LUMINA Case mod Worklog - by Design Master

Building - part 01

For fabricating all 114 pieces of the LUMINA project, I performed the cuts, mouldings, finishes and polishes procedures manually by using a Dremel, sandpaper, drill, soldering irons and aluminium heat moulds. I only requested the factory to mould some of the 14 structural pieces because of the technical impossibilities of moulding parts this big at home.

Following, the structural parts being placed:

After some days of planning, I decided to create a new PCI SLOT plate. My idea was to build a back door system to get boards insertion easier and with screwless.

No problem with the acrylic powder: All boards used here are wasted! J

By using a Dremel, I made precise cuts to create slot bays on the shape. Below, the backplate already mounted and set firmly in place by two hinges and the slot plate rail, a moulded piece built from smoked acrylic. Later on you will see some examples of the moulding procedure.

On the mainboard fixing shape, I did two 80mm diameter holes for improving internal air circulation. This part is located internally, without any external contact. To fix the mainboard I made ten acrylic cubes, replacing the screws.

The next step was to build the main panel by using a 12mm acrylic piece. I had to sculpt each button hole manually to reach the desired shape. It was very very hard-working and took me 3 days.

The clear piece was almost done -- Its surface would still be sanded because I had planned a foggy finish for reaching a better lighting effect.

After finishing the part, I fixed the main panel leds and switches with cold-heat glue. To hide the apparent wire, I idealized and made a new part following the original lines of the main panel.

The piece is an acrylic cut shape entirely moulded by using the heat mould...

...and finished with rounded corners.

Observe the foggy finish on both parts and how well mixed they are, don't you think? The cable sleeving was made from nylon nettings. Later on you will see more about it.

Returning to the case, I made some draughts seeking the best design for the complemental parts of the lateral hinged doors.

In focus, an engineering solution for fixing little curvatures of very thin parts, such as the 4 structural angle columns built from smoked acrylic. All of them were firmly linked on pressure through two screws by each extremity, ensuring the stability and rigidity of portico.

Finally, the last external part was installed. That’s an angular smoked door, with one central groove and fixed in place by two hinges. This part was also made by me at my friend's factory because I didn’t have a big heater needed, unfortunately.

The 2mm smoked shapes were being prepared to be turned into lateral doors complements.

The cuts had to be done carefully because of their curvatures. The parts were properly sanded, polished and were fixed on the inside of door.

I idealized an frontal air filter by using 0.5mm double layered metallic netting. For that, I cut two 120mm diameter wheels and placed them side by side surrounded by “U” type 4mm rubber rib.

Two complemental pieces were incorporated to the air filter area turning the right angles of the 120mm fan into smooth and harmonic curves.

I think I have forgotten to mention about the two cramp irons built from iron shape, for holding the filter up the case. That was an easy job: I cut a thin iron shape, folded it in four points turning the small piece into an “S” form, by using pliers and small hammer. Sanding and painting procedures finished the process. I had the idea of placing one cramp iron on the rubber rib emend giving the impression of an uncut and continuous piece, don’t you think?

The next step was to redesign the 3.5” and 5.25” bay boxes.

…and done!

I also added case corner protections to the project. It was a lot of traces until reaching the perfect result, always seeking to keep up case smooth lines.

I moulded the four pieces by using the heat mould and following the same foggy finish standard.

Although all pieces are following the same standard, they are distinctive ones.

Now, let’s see how the foot stands were made. This is one of four 15mm shape provided by the factory, in which I traced the cut planning. The sticker was used for preventing scratches.

What a very hard job here!! I had to improvise some 60mm diameter sanding wheels to pare the four original surface pieces turning them into rounded ones.

Here you can see the second finish by manual sanding… but, where is the brightness?

Before that, I prepared little smoked borders -- also important pieces for the foot stand finishing.

Finally, the foot stands were polished. Take a look at the brightness!

The work was not finished yet. I also idealized new parts for bringing the foot stands into harmony with the case lines. They were cut and moulded by using the heat mould, following the same standard.

That’s the standard foot stand finished, excepting the front right one...

…which has a lock mechanism that I projected to the front door. It’s an “L” piece fixed by one screw, internally, that moves through the “rail” of smoked part.

The building of LUMINA nameplate was another very-very hard work procedure, which demanded me high manual skill and perfectionism. Holding the printed logo, I started moulding a 20mm width crystal acrylic strip.

One by one, the words were made.

I realized I was in the right way! I made the foggy finish on all words, seeking the better lighting effect…

…and by using the Dremel, I halved each word, creating two identical nameplates, one for each lateral door.

The words were fixed on backplates, which, in its turn, was fixed by screws on lateral doors, internally.

Despite the fragile look, these parts are shockproof, since they are fixed internally by screws.

Let’s come back to the PCI board placement system. I designed two smoked pieces to be placed on the slot plate rail extremities. For that, I prepared a bigger heat mould.

After cutting, paring, polishing procedures and a bit of manual skill.…

...voila!

The next step was to make the exhaustion system. By using two Cooler Master 80mm fans, I pared their four corners of one face, leaving another face free for screw fixing.

I sought to mask the free faces with black painting to avoid light dispersion there.

As my purpose was to avoid oscillating bright when the fan speed changed, through the fan control, I made all the blue leds circuit independent.

The two fans would gain a protection and finish part. That’s a 20mm width smoked rule moulded by using the heat mould and covered by brushed steel sticker.

LUMINA, as transparent cases, doesn’t fit apparent wires. Thinking that, I created my own cable sleeving kit by using nylon nettings, and blue, black and silver paintings with acrylic finishing. The visible ones were covered by flexible transparent hoses.

The lighting project brings led fans, two cold cathode lamps and a strategic array of 10 blue leds pointing to the main elements inside the case.

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The cut planning…