[minibeardeath]

I am currently in the middle of building a custom case to house my XBMC HTPC which I will be transforming into a media server when my Pineriver mini-x arrives. I will post images of the model, the build process, and the final project. Furthermore, if there is demand, I will make complete technical drawings of all parts so that others can duplicate/mod the case.

First, the hardware:
mini-itx mobo (Zotac IonITX-B)
3x 3.5" HDD (total space 4.5 TB)
mATX PSU
1 gb ram

Now the case build.
The case is made from 0.25" thick acrylic that I will be cutting on a CNC router. Mounting the hardware will require longer screws than standard, however, these are easy to get at the local hardware store (I will be using 6-32 X 1/2" screws). I am using transparent grey acrylic as it was the cheapest thing I could find at a local distributor (29"x31" for $20 vs. 24"x24" for $30 online). I am going to be using acrylic cement to "weld" the pieces together so that everything but the top will essentially become a single piece of material.

Next, images of the model. I will just post the isometric view of the case with hardware, and here is a link to the imgur gallery with views of each side, and the top.


I previously discussed building a case (thread here), and the topics of 2.5" boot drives, and blu-ray drives were discussed. While I have no need for these they could be included in the case by mounting the blu-ray drive to the top, and placing the 2.5" drive in the empty space in front of the motherboard.

I will start cutting the parts tomorrow, and it should be done on Thursday (one benefit of being a college student taking summer courses). I would love to get feedback/input on modifying the design if anyone else wants to make their own case. And if anyone is wondering, the total cost for supplies is around $45. I don't have any machining costs as I am using the student machine shop.

Thanks for your time.

Edit: the final box (only have to put some feet on it, but they are being shipped still)! I am still thinking of how I want to decorate, but I might just leave it blank for simplicity sake.

[artrafael]

That should turn out looking really nice. I've always admired people who can design and build things from scratch and have them look professional/artistic. I can assemble parts pretty well, but most of my efforts at construction turn out amateurish. Even if I were able to cut the acrylic pieces, I would probably make a mess with the cement in trying to put it together.

[minibeardeath]

I am most worried about cementing them together, however, I put groves in some pieces so that lining them up will be a little easier. I am lucky enough that the student shop is adjacent to a professional quality instrumentation shop, and the guys in there are willing to help out sometimes.

[FlashPan]

Hi,

Check out these guys on ebay as they make acrylic cases. May help if you can identify the pieces they use to join the side panels together?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/C0AA-S1-2-Acry...d=ViewItem

Cheers

[Jezz_X]

I know you are going for the build your own thing but these are nice and a decent price and hold 6 hdd with a mini itx board and a decent enough price
http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=prod...=2&prod=42

[minibeardeath]

So I am 89.9% finished. Everything is assembled, and I just need disassemble the old media center and install the hardware. Right now I just got my a10 media center this evening, so I am setting that up right now. I will post some pics of the build later tonight.

@Jezz_X That is a cool case, I kinda wish I'd seen it earlier. However, one of my goals is that I could stick my case in a closet as a media server, or under the tv as a set-top box, so my goal was to keep it as small as possible. Plus that case is about 3x more expensive, but I guess for someone who doesn't have easy access to a machine shop it would come out to around the same price to pay for labor.

[minibeardeath]

So it is totally done!!! I have uploaded select pics of the build process, and the assembly. Enjoy! (ignore the futurama)

---

Hi,

Check out these guys on ebay as they make acrylic cases. May help if you can identify the pieces they use to join the side panels together?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/C0AA-S1-2-Acry...d=ViewItem

Cheers

I have actually order some small corner reinforcements, but I doubt I will need them. Thanks to the grooves I cut into the front, back, and base; the box is incredibly rigid. If I decide to stack my amp and other things on top I will install the reinforcements, but I don't need them as of yet.