My Intellijel 3-Case stack

[studioutopia]

After waiting over 3 months, I finally obtained a 104HP palette to join my two 7U 104HP performance cases. By Default, I am sure the assumption is that you place the palette in front, and the stacked 7U cases behind it…
Well at least for me, that arrrangement sucks. having three 3U rows, two 1U rows and the palette tools between you and that vertical case is horrible. you better hope that the modules in that case are “set and forget”, because after 3 hours I could feel it in my back and arms. I was leaning forward just to reach.
So I finally executed my plan - make some brackets so you can mount that palette up high. The brackets are two aluminum plates from 2"x1/8" flat stock (Home Depot to the rescue), and four longer screws and nylon bushings to add 5mm on each side of the palette to get the alignment right. The four mounting holes took some careful measurements to get the angle right. I originally planned for the palette to be perfectly vertical, when the 7U cases are resting on the joiner plate feet - but I went a little overstated and have the pallete leaning towards me by 7 degrees. Mouning the modules takes a little more caution - but after an evening of using both seated and standing (my system in on an Autonomous.ai standing desk), it is the most comfortable setup I can imagine.It is extremely sturdy - the only wobble/slack in the whole system is from the 7U case joiners, which is normal, but the palette and upper 7U case are like a solid unit.
Word of warning - this basically renders the upper case as useless for travelling - as the mounting is attached on the insides of both the 7U case and the palette.
I’ll probably take the brackets off again when it warms up and die-grind the edges to match the Intellijel radii.
The next step is to fab up some new side plates for the palette that have actual joiner plate bottoms on them, so I can just snap the palette in on top - but for that I’ll need to send my CAM files to a fab shop.

Now if Intellijel actually does some 126HP cases… I’m going to be a bit frustrated… mostly because it will mean I will be tempted to expand past 520HP (I have three modules incoming that will fill my system to exactly 520HP).

I am sure most of us on this forum are biased - but the Intellijel cases are the best by a longshot.
This was the only thing I felt was missing.

[studioutopia]

Side detail of the plates. They need a but of polishing and edge rounding - but I didn’t want to put any more effort in until I knew how they fit and felt ergonomically.
Second shot is that feeling of being in a starship cockpit. Interesting side benefit of the downward angle - no glare from the lights on the Mordax DATA screen.

[exper]

I would absolutely buy a solution like this. Substitute the screws with maybe thumb screws or a knob headed bolt for easy disconnect…

For me, I’d still have a 4u palette in front of my 7Us, but I’d add a second palette on top instead of the smaller couple of cases I have nearby.

[studioutopia]

The better solution would be to just fab up these alternate side panels I’ve been working on. They would slide right into the joiner slots on an inverted 7U case.The palette would have the two plugs sticking out when you removed it, but it would make the whole system very portable.
other than getting this actually cut, the other thing that could be an issue to work out is the width, it may require a 1-2mm shim on one or both sides to get the palette plates wide enough to smoothly slide into the slots on the 7U case - but that would be easyto solve - worst case is adding 6 washers on the inside between the case/rails and a side plate. Better would be a thin slice of plastic as a shim, cut to the profile of the case.

[exper]

even better

[r_omega]

Hats off to you!

[studioutopia]

Here is an update:
I disasambled my cases and traced out a joiner plate and palette side panel to make a template for a stacking palette side panel.
I busted out the dremel and carved up the remainder of my 2"x1/8" aluminum flat stock. I have a nice drill press, but my unibit cannot make countersink holes the right size for the Intellijel screws. However, for a scratch prototype, the new side panels are awesome. Exactly what I envisioned when Intellijel released the Palette 104.
For the palette to slide into the 7U case slots nicely, The new side panels need to have a spacer to extend the width by about 5-6mm. At first I used 5 nylon bushings, but realized all I needed was to sandwich one of the side panels on one side - looks almost invisible - and the palette slides off the 7U case with ease.

[Nailbiter]

This is amazing, I have the same case configuration so this is a dream set up. @Danjel any plans to sell intellijel version of these??? I thought originally when the palette came out that was going to be one of the features but maybe i dreamt that up.

[exper]

I’d kill for a set of these. Well done!

[to_be_hippie]

Where I can get a size of red Plates for two cases?. Want trying to make them by self…