Hello, i'm new This project has been going for about 2 months so far. It's getting a little too hardcore for the local forum i usually frequent, so i thought i'd bring it over to you guys here at bit-tech and see what you thought So let me set the scene .. Previously i was proud to do as much as i could to my cases with the most ghetto of tools. Power drills, tin snips, hammers and chisels; you name it and i probably found a use for it. This time around, it's serious. With these new tools I'm going for a pro finish, with the aim being a fully customized enclosure to last for years. Case should be arriving tomorrow - stay tuned
- - Update: Day 2 - - The tx1050b is here, and what can i say .. it's even better than i expected Forgot to take a nice "before" shot in my eagerness to strip it down though, so here it is in all its naked, factory stock glory. You wouldn't believe the amount of gear i stripped away to get it down to the bare chassis! Now on with the modding First to drill out those rivets holding the HDD bays in place. Mark out the holes to be cut in prep for the dual intakes. Might need to re-measure those when the fans arrive. I'll leave the front for now and concentrate on losing that honeycomb crap on the back. So far so good, now to smooth it off some. And the case is off to a good start! Not much more i can do to it until i pick up some ducts, fans, fan hole moulding, and other goodies. In the meantime, i might just sleeve this PSU that came with the tx1050b. It's modular, so i'm thinking i'll re-wire one of the useless PCI-E plugs to make a dedicated molex line for my 6800
- - Update: Day 3 - - Just a small update, i need to grab some more heatshrink to finish off the PSU. It's coming along damn well though. Before and after just doesn't compare, and check how the molex plugs glow in daylight!
- - Update: Day 4 - - More metal work, this time prepping the front for the dual intakes. First one. Then the other. Using the aluminum shell off an Evercool 120mm fan as a guide, i've cut away more to get the holes a snug fit with the fans. That's red texta on the fan casing btw, not blood A little sanding, and most of the metalwork is done. Starting work on the front face now. This should give you some idea of what the finished product will look like. Looks rough as guts because it is. Always better to cut out too little than too much i reckon.
- - Update: Day 5 - - I really wish i had more time to do this mod. At this rate it's looking like if i actually had a solid week to work on the mod i could've got this done long ago I've tidied up the front panel some, to allow the tubing to slide through flush with (what's left of) the front grille. Also heat-glued in the two 3.5 inch bays, in prep for mounting my Aerogate2 behind them. A few hours after the heat glue has dried, i'm onto the 3rd coat of bondo on the 3.5 bays. Just applied a thick coat above the top intake to secure it for cutting. Last look at the tubing, next shot will be of it be cut, sanded, and covered with bondo to taper it into the front grille As promised, the front of the case sans-PVC. All that remains is a few random off cuts and a LOT of dust. Glad i atleast wore a dust mask while doing this work, my pants are covered now Voila! Time to dust it down, bondo it up and sand it back
- - Update: Day 6 - - It's getting to the point the phone camera just can't capture the detail of what i'm doing here Not sure if you can make it out but .. The top port completes the upper rim of the grille area, and all the little grille pieces taper down smoothly to meet the tubing.
- - Update: Day 7 - - Back by popular demand, an update! Finished most of the shaping on that left-hand side there. Can you tell i don't like doors on cases? One thing i knew wouldn't slot back into place was the HDD mounting points. I had to completely remove them to install the 120mm fans, but this case is big enough to practically mount them anywhere. Toying with the idea of a "rack mount" style, although i think the metal i have is too wide to fit. Decided in the end to just make my own HDD caddies After a bit of cutting and bending, they're looking pretty functional. I've found myself working on the smaller details lately though, such as lapping the base of my XP-120 heatsink. Even my cat approvees! And finally, the front intakes. Second bondo layer, before sanding. And after The bondo is smoothed down to the level where it's opaque in parts, keeping it all flush with the original trim. Still need to fill the little dents and holes left from bubbles that formed as it set.
- - Update: Day 8 - - Head on down to Extreme LAN 8 this weekend for a while, and naturally i needed a case to transport my gear. So out goes a slice from the drive bays And in goes my HDD rack! Simple idea really, but it works so very well. That heavily sleeved plug you see going into the 6800 is a custom dedicated cable, thanks to the modular nature of this Antec 500w SP2 PSU. And that in the corner? Metallic silver sleeved +12 ATX line. Finally, a shot of the whole layout so far. Need to mount the 2nd cage on the floor of the case actually. As it is, my other HDD is baking on top of the DVDRW.
- - Update: Day 9 - - Phew, just finished a 7 hour stretch of modding! I should be getting paid for this Started with the HDD cage on the floor. Drilling. Threading screws with silicon washers. And the Cage! Finally finished sleeving the EL IDE cable i started the other week. That blue sleeved SATA power cable you see tucked in the corner is almost 3 foot long! Had to custom fabricate it to keep the cables all nice and stealthed Up top, where the slack wiring from the EL IDE cable gets hidden. And finally, i sliced away more of the top HDD cage to make it easier to remove drives and plug in cables.
mmmm... embedded images I cbf clicking on all the links on atomic, so it's good that you posted it here now Looks great so far, I really like the front bezel
I like your modding. The wires are very clean. I don't know what's different about your modding, but it makes me seem like even I could start modding!
Its a good mod but you havn't really done anything that a lot of modders havn't already done except I've never seen someone modify the racks like that I really like the top ones. Nice work though.
That's awesome. I've especially liked what you've done with the HDDs - I've got a similar case (Antec 1080AMG) and have toyed around with the idea of relocating the HDD bays, but I could never work out a reliable way to do so.
I must say, I like the front of the case, I'm personally not thrilled with the HDD, simply because I don't like mounting my drives that way (don't like the cables like that, and it henders the air flow. Not to say it isn't awesome, or that its not functional. I am rather impressed at how you mounted the top one! One thing I am curious about however, are you planning on adding a filter, screen, or Grill to the front? Keep cats out of spinning Fans sorta thing? Eitherway, Subscribed!
looking good - quite a nice clean look so far! Good idea with the hard drive bays - though as someone else mentioned airflow over them might be an issue... Is the top one removable? any plans for lighting and colour??
Wow, thanks for the feedback guys! Great to see a bit of interest in my project HellRazor I've had some grilles on order from a local store for nearly 2 months now. As you can see in the latest update though, i got sick of waiting maeterlinck The top bay is easily removable if you just undo a few screws, although i'm toying with the idea of a tool-less sliding tray system As for lighting and colour, i've got some pretty crazy ideas planned UV paint should be arriving early next week, among other things
