I'm planning to build a Mini ITX game PC in a "OpenBeam" case.

[mumbojumboo]

My goal is to build a game pc in a very small pc case, but yet powerful to play the latest games on high settings. I choose to build my through a Openbeam construction, because Openbeam makes it possible to adjust the case the way I want.

I never had seen someone did this before, so this is for me a new experiment which I want to share with you. I hope also to get feedback from you, so I invite you to share your tips or ideas.

What is OpenBeam?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ttstam/openbeam-an-open-source-miniature-construction-syslive


Seller

www.openbeamusa.com


More info about openbeam

http://blog.openbeamusa.com/

 

[axuak]

Cool! I'd sure love to see it!

 

[Diverge]

Nice, I was just looking up aluminum square tubing today with the idea of building my own case. That stuff looks much nicer. The first link isn't working though.

Are there any examples of computer cases?

edit: bah, found link to it, but site keeps changing the URL, even google shortened links.. lame

 

[Geigle]

Thread started by 1 day old account with 1 post suggesting a cool new product he is going to use to build a new computer. Thread bumped by 1 day old account with 1 post showing support for such a cool new product!

Nice [H]Forum community comes along and is excited and wants more information. I too would like to see the end result but I am skeptical it will actually materialize.

 

[Diverge]

Thread started by 1 day old account with 1 post suggesting a cool new product he is going to use to build a new computer. Thread bumped by 1 day old account with 1 post showing support for such a cool new product!

Nice [H]Forum community comes along and is excited and wants more information. I too would like to see the end result but I am skeptical it will actually materialize.

Very true, probably that creator plugging his product. But it does seem pretty cool. Like legos and erector set.. does seem kinda of expensive though, for what the materials are.

edit: I don't see the $100 kit that is shown on the kickstarter page. That is the only one I'd be willing to get. Not about to waste $200 to see if I can build something useful.

edit2: they jacked up the prices to offset their 20% off yearend sale. The other sites actually have lower prices. If you look at the blog page, 2nd entry it lists other sites for their $80 dollar starter kit, which is $80 on those site, and $95 on their own site.

 

[vipz]

There's also http://microrax.com/

Not sure how it compares to the stuff mentioned in OP. No relations to the company other than having spoken to the owner at MakerFaire SF this year.

I bought a set sometime around then but have yet to get started on actually building anything.

 

[mumbojumboo]

Cool! I'd sure love to see it!

I hope soon to let you see results.

Nice, I was just looking up aluminum square tubing today with the idea of building my own case. That stuff looks much nicer. The first link isn't working though.

Are there any examples of computer cases?

edit: bah, found link to it, but site keeps changing the URL, even google shortened links.. lame

I did also look for other alternatives, but openbeam is imo the most convenient.

I hope this url will work. You should watch the video from the kickstarter about this product. Or Google "openbeam kickstarter"

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ttstam/openbeam-an-open-source-miniature-construction-sys

Thread started by 1 day old account with 1 post suggesting a cool new product he is going to use to build a new computer. Thread bumped by 1 day old account with 1 post showing support for such a cool new product!

Nice [H]Forum community comes along and is excited and wants more information. I too would like to see the end result but I am skeptical it will actually materialize.

It will be a challenge to put all the parts in a nice way in the cube, but I'm positive it will succeed.

I hope soon to start work with this idea. I already ordered my package.

Very true, probably that creator plugging his product. But it does seem pretty cool. Like legos and erector set.. does seem kinda of expensive though, for what the materials are.

edit: I don't see the $100 kit that is shown on the kickstarter page. That is the only one I'd be willing to get. Not about to waste $200 to see if I can build something useful.

edit2: they jacked up the prices to offset their 20% off yearend sale. The other sites actually have lower prices. If you look at the blog page, 2nd entry it lists other sites for their $80 dollar starter kit, which is $80 on those site, and $95 on their own site.

You can also order the parts you only want. It will become cheaper if you know exactly the part you needs.

There's also http://microrax.com/

Not sure how it compares to the stuff mentioned in OP. No relations to the company other than having spoken to the owner at MakerFaire SF this year.

I bought a set sometime around then but have yet to get started on actually building anything.

I hope also to see the result from your build.

 

[craigbru]

Interesting concept. However, this isn't completely new. A company called Lubic (pretty sure that was it) was selling parts and kits to make your own cases almost 10 years ago. I do wish they would have stuck around a little longer, as I always wanted to make a purchase. Maybe one of these newer companies will have better luck.

 

[mumbojumboo]

Interesting concept. However, this isn't completely new. A company called Lubic (pretty sure that was it) was selling parts and kits to make your own cases almost 10 years ago. I do wish they would have stuck around a little longer, as I always wanted to make a purchase. Maybe one of these newer companies will have better luck.

Before I wanted to start this, I have looked many times on the internet if there are companies that are engaged with this idea, unfortunately without result.

I've found a example from Cubit on Google which will pretty much look like the way I want.

It must fit the following components.

Mini ITX (of course)
2x HDD 3.5" storage
1x SSD 2.5" OS
2x 4 GB RAM 1600Mhz
ASUS GTX 680
700 watt PSU
Slim DVD burner

 

[craigbru]

Before I wanted to start this, I have looked many times on the internet if there are companies that are engaged with this idea, unfortunately without result.

I've found a example from Cubit on Google which will pretty much look like the way I want.

It must fit the following components.

Mini ITX (of course)
2x HDD 3.5" storage
1x SSD 2.5" OS
2x 4 GB RAM 1600Mhz
ASUS GTX 680
700 watt PSU
Slim DVD burner

Yeah, I believe 2006~7 was the last time I saw any Lubic parts available. Regardless of the company, I still like the idea. Good luck.

 

[mumbojumboo]

Yeah, I believe 2006~7 was the last time I saw any Lubic parts available. Regardless of the company, I still like the idea. Good luck.

Although Lubic had the same principal the way I want to build my case, I found the parts they sold very poor looking. The parts of openbeam looking imo much better. One disadvantage of openbeam is that the frame is a little bit thicker than lubic frame.

 

[mumbojumboo]

Need some help to find case parts. Does anyone knows a place where I can order separate case parts?

What do I need?

Motherboard tray MiniITX base with GPU standard
HDD rack 3x 3.5 inch (2 for 3.5 inch and 1 for 2.5 inch)
Switch to turn the PC on/off
PSU bracket 700 watt

 

[CMadki4]

Need some help to find case parts. Does anyone knows a place where I can order separate case parts?

What do I need?

Motherboard tray MiniITX base with GPU standard
HDD rack 3x 3.5 inch (2 for 3.5 inch and 1 for 2.5 inch)
Switch to turn the PC on/off
PSU bracket 700 watt

frozencpu.com
performance-pcs.com

and few misc. others...

But you won't find a mini ITX tray. Or at least unlikely. You can always purchase mATX and cut it down to mini ITX.

 

[Diverge]

I ordered the $175 openbeam kit ($140 after the coupon code). Hopefully I can make something out of the precut lengths it comes with. Here's my latest brainstorming ideas for the layout.

 

[Spotswood]

I've been building open-air tech/test trays/stations for quite a while now, but at the same time I've also been working on designs for enclosed cases made from t-slot extrusions. My designs leverage the flexibility that comes with using t-slot extrusions for the framing members. The first design, a micro-ATX case, should be out "soon."

While t-slots are an awesome material for framing, enclosing them with sheeting (in an attractive manner) can be difficult, since (I assume) that most people would want to hide the extrusions underneath the chosen sheeting material.

The joining plates that come with the OpenBeam kits look like they are applied to the outside face of the extrusions, so how are you planning on enclosing the case with sheeting?

As an aside...I glanced over the OpenBeam site and had a good laugh when I read that their CNC chop saw was accurate to within +- 1mm (yikes!), because I can cut t-slots to within 0-+0.5 mm using just my old trusty Craftsman miter saw.

 

[mumbojumboo]

I ordered the $175 openbeam kit ($140 after the coupon code). Hopefully I can make something out of the precut lengths it comes with. Here's my latest brainstorming ideas for the layout.

That's nice. Keep us updated about your progress and upload pictures once you have put the parts together, i'm and definitely others very curious about your build.

 

[mumbojumboo]

I've been building open-air tech/test trays/stations for quite a while now, but at the same time I've also been working on designs for enclosed cases made from t-slot extrusions. My designs leverage the flexibility that comes with using t-slot extrusions for the framing members. The first design, a micro-ATX case, should be out "soon."

While t-slots are an awesome material for framing, enclosing them with sheeting (in an attractive manner) can be difficult, since (I assume) that most people would want to hide the extrusions underneath the chosen sheeting material.

The joining plates that come with the OpenBeam kits look like they are applied to the outside face of the extrusions, so how are you planning on enclosing the case with sheeting?

As an aside...I glanced over the OpenBeam site and had a good laugh when I read that their CNC chop saw was accurate to within +- 1mm (yikes!), because I can cut t-slots to within 0-+0.5 mm using just my old trusty Craftsman miter saw.

When my frame and parts are stick together, I will do the enclosing pretty much as the picture underneath. I think it would look pretty descent with the black joining plates.

 

[CMadki4]

I'm liking this idea the more I think about it. It wouldn't be the first time I've used extruded aluminum (80/20 to be exact), but it would be a first for using it only a PC case. Standard industrial suppliers are generally too large of a profile for such a small application. Microax and Openbeam are perfect.

Oh the possibilities....

EDIT: Looking into it further, it's just cheaper and easier for me to fabricate the entire case out of sheet aluminum since I have the tooling. But if you're doing a quick DIY project and just don't have access to such tools, this stuff rocks.

 

[Diverge]

I finally got around to playing with my openbeam stuff today. This is what I created so far using pre-cut lengths.

I cleaned up / added some other stuff, but didn't take pics. But this is the basic layout so far and how I fit everything

Asrock Z77E-ITX
i5 2500K
Thermalright AXP-140 w/ Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1850rpm fan
HIS Radeon HD 7950 IceQ X² Boost Clock 3GB
Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB low profile
Seasonic X650

 

[Phuncz]

Nice dimensional configuration, it seems to be like a small suitcase in size ?

 

[Zap]

That looks pretty sweet~! Any issues with the riser card? Is it a rigid one, or flexible?

 

[Diverge]

That looks pretty sweet~! Any issues with the riser card? Is it a rigid one, or flexible?

The one used there is a rigid one (PCB extender). I was using a ribbon cable extender for a bit with all the parts just laid out over my desk, and had no issues with either extender.

Nice dimensional configuration, it seems to be like a small suitcase in size ?

It's pretty much 13" by 13" by 4 3/4".

 

[jamaicanpi]

That looks really nice. That has the potential to be a very quiet configuration

 

[bAMtan2]

This is awesome! I can't believe open beam is the first standards based beam building set! The other sets make you buy special screws?! That's bonkers!

 

[import]

where can one find lexan/plexi that will fit into the groove in the aluminum bars?

 

[lvyelion]

hmm, this just the frame, not a case

 

[CMadki4]

hmm, this just the frame, not a case

While technically correct, I think you may be needlessly splitting hairs over semantics.

I'm a big fan of extruded aluminum profiles. Been using them for years on all sorts of creations since college. Personal and for work.

Put some nice aluminum panels on there and you'll have a sweet little case!

 

[bAMtan2]

I'm still looking forward to more results...!!!

 

[XcPNehVYlE4A3C]

very cool! a lot of possibilities in case design open up when you use a riser card

I like that 'flat' layout a lot