So, how much do you think this custom case cost to create? a hundred pounds? a hundred and fifty? As a matter of fact, the exact figure is Zero Pounds, and Zero Pence. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but necessity's mother is poverty. The industrial design of this case was dictated not so much by my sense of aesthetics, as by my empty wallet. The industrial look can be a very cheap mod. For example, on the side panels, I simulate the look of dirty unpainted steel with some unpainted and dirtied steel. The entire project was completed with junk I had lying around anyway. This case now houses my day to day workstation, and does a marvelous job of it.

The fundamentals of designing an industrial case are simple. Leave off all the fancy bits. The only part of my case which is not totally functional is the blue cold cathode, and even that serves as a power light. I have taken minimalism to an extreme, with no knobs on the Fanbus pots, and the power button reduced to a bare microswitch. The design of the case itself is very simple. The cube shape is made from a pair of old tower cases bolted together, and the front panel is a humble sheet of plywood.

Chassis

The chassis is made from a pair of very old Inwin A500 cases, which I bought back in 1997 if my memory serves me correctly. These cases are made from very thick metal, which has made the chassis completely rigid without any extra bracing. As the first photo shows, the A500 is about as boxy, beige, and boring as cases come.

The left hand case was used complete. I took the drive bays out of the right hand case, to allow more motherboard room and access to the drive fixing screws in the left hand bays. A bolt at each corner held the 2 halves together without even a suggestion of movement. Opening out the front vents with a jigsaw finished off the job.

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