Help w/ DIY Case

[tno]

I'm getting married. This I understand is a fine time to take up a hobby. So, I've decided to try my hand at building my own computer case and I've chosen to borrow (steal) some ideas from Thermaltake's Tai-Chi case (specs per NewEgg). Those finned side panels help cool the case and make it look incredibly sharp. More extreme versions of this idea appear on lots of Media Center cases to make them fanless. I have scoured the Lowes, the Radio Shack and my local electronic components shops and have come up dry. The only suggestion that one guy at Lowe's had was to try an HVAC supply shop, so that's what I'll do tomorrow, but in the interim . . . Do any of you know where one might come across panels similar to the ones on the Tai-Chi? They're basically like oversized heatsinks with small fins, and apparently very hard to find. Any help would be appreciated!

tno

 

[WoodButcher]

I think this is the link you meant to post.
Those panels are not something your going to find ready made. That is an aluminum extrusion. I can't tell you how it is made, whether rolled or pressed or both but it is a custom order for thermaltake, or commonly referred to as a "one off". HVAC shops will not have that laying around scrap or any thing like it. Sorry, but they're lost at Lowes. I've been in the trades for over 30 years and several times had to get custom goodies for clients.
Google aluminum extrusion and you may find a shop online that has made something similar or will do custom work.
Good luck I'm sure you'll enjoy your new "hobby"

btw-this is the last one I built.

 

[Zepper]

It won't make any significant difference to the temps in your case anyway, so why go to the expense?

.bh.

 

[wwswimming]

Do any of you know where one might come across panels similar to the ones on the Tai-Chi? They're basically like oversized heatsinks with small fins, and apparently very hard to find.

an industrial metal supply place.

in San Diego, for example, the place to go is named - Industrial Metal Supply. they have a fair selection of extrusions available "off the shelf" (so you can just buy 10 feet - instead of 1000 feet.)

sometimes an aluminum extruder company will maintain stocks of extrusions. & will send you samples for free. it helps if they think you're a design engineer and that your new design will result in a big order for them.

from a quick search
http://www.alexandriaextrusion.com/index.cfm
http://www.extrusions.com/

as far as how the process works - a lot like making pasta.

 

[tno]

Zepper,

The fins act like heatsinks for the whole case, and DO help according to AT themselves. In fanless cases they use heatpipes routed to the sinks to cool components, but the overall finned design usually means you can use fewer, larger and slower fans that still move air but make for a fairly quiet case. The numbers demonstrate that in the AT article. The fact that subjectively the TT case seems to be louder is due to the tendency for light aluminum to resonate.

tno

 

[tno]

WoodButcher,

Thanks for the advice, I hope I can prove you wrong and find some of this stuff off the shelf. Regardless, thanks and are there any sites that specialize in DIY cases? I went to SPCR but most of their cases are wood and that's not the kind of thing I'm looking for. Thanks in advance.

tno

 

[tno]

wwswimming,

Thanks for the tip, I'll check out those sites, I'm not above coming off as an engineer of some sort to get a hold of some materials for this project. I worry that central Virginia is a little too agricultural to have an industrial metal supply place. I looked into where contractors go to get supplies and the stick to lumbar yards. Wood is big in small house construction, without a whole lot of tall buildings around here aluminum and steel aren't in high demand.

If anyone knows of such a place in the Charlottesville area then please let me know though. Thanks again!

tno

 

[WoodButcher]

Originally posted by: tno
WoodButcher,

Thanks for the advice, I hope I can prove you wrong and find some of this stuff off the shelf. Regardless, thanks and are there any sites that specialize in DIY cases? I went to SPCR but most of their cases are wood and that's not the kind of thing I'm looking for. Thanks in advance.

tno

I hope you do prove me wrong, If you find something please let me know if more is available as I would be intersted in this materiel too. I'm thinking of using diamond-plate for my next project but something fluted may be cool.
Last summer I worked with a couple of guys that are the engineers/ creators of the new Owens-Corning sunrooms so I made a few contacts for this type of thing.
The most cost effective route would be to find TTs' manufacture plant and buy scrap and or seconds or fabricate this yourself. How's your welding skills?

:light: I do find odd aluminum at the scrapyard, that is where I go for my diamond plate and other goodies, {major scrounger}, but wtf, around here you buy scrap by the pound and save $ if you look hard enough.

 

[Zepper]

Regardless of what AT says, I doubt that material will justify the expense unless you find it at a scrap yard.

.bh.