My Caselabs Thing

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Wasupwitdat

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May 9, 2013
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I have a pretty good rig now



but I also have the itch. I just can't seem to get r done.
After I spend tons of money getting my computer one way I see things the folks post on forums and I end up dissatisfied with what I've accomplished so far.
So I bought a Caselabs Merlin SM8. I had an idea and I put it on paper.

 
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Day one of the mod. I tore the case apart. My plan is to orient the motherboard panel so that my graphics cards face vertically. This is turning out better than I thought. It has simplified the design of the cooling loop. It allows me to put two 420 radiators in the bottom of the case, where the cooler air comes from. I get my power supply on top where I like it. Wire management will be easier. Accessing my I/O cables will be a lot easier from the top instead of the back of the case. And more. Here is some pics as to what I got done today.

This seems to be simple so far. I've used some 3/8" aluminum angle stock I picked up at Lowes and tapped holes through it. I'm using the same existing countersunk holes in the frame that the original panel used.
I used 1" aluminum angle stock at the top two rails of the frame to get my depth and then, although the picture doesn't show it yet, some 3/8" angle attached to the 1". This drop down will give me the room I need for the rear I/O cables that exit out the back.

I used a piece of flat sheet steel to cover the existing opening in the back of the case where the removable motherboard tray use to go. I also cut holes in the new panel for two 120mm fans. So far this design hasn't ruined or changed a thing with the OEM parts of the case. I could always go back, but I know I won't want to.

 
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Well It's been a long day. I knew by the way things started today that it was going to be slow. I didn't get as far as I thought I would but I think it's for the best. Where I'm at now I have a decision to make. Whether or not to cut out the section of the mid panel so that there would be that big void behind the motherboard tray.

The only reason I think Caselabs did this on their panel design was to allow for the rubber feet that mount to the motherboard tray so you could use the tray as a tech station. I have no interest in doing that. If one needs access to the back of the motherboard then just lift the tray out and the common access hole behind the CPU can be accessed. If you're going to work on changing a CPU cooler and you need to install a bracket on the back of the motherboard just lift the tray out. The OEM design one would have to remove the bottom plate of the tray anyway if you follow me. So I think I'm going to just leave the mid panel as a complete full panel. I think this would allow for more area for cable management also. Anyway some pics,
I cut the top rails the required amount to give clearance for the tray to drop into place and rest on the 1"angle I installed.



I got the painting done on the rear back plate


I fitted but haven't attached yet the mid panel



Another word about the mid panel I am installing. It is the same gage, .063 that Caselabs used, but I feels stronger. The new panel is 6061 grade aluminum. I'm not real happy with the material Caselabs used because it feels soft. I could be wrong though. It may just be because of the powder coating. After all the reading I did about this case it was kind of a let down to see it up close and personal. But it is still a perfect match for what I am trying to do. So, until tomorrow, Cheerio
 
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Yes. You are probably right. I chose the SM8 because of the reviews about how awesome Caselabs cases are. Also when I start to install the components you'll get a clearer picture of my design. I wanted my radiators at the bottom. I wanted to see both sides of the graphics cards similar to the mounting in the Silverstone Temjin TJ11. I also want flexibility down the road to change things/ upgrades like dual pump setups and triple SLI. I don't want to buy a new case every time I build a system. To me the case seems to fit that bill. Also it is made in America. I like to do what I can to keep people working here in the States. believe me, I would have liked to spend less money.
 
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I did a lot of work today but I only have three photos to post. I first drilled and tapped all the holes to secure the mid plate. Now that the panel is secured I checked for flex. There is almost no flex. So I don't feel that the U- Channel brace that Caslabs put on their panel is needed. It really takes some force to get the new panel to flex.


It's looking great so far. Very professional looking work. It is definitely stronger than the OEM design. The motherboard tray slides in and out like a dream. It's going to work. I also picked up some paint at Home depot that turns out was amazingly a perfect match for the powder coat finish. I can't tell the difference.


Then I had to take it all apart again to paint the cuts at the top of the case frame. Once the mid plate was removed I marked out the holes for the wire passages through the mid plate. I hope I got enough holes and got it right because once I install the carbon fibre vinyl it might be a little hard to add more.


I have to file and clean up the holes tonight and do a final sanding of the entire panel. I don't think I'm going to paint the back side of the panel. I kind of like the contrast it is going to offer against the wiring that will be housed in that area. It just makes it easier to spot and trace the wires rather than all black on black.
Take a look at this pic again. It doesn't look that bad and once the sanding is done it should have a nice brushed aluminum look too.


That's all for today. I'm going to take a nap now. Nighty Night.
 
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I used the self etching primer on my case build also. Liked it alot. had some issues with the regular black stuff. Might try the textured stuff that you used.
 
I used a regular black paint at first but I didn't like it either. It was just luck finding the textured paint this morning. I didn't have my glasses with me and I wasn't sure what I was buying would even work. I'd like to see some pictures of your build if you have them.
 
Cheers Nation. I'm feeling pretty good about things right now. This is the first time I've attempted a case mod and it actually looks like I know what I'm doing. Of course You Tube is the best school for higher education. I learn all the tricks for anything I don't know diddley about from watching You Tube. Enough joking around. I got some pics I think everyone will enjoy seeing. I know some of the others were kind of boring. I got the filing done on the panel through holes this morning. I then tried to sand the panel to give it a nice brushed aluminum look but it was so much work and my arms got tired so I gave up. I still got it cleaned up better than it was but now I know to take better precautions for handling the material while working on it. Here is a view of the back of the panel.



You can see I already started the carbon wrap also. Here is a view of the front as I'm working on the carbon wrap.


I like that wrap. It sticks very well and as long as you are careful it's pretty easy to apply. I wrapped it around the edges of the panel but trimmed it nice and straight so that part would be hidden. The carbon is actually clamped by the 3/8" angle around the perimeter.
Here is a view of the back with the panel installed.



And you can see why I wanted to leave the case bare metal. It doesn't look bad I think.
The paint touch up I did on the top where I made the cuts turned out excellent.



The front view




Now for the winning shots.





I still have a lot to do. This morning I made these brackets to mount in between the two radiators so they can be stacked on top one another.



I still have to finish the top where the power supply will mount. I'm going to Home depot now to get more steel and cutting discs for the dremmel. So this means that I'll be at this another day at least before I can start to install components. If you look at the pic where you can see the front I/O buttons, I still have to size, cut, and install the cover for that. But I'm closer now and I'm happy.

See you all tomorrow.
 
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I got a few more things done today. The power supply bracket was a real bear because I had to make two. I got more than half way through the first one when I decided to check it for power supply fit and mounting hole alignment. It was to big. Argh!! It's a lot of work. But I finally got there.







I also made the front blanking plate.





Lastly I cut the front panel cover plate that covers the pass through hole for the buttons.



Now I've taken the case home, I was doing all this work in a shop at work, and I can get things ready to start installing components. I have everything I need, I hope. We will see. More later, please stop back. I almost forgot, this thing needs a name.
 
Hi Everyone. I got a bunch of new pics to post. I started out by taking every screw out and cutting them down to custom length with the Dremmel. Looks 100% better. I won't post those pics. But then I started with the radiators.



The screws that ship with the rads need washers so I had to stop and go to Lowes to get about 40 #4 washers. Another $10 I didn't count on. Anyway.

After pulling out and re-installing the rads several times I got them in place with the Bitspower fittings.



I got the power supply mounted without a problem but it takes up more space than I planned. I installed the motherboard which also was very easy with the removeable tray and dropped it in the case. Sweeeeeet!!! I then was able to complete the infeed side of the cooling loop with a quick disconnect. No problems so far.







Then The hard part started. I fell short on space for the res/pump assembly and could not mount the thing on the back wall like I had planned. I had a lot to consider about the placement because I also had to include a quick disconnect on that end. I also made a custom bracket mount out of black UHMW I wanted to use instead of the Bitspower brackets I used in the previous system you saw in the pics above. The reason is its an adjustable speed pump and with those brackets you can't access the turn screw. I got real lucky because the bracket I made just fir where I put it.



Now the problem was to get the fittings to work. Honestly, the gods where on my side because I had just enough fittings to make it work. And it worked out perfectly. I have the water cooling system running right now, getting the air out. While that is going on I'm working through getting the cabling installed. I still have a long way to go because the LED lighting needs to be worked up. I'll have the system running today but the lighting is something that I will take my time with. I need a break. It's been seven days working on this build and I have to give my body and brain a rest. I'll post more pictures tonight or tomorrow to show more details.
 
I got the machine up and running, in fact I'm using it to write this. The cooling loop worked out most of the air in just a few hours. I used two full bottles of Primochill Clear and some Mayhems Green Dye. Not a whole lot of clear tubing used but just enough in the important locations.



I still have to cut the hole in the top panel of the case to allow for the cables to pass through. I didn't do to bad with the wiring



I have two spare Molex and 3 spare fan sources and the led's won't be a problem. I am going to make all new custom length led's and probably sleeve them in black.

Now that this system is running the fans are all running at full speed so I need to add the appropriate resistors that came with them to quiet them. I don't like those fan grills that are installed right now but it's all I have. I will change that. what do you all think about the SSD location? I figure I can put two in that bracket and order two more brackets from Caselabs and spread them across the front there in a raid 5 when I upgrade in the fall. Here's some more pics





That's all for the time being. What do ya think? If there is anything you want to see a little better let me know and I'll try to focus the camera better.

Cheers.
 
looks very nice. Im interested in seeing better photos of what you used as your top panel to hid the IO etc. Do you mind taking a photo of it? One of the better builds ive seen in a sm8 tbh
 
The tubing is stuff that I got at Home Depot. It is flexible and cheap and they have a lot of sizes. It is a lot harder than the Tygon tubing. I found that the Tygon tubing got cloudy rather fast. Within a month the stuff looked terrible. This stuff kept it's clarity.

I got the top from Caselabs. It's their 31mm option. I contacted them about getting one without vents. I just wanted a solid top to customize it the way I wanted it. Plus I don't like the fact that a lot of dust and debris gets in from the top. They said they had them and to just ask at the time of ordering. I actually wanted to make it an end table stand because this case takes up so much space. They sent me a ventilated, so it is what it is. I'll take some pics for you tomorrow after I cut out the back hole for the I/O cables to pass through.

Thanks for the compliments. it was a lot of work but is testament to Caselabs statement about being able to mod these things. It's what they build em for.
 
Blown away by your tubing. Amazing job!


Just a thought. Why not make a bracket that runs lengthwise between the 2 rads instead of width. That way the front and back fan would be blowing across the middle of the 2. Not sure if it would make a difference..
 
Rusty4560 said:
Blown away by your tubing. Amazing job!


Just a thought. Why not make a bracket that runs lengthwise between the 2 rads instead of width. That way the front and back fan would be blowing across the middle of the 2. Not sure if it would make a difference..
Click to expand...

Thanks for your compliment. I thought about that bracket I made to support the rads together. I was going to drill holes through it to allow some airflow. I didn't think it would matter much though. I didn't make brackets like you suggest because I plan on covering that front with a piece of frosted plexi so I get a nice glow of green coming from the LED light strip that is installed in there.
 
Here are the pictures of the top as promised.





I would like to add this, another reason I wanted the I/O cabling exiting from the top is I had a mess in back of the computer that I couldn't manage.



Now I can manage them better.

 
The only things left to do is make the custom LED lighting. I ordered the sleeving so I should be able to work on that this weekend. And I want to cut some type of window in the front door. I am thinking if the Nvidia logo. It doesn't give a whole lot of view of the inside though. But I am thinking I may like that because I don't want the lighting to be annoying while I'm using the PC. Lastly is get rid of the corsair 650D case I just retired. Anyone interested? I'll post more with the LED lighting completed probably Sunday night.
 
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