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CASELABS Resurrected

A few updates from Emil over the last half year on discord:

Everyone involved still has a day job, so time to work on things has been the main constraint on progress.

I think the current schedule is still q3 for the soft launch of parts.

Pedestals, tops, doors, switch plates... Eeeh, most, if not all, Flex-Bay accessories etc will be made available when we soft launch.
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Front panels [with updated IO ports] are top priority when we start updating our existing models.
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We're working on multiple things/stages at the same time and once we've crossed the threshold for the soft-launch we expect to have everything rolling out pretty smoothly after that.

Right now it is a time constraint in my part. Lots of things to do at my regular work and in my private life so my free time has been somewhat limited for a while.
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We are anticipating a very quick transition between the soft-launch and hard-launch because we're working on both at the same time.
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I actually had a great discussion with @keeph8n about what cases will make a return.

In the Bullet line, the BH2, BH4 and BH8 will make a return when we hard-launch. There is a BH7 too but it seems to have been discontinued so I'm not sure if we'll bring it back right from the start.

In the Magnum line the SMA8-A, STH10 and THW10 will make a return. TX10 (both D and V) and TH10A will be avaliable once or twice a year in limited supplies. Not sure if the that will apply to other non-riveted cases in the Magnum line that were discontinued (like the M8A and MH10)

In the Mercury line we'll see the return of the S3, S5, S8 and S8S.

Merlin line will probably have the SM8 returning.

Nova line will have the X2M returning.

Rest of the cases were discontinued for various reasons (mostly because they were riveted together) and will not be coming back at the beginning. We are discussing if we can update the riveted cases to be screwed together like the SMA8-A and if it even makes sense to update the riveted cases like that. It all depends on if there already is an updated case that fills that role (like if there is no case that fills the role of the SMH10 then it might make sense to update it and bring it into production again).

All cases should have spare parts available to them, be the riveted or non-riveted or if they are discontinued or not.

Please note that this is just a discussion between me and @keeph8n and I haven't made a final decision yet, things might be subject to change
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DanNeely said:
The M8 was one of the old riveted models. They may return with screw assembled flatpack versions later.
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yeah mine was riveted but I believe it was converted to a screwed together case a couple years after I bought mine
 
Reality said:
yeah mine was riveted but I believe it was converted to a screwed together case a couple years after I bought mine
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Looks like the replacement model was the Magnum M8A in 2015, only to be discontinued later that year when streamlining their model list. That one is listed as a maybe for limited runs.
 
DanNeely said:
Looks like the replacement model was the Magnum M8A in 2015, only to be discontinued later that year when streamlining their model list. That one is listed as a maybe for limited runs.
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yup that's the one I saw
 
Updates from the last few months on the Caselabs Discord.

Caselab's is currently working on converting the old 2d blueprints they got to 3d CAD models. Emil says they've got enough money to fund the initial production run. Current ETA for production starting is sometime in 2024.
 
What's shipping going to be like to the States for a case? Jesus
 
THUMPer said:
What's shipping going to be like to the States for a case? Jesus
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Emil has been looking at finding a second manufacturing partner in the US. A while ago they said they might end up eating the cost of transatlantic shipping for early orders if they're not able to get the US manufacturer started at the same time as the European one.
 
DanNeely said:
Emil has been looking at finding a second manufacturing partner in the US. A while ago they said they might end up eating the cost of transatlantic shipping for early orders if they're not able to get the US manufacturer started at the same time as the European one.
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I have a possible suggestion for this, if he's still looking for one.

Who's the first? For awhile I heard it may have been Sliger but I wasn't sure if they worked in as much aluminum structure or features like tempered glass as is needed for true CL cases - fromw hat I've read they're a good company and make a lot of rack-focused and other products, built in the USA, but they're usually steel focused with occasionally some aluminum panels for aesthetics.
 
RanceJustice said:
I have a possible suggestion for this, if he's still looking for one.

Who's the first? For awhile I heard it may have been Sliger but I wasn't sure if they worked in as much aluminum structure or features like tempered glass as is needed for true CL cases - fromw hat I've read they're a good company and make a lot of rack-focused and other products, built in the USA, but they're usually steel focused with occasionally some aluminum panels for aesthetics.
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I don't think it would be sliger. It doesn't seem like they have capacity to take on any new projects outside of their own stuff. According to some posts on their subreddit.
 
I'm actually doing a rebuild/clean of my rig. The finest case ever made, Caselabs SMH10 white.
sb20241.jpg
Caselabs 'custom' white SMH10. Just put the white 4090 in.(WTF ASUS, black connector on the white card ?)
----
Please let me apologize, it's filthy, all the panels are off, cleaning.
Just getting setup for 8k on this rig.
---------------------------

I'm not sure there is a market for elite cases anymore.
I'd invest in Caselabs right now if I thought there was, but it's totally niche now.
Windy too.

We need Caselabs and WiNDY to have babies.

:ROFLMAO:
 
Nobu said:
4090 looks tiny in that case. Wow.
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It's long enough to hold 560mm rads. Minimalism in everything but actual dimensions. I have an SMA8 which is about the same except it lacks the upper chamber.
 
Slightly more detail on timelines:

​

Emil — Yesterday at 11:12 PM​

Don't expect anything. But things are looking better and better. I don't want to set a date that I cant fulfill, but it is looking more and more like it would be possible to start selling parts in late 2024 and then cases first or second quarter 2025.
 
Nobu said:
4090 looks tiny in that case. Wow.
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That's a massive X11 supermicro mobo too, superEatx or something....
I could actually get 2x 4090's in there, if I gave up every motherboard port....lol.

This rig was formerly watercooled (why I went with the 10.)
192049_avfullside.jpg
----------

Nice to see the effing 1070's gone !

:dead:

edit : I look forward to further stuff from caselabs. Top quality fabricators.
 
DanNeely said:
Slightly more detail on timelines:

​

Emil — Yesterday at 11:12 PM​

Don't expect anything. But things are looking better and better. I don't want to set a date that I cant fulfill, but it is looking more and more like it would be possible to start selling parts in late 2024 and then cases first or second quarter 2025.
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Crazy that this took over 4 years for the transition
 
Reality said:
Crazy that this took over 4 years for the transition
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It's only been 3 years not 4 so far. The biggest factor in it taking as long as it has is that Emil has kept their day job, and is doing the revival work as a side project.
 
While I also wish Emil had been able to meet the original, overly optimistic, timeline too; doing it as a side project is probably a good thing even if it's made the delays a lot worse. The financial pressure of needing to get a product on the market and generating an income high enough to live on before savings are depleted would risk cutting corners to start production sooner and massively higher prices.

A side project/hobby/labor of love in contrast can putter away only using free time in evenings and weekends indefinitely; and if it only generates enough profit to cover new furniture or a summer vacation but not allow quitting a day job it's not a deal breaker either.
 
Emil has posted an update, both in short form as a discord message and in longer form as a PDF.

A long overdue update!

So I sat down and started writing an update. I wrote and wrote and it just kept getting longer and longer. Splitting everything up into multiple posts did not feel right so I decided to just turn it into a PDF and attach it to this post.

In the update I explain why I have been silent for a while, discuss how things are going with bringing CaseLabs back and offer my thoughts for the future.

The update contains mostly positive things:

Conversion of the drawings are going great! We are about to finalize things and send it to the manufacturer. I am looking to bring in at least one partner to help me move things along faster and I am confident that we'll be back in the near future.

Right now I have to prepare for Christmas, celebrate it with my family and rest and relax from what has been a very trying time for me personally.

I'll be back after Christmas and start responding to everything that I've missed. My DMs are always open for you guys, feel free to send me one if there is something you want to discuss and I'll respond once Christmas is over.

Until then I wish you all a merry Christmas and a joyful holiday
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Attachments

  • Update on CaseLabs 2024-12-21.pdf
    83.3 KB · Views: 0
Well, at this rate I may be ready for a new case by the time he has something ready to go in a couple of years. I got tired of waiting and just bought my current case last month...Still hopeful.
 
Nice to see an update. I'd still love to get one if/when they ever make it to market. In the meantime, Microcenter kept dropping the price on the Lian Li V3000 Plus to a point where I couldn't refuse.
 
hititnquitit said:
Well, at this rate I may be ready for a new case by the time he has something ready to go in a couple of years. I got tired of waiting and just bought my current case last month...Still hopeful.
Click to expand...

I feel that. I didn't buy an overpriced third party rad mount a few years because official parts were coming out in the future; and have gone from holding off on an overdue core system upgrade to that upgrade being on a budget hold while still waiting for parts.
 
I keep forgetting about them. But Chinese sff cases have quenches my thirst for now.
 
Emil's latest update on discord has a change in focus - bringing out two full cases instead of just a broad selection of parts from the entire lineup - and a more concrete timeline: End of next month for wrapping up the pre-manufacturing work, to be followed by initial prototype production and launch.

Hello everyone!

Finally time for some exciting news: been talking to the engineers last week and things are progressing steadily. Just tracking down all the right screws, PEM fasteners etc takes a while even with Jim's help!

We've also decided to focus on converting a complete case instead of just a couple of parts for each case. The original idea was to convert 150 or so parts for BH2, BH4, BH7, BH8, S3, S5, S8, SM8, SMA8, SMA8-A, STH10, TH10A, Flex-Bay accessories and radiator mounts. Instead we will bring the **Magnum Single Wide SMA8-A** and the **Mercury S8** back for sale first. If we have funds for it we might bring back a third case (I'm thinking the **Bullet BH8** but I'm open to ideas). Flex-Bay accessories and some radiator mounts will also be brought back. Rest of the cases are of course also making a comeback, it is just a matter of funding it. Estimated cost to CAD the 150 parts + all the other work (documenting everything, looking up the dimensions of screws and parts, trying to optimise the manufacturing process in regards to costs etc etc) is $8.5-10k.

Time frame for when the engineers are done is end of March. Our manufacturer till produce one of each case just so we know everything fits together and then we're hopefully open for business! Once I get a quote from the manufacturers for each case we'll open up for pre-ordering. You can of course just by parts that you need for your S8 or SMA8-A, you don't have to buy a brand new case! 🙂

My exhaustion is getting better and better. Everything feels slightly less difficult to do each passing day. 🙂
If you need my attention just ping me and I'll answer you as soon as I have energy for it.

Take care everyone, I hope you all have a fantastic week!

//Emil
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DanNeely said:
Emil's latest update on discord has a change in focus - bringing out two full cases instead of just a broad selection of parts from the entire lineup - and a more concrete timeline: End of next month for wrapping up the pre-manufacturing work, to be followed by initial prototype production and launch.
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I'm eagerly watching their development and this is great news. This time I'll almost certainly get the pedestal for my S8 , an extra drive cage, and grab a lower-left S8 rad mount just because (that mount is unique to the S8 as opposed to the ones used in the pedestals or FlexBay )I'm also tempted to buy a SMA8-A when it returns.

This reminds me, I wonder if they'll be offering updated I/O panels for either of these new models, or will they be using the original standards and configurations (ie S8's I/O has 4x USB 3.0,) . In any case, progress is great to see.
 
RanceJustice said:
I'm eagerly watching their development and this is great news. This time I'll almost certainly get the pedestal for my S8 , an extra drive cage, and grab a lower-left S8 rad mount just because (that mount is unique to the S8 as opposed to the ones used in the pedestals or FlexBay )I'm also tempted to buy a SMA8-A when it returns.

This reminds me, I wonder if they'll be offering updated I/O panels for either of these new models, or will they be using the original standards and configurations (ie S8's I/O has 4x USB 3.0,) . In any case, progress is great to see.
Click to expand...

I'm planning to get 2 sets of the updated bottom radiator mounts for my older SMA8. Officially the easier to install SMA8A ones aren't compatible; but someone on the discord tested them and other than not sitting at quite the same height they can be installed using some of the existing frame holes.


Updated IO isn't coming until after all the existing lineup is available again.

I've poked around on Amazon and Newegg occasionally, the specific mix of ports I'd really like doesn't appear to be available. Closest I've seen is 2x USB-A, 2xAudio, 1x USB-C; I'd really prefer two of the latter to be more future looking, but will probably live with whatever Emil eventually opts to reskin in my new build. Quad USB-C + audio is the correct setup for my current one anyway.
 
Been a while since I've posted an update but there hasn't been much movement lately. Still shopping around for a manufacturer, we need someone that can do things in imperial measurements (like tooling and material) and we are looking for the right one.

Other than that we are almost done with everything else for launch. I have decided to bring the SMA8-X to life and offer it at the beginning (basically builds on the SMA8-A so it is cheaper to convert).

We're also looking into offering updated I/O for the SMA8-A and S8. New I/O would add something like 1-2 USB-C and a couple of USB 3.2 (USB type A) to the front I/O. Still need to decide on the final design etc.

All the best

Emil
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One more minor update from Emil. Many EU manufacturers not having inch tooling is an oversight that's obvious in retrospect. In theory the people Emil had talked with before are still an option, but needing to buy inch tooling to make parts would drive up initial costs.

The SMA8-X was teased by old Caselabs shortly before they went under. It's a dual chamber case (similar to the STH-10 case from the old lineup, that had support for extra tall mobos or quad SLI/XFfire setups with the 4th card hanging below the bottom of the mobo); but with the PCIe slots rotated so the card or cards sit on the floor of the case (connected with a riser cable).

https://www.overclock.net/threads/caselabs-announces-the-sma8-x-extreme-edition.1670257/

edit to add the specific case the SMA8X is derived from.
 
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So we're going on 4.5 years since I started this thread, does it take that long to pull off something like this (I genuinely wanna know), or is it just a pipe dream at this point?

I'm part of a FB Groub who has a few guys that custom fab Caselabs parts (front panel connectors, rad/fan mounts, mb trays, etc) and their prices are beyond boutique at this point, way beyond what CL has ever charged

So I'm hoping that Emil can get this started sooner rather than later
 
If Emil had been working on it full time as opposed to just during evenings and weekends, it definitely wouldn't have taken as long as we've been waiting.

That said, Emil's been silent since last May and at some point prior to that update Reddit sleuths found that CaseLabs stopped being listed as active on Emil's LinkedIn and the company was listed as having shut down in Sweden's business registry. To me the combination implies that if not completely dead it's very close to being so and I'm increasingly doubtful that anything will come out of it.
 
DanNeely said:
If Emil had been working on it full time as opposed to just during evenings and weekends, it definitely wouldn't have taken as long as we've been waiting.

That said, Emil's been silent since last May and at some point prior to that update Reddit sleuths found that CaseLabs stopped being listed as active on Emil's LinkedIn and the company was listed as having shut down in Sweden's business registry. To me the combination implies that if not completely dead it's very close to being so and I'm increasingly doubtful that anything will come out of it.
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just went over there and yeah, he hasn't even made a post on overclock.net forums since 2024

this project is dead, that's a shame
 
DanNeely said:
If Emil had been working on it full time as opposed to just during evenings and weekends, it definitely wouldn't have taken as long as we've been waiting.

That said, Emil's been silent since last May and at some point prior to that update Reddit sleuths found that CaseLabs stopped being listed as active on Emil's LinkedIn and the company was listed as having shut down in Sweden's business registry. To me the combination implies that if not completely dead it's very close to being so and I'm increasingly doubtful that anything will come out of it.
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This is really disappointing if accurate. I'd hope he would at least tell everyone what is going on. I mean, I'm to understand he spent a significant amount on not just the designs but the naming rights option for CaseLabs, and potentially spent quite a bit getting the schematics updated from 2D to 3D CAD and/or Metric conversions from Imperial tooling, so letting it die seems like a last resort. It seems like there could be a solutions to many of the issues, but until we know what's holding up the project its hard to say.
 
RanceJustice said:
This is really disappointing if accurate. I'd hope he would at least tell everyone what is going on. I mean, I'm to understand he spent a significant amount on not just the designs but the naming rights option for CaseLabs, and potentially spent quite a bit getting the schematics updated from 2D to 3D CAD and/or Metric conversions from Imperial tooling, so letting it die seems like a last resort. It seems like there could be a solutions to many of the issues, but until we know what's holding up the project its hard to say.
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Agreed. His last post on Discord about his manufacturing partner backing out unless he paid a lot of extra money up front for inch tooling - something that they absolutely should have known about and objected to years ago if they did anymore than look at what Emil bought from old Caselabs and went "we don't do 2d blueprints" - left a lot of people feeling like something didn't add up. Especially after one of the aftermarket part makers chimed in that things like the ball stud fasteners use metric size holes already; and making everything on metric tooling would just require working with ugly numbers.

My guess is at this point Emil's burned through their savings and doesn't have enough to fund upfront manufacturing costs. After so many years of shifting timelines I fear even if he tried to crowdfund an initial production run a lot of people would hesitate to put any money in.
 
DanNeely said:
Agreed. His last post on Discord about his manufacturing partner backing out unless he paid a lot of extra money up front for inch tooling - something that they absolutely should have known about and objected to years ago if they did anymore than look at what Emil bought from old Caselabs and went "we don't do 2d blueprints" - left a lot of people feeling like something didn't add up. Especially after one of the aftermarket part makers chimed in that things like the ball stud fasteners use metric size holes already; and making everything on metric tooling would just require working with ugly numbers.

My guess is at this point Emil's burned through their savings and doesn't have enough to fund upfront manufacturing costs. After so many years of shifting timelines I fear even if he tried to crowdfund an initial production run a lot of people would hesitate to put any money in.
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You could be right. If he really either walked into a wall with a supplier/partner (nomatter who's fault it was) or if say.. he just got screwed over by market conditions from the COVID19 Pandemic's heights to more recent issues with tariffs and other instability, it would still behoove him to just tell everyone what was going on. I think people would be willing to contribute if they felt like everything was on the up and up, but the more skeptical people are the more concerns they have. He could have done everything right and still gotten screwed in his estimate of "I expect this much outlay and this time frame" on outside issues, but going dark isn't likely to help.

I don't know what else is going on in his life now, but if its really an issue of fabrication and costs, a long time ago I pitched the idea of them using a particular (US based) company that has proven capable of fabbing boutique cases - it would kind of be a match made in heaven for them to make CL designs because they make other things now but nothing in the level of modular nature or feature set/size of CL, so it wouldn't be like they'd be competing with an internal lineup or something. I'll see if I can pitch this again - maybe there some other issue that would keep it from working, but without knowing what's going on its hard to gauge next steps. As I write this, I know someone else who gets things fabbed (cases for other peripherals, like Arcade Fight Sticks, JAMMA/Superguns, MiSTERs etc) I might be able to ask him if they'd be capable of making stuff at the level of CL, but yeah I guess I'll see.
 
RanceJustice said:
You could be right. If he really either walked into a wall with a supplier/partner (nomatter who's fault it was) or if say.. he just got screwed over by market conditions from the COVID19 Pandemic's heights to more recent issues with tariffs and other instability, it would still behoove him to just tell everyone what was going on. I think people would be willing to contribute if they felt like everything was on the up and up, but the more skeptical people are the more concerns they have. He could have done everything right and still gotten screwed in his estimate of "I expect this much outlay and this time frame" on outside issues, but going dark isn't likely to help.

I don't know what else is going on in his life now, but if its really an issue of fabrication and costs, a long time ago I pitched the idea of them using a particular (US based) company that has proven capable of fabbing boutique cases - it would kind of be a match made in heaven for them to make CL designs because they make other things now but nothing in the level of modular nature or feature set/size of CL, so it wouldn't be like they'd be competing with an internal lineup or something. I'll see if I can pitch this again - maybe there some other issue that would keep it from working, but without knowing what's going on its hard to gauge next steps. As I write this, I know someone else who gets things fabbed (cases for other peripherals, like Arcade Fight Sticks, JAMMA/Superguns, MiSTERs etc) I might be able to ask him if they'd be capable of making stuff at the level of CL, but yeah I guess I'll see.
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It's worth a shot, but Emil seems permanently away on discord.

From when it was all starting IIRC Emil expressing a strong preference for European or even local (Swedish) company as an initial manufacturing partner and only wanting to do the US if sales were high enough to justify the overhead of dual sourcing everything. If he's running into problems with EU manufacturers not wanting anything to do with inch measurements and small UK businesses mostly not wanting to do anything with the continent due to increased administrative costs post-brexit that might push the balance toward a US supplier. OTOH US politics are having the opposite effect.

First you'd need to actually get a response though. :(
 
After a lengthy absence Emil has delurked on Discord with an update.


Emil — 4:07 PM
Hello everyone,

Long time no see. I've been extremely busy with my private life (finished renovating my home, sold it, moved to another place, finished the project I was manager for, switched jobs etc).

We've also been working on CaseLabs of course. Right now the blueprints for SMA8-A and S8 are done, we have a new/updated I/O with USB-C connections for both models, flexbays, radiator mounts etc are also done.

We have a potential investor coming in but they want us to do a prototype and then open up the store for pre-orders just to see the demand for parts and new models. The next step is to do just that so we are working on a new version of the site with a functional shop.

Prototyping would be about $5000 USD for both models so I am currently saving up some money to put down myself and also discussing taking out a loan to fund it.

Will update when I have more news.

All the best
Emil
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At this point I'm very much in wait and see mode. The peanut gallery there has suggested that if the cases are serialized as #1 Emil might be able to cover that prototypes by selling to collectors.
 
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