TRON CM Final Pics

[Boddaker]

Ok, got the acrylic parts list finalized, but before I send it off to the laser, I figured I should double check my measurements by making a 1/2-size model. I went back and rearranged some things to make room for fans and to facilitate better airflow.

Here's an overall look at the main acrylic parts. There are many more smaller pieces, spacers, and tubes that I didn't bother itemizing for the mockup.

First I thought I would print out a full-size outline of the bike with a picture of the motherboard in place.

Then I tested the 1:1 scale with an actual ATX board, and my qualifying product, a Cooler Master Silent Pro 850w power supply.

Final overall length is 38".

After getting a glimpse of the actual size, I proceeded to make the 1/2 size model. I only cut out the more important layers surrounding the components.

Peering down into the component area, you can see the lower IO plate.

The 1/2 size motherboard with two GTX580's in SLI:

The mobo and cards in place:

So far so good. Looks like things might actually fit as hoped. I'll go through the parts one more time and add some cable pass-through's and tubing holes, then I can finally send it off. Next update will show the acrylic parts when I get them in. 'Til then!

[pcjunkie209]

Very nice. Can't wait to see finished product.

[Maurycio Gyovanni]

I am anxious to see this project completed, good luck to us!

[Craig Tate]

Go get em Bod.... I absolutely can *not* wait to see how you bust this out!

Your past builds in a similar vein have always come out right on, this one should be OUT-frikken-STANDING!!!

Subscribed

-=TD

[PaPang]

An old-school mockup! My, my, as goof-proof as it gets and its looks great!

Cheers and Saludos

[Boddaker]

Thanks a lot guys, I too hope this comes out the way I envision it. I haven't had much to show since everything has been mostly design and pre-vis work, but I should have an update this weekend. I figured while I was waiting for parts to be cut and sent out, I could start work on molding the top fairings. So this week I've been gluing foam sheets together in preparation for the plastic forming process. Should be a fun update so check back this weekend!

[Boddaker]

Here's a shot of some of the fine equipment from EVGA that will be going into the TRON bike:

[Craig Tate]

MMmmm.... those components will render the jet walls nicely!

[Boddaker]

MMmmm.... those components will render the jet walls nicely!

I was thinking about doing a jet wall for the TRON bike at an upcoming LAN. I'd need to find some UV or glowy cellophane on a roll, attach it to the back of the bike and pull it down the whole table row LOL!

[Boddaker]

Ok, so in the interest of time, I decided not to make these fairings out of fiberglass, or use my vacuum forming table, seeing as how I still have to rebuild it. Instead, I'll be forming the pieces with a plastic paste, which is a much quicker process. So the first step is creating a plug on which to lay the paste down.

So, time to cut some foam! Earlier in the week, I laminated three layers of foam insulation sheets to get the thickness I needed. I also made up a template that minimized the amount of foam I had to use. In fact, all four fairing pieces will be molded from this one block of foam after I'm done with it.

There's a front and back fairing, and they are split into left and right mirrored pieces. Here's half my template, with the back fairing on top and the front upside down on the bottom. The gray and black lines show the difference between the edges of the fairing. Gray is the wider part (over the center of the tire) and the black is the narrower edge.

Using a hacksaw, I started doing the rough cuts around the gray lines.

Then with an electric carving knife, I started shaving off the foam, following the black lines and curving out to the wider edge.

One half roughed out, next to the other side.

Here's a shot of them side by side in their eventual places. You can now see the shape of the bike emerging.

Once I got the pieces roughed out, I used an exacto knife to get more accurate along the edges.

The thickness difference between both edges is 3/4". I marked my square with tape and slid it along the edge to see where I still needed to remove material. I used a drywall sanding block to smooth out the curves.

Both sides smoothed out. This is the back end...

And turning it over we have the front end.

Next step is to sandwich it all together, with cardboard in between. These will form the walls of the pour area. I traced the foam block first, then scribed another cut-line about 1/4" wider.

Three pieces cut, two outside pieces, one center piece.

Using spray adhesive, I glued them all together.

While that was setting up, I used my flexible curve to transfer the overall curve shape to my custom screeding tool...

...which is just a piece of clear acrylic I just cut to size.

It will work like this. It fits over the foam block, and after I trowel the plastic paste into the mold, I'll slide the tool along the top of the cardboard to level it off. This will hopefully ensure a consistent thickness throughout the length of the fairings. It will also smooth out the top surface of the plastic and minimize the amount of touch-up and prep work I'll need to do before painting.

One last thing I needed to do before I was ready to lay down the paste, was to incorporate some form of fastening tabs into the fairings. So I dug out some cavities about 1/4" in from the edge, to account for the thickness of the ribs to which these will be secured.

Now I think it's ready for some plastic!

Next update will have the results of the molding process. 'Til then!