********* PHINIX CUBE ******** - DONE !!! FINAL PICTURES !!! enjoy... :)

[phinix]

Hello again... I didn't have time to work on my cube for pretty long time, but last week I came back to this project and here's what I did so far...

To make it more fututre proof I had to change the hole for PSU - I will push it a bit to back, gaining 5mm that way - It will be moved till back black panel, so it will go through the main clear acrylic 5mm panel. I'm going to buy Coolermaster 850W PSU which is longer than Enermax I have now. I will need that 850W for 2 new 55nm GTX 290 (wow..) in SLI:)) When of course hopefuly DFI will come out with that mATX SLI mobo so day this year....

So, here is new lines on back panel, before cut...




And after cut and file.. still need to be polished...



pressed against the wall, more clear maybe..



This is one of the side black panels, 3mm tined black, which will cover whole cube. This one is right side panel. I did it all with my hands and pack of metal files.. a lot of work.... Now thinking to order rest of the panels to be cut in CNC....

After cut..



..and after all edged been filed.. still need polish....



..against the wall:)



That is it for now... I will come back this week with something REALLY cool! You'll see....
here's small teaser:))))



BIOHAZARD BABY!!!  )

[Eric_J]

Welcome back!

[phinix]

Thank Eric!

I ordered another two panels of that black tinted plexi. Got them today, Started to raw second side panel, will cut it tomorrow. Now I need an idea for top panel. It will be open enough to show two GTX280 in SLI and watercooling CPU and GPUs ... Not many combination there, Like black frame actually... cannot leave a lot fo black plexci on the top, it would ruin all the view.... hmm...

[phinix]

SHIT!!!! I was cutting another side panel today and burnt my dremel:((
I may try to use jig saw instead, but it will be hard to cut small elements in that panel.... I will show some update soon...

[hugh]

your watercooling loop is gonna have the time of it's life trying to cool 2 of those and a cpu, those thin rads are not generally designed for crazy burdens

[phinix]

your watercooling loop is gonna have the time of it's life trying to cool 2 of those and a cpu, those thin rads are not generally designed for crazy burdens

for the beginning - one gtx card and cpu should be enough... If I sve some money for second card, then will re-design buttom level in cube to have second 2x120 radiator.

[phinix]

Another small update: cut some more parts. Cut to shape that second side panel, which still need to be filed and polished, like other parts anyway.



Also made a new radiator bracket from black plexi - this time only it will hang over the bottom panel - it will be screwed to left support columns. I just couldn't look at those redish/pinkish stands...

All measured and planned..



...and after cut - using jig saw, after burning down my dremel:(



Last part is 4 elements for dvd cover - changed my mind again about that - color of the plexi doesn't matter - it will be glued and screwed together and covered with chrome tape. It will be mounted at the top of the cube.

Measured and planned..



..and after cut..



I had to take apart my "temporary" case (showed that before, mobo and PSU on bottom panel, no side panels - used after I sold Sugo case).
Now had to take it cause I need all parts of the cube to upgrade anything - for measures and general look and fold. Because do not have any other case right now, I made something very quickly from wood:) Please do not laugh:))

...



Well, hey! Its made of wood, right? It looks like its popular making cases from wood:))

[patrickking04]

wow its really coming on well.

keep up the good work.

[CorneliousXT]

I'm really liking where this is going...the level of quality/creative fabrication is astounding to say the least!  :-)

[phinix]

Another Update today!

Remember this small teaser???




I received a package from Chilled PC Tom with nicely cut letters and biohazards signs. As I promised, here's the real beauty that will glow on side panels.












And here's side panel and letters and bio inside it:)) Well, I love it! How about you guys?











Couldn't resist to make some more pictures, so all for you here.. enjoy. Till next time...

[Ashtefere]

Very nice!
-Ash

[phinix]

Very nice!
-Ash

Thanks Ash, I like it too:)

[patrickking04]

Now that is sweet

[phinix]

Now that is sweet

Thanks man!


Here's another update: Between side panels filing I decided to change mobo tray. Unfortunately 3mm wasn't enough and after a while it started to bend - not much, but I didn't like it. So ordered 5mm dark acrylic sheet and started to "rewrite" the whole idea on it.





I have already cut it now I'm filing it, a LOT of work with 5mm of acrylic. Will show you the result soon.

Second thing I want to show is finished radiator back panel, mounted it and it fits perfectly! :clap:


















Last thing is dvd cover - Finally decided to leave acrylic side strips and went for aluminum U shapes - It was easier to fabricate and a lot better for keeping all things in shape.

After hours of filing, cutting and drilling I have this:









..and with dvd inside...





Now - it loks terrible but don't worry - I will cover it with chrome sticky tape/film - same as used before so it will lokk nice:)
I will do it tonight!!!


Also - I ordered few last things I need for this project (except leds - will be here next week).
Its new fan controller I'm going to use, IDE to SATA slim dvd converter - I passed on that IDE-IDE thing - didn't like the thick cable - SATA will look a lot better I think...

Like Christmas...










Last part I ordered was brand new pump/block - same af first one:)






Tha would be it for now. I'm working on that mobo tray and dvd cover right now. Will show you it as soon as I finish.

STAY TUNED !!!

[craigbru]

Hell yeah!  It's about time we see an update!

[phinix]

Hell yeah!  It's about time we see an update!

I know.... its so hard to find a free time for myself lately...

Anyway - here is finished dvd cover / box... all in chrome tape, looks a lot better in real, photos dont show it...





Of course dvd is coming out 5mm in the front for a reason - it will be moved in front 5mm clear panel and touch the black tinted one on the front that is why it doesnt have to look pretty in the front or rear - as you see I added small pieces of chrome tape on both sides from dvd to the end of cover (left and right side). It looks cheap but it will be covred with front panel so it wont be seen. Rear also will be covered later, so only sides and top is what is actually matters. I hope you like it - I love the way it looks now and soon I will screw it to the top main panel...

[hugh]

that radiator and everything is just amazing, great work, it's so clean.

and the motherboard tray bending?? dare i say i told you so

[phinix]

that radiator and everything is just amazing, great work, it's so clean.

and the motherboard tray bending?? dare i say i told you so

Thanks Hugh.
Yes, you told me so:) I thought it will be ok, but looks like time did his job. After a 3-4 months on tray it started to bend a little in the middle. Maybe I could leave it like this but I would knew all the time its there.. bending... ooooh.... I had to change it:) Its almost done now, but started my set of shifts today so it will have to wait few days to be mounted. Also need to figer out how to mount mobo - this si 5mm too thick for those small standups I sued for 3mm tray (I screwed them to the tray, using nuts under it). I think I'm going to do same thing as square rod columns - I will melt in those threaded inserts in the tray and just screw the mobo in...
So to sum up this project, after I finish tray and mount it, here's what needs to be done:
- mount radiator on his frame
- attach my new shiny PSU I bought few days ago (!!!!!) - Termaltake 850W Modular !!!!!  :-)   :ahhh:  :vampire:  :snake:
- make a back panel for PSU (since it will come through the 5mm rear wall and stop on 5mm small panel made of red acrylic.. thats the plan:))
- figer out how to mount drive cage
- make a junction box with switches from behind for controling the lights in Da Cube
- make led lights (under the cube, side lights, tray lights...)
- build water cooling loop and test it, then mount it in Da Cube
- install side panels and glue those biohazard logos on sides with the signs
- make a front panel - that means cut and drill all  necessary holes for all the stuff - a lot of measuring and cutting...
- cables management + sleeving
- attach the dvd to the top panel

A lot of work waiting there...

[tominated]

nice work there. is the apogee drive any good? i am contemplating using it in my first custom case.

[phinix]

nice work there. is the apogee drive any good? i am contemplating using it in my first custom case.

Thanks. Well, pump is waiting for its time, haven't tried it yet. There are many people using this pump/block and they are pretty happy, so I believe its pretty good piece of cooling. On Swiftech website you can see they used it for cooling CPU, NB, and two 8800GTXs in SLI with one this pump and 120.2 + 120.1 rad. This is the combination I will use in my cube.

[tominated]

nice work there. is the apogee drive any good? i am contemplating using it in my first custom case.

Thanks. Well, pump is waiting for its time, haven't tried it yet. There are many people using this pump/block and they are pretty happy, so I believe its pretty good piece of cooling. On Swiftech website you can see they used it for cooling CPU, NB, and two 8800GTXs in SLI with one this pump and 120.2 + 120.1 rad. This is the combination I will use in my cube.

wow, so it's no slouch i guess.

[hugh]

it is just your normal mcp-350 water pump modded onto an apogee block, no reason it shouldn't get a good flow out

[phinix]

Working on front panel lately. Wanted to ask: what do you guys think about new version of front panel? Small hex shape cuts, two color plexi parts - black frame and red inside... it may look nice...

[hugh]

not a fan. doesn't really go with the sleek understated rest-of-case

[phinix]

Not good... project going so slowly like a blood from a nose and I'm finding problems with everything. Now when I have found how I'm gonna do front panel:



..I found out that I cannot put dvd on the top cause new GTX280 with its 2 cables coming up will take whole height of the second level... that mean I had to get dvd back on first level, where is so small space that its hard to put it in... 220 radiator moved to the center of the cube because of that 3mm frame, taking that 3mm. Dvd can be fit only with that aluminium frma I made before. But now I need second radiator, at least 120mm for cooling OC'ed e8400 and GTX280. So I have two options:

1) put 120mm radiator onside, on the back right corner of the cube, cutting 80mm round hole for it, then screwing 80-120 fan adapter, 120mm fan and then rad... I alraedy bought the fan, Yeate Loon red led - very pretty, so now I would need a clear acrylic fan adpater. But this way 120mm rad will stick out pretty far from the cube...

2) Reorganise everything in first level, that means build new drive cage - this time cage for 120mm radiator with fan, dvd and hdd...

Already created sketchup for this cage.. would look sth like this:







BUT! For this cage I would have to chaneg front panel, and that means chrome ring is going bye bye...
..or moving it higher and making ring in the middle of second level and then long hole for dvds almost in the middle of the cube cause dvd will land up on the top of new cage, which will be in the center of cube actually...

I'm going on 2 weeks holiday now, so have time think what to do when come back...
Last week bought a lot of stuff. Spent huge amount of money... Got GTX280 XSPC water block, more hose, new black t-line, 120mm fan Yate Loon red led version, new ram - Corsair Dominator, some more red leds, well, and what is most important and didn't mention here - GTX280 card:)
So... now need to decide what to do with that 120mm rad...

EDIT:

I'm just bored on my night shift:)

Here's idea for new front panel with dvd in the middle... How cool is that ??!!!