214 replies to this topic

[acheronlv426]

Alphadeadone, on 06 May 2012 - 12:27 PM, said:

Tricking out the room comes next any ideas??

I know you can get a wall poster of a 747 cockpit, but that's not really mechy just techy. Lots of purple eagles?

[Vincent Vascaul]

Sorry for the Delay guys, this project is still ongoing, however I have been absolutely slammed with work and some personal life drama, I also wanted to switch over to a video update format and have been hunting for the right HD camcorder (think I have found it in the Sony CX260V) So expect a Video update soon. Until Then heres a teaser for some of the goodies I have been gathering for the build.

[Psychopuppet]

Cant wait for the video udate

[Lomack]

You know with a setup that big, you might consider venting the heat to the outside. I can only imagine how warm it gets in that room.

[Vincent Vascaul]

There is really no reason to vent outside with this setup, I will have enough fans to dissapate the heat plus it is really cool in the basement where this desk is located. Anyway guys, I have been working 14 hour days so no build updates but the parts are still rolling in here is another sampler pic or 2.

[DeKamme]

I've seen many modding and DIY threads being start up, then suddenly die out. Vincent, you seem like a go-getter, you have a vision and go for it. Kudos!

About the hydraulic suggestion someone posted, as opposed to your hinges: Have you looked into overstock, aftermarket, used & failings offerings? There are a lot of those systems used in places you won't think of at first. For example, some radio stations use it to raise and lower mixing desks to the DJ's preference.
You could also get a complete rail system as used in kitchens, with the "drawer" moving upwards. That way you may be able to pull the entire cube out to the top for easy access to all your wiring and cooling.
There's some very affordable 19" rack solutions to be found on the aftermarket. This is a standard that already has a LOT in cable management, device support, modularity... You can make an upwards facing rack, mount the PC in a 5U tray, and have that slide out to the top. Lots of ways to make such a tray, or get one 2nd hand. Or make a 45° tilted rack, so you can place some meters and hotswap bays in the front, cover it up with some plexiglass.

Just freewheeling a bit here

[Chiyeko Kuramochi]

not an unlocked CPU?

anyhow still love the desk build, I think it is one of the first topics I actually read on these forums.

[Vincent Vascaul]

Thanks for the compliments guys! Chiyeko, the proc may not be unlocked but it can still be rather easily overclocked to 5.0Ghz and by going wiht this proc I am building a setup with a upgrade pack, I will be able to go up to a 3930K or one of the IB-E Octo Core CPU's coming out in a few quarters (16 threads of pure goodness ) plus it was cheaper that what I will sell my 2700k for and still outperforms it.

DeKamme, could you link some of what your talking about? It all sounds very interesting and I really am open to any and all options and suggestions to make this build better, I am just so busy with work at the moment that I dont have much of a chance to run down other options right now. I am ordering the hardware for the trap door in a week or 2 but I would gladly change things up for the right hardware as long as it makes sense for the build.


Thanks again guys and keep telling your friends, the more attention this build gets the better the build itself will get as well!

[DeKamme]

I'd be glad to help Vincent.

My ideas come from working in broadcast and IT, I've seen some techs I respect a lot do some really cool stuff. Those guys can be hired to create sets for SF series imho.
As I'm usually on a work budget, or have the connections to 2nd hand sellers for a DIY setup (using hardware leftovers from server room upgrades) in Belgium, I can't help you much with finding the right market. Try checking with local datacenters, broadcasters (often radio stations use smaller racks) or broadcast/DJ shops.

I can however try to give you a better idea of the components and working I have in mind. When I move to a house with a bigger work/play area, this is what I'm going for.
Working with servers, and designing server data rooms and cable plans, fueled my love for rack cabinets. It's like all the fun you have in clean cable and airflow routing inside a PC case, but on a much larger scale.

Some rack 101:
19" server racks come in all height sizes, width is a bit larger then 19" to leave room for cable management. Rackspace is usually divided in units. A full height rack would be about 40U (70"). A regular desktop PC lying in a shelf/cradle would be 3U. So you'd want a half or quarter size rack.

Depending on how you want to work with it, I'd leave 4u for the PC + airflow / cooling solution.

You can leave some more spare U's to fit:
- network switch 1u
- shelf for a router, control switches and dials 2u
- faceplate with holes and brush where your cables can be neatly routed through 1u
- patchbay, where you can link network cabling (eg labeled "Corner PC", "game console") and video cabling, port through rear connectors (usb, audio, ) etc 2u

That's a total of 10u.

Some examples of pre-made racks, you can get good deals on 2nd hand ones:
6U:



Another design:

*edit* looks ugly like this, but with the right paint job it can look exactly like a LRM rack
Side panels can be removed for side-to-side airflow routing.


Flightcase design, very portable:


DIY Home editing studio design, with some retro soundproofing:


Open cabinet (same principle as the top one, with side panels removed, full height):




I was thinking about this last model (not this large though). You can fit this open cabinet inside a larger frame. This larger frame is worked into your current wooden frame where you are planning to make the trap door. On the bottom of the larger frame you can add hydraulics (see bottom of this post), so you can lift the cabinet out of its frame. In the side of the frame you add flexible wires and your airflow solution. As an interim solution, you can just access everything from the front and forget about hydraulics, the PC can be accessed with a slide (see below).



Cabling example:


As you see in the picture above, in this rack design there is a lot of room between the front of the rack and the place where the device front/rear is. This is where you can go nuts on nifty cable management.
My tip: Put the cables in large flexi tubings (the ones resembling a throat, with ribbles). This way they can move along when your rack slides upwards. Also don't forget to leave a part of the cable freely hanging, as long as your PC is deep. This way you can pull out the PC without disconnecting cables.



Now on to the PC.

Usually a rackmountable PC looks somewhat like this:

The front can have various hot-swap hard drive bays, an optical drive bay, air intakes with washable filters...
Many pro cases (HP, Dell, Supermicro) have (optional) slide systems so you can slide it out of the rack without having to unplug it. Just lift the upper cover off, and you can check internals or serial numbers while it's still running. It work like this:

It's a bit of a fuzzy picture, but as you may notice this PC "floats" above the ground due to its sliding rails, attached to the side. This server is very deep and looks really heavy, still the slide holds it perfectly. Don't worry, just see that you get a sturdy rack. The DIY wood home studio rack might buckle under the stress.

Many data centers sell these cases as e-waste, because they buy complete new systems, often with entirely different sliding systems. Or look for a failing business sale, most curators don't know much about what these things are worth. You may get lucky and get a rack with PC, slide and some other components at a bargain.

The casing may look a bit boring for you. You can swap out the side and top panels for plexiglass, imagine something like this:

I wonder what the builder of this was thinking when he added a floppy drive though. Or is it a CF slot?


For the hydraulics to lift this out of its frame, you can scavenge parts from a hydraulic hand lift, often used in orderpicking warehouses, workshops or data centers. An example:

This one works with a foot pump, the "bike brake" is the release lever. You can swap it out for some electronic hydraulic engine if you prefer.

All of these are just "out of the box ideas" (look I made a word play there, haha). I can't really find proper pics of this kind of setup. It's one step further from case modding, but I think that's where you are at now: deskmodding


Hope this stirred up some ideas, and this isn't too far fetched.
Many of these ideas can be implemented on their own, just using a rack with proper cable management and a patchbay can relieve a lot of your cabling issues.

Edited by DeKamme, 28 June 2012 - 03:15 PM.

[ORIGINAL SteelWolf]

Final build pics? Lets see!

[Vincent Vascaul]

The build is not even closed to finished I have a long way to go but I need to get all of my components together for the next stage, I also need to redo my CAD designs to reflect the current direction and I am hoping to get a sponsor or 2.

DeKamme, Those are some really interesting ideas you are throwing around and they are already generation some different build ideas in my head. However they don't really fit what I am going for with this project. I want that wow factor for when I am accessing the PC, I do however like where you are coming from on the hydraulic ideas and I will continue to hunt for stuff when I get back from my vacation this weekend. Thanks again for all of the compliments and suggestions guys!

[Vincent Vascaul]

Oh and I am totally adopting the title of "Deskmodder"

[Owl]

You going to chamfer those edges? Or Custom edge treatment? That's going to hurt after a bit if not

[Vincent Vascaul]

I have already taken a router to the edges I am going to work that, except the pc compartment as i am not sure how I am going to work that so yeah thus far.

[Vincent Vascaul]

Just ordered the motherboard, its a BEAST!

[Madekatsu]

How on earth have I missed this thread? From another local no less! If the watercooling radiator and abundance of graphic cards in the CAD drawings didn't give it away, I'd think you were building your own daytrader den. Looks great!

[Skadi]

Now i must ask, are you the dude with the epic beard, or the dude who looks like the english game reviewer from gamespot.

[Ignys]

This thing is looking sicknasty!

[Thaygood]

I wan't to make a good chair to mount my stick and throttle

[Whacked]

I skimmed thru this thread, I really need to go back and read it in its entirety. looks pretty wicked
but I have to comment on the desk itself.

HOLY SMOKES BATMAN!! That thing is bulletproof. You plan on using it for a mech repair bay?
Seriously tho, the brace for "flex" is entirely un-needed, unless those monitors weigh a couple thousand pounds.
my other addiction is aquariums. I built my stand for my 40g saltwater tank out of 1x4
with aquariums, you really need to be careful about sag or else at oh-dark-thirty you wake up to noah's flood in your house.
a friend built a stand for his 400g saltwater tank. 6 foot span with 2x4 unbraced would have a sag of about 1.24", but thats with a load of over 3500 pounds. 'course he added a few supports to shorten the span to bring the sag to acceptable levels
with a 6' span and 350lb the sag would be 0.12", plenty acceptable for a desk, add glue and wood screws and it will be plenty strong.

sorry if I sound like a ***, but way to often on the saltwater forums I see people spending way to much money and build stands you could park a dump truck on.

but I guess i'm just jealous wish I had the room and cash to build up a rig like that