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Case Mod - Complete Project: Military Tech - A fundraising project in support of veterans

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by Dalchi Frusche, 27 Sep 2016.

  1. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    ** WARNING: This build log, like all the others will take some time because I'm poor :D but with the help of sponsors we will quicken this up. More sponsors = quicker build :thumb:

    Good Afternoon my fellow modding enthusiasts,


    So I have tossed around the idea of doing a US Military themed mod and build, then doing a raffle drawing locally charging a small fee for the tickets. The winner would win the build and the proceeds raised from the raffle would be split between the local Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. I know I won't have any problem getting the local VFW post to get behind the project as I am a member. Other sponsors like Lowes/Home Depot is going to be slightly harder, maybe impossible. My thought would be to allow them to display the build once complete with details on how to join the raffle.

    Parts List (Will be updated as time progresses)
    Main Components

    • Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X170-EXTREME ECC
    • Processor: TBD
    • RAM: 8GB G.Skill Aegis DDR4 Kit
    • HDD: TBD
    • PSU: EVGA SuperNova G2 1000W
    • CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 w/ TT Ring Pro 12 fans
    • Graphics: TBD
    • Blu-Ray Drive: TBD
    • Monitor: TBD
    • Keyboard: Poseidon Z RGB
    • Mouse: Ventus Z RGB Gaming Mouse
    • Headset: Cronos RGB Gaming Headset
    • Fans: Thermaltake Ring Pro 12 x6


    Case Parts

    • Phobya Vandal Resistant "Momentary" Bulgin Switch - 23mm - Black - White Ring LED
    • Phobya SlimGuide Fan Controller
    • Phobya Thermometer with Digital Display
    • Darkside Front Panel I/O Connection Kit
    • DarkSide 5mm CONNECT Modular LED - Red
    • DarkSide 5mm CONNECT Modular LED - White
    • DarkSide 12" CONNECT Dimmable Rigid LED Strip
    • Phobya PCI Airslots - Black
    • Toggle Switches

    Specialty Modding/Misc

    • Sleeving: Paracord from TheParacordStore.com
    • Cable Combs: 3D printed by DreamPC
    • Cable Rubber Grommet Round
    • Sheet Aluminum
    • Sheet Diamond Plate
    • Sheet CoPolyester
    • U Channel trim

    Tools

    • Drill w/ bits
    • Jigsaw w/ Metal Blades
    • Dremel 395 Multitool w/ cutting wheels/grinding stones
    • Metal files
    • Molex tools
    • Alphacool Eisplateau Anti-Static Mat


    So without further ado... lets meet the patient:

    Case Acquisition
    Was dropping off my trash at the local "convenience center" when i notice off in the distance tucked in between some broken CRT TVs, lays a piece of future treasure. A quick "May I..." to the guy running the center and I was off and running with my newest beige modding case.

    Bask in the sexy beige awesomeness...
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    Look at that nicely rounded beveled front.
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    And that interior... *wolf whistles... laughs... then preps the saw*
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    Gotta love that old hardware... 64MB RAM used to be the gold standard *laughs* those were the days
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    And of course a quick shot of some paint I picked up for the project
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    This case seemed like it would be a good platform for my military mod, so I brought up Sketchup and drafted some rough designs.

    Design Concept #1 - WARNING: These concepts are guaranteed to change in one shape or another as the road progresses.

    Here's my first quick concepts so let me know what you think. For the side window, I'm debating what symbol I will do the window..... I'm torn between either a grenade or a fighter jet. *UPDATE* Someone also mentioned doing a Jet/Ship/Humvee style design so I will have to play with that a bit.

    The SSD will get vinyl covered to be the stars in the flag and will sit behind a plexiglass window. Cooling for this project is undecided. If I get to do watercooling or at least an Aio, I'm thinking a 240 rad in the front will work just fine.
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    New Window Concept
    Design Concept #2
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    Updated front panel and inside hardware
    Design Concept #3
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    I also manged to pick up these handles for free out of a trash pile( brand new) so I decided to mock them up
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    Look at this lack of cable management space, looks like I might be making a new backplate so I can shift things over.
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    Time to remove that old dated hardware
    Out with the Old
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    Look at all the modding potential...
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    Used an old ATX motherboard to test fit, I even squeeze an optical drive to test the clearance. I tried to put my Corsair TX650 PSU in there as well, but I couldn't get it to fit because of the coverplate that extends from the optical bays. This case wasn't made for a fully ATX PSU I guess. Time to break out the tools.
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    Last edited: 7 Feb 2017
  2. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    I'm super excited to announce, for those that noticed...... We are now officially sponsored!

    Our first sponsor that I'm pleased to announce is ModMyMods.com

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    They have graciously agreed to handle the lighting and the needed cables to make that work. Additionally, they were nice enough to include the Vandal LED switch, zip ties and some rubber grommets for the cable pass through. Working with ModMyMods couldn't have been any more enjoyable. They were always quick to get back to me and always professional. Once the parts arrive I will get some hardware shots posted.

    In the meantime, I need to get my "photo studio" *cough cough* set up.
     
  3. Arboreal

    Arboreal Keeper of the Electric Currants

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    Looking good! A great concept - not only do I like military builds, I love beige box recycling :thumb:
    Charity raffle build for vets is the icing on the cake - mod on :dremel:
     
  4. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Thank you Arboreal! Given your stated likes... this build is right up your alley.

    In regards to the beige box modding, I had the thought of finding someone to sponsor a case, like a CaseLabs or something. But, after thinking about it a bit more, I found that the resurrection of the old case into something great symbolized the transformation one undertakes when they join the military. Additionally, the change also symbolizes the veterans struggle to re-adapt to society upon return from war.

    But anyways, I'll step off my philosopher's box and say instead "Welcome aboard!" :D
     
  5. Quantum-192

    Quantum-192 What's a Dremel?

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    I love military builds too so looking forward to this one :thumb:
     
  6. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Welcome aboard Q-192,

    Grab some popcorn, pull up a chair and enjoy the show. :)

    With all these military comments, it makes me second guess if my design is military enough haha :lol:
     
  7. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Figured I'd mock up some quick cardboard shrouds to see how clean it would make it look. I'm definitely in favor of the top shroud but I'm still a little uncertain about the front shroud. I wanted to test fit my Corsair TX650 but the placement of the prefab shroud was too narrow to allow me to squeeze the PSU up into the space. The PSU that was in the case was almost half the size of that Corsair.

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    Then the teardown begins with drilling out all those rivets to remove the top panel.

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    I had planned on using the optical bays and turning the hdd bay 90 degrees.... but as you can see gotta love old non-modular assembly.

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    As you might've guessed previously, the front, back and motherboard tray are all ONE piece :p So taking off the bottom panel is definitely being a chore. Where the holes are used to be a tiny dot that welded the two pieces together. Since I don't plan on welding it back together, drilling out the welds allows me to rivet the case back together instead.

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    But as you can see, popping all those welds have bent up the edge a bit. Going to need to give it a good speaking to with my mallet :)

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  8. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Update 9/30/16

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    So is everyone enjoying the updates?


    Well it’s time to do some more tearing down and overall destruction of the case. First, let’s remove those nasty yellowed case feet.

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    Next, we can finish taking off the bottom panel. Breaking the remaining welds along the side were only a slight annoyance. All that’s left is the front/tray/back one-piece.

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    Everything is apart, now we can start marking cuts.

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    Before cutting the panels apart, lets test fit our drive bays for clearances. Looks like everything will fit nicely.

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    In testing out the new motherboard IO panel placement, I went from 5mm clearance to 12mm. I would’ve liked to get more out of it, but that’s all I can do and still have room for a 120mm exhaust. But I think it will give me just enough to hide the cables like I need and fit the SSD in it’s place.

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    Now everything has been spaced out and adjusted…. Lets break out the jigsaw! Welp, need to fix it first. The blade arm retention spring had broke in half, so I had to use my ingenuity and use a spacer and new spring to fix. Then I adjusted the bottom runner so the blade is back in place and secure.

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    And… now we start cutting. First we cut up the one piece monstrosity. Now the motherboard tray and front panel is separate.

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    Yes I hear you saying, “But wait James, where’d the back panel go?” I give you my new PSU bracket, all that I’m keeping from the back panel(unless I steal the mesh from it later). My plan is to have the bracket that gets screwed onto the PSU, then you can slide it into the case and secure the bracket with 2 thumbscrews. I also found out I need to cut the bracket opening just a bit more to allow for the extruded power supply plug on the newer PSU models.

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    Then we can cut down the new drive bays to fit two optical drives and 2 HDDs. And lets test the look.

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    Well I didn’t care for it too much, so I broke the bottom bracket off. It was just too big and clunky. Instead I will hold it with an old optical bay cover similar to what I did in my Double Dragon build.

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    I like the new placement and design, so let’s line up the optical bays with the front panel hole…. It fits perfectly with the new motherboard tray placement. Time to drill some holes for our mounting solution.

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    So in closing, my father in law walked up to me yesterday evening after getting back from Harbor Freight and tossed these to me and said “Happy Birthday.” I’m not sure if I should tell him my birthday was back in May…… oh well, I can’t complain. I can now stop losing screws and make more accurate measurements.

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    Until next time…. Let me know what you think, I always love to hear from my friends here in the modding community.
     
  9. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Update 10/4/16

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    Assembled the drive bays together to test fit and make sure I drilled the holes in the right spots. This is temporary as I will take it apart for painting. I did notice I'm going to have to figure out a solution to mount it also to the top panel as well for extra support.

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    Marked up the motherboard tray for location of grommets and other cuts that will be needed

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    Marked the cut of the front panel that will be replaced with mesh and painted.

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    First box from the sponsors(ModMyMods.com)
    Feels like Christmas morning! :D
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    Packed tighter than soldiers in a cattle car
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    Some Darkside magic....
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    Cable management supplies.... glad I'm moving that motherboard tray to make room
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    Mmm... look at those clean black sleeved cables
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    Vandal switches... I've always wanted to use one of these
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    Darkside strip unsheathed... all those LEDs :D
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    Front panel extensions
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    Why have dimmable LED strips without a dimmer?
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    Nice clean black vented PCI covers
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    PWM splitter
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    *flex* always love product flair(*thinks he might need to incorporate this into the build... since they were the first onboard*)
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    *drool* That work mat is so nice. The material feels superb! I can't wait to get this laid out on my area.
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  10. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Update 10/5/16

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    I realized that I never posted anything about the projected completion date.  So for those who care about project timeline/deadlines, here you go!  For everyone else, I give you a peek of what the next update will be about.

    Timeline of Project

    2016

    - September 30th 2016 - Case design finalized
    - October 31st 2016 - Case cutting and layout complete
    - November 30th 2016 - Any additional fabrication complete
    - December 31st 2016 - Case painting complete

    2017

    - January 31st 2017 - Case assembly complete
    - February 28th 2017 - Project: Military Tech case customization to be complete
    - March 1st 2017 - Raffle begins

        - Advertising push starts
        - Finalize case display schedule

    - May 29th 2017 - Raffle winner announced and check presented to VFW
    representative at local Memorial Day Ceremony


    And the tedious cutting work with xacto knife....

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  11. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Update 10/6/16

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    Our next steps in fabrication work..... begins with our sexy new workspace thanks to our Alphacool mat.

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    Then we can get the placement of our Flag on the side panel

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    Cut out the star block where the SSD will line up and we can mark it up for cuts

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    Then drill the start holes for our favorite jigsaw.

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    Switching gears to the SSD cover itself, we first make our cardboard mockup

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    Then we can mark out the bends and cuts on the small sheet of plexi I have. It's super thin and should bend pretty easy. I need to make my bending station and procure some heat source to bend it. Also you can see the cuts marked out to make the drive bay cover door.

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    So we got our soldier memorial piece printed out to the correct size(just about 6" tall)

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    And the tedious work begins cutting out the design.

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    The outlines have been completed. detail cuts for the rifle and helmet will be done on the painter's mask once in place.

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  12. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Update 10/10/16

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    Some friends came from out of state to visit this weekend so no work was able to be done. However, I did do some design tweaks and updates to the concepts. Wanted to show everyone my plan for the diamond plating.

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    Also cut the window design out of the side panel to replace the image that was the placeholder.

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    It was also brought to my attention that I never posted my explanation of the side window design. Here is how the design incorporates all 5 branches of the US Military.

    - The tank = U.S. Army
    - The aircraft carrier = U.S. Navy
    - The jet = U.S. Air Force
    - The tank + the aircraft carrier = U.S. Marines
    - The aircraft carrier + the jet = U.S. Coast Guard


    Additionally, a local PC builder has agreed to cover any 3D printing I might need. So I came up with this GPU backplate and Fan Grill. What do you guys think?

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    As always let me know what you think.
     
  13. MrJoosh

    MrJoosh What's a Dremel?

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    Looks good mate :) like the recycled beige box idea :)

    Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
     
  14. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Thank you and welcome aboard. It's going to be a long journey so be patient with me. If you ever have any suggestions or tips feel free to share. I'm always open for community involvement.
     
  15. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Just a small update for a new GPU backplate design. Updates are a little slower due to waiting for materials to arrive. In the mean time I'm finishing up my Gigabyte modding challenge build Blue Fury.

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  16. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Update 10/20/16

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    That's right ladies and gentlemen! We have new sponsors to announce!


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    First, I welcome Lowes to the mix and while they don't have the budget to donate they are willing to work with me on the prices of materials that I need. The manager is a solid guy that was quick to communicate even with his busy schedule. A big thank you to Lowes for their support so far.


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    Next I want to mention Home Depot. I'm currently working with the manager to sift through my materials list so he can provide the most that budget allows. It didn't take long for the manager to come aboard the project. I happened to stop him in the middle of the store and within a couple minutes he expressed his interest in sponsoring the project with some donations.


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    And last, but certainly not least, I introduce The Paracord Store who have graciously agreed to provide the paracord supplies for this project. Located semi-locally, about 3 hours drive from me, they can be found online at www.theparacordstore.com. They have some great prices and shipping is actually not too bad, they offer several options for shipping. One of the biggest things of interest is they carry more than just the standard 550 cord. They have a range of sizes to include 750, 550, 425 and 275. But to the delight of the modder inside of me, they carry CORELESS paracord. To make it even more interesting is they carry 20 colors of coreless paracord and over 100 colors and patterns in 550 paracord. Needless to say they have a great selection and looking through the colors makes me start thinking of all the other builds tucked away in my cerebral mass. :D


    So take a moment and help me thank these sponsors for their support on this project. As a business it's hard to make a living in our current economical state, so I can't express my gratitude enough when I see this kind of support.

    Until next time, Happy Modding!
     
  17. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    11/2/16 Small Update

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    Just so everyone knows I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I wanted to say hi and share something new. I'm currently tied up finishing my Blue Fury build for Gigabyte's Mod2Win contest.


    I got the samples of green paracord from TheParacordStore.com and compared them with a scrap piece of metal I painted. I first was going to do Black/Green/White color scheme(first picture), but when compared to the paint the white just was very bright. Instead, I'm going to switch it up and replace the white with their Khaki color(second picture). At the bottom is the sleeving design that I am going for. There won't be a huge amount of Khaki used, but just enough to offset the black and green.


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    Last edited: 13 Dec 2016
  18. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Update 11/28/16

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    Hey everyone!


    I do apologize for the long delay in updates.* I had to switch focus and get my Blue Fury(link) mod complete in time to submit for Gigabyte’s Mod2Win contest.* So while the delay was a bummer, there was some good to come out of it.* But that I will save for another update.


    Onto today’s update, I worked on marking and cutting both a new motherboard tray and back panel.* So far I have cut the panels out, marked the location for the standoffs, marked and cut the opening for the PSU and mounting holes.* Additionally, I riveted a L support under the PSU to give it more strength.* I will do an additional mount on the motherboard tray as well.


    Well that’s it for now, keep an eye out as our focus has turned back to completing this.

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    Last edited: 13 Dec 2016
  19. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Update 12/13/16

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    Good afternoon DDCM fans!

    I hope everyone is doing well this holiday season and the number of stressful days will stay to a minimum. I finally have some more progress to share. I had taken a bit of family time and took a small trip to see some family and take my kids on the Polar Express. Needless to say, given the headaches at work it helped me refocus. Here’s a picture from the train with our awesome matching pajamas.

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    But enough of the silliness, and onto the project. I was able to get the new panel almost all complete. Just have to tie in the corners together with some rivets and it’ll be ready to hit with primer. Seems like a lot of work to gain a few mm of cable management space.

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  20. Dalchi Frusche

    Dalchi Frusche What's a Dremel?

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    Update 12/13/16

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    Good afternoon DDCM fans!

    That is right ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for a sponsor update! And what a great one it is!

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    Kicking off the party we have gained sponsorship with GIGABYTE. Through some hard work and determination, with a bit of Blue Fury modding on the side, they have graciously agreed to send a GA-170X-EXTREME-ECC motherboard. How great does that tan digital camo look! I am glad that I decided to add a little tan into the sleeving instead of the white. With a little green paint this will fit well with the overall theme.


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    Second we have our newest sponsor, EVGA who just recently returned their response in support of Project Military Tech. I am super excited to get my hands on the EVGA SUPERNOVA 1000W G2 they are sending. Not only is it an impressive piece of hardware, I am itching to start sleeving this 1000W monster. A big thanks to EVGA for their support!


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    Finishing today’s sponsor update is one of our favorite forums, Overclockers.com! They stepped up to support the cause and sent a 8GB kit of G.Skill Aegis DDR4 RAM. This prompted me to get an e-mail out to G.Skill to see if they would match the donation and possibly throw in a SSD. But, time will tell on that one. I normally don’t see forums sponsoring builds/mods, so I appreciate the non-conventional support! Over the past year I have had the pleasure dealing with many of the moderators and other forum members. One local member was gracious enough to loan his GPU for me to mod for my last mod, Blue Fury.

    To conclude today’s update, I just wanted to give a big thanks to not only the companies that have sponsored me, but also to the individuals that have stepped in and offered support. From 3D printing, decal printing, to CNC work; several people have offered help where they can. This build has been heavily dependent on sponsorships, and I am moved to have so much of the community get behind this build.
     

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