Case Mod - In Progress The Anti Compensator Project: A Monochrome Hadron Air Build..

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Hello guys.

Allas, after a 7 year hiatus I am back with another "little" project. Please note that this is more about the journey toward the final result than it is about wooing anyone with any sort of skill I definitely don't have

Please do not expect the latest and greatest hardware on the cusp of the silicon high end. As you can see from the case, it's old and dated, but it should make for a pretty clean canvas and a lot of learning along the way..

The main use and purpose of this build will be as an un-intrusive gaming PC fit for the living room.

The hardware so far..

A very old and well used Hadron Air from EVG"A". Please refer to the front of the case for an explanation in regards to the emphasized "A"..

Anywho, I am going to try my best to do a clean, fairly monochrome build that's fully water cooled with 2 X 240 radiators (top and bottom)


Here are some sample photos to get this log going..

 

Cramming too much stuff in a small case? I'm in!

 

No guaranties, but I normaly try the same thing with food and that has never failed..

Alright, first we need to accept that this case is no spring chicken!! Saying that, we will definitely need to get all the speed we can from it..

Now, the first rule of "more speed" is always "less weight"...right?

Or is it racing stripes?

Anyway, time to shed some excess weight..

First of all, there are some unsightly edges we can see here, but we will definitely take care of that later..





With so little room on the inside, this drive cage will also have to go!



Luckily one of these grommets are already gone, so I'll only need to remove one..



Now what does these screws do??



Aha, another bit gone.. giving us an eye full of its voluptuous rounded figure..

 

This thread is giving me a hadron.

 

I was genuinely wandering how long it would be before someone made the inevitable "Hadron" joke..

Hence the very fitting tittle..

 

I am watching with interest - I'm planning to upgrade one of the PCs, hopefully into a NR200P and this will free up a Hadron Air.

 

No pressure

Stay tuned, but it will be some time before the plumbing starts as the fittings are all being delivered by bicycle via AliExpress..

 

I love this case! sub

 

Today was slow, but I've made some more progress in removing the last bits taking up unnecessary space, but first I inevitably found some more screws..



Removing them loosens the front case foot so the bottom panel can also be removed..



Looking behind the rear side panel it's also very clear that there's not even a single milimeter space between it and the motherboard tray.



Alright, so in order to remove the drive cage I first had to remove the front panel, but figuring out how was somewhat of a discovery in itself..

Turns out it's just a thin layer of glued acrylic, so prying it off was pretty intense and just a tiny bit stressful, but not impossible..





Where were we? Oh yes..









All bare and ready for stage 2 weight reduction..

 

If you don't plan on keeping /using that drive cage, we need to talk.

 

I need you go to the post office some time this week. Feel free to pm me your address

 

I was hoping to have some better progress today, but this case ate through all my cutting discs.

Hopefully the replacements arrive today or tomorrow..

Anyway, here's a tiny little teaser..

 

Was the up-cutting in the pic just for the photo, or was that how you were cutting? I think I know what burned through your disks.

 

Up-cutting? Is that when you (me in this case) cut from the top instead of running the disc inside the already cut groove from start to finish?

This is all fairly new to me so you have to excuse me for being unfamiliar with the terms.

Anyway, if I am on the right track here it's because the disc was biting and sticking if I followed inside the cutting line.

Hope that makes sense..

 

Sorry. I'm generally still half-asleep when I'm here posting. The pic looked like you are on the left side of the cut, which would burn through the disc in a few seconds.

 

S

So cutting towards myself is not the best approach? I just kind of found it easier to follow the line and guide the blade that way.

 

You are teasing me. I know it... but here's what I meant. Cutting this way turns the metal into a knife edge that chips the grinding disc away.

 

Great insight Cheaps. I knew the wheel cut better when going down into the metal, but this helps me understand why.

 

I promise you, I'm really not. However, now that I see your presentation I completely understand what you mean.

Anyway, it's finally time for an update..

It's been a long wait for some of the tools to arrive and I suspect it will be quite a bit of longer to get all the fittings, but I'm sure I will find things to keep me busy!

Behold, a new player has entered the chat..



May I present.... the cheapest Jigsaw available online in the UK, but I think the cuts are "pretty" straight.

If they're not then it's definitely because of the jigsaw and absolutely not due to my lack of skill!





Now that the top is done I still have to mask the bottom and take care of the unpainted side panel latches.















However, with the unnecessary metal removed the radiators can be alligned to one side which should allow for a few more millimeters of room in the rear..

It's definitely all about the milimeters!!





Luckily, with an abundance of holes to choose from, it's easy to find the perfect spot for the radiators..

 

Well, it's been quite a productive morning so far.

I have managed to finish cutting out the bottom of the case as well as all of the side panel trim. The latter had to be done with the Dremmel and once again chewed through the blades like they were made of paper.

For such a small case it is definitely build like a tank..









This has however left some very jagged edges which will need some refining..







Luckily, I can always count on Sir Faithfull over here!



As well as a visit from a little friend..