I've got a design for the removable backplate. The PCI slots will probably have cover plates made out of hex mesh. The 80mm fan, if implemented, will have a 3-way switch to give me the possibility of running the fan at 12V, 7V or turning it off.
The design phase is pretty much done. Next I'll calculate how much aluminum there is and get an estimate of what it'll run me.
Here's a short list of features:
• place for 12 hard drives in total
• 6 fans (5 x 140mm and 1 x 80mm)
• 3 x compartments
- power supply
- hard drives
- majority of components and more hard drives
• stealth DVD-drive (brushed aluminum panel attached to the DVD-drive's sled)
• built out of aluminum
• drive racks are designed to stop vibrations
• rubber pads on case feet