Scratch Build [end of line] - 19 MAY.

[IvanIvanovich]

Welcome, this is my first scratch build and only 2nd large scale modding project. My last project компьютер has gotten too hard to work with and i felt it was time for a change.

The theme of the build is inspired by Tron. In that regard the lighting effects will have some good use. Unlike most tron inspired things though, I'm going with white lighting rather than the cyan. The main color of the build will be white with some black accents.This time around i'll be going the minimalist approach. Less really can be more. This means that it will be as simple as possible while retaining as much functionality as possible. I'm also dead tired of boxes, so there won't be your typical rectangle enclosures here. Another thing is i have no access to power tools asides from a handheld drill.This means the majority of this will be done with hand saws and files if it can't be done with a drill.
There will also be some emphasis on audio aspect with a few special features that i will save for later.

I am working with a film camera, so there is some delay as i have to complete the roll, process the negatives, then scan those to be uploaded and posted here.

total progress:
metal work - 100%
plexi work - 20%
electronics work - 0%

[Genghis]

i will follow this with attention

[IvanIvanovich]

here we start with a lian li motherboard tray, which i suppose i could have made, but i already had it so i will be using it.

i've gone with an anti-vandal switch in black with white light, i have already sleeved it to match my color scheme.

evga p55sli with intel core i5 750

8gb of mushkin ddr3 1600

evga gtx560ti

240 radiator with akasa pearl fans and ek 13mm compression fittings

intel x18m 80gb which i'll be using as a secondary drive, its replacement is on the way. there won't be any mechanical drives in this build

usb, firewire and esata ports

mushkin 560w PSU

phobya balancer 150 reservoir

logitech mx revolution, yes i am modding it too... very daring as replacements are getting harder to come by

i will add pics of the rest of the build hardware here as i get them. i also apologize for the image quality. i'm still getting the hang of my film scanner. if i can get some better scans i will replace the images in this post.

[IvanIvanovich]

the lian li motherboard tray as is was a problem with my motherboard. so we start the modding already from step 1.

i have cut out a space for the cpu retention, and also some pass throughs for my water cooling tubing and power cables



i'm still debating on whether i should leave it anodized black, or give it the white treatment.

[The_Gnu]

I was just about to hit play on the "End of Line" tune, when I saw this. Thats gotta mean something. If this turns out as good as the music, it will be awsome.

+rep for using an analog camera and scanner In 2011. Btw I like the old look of the photos, looks like something you would find in a trunk on the attic.

[badtaylorx]

"white treatment" gets my vote!!!

[cchr]

Originally Posted by badtaylorx

"white treatment" gets my vote!!!

+1 it'll make a good contrast with the black on the mobo and make it stand out more

[IvanIvanovich]

thanks i was concerned that the pics were too grainy and soft looking, but i'll still make an effort to improve them going forward.

thats kind of what i was thinking about doing the tray white, but then again it will be attached to something white, and i'm doing something special behind it with some lighting which will be white. with so much white i'm afraid the lighting might get lost without something to contrast against it. maybe i'll mask the edges and keep those black and do the large surface in white.

[Anubus]

Is your camera messing up?

[Ola.l]

Originally Posted by Anubus

Is your camera messing up?

lol.


I love that you actually do all that work just to post those pictures, loving it. Will follow!

[IvanIvanovich]

unfortunately i didn't get all i had wanted to done today. i got rained out and working indoors seems to piss off my neighbors in the apartment building. i did manage to get the last piece of metal i needed bent. i find it amusing that everyone is always on about how its harder to bend large pieces, while i found bending this piece the hardest. i didn't have any trouble doing my 330mm x 480mm sheet into a 90, but this meager little psu retention gave me much more trouble on getting a tight radius. in any case i finally got it done, and hope to start on the cut outs on it tomorrow. if that goes smoothly, then i will have the last of my metal finished and can start painting.

[Mosquito]

Originally Posted by lysol

logitech mx revolution, yes i am modding it too... very daring as replacements are getting harder to come by

I'd say... I ended up buying the Logitech MX 5500 whatever keyboard+mouse combo, just so I could get the MX Revolution mouse... though I do use the keyboard at work, I didn't really want that, just the mouse (after mine quit working)

So far this is looking very interesting!

[IvanIvanovich]

yes, i was thinking about doing the same and buying the mx5500 desktop combo to have an mx revolution on spare. the funny thing is you can often get the combo new for cheaper than used mx revolution on ebay. plus its the revised model with bluetooth and higher dpi as well.

off to get something done, hopefully will have a big update later on as i'm almost done with this roll of film.

[IvanIvanovich]

i got quite a bit accomplished today. finished out my psu mounting bracket, though it didn't turn out as good as i wanted. i may have another go at it.
since i completed all of the metal parts, i went ahead and moved on to priming. i'm painting both of the main pieces, the psu bracket, the motherboard tray, and my rad in high gloss white enamel.
unfortunately i have no new photos. i've apparently gotten some bad film, as that was the 2nd roll from the same batch of agfa that came out blank. needless to say i won't be chancing using it anymore. this means there will be a bit of a gap in progress stages as there won't be any shots of my preliminary bends or cuts on my metal pieces. thats not too big of a deal, we've all seen sheets of metal with nothing done to them before, blank sheets with just a bend, etc.
the thing that will be missed though is my progress on my mx revolution mod. i guess you'll just have to settle for the before and after effect on that. i also had shots of all of my sleeving progress too... so much lost.

[IvanIvanovich]

i was able to salvage 1 photo, sort of. its very dark and hard to make out, but shows the basic form of what is to come. the psu and rad will be on the left, the motherboard on the right face. the cavity in between for cables, and also will eventually have a plexi covering which will hold the power button, usb, etc.

[Nexxo]

Seriously, you can afford to buy computer hardware for modding but you can't lay your hands on a cheap digital camera? Priorities, dude. A work log must have pics. It's in the rules.

[IvanIvanovich]

affording has nothing to do with it. i'll likely spend over $100 on film for this log. i don't care for digital. so i do not own one, and likely won't. theres nothing in the digital realm that even comes close to the feeling of a real camera. even the 'good' ones i've tested feel like cheap toys compared to my soviet zenits and lomos. i like my camera made of metal and glass thank you. digital camera to me is like ipad as gaming computer.
my work log does have pic, though few of modding progress at the moment. not much different than other logs with a few posts only. if it were not for bad film i would have had 27 photos to add. same can happen to a digital user if corrupt memory card for example. i've retaken shots of everything i can, and they will be posted soon along with new work.

[SuicideNeil]

£1000 DSLRs feel like cheap toys? £6,000 lens no match for a ~30year old 35mm snapper?

If you say so- I would take a look in the photography section & on some photography forums before you dismiss all modern equipment as being soulless junk or feeling cheap.

Funnily enough though, I thought the pictures above were taken with a digital camera & then had some form of hipster/ antique image effect applied to get the 'old skool 35mm film' look the photos have ( ergo, out of focus and blurry... )

[Mosquito]

I would actually agree with lysol. Good film, in a good 35mm looks (in my opinion) better than a digital picture.

on subject, I'm really looking forward to seeing this build take shape

[IvanIvanovich]

@suicideneil i will say so. i have a zenit e that survived a 15 meter drop, and works without issue. i also have some jupiter and zeiss glass that i would venture would rival whatever 6000 lens you may be referring to despite me paying less that $100. but this has more to do with the time they were made when there was more emphasis on quality and longevity.
but analog vs digital argument is like muscle vs tuner argument - entirely pointless. both sides have their strengths and weaknesses and the supporters of either side will not be easily swayed.

@mosquito, thanks. hopefully i won't have anymore setbacks so i can get my progress posted. i'm having a blast working on it right now, waiting paint to dry for more sanding.