Need some artistic inspiration

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by goldfish, Jul 5, 2004.

  1. goldfish

    goldfish Lt. Sushi.DC

    Ok, so I've decided that after doing this fairly simple LCD mod, I'm going to make a whole customised case. I've been looking at some articles at www.bit-tech.net (which is down currently), and I want to jump in at the deep end of a whole case design. From the articles there I've worked out how to make the bare bones of the system (get a mobo tray basically) and some of the methods for putting it into the design. But I've got no idea for what the case should actually be like. I have some simplfied specs:

    - fully ATX compatible, and easily accessable (so I can upgrade it and use any hardware I want in it)
    - needs to be lit up in a slightly unconventional way (no LEDs sticking out of it, no visible neon string or anything like that)
    - needs to be suffieintly "geeky", so that means a fanbus at least, lots of user controlable stuff and readout info (LCD screens, maybe even VFD if i can get one..)
    - transportable and robust. Dont want it falling appart when i take it to a lan party or even an expo if its that good!
    - has to be very much out of the ordinary. I dont want anything that even resembles a standard tower case like that
    - fairly minimalistic, not ridiculously so but nothing unnececary
    - not too hot! got to have plenty of cooling built into it

    What I'm looking for is some ideas about modern design trends and style. I've not even got a place to start at the moment. I kinda like the "Retro" idea, but it seems to be over done at the moment. Futuristic is good, but thats also becoming almost commonplace. It needs to be COMPLETLEY unique.

    Anyone got any links or ideas they want to share?
     
  2. goldfish

    goldfish Lt. Sushi.DC

    Ok, try this on for size : Duplicated from my post in another forum

    Ok. So, I've been interested in case modding for some time now, and I've been inspired by all these bit-tech articles to make somthing of my own.

    After a few hours of sitting and thinking, smoking and thinking, drinking coffee and thinking, lying and thinking... I finally came up with somthing thats actually quite cool (well I think so anyway).

    [​IMG]

    Somewhat inspired by VesperDeco HTPC, the idea is that its a reletivley normal PC case with a curved layered acrylic/ply facia.

    But the cool thing about it is the layers arn't just there to look pretty, they also serve a purpose. Each one will be wired with an LED from the bottom up to the drive bay door, which you can't see in that sketchup pic because its pretty much flush with the rest of the front. They will probably ultrabrite blue. Each LED will then be wired to a LED on a sound meter... which is plugged in to the sound output... and yep you guessed it, the layers will light up as the sound changes (all of them being full volume and none of them being silent)

    Also, the top most acrylic layer would be split, so that you have one side for power status and the other for HDD activity. The on/off/reset buttons will be put behind the drive bay door, next to the floppy bays. The bay panel will be made of a suitable kind of wood, and the buttons will be at home with the rest of the design.

    The rest of the case is pretty standard, wood of course to continue the style, and as you can see there is a large window in there... which I'll be setting into the wood so no need for rubber edging! (yay).

    Naturally, blowhole in the top and several on the back with chrome fan grills, and a standard mobo tray from an old case of mine (probably steal a PSU from the same case), as well as I/O panel and slot bays (forget the real name.. you know what I mean!).

    Before you decide to move this to the logs forum, I need to ask a few questions!

    1. Any ideas where I could get a sound meter from that wouldnt be needlessly expensive (all I need is the electronics for it), and how I'd be able to wire it to the line out of the sound card

    2. What would be the best way to secure the layers together? In the sense that it would be hard to clamp them all together at the same time... perhaps in sections of a few layers at a time?

    3. What would be the best way to join the side panels and from panel up? Would a butt joint do, or would I be better off with a miter joint or even a dovetail joint? (faints at the idea of all that effort)

    4. What kind of acrylic should I use? Or what would give the best effect? Bear in mind that they'll be lit, and will be next to stained plywood.

    And finally
    5. Has someone done this before? If so, I'll scrap it immediatley :p
     
  3. goldfish

    goldfish Lt. Sushi.DC

    Oh come on!

    Can someone say at least SOMTHING about it? Tell me its awful, tell me its great, tell me its impossible Please just tell me somthing!
     
  4. acejones

    acejones A Different Title

    Re: Oh come on!

    looks good goldy! keep an updated log here as well.
     
  5. Snuffles

    Snuffles Private First Class

    I had an idea. what about this...
     

    Attached Files:

  6. goldfish

    goldfish Lt. Sushi.DC

    The center of gravity on that thing would be too high, even with the pyramid base, as the cylinders which would be in the middle of the case wouldn't weigh anything, so it would either snap in the middle or just topple over, THEN snap in the middle.

    But an interesting idea :D
     
  7. Snuffles

    Snuffles Private First Class

    hey, we just need to wait for alienware to figure out how to make computers not only break the laws for energy, how else do they keep those parts cool, but also break the rules of gravity... maybe with their propriatary PCI Express MAX or something...
     

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