Jeffrey Stephenson Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was an influential Dutch abstract painter who worked with simple lines, right angles, geometric figures and primary colors. This scratch built computer case is my tribute to his art. For the record, this work was accomplished between April 9th and May 21st, 2012. I have never published an official project log until now. Final Photos: Official Web Page Boing Boing article Kotaku article Mashable's Top 10 Tech this Week Specs: Intel Core i3-2105 CPU Intel HD3000 Graphics Crucial 256GB M4 SSD 8GB Crucial DDR3 system memory 120W mini-box.com PicoPSU Scythe Kozuti CPU Heatsink/Fan Work Log: Building a frame for the I/O shield. Mini-ITX motherboard with Scythe Kozuti heatsink. The CPU fan is located below the fins where it pulls air in through the fins/heatpipes. This is my panel cutting setup. A fixed fence, a floating fence and an X-acto razer saw. Locate and install the motherboard standoffs. I'm using aircraft grade birch plywood. Mark and cut-out the hole for the CPU heatsink. Cut the second panel to the exact same dimensions and do a test fit. This design allows cool external air to be drawn into the case through the heatsink making overheating nearly impossible. Building the corner supports. These supports also function as spacers for the edge vents. Dry-fitting my edge vent system. Dry fitting the back panel components. Hot internal air escapes through the edge vents without the use of a fan. Thanks for looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Stephenson Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 Drew out the Mondrian-styled pattern on a full-sized side panel mock-up. Assigned colors to each block based on my analysis of the artist's past work. Created a matrix based on the above design. At this point, all the lines are equal width. This will change later to four different line widths. I bought numerous cast acrylic samples from TAP Plastics. These come in 4" squares and are very cheap because they are supposed to be samples and not actual final product. Here are the four primary colors that Mondrian-inspired designs are known for. The large central red piece is exactly 4" square and doesn't require cutting. This square corresponds with the exposed heatsink on the other side which also happens to be 4" square. This is my acrylic tile cutting set-up. Cut various sized tiles to fit and kept the protective paper on as long as possible to prevent scratching of the acrylic. Painted the matrix, interior and edge vents flat black. Peeled some protective paper back. These tiles are all friction fit at the moment. Did the same thing for the other side using a slightly different color combination. Dry fit everything together to check the progress. Thanks for looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Stephenson Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 Between-coat sanding of the flat black paint. At this point I widened some of the lines by shimming them. Cut sections out of the edge vent to make room for the front-mounted USB ports. Added small pieces of wood to frame the ports. Fresh coat of flat black makes it easier to see the four different line widths in the matrix. Pieces cut for the 256GB Crucial M4 SSD mount. Components cut for the footer. From left...birch plywood, solid red oak and three pieces of basswood. The basswood is three different thicknesses so when glued together they form the perfect thickness required for the job. The center part is made out of solid red oak because it is a stressed component that supports the weight of the system. The end result is a floating effect. This footer design also allows for some airflow through the bottom of the case. Built a support for the power switch. Built a cover plate for the front USB ports. These two parts installed and a final coat of paint. Thanks for looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Stephenson Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 Additional Photos: Official Web Page Boing Boing article Kotaku article Mashable's Top 10 Tech this Week Thanks for looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ax0 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Looks great, congratulations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steff345 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 very nice mate - love the idea and execution - very neat and tidy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Stephenson Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 Thanks guys! I appreciate your comments. Mondrian and a few friends... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozensnail Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 cool case mod & tribute, nice job like the other mods you have done also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Stephenson Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 cool case mod & tribute, nice job like the other mods you have done also Thanks frozensnail. I appreciate that. --------------------------------------------------------------- When this contest first started I thought I was required to have a Cooler Master product in my contest entry. I bought a CM 80mm fan (retail package)to replace the Scythe CPU heatsink fan. I'm still not exactly sure if it is required but I already own it so I installed it. Mondrian officially contains a CM part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifas Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Looks like a crazy PS2 Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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