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+{{ define "article" }}

+<article>

+  <h2>{{ .Title }}</h2>

+  <p>Every custom computer needs a good looking GPU. It's one of the most front-and-center parts of a build other than the CPU cooler. In the case of my three GTX 260s, the standard black EK backplate was good enough, but I only had two. Luckily, I had a spare piece of aluminum that was exactly the right size for three plates, so I got to making.</p>

+  <p>I started with a cardboard template to get the size and SLI cutout position correct. A cutout was also added around the power plugs, but I decided against it in the end. It should have been an overhang if anything, not a cutout.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Template_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Materials_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Cut_Stock_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figcaption>Initial work.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>After laying out the template and getting rough sizes with enough holding clearance, I rough-cut the blanks for milling.</p>

+  <p>My milling skills are that of a highschool shop kid who watches too much ThisOldTony. Thinks he knows enough to hold a part to the tenths of thousandths of an inch, but hasn't had more than an hour of mill time in the better part of 6 years. Regardles, I knew enough for making such a rough part. I thought I'd be clever and make a back-stop for locating repeatability. It worked pretty well, but I ended up not making the other two at this mill.</p>

+  <p>After running a perimeter pass, I checked the size with the template to make sure I was in the ballpark. From there, I carefully plotted out the holes and drilled them.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Mill_Setup_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Perimeter_Pass_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Template_Check_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Drill_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figcaption>Milling.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>This was a complete pain and waste of time for this part. I messed up a couple measurements which required me to slot the affected holes with a file. I had a better method for the following two.</p>

+  <p>I then cut out the SLI bridge clearance and milled the rest of the way through. Time for a test fit!</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Test_Fit_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figcaption>Test fit.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>As mentioned, not all of the holes were aligned, but the overall shape was pretty good, and I was about done for the day. I wrapped up by sanding in a brushed finish.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Finishing_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figcaption>Sand-in brushed finish.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>I think it turned out decent. Much better than the plain PCB and possibly better than the stock backplate. Later down the line I'd like to etch a logo into it to give a bit of depth and fine detail.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/1_Complete_Rear34_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/1_Complete_Front34_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figcaption>Plate completed.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>After admiring the shine for some time, I noticed an error I made when cutting out the SLI bridge clearance. I made it off-center...</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Bridge_Clearance_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figcaption>Visual clearance issue.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>I made a plan to cut out some extra material later to balance it.</p>

+  <p>With the vision of the backplates starting to come together, I drew my attention to the SLI bridge. It was pretty plain and detracted from the build. I looked for other bridges, but nothing matched the build style. I ended up finding a scrap aluminum heatskink for an external hard drive, and mocked it up.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Bridge_Mockup_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figcaption>Bridge mockup.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>I liked the way it looked, and it was the perfect height for the bridge. Steps in the extrusion for a sliding panel were also correctly sized for the PCB thickness, so I had a plan to cut them off, and epoxy them to the main heatskink at the width of the PCB, allowing it to slide on and off with a friction fit.</p>

+  <p>While sitting around the appartment, I realized I had mirror finish Pascal backplate on an EK block, and I immediately drew comparisons.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/EK_Comparison_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figure>Custom GTX 260 vs official EK Pascal block.</figure>

+  </figure>

+  <p>It's not quite the same, but hits a similar feel.</p>

+  <p>The next time in the shop, I was straight to work. Blanks were cut and the SLI slot size was finalized.</p>

+  <p>This time, I used a tranfer punch and the actual GPU to plot out the holes onto the new backplates. This saved a ton of time, though I still managed to mess one up.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/3_Blanks_1000.jpg" width="750" height="1000" />

+    <figcaption>Blanks cut.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>Wanting to get ahead wih the gluing process, I cut up the heatsink and glued it in place using the bridge as a guide.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Bridge_Mockup_Cut_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Bridge_Clamped_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figure>SLI bridge work.</figure>

+  </figure>

+  <p>Just enough glue was used to bond the parts, making it easy to slide the part off once it dried.</p>

+  <p>While it set, though, I worked on finishing the backplate's show sides. I applied the same brushed finish and filed edges, which was fun to compare to the raw part.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Finish_Comparison_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figcaption>Raw vs brushed look.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>With the parts layed out, it was time to clean up and head back for final assembly.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Completed_Parts_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figcaption>Completed parts.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>I did a test assembly outside of the case, and everything fit. I noticed that the top two cards didn't have enough clearance between the plate and the PCB, but this was just due to using the wrong thickness thermal pads on the memory modules. With that sorted, it was done.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Complete_Top_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Complete_Bottom_1000.jpg" width="1000" height="750" />

+    <figcaption>Assembled SLI setup.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>Everything fit in the case, and it looks much better than it did. The things I'd like to work on are unifying the color scheme with the board by annodizing it, or bringing more brushed aluminum onto the board, as well as etching some logos and/or graphics into the plates. A BFG Tech or SLI logo attached to the bridge cover might also be cool.</p>

+  <figure>

+    <img src="/static/media/GTX_260/Installed_1000.jpg" width="750" height="1000" />

+    <figcaption>Installed.</figcaption>

+  </figure>

+  <p>I'm very happy with how it turned out. There's plenty of room to improve, but as it stands, with a cable upgrade, it could be considered "done" aesthetically if I wanted. It will probably sit like this for a while until I have time to work on it again. For now, I can enjoy the build and play some games.</p>

+  <p><b>Created:</b> {{ .Date }}</p>

+</article>

+{{ end }}