Hey guys
I thought I’d post some progress shots of my SimuCUBE project…
Having spent all my money on the SimuCUBE, Mige motor, hub and steering wheel, when it came to finding an enclosure for my project, I needed to go cheap and in turn, found an old HP server back up drive at work.
Front Shot
Rear Panel
With some quick measurements taken, it looked like it’d fit everything in so I designed up a replacement front panel in CAD and printed them out on my Ultimaker 3D printer.
I decided to add a ‘bling’ by backlighting the new front panel with RGB LED strip which would be defused with some frosted 10mm acrylic sheet.
To hold the acrylic panel, I designed and printed a clamp that doubles as a mount for the LED strip.
A quick light up test…
The HP donor box was then stripped…
And modified…
A new back panel was designed up to mount the motor power and encoder connectors along with the USB extension cables and E-stop connector.
A bit of prep work, some paint and everything mounted up nicely… Additionally I added a fuse holder, a button to select the various functions for the RGB controller and an earth bonding point for my additional electronics.
I also modified the cables supplied by Mige with additional Mil-spec type connectors to match the OEM type.
Once all that was finished up, I set about wiring everything up. The Meanwell 480W power supply is tucked underneath the metal tray the SimuCUBE is mounted on. Also under there is a 48V to 12V DC-DC converter for the LED strip, controller and additional case fan.
To complete the look, I covered the lid in some 3M Dynoc carbon film and painted the custom ‘Sim Engine’ panel and stock HP front cover in satin black. I also designed up a neat little custom ‘SE’ badge to replace the original HP badge.
The small Mige is not bolted onto my 8020 type (Minitec) racing rig with a HRS 100mm hub and custom adapter for the Fanatec BMW wheel.
Just a couple more small details to go and then I’ll no doubt posting lots and lots of questions about how to set the bloody thing up 