Project: Rogue (NZXT SFF)

[craigbru]

I'm continually blown away by this project. It's everything I've ever wanted in a computer and more. If I ever win the lottery, I might comission you to build me something . Absolutely fantastic job, craigbru.

Thank you, it's much appreciated! I started this project wanting to outdo everything I'd done on L.O.S.I.A.S., and I think I've done it. Only one problem... the next project is going to have to top this!

considering all the stuff packed in there I would say the wiring is pretty damn nice. I am "SO" looking forward to seeing it close up at Nvision

Thanks Mark! It's hard to believe Nvision is so close!

Ive been watching this since the beggining, posted a few times, but i had the urge to post again once i seen how much work goes into this thing!

That basement looks awesome too craig!

I really cant wait to see finished pics of this monster, i wish i had the money/skills to stuff a full ATX into a rouge thats for sure! very very nice cases!

Thanks for the compliments man! What can I say, I've been a busy guy!

Just wanted to say that because of your mod I've registered on this site. It is beautiful. I hope one day my modding skills will come close to yours!

I'm glad you joined! Thanks for the kind words!

 

[craigbru]

Progress every day, that's my goal! I managed to get some more work done last night, and I'm committed to having the rig running tonight! I probably could have made it last night, but I needed my sleep...

So, in addition to dropping more components in the case, (you'll see that progress in a slideshow), I put a new top on my DDC pump. I did this for several reasons. The first, was to save a little room around the pump itself. The new Koolance top has a much smaller footprint. The second reason, was due to the much better barb placement. The Alphacool top I was using, didn't accommodate 3/4" tubing all that well. Basically, there was no room for a proper clamp, so a zip tie was needed. I wasn't happy with this solution, so the change was made.

Here is the original Alphacool top.

The new Koolance top.

Here you can see the difference in size between the new and old tops.

This last item, will give you a peek at what I'm going to do tonight... It's a 12" ATX power cable extension. Now, what would I need that for?

 

[wagoo]

This last item, will give you a peek at what I'm going to do tonight... It's a 12" ATX power cable extension. Now, what would I need that for?

Time to make the splitter cable and drop the second full ATX motherboard in, eh?

 

[markkleb]

nice job on the Koolance top Craig. If you look inside the porting is quite a bit better as well.
(not to mention Koolance is just elegant/superior design)

PS: Im working on a project for a guy and I thought of it while I saw the inside of your comp...I have the perfect pump for you, LOL

 

[jtg1993]

nice job on the Koolance top Craig. If you look inside the porting is quite a bit better as well.
(not to mention Koolance is just elegant/superior design)

PS: Im working on a project for a guy and I thought of it while I saw the inside of your comp...I have the perfect pump for you, LOL

Wow thats a small pump, what the hell is that mini pump for?

 

[markkleb]

http://micropumps.co.uk/index.html

Its certainly not gonna cool the TEC...lol

 

[craigbru]

Time to make the splitter cable and drop the second full ATX motherboard in, eh?

Now, that would be crazy...

nice job on the Koolance top Craig. If you look inside the porting is quite a bit better as well.
(not to mention Koolance is just elegant/superior design)

PS: Im working on a project for a guy and I thought of it while I saw the inside of your comp...I have the perfect pump for you, LOL

Wow, now that's a small pump! It makes the DDC look absolutely massive!

 

[craigbru]

Another night gone, and more modding done!

So, about that PSU extension cable... It will indeed connect the motherboard to the PSU (obviously), but exactly why it's needed may not be as obvious. It goes without saying that things are very tight in this case. One of the problems with that, is the fact that it's pretty much impossible to attach the PSU cable to the motherboard with the hard drive tray in place. That also means that I can't remove the PSU without pulling the tray out as well. That simply won't do. I want to be able to remove things individually whenever possible. Things may be tight, but I still want easy maintenance. So, the extension leaves me with plenty of extra cable, and the excess has to go...

Cable stripping...

New 24 pin connector...

Finished!

My last little project for the night was to sleeve the pump wiring, and add a new power connector. The new connection has a straight shot right in to the PSU.

Tonight I apply the power, and fill with coolant!

 

[markkleb]

very nice and good luck on the filling.

 

[dystopic]

updates from craig are almost better than new eps of battlestar galactica.

almost.

(sorry craig, til you get some gorgeous talent on your show, BSG still wins out).

 

[AceGoober]

I just read through the entire Rogue project log and I have to say this has been practically the most impressive work I've seen to date.

Very nicely done.

 

[craigbru]

very nice and good luck on the filling.

Thanks Mark. All should go well. Luckily it's my second time filling from scratch, so I know how to make it as painless as possible.

updates from craig are almost better than new eps of battlestar galactica.

almost.

(sorry craig, til you get some gorgeous talent on your show, BSG still wins out).

Wow, I'm in the same league as BSG? Mighty high compliment my man. Thanks!

I just read through the entire Rogue project log and I have to say this has been practically the most impressive work I've seen to date.

Very nicely done.

Thanks Ace! I appreciate you stopping in. Reading from the beginning had to take you a while...

 

[lillimon04]

Craig this is turning out better every time I look. The cabling management you have done is amazing. How long did it take? Also I forgot, but what video cards are you going to be running and cpu? Oh ya, whats the first prize for the nvision mod contest?

 

[craigbru]

Craig this is turning out better every time I look. The cabling management you have done is amazing. How long did it take? Also I forgot, but what video cards are you going to be running and cpu? Oh ya, whats the first prize for the nvision mod contest?

Uh, the cabling took way to long... hours and hours in total. It's worth it though, especially in this case. I gotta keep it clean! I'm currently running a pair of 8800 GTX's and an 2.66GHZ quad core ES. I haven't had time to overclock much... Nvision is giving out $5000, new hardware, and a CPU magazine spread for first place. There's some hella tough competition though.

 

[markkleb]

remember the first rule..."dont enter into a contest with your life on the line when you are against a Sicilian", . wait thats not it..

Oh yea, make sure it will look good on the cover of a Magazine, yea thats the one..

 

[xkon]

i like this case naked... with no top on. it's amazing. simply.... amazing.

 

[craigbru]

Just a microscopic update here... Coolant is now circulating, although I haven't powered the rig on yet. Getting air out of this loop requires some tricky maneuvering. All seems to look good, and everything is leak free so far...

With the liquid flowing, I thought I'd work on a small detail or two. Aluminum tubing! I decided that I didn't want to look at exposed bolt threads. Well, there's only one way to fix it! (The fan assembly will get the same treatment).

I cut and lightly polished some tubing...

Much better than before! It's all in the details!

 

[markkleb]

very nice detail.

 

[craigbru]

It's time for the front door! Yes! I've been wanting to say that for months now! Everything else was so much more important, while the door was mostly cosmetic. I say mostly, because it will hold a modified Griffin Powermate for controlling the Pico system. So, what am I waiting for?

I'll start off with a few shots of the PSU in place. My last update involved the modification of it's cables. With that done, it was time to drop it in to place, and fire it up. Everything worked as it should! As you can see here, things are still very tight, but very much improved thanks to the shorter cables.

Now, on to the door. I need to put 'filler' strips around all the openings in the case. The easiest way to do this, was by cutting acrylic to size.

Marked...

Cut... (It's almost invisible!)

The first few pieces in place.

Finally, a test fit on the door.

I got a lot done last night, but still have more to cut. I'm hoping to make huge progress tonight. Stay tuned!

 

[Living Weapon]

Nice fit on those acrylic parts

Will those be painted with the rest of the front, or remain clear?

 

[craigbru]

Nice fit on those acrylic parts

Will those be painted with the rest of the front, or remain clear?

Thanks man!

Most of the acrylic will be painted to match the case. There's not much reason to leave it clear, as there's nothing behind it worth looking at. I say 'most', because I plan on lighting up the DVD slots, and that may require some of it to remain clear.

 

[AVT]

This is absolutely insane, and the most impressive PC mod I've ever seen.

Respect to you.

 

[craigbru]

Okay... so I got a little busy... I'm going to put up a few pics of my progress though, just to show you where I'm headed. I'll have the door ready for paint tomorrow.

I forgot to take few shots, but here is an updated shot of the back of the door. You can see the work I did below with the DVD drive slots. The slots will be lit by LED's and they have pushbuttons through them for activating the drive eject.

A shot from the front.

The centerpiece of the front door, is a modified Griffen Powermate. This will act as a mouse emulator for quick and easy adjustments on the pico system. I'll still be using a VPN client, and Synergy, but the Powermate is just another method of control, should I need it.

The Powermate originally had a blue LED on the bottom, and a change was in order. I've now got a pair of red LED's in place.

Finally, here are a pair of shots of the Powermate's mounting. This will be attached to the back of the door. In fact, you should see it in the first shot up above.

That's it for now, but I should have another update by tomorrow morning!

 

[craigbru]

This is absolutely insane, and the most impressive PC mod I've ever seen.

Respect to you.

Thank you! I appreciate the kind words.

 

[Living Weapon]

Sweet - that sanded acrylic should give the encoder wheel a nice, warm glow

 

[craigbru]

Update time! Work has been continuing on the door, and last night I got it painted and ready for assembly. I had a few details to take care of before painting, and I'll cover those things right now.

There were a few areas on the back of the door that I decided to fill with bondo for a better look. The areas on either side of the LCD, and the area above the LED's all got filled. Although I didn't take a pic of it, the LED's sit in a covered pocket. The bondo is just there to smooth out the surface.

Okay, so I've got a couple of slots in the front door for the DVD drives. What I need is a method of pressing the buttons on the drives. That's where these come in to play. They are the new acrylic buttons for the door.

Buttons in place

A test fit on the case. I did have another shot, but I can't locate it now... but the button was made wide enough to cover the status LED on the DVD drive. The button lights up when there is activity on the drive.

Now we head to the back of the door again. I've test fit the Powermate in the door again, and it fits just as it should. One problem though, I don't want to see the back of it when the door is open. Only one way to fix that. It needs a cover!

That's it for now, but tonight I should have the door on the case, and will have progress shots all the way up to that point.

 

[craigbru]

I'm so close... the rig will be finished tonight! It's a little bittersweet, but it been one hell of a journey...

I'll start off with a picture that I was missing in my last post. Here you can see how the acrylic button lights up with DVD drive activity.

Now, here's a shot of the area underneath the Powermate knob. I fitted an acrylic ring under there. It will be illuminated by red LED's.

A shot of the door...

To finish off the door, here is the freshly painted cover for the back of the Powermate.

Cover in place...

Now, I'll head in a different direction for a moment. I decided to cover up the exposed screw threads on the fan assembly.

A bunch of spacers...

I need to polish them up, so I attached them to a drill.

Spin and polish!

Shiny!

More coming tonight!

 

[markkleb]

looking forward to seeing this in person. Beautiful work Craig.

 

[DorkKnight27]

*claps hands together like a little boy* getting so close to being finished!


nice red shorts!

 

[Living Weapon]

Wow

Indeed, bittersweet, but the way it is coming together is just amazing.

Not to jinx you on the last night, but any chance of replacing the LEDs on the DVD drives with red?

 

[dystopic]

i love your french manicure!

 

[Viperlover]

Are you a girl?

 

[dystopic]

^ pretty sure it's his wife lending a helping hand (well, two). she's made an appearance in this thread before.

 

[Thor]

I'm so close... the rig will be finished tonight! It's a little bittersweet, but it been one hell of a journey...

I'll start off with a picture that I was missing in my last post. Here you can see how the acrylic button lights up with DVD drive activity.

so.. i know your not leaveing that led its stock color.. its screaming for red as well

 

[craigbru]

I know I have a ton of comments to respond to.. and I will... but I'm pressed for time at the moment. I owe you guys some pictures though!

It lives!!!

The completely finished interior!

The outside while off.

All it up baby!!

I'll have comments and observations in a little while! Now I need some caffeine, it was a terribly late night...

 

[DorkKnight27]

woooooo, looks sweet!

i like how tight it looks inside. you ask yourself "how can anything stay cool" and then you see the gigantic mount of fans on the top. the red radiator looks awesome and the front panel is sleek.

awesome work

 

[HaxEJxuK]

This is first work log ever that I've kept track of since start to finish. It also made me check thread everyday(some times every 15 minutes) hoping I get to see new pictures. You did great job and I thank you for all the hard work and bring pictures for our enjoyment!

Now I just to move my lazy a$$ and finish mine. lol hope it looks at least 1/99999 as good as yours lol. Nah, I'm going for more OEM look so.........

 

[formula409]

SICK!!!...Like many, I have checked for updates multiple times a day (sometimes dozens)since the begining of this worklog. Just awesome work. One of the best I have ever seen.

 

[TheRemus]

phenomenal work! i know many skip to the end to look for pics ... maybe you could post a final hardware spec list?

 

[colinstu]

Before:

You put a lot of work in there, I don't know what to say.