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3D Print Replica HD 20 SC Enclosure?

PotatoFi

Well-known member
I have the drive sitting out in a prominent place where it keeps reminding me! Every time I walk by, I go, "Gah! I REALLY want to work on that!" but I just haven't been able to find the time. On the hardware front, I did get not one, not two, but THREE more 3D printers. First, a Creality CR-10, which is lacking some critical feature like automatic bed leveling, but has an obscenely huge build volume. I'll be able to print an entire case on this thing, no problem. I also acquired a fully assembled but used Prusa i3 MK3, which I'll be upgrading to a MK3S as soon as I have a free weekend. And finally... I bought another Prusa i3 MK3S kit, which is en route right now.

Short version of the story: I quit my job, and I've had a bunch of side jobs pop up that have been keeping me super busy. One of those side jobs is printing a couple hundred cases for a little embedded Linux box that we use in the Wi-Fi engineering realm (hence the sudden build-out of a print farm). So from a hardware perspective, I'm getting REALLY set up to produce some of these cases if people are interested. I just need to get some time to do the modeling for this project. Right now, the light at the end of the tunnel is mid October.

 

Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
Mazel Tov! Working for yourself can be a fabulous situation. Sometimes I really miss having the shop run my life, but a full time job now seems like working part time in retirement after working 24/7/365 inside my head. If you don't mind my asking, what was the old job? From your posts it seems like you've been honing 3D modeling and printing skills toward this day for quite some time.

BTW, does an "obscenely huge build volume" translate into IIcx, IIfx or Q950 cubic? [:)]

 

PotatoFi

Well-known member
If you don't mind my asking, what was the old job? From your posts it seems like you've been honing 3D modeling and printing skills toward this day for quite some time.
I'm basically a Wi-Fi engineer, but a bit more on the technical training/technical marketing side. I was a technical trainer at a Wi-Fi planning and surveying tools vendor. I will probably continue to do technical training in Wi-Fi, working for myself.

As for the 3D printing thing, I built my first printer in 2011. I did moonlight for Printrbot for awhile doing technical support, but other than that it's just been a hobby. :)

As for the IIcx, IIfx, or Quadra 950... not sure! I've never seen any of them in person!

 

PotatoFi

Well-known member
Are there some news for the HD20SC project? Is it possible to get STL-Files of the case?
I almost got the project back out to work on it last night, but decided to reassemble an Apple Keyboard II that I took apart months ago instead. This week marked the end of 14 weeks of straight travel for work, so I just haven't been home to work on it. Right now, the STL is basically a box. :)  Not really worth sharing at this point.

I have some time off around Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I hope to add a bunch of details to the case, and print one off! Keep an eye on this thread.

 

PotatoFi

Well-known member
finally had some time today to work on this! Here's what I did:

Rounded corners. Each edge on the case has a slightly different radius, so I decided to pick a middle ground and stick with that. So it's more artistic then perfect replica, but it simplified modeling a lot. I could go back and make it accurate at some point, probably just an hour or so. This is where Fusion360 would have been way easier... SketchUp sucks at fillets.

Carved out the box. It's empty now! The inside is absolutely NOT dimensionally accurate, but considering that this is intended to hold stuff other than the original contents, I decided that it didn't matter.

Cut out the back. Going with HP's idea of modularity, I cut out the back so it can be printed as a separate part. That way, someone could build a completely custom plate back there for connectors and stuff.

Screen Shot 2019-12-15 at 3.21.19 PM.png

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So next, I need to print one! I decided to let go of the Creality CR-10... I tried a few test prints on it, and found the user experience to be frustrating without the quality-of-life features on my small fleet of Prusa MK3S printers. Because the bed on the MK3S is shallower, I can't print "full depth" cases, but I should be able to print them at the same depth as a Mac base.

Lemmeh know what you think!

 
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maceffects

Well-known member
Looks very good so far. The rear could actually be laser cut acrylic or something similar assuming the spot it slides into is a common thickness.  I wonder if some general holes or something could be added inside for drives and such. Either way, very good so far. I see this as something that could make a really fun platform. Moreover, I know I’ll be making one in clear to match my SE  :)

 

PotatoFi

Well-known member
Looks very good so far. The rear could actually be laser cut acrylic or something similar assuming the spot it slides into is a common thickness.  I wonder if some general holes or something could be added inside for drives and such. Either way, very good so far. I see this as something that could make a really fun platform. Moreover, I know I’ll be making one in clear to match my SE  :)
The rear panel could absolutely be laser-cut. Right now, the slot is 2mm, but that is insanely easy to adjust.

As for general holes inside for drives and components, you bet. We'd basically just need to figure out what we'd want in there. The sky is the limit.

I like the idea of it being a modular platform of some kind... something where people could install whatever accessories they want. Hard drives, CD-ROM drives (would require front modifications), SCSI2SD's, SCSI ethernet adapters, modems, etc.

 

maceffects

Well-known member
The rear panel could absolutely be laser-cut. Right now, the slot is 2mm, but that is insanely easy to adjust.

As for general holes inside for drives and components, you bet. We'd basically just need to figure out what we'd want in there. The sky is the limit.

I like the idea of it being a modular platform of some kind... something where people could install whatever accessories they want. Hard drives, CD-ROM drives (would require front modifications), SCSI2SD's, SCSI ethernet adapters, modems, etc.
Many exciting prospects ahead.  This is why I love 68kmla.  Old computers but new ideas always happening. 

 

Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
NICE!  :approve: Little raised platforms over the feets inside the case with holes in them for drilling out and tapping might be perfect. That way a plexi baseplate or a multiple part chassis for mounting just about anything can be designed for laser cutting or printing.

 

PotatoFi

Well-known member
Okay, finally time for a very smol update! Very smol. I split the case into four parts - two for the base, two for the lid, and then I added 6-32 screw holes to for glue-less assembly.

Screen Shot 2020-01-26 at 2.47.17 PM.png

I printed the back top and back bottom, but not the front parts. When you look at it in PrusaSlicer, it's kinda terrifying. Note the 14+ hour print time, and that's on 0.3mm layer heights!

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Here are the results of the back parts:

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(Sorry that this one turned out blurry!)

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I have a ton of PLA that I need to burn up, so I used it for these two parts. PLA tends to warp on larger parts like this, and it's more brittle and less flexible than PETG. I'm going to tweak a few things and print a complete case with black PETG very soon. The biggest challenge is finding a 14-hour timeslot where I don't have conference calls in my office, and where I'm around to keep an eye on the prints.

 
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PotatoFi

Well-known member
I feel like I'm ignoring a lot of comments and requests in this post... but I'm really excited to give you an update on how the project is going, so I'm going to jump right in! The blue prototype you saw earlier was printed with PLA, which is very susceptible to warping and peeling up off the bed. PETG is much better about that, although minor warping still does occur. I decided to remove the screws, and go for a glue assembly. Also note how much less warping there is with the PETG!

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The front parts are super tall. This was about a 15-hour print, and that's just the front lid part! I print it vertically like this for consistency on all parts. I *could* lay them down on the bed... but then there are overhangs for the grooves on the sides. I might experiment with some support material to help with that.

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Here's the two top pieces put together:

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And here it is while the last part was printing.

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And then... disaster struck! 20 minutes before the last part was done (after printing for 15.5 hours), the print failed. I was on the other side of the states at that point, so I could only watch in horror! I was able to call my wife and have her shut the printer down. Sadly, it left the top 5mm of the case undone but the print was okay beyond that.

Screen Shot 2020-03-03 at 11.17.18 PM.png

I was able to clean up the top of it, and print another part to fill in the last 5 mm, which is why you might notice a "double-seam" where the bottom parts meet. I feel okay about this solution.... I'd rather not waste 16 hours of machine time, plus about $12 worth of filament!

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And here are the results!

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So yeah, it worked, but barely. It is pretty difficult to print since it takes around 40 hours of print time, and it takes almost an entire 1 kg spool of filament, which costs around $35 for the good stuff after shipping. Yikes! Someone who is good at woodworking could probably build a nicer one much faster than I can print it.

I think I'll keep experimenting with it though. I might try to print it laying down, and I want to mess with the Apple Logo spot a bit... maybe make a spot for a real Apple badge to go. Not sure.

 
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Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
LOL! I was thinking about searching this topic to check in just this afternoon! I somehow missed your January update. FABULOUS!

I remember seeing info on SCSI converters for non-HDD peripherals that weren't stupidly expensive (+-$70?) a while back. Your new case with opening to support a slotloader laptop CD would kill! A trayloader version as in my pic on the first page would be adapter free/economical by comparison. That pic may be of a caddy loader though, don't recall offhand. My AppleCD SC looks really homely and very dated by comparison to your case. There's no need for the front controls to use it as a CD Player in a Stereo setup as was the case in the day.

Never mind the woodworker comparison, there's no way to do it in less time without setting up and using router jigs or a router table. With the latter you'd still come up short with radiused ends on every groove looking nowhere near Snow White correct. You rock, my man!

 

maceffects

Well-known member
@PotatoFi It is looking really good!  Very impressive, if you think that is a long print, imagine trying to do an entire SE/30...   I think if we can figure out what kind of standoffs are needed and can create a CAD for the back panel I can contact my guy and see what can be done.  I'm not really sure wood is practical for this application though it would sure look slick. 

 

PotatoFi

Well-known member
@PotatoFi It is looking really good!  Very impressive, if you think that is a long print, imagine trying to do an entire SE/30...   I think if we can figure out what kind of standoffs are needed and can create a CAD for the back panel I can contact my guy and see what can be done.  I'm not really sure wood is practical for this application though it would sure look slick. 
I know, right?! I think you had a prototype of an SE/30 case FDM printed, right? By the way, I saw your clear SE/30 case in-person this week. It's absolutely gorgeous! By the way, let me know if you'd like your hard drive back with a printed case. :)

As for the the wood... I only wanted to point out the absurdity of 3D printing this thing.  :lol:  I personally want plastic, and only plastic.

For those that don't know, @maceffects basically sponsored this project. The 20SC that you see above is his, lent to me to make the model. I'll be providing the completed model for MacEffects to modify/use for whatever, although I did it in SketchUp which is pretty much the worse CAD tool ever. I doubt that we'll get an injection-moulded case out of this, but it is fun to imagine that as a possibility.

LOL! I was thinking about searching this topic to check in just this afternoon! I somehow missed your January update. FABULOUS!

I remember seeing info on SCSI converters for non-HDD peripherals that weren't stupidly expensive (+-$70?) a while back. Your new case with opening to support a slotloader laptop CD would kill! A trayloader version as in my pic on the first page would be adapter free/economical by comparison. That pic may be of a caddy loader though, don't recall offhand. My AppleCD SC looks really homely and very dated by comparison to your case. There's no need for the front controls to use it as a CD Player in a Stereo setup as was the case in the day.

Never mind the woodworker comparison, there's no way to do it in less time without setting up and using router jigs or a router table. With the latter you'd still come up short with radiused ends on every groove looking nowhere near Snow White correct. You rock, my man!
This is totally, totally possible. 3D printing gives us a lot of flexibility here - adding a slot and/or flexible push-button to the front would not be difficult. We're talking minutes of work. Now adding posts for screws and stuff is more challenging ONLY because of how I'm vertically orienting the prints. If I can print the whole thing flat, that problem basically goes away.

Two Three big challenges: insane amount of print time, difficulty of print, and the $35 worth of material for each time - assuming no failed prints.

That is beyond impressive! 
Thank you very much!

-------------

Things to investigate:

1. Printing in two parts, flat. Will involve generating support material... I'm just not sure how well this will go. Would look something like this. The bed isn't deep enough to print it as one piece so it would need to be two. The green on the left is support material - I'll do a smaller print to test that.

Screen Shot 2020-03-07 at 9.30.22 PM.png

2. Should I make the Apple logo area larger, big enough for an actual Apple badge? Are those obtainable anywhere?

3. Right now, the "back plate" needs to be beveled since we're 3D printing it, so it couldn't accommodate plexiglass.

Screen Shot 2020-03-07 at 9.34.07 PM.png

4. Should I put spots for rubber feet on it? This is easy when printing vertically. The 20SC uses big square feet, I don't know where to get those. The Mac itself uses 1/2" diameter feet which are plentiful. Any thoughts? Anyone care? Here's another one of my designs using rubber feet. SD card indicator for scale.

IMG_0320.jpg

 

maceffects

Well-known member
@PotatoFi Yep, I started with standard 3d printing (non-transparent), and despite the rear case being broken into 4 pieces, it had 3 print failures.  Once that design was confirmed I moved to a Chinese company that produced stereolithographic prints with clear resins, they used a $100,000 machine with great results.  I'm hoping if we can iron out the design details here (to allow 3.5" drive) and SCSI connectors for the back (laser cut), I can have the Chinese company produce a few clear cases.  The feet on the SE are actually a pain in the backside.  Those are 15mm (about .6") I had to custom make the clear rubber feet for the SE to match.  The good news is that if we want to use the same feet for this case it would be easy.  Regarding the 20sc, I'm in no major rush on that.  We might still need it to figure a good mounting solution. 

 
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