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

Okay, well a vertical layout wouldn't be my first choice, but here's what I came up with after a few hours messing around.

  • Dimensions: 160 * 290 * 400mm, 19l (FT03-mini is 189 * 235 * 397, 17.6l)
  • 6 x 2.5" drives
  • Room for a dual 120mm/140mm slim rad in front
  • Two PSU mounting locations (lower and upper); lower is primarily for SFX, but very short ATX PSUs (e.g., Nexus NX-6000) will fit. Upper should take 160mm long PSUs
  • Full length dual slot GPU (320mm+)
  • No optical drive, 5.25" or 3.5" bays

It's a bit bigger than the OP was going for, but compares pretty well to the FT03-mini, considering the extra capability.

Pics:











The cutouts front and back are for easy carrying.

Not my usual style, but when you're working exclusively with aluminum you have to do things a bit different.

Opinions/thoughts?
 
My one comment is I don't like the idea of the PSU exhausting back into the internals, seems counter-productive to the cooling efficiency.

Other than that, the case looks cool.
 
Necere said:
Okay, well a vertical layout wouldn't be my first choice, but here's what I came up with after a few hours messing around.

  • Dimensions: 160 * 290 * 400mm, 19l (FT03-mini is 189 * 235 * 397, 17.6l)
  • 6 x 2.5" drives
  • Room for a dual 120mm/140mm slim rad in front
  • Two PSU mounting locations (lower and upper); lower is primarily for SFX, but very short ATX PSUs (e.g., Nexus NX-6000) will fit. Upper should take 160mm long PSUs
  • Full length dual slot GPU (320mm+)
  • No optical drive, 5.25" or 3.5" bays

It's a bit bigger than the OP was going for, but compares pretty well to the FT03-mini, considering the extra capability.

Pics:

snip

The cutouts front and back are for easy carrying.

Not my usual style, but when you're working exclusively with aluminum you have to do things a bit different.

Opinions/thoughts?
Click to expand...

well thats just completely derailed the thread. :p great looking build as usual though. couple questions: why isnt the psu attached to the psu mounting holes at the top, and if its on the bottom like that, then where are all the wires supposed to go? they come out the bottom of the case...
 
xyexz said:
My one comment is I don't like the idea of the PSU exhausting back into the internals, seems counter-productive to the cooling efficiency.

Other than that, the case looks cool.
Click to expand...

PSU can alternately go at the top, in the same position as in the FT03-mini. It just blocks airflow from the front fans more that way. Consider if the CPU is watercooled there won't be much in the PSU exhaust that's temperature sensitive. Bottom mount is also better if you want a window.

It's all about options.


ekuest said:
well thats just completely derailed the thread. :p great looking build as usual though. couple questions: why isnt the psu attached to the psu mounting holes at the top, and if its on the bottom like that, then where are all the wires supposed to go? they come out the bottom of the case...
Click to expand...

The wires... bend. :p

There's 20mm between the short Nexus PSU and the case floor, 45mm if you use one of the SilverStone SFX units instead. It would be pretty tight for the former, but doable. The latter should be no problem.
 
Why do you need an exact cad model for an "INSPIRED" case?
Besides, wouldn't you have better luck getting silverstone to build you and aluminium one if they are still doing customs in quantity?
 
My latest, v3 is 180x220x275mm, ~11 Liters.

I hesitate about bigger cases (15-23L) because there are a lot more cases / options in that category. In fact, Lian Li offers a few.

SG05 stood out to me because it can accommodate bigger double slot GPUs despite it's small size.

wahaha360_MiniITX_3.png
 
JayJapanB said:
Why do you need an exact cad model for an "INSPIRED" case?
Besides, wouldn't you have better luck getting silverstone to build you and aluminium one if they are still doing customs in quantity?
Click to expand...

I was planning to make modifications based on the SG05. A pro CAD model has all the details that you wouldn't find in a SketchUp model.

I want aluminum cases, I think Lian Li is better at aluminum.
 
wahaha360 said:
I get the math, but the Case and PSU is bundled by SilverStone, NOT sold separately. I'm not starting a company and this is a hobby; without the need to profit, I can probably get an aluminum case, by Lian Li, for around $80. That's reasonable.

I'm just designing the basic layout, Lian Li will do the engineering. I wouldn't attempt this without a reputable case manufacture .
Click to expand...

Dude, the only way you'll get your case made at that price is by building a few thousand of them. The last time I looked into getting this done it was around $180 per case for a small run of five hundred. No way are you going to get this down to $80.
 
wahaha360 said:
My latest, v3 is 180x220x275mm, ~11 Liters.

I hesitate about bigger cases (15-23L) because there are a lot more cases / options in that category. In fact, Lian Li offers a few.

SG05 stood out to me because it can accommodate bigger double slot GPUs despite it's small size.

wahaha360_MiniITX_3.png
Click to expand...

The top needs a cover. If you go without one you may as well forget about trying to make it look decent because it's going to look ridiculous no matter what. Furthermore, you can't directly compare case volumes between this style of case and others because of how much space the cable cover takes up.

Anyway, I modified my earlier design to more closely match yours:







160*215*400, 13.8L
 
ekuest said:
it's a lot easier to take a cover off the top and plug/unplug cables than to turn the whole thing on its side to try to get to the ports on the bottom. same reason the ft03 and ft03-mini have the ports on top.
Click to expand...

thats true if a person would be plugging/unplugging stuff quite often. guess i was thinking from my perspective that i plug something in, i might not ever unplug it for 6+ months. so in that instance it kind of ruins the aesthetic by having all those wires and cables hanging down the side
 
CrimandEvil said:
Dude, the only way you'll get your case made at that price is by building a few thousand of them. The last time I looked into getting this done it was around $180 per case for a small run of five hundred. No way are you going to get this down to $80.
Click to expand...

Can you provide more details of that quote?
1. Was it a mini-itx case? What were the dimensions?
2. What kind of materials? What was the thickness of the metal?
3. What kind of HDD and DVD cage? ex: 3*2.5" + 2*5.25"
3. Does $180 include shipping? If not, what was the shipping cost per unit?

Another reason I prefer a more compact case (<13L) is because less material = cheaper.

Necere said:

Click to expand...

Drool bucket!!!

Necere, any way you can make it shorter than 400mm?
 
wahaha360 said:
Necere, any way you can make it shorter than 400mm?
Click to expand...

350mm, lowest I can go:











Limited to 10.5" GPUs now and functionally even closer to the FT03-mini.

It's looking pretty sexy and Apple-like, I have to say... even I'm starting to want this case :p
 
Necere said:
350mm, lowest I can go:
It's looking pretty sexy and Apple-like, I have to say... even I'm starting to want this case :p
Click to expand...

NICE, 160*215*350 = 12L. I rotated the SG05, the rest is by you. I'm glad you like the design direction. We are making progress.

Necere, humor me:
1. Change the Dell monitor to Apple 27 Cinema...the Dell is misfit next to this design
2. Add a slot loading drive...facing side panel maybe
3. Change the cable slot to a circle (see img below)
4. Add a grill to cover to to bottom (see img below)

I just want to see if these changes makes a difference.

revision.png
 
Adding a mesh grill to the side intakes is going to add restriction. Plus I figured keeping them open would allow easy access to a removable dust filter. But here it is anyway:





I left it open at the top before to make running cables easier. I don't think it makes much difference either way.

There's really no good way to get an optical drive in so here's my suggestion :p:

 
Necere, you are very good. You clearly have a very nice eye for industrial design.

Where in your design would/did you place the slot for the I/O cables to enter the case and plug into the M/B?
 
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jamaicanpi said:
Where is the your design would/did you place the slot for the I/O cables to enter the case and plug into the M/B?
Click to expand...

Keep in mind this is still very much a WIP and IANAE(ngineer); that said it was one of the more recent additions to the "back" plate, see if you can spot it:



With the SFX adapter plate and PSU mounted. The opening for the I/O cables is 13 x 35mm. Hopefully that's adequate.




Adapter plate and PSU removed. As you can see, it's open to allow large connectors through more easily.




ATX power supply mounted.
 
Necere, this is awesome.

Oh yea, is there enough space between ATX PSU and the CPU cooler?
 
There's ~60mm from the motherboard to the ATX PSU, so about 52mm cooler height. SFX is 72mm/64mm. I figure if people are really interested in good CPU cooling they'll use a sealed liquid cooler on the bottom 120mm fan.
 
The top covers of cases like the FT03 and FT03-Mini should be on hinges to make things cleaner.
 
Synomenon said:
The top covers of cases like the FT03 and FT03-Mini should be on hinges to make things cleaner.
Click to expand...

And a foot-operated pedal too? Complete the effect :p


Having a little fun:



Not that you would, but you could...
 
I liked it more without the mesh at bottom but I'd buy either. I also think an optical drive has no place in a small case like this. It's not worth the space or the added cost. A usb unit will work just as well, be cheaper, and you can hide it when not in use.
 
SithSolo1 - removable bottom grill :p

Necere,

Is it possible to add another fan to the top?
What do you think about making the side panels taller?

revision_2.png
 
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wahaha360 said:
Is it possible to add another fan to the top?
Click to expand...

Sure, provided no cables are in the way.

wahaha360 said:
What do you think about making the side panels taller?
Click to expand...

I think it may be necessary if push latches are used to secure the side panel, as on Lian Li's other cases. That way the latches are above the top panel where they won't get in the way of inserting components. It's either that or making the case deeper.

I noticed you have the wires from the front I/O coming straight down - I'm not sure that will be an option. I'm assuming using parts from Lian Li's parts bin and their front I/O modules seem to have fairly rigid cables coming straight out (e.g. see here). It's cleaner having them come straight down, but it would be up to what they can do.
 
Necere,

With the side panels taller, maybe the I/O cable can be fasten along the side panel and into hole you left by the PSU

 
Yeah maybe, but come to think of it those thick cables are, I think, just for the USB 3.0 that are routed to the back panel... and our back panel is right there. The wires for the power button are the usual thin flexible type, so taking them straight down should be possible after all. There's also this I found, showing an alternate design used on the PC-Q03 with the cables coming out at a right angle.

The other thing I'm not sure about are the audio cables. But these are all the little details that need to be worked out with their engineers.

edit: pfft... they have a page full of these things... should've looked a little harder around their site I suppose :p
 
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Would it be ugly if it only had a power button with no I/O like this one or maybe audio I/O only?
 
Looks fine:



Probably better, even. The multicolored USB/audio jacks won't be doing the otherwise minimalist looks any favors.

Of course, you lose some utility not having those ports there.
 
Design wise, we can hide the multicolored ports behind the aluminum, which is what Apple does with their products. Functionally, it's useful and I actually use the I/O ports myself.

The I/O could be placed lower on the case, but that would interfere with the design.

I/O or no I/O, I can't decide on this one.

Any potential buyers wants to give their $0.02?
 
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Actually, Apple just makes the ports match the rest of the chassis - a luxury we don't have.

The thing is, all the ports you need are right there under the top cover. So it's a question of whether that makes them too much of a hassle to access, and also routing them through the rear cable opening. Could leave a cutout in the cover at the front for cables...

Kind of tough call.


edit: Colored port test:



Can I get a 'meh?'

edit 2: could put the ports on the back like the Mac Mini has 'em. Case is small enough that that wouldn't be too inconvenient.
 
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im thinking another cutout in the bottom of the front matching the ones on the sides and put the ports in there, maybe facing down so theyre not even visible from head on.
 
If it's not obvious that the I/O is going to make the case look bad, then keep the functionality of it. Placing the I/O along the top like Necere designed still looks great and maintains a good aesthetic.

More importantly, while you have momentum you should start talking to Lian Li about the details. More than likely there will be changes to the design and it will be more fun to make the changes now then after Necere has made the 50th CAD iteration.
 
ekuest said:
im thinking another cutout in the bottom of the front matching the ones on the sides and put the ports in there, maybe facing down so theyre not even visible from head on.
Click to expand...

It might be possible to put them on the bottom front, though it's going to be fighting for space with the 2.5" drives, and with those fat USB 3.0 cables... I'm not so sure.

Having the ports facing down would look weird, though. The front cutout would need to be higher than the ones one the side to allow enough space for the connectors and inserting/removing. It would also preclude many thumb drives from being used.

jamaicanpi said:
If it's not obvious that the I/O is going to make the case look bad, then keep the functionality of it. Placing the I/O along the top like Necere designed still looks great and maintains a good aesthetic.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree. If they looked as tidy as they do on the Mac Pro, there'd be no issue. But the quality of Lian Li's metalwork and components aren't quite up that standard, unfortunately.
 
jamaicanpi has a fair point, don't want to make Necere do unnecessary work.

Going to send the following picture (my favorite design) to Lian Li and get their feedback.



Necere, I was thinking about the same location for the I/O using this:

revision_3.png
 
make sure to send them an interior pic or two or theyll have no idea what youre trying to do!
 
wahaha360 said:
Necere, I was thinking about the same location for the I/O using this:
Click to expand...

Maybe, but it would have to be on the other side. The way you have it would completely block access to the 2.5" drives. But man, all those fat cables inside the case, plus the PSU cables, plus the HDD cables, not gonna be pretty... the case might have to grow 5-10mm in depth and/or width to fit everything.

I should mention, the way I'm thinking right now, only the left panel and top cover will be removable - right side panel will be permanently fastened and self-clinching nuts or standoffs for the motherboard attached directly to it. No separate motherboard tray.


edit: partly exploded views, with and without components:



 
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Everyone, I appreciate all the input, particularly Necere.

I really think we are on the path of something great. When you can reduce design to it's simplest form, the design becomes inevitable, because it's hard to imagine designing the product any other way.

Necere, the design we have so far, it's simple and timeless. If Lian Li can manufacture without alteration. I think it's going to be big.
 
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