Fabbed a custom .063 aluminum case for my VIA - *PICS*

blk02si · 01-04-2006, 07:16 PM

*Edit* check the other pages for the final version of this case. The one in these first pics turned out to be the prototype and was improved using a CNC machine.

Hello, well this project is coming along faster than I thought. My touchscreen should be here tomorrow, then all i need is a laptop H.D. and a power supply (wishing on an m2-atx) Anyway I had some free time today at work so I drew up a case based on the engineer drawings from the Via site. Then I spent a couple hours fabricating it. Material is .063 finished aluminum. This is what street signs are made with. It is very rigid, yet very light. I could seriously hit this case with a hammer and the motherboard would survive unharmed. Its very strong material and is pretty hard to bend (even with an 8ft break!) Anyway the cover will be held on with some aluminum anodonized thumbscrews (need that 6-32 tap!) This box is setup the same way as the "ampie" case sold in this sites store, but it is smaller, shorter and even more slim. Cooling is not figured out yet but i can always mount a fan externally and put a hole in the side or top. Personally I think it will be fine as when i touch this case in a warm ambient room it feels at least 10 degrees cooler. The lid is also low profile so I could put an aluminum spacer with some thermal paste to turn the whole case into a heatsink. Anyway I need to go to home depot and get me a tap and some dremel bits so I can continue to fab. Ill keep this thread updated as I build and If i run into any problems, etc.

Cyberphox · 01-04-2006, 09:08 PM

that is bad ***...i need one..lol

blk02si · 01-04-2006, 09:36 PM

Drilled, tapped, Added the thumbscrews, and also marked the left side for the square cutout that is needed for the motherboard connections to poke out. Ill hopefully be cutting that tomorrow at work. Once that is cut, I can tap the holes for the MB standoff's, and get the VIA mounted

EsKALad · 01-04-2006, 10:51 PM

hey can you make another one?

goosey2099 · 01-05-2006, 12:25 AM

Nice case, How much would you charge for something like that?

Montanaja · 01-05-2006, 12:40 AM

very nice!

stapan · 01-05-2006, 04:14 AM

awesome. how did you make it?

Trazer · 01-05-2006, 04:29 AM

Looks absolutely amazing. One question though: No problems with heat from the epia itself as it looks as its completely closed.

meddler · 01-05-2006, 04:38 AM

tidy work. well done

blk02si · 01-05-2006, 06:34 AM

I figured I may get some people interested in this case if I took pictures, I am considering making a batch if all goes well, everything fits, etc. I make this case by starting with a sheet of .063" aluminum, marking my cuts and bends with a pencil & ruler, cutting the notches i need to fold it on a table saw, then hand bending it on a metel break. The interior dimensions of this case are 8"x10"x2", but I can design the case any size that is needed. Ill post up the engineer drawing I did to figure out how to get the smallest possible case, that is on my work computer though. Here is my next thought, I have a 4'x8' CNC table that I program and I could make even more quality/quantity if I generated a computer cutfile for the starting pattern.

^For the question about cooling, I think I am going to take the fan off the top of the CPU heatsink and mount it in the case vertically next to the CPU heatsink so it blows air horizontally across the heatsinks of the entire chipset. They are inline and all the fins are the same direction, dont see why all of them should not get circulated air. Then again there is that water cooling option

EsKALad · 01-05-2006, 10:25 AM

yeah man this thing is sweet. i say just exten each side a half inch and add a slim fan to each side. one in one out. also extend the top half inch and make space for a slim dvd rom. you think these things are possible? and if so how much?

kmcniece · 01-05-2006, 11:06 AM

Nice work...
Looks a lot like my case. Although I didn't make mine. Metal is about the same thickness and has a bunch of powder coat options. I used my car logo as a cutout for ventilation on the top.

Link to my worklog

blk02si · 01-05-2006, 11:23 PM

well, ive got some bad news, I cut the square hole for the aluminum insert that has all the cutouts for all the I/O ports and it seriously weakend the top edge right over the motherboard. The case was so slim I had to do it to make it fit but after i was done I was not happy with the results. Then to add insult to injury I put one of the mounting posts about 1/8" off and I can only get 3 screws in. Tried to fix it but it didnt work. I am scraping this case and going back to the drawing board. This time I am going to design it on the computer and cut the shape with a CNC machine. Ill cut out all the little holes and squares for the I/O ports right out of the actual aluminum. Im also going to make it 2.25-2.5 inches tall this time so I don't have to cut into the top's lip. I am also thinking about incorporating a clear top. Anyway I probably will not be able to start this untill the weekend but ill be sure to post my new case.

EsKALad · 01-05-2006, 11:26 PM

why dont you take pics of the old case maybe ill take it.

blk02si · 01-05-2006, 11:48 PM

Ill post some pics of it tomorrow I just took them but my camera batt. is dying and i can't copy them to my harddrive. The case is still workable - im just a perfectionist so im starting over