More On the Table Top

Today I want to go into a little more detail about the project I mentioned yesterday, Project "Table Top".
As I mentioned, I have spent some time on a few different designs for PC tables. This is the fourth design I arrived at.

It's a very basic design right here. Because it's a retrofit of an existing PC table, I didn't bother plotting the layout of the table itself, only the retrofit. The desk I will be using has a center section that is a piece of glass about a quarter inch thick with a shallow curve to the front ans the sides. The left and right sections of the table are laminated particle board about a half inch thick. The legs are metal (I'll probably end up spray painting them black). 

As one might imagine then, given the layout of the addition I planned, the idea is for the motherboard to be centered under the glass section. I noted yesterday that aside from the 5.25" bays, the entire rig would be made of plexiglass. The motherboard will be able to slide out to facilitate installation. 

But I already know there is a design flaw that I overlooked. The left to right alignment centers the entire rig under the desk. In other words three is the same distance between the left edge in the draft above and the end of the table as on the right. However, the front to back alignment is skewed towards the back of the table, leaving just enough room for desktop monitor mounts. Do you see where the problem would be?

Simply put, with the alignment I have in my draft the 5.25" bays and the front I/O panel would be too far back for ease of use. In one of my prior projects I had the top down system such that the CD/DVD/Blu-Ray drive and the front panel would be mounted vertically in the table top. That would be difficult with this project. Thus, the only option would be to move both forward. I wouldn't move the motherboard area or the PSU area. I would only bring the 5.25" bays and the front panel. Both would have to come forward between 10 to 15 inches. 

Well, this is only draft one. Version 4.1 will certainly have a more finalized idea of how it will work with the table's structure, and the basic utility of the way it has been set up. Once again, look forward to developments, as I hope to get into construction by mid-summer.