bit-tech.net

Matticus · 18th Jan 2010, 20:29

Thanks for the info, and keep up the good work. I can't wait to see how this turns out.

shakka65 · 18th Jan 2010, 22:15

I love the colors you have selected for the mod. Excellent job mod on!

Reverse · 19th Jan 2010, 14:04

Thanks for the comments guys, keep them comming!

The window, take 2:
Cutting the panel, again:
So, I’ll be fair to you guys.. I was not looking forward to this task..
It was time to enlarge the cut window.

But, the window I had was perfectly cut, filed and sanded! It was just a bit (read: way) too small. In fact. I decided it should be at least 10cm taller.

So, after delaying the task for a few weeks (!) it was finally time to do it.
I got myself together, grabbed all my courage, and went for it.

This was how the panel looked:

I covered the panel with painter’s tape to prevent it from damaging:

I even taped the perfectly filed edges, just so I didn’t have to redo those:

Then came the time to measure (once, twice, heck! I even measured three times) the area to cut.
As said before, the hole should only get taller.

The came the cutting…
I wanted to drill a hole in the to-cut-area, but for some reason my Dremel wasn’t working properly.
It simply couldn’t drill a hole in the panel…

So, after a while I gave up.
And took the jigsaw to make a rough cut.

Of course, I was afraid the jigsaw would damage my panel, so it got the tape treatment as well!

So 4 layers of tape between the tool and the panel, should be enough.. right?

I said I would use the jigsaw to make a rough cut right? And when I mean rough…. I mean rough!

After using the jigsaw I needed to file/sand away 5mm of the metal!
But, I’d rather file for hours than mess up my panel.

I started filing like a lunatic, and after about an hour I was getting close.
I took off the masking-tape to check my progress.
Turned out I was about 1mm off at some places.

So, a piece of masking-tape as a guideline:

And off we go again!

3 complete hours after I started (it was dark at this time) I was finally done cutting, filing and sanding my sidepanel.

Throughout the day a lot of snow had fallen. And together with the snow that had been there for a few days and the dark sky….
You guessed it..

I took the panel outside for a high-contrast picture:

The black panel and the white snow… Aaaaah
Here you can also see the clean cut.

Soundproofing:
The Fractal Design Define R2 comes with excellent soundproofing material. It’s called Bitumen, and it’s very heavy (it also smells a bit).

So, I had taken the Bitumen plate out when I started the first cuts on the sidepanel, but I felt like sticking it back on. To keep it a bit more soundproof (HDD and DVD bays are the noisy parts.)

So I took the panel back inside, when I thought:
Aah damn, all that snow… Gotta wait for it to melt and dry before I can continue…
So my snow picture may be good, It took away a lot of my time..

Then I laid over the old Bitumen plate:

Turned the panel over and marked the window on the Bitumen plate.
Then I took about 3cm of clearance and cut the Bitumen.

This is also when I noticed the Bitumen smells….

Tadaaaaa! I’m done with that as well!
I’ll wait with sticking it back on, at least until I receive my Plexiglas for the window.

Done:
I took a permanent marker (sharpie) to cover up the plain metal on the edges. Looks like it was ment to be like this now!

After that I decided to clean the panel with some Glassex (Windex for you Americans) to make my fingerprints disappear.

Then stuck it back to the case, for the final look:

That shot was made with an angle, you can see the top and back fan guards through the window!

And of course, a shot from a 90 degree angle:

A shoutout to my sponsors, for making this mod happen:

BlackWhizz · 19th Jan 2010, 14:09

Thats a window!

Damn good job.

stonedsurd · 19th Jan 2010, 14:36

Beautiful. That's a great looking case!

Sennebring · 19th Jan 2010, 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agressions

Haha, indeed!
Your idea about the 240 rad in the front (instead of the HDD-bays) sounds solid though!

I hope it will work out great

I just drilled up the rivets to remove the top temporary and now the hdd-bay is removed. Maybe I link some pics of it when i finished my mod.

I really like your window! Normaly I hate windows but yours was just big enough

shakka65 · 19th Jan 2010, 17:39

What stonedsurd said.

Rotcrack · 19th Jan 2010, 19:18

An amazing mod with an amazing log, very well done!

imersa · 19th Jan 2010, 23:55

doing a really good job man,
whats next?!

Reverse · 20th Jan 2010, 10:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackWhizz

Thats a window!

Damn good job.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonedsurd

Beautiful. That's a great looking case!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sennebring

I really like your window! Normaly I hate windows but yours was just big enough

Quote:

Originally Posted by shakka65

What stonedsurd said.

Thank you all very much!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotcrack

An amazing mod with an amazing log, very well done!

Thanks man! I try to keep the log as entertaining and detailed as I can =)

Quote:

Originally Posted by imersa

doing a really good job man,
whats next?!

Thanks!
Up next, painting.

Rotcrack · 20th Jan 2010, 18:19

How are you going to light up the front line? Getting a light with even brightness all the way down is going to be hard.

Andersen1337 · 21st Jan 2010, 05:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotcrack

How are you going to light up the front line? Getting a light with even brightness all the way down is going to be hard.

He could just put a CCFL-tube there, or a sheet of plexi that spreads the light evenly.

Rotcrack · 21st Jan 2010, 06:35

Diffuse Plexi...

Andersen1337 · 21st Jan 2010, 07:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotcrack

Diffuse Plexi...

Didn't know the name for that, so thank you!

Reverse · 21st Jan 2010, 08:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotcrack

How are you going to light up the front line? Getting a light with even brightness all the way down is going to be hard.

I don't know for sure... I am currently discussing this issue with my sponsor (will announce this sponsor when i receive their stuff)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andersen1337

He could just put a CCFL-tube there, or a sheet of plexi that spreads the light evenly.

There is about 2mm of space between the 2 parts of the front panel.
There is no way a CCFL would fit there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotcrack

Diffuse Plexi...

Yes, but is there orange diffuse plexi on the market?

Rotcrack · 21st Jan 2010, 16:58

Errrmm.... How about frosted Perspex. Stick some orange diffused LEDs behind it and it should look fairly even.

LEDs : http://www.phenoptix.co.uk/10mm_Oran...f-ora-4500.htm

Perspex : http://www.plasticstockist.com/index...e=MDNTMjAwMA==

EDIT: Or polypropylene may be better, 1mm thick and comes naturally frosted.

Polypropylene : http://www.directplasticsonline.co.u...leneSheet/1mm/

Rotcrack · 24th Jan 2010, 18:01

Bump...

Reverse · 24th Jan 2010, 18:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotcrack

Errrmm.... How about frosted Perspex. Stick some orange diffused LEDs behind it and it should look fairly even.

LEDs : http://www.phenoptix.co.uk/10mm_Oran...f-ora-4500.htm

Perspex : http://www.plasticstockist.com/index...e=MDNTMjAwMA==

EDIT: Or polypropylene may be better, 1mm thick and comes naturally frosted.

Polypropylene : http://www.directplasticsonline.co.u...leneSheet/1mm/

I have already ordered some plexi (smoked and orange)... Will try to get the desired effect with the orange first.. If that doesnt work I'll have to be inventive =)

Rotcrack · 24th Jan 2010, 19:30

Happy for you, mind sending me the link of where you found it ( if on-line). Looking forward to the first pictures of the lighting.

Reverse · 24th Jan 2010, 20:11

The orange has been ordered (at the start of this project) at BouwPlastics.nl, but they have a DB-error atm, so i can't give the exact link.
I just ordered the smoked plexi at WSV Kunstoffen today, after receiving excellent samle's of the stuff.

=)

18th Jan 2010, 20:29	#61
Matticus ... Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 3,020	Thanks for the info, and keep up the good work. I can't wait to see how this turns out. __________________ ::i5 - 750::P55M-UD2::8GB Corsair::5850::CM Silent Pro Gold::F3 1TB::OCZ Vertex 2E:: ::giffgaff::

19th Jan 2010, 14:04	#63
Reverse Reverse/srvR Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 345	Thanks for the comments guys, keep them comming! The window, take 2: Cutting the panel, again: So, I’ll be fair to you guys.. I was not looking forward to this task.. It was time to enlarge the cut window. But, the window I had was perfectly cut, filed and sanded! It was just a bit (read: way) too small. In fact. I decided it should be at least 10cm taller. So, after delaying the task for a few weeks (!) it was finally time to do it. I got myself together, grabbed all my courage, and went for it. This was how the panel looked: I covered the panel with painter’s tape to prevent it from damaging: I even taped the perfectly filed edges, just so I didn’t have to redo those: Then came the time to measure (once, twice, heck! I even measured three times) the area to cut. As said before, the hole should only get taller. The came the cutting… I wanted to drill a hole in the to-cut-area, but for some reason my Dremel wasn’t working properly. It simply couldn’t drill a hole in the panel… So, after a while I gave up. And took the jigsaw to make a rough cut. Of course, I was afraid the jigsaw would damage my panel, so it got the tape treatment as well! So 4 layers of tape between the tool and the panel, should be enough.. right? I said I would use the jigsaw to make a rough cut right? And when I mean rough…. I mean rough! After using the jigsaw I needed to file/sand away 5mm of the metal! But, I’d rather file for hours than mess up my panel. I started filing like a lunatic, and after about an hour I was getting close. I took off the masking-tape to check my progress. Turned out I was about 1mm off at some places. So, a piece of masking-tape as a guideline: And off we go again! 3 complete hours after I started (it was dark at this time) I was finally done cutting, filing and sanding my sidepanel. Throughout the day a lot of snow had fallen. And together with the snow that had been there for a few days and the dark sky…. You guessed it.. I took the panel outside for a high-contrast picture: The black panel and the white snow… Aaaaah Here you can also see the clean cut. Soundproofing: The Fractal Design Define R2 comes with excellent soundproofing material. It’s called Bitumen, and it’s very heavy (it also smells a bit). So, I had taken the Bitumen plate out when I started the first cuts on the sidepanel, but I felt like sticking it back on. To keep it a bit more soundproof (HDD and DVD bays are the noisy parts.) So I took the panel back inside, when I thought: Aah damn, all that snow… Gotta wait for it to melt and dry before I can continue… So my snow picture may be good, It took away a lot of my time.. Then I laid over the old Bitumen plate: Turned the panel over and marked the window on the Bitumen plate. Then I took about 3cm of clearance and cut the Bitumen. This is also when I noticed the Bitumen smells…. Tadaaaaa! I’m done with that as well! I’ll wait with sticking it back on, at least until I receive my Plexiglas for the window. Done: I took a permanent marker (sharpie) to cover up the plain metal on the edges. Looks like it was ment to be like this now! After that I decided to clean the panel with some Glassex (Windex for you Americans) to make my fingerprints disappear. Then stuck it back to the case, for the final look: That shot was made with an angle, you can see the top and back fan guards through the window! And of course, a shot from a 90 degree angle: A shoutout to my sponsors, for making this mod happen: __________________ Project: Reverse² Last edited by Reverse; 19th Jan 2010 at 14:09.

19th Jan 2010, 14:09	#64
BlackWhizz Supermodder Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Enschede, the Netherlands Posts: 384	Thats a window! Damn good job. __________________ Intel Q6600 - Asus P5Q-VM - Corsair TwinX 4x1GB - 8600GT - 640GB storage space - OCZ ModXStream 400w - Modded P180 Mini

24th Jan 2010, 20:11	#80
Reverse Reverse/srvR Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 345	The orange has been ordered (at the start of this project) at BouwPlastics.nl, but they have a DB-error atm, so i can't give the exact link. I just ordered the smoked plexi at WSV Kunstoffen today, after receiving excellent samle's of the stuff. =) __________________ Project: Reverse²

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18th Jan 2010, 22:15	#62
shakka65 Multimodder Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 107	I love the colors you have selected for the mod. Excellent job mod on!

19th Jan 2010, 17:39	#67
shakka65 Multimodder Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 107	What stonedsurd said.

19th Jan 2010, 23:55	#69
imersa Usually spilling liquid... Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: City That Rains Posts: 1,109	doing a really good job man, whats next?!