. Here's my solution:

eMKbiJKl.jpg


Looks a bit dodgy at first, but the PSU has very few pins available, the 12V for the PEG connectors are just on two pins. The pins should be rated for 13A, so at a maximum rating of 312W I'm way above the 225W an 8-pin connector (or two 6-pins) is rated for.

It gets a bit dodgier when we look at the EPS12V cable:

WrQLNM7l.jpg


This is just connected via a single pin, so the maximum power rating for that connection would be 156W. In theory, an 8-pin EPS12V connector is rated for more, but you don't want to use any CPU over 88W if the biggest cooler you can fit is an NH-L9i. This would be different for APU builds that utilise an AIO in the GPU compartment, so those would have to use a PEG-to-EPS12V adapter or get a different cable harness.

Progress after day 2:

Everything's done! I did put a little bit of effort into the ATX cable to make sure it would at least somewhat stay in this shape, but you could certainly do better. Either way, it's a large improvement over the previous situation.

gYbqecfl.jpg


In this picture, you can already see the PC light up, but it wouldn't actually POST at this stage. No display signal, and no speaker header for troubleshooting. The problem was that I didn't make a connection for the -12V rail. This was deliberate, as the FSP500-50FSPT was once considered as a bundled PSU with this case and it lacks the -12V rail, but apparently some Mainboards are checking every voltage before POSTing properly, so that option is pretty much out the window now. After crimping the last wire, everything worked out fine.

I also removed the blue LEDs cables from the power button while I was at it.

ScYxFPel.jpg


And now it's sitting on my desk, looking a lot nicer already:


qOpYsyTl.jpg


I tried to resolve the slanted GPU by chaining the HDPLEX and LiHeat risers together, but I didn't get a display signal with that. Next thing to try is testing two HDPLEX risers chained.

First tests with the new PSU:

So as a simple first test, I just ran Unigine Heaven for 20 minutes or so to see what the new PSU could do. It's actually pretty darn quiet for something with a wimpy 40mm fan in the back. It didn't get any louder than the GPU itself, as long as the exhaust was unobstructed. The fan is not exhibiting any high pitched whining, just the whooshing noise of air turbulence. In idle the GPUs fans are much more audible than the PSU, so that's certainly a good thing.

Interestingly, it took the PSU a lot longer (about 5 minutes) to ramp up its fan to maximum speed when running the benchmark than the GPU (about 25 seconds). With a highly professional temperature difference measuring device called "finger", I also confirmed that the side of the PSU close to the GPU was much hotter than the one close to the CPU. I'll have to see whether that is actually caused by the GPU exhausting or whether the PSU has a natural hotspot in that area.

I've also taken measurements on the PSUs non-standard-compliant power connector and will post the results of that in its respective review thread.

As a bonus, here's a picture of my dog sleeping in a chair. Thanks for reading!

LQBEJ6Bl.jpg
 
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I wasn't even thinking that far, but it would be a nice idea as well. Maybe for a different case. I want this to be transportable as a whole, and the challenges associated with a connection between two parts of case like that are hard to solve. Do you have a link to that thread for me? It sounds like a very interesting premise if it is executed well.
I think I misinterpreted your meaning of modular but here is that thread I mentioned(had to dig for it): Small portable CPU case with home based modular GPU case

edit: like where youre going with this.
 
Can you use smaller photos? Looks like forum has some caching problem and on every page load there's some of your photos missing. Maybe scale them down to ~720p or use miniatures with links.
 
I think I misinterpreted your meaning of modular

What I meant was that you could buy a version of this case without the GPU compartment for an APU build, or a case without the PSU part if you wanted to go for a power brick, stuff like that.
The second step would be modularity in height, so you could get an add-on that increased the height of the case by 20mm or so to fit a larger CPU cooler, more drives or an ODD. Another idea would be a very small 5mm add-on that allowed the use of 15mm thick drives or that added a lit stripe to the front of the case.

Can you use smaller photos? Looks like forum has some caching problem and on every page load there's some of your photos missing. Maybe scale them down to ~720p or use miniatures with links.

Yeah I'm working on reorganising the log anyway, so that's just one more thing to do there.
 
Yeah I'm working on reorganising the log anyway, so that's just one more thing to do there.

If you're using imgur, you can just add a lower case "M" or "L" to the end of the file name to scale it down.

For example:
i.imgur.com/randomphoto.jpg -> 1920x1080
i.imgur.com/randomphotol.jpg -> ~640x360
i.imgur.com/randomphotom.jpg -> ~320x180
 
If you're using imgur, you can just add a lower case "M" or "L" to the end of the file name to scale it down.

For example:
i.imgur.com/randomphoto.jpg -> 1920x1080
i.imgur.com/randomphotol.jpg -> ~640x360
i.imgur.com/randomphotom.jpg -> ~320x180

That's cool, thanks for the tip! I just discovered that hardforum isn't actually using the image link you provide but is mirroring the images on hardforum.com/proxy, so that's something to look out for, too.
 
Sorry for the double post, just updated the first post to be an easier entrance point for new readers and fixed all the images in the last three updates to have a more reasonable size. Let me know if I've missed anything!
 
Sorry for the double post, just updated the first post to be an easier entrance point for new readers and fixed all the images in the last three updates to have a more reasonable size. Let me know if I've missed anything!
Anymore updates? Need more Brevis in my life
 
Kind of. I post more on SFFn because I get valuable feedback there, while on [H] I'm mostly talking to myself ;) After seeing the Taku, I posted the following. I'm working hard on horizontal stand concepts right now. It feels like nothing really works. Maybe I should concentrate on a VESA mount more?

Here's an idea:

gP0hIc5l.png

QD1ITd4l.png


The horizontal stand allows a TKL or smaller keyboard to be slid under (inspiration taken from the Cryorig TAKU). The good thing about this design is that it can be used for both horizontal and vertical orientations, so that reduces the cost quite a bit, but the stand looks awkwardly tall in the vertical orientation.

An alternative solution would be to use a different piece for the vertical orientation:

n5EQ6z8l.png


Still needs to be tweaked, but it looks much nicer already, though it also increases cost if I bundle both variants with the case.
With the space savings the tall horizontal stand brings, using the case in a vertical orientation seems like a much less desirable option to me, so maybe it doesn't need to be bundled. The second benefit of that would be that I could make the horizontal stand look a bit nicer, right now the angle seems a little awkward to me.

Not really sure which route to take here. Any thoughts on the matter?
 
I like the horizontal a lot. When looking at the example you gave I'd want to mount a monitor to the center of it. The VESA mount would be cool as well. Vertical isn't doing to well for me unless there was a base similar to the falcon northwest tiki. Really liking the horizontal though!
 
Thanks a lot! Yeah the base for the vertical orientation needs to look different, I'm looking into doing something more massive for that. Maybe not real granite, though, that would increase shipping costs too much. I need to stay below 2kg of total weight for that package. The good thing about making the horizontal stand like this is that I can just put the two feet inside the case for shipping, which keeps dimensions down. Right now it looks like I'll be able to achieve 9€ shipping cost to all EU countries and 16€ to anywhere in the world.

When looking at the example you gave I'd want to mount a monitor to the center of it.

Like, actually mount it to the case or just put it on top like you'd do with a monitor stand?

The current problem I'm having with VESA is that there are two possible configurations: Either a monitor with an integrated foot with VESA mounting holes on the back, or a monitor with a foot that is connected via VESA mounting holes.

For the first I already got this, which works well enough:

9oONFxil.png


But with a monitor mounted to a VESA foot or even a movable arm, I'd have to mount the case between the monitor and the foot, which requires a lot of additional parts.
 
Like, actually mount it to the case or just put it on top like you'd do with a monitor stand?

I would mount the monitor in the center space via vesa mount to save room. That way I an easily disconnect it for transport. Depending on how much weight it could hold. Setting it on top would be okay as well, but I'd need a base that didn't block any ventilation.
 
but I'd need a base that didn't block any ventilation.

Actually, you wouldn't. In the horizontal orientation, all intakes are on the bottom, you can put whatever you want on the top. One of the many reasons why I'm going through the trouble of using such a long flexible riser.
 
Hey, look how professional I am:

KQykj2Kl.png


If this works out, the front I/O will be hidden behind a small hinged door, so no compromises between aesthetics and connectivity will be required.
 
Update! First hinge and Front I/O prototype.

I got a package from shapeways today. The final result first:



CCsdfTVl.jpg


As you can see, the hinge works pretty much flawlessly, there's very little play in it. This solution for Front I/O is the easiest and cheapest one to manufacture and it's the minimum base option that I can guarantee will be offered. More complex I/O or upgrades (more USB ports, audio, USB C-Type, etc.) will probably be implemented as stretch goals.

That way the savings made on the metal parts from selling more units actually benefit the consumer and don't just result in me getting a higher margin, which seems like a fair way of doing things.

Now for a few more details. This is how the hinge arrived:

rh5oD6gl.jpg


The two pieces are connected to reduce cost. Having a single piece is easier to handle for the manufacturer than having multiple pieces that need to be searched for in the big pile the printer creates.

First step is to break the studs off, which works very nicely.

4JGqHdWl.jpg


Then insert the nuts into the holes. Those will be used to mount the hinge to the frame. Nuts are more durable and precise than printed threads or self-tapping screws.

x93y6FCl.jpg


And finally, a small metal rod is inserted into the base of the hinge, the moving part is aligned and the rod is pressed through to make the hinge you saw above. The two hooks keep the rod in place to give the hinge a sturdy feel. If it could move around the hinge might feel cheap.

j9snteel.jpg


The USB ports are actually mounted with self-tapping screws, but as they won't be replaced, I'm not concerned about the thread wearing out.

As stated previously, STL files and ISO-numbers for all parts will be publicised to allow builders to make custom front-I/O and get cheap replacement parts no matter where they are in the world. It also has the benefit of massively increasing the lifetime of the case. You'll be able to replace any of those parts even in 10 years if you need to.

I'm not sure about what license to use for the STL parts, if anyone has suggestions, please let me know.
 
iFreilicht,
Sweet 3d printing. I don't understnad how it fits in the case, and you have a cvoer over it, right? Do you have a model view that shows it installed?

--Also, I sent you a PM regarding audio ports.
 
Sweet 3d printing. I don't understnad how it fits in the case, and you have a cvoer over it, right? Do you have a model view that shows it installed?

Thanks! I'm quite surprised it turned out so well first try :D You can see the door at the bottom of the case here:


The hinge is glued to this door and screwed to the bottom of the frame. Does that answer your question? The assembly is not up-to-date yet, so I can't show that part.
 
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