Community Event / Creation My Sim Desk Build

[Redhornet]

Gentlemen, thank you very much for the continued compliments and support!

Veeeeeeeeery close to the finish!

With everything stained, it was time to put the computer into postition. I have an Antec 300 case that I took all the outer panels off of and turned it on it’s side to fit. That means the power and reset buttons (circled in red) wouldn’t be accessible, so I needed new switches, more about that later.

First thing to do was to relocate the top fan to the side (which is the new top). On the right you can see where the top exhaust fan was, and I needed to fabricate a way to mount it so it would still exhaust warm air. I bolted 2 bars to the fan that are used for mounting light fixtures into ceiling electrical boxes.

I bent down these 2 tabs to mount the fan.

Fan in place over CPU and RAM.

I also wanted to increase airflow through the case from the front so I bought another 200mm fan and mounted it to the front of the case. My Antec case came with 2 front fan brackets and I cut out the grill of one, painted it black and mounted it to the case.

The fan, modified mount and stock mount.

Fan in modified mount.

On computer case.

Now the case went into the desk.

Switches were the next thing to go in.
I like the military missile type switches and I found momentary switches and flip guards here
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/retired/10545

They were only $3, compared to the $24 mnpectech.com wanted ( http://mnpctech.com/case-mods-gamin...ilitary-fighter-pilot-pc-toggle-switches.html ) So I got them from Sparkfun, although they’re now discontinued, but if you do a search you can find them on Amazon. I did however get these switch wires from Mnpctech.

These were actually very easy to install. I attached the wires to the switches without solder, just screwed them on, then plugged them into the proper location on the motherboard. I left the stock power & reset switches on the case and just unplugged them from the motherboard. The new switches just screwed/bolted onto the front screen. On the left is the power switch and the right is the reset switch.

The top panel went back on.

Here's a closeup of the top exhaust fan. You can see how I made this opening large enough so that hot air can vent straight up from the GFX card (which is barely visible to the left of the fan).

 

[Cataclysm72]

I love these extensive build reports

 

[Winterwalker]

Now this ..

Spoiler

.. is "proper job"! Really excellent.

 

[Yaffle]

Looking really good, and I love the attention to detail.

Is there any reason you went with the fans and not water-cooling?

 

[Redhornet]

Guys, thanks for the compliments! Really very kind of you all.

Winterwalker, glad you like the switches! Very easy mod to do if you want to tackle it yourself. I forgot to mention that there is a pretty good tutorial on installing the switch on the same page they sell said switch (scroll down past the "add to cart" button): http://mnpctech.com/case-mods-gamin...ilitary-fighter-pilot-pc-toggle-switches.html

Yaffle, I'm not doing overclocking on anything so the heat that is generated can be managed with good air flow. Also, water cooling would have required a larger a case for the computer to sit in and would be more to maintain in the long run. For me, fans are easier and simpler. If things get a bit too warm, I have the option to add more fans or make a larger vent opening on the top cover.

I'm getting another update put together for later, stay tuned!

 

[Cataclysm72]

I'm getting another update put together for later, stay tuned!

What is taking you so long

Need more input!!

 

[Redhornet]

Ok, Cataclysm274, THAT is funny!

Umm, this will be a bit of a boring update: cable management.

Remember those large holes on the back of each cabinet? They are for those office desk cord management thingies to wrangle the controller cords.

I put some painters tape on them so they fit snug in the holes.

I put all the power cords into the ribbed plastic tube and the USB and ethernet cords are outside of it but still neatly wrangled together. The only cord not tucked away is the monitor one as I need to easily unplug it from the Mac and plug it into my gaming rig.

The cord hanging down is the top fan speed control switch.

 

[Futuristic Kung Fu]

Amazing!!

 

[Redhornet]

Ok, here we go, this... IS... IT!!! (well, of the primary build anyway...)

The desktop is made from an old 3/4 inch veneered plywood that was a table leaf. I made notches in it so that it would fit snugly against the front panel.

I angled the outermost notches to line up with the angles of the case.

The simdesk in position and ready to work (and more importantly FLY!!)

Work mode (boo work, soooo boring...)

This is where the work computer lives.

Now, when I was making the drawers I still didn't know how I was going to mount the HOTAS in flight mode. Then I had an epiphany... why not use the bottom 2 drawers as the HOTAS mounts? They're going to be pretty useless for storage because they're under the desktop and using them will eliminate the need for making more components. So I measured the throttle and stick bases and cut out the drawer sides accordingly. I put 2 large strips of velcro on each drawer bottom to hold the HOTAS in place.

Getting into flight mode! The desktop removes very easily and I put it against the wall in an unused corner of the office. Then it's time to set up the controllers.

Throttle side.

Joystick side.

Full flight mode (Woo! Hoo! Hours of fun ahead!!!)

So that was how the simdesk was at the end of June. In an effort to promote domestic tranquility, I honored a request from Mrs. Hornet to tackle some projects around the house that needed attention. Now that those tasks are complete I have been making "adjustments" to the simdesk and will post those updates when I sort through the photos and get things organized. So stay tuned...

 

[Futuristic Kung Fu]

Woo hooo!!!!!!!!!

 

[CMDR Pantsu]

That looks awesome! Really cool front panel for the computer too.
I'm only worried about the platforms for the hotas. You might want to add some support below the hootas, like a wooden block that you can fold in when not in use. I have found that when I'm playing long term I often keep a grip onto the hotas and relax, which can add more pressure to your mounts.

Other than that, this is one awesome build, and very nice to "hide away" all the stuffs when they're not in use, but still close and easy to rig up for insta gaming +1!

 

[Jypson]

Great work, very impressive! Wish I had the skills to do something like this!

 

[Redhornet]

CMDR Pantsu,
The drawers are actually quite sturdy, they are 1/2 inch plywood and the slider is mounted on the bottom and rated to take 30 pounds. The throttle and stick weigh less than 5 pounds each. Also, most of the weight of my hands/arms is supported by my desk chair arms. I purposely put the drawers at that height so I could have my arms on the armrests the whole time I fly.


Jypson,
You could totally build a similar pit if you wanted to, it just takes time learning. The biggest reason I decided to make this was to learn more complicated and cabinet/furniture carpentry. I did TONS of youtube video watching and internet research before and during this build. Draw something up (start simple) and get building!

 

[Jypson]

I have a very minor project in the brainstorming phase. The goal is to sink the Warthog HOTAS into the armrests of my recliner and add an Ergotron for a little laid back pew-pew
Just doing a little measuring in these pics.