Merlin SM5, SM8, ST10 Owner's Manual

The Merlin Owner’s Manual and Accessory Guide

Draft Copy: 9-18-12

Welcome to CaseLabs

We have been building enclosures for electronic, military, medical, and industrial

applications since 1971.

When we needed to build a new workstation for engineering design and image
rendering, finding an appropriate case proved to be the most challenging part of the
project. They were either too limited to meet our changing needs or required way too
much time and effort to set up.

In late 2010, we looked at what was available in the enthusiast case market and felt
we could offer something that was significantly more flexible. Our goal was to design a
case that was extremely modular and would allow a user to easily tailor the case to their
exact needs without the need for difficult and time consuming modifications. The
overwhelming majority of cases on the market impose strict design constraints; the
choices for mounting hardware and cooling systems are very limited.

We wanted a design where we, as users, were in control, where we could make the

design decisions, but we also didn’t want to spend hours or days modifying an “open
box”, fabricating brackets, drilling holes, only to find out that we would need to change

the layout again later. It needed to be easy to work on, where we could get in and out
without any fuss. How many cases have you seen where the doors and covers are laying
off to the side because they’re too much of a hassle to keep taking off and on?

We needed something that we could put together quickly and modify quickly when

our needs changed, using standard components that we didn’t have to design and
fabricate. Although we certainly had the resources to do that, it just didn’t make sense

from a time and cost perspective. There had to be a better way…

... and the M8 and CaseLabs were born.

Table of Contents

Merlin Case Models
SM5

SM8
ST10

A Modular Design

The Quick Release Exterior
Dual PSU bays
A Removable Motherboard Tray and Tech Station
The Flex-Bay System
The Accessory mounting System
Bottom Accessory mounts
Reversible Chassis
Modular Radiator Mounting (Including Pedestal)
Mod Friendly Chassis

Standard accessories
Available upgrades

Miscellaneous parts
Chassis reconfiguration
Doors
Top Covers
Switch Options

Optional Cover plates
Caring for your case
Customer Support and Return Policy

Merlin Cases Models

SM5

SM8

Size: 22.44"H x 11.18"W x 22.38"D (570mm x
284mm x 568mm)
Form Factor: mATX, ATX to 12.38" x 10.75" (315mm
x 273mm)
Expansion Slots: 8
Flex-Bays (5.25" bays): 11
Native Drive Support (without using 5.25" bays): [14
using Optional MAC-102 HDD Cages]

 2 HDD (3.50")
 2 SSD (2.50")

Maximum Radiator: 120.4 (480)/140.3 (420)
Radiator Clearance (Top/Bottom): 114mm
Cable Management Clearance: 1.5" (38mm)
Cooling Tower Clearance: 180mm
PSU Mounts: 2
Weight: 20.5 lbs. (9.3kg)

ST10

A Modular Design

We have always strived to offer the most modular, flexible and high quality PC cases available period.
When it comes the Merlin line, no other case can come close to the amount of attention to detail and design
quality this line offers. Part of what makes our cases so unique is how user friendly they are. There are many
systems and features that allow this to be possible, they are:

 The Quick Release Exterior
 Dual PSU bays
 A Removable Motherboard Tray and Tech Station
 The Flex-Bay System
 The Accessory mounting System
 Bottom Accessory mounts
 Reversible Chassis
 Modular Radiator Mounting
 Mod Friendly Chassis

Quick Release Exterior

The Quick Release Exterior allows for fast and easy access to the inside of your system. The exterior is
composed of two hinged doors, a front cover and a top cover. These exterior covers and doors are held in place
by metal spring clips in each corner.

 To remove the top and front covers gently lift up on each corner and remove. NOTE: do not pry off

covers from one side, as this will shorten the life of the spring clips.

 To remove the doors, open them and lift straight up

Dual PSU bays

At the rear of the case there are two PSU bays, one on the top and one on the bottom. A PSU support
mount comes with the case in one bay and a blank cover for the other bay.

Removable MB tray and Tech Station

The Removable Motherboard Tray allows for complete assembly of the motherboard, CPUs, GPUs,
water blocks, and air coolers to be assembled outside of the case.

The Motherboard Tray slides straight out of the rear of the case. It is held in place by aluminum/nylon
guide rails and four self-retaining thumbscrews.

To use the Tech Station feature, replace the 4 countersink screws with the included rubber feet on each
corner of the backside of the motherboard tray.

The Flex-Bay System

Almost every case on the market today has a fixed structure at the front of the case - maybe four or five

5.25" bays on top, a 3.5" bay below that and HDD cages below that. What if that layout doesn't work for you?
What the Flex-Bay System allows you to do is create your own personal layout for the front of the case.

The Flex-Bay area is located in the front of the case, and consists of a series of 5.25’’ bays that is not only
limited to 5.25’’ devices. When all the covers are removed a single large open space is visible allowing the
following Items to be mounted anywhere up or down the Flex-Bay:

 Optical drives
 Fan controllers
 120mm Fans

These are the available mounts that are used to install all of the above items in the Flex-Bay.

 Flex-Bay 5.25 Device Mount – Standard (MAC-125)

 Bay reservoirs
 3.5’’ bay devices
 Radiators

 Bay reservoir/pump

combos

 HDDs and SSDs

General purpose mounting bracket for 5.25 devices (Four sets included with all cases)