NCASE M1: a crowdfunded Mini-ITX case (updates in first post)

vipz said:
970 Strix is too tall, as in you won't be able to close the side panel with the card installed.
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It's odd that the strix won't fit but the MSI 4G 970 will. both have the same height per specifications. I guess Asus must not have account for the heatpipes in the final dimensions.
 
cambrian said:
It's odd that the strix won't fit but the MSI 4G 970 will. both have the same height per specifications. I guess Asus must not have account for the heatpipes in the final dimensions.
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It was mentioned a while back, but I think the part that doesn't fit is the taller PCB area where the SLI connector(s) are
 
Oh darn! A motherboard screw broke off while i was securing the motherboard in place, any ideas how i can get this out? the motherboard standoffs dont seem to be removable.
 
My case arrived in the USA last Thursday or Friday. My wife loves the size. Now I need to get one issue sorted and buy a power supply, slot load DVD drive, and some cooling fans. :)

I'm looking forward to the build.
 
Doltron said:
There was nothing to say what voltage they are but at ~3.7V they burn out (I bought a couple extra in case of duds)so 3V would be right.

The 4 pins are marked on the back of the switch, with a + and - for the LED. The other 2 pins don't matter which way you attach the wires. I cut the wires just short enough to directly route from the motherboard, down the side of the bottom fan and reach the bracket then soldered the wires to the pins.
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So are you saying the 3v burns out? should i get 6v then? i really dont want to have to order several times. but thanks for the info ill order the wires with it
 
I ordered a silver one without ODD but got a black one with ODD :( I hope I can get the silver panel kit.
 
Is the v3 PSU bracket going to be available soon as a standalone accessory? Also is it possible to sell the v3 panel kits with no ODD top panels?

Thanks!
 
They only have ~30 extra V3 psu brackets made iirc, since they weren't expecting so many people to want them.

I think the only way to get one now Is to find someone who doesn't want theirs, wait for another run of cases to be done, or for ~500 people to want one so the minimum order requirement could be met to manufacture some.
 
Dephcon said:
Is the v3 PSU bracket going to be available soon as a standalone accessory? Also is it possible to sell the v3 panel kits with no ODD top panels?

Thanks!
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The V3 SFX brackets are gone, and the MOQ for a small-margin item like that is 1k+, so don't expect them until the next full production run (which isn't guaranteed, and will likely be a while in any case). Likewise, the only panel kits available are the ones currently on the website. The purpose of not selling kits w/no-ODD tops is just to keep the number of SKUs down to avoid shipping mistakes. We already have enough of a problem with the handful of SKUs we have.
 
No Hands 55 said:
So are you saying the 3v burns out? should i get 6v then? i really dont want to have to order several times. but thanks for the info ill order the wires with it
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They all burn out if you put too much voltage on them, but the motherboard will always put the correct voltage out.
 
Doltron said:
They all burn out if you put too much voltage on them, but the motherboard will always put the correct voltage out.
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ok great i am ordering the 3v vandal switch then. So it should be fine since the mobo will only put out the 3v it requires correct? and I am trying to decide if i want to do the hdd activity led. I think it will look nice, might just be a little distracting. That will need more research so I can understand why and how he wires the resistors to the white led. The actual instillation of the activity led will be extremely simple

its just odd to me because he adds a resistor and diode for the activity led but the spare wire kit from aliexpress has the power and activity led just straight wired to the pins without any of that
 
Is there any interest in an aftermarket PSU bracket for those that missed out on the extra V3 brackets?

I missed out myself and I really want to fit the SX500-LG in my M1 so I'm considering designing my own bracket to practice my CAD skills if nothing else.
 
Aibohphobia said:
Is there any interest in an aftermarket PSU bracket for those that missed out on the extra V3 brackets?

I missed out myself and I really want to fit the SX500-LG in my M1 so I'm considering designing my own bracket to practice my CAD skills if nothing else.
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I offered this a few pages back and will draw it this weekend.
Don't have time any sooner unfortunately.
An (auto)cad engineer myself and experience with the ultimaker 3D printer.
 
superjec said:
Hey thanks for the suggestions but what happened to mine is that the screw actually broke off leaving the other half embeded in the motherboard stand off. i've seen other videos of that happening but in a bigger screw, any ideas for small screws like the ones found in the motherboard standoffs?
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Is the screw still sticking out a bit? If so, the idea with cutting a slit would work here, too. If not, you could probably try drilling it out, but you will quite certainly damage the standoffs thread that way. And you could still cut a slit even when it is completely embedded in the standoff. Will do some damage, but nothing that can be seen once the mobo is mounted again.
 
Aibohphobia said:
Is there any interest in an aftermarket PSU bracket for those that missed out on the extra V3 brackets?
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Yes!

Also i'm thinking maybe you could mod a sfx -> atx bracket so one could put the psu up against the front plate and maybe clear the connectors behind a card.
Max lenght = 12,5'' = 317mm
Ref. 980 = 267mm
Qrash's post says 63mm from the connectors to the front of the case.
267+63 = 330, which is 13mm short, but there's also 22mm of room to move the psu forward and it should be able to clear it. (given that the 500w has the same dimensions as the 600w)

@Necere would that be possible?
 
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JoepieDeSnoepie! said:
I offered this a few pages back and will draw it this weekend.
Don't have time any sooner unfortunately.
An (auto)cad engineer myself and experience with the ultimaker 3D printer.
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That's cool, I won't have my version ready for a little while. A 3d printed version will be great for those who also have a 3d printer, I'm going for a metal bracket.


Blk said:
Yes!

Also i'm thinking maybe you could mod a sfx -> atx bracket so one could put the psu up against the front plate and maybe clear the connectors behind a card.
Max lenght = 12,5'' = 317mm
Ref. 980 = 267mm
Qrash's post says 63mm from the connectors to the front of the case.
267+63 = 330, which is 13mm short, but there's also 22mm of room to move the psu forward and it should be able to clear it. (given that the 500w has the same dimensions as the 600w)

@Necere would that be possible?
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Actually, that's exactly what I was considering, great minds think alike :D

There's some room to move the PSU forward compared to the stock ATX bracket but the connectors on the SX500-LG are also offset. With the fan facing inward, that would place the connectors towards the front of the case for even more clearance.

It probably won't be enough for really long cards like the Tri-X 290X but it should clear most cards.

This design bracket wouldn't be useable for those with a 240mm rad or the HDD cage on the side bracket though. It would also block 2.5" drives being mounted on the inside of the front frame.

But there just isn't enough vertical space to comfortably fit SFX-L with even the V3 SFX bracket so I think it'd be a waste of time to just duplicate it.
 
Aibohphobia said:
That's cool, I won't have my version ready for a little while. A 3d printed version will be great for those who also have a 3d printer, I'm going for a metal bracket.




Actually, that's exactly what I was considering, great minds think alike :D
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If you like I can make those too for the 3D printer... I'll be doing that other one anyways.
And when they work out they're pretty quickly adapted to be made from sheet material.
But first I'll do the V3 one as it's been requested a lot.
 
Aibohphobia said:
That's cool, I won't have my version ready for a little while. A 3d printed version will be great for those who also have a 3d printer, I'm going for a metal bracket.




Actually, that's exactly what I was considering, great minds think alike :D

There's some room to move the PSU forward compared to the stock ATX bracket but the connectors on the SX500-LG are also offset. With the fan facing inward, that would place the connectors towards the front of the case for even more clearance.

It probably won't be enough for really long cards like the Tri-X 290X but it should clear most cards.

This design bracket wouldn't be useable for those with a 240mm rad or the HDD cage on the side bracket though. It would also block 2.5" drives being mounted on the inside of the front frame.

But there just isn't enough vertical space to comfortably fit SFX-L with even the V3 SFX bracket so I think it'd be a waste of time to just duplicate it.
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:D

JoepieDeSnoepie! said:
If you like I can make those too for the 3D printer... I'll be doing that other one anyways.
And when they work out they're pretty quickly adapted to be made from sheet material.
But first I'll do the V3 one as it's been requested a lot.
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Doit! :)


Something totally diffrrent:
Has anyone tried the Delock 41800 pcie riser? Can't seem to find any info about it
 
superjec said:
Hey thanks for the suggestions but what happened to mine is that the screw actually broke off leaving the other half embeded in the motherboard stand off. i've seen other videos of that happening but in a bigger screw, any ideas for small screws like the ones found in the motherboard standoffs?
Click to expand...

How tight was it torqued down? If its not much, the rubber eraser on a pencil may be able to get it out by just pressing down and twisting.

Try this: get a wooden toothpick, cut the end off so that it's not pointed but still has a small diameter with a flat end, get a TINY drop of super glue on the end of it and let it dry to the broken screw. Then see if that will allow enough grip to twist the toothpick and pull the screw with it.

I say be very very careful with this method as you probably don't want to just end up supergluing the threads into the standoff. Maybe something else like hot glue would work also, but that could get a bit messy. You just need anything on the end of that cut up toothpick that will get some grip onto the screw shaft and allow you to reverse it out.
 
JoepieDeSnoepie! said:
If you like I can make those too for the 3D printer... I'll be doing that other one anyways.
And when they work out they're pretty quickly adapted to be made from sheet material.
But first I'll do the V3 one as it's been requested a lot.
Click to expand...

I'm not real familiar with 3d printing but wouldn't you have to design a structural part like this quite differently than a sheet metal bracket?
 
Has anyone tried the Nepton 240m in NCase?
I read several reviews and it seems that its performance is quite good with a very low noise of the pump. My intention is putting on two Noctua NF-F12 PWN.
Do you think about?

Thanks!
 
Aibohphobia said:
I'm not real familiar with 3d printing but wouldn't you have to design a structural part like this quite differently than a sheet metal bracket?
Click to expand...

Corners are tricky and basically you need to add some reinforcement.
I've done a lot of prototyping this way as sheet metal is quite expensive.
But for the last request, the psu perpendicular to the side panel using the ATX bracket, there's a real easy fix that's also sufficient strong.
I might develop 3 brackets so there's enough choose =)

The truth is, I developed a case pretty similar to the M1 so I've already thought about this.
The problem was, once I released some sketches nobody was interested 2,5 years ago so it was put on hold. At least the bracket sketches I made back then are useful now =)

I won't do the sheet metal ones if there's interest though, my company is simply to busy for that and we got orders stacked till halfway this year.
 
Siba said:
How tight was it torqued down? If its not much, the rubber eraser on a pencil may be able to get it out by just pressing down and twisting.

Try this: get a wooden toothpick, cut the end off so that it's not pointed but still has a small diameter with a flat end, get a TINY drop of super glue on the end of it and let it dry to the broken screw. Then see if that will allow enough grip to twist the toothpick and pull the screw with it.

I say be very very careful with this method as you probably don't want to just end up supergluing the threads into the standoff. Maybe something else like hot glue would work also, but that could get a bit messy. You just need anything on the end of that cut up toothpick that will get some grip onto the screw shaft and allow you to reverse it out.
Click to expand...

Well as you can imagine the torque needed to break a screw, it's really jammed in there alright. I'll be trying to use 6mm screw exctractor tomorrow and see if this works. thanks for the suggestions tho.
 
superjec said:
Hey thanks for the suggestions but what happened to mine is that the screw actually broke off leaving the other half embeded in the motherboard stand off. i've seen other videos of that happening but in a bigger screw, any ideas for small screws like the ones found in the motherboard standoffs?
Click to expand...

Often I find that when a screw head twists off it leaves behind a small raised edge in the twisted top surface of the threaded portion left behind. In these cases a very small straight (flathead) screwdriver can be used to press at a low angle against this raised edge to very slowly turn the threaded piece to raise it up and out of the hole. Good luck!
 
Will a Noctua 92mm with 14mm depth clear a H100i radiator? I bought a zalman 92mm with 25mm depth only to find out it hits the H100i radiator. I can't get an exact measurement cause its hard to get in the case once everythings in there. Appreciate the help thanks.
 
JoepieDeSnoepie! said:
I won't do the sheet metal ones if there's interest though, my company is simply to busy for that and we got orders stacked till halfway this year.
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Are you using professional 3d printers? If so, that makes more sense, I've designed a replacement flash drive casing and got it printed from Shapeways using their selective laser sintered nylon and that's pretty strong stuff.

I was thinking you were designing for the hobby type printers, though I'm sure they've gotten a lot better than the last time I really looked into them.
 
I've got a (semi-)professional one available to me and will release it as a .STL suitable for home printers.
You always got the option to have it printed by shapeways or wherever; at least here there are cheaper options.
Made more brackets from 1,5mm printed material and they have been holding out pretty long; we're even considering printing certain parts as it's cheaper than producing them or ordering the original ones.

In the end this is just a service from me as long as ncase can't produce new ones so it will never be designed as a long term solution (but probably is).
 
icedlink said:
A silly question , how to mount the hdd rack behind a 120mm fan ?
Which screws do you use?
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Use the screws that came screwed into the rack to attach it to the fan, then use some M5 screws to attach the fan to the fan bracket.

superjec said:
Will a Noctua 92mm with 14mm depth clear a H100i radiator? I bought a zalman 92mm with 25mm depth only to find out it hits the H100i radiator. I can't get an exact measurement cause its hard to get in the case once everythings in there. Appreciate the help thanks.
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Not sure if it will, but you could also attach it on the outside. Maybe not the prettiest solution, though.
 
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My worst fear came true..... All my parts came in, finally my ncase came in but I ordered black with the slot and it came with no slot ;(((( I hope it can be solved, hopefully they can send me a top so I can start building now... Does anybody know how they are handling these issues?
 
mattyice said:
My worst fear came true..... All my parts came in, finally my ncase came in but I ordered black with the slot and it came with no slot ;(((( I hope it can be solved, hopefully they can send me a top so I can start building now... Does anybody know how they are handling these issues?
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Sigh... this is getting old. They had ONE job to do. Well, send w360 an email about it (info at ncases dot com).
 
Necere said:
Sigh... this is getting old. They had ONE job to do. Well, send w360 an email about it (info at ncases dot com).
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Just did, hopefully he can set me up with a top panel.. :/ i presume this is Taiwan air's fault... Looks like they messed up a lot of them
 
Yep its the Taiwan postal service at fault. w360 is taking care of it thoe :) I dont understand how their postal workers could be so dumb and careless, it doesn't sound like they looked at a single label on each case box and just randomly sent them out.

I got my case setup assembled for the most part and took a few pics. Got the 4790k, asus z97i, evga slim load drive kit, team extreme 2400 16gb ram, samsung 850 pro 256gb. I love the overall case design and quality and im very happy with the ncase m1 (other then getting the wrong color outer covers which is getting taken care of). Only thing I have left to buy and install is the power supply, video card, and cooler. Im still kinda waiting to see when this 500w PSU will be available to buy, and im leaning towards the new gtx 960 which will be out in a couple days. I'll be ordering either the C14 or Nepton 240m tonight still havnt made up my mind, lol im so indecisive.
 
Just reporting same issue with shipping. Got a silver case w/ ODD slot. Ordered Black sans ODD slot.

Sorta warmed up to the case though. If it benefits all parties better to trade systems I'll work with whomever to get that done; otherwise I'll stick with it. Fantastic case regardless. Also can anodize the panels black if need be. Assuming those little pegs are aluminum as well.
 
Blk said:
Something totally diffrrent:
Has anyone tried the Delock 41800 pcie riser? Can't seem to find any info about it
Click to expand...

I think I posted that one a few pages back.

I didn't try it, but in general I'm very satisfied with DeLock, they make very reliable products from my experience. I actually buy a lot of stuff from them for work, partially for uptime-critical applications, and nothing I purchased from them has ever failed me.

The riser is shielded, so interference shouldn't occur like it does with the cheap risers. I would give it a bash ;)
 
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