rendermandan

Motorized Madness

Category

Case Mods

Status

Ready for Battle

Deets

Project Motorized Madness began with one thing in mind. To build a completely automated case, that when turned off would conceal all the inner workings and typical computer hardware such as fan controllers, intake fan, switch panels and more. However, when booted up, all these cool gadgets and controls would be automatically revealed and exposed.

Of course this case would have to be water cooled, have a top notch paint job, and unique air flow designs that would eliminate using hot air from inside the case or put any additional heat into it.

Cooling Design:

The cooling system starts with the Turbine at the top.
A XSPC 250 mm finned aluminum reservoir sits inside a tunnel. At the end of that tunnel is a 120 mm radiator with 2 turbine style fans that draw cool air through the tube and exhaust hot air out the back, similar to a turbine engine!
This design takes full advantage of the finned reservoir, as the cool air is drawn through the fins to keep the liquid as cold as possible.
The exposed tubes are functional and bring cool water down to the CPU water block. There is also a 240 mm radiator located on the side of the case with two 120 mm fans that pull air through the radiator and exhaust it out the front of the case through louvers directly below the turbine intake.
This design eliminates adding any hot air into the case, and uses the coolest ambient air possible!

Motorization:

There are 9 servos total that control 8 different moving items in the case. This does not include the stealth DVD drive.
When the computer is booted up, a custom script runs to tells a 32 channel servo controller to open each item in a sequence.

1. There are hidden light trays that extend out from each side and front of the base. Each has an array of blue led’s that turn on when opened and shine upward to illuminate the sides of the case.

2. There are doors on the front concealed behind a split gear that open up into 3 vertical panes to expose the 120 mm intake fan.

3. A hidden panel on the side of the case rotates over to reveal several useful tools. There is a water temperature monitor and alarm system, 2 USB ports, a reset switch, a hard drive status light, and a slot to load Secure Digital memory cards.

4. Another hidden panel located in the front, flips down to reveal 4 toggle switches and 1 push button switch for the DVD eject. Each switch is labeled with a blue led back light. The switches control the different light elements of the case.

5. In the front, there are small louvers that open for the 240 mm radiator exhaust.

6. A hidden panel on the side of the case tilts out and exposes the fan controller. Each control is labeled similar to the switch panel.

7. There is a large “half” gear on the side of the case that rotates down into a channel behind the lower section of the same gear to reveal a clear window into the case.

8. There is a hidden panel on the opposite side of the case that rotates out and flips over at the same time to bring a color LCD monitor into the picture. This monitor is used for system stats among other things.

Just as all this action happens automatically when the computer is booted up, the same happens at shutdown. All the doors, louvers, and panels close and return to conceal all the accessories.

Paint job:

The look of an old, rusted, machine that has been worked on and rebuilt over many years fit this mod to a “T”. With all the kit bashing elements, riveted panels, exposed gears, and moving parts, it only seemed natural that this case have that “rustic, weathered, dirty” look.

Lighting:

Hope you like the color blue, because there is plenty of it. 6 led fans, two cold cathode tubes, 2 led motion tubes in the turbine base, 11 led’s to light up the sides, back lit led’s for the switch panel and fan controller, 15ft of EL wire, and a Bulgin power switch that remains illuminated even when the computer is off, all in blue!

my entire work log for the Turbine is here: http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9129

And my entire work log for the Case is here: http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10192

A special thanks goes out to all that encouraged me, You know who you are! Especially my wife and my son who haven’t seen me for 7 months straight.