Vadim is a UX designer that made a wooden computer system case with his very own hands and recorded the whole process. Right here is his story.
When I made a decision to do everything by myself, I saw different YouTube channels committed to modding. And recognized there wasn’t much to see. Most of those modders simply took old instances, cut, twisted, and glued them throughout with some rubber stuff, and finally obtained some expensive mess. And those few that risked to make a situation from scratch normally wound up with different versions of mailboxes or pet homes without any design or idea.
Why timber
Then I had to select the material. I rejected metal at the same time because I had some experience modding a steel case. Truthfully talking, absolutely nothing will appear of it without special devices and a welding equipment.
Plastic, plexiglass, and comparable were additionally not a choice. Plastic components are also delicate, challenging to surface, bend and collaborate. So, I selected wood as one of the most gorgeous, readily available, and simple to deal with material. The idea was to adhesive the instance from several layers of plywood.
The idea
I studied the form variables of instances, motherboards, video clip cards, and other components. After that I described where the openings and bolts must be and made the very first sketch on paper.
I had the motherboard of the MicroATX style to start with. So I a little customized the first idea and made a model of the case in 3 D Max.
After that I drew the case itself and made the format of the elements I had actually currently bought. The resulting dimensions of the case were 400 x 400 x 200 It would take me 50 layers of plywood to obtain the needed density of the situation. Why so many layers ?! Since I chose to use 4 mm plywood. That was the cheapest option.
When the layout was complete, I went on to the information and needed to choose the best way of placing the layers with each other. Likewise, I had to consider the intermediaries for the coolers, inputs, results, and various other parts.
When the layout was full, I moved on to the details and needed to identify the very best method to place the layers together. Additionally, I had to keep in mind the cutouts for the coolers, inputs, outcomes, and other components.
When I measured and attracted every little thing, I needed to recognize the number of plywood sheets I need to get. I wanted to lessen the product expenses, so I needed to gauge everything precisely. It took me a great deal of time, yet ultimately, I created a cutting layout to fit all the parts right into a single plywood sheet.
The messy part of the job
I did all the operate at home on a reducing table I made by myself previously. I likewise made a sander. It showed to be really convenient at the final stage of the job.
I began putting the instance with each other and cursed myself for denying an 8 mm plywood sheet. Things would have been way much faster if I did. With 4 mm, it took a number of months of hard work on weekend breaks.
I cut the plywood sheet right into five huge pieces. I outlined the parts on each item so I might cut them out moving from the side to the facility. Huge parts were at the edge of the sheet, while the smaller sized ones were closer to the facility.
What’s more, I laid them in such a way that allow me reduce straight sections with a table saw and finish semicircular areas with a jigsaw This assisted me to minimize the waste.
What did the process look like? I attracted a couple of parts on the plywood sheet, reduced them out, and evened the sides of the staying piece of plywood. And afterwards it duplicated over and over once more: draw-cut-even, draw-cut-even.
Placing the parts with each other
Currently I needed to glue and put all the components with each other. Again, I regretted denying a thicker plywood sheet. Thin parts were frequently twisting and shedding their form. In some cases, I needed to tighten huge components with screws I must confess that it was hard. But in spite of all those problems, I managed to get an almost perfect geometry of the case.
Time to sand! I utilized a sander to smooth the outside and hand-sanded the inside of the instance.
Next off, I required to make a side panel that would work as a watching home window right into the instance. Originally, I considered making use of solidified glass and asked a good friend for help. But it turned out that it was difficult to make the holes where I wanted them. He described that the toughened up glass would certainly break if I pierced the holes close to the edge. So I had to abandon the initial plan and make the panel out of plexiglass.
Almost done
It was time to install the PC elements in their areas. Thankfully, whatever fit almost flawlessly now. I only needed to widen the colder and some other openings a bit.
After completing, I coated the situation with 4 layers of semi-matt lacquer, screwed on the rubber feet, and made a seat for the power supply system.
Ultimately, I ran the RGB lights through a special port and mounted a Bluetooth module on the back to regulate the lights from a smartphone I likewise installed a similar RGB light on the coolers and included a module in the PCI port to remotely transform the computer on and off. However naturally, there is also a power switch on the back of the computer, also.
Final decorations
Technically, whatever prepared. However I was as well enthusiastic to stop, so I chose to cover the power line with a UV sleeving.
I wanted to set up all the wires in an expensive way. And the idea of Groot with his origins crawling all over the situation struck me. After three days of googling, I discovered an amazing porcelain figurine– young Groot sitting on a stone and playing Xbox And all this beauty was on a stand that could house all the extra cords.
Wrapping up
It took me almost eight months to finish this computer situation. I functioned just on weekends and vacations. Furthermore, I often had to wait for the parts I purchased on Aliexpress: the modder wire, the backlight, the figure, and a few other points.
This was my very first attempt. It was quite an obstacle for me, yet it deserved it. Regardless of the challenges, I actually appreciated making a computer system case with my hands and would certainly enjoy to do something similar to this again. But following time I would certainly like to do it for the cash. So if you want something unique, DM me on Instagram
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