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Project DoubleWide

D

DiddlySquat

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 6, 2004
Messages
164
Here is my first official project log. Please forgive any broken links or if the pictures dont work. Here is the plan: take 2 mid-towers and turn them into a custom cube case

HPIM0278.jpg


There they are all stock and waiting for me to dive in. Now if i can get my damned digital camera to work then i will post my progress so far.
 
Are you going to do some interesting cooling, like phase-change?
 
hmm... i have a bunch of identical cases lying around... i may have to try something like this. when i get time :rolleyes:

keep us posted!
 
If i could afford phase change i would definately have it. I just dont feel that 800 bucks is worth just cooling the cpu.
 
DiddlySquat said:
If i could afford phase change i would definately have it. I just dont feel that 800 bucks is worth just cooling the cpu.
Click to expand...
you could do the gpu also :)

anyways, this is a pretty cool idea i think i ahve seen it done once before. do you plan on hinging them so the open in the middle? or welding them together?
 
They are going to be joined together in the middle by many, many, many rivets. lol. Unfortunatly i do not have access to anyone that works with metal so i have to do it like this.
 
Update Time!

All stripped down

HPIM0285.jpg


More naked cases

HPIM0286.jpg


HPIM0288.jpg


Blow holes cut out

HPIM0290.jpg


120mm blow holes and marking for handles

HPIM0291.jpg


Here are the handles ill be using

h1064k.jpg


Spring break is here so ill work more tomrorow.
 
I've seen something like this before awhile back at the Virtual Hideout galleries and it turned out pretty cool. 2 cases open up alot of modding possiblities to give that "unique" look. This definently looks like something for a MAJOR water cooling or phase change setup, air cooling would be a waste of good space.
 
The handles ought to be in the middle, otherwise the weight of one half of the case would bend or maybe even break the case in two.
 
If at all possible you could try welding them together. I know welding isnt that expensive to have it done. :p
 
i did this a while back, and it works out pretty well, cleaned up a lot of wires and such (watercooling wasnt even an option back then)

however, I used 2 FULL towers, VERY heavy, and a friend of mine tried using a full tower and a mid tower...looked cool, but was a pain to carry.

good luck w/ the mod!
 
I wont have to worry about the case breaking in half. I dont plan to grab 2 sets of handles on the same side. I'll grab on on one side and one on the other. Balancing the load between the sides and handles. Does anyone know where you can get welding done? I dont even have a clue where to look... Oh, i got a new toy today. I'll post pics of it later.
 
Mad Machinist said:
Where do you live.......I am a weldor as well as a machinist
Click to expand...

I'm in the seattle area. PM me if you're near by and would be willing to weld them together for me.

Anyways, the UPS man dropped off a new toy for me to play with. An L.I.S. POP LCD screen. (sorry for the blurry pics)

LCD w/flash

Picture003.jpg


LCD no flash

Picture004.jpg


A little music action

Picture.jpg
 
Once again boys and girls its update time. Unfortunately I've only had time to cut out for the handles. They arent riveted in yet, just sitting there. Have to paint before i install them. Anyways here they are.

handles003.jpg


handles002.jpg


handles001.jpg
 
Have you looked into welding in your area, or decided on an alternate way to attach the two cases together yet?

 
I've decided not to weld the cases together. It should be fine with just rivets and bolts. (thanks for the suggestion altec) I've made a case similar to this before with just rivets. Its even more off balance than this one but it holds together just fine. Im working on ghetto sound dampening pads right now. I'll post pics once i figure out the best way to implement them.
 
This is looking to be kinda cool. If it were me I could lay a nice fat TIG weld all the way around the seem. I would not only be strong, but it would also fill in the gap that will be there and make it all smooth. Rivets will hold, you will have to use a crap load though.

Oh and I dont know if I like the sound of ghetto sound dampening....you will here all the time. If it is worth doing, its worth doing right. Good luck.
 
Maybe I should elaborate on the "ghetto sound dampening". I have an old eggshell thing that goes on a mattress. What I'm planning on doing it taking squares of it and pinching it between peices of plexi/steel. That way I'll have a clean look but cheap silencing.
 
DiddlySquat said:
Maybe I should elaborate on the "ghetto sound dampening". I have an old eggshell thing that goes on a mattress. What I'm planning on doing it taking squares of it and pinching it between peices of plexi/steel. That way I'll have a clean look but cheap silencing.
Click to expand...


that prolly won't work very well. the whole point the the eggcrate is to maximize the surface area. if you put the plexi over it, then it nullifies the eggcrate.
 
will you fill the gap on the top so it dont look like 2 casses, and then make your own front out of plexi and Alu
 
I'm going to fill in the top gap with bondo. The front will most likely remain plastic but just changed and rebuilt with more bondo.
 
If you rivet or bolt that case together and bondo the seem it WILL crack and break the first time you pick it up. Trust me on this one, if you must fill the seem with something use fiberglass. There is no way that you are going to get those cases from flexing, and the first time they do say goodbye to your paint and bondo work. I have been there.
 
Well, won't the paint crack regardless if fiberglass is used or not? If fiberglass bends then doesnt that mean that the paint will bend and crack with it? Or does it give me just enough give to save the paint job?
 
A very small update for today. Ive been really busy with school winding down so i really havent worked on this thing since my last update. Anyways, I got the holes drilled out for the handles and the 120mm fans.

Picture002.jpg


It looks even better without the flash.

And finally you can see my very sloppy skills with Bondo (looks horrible even AFTER sanding)

Picture001.jpg



Stay tuned, the windows will be cut soon, and the bezels will be bondo-ed, sanded and designed soon as well.
 
DiddlySquat said:
A very small update for today. Ive been really busy with school winding down so i really havent worked on this thing since my last update. A
Stay tuned, the windows will be cut soon, and the bezels will be bondo-ed, sanded and designed soon as well.
Click to expand...
Wow, great idea and nice work so far. This should be pretty handy if you use more than one machine at a time. Multitasking with two machines is wonderful. Are you going to put the "passenger" side mobo in a BTX config? So the mobo will be visible thru the right side window? I imagine this was your idea all along... Otherwise, it will be a PITA to get to the right side case components!
With regard to the front bezels.... A single piece of Acrylic (plexi) could be made as a cover for the original hardware, just bolt it on top of the original bezels and away you go. Of course the top ege of where the two bezels meet will have to be bondoed so it won't look like crap from the top of the case, but it would solve all your problems. You MUST have a dremel, so just get the router attachment and bit, and you're good to go with as much acrylic as you can throw at it! Just a suggestion to help you out. BTW, if you have a heat gun you could bolt an acrylic panel bigger than the whole front of the case, with some overlap, and set the case on its ports and let gravity and heat mold the acrylic over the bezels after you bondo, to give it an extra custom look! Then you can do all the cutting for bays, ports, LEDs and fans, trim the edges and you're done.
 
NO!!! Never say the letters B, T, and X right after one another!!! But seriously though, you were talking about WTX or WATX, whichever you prefer.
 
zeusenergy said:
Wow, great idea and nice work so far. This should be pretty handy if you use more than one machine at a time. Multitasking with two machines is wonderful. Are you going to put the "passenger" side mobo in a BTX config? So the mobo will be visible thru the right side window? I imagine this was your idea all along... Otherwise, it will be a PITA to get to the right side case components!
With regard to the front bezels.... A single piece of Acrylic (plexi) could be made as a cover for the original hardware, just bolt it on top of the original bezels and away you go. Of course the top ege of where the two bezels meet will have to be bondoed so it won't look like crap from the top of the case, but it would solve all your problems. You MUST have a dremel, so just get the router attachment and bit, and you're good to go with as much acrylic as you can throw at it! Just a suggestion to help you out. BTW, if you have a heat gun you could bolt an acrylic panel bigger than the whole front of the case, with some overlap, and set the case on its ports and let gravity and heat mold the acrylic over the bezels after you bondo, to give it an extra custom look! Then you can do all the cutting for bays, ports, LEDs and fans, trim the edges and you're done.
Click to expand...



I really wasnt planning on mounting the motherboard differently. The right case will contain a Thermochill 120.3 (or whatever the numbers are), a 15" lcd and all the extra cables/tubing. If anyone has any ideas on what else i could toss into the right side i'll gladly listen. I really like the plexi idea on the outside of the bezels, i may play with that idea a little.
 
One thing you may want to look at if you are filling and area over 1/8" deep, is short strand fibergalss filler. It does not shrink, crack or come off as easily as bondo does. Not too mention it is 100x stronger. I used it over then welds in automotive body panels when I weld them on. Then sand it smooth (wear a MASK those fiberglass particles will get in your nose and lungs and cause problems). Used properly it puts bondo to shame. Once you have it smooth (use a flat board or sanding block under your sanpaper and sand in an X so it stays flat) skim it with spot putty, by skim it I mean use a plastic spatula and wipe the putty over the surface, it is just to fill small sanding scratches, not cover the surface. Then give a final sand with 220 to clean it up. Wait 24 hours for the putty and F/g resin to "gas out"/cure then wipe with a solvent (99% rubbing alchohol works, don't use the 70% stuff, or 100% varsol) don't use generic paint thinner or brush cleaner or it will absorb into the bondo/fiberglass or putty and cause problems with your paint. Wait for at least half an hour to make sure your cleaner is all evaporated then use a "Tack Cloth" to wipe it down. I have not seen anyone here talk about these things, a must have in automotive painting. They are like a peice of cheesecloth that has had a gluey type substance applied to it. It will pull off all dust and other loosely stuck contaminants and not leave a residue. Then you can start the prime, sand paint process.
 
DiddlySquat said:
I really wasnt planning on mounting the motherboard differently. The right case will contain a Thermochill 120.3 (or whatever the numbers are), a 15" lcd and all the extra cables/tubing. If anyone has any ideas on what else i could toss into the right side i'll gladly listen. I really like the plexi idea on the outside of the bezels, i may play with that idea a little.
Click to expand...
So the 15" LCD will be integrated into the right side panel, and the mobo will fold out on a tray or something? That sounds real cool :cool:
 

I like the idea and looking good so far, Im Not sure how far along you are at this point in time, but I was thinking, and just an idea about the seem.
If JB weld might not work, as it is pretty much liquid metal, It may be a bit much, but
once it is cured, you can sand / drill it just like any piece of metal. And to help strengthen
the seem with the JB Weld, you could cut and use small pieces of thin coat hanger type wire, drill holes in the two cases along the seem so the small pieces of wire stick through just a bit across the seem and fill it in with the JB Weld. It is the same type of idea as
When they build concrete slabs and reinforce it with Rebar to make it stronger.

Just my off the wall idea and .50 cents. Either way good luck with your project and keep the pics coming :D

Dre
 
DiddlySquat said:
Maybe I should elaborate on the "ghetto sound dampening". I have an old eggshell thing that goes on a mattress. What I'm planning on doing it taking squares of it and pinching it between peices of plexi/steel. That way I'll have a clean look but cheap silencing.
Click to expand...

I'd be worried about a potential static charge building up on that
 
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