Phantom - Mini ITX Case

Updates to both Documentation and files for the case will occur.

Some changes that are inbound:
- I am working on DXF files for the panels for those that want the panels to be laser cut.
- Photos will be updated to show current model instead of various prototype models later on, currently most are what I can photograph at the current moment.

Summary

This is my printable Phantom PC case. Inspired by the Ghost S1, Lazer3D LZ7, and Cyberpunk visuals. It supports 300mm 2.5-slot GPUs similar to cases of it's size.

From the beginning, I wanted to try and make something visually sleek and sturdy without using extruded aluminum beams like how a lot of other designs do. The printable beams that I designed end up supporting the frame of the case quite well, and once all of the panels are secured in place, I would argue that it becomes more rigid than production cases due to the way that the frame and panels redistribute force across each other. I have also intentionally designed the Phantom to have a fairly straightforward assembly process, avoiding tedious parts wherever reasonably possible.

Everything is printable on a 220x220mm build volume. The orientation of the spine will have to be printed vertically from corner to corner of your printer. Two-piece printable panels are provided for the exterior panels. With a 300x300mm build volume the spine can be printed flat, and the panels can be printed as one piece.

All pieces should be oriented correctly.

Parts // Bill of Materials [BOM]

• 1x 16mm / 5/8in mounting 'Anti-Vandal' momentary switch (Power Button) - $8
• 1x  Internal power cable extender [Left 90 degree] - $12
• 1x 200mm PCI-E Riser Cable (I used a PCIe 4.0 cable) - $35
• 31x M3x5mm[Diameter] Heat Inserts (Pack of 50) - $7.50
• 31x M3x10mm Bolts / Screws (Pack of 50) - $6
• Super glue for connecting feet to the bottom panel, and to connect two-piece panels together.

Not accounting for filament or other materials, it costs $69 (nice) at the time of writing/ordering to build this case.

Printing

Please note that PLA is generally not suitable for PC cases because of their heat generation, and may cause warping if you print it in PLA. If you want to test this theory, I still strongly recommend that you use a higher temperature filament for the middle section, AKA ‘the spine’.
Tested filaments include: PETG, PET-CF, PCTG, ASA, ABS, and Nylons. My beta tester LogikGear tested some PLA's without heavy gaming load and didn't seem to get any drooping or warping, and will be making another one in HT-PLA-GF, which is looking to be a very promising filament.

You may notice that the panel files that I have provided are solid. This is so you can choose in your slicer what infill density and type that you want to use for the panels, along with how thick the edges will be.

On a 0.4mm nozzle, I recommend 4-6 walls, 18-25% infill, no bottom or top layers.

Assembly (WIP)

Before assembling the case, it's probably a good idea to press the heat inserts in first. This can be done easily with a soldering iron or wood burner. If you have a digital soldering iron, set the temperature ~60°c above the nozzle temperature you printed the filament at. This makes pressing the inserts in more controllable and consistent.

1. Connect front and rear frame with the 4 connection bars (Power buttons near top / PSU mount near top for the both panels.)
2. Slide the inner panel (AKA 'Spine') into place from the top down, It can only be placed in one direction.
3. Slide the PSU Mount into place on the spine.

Size

Exterior Dimensions: (WxDxH): 152 x 322 x 250mm  // 6.0 x 12.7 x 9.8in
Max GPU Length: 307mm // 12.1in
Max GPU Width: 2.5 slot
Max CPU Cooler Height: 60mm // 2.37in
PSU Size: SFX, or SFX-L with bottom 120x15mm fan not installed

Notes

• If you print every panel and piece and do the mesh correctly, it should take less than 1kg of filament to make! My prints were approximately 0.8kg after completion. (assuming your filament density is similar to PLA.)
• There are multiple choices for PCIE riser cables - Any 'double reversed' 190-220mm cables should work. I've only tested the one listed in the BOM, however.

Personal Build

- Printed with both my Creality K1C (220mm) and K1 Max (300mm)
- Material: Phantom cases pictured are in Siraya Tech Fibreheart PET-CF
- GPU: a Gigabyte Windforce RX5700
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600x
- CPU: cooler: ID Cooling IS-55
- RAM: Low Profile is needed for this cooler (2x16gb Micron Ballistix is what I'm using)
- Motherboard: Asrock B450 Phantom ITX (No, that wasn't planned lol)
- Storage: 2x 1tb Samsung NVME Drives mounted on the front and rear of the motherboard
- PSU: Lian Li SP850 SFX

Credit

Huge credit goes to u/LogikGear for lots of beta testing and dealing with me changing around items to use in the BOM. He is a major reason why this case is released, and why fits more than my specific PC parts.