Kinetic PC case

This beautiful PC case was inspired by PC retailer CyberPower’s kinetic PC case. It moves – it looks a bit like the vents of a jet engine opening – but it’s not available to buy. The company teased PC enthusiasts with a glimpse a couple of years ago but, for whatever reason, it hasn’t yet come to pass other than as a concept. Robert, the human behind the Ideal Idea YouTube channel, took this as a sign that he should build his own moving PC case, and, wouldn’t you know, it’s even better than the one that inspired him.

The brilliant thing about this build is how open Robert has been in showing his development process. He initially thought of controlling each hexagon with its own linear actuator, but realised that this would make the coding horrifically complex, and cost at least $600 for the parts. Then he tried powering the linear motion by means of turning a shaft, which turned another shaft, which turned lots of other shafts, but that also presented its own problems.

The eventual build uses an Arduino Uno, a 4488 stepper motor driver, a Nema 17 stepper motor, and gears attached to 3D-printed camshafts. These run vertically up the side of the case, and convert rotational movement into the linear movement of the little hexagons moving in and out along the front panel of the case.