Huge Minecraft fan Spencer Kern built his own Redstone PC. In honor of Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta, Kern built the PC with pure celebration in mind, and as a way of kicking off Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta and Windows 10 itself.
From Toys to Tinkering, Planning the Epic PC
Kern didn’t come up with the Redstone PC idea from scratch, but instead gaining inspiration from his tiny Redstone cube lamp that he had. From there the dimensions and planning took place, first with paper sketches and then moving forward into 3D model representation.
Trying to develop a PC case with proper ventilation while also keeping the integrity of the Redstone lamp inspiration was a difficult task, but he was able to accomplish it with proper planning.
Construction from Scratch – Making a Shell
Using a laser cutter, Kern precisely shaped the acrylic materials forming a two-part frame shell, with a mounting point that all electrical bits and shell siding can connect to. For backside and floor, Kern used 5mm thick sheets of acrylic, with internal shelves made of 1.5mm and 3mm thick acrylic.
To hold the acrylic in place, 14mm and 10mm bars operate as support beams. To weld the acrylic and bars together, Kern chose acrylic cement that provided a strong bond to keep the materials together.
For computer parts that are made to be removed, such as the motherboard, Kern used pressure fit nuts which didn’t need a hole in the acrylic base.
Getting Techy with Internal Computer Bits
Since building a PC can be difficult on it’s own, Kern took a very careful approach when assembling the necessary components such as PSU cables, fan cables, light strands, and the power switch.
Due to the Redstone PC being custom made, all the electrical components had to be carefully placed to avoid over heating that can cause irreversible damage.
Touching up the Case with Paint
While the hard part of building and constructing the computer parts and case had finished, Kern then focused on painting the Redstone themed PC with the perfect gloss that a Minecraft block would require.
A light grey base coat was used along with vinyl decals to simulate a patterned look resembling the block from the game. As a finishing touch, a poly finish in clear was used so the decals wouldn’t lift from the shell. After all the hard work in designing, the shell now emulated a pixellated look.
Computer Accessories Themed Redstone
Spencer Kern couldn’t just stop at creating the ultimate Redstone PC, and thus continued on creating essential accessories that are needed including a keyboard, mouse, Xbox One controller, and altering a headset.
Using the fact that Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition enables the Xbox One controller to be used, Kern believed a perfect accessory for this PC would be a custom controller featuring a chat pad.
Surprisingly, the keyboard was said to be the easiest part of the giant project since Kern was able to have custom key caps made professionally for his keyboard.
Spencer Kern did a wonderful job creating this Redstone-themed PC with peripherals that give any gamer the urge to play Minecraft.
It’s always mesmerizing how innovative some technicians can be in creating their custom electronic devices.
