Project: Helios | concept and design

[Langer]

Hello everyone, Langer here.
I'm close to wrapping up my last mod - some of you may know about it, PrometheusCU.

Being that I'm all excited about modding again I spend yesterday planning out my next build; Helios.

Some of the more unique design considerations:
- Helios will be made entirely from plated 6mm thick aluminum
- The entire chassis construction will use no screws/nuts/bots/glue/fasteners/etc
- 90degree motherboard mounting format
- The motherboard will be exposed as the entire chassis is 'doughnut' shaped
- 2-watercooling loops with 4 radiators
- Extreme minimalist design will hide ALL non-essentials


I'll leave the rest to more-or-less speak for itself:

ISO View:

Exploded View:

Open side view with cooling loops and airflow:

Open side view with cooling loops:

Open side view:

Open top view:

Bottom view:

Parts schematic PDF:

 

[Langer]

Here's a preview of how it will be assembled.

Some parts fit together like a puzzle, while others will be fit together with steel dowel pins, press-fit and stealthed:

And here are the dimensions:

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All the drawings were done in illustrator.
The isometric view and the exploded view were created using a projection technique as old as time itself used in perspective drawing.



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I present, for your viewing pleasure, revision 2.0 of project Helios

As per the suggestions of the community, this revision, although almost identical to the original is actually a complete redraw taking into account many oversights in the first design.

This revision see's the following changes:
- new, smaller, custom reservoirs made from 0.25" acrylic
- revised construction material from 6mm aluminum to 0.25" titanium
- altered dimensions to accommodate 420mm radiators
- completed the PSU installation and wiring configuration (not shown below)
- adjusted loop orientation for cleanliness
- altered air-flow direction
- augmented fastener design (not sown below)
- new space for SSDs, eight in total
- the motherboard try no-longer 'slots' into the bottom as it did in the first revision, instead it there is a space accentuating how it hangs from the top
- more are was taken into removing the motherboard tray, it will now easily slide out the top
- whereas before only the left side panel was removable, now they will both be totally removable (in seconds without any fasteners or latches)

*click for huge*

Here you can note the new size to allow for the 2x 420mm Rads (Hardware Labs GTX420)
The fans will be Noiseblocker PK3's (7 of them)
The new reservoirs will need to be custom made, I'm leaning towards having them mill from solid acrylic
I've also added 4x SSD racks, to-be mounted directly to the radiators, this will allow for a total of 8xSSDs to be installed.
There is exactly enough room in the bottom section to mount a stripped down and modified Corsair HX1000


*click for huge*

Apart from the rads, and the reservoirs the design is pretty much the same as it was.
All the dimensions are completely different however


*click for huge*

The airflow is now pulled from both the front ad the back.
Since there is no side window, and the components are totally exposed the air will simply vent out the bottom and the sides.

*click for PDF download*

Take a closer look, download the PDF and give the parts a once, over.

One thing that I learned this past year, and a major focus in my life at the moment, is project management. What that means is that unlike PrometheusCU this project will be planned to the T before commencement, and it will have an incredibly rapid timeline... I'll also be building 3 of them.

I'm really looking for constructive feed-back.
Please leave your comments or suggestions, help me improve this design and consider the unconsidered.

Don't forget to become a participating fan of JLI on Facebook for all kinds of insider information, prize opportunities, and special treats. JLI Facebook Page

*j

Thanks again, and tune in soon.

 

[oakley_870]

imho...

if its minimalist. i feel the slots in front should be either rounded and have it thinner and with more of it.

OR. u have only a few of it... in thinner stripes and rounded at the ends.

it will clean up its front look abit

now it looks like a potential giant dust ball ? correct me.

 

[Langer]

Thanks for the comment mate, there will be a filter material of sorts behind the slits. This will serve 2 purposes: 1) filter dust, 2) blackout the holes

My last couple mods featured skinny grill style vents and they are a pain in the ass. From manufacturing they take a lot longer to cut and clean, regular usage sees them bumped and bent from time to time, and cleaning dust between the cracks isn't easy.

This time - considering the use of beefy titanium for the case material - I want to put a focus on ultra rigid construction. + I really like square edges, too much rounded BS in this world - true minimalism as defined by the swiss modernists sees only hard 90degree bends.

==================================================================
A couple of really quick mock-ups to make some of the details and the airflow more apparent.

 

[Langer]

Hello all once again - and hopefully this will be the last of these planning installments.

I'd like to share with you the third and final (for now) revision before this plan hits 3D mock-ups.

A quick overview of the features and design details presented thus far:
- Room enough for and easy access to 2x420mm Radiators
- Integrated reservoirs and 4xPumps
- Constructed from 0.25" Grade 38 Titanium plate
- Motherboard can be removed without disconnect from tubing or wire harness
- All wires are run out the top and back of the chassis, which also creates a storage cavity
- Absolutely no visible fasteners on the chassis
- The case will be held together without the use of screws, fasteners, bolts, or adhesives
- Will features 2 independent cooling loops
- Blacked-out and filtered air intakes in the chassis
- Side panels will be removable in seconds without any latch, fastener, or tool
- All bolts, fittings, and hardware will made from be stainless steel
- All bushed and nickel plated cooling gear
- All tubes and wires will be sleeved in milspec quality nylon multifilament sleeving
- There will be no side windows, instead the components will be exposed to the elements
- The entire chassis will feature some type of exotic coating, such as a rubberizing perhaps

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Here's change-log for revision3.0:
1) Pumps have been flipped and are now side mounted - pumping upwards
2) Custom reservoirs replaced with EK (possible IandH) options mounted directly to pump-top
3) Tubing layout redesigned to consider a more efficient routing
4) Much more finite consideration of power and data wire routing
5) Altered position and orientation of modified PSU, fan now blows up and wires run out the front/back of the PSU
6) Moved location of chassis USB ports and power switch to the motherboard tray backplane

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Revision 3.0 Side and Top views with cooling loops:


Side and Top views with parts only:


Side and Top views of empty chassis:


Side view detailing roughly how the wires will be routed, note how the wires are fed out both the front and back of the PSU:


Here's a very rough perspective view of the bottom most cavity, showing how the pumps, PSU, and reservoirs are oriented:


Here's a perspective side view to add a bit of depth, this just details some of the design features:


Taking into the account the vast array of suggestions on the latching/fastener method I made a revision. This particular design was suggested by Oldnewby - thanks mate:

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Don't forget to follow me over on Facebook:
Tune in on the JLI Facebook page for exclusive info, and prize opportunities.
BECOME A FAN OF JLI

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Thanks for the suggestions and help everyone - watch this space in the coming weeks as this design unfolds to become a reality.



*j

 

[tErOn]

hmm..where would the dvdroms be with the rads at the front and rear of the chasis?

 

[Langer]

DVD's / CD's are extinct in my world - none of that here.

No HDD's, no ROMs, no Fluff.

 

[tErOn]

wow..im definitely looking forward to hw it turns out..

 

[Langer]

Thank you very much man - me too.


There's been an aweful lot of views on this thread with very few responses.

Please feel free to comment.


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Tiny update - I met with my 3D artist/animator a couple days ago and were under-way to begin the 3D mock-ups + sexy motion graphics videos

I've also begin the branding of this case - I've been working on the feel, logo, colour scheme, and mythology behind the design.

*j

 

[tErOn]

dude..one burning question..i was confounded when u said no roms..so what will u plan to use for reading dvd media?

im still stuck in the disc age for stuff like installing OS and such..lol

 

[Langer]

I can honestly say that I haven't to much as touched a disk for actual use in over a year.

I have a couple USB DVD drives if it's needed - OS will be customized to match the case and my JLI brand guides, (bleeding edge interaction design for the purpose of improving user experience is what I do for a living) and will be installed via USB Flashdrive.

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A user by the name of NFC over on the XS forums presented a very interesting point to me this afternoon. I think it would be a good opportunity to share the concern, and express my beliefs and intentions.

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NFC put this concern before me:

It's beautiful. I'm also concerned that case manufacturers might try to glean potential IP from it.

Like, I would hope you would want to share the ideas with the community for their own personal projects, but you give an awful amount of insight to people who could lock others out from doing it.

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Here's my response:
You present an interesting point, however the mass publication of this project across about 35forums, the 6000+ image views per day, and the collaboration with sponsors (coming soon) is a pretty big deterrent. It would be very easy to defend this in an IP battle, considering that there is clear evidence that I published it first technically I'd have rights.

Regardless of all that, absolute worst case scenario (pun intended): I have dozens of other designs floating around up in the old noggin, I'll just move onto a new one. I plan on releasing my own line of cases in the coming future - this project is merely a bloated prequel.

I do this because I absolutely love doing it. Moreover I love to share, get feedback and work collaboratively with the community - if I get shafted by some manufacturer of cases then sobeit. In the long-run it would better benefit everyone if the idea was ripped off - it's about time we saw someone rethinking this sh*t on mass scale (key word being think... there's alot of useless plastic bullsh*t cases out there that put 0 thought into enthusiast usage)

Truth be told - I conceived the entire concept in an afternoon, with the exception of maintaining the threads that go along with it I have only about 30 or so hours invested so-far.



The following is quoted from my website's about-me page:

Question: Why do you share your UX resources so openly? (this mantra applies to all my design, not just UX)

Too long has the high-tech industry been protecting it’s interests through, what I have titled, the acquire and archive model. Which entails buying out conflicting ideas, or merging with competitors in the interest of shelving perfectly viable and beneficial technologies. I believee in the spirit of open co-opatition, abelieff which stresses the idea of sharing knowledge with everyone -especiallyy competitors. Because it’s only when we embrace new-age movements like open-source development, and the digitization of the worlds libraries that we will really be able to take the next step.

If I were to fully consider the issue you have presented I would be breaking my core principal.
If I stop sharing, then I stop getting critical feedback, and I don't get to potentially inspire others (a deep honor in my opinion)
If I patent the design I become the very evil I try to contradict.




On an up-note: I'll continue to share me ideas on a finite level - with the intention to have the community guide my decisions.
There will be mock-ups and 3D visualizations to come soon.

I love little mental paradoxes, and I tend to over think things. As I sit here contemplating this situation I keep thinking about the barber paradox:

Suppose there is a town with just one male barber; and that every man in the town keeps himself clean-shaven: some by shaving themselves, some by attending the barber. It seems reasonable to imagine that the barber obeys the following rule: He shaves all and only those men in town who do not shave themselves.
Under this scenario, we can ask the following question: Does the barber shave himself?
Asking this, however, we discover that the situation presented is in fact impossible:
If the barber does not shave himself, he must abide by the rule and shave himself.
If he does shave himself, according to the rule he will not shave himself.

 

[Langer]

I've scratched my head at this patenting dilemma all day now... and here's what I've done for the modder's everywhere:

<--click for details

I've put a creative commons licence on the design

You are free:
to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work
to Remix — to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:
Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
Noncommercial — You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
Share Alike — If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

With the understanding that:
Waiver — Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.
Other Rights — In no way are any of the following rights affected by the license:

Your fair dealing or fair use rights;
Apart from the remix rights granted under this license, the author's moral rights;
Rights other persons may have either in the work itself or in how the work is used, such as publicity or privacy rights.

 

[darkfox]

nice! looking forward to seeing the 3D visuals of Helios

 

[oakley_870]

the wiring looks very ideal and nice. but to actual fact. to route wires like this is extremely tiring or if not impossible.

unless you can sleeve all the wires into ONE FAT FLAT pipe and it would be very neat.

i see it to be very much technical and engineering aspects being applied. but very little design or aesthetics involved.

but because this layout of components is very different if not NEW. i guess is this a new innovation ?

i look forward to this being realised.

is the parts being sent to fab already ?

 

[Langer]

@darkfox - Thank you man.

@oakley_870 - Thank you for the very detailed comment mate. I'll do my best to address your concerns here:

The wiring diagram is merely a general connections map. In reality the actual routing will be much different. As well there will be 24" of extra tube and wire held within the chassis to allow the motherboard tray to be removed without disconnect. The PSU will be a customized unit with connectors on both ends to accommodate the design.

As a funny side note - I had 1500' of customized 48connector 18AWG ribbon cable manufactured for project PrometheusCU - if I so chose, I could actually wire it exactly as diagrammed as I have lots of my custom ribbon sitting about.

Your comment on the ergonomics and usage of the design could not be farther misplaced, my career is built on "usable design" and this project is no exception. Every aspect of the design to make it easy to use on the day-to day for exactly my needs.

Nothing is being fabbed yet, this is still the planning and networking phase. But I have some very very exciting prospects for manufacturing my own chassis in the future (a different design).

Thank you again for the critical analysis man, appreciate it greatly. Hit-up my Facebook page - I plan on awarding contributors like yourself when the opportunity presents itself.

 

[oakley_870]

i like how this is coming along....

the placement of the PSU is indeed something interesting. and with 2 rads.... lol..

please design one that can housing that is a stealth look. matt black. inspired from F117 in mid tower. LOL.... hahahahahahaa....

 

[tarui04]

man my brain would implode if i tried to design something like that....

 

[turbocharged]

design it like how the lamborghini reventon mimic the jet fighter? That will be cool.

 

[Langer]

The high-grade composite panels required for construction of this project are being manufactured this week!

The panels in question are 16mm thick and composed of an astonishing 52layers. (The details of manufacturing will be released with the update... there's some CRAZY science and pressure involved to achieve the desired effect).

The panels are being made from an incredibly high grade of carbon usually reserved for military aerospace applications. In addition there are some other composite materials intermixed in the lay-up which will add some unique properties - but I don't want to say more and ruin the surprise.

I will have the panels in my hand in 2-3weeks, then I'll be sending them out for cutting straight away!

I'm elated that this is coming together as planned. I hope you will all enjoy the show, and if that's not reason enough for you, I plan on accompanying the commencement of Helios with an update on my PrometheusCU project as well.

Tune in soon for more...

 

[Langer]

IT LOOKS LIKE I FORGOT TO POST THIS HERE BACK IN JULY:

For fun today I decided to throw together a prototype... at least that was the plans before it took me near 6hrs to make.
It ended up taking a long time because the art framing board was really REALLY tricky to cut with a little type-A x-acto. this unfortunately also affected the bud quality as well... but im still fairly pleased.

I'll let the pics do the rest. I present the latest iteration made from Art Framing Board and Silicone Tape.

*j