Double Dragon Case Mod-reverse double ATX)

[DDCustomMods]

UPDATED 9/3/15
Hey all,

Now that school is done and found a comfortable steady income, time to start collecting materials to begin working on the case. Bear with me as it might take a while to get everything constructed. I'll be fitting in work in between diaper changes of our new baby due Aug 29th 2015.

So.... this will be a build that will take a long time to complete(just warning everyone now) Just wanted to get some input while in the beginning stages of the build.

PARTS LIST

P - Pending
O - Ordered
H - Have

MAIN COMPONENTS

• MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming ATX Extreme OC - P
• CORSAIR Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 - P
• Corsair RM Series 850 Watt ATX/EPS 80PLUS Gold - P
• Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive - P
• Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive - P

COOLING

• Swiftech Apogee XL PPCS Custom Dragon II - P
• Corsair AF120s Twin Pack Quiet Edition(x2) - P

!!! A huge thanks goes out to [@]Osco[/@] for donating the below bitspower fittings to the build!

• Monsoon Chain Gun Compression Fitting - 3/8"ID x 5/8"OD – Red - Quantity: 2 - H
• Bitspower G1/4 Male to Female Extender - 30mm - Matte Black - Quantity: 4 - H
• Bitspower G1/4" D-Plug Male / Male Coupler Set - Bold Red - Quantity: 1 - H
• Bitspower SLI / Crossfire Multi-Link Adapter Pair - Deep Bold Red - Quantity: 2 pairs - H
• Rigid PrimoChill Ghost Compression 3/8in. ID x 1/2in. OD Fitting – Knurled Grip – Anodized Black - Quantity: 1 - H
• Bitspower Quick-Disconnect Male w/ Inner G1/4 - Matte Black - Quantity: 1 - H
• Bitspower SLI / Crossfire Crystal Link Tube Set - H
• Phobya Fan Shroud 120mm Black x6 - H
• Phobya Y- Cable 3 pin to 6 3 pin splitter (black) - H
• Phobya Y- Cable 3 pin to 6 3 pin splitter (red) - H
• Phobya Y- Cable 3 pin to 4 3 pin splitter (red) - H
• Phobya Angled clip 90° for 19/13mm tubing (black) - H
• PrimoChill flex tubing x 6ft (Clear) - H
• PrimoChill flex tubing x 9ft (Black) - H
  

MISC. MOD SUPPLIES

• Black Gutless Paracord - H (Night Shark Leftovers)
• Red Gutless Paracord - P
• White Gutless Paracord - P
• Several feet of sleeving (black) - H
• ~24" of rubber trim (black) - H
• 20 LED Station/ molex power - H
• 24" LED (red) x2 - H
• 24" LED (white) - H
• 12" 8 pin Extension (black) - H
• 18" 8 pin Extension (black) - H
• 24" 24 pin Extension (black) - H
• 12" 8 pin to 2x 4 pin Extension (black/red) - H
• 12" SATA cables (red) x3 - H
• 500mm 180 SATA cables (black) x2 - H
• 500mm 90 SATA cables (black) x2 - H

TO DO

• Take cases apart down to the bones - Complete
• Design custom reservoir and send to 3D printer
• Trim case #2(white) to match height of case #1(grey)
• Rework motherboard plate to provide management holes
• Cut and redesign frame to allow for bottom and rear fans
• Flip back panel in reverse ATX style
• Price Acrylic vs Aluminum for new back cover, top panel, front cover
• Order panel material
• Craft top panel
• Craft back cover
• Craft front cover
• Craft cable routing covers
• Paint
• Order any remaining components
• Test components for bad pieces
• Install watercooling components
• Test fit components
• Install asthetics(fan convers, fan controller)
• Install main components
• Redesign waterloop(if needed)
• Install loop
• Leak test loop
• Finalize build
• Post final pictures and celebrate!!

UPDATES - Most Recent First

Final Renders
Tubing is here!
More Destruction and Planning

More Parts

Sketchup Renders

Black and Red?

OR......


White and Red???

Design Considerations

Air Flow Diagram

Custom Waterfall Reservoir(for side panel)

First Watercooling Parts Arrive

Demolition of Cases

 

[K1tty]

Looks like it's going to be a fun project! I can't wait until everything is settled here and I can start my next build.

 

[DDCustomMods]

UPDATED 8/13/15
Hey all,

Updated first post with log details.... hopefully more updates to come in the next week.

 

[DDCustomMods]

Good morning modding community!

Just some more tear down and planning. I didn't get much done yesterday but I figured I'd post what I have.

First, I found that not only the two cases I'm working with aren't the same sizes. I knew they weren't the same height, but they are also slightly different in length and also in width. Oh well, I've figured out that the thinner case will be the non mobo side.

Here I am turning the top of one of the old cases into the new backplate for the PSU/Res side of the case. I have drawn in mockups to show how tight fitting things will be.

More demolition aftermath...

Also got my hands on some white rivits. If everyone votes white, they will match. If they vote black, I think it'll give a good industrial feel.(Sorry about the picture, I think the incandescent bulbs were messing with my phone's camera.

Here's a shot of all the case pieces marked for cutting.

Also found out that my rivet graveyard is the perfect fit to mark holes for 120mm fans

Unfortunately that's all I got done this morning

That's probably my last update for at least a month while I get used to my no sleep because of baby schedule. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

 

[wra18th]

Wow! Almost 4 years for an update. But I like the idea of your mod. Sub'd!

And congrats on the new spawn.

 

[DDCustomMods]

Wow! Almost 4 years for an update. But I like the idea of your mod. Sub'd!

And congrats on the new spawn.

Yeah, unfortunately college took over my life for 3 years while I crammed in a double major, 3 student organizations, running the Military Resource Center, coaching my daughter's soccer team....... well yeah it was hectic. Now that we're finally settled in our new house and all, I figured I'd carve out some time and slowly get bits and pieces done.

Thanks for the congratulations, we are super excited. It'll slow down my progress on the build, but hey, it won't be as bad as 4 years right? haha

 

[DDCustomMods]

Need your help!

Couldn't decide which of my color schemes to choose from so I'm letting the modding community choose for me. Black or White? You can vote at any of the links below.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1133559/build-log-revived-double-dragon-case-mod-black-red-cube-w-480-rad-space-and-custom-reservoir
http://www.modders-inc.com/forums/showthread.php/4676-Work-Log-Double-Dragon-Large-Cube-Reverse-ATX
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/case-mods-worklog-gallery/69979-double-dragon-reverse-atx-large-cube-scratch-build.html#post800375
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=3864023#post3864023

Also here's a picture of the internal dimensions I have to work with.

 

[wra18th]

I voted at OCN. Looks like you spend more time over there...

 

[DDCustomMods]

I voted at OCN. Looks like you spend more time over there...

Yeah, I admit that OCN is my home for all things modding but I didn't want to miss the chance of possibly getting the perfect piece of input by limiting my audience.

 

[DDCustomMods]

Update 8/18/2015

TUBING IS HERE!

So I arrived home from work yesterday to find another package from Osco waiting for me at home! I think I have drained him dry of modding scraps by this point haha. Here's some picture of the Primochill tubing he sent..... Mostly black with some sections of clear. Now add some red coolant to the mix and you might have an idea of where I'm going to head with this.

Also, here's the current count on the color scheme vote totals. I plan to post the totals at least once a month until I am ready to start buying paint and the colors have been decided. Thanks for checking in and don't forget to vote, you all are awesome!

 

[DDCustomMods]

Update 9/3/15

"FINAL" RENDERS


Hey all,

I was able to finalize my design this morning. except for small tweaks these 3D renders won't change. Additionally, they are the correct dimensions of my cases I'm working with. Below I have put the color schemes side by side for easy comparisons. Let me know what you think.

And the reservoir on the left side.

 

[DDCustomMods]

Update 10/02/2015 - 3D Magic

Good evening everyone!

So my budget has really gotten tighter and I don't want to disgrace this build by doing it halfway. I have gone back to working on my proposal to send to some of the great companies such as MSI, Nvidia, Corsair, MNPCTech and others. While on my breaks from work, I managed to learn enough about the Kerkythea render program to give you guys a taste of what this build should turn out to be. I'm still unsure about the front grill design, but I feel I'm getting close. Let me know what you all think and don't forget to VOTE!.

So are you fans of Black and Red.......

Or....

White and Red??

 

[DDCustomMods]

Update 10/16/2015

Greetings fellow modders,

I have some not so great news in regards to the build progress of Double Dragon. I had the unfortunate luck of getting in an accident last weekend. I’m currently recouping from a couple fractured vertebrae and some whiplash. Unfortunately, as you can see below my car is toast. This means the little budget I did have to put into Double Dragon will have to be redirected to my deposit for a new vehicle. So until I can get back on my feet and carve out some time and money, Double Dragon will have to be on hold. I apologize for the delay and hope that my fellow modders will not lose faith in me. Stay tuned and fingers crossed.

The unfortunate distruction…..

 

[copy_run_start]

Update 10/16/2015

Greetings fellow modders,

I have some not so great news in regards to the build progress of Double Dragon. I had the unfortunate luck of getting in an accident last weekend. I’m currently recouping from a couple fractured vertebrae and some whiplash. Unfortunately, as you can see below my car is toast. This means the little budget I did have to put into Double Dragon will have to be redirected to my deposit for a new vehicle. So until I can get back on my feet and carve out some time and money, Double Dragon will have to be on hold. I apologize for the delay and hope that my fellow modders will not lose faith in me. Stay tuned and fingers crossed.

The unfortunate distruction…..

Glad you're okay. You should know, though, that the only car accidents allowed here are ones that occur in the middle of a FS/FT transaction.

 

[DDCustomMods]

Glad you're okay. You should know, though, that the only car accidents allowed here are ones that occur in the middle of a FS/FT transaction.

I will have to keep that in mind if I ever find myself in the middle of one of those transactions haha.

 

[wra18th]

Glad you're okay. You should know, though, that the only car accidents allowed here are ones that occur in the middle of a FS/FT transaction.

ROFLMAO

 

[DDCustomMods]

Situation update:

Well, losing my Lancer was definitely a hitch in my development. Good news at least now I finally have a nice looking truck(pic below). Other good news, I think I’m being hired to do several sleeving jobs by a local builder. So I might be able to build up a small reserve for when I continue this awesome build.

 

[Deleted member 126051]

Pickup TruuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Sorry about your accident. Hope you're feeling better. And "new car" always rules.

 

[Kirika]

Glad your fine. Looks like you already replaced the car.

Looking forward to further development on this project when you can afford it. I liked my double case I had for several builds. Was some old server case I picked up cheap that was set up to have lots of old 5.25 drives. You may be able to find one of these cheap at surplus or a computer show if they still have those. When I had to have 4 drive array for video editing in addition to other drives double case was great.

 

[mnpctech]

Happy to hear you're OK!

 

[DDCustomMods]

Glad your fine. Looks like you already replaced the car.

Looking forward to further development on this project when you can afford it. I liked my double case I had for several builds. Was some old server case I picked up cheap that was set up to have lots of old 5.25 drives. You may be able to find one of these cheap at surplus or a computer show if they still have those. When I had to have 4 drive array for video editing in addition to other drives double case was great.

Yeah, I'm working at the top limits of my crafting skills on this one by combining two old cases into the necessary one cube case. Back before I made it a water cooling machine I was planning on making one side my desktop and the other my server. But it's become a more aesthetic build hoping to catch the attention of a sponsor or two.

Pickup TruuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Sorry about your accident. Hope you're feeling better. And "new car" always rules.

*flexes his new truck muscle* yes, yes they do

Happy to hear you're OK!

Thanks! Happy to see you floating around the forums, look forward to hopefully use a few of your products in its creation.

 

[DDCustomMods]

Update 12/28/2015: Voting Nearing a Close! Special Surprise Design Change.

Hey all!

My wife went to visit family and took the girls with her, so that meant the house was left to my father in law and me. Time to get some work done! :thumb: I will have a couple updates after voting ends on Jan. 1st. But until I get to those updates, I thought I’d provide some new last minute motivation to vote.

I introduce to you the finalized design for the front panel! Thanks to SonofJor-El@OCN for helping me hash out a design. Again I rendered it in both color schemes, because still a lot can change before the 1st. Hope you like the new change.

 

[DDCustomMods]

Update 1/3/2016: 56K WARNING!! Fabrication Work Begins and Voting Ends

Good morning everyone!

I hope everyone had great holidays and stayed safe. I fortunately took this opportunity to get some fabrication work done on Double Dragon. But first, let’s see what color scheme you all have chosen. **Drumroll**………….

And it’s White and Red by a small margin! I can now plan to buy paint and finalize designs for things like sleeving/painted fans/etc.

Now onto the thing everyone has been waiting for…… some good old modding!

First we can get the new frame set up. If you remember the two cases I started with were different heights, this posed a small problem….. but nothing a jigsaw and some rivets couldn’t fix.
Safety First!

After much measuring and chopping, I came up with this…… wasn’t totally thrilled as it was a little flimsy.

But, I installed it anyways on the new larger base.

Now onto the motherboard backplate. Cut out the unsightly swiss cheese grill and figured out I can fit two 80mm side by side in the old PSU hole. I figure more fans to pull air across the VRAM heatsinks the better.

After turning the old top panel of the grey panel to a new backplate, I got all the pieces attached to the base.

Before we start checking the fit of components, it’s time to create our shortened HDD cage. We start off by cutting it down.

Then using an old 5 ¼ filler plate, create a brace for the top. Ta Da! Like magic we have a new sturdy HDD cage.

Great! Now it’s time to grab a spare PSU and check the fit with new HDD cage.

Everything looks like it will fit well.

Now onto one of the main key features of this build…. The front panel! First, the tedious task of cutting out the stencil.

Then cutting the sheet metal to size and marking the design.

Drill pilot holes for attaching metal to plywood and for jigsaw blade start locations.

Let the cutting begin!

So I had mentioned earlier that I didn’t like the flimsy front panel bracket I made. Luckily, when I went to my neighbor’s house to see about buying an old vise and bench grinder off of him(which I got for only $30 for both) he gave me a box of scrap aluminum. These pieces of rigid aluminum were in the box.

After cutting them to size and making L brackets, I give you the new and improved case frame. :thumb:

I had just enough leftover sheet metal from cutting the new side panels to make a clean new backplate. I clipped all the pieces to the frame to see how it looked.

Looks good and really starting to come together! Now, we can make the PSU shroud/airflow box. I do have to say I’ve gotten pretty good at making bends in sheet metal.

Now we can make the cuts for the fans and PSU in the new backplate. Hey look, now I have a template to do it again and again.

A couple shots of backplates and PSU installed.

Grabbed an old ATX board to test the placement of the motherboard panel.

Testing the placement of the HDD cage on the new PSU shroud.

And then we mark the side panels so they can dry…

Next day and it's early rising to cut out the new side panels

Both panels cut out without much trouble.

My handmade brake to bend the sheet aluminum (2x4s, a mirror bracket, and an old piece of copper pipe)

Bending the front panel/box to 3 inch depth, because who knows, maybe I want to put monsta rads in there....

Mocked up front and side panels with the mesh fabric I picked up for $2.50 at Hancock Fabrics in town

Hope you enjoyed the update. Fingers crossed I won't have to wait until my wife's out of town to do more. Let me know what you all think and any suggestions

 

[Nebulous]

Awesome scratch build! It's looking real good!

 

[DDCustomMods]

Awesome scratch build! It's looking real good!

Thanks man! Always good to hear that those hours of cutting was worth it Stay tuned for more as I get more time in the future.

 

[DDCustomMods]

Update 01/07/2016: Reservoir design finished?

Reservoir will be ~13" in diameter(for the ying-yang portion to become the window) and 30mm thick. I figured out a design on how I can make it the dual reservoir I wanted without restricting flow in the base. Because of the PSU shroud location in conjunction with the reservoir I also had to put both outlets toward one side at the bottom.

I'm still rather new to watercooling and not sure how the effect of the inputs at the top will be. Anyone know how much splashing will happen on say an average D5 pump?

In other news I ordered these bad boys(pack of 4) *cough cough* to use as my exhaust fans. I slipped them into the transaction for the SSD to go into my main rig.... finally. Hopefully my accountant won't notice tongue.gif Welcome to the ultimate budget build ladies and gentleman. rolleyes.gif Also have an extra fan if I mess up painting one of them. For $7 for 4 fans, I thought it was a very affordable deal.

 

[DDCustomMods]

Small Update 01/26/2016: Fans Part 1

So we have another gracious donation by Osco@OCN he was decluttering and I was able to snag some E-Loops from him. That will be enough fans to cover my 2 360 rads. By now, I think I’m going to have to offer him a timeshare of this build with the amount of parts he’s donated.

I came home to a box on the counter and greedily dug into the packing material to claim my prize. I will have to say he packs things so carefully and makes sure each part is very protected from damage.