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Step 2This is what you need to do
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the case
first off we start with the case, it will be cube shaped with the width, height and length of 7.5 inches. I am using 1/4 inch clear plexiglas that I bought at canal plastics center in Chinatown, NYC. they have a really good selection of plastics and also do custom laser cutting. the bulk of the measuring was done using a vector graphics editor like adobe illustrator or inkscape; the free open source alternative.
the attached files will give you all the exact measurements but in general the size of the case was dictated by the size of the motherboard plus the right balance between the other items in the cube. the usb, dvd, LED, back panel and power button holes were also measured to precision. be sure to add airflow ports near the processor fan and at opposite sides of the cube to cut down overheating.
after you have the measurements and files ready then its time to visit your friendly neighborhood hacker space. NYCResistor in Brooklyn holds open craft nights once a week during which you can work on projects with others as well as ask for help; I was able to test cut some pieces my first night and then rent their laser cutter the day after.
the laser cutter I used needed a vector based file that can be exported as a .dxf (autoCAD interchange) file to import into Corel Draw. make sure to get help with the laser cutter if you are not sure about what you are doing since this space age tech can kill you. the machine can cut and also etch onto the material, I used some etching to create guides for the front plate and also to write on the back plate.
once your files are ready just send the information to the laser cutter and in a matter of exciting minutes you'll have your pieces ready.
the case
first off we start with the case, it will be cube shaped with the width, height and length of 7.5 inches. I am using 1/4 inch clear plexiglas that I bought at canal plastics center in Chinatown, NYC. they have a really good selection of plastics and also do custom laser cutting. the bulk of the measuring was done using a vector graphics editor like adobe illustrator or inkscape; the free open source alternative.
the attached files will give you all the exact measurements but in general the size of the case was dictated by the size of the motherboard plus the right balance between the other items in the cube. the usb, dvd, LED, back panel and power button holes were also measured to precision. be sure to add airflow ports near the processor fan and at opposite sides of the cube to cut down overheating.
after you have the measurements and files ready then its time to visit your friendly neighborhood hacker space. NYCResistor in Brooklyn holds open craft nights once a week during which you can work on projects with others as well as ask for help; I was able to test cut some pieces my first night and then rent their laser cutter the day after.
the laser cutter I used needed a vector based file that can be exported as a .dxf (autoCAD interchange) file to import into Corel Draw. make sure to get help with the laser cutter if you are not sure about what you are doing since this space age tech can kill you. the machine can cut and also etch onto the material, I used some etching to create guides for the front plate and also to write on the back plate.
once your files are ready just send the information to the laser cutter and in a matter of exciting minutes you'll have your pieces ready.
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