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Case Mod - In Progress Charge!

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by Frenkie, 1 Jan 2011.

  1. Frenkie

    Frenkie Lets mod the world!

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    New year, New mod.

    This time I am building one of the largest mods after my C&C mod. Yet another one with a Half-Life 2 theme. A lot of mods in this theme-genre are allready made, so I needed to make something original and unique. In the game we see our main character Gordon Freeman loading up his powersuit on loading stations throughout the game. So I am building one of those loading stations as a mod, and I call it Charge!.

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    I did a lot of homework on this mod, also made a lot of screenshots in the game. After that I used my just finished CAD knowledge to make a scale drawing of the actual mod. This way I could use my newly obtained knowledge to a good purpose! :)

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    The unit in the game is pretty slim and tall. The first redundant case I got from one of my clanmates (Thanx Enigma) was not only very heavy, but also in the wrong proportions. :(

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    After extensive research I had to admit there was not one case that came close to my objective. But then Coolermaster came to the rescue: Why not use 2 (two) Coolermaster Elite 340 cases ? It was so close to the proportions I needed, it was uncanny :) Thanx Coolermaster !

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    Actually using two cases was another lucky strike: I need to mod the top case very extensively (read: tear it apart :p). Why? Because I got it in my head to make the centerpiece of the Half-Life 2 model also the centerpiece of the computer: The heart of the CPU will be the heart of the mod. And whats in my head, need to be done: Aut inveniam viam aut faciam.

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    to be continued....
     
    Last edited: 25 Mar 2011
  2. Dragonphreak

    Dragonphreak Minimodder

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    Nice looking design. I'm in for the ride.
     
  3. jxm

    jxm What's a Dremel?

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    ooo this could be most awesome :)
     
  4. Guest-23315

    Guest-23315 Guest

    :thumb:
     
  5. sixfootsideburns

    sixfootsideburns modeteer

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    That. case. is. huge.
     
  6. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Totally subscribing to a new Frenkie mod :rock::thumb:.
     
  7. sp!dey

    sp!dey What's a Dremel?

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    Really nice one Frenkie (B!tchie)... you got yourself at least ONE Swedish follower (or is Thrax also here ? ;-)

    One question/idea though: are you going to put a (magnifying) lens covering the CPU as the centrepiece ?
    Might be cool to have a fish-eye effect, surely =Action= is stocking these ;-))

    Looking forward to see more, LOVE the concept !

    Sp!dey
     
  8. Frenkie

    Frenkie Lets mod the world!

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    Thanx Roel. But I have been looking for that centerpiece a long time and have chosen carefully.
    I have bought a Thermaltake SpinQ VT cooler, which will be the center of the mod. It's gonna look really cool, I promise. :D
     
  9. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Perfect cooler for the job Frenkie :rock::thumb:.

    Qualiity idea for a mod too I must say & if anyone can pull this off you can mate :).
     
  10. Frenkie

    Frenkie Lets mod the world!

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    Thanx Waynio!

    As you can see, the Elite case on top will be severely gutted. The 5,25" bays, the 3,5" bays and the PSU bay all had to go, to make room for the new mobo position. The I/O shield at the rear is now a lot higher and a lot deeper inside the case. That’s gonna be fun fixing that :p
    First thing is to establish a solid point for the mobo to hang on. I drilled the rivets out of the original reinforcement bar, and reattached it again in the new position.
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    The surrounding of the backshield also has to move quite a bit.
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    Measurements have to be spot on.
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    Transferring them to the rear.
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    There, the first piece is out.
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    This is how the rear looks now.
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    Artist impression of the final read view.
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  11. Frenkie

    Frenkie Lets mod the world!

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    A very important part of this mod is the CPU cooler.
    [​IMG]
    And I found the ideal cooler at Thermaltake:
    The ThermalTake SpinQT VT.
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    It is HUGE !
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    After I fastened the mobo tightly, I mounted the SpinQT.
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    It is still inside the case, but not much :)
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    This plate of dark acrylic glass is the base from which I am working the mod, also gives me an ideal opportunity to “play” with light and dark where necessary.
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    Marking the position of the center hole was easy…
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    But unfortunately I was rushing this a bit too much and made a boo-boo...... :(
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    :wallbash:
     
  12. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Ouch :(, keep at it though Frenkie I'm soo interested to see this complete :thumb:.
     
  13. Cookeh

    Cookeh What's a Dremel?

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    This could be very very sweet!

    Good luck
     
  14. Frenkie

    Frenkie Lets mod the world!

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    In the bottom case I will store the HDD’s and so on, but First I need a connecting hole for cables and such.
    Had to remove the bottom HDD and DVD bracket as well, because they were right in front of my new hole.
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    This is the bottom of the top case
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    Let’s dremel the World ! :p
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    To keep enough sturdiness, I dremeled just beside the imbedded profile.
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    When I placed the cases on each other….
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    I noticed that the plastic front was overlapping too much, so I dremeled that also nice and flat.
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    After this I was able to duplicate the hole in the case below..
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  15. Jipa

    Jipa Avoiding the "I guess.." since 2004

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    Should be good! Actually the last time I played HL2, I thought one of those might make a nice computer case :D
     
  16. Frenkie

    Frenkie Lets mod the world!

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    Great minds think alike ? :D
     
  17. coolamasta

    coolamasta Folding@Home CC Captain 2010/11/12

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    Interesting build, will be watching :D
     
  18. stonedsurd

    stonedsurd Is a cackling Yuletide Belgian

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    Awesome! Definitely following this build.
     
  19. Frenkie

    Frenkie Lets mod the world!

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    Thanx guys, much appriciated !

    I mounted both cases on top of each other with construction kit.
    Next step: the front of the base.
    First I'm mounting the sidepanels to both Elite cases.
    These will form the base for the new front.
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    Here they are screwed on, and still untouched.
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    Marking where the front will come.
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    This time I didnt use my beloved Vikurene plate but FOREX aka hardfoam plate.
    It is a lot lighter then Vikurene, but still sturdy and easy to cut.
    First I layed out my main 'blueprint'.
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    Tried to make use of the plate as efficient as possible.
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    Cut the parts out with an aluminium lineaal and a fresh new scalple blade.
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    One of the "crown" parts in paper.
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    And the same part in Forex.
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    If I dont cut all the way through the plastic I can bend it a bit.
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    Just to give a glimpse with the Forex parts.
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    Started cutting it up, never afraid of cutting too little :)
    These parts wil support the new frontpanel, but on some place I need to get deeper inside the case.
    Everything in between is nice, smooth and semi-transparant.
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    Mounted them again, deburred and ready for a layer of construction kit.
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    In the top right corner I used a little piece of the original sidepanel and stuck it to the back of the new frontpanel.
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    All is now mounted with heavyduty construction kit. Now it needs to dry thoroughly.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: 5 Feb 2011
  20. sp!dey

    sp!dey What's a Dremel?

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    Frenkie and that Dremel(TM) really are a match made in heaven.
    Looking sharp, can't wait to see more !


    P.S. Lineaal = Ruler (just think of my name !) LOL

    Sp!dey
     

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