Hi Everyone!
Sorry about being off the radar for the last few weeks but I've been very busy with our latest initiatives for 2010! So without further "ahh-dooo"... here are the latest updates!
Site/StoreAs you can see, we have a new site and store! The main reason for the change is that I've been trying out different hardware and nifty devices in the new mini-ITX box and decided to offer them for sale. I've also been slowly switching to the Hive Logix branding as part of a long term plan to offer mini-ITX clustered system solutions. (The mini-ITX case is an important step in that direction!) Finally, the old site platform lacked some critical features that were sorely needed and it's great to finally have all the pieces in place. Anyway, it is still PCDLAB, I am still at the helm and sincerely hope you like the new look!
mini-ITX CaseAfter a year of development, we are thrilled to launch our new mini-ITX case! As with Qmicra, it is a very forward thinking design and I made sure it could house the latest and greatest mini-ITX hardware. You can load a quad-core in there and the dual 60mm fan assisted front to back airflow design has shown it will cool better than any mini-ITX box that we've tried. The two front accessible 3.5" bays also means you can use any number of storage and bay device combinations for applications ranging from home/business PC, media/NAS storage and commercial/industrial uses. Finally, just the fact that you can use a standard rear motherboard I/O panel and stock Intel heatsink places it above and beyond more than half the mini-ITX cases out there.
As a side note, I considered putting a slim optical drive in but decided that they are going the way of the floppy as people are either streaming their data directly to their machines or moving them around with thumb drives. For those cases where a CD/DVD is needed... we're offering external USB optical drives for sale which have a perfect little home on top of the box as can be seen in the pics.
Anyway, this was a very challenging design and I'm excited that it has finally come to fruition as this box will allow us to reach new markets at a price point that is directly competitive with our Asia based competitors while surpassing their products in features and quality. The design is also scalable so we can easily make modifications to meet custom hardware specs for our OEM customers and for us to create new versions to offer in the future. So this is the first mini-ITX case of many to come!
Qv2Poor Qmicra.
Stock that normally lasts us several months was all completely sold out inside of two weeks when Win7 came out. This couldn't have happened at a worse time as all of my resources were being devoted to the new mini-ITX case and our builder recently got hit with a large time sensitive order from one of their biggest customers which pushed our jobs down the priority list. I sincerely apologize for the time it is taking to get more stock in. I assure you that we're doing everything we can to get you more cases asap and are in the process of executing the following plans...
At the end of each version run, we typically offer refurbs at a discounted price which is once again in the works. These "refurbs" are simply cases made from part over-runs or parts that had to be reworked to meet design spec. They typically have little to no perceptible differences from a retail case so it's a great deal. Anyway, the builder has the go-ahead to build them although I don't have a firm date on when they will be done. There will be a limited supply so shoot me an email to get on the priority list in the mean time (there is no obligation for you to buy one if you end up having to get something else) and I will provide updates as soon as they come in.
Once, the refurbs are sold, we will then launch the next version of Qmicra - Qv2F! I'm sure you're wondering what's in store for it so here are my thoughts...
The liquid cooling users have asked that the Qv2D base/cage mounted rad bracket be worked back in and so it will be done. I knew it would be more challenging to mount a rad to the cover but most of our customers air cool their Qv2 systems and they received design priority for Qv2E. I initially thought that the rad bracket would have to be offered for sale separately as most users would be air cooling and it didn't make sense to have them pay for a part that they didn't need. However, I have seen people mount fans and rads in the front of the case and I'm looking into the possibility of that bracket being both side and front mounted. That way you can mount a 2x120mm rad in one of two positions (or mount two rads!) and the air coolers would have two additional 120mm fan mounts (7x120mm fans?!) which would justify the added cost. Don't fall in love with the idea though as I don't see a good way to do this without making significant sacrifices. For instance, mounting a rad in the front will surely block the HDD brackets and lower 5-1/4" bay and I have no plans to make the case wider or taller to accommodate both. But let me play with the idea and if there is a way to do it... it shall be done.
Outside of that, there are really no other significant changes planned... mostly stuff to make it easier to manufacture. (We're four build generations into this case after all so there is not much left to refine.) For instance, I'm looking at spot welding the base corners together rather than MIG/TIG welding them for cost reasons, raising the semi-perfs on the card holder so cards are less likely to wiggle out for people who haul their Qv2 systems around a lot in rough conditions and a few other little tweaks. Our builder also has a new turret press machine so we're looking at ways to utilize it in making our part flats as it's much cheaper to nibble cutouts than to laser cut them.
So as you can see we have lots of irons in the fire! As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or ideas and thank you for your continued support. (Can you believe that it's our 5 year anniversary this month?!) I'm looking forward to seeing what 2010 brings for everyone!
Best Regards,
Dave - PCDLAB
