Scratch Build – In Progress Project: Der_Meister - custom alu case *Epilogue Nov 8th, 2007*

thank man

 

short text update.

I'm doing all kinds of small things at the case at the moment, some more loose ends. Most are not even worth to take pics of.

Actually I wanted to start on the leds for the window. I thought I had plenty of UV leds left (5mm ones), but it turns out I only got 5 or so left and over 50 that are only 3mm. Because I already drilled the 5mm holes, I would rather use 5mm ones...so I guess I'll have to order some. Another delay...oh well.

I'll keep you updated about progress, maybe chip in some pics here and there.

 

hi,

before the next short update, I want to ask the aluminium wizards in here a question.

I'm in doubt how to finish my panels. Some more info in advance:
The black anodized ones have a very light texture on them, kinda very slight brushed look. So I want to get something similar on my other panels, and probably on most of the inside stuff as well. I tried it out in a few ways and I think I've got it worked out how to do that.

okay, now the question: how to finish the panels. So, assuming I've got them sanded (the black anodized ones don't need to be sanded) and washed to get all fingerprints, grease etc off, I figure I've got three options:

1) apply a nice amount of polish to the panels, polish them and that's it

2) spray with clear coat, two layers (not a problem on the panels I'll sand, but how is this on the very smooth black anodized panels?)

3) first some polishing to add a bit of shine to the panels, then one (or two?) layers of clear coat.

What say the experts? Any help on this welcome! Thanks!

 

Look at this link:
www.mnpctech.com/case-mod-paint-computer-pc-case-mod-how-to.html
There is a ful tutorial with all the things you have to know.

Good luck dude!

 

thanks a lot, was hoping on some more opinions though. Nevertheless, that guide is very interesting. So thanks again

 

The end is getting nearer – all kinds of loose ends

Here’s another update. I’m working on all kinds of loose ends at the moment, most are small things so not so much to post.

Something that still needed to be worked out were the covers for the optical drives. They’re black alu and I also made two mesh pieces to put before that black alu. The thing I hadn’t decided was how to mount them together. I thought of all kinds of glue, tape, stuff like that. And well, I just went the ‘less-is-more’ route…I shortened four bolts with the rotary tool:


Drilled some holes, here what it’ll look like (mesh still with protective sheet on it). The bolts are buttonheads and are perfect for this. They will be glued in with Jbweld.


If you look at the last pic closely you see that the bolts don’t line up on both the covers. This is because the mesh always forces the drill to one of the holes, and it turns out it happened in exactly the same way on both covers. So I’ve made two stickers to put between the mesh and the covers, so the position of the holes seems intentional. More on this later.


Next, my fake bottom panel. It needs to be mounted with some space between the panel itself and the case frame. It needs this to line up with the pump plate. Because it’s only 0.5mm thick, it tends to bend a bit, especially with the bolts in. So I took some scrap leftover pieces, cut them to appropriate size and filed the edges. I will glue them with Jbweld in 4 places, each time there’s a 2mm thick piece and a 0.5mm thick piece. They will make perfect spacers. (I actually glued them at the time I’m writing this, but no pics yet)



The final part for this update. The two pieces of alu that make up the top of the bottom panel assembly don’t exactly line up perfectly. So I needed to fabricate a piece of alu that improves this section. I also had a hole I misdrilled nearby, so that needed to go as well. I started by making a template on a piece of paper:


Copied it on a piece of alu (the lines on the right lower part are for another small piece), thick lines are what the end result should be, thinner lines around it are for cutting:


And after cutting, filing, testfitting, adjusting, etc… here’s the result:


Before (notice the misdrilled hole close to the bolt on the right):


And after:


Tomorrow I’ve got a day off from work, so I’ll get some more stuff done. I’m going to make a cover for the psu cables (from psu to where they disappear in the cable tunnel). See you soon with some pics…

 

great work man really getting there man keep it up .

 

Nice work. it's coming along well. can't wait for it to be finished. For polishing aluminum see my sig. Any polished aluminum I recommend you clear coat it to stop the fingerprint problem.

Jimbo

 

thanks for the info, I did see your guide earlier but seems like I forgot about it

and you're probably right about the clear coat, even though I'm not going for the full bling shine. Oh well, now I've come this far, an extra week or two won't hurt!

 

The end is getting nearer – a mission in mesh

Update time! The title of this update says it all, there will be pics and talk about mesh, mesh and…well, more mesh! I like and I hope you’ll like as well.

To finish the cable hiding, there are two areas in the case that needed some work. The first is the area next to the psu, where the cables run to the cable tunnel and are visible for about 15 to 20 cm. The other one is where the main ATX line and IDE and floppy cables come out of the cable tunnel to be plugged in on the mainboard.

I spent a lot of time thinking of a good solution for a cover. A solid alu cover was imo not a nice idea because it would severely hurt the vision of the big case with big room inside. And as it is always the case, suddenly it hit me…mesh. In this case, less is more once again… Because the mesh I use (ACRyan’s) has small holes, it’ll be hard to see anythinh through it, but because it does have the holes in it it’ll give a less space-killing impression.

I started with the piece for the psu area since that’s the easiest one. First step: make a model and testfit until it’s all good:


Second step: take mesh, draw outlines of model, cut mesh, file mesh down:


Third step: a visit from the hammer, bending the ends:


I’ll do a little experiment for attaching this cover in the case: I’m going to use velcro strips. I bought some a while ago, not the basic stuff but the nasty, very sticky variant. I think it’ll work out fine. If it doesn’t I can still just drill a couple of holes and use bolts.

The result:
Before:


And after, from a few angles.
The upper side of the mesh comes higher than my window, so that’s all out of sight. From the underside, you have to go really low and look up high to see the cables. And there my desk will be in the way. So all’s good…







After I was satisfied with the look of the first cover, I started on the other one. Again, first a cardboard model:


And again, drawing outlines and some cutting.


And some filing…


And…I’m out of pics. This is as far as I got at the moment. The next update will show the rest of the work on this cover and what I’ll do to that hole in the middle of it. Bye!

 

Really a good idea to hide the cables and to clean up the interior!
Go on jokkos,good modding!

 

Likeing the mesh on the PSU, have you thought of backlighting it to make it seem even less solid? Keep up the good work,

Jimbo

 

wow i like the idea of mesh here
i think it will work really well but are you going to take off the stickers from the psu cos imho they spoil the look of the case
sorry if it was just a mock up tho

 

don't worry, the stickers are coming off and the psu will receive a good polishing treatment...

 

good work man i really love that mesh .
keep up the good work.

 

Excellent..

 

The end is getting nearer – a mission in mesh cont’d

*insert Dr. Nick of The Simpsons series*
Hi everybody
*Dr. Nick leaves*

Update time! This one shows the rest of the mesh piece I made for hiding the power and IDE cabling to the mobo. Look at the previous update to see the start of this piece.

This piece is quite different than the one I made for the psu cabling, because it is in the center of the window. Therefore it’s more important to try to distract the attention as much as possible from the fact that the mesh has openings. Also, it doesn’t include any flaps or anything (see below) so one can look at it from above and see a big part of the cables. The solution for all of this, is what I’m about to show you in this update.

The solution is another piece of UV blue plexi. Here it is cut out and filed down.


Before I could continue with it, I made the mounting holes for the mesh in the case, and I bent it to the shape it needed to become.


Here it is in position. It is only 1-2mm above the video card support. Actually I planned it a bit higher, seems I drilled both the mounting holes a bit too low. But it works, it also makes the vid card support look way smaller and less obvious.


Another one from a steeper angle. You can see part of the cables.


So it needs something that distracts the attention
First a bit of hole drilling and sanding plexi. Then a bit of bolt-shortening, another bit of drilling. Then 2 leds (UV 5mm) and some soldering. Finally, the test-fit. Here the leds are off.


I obviously have plans for the big hole in the middle. There will be another ‘Der_Meister’ logo like the one in the logo panel. The logo will be smaller than the plexi, so there will be some sort of backlighting going on. I think it’ll look great.

Anyway, here are a few pics with the UV leds on. Some are not that sharp, sorry I didn’t have my tripod nearby and was too lazy to go get it.






I especially like the nice glow in the edge of the plexi…


There are other things I’ve done in the meantime, most of which were too insignificant to take pics off. They include: some work on the casefeet, shortening some bolts, working a bit in Photoshop on the case-stickers, installing the second pc (first steps of the next project), …

Another short update will be coming shortly though, I started with the last ‘big’ loose end…more to come soon. See you.

 

great work man but why don't you covers the upper part of that cover if you dont want any of the cables to be seen?
keep up the good work.

 

In the Borat Accent... Niiiace How Murch?... lol, looking good, looking forward to seeing it without all the masking tape over the aluminum.

Jimbo

 

The end is getting nearer – corner cover plates

Hi all, another small update for the weekend.

Before I start the update, some quite good news: my new leds are on their way so the last soldering operation – leds for the window – will be taking place soon. Until then, I’m continuing working on all them small bits and pieces that still need to be done.

Besides those small bits and pieces, there’s one bigger thing that needed to be done, and this update shows some pics about that. It’s not finished yet, but you’ll get the idea from what you’ll see here.

One thing: the pieces are still covered in tape (as they all are) so it may not be too obvious…sorry if that is the case, you’ll just have to use your imagination a little then.

The problem: because the bars for the case frame and the outer panels were not cut very well by the metal shop, because I had to correct that with hand tools, because my mounts for the case frame are pretty good but not perfect: not all the corner ends and seams between the outer panels are equally good. It’s not a real problem on the top front of the case:


But on the top back it’s already a bit worse:


And:


The bottom ends are worse, but I’ve got no pics of them. It’s better left unseen *shame*

The solution: 4 pieces of black alu. They will be glued to the top and bottom outer panel, they are 15mm wide. They give a nice extra effect: the bolts that are on the front and back and that were about 18mm from the edges (as opposed to the ones in other place that are only about 3mm from the edges) will now also be about 3mm from the edges of the new black pieces. This probably doesn’t make any sense at all, but you’ll see in the pics or later on when the tape is off and the pieces are glued in place.

Here are the 4 strips, roughly cut.


And here is the first one completely finished. It’s of course not glued on yet, so it’s a bit bent on the ends. I hope you can see the difference with the first pic of this update. The strips will be a very noticable ‘detail’ on the case. They are after all only 15mm wide, but 31cm long! I think they’ll look good though.


And from another angle.


That’s it. In the week-end I’ve got some time but most of these loose ends are really not worth taking lots of pics of, let alone photoshop them and typing an update. Nevertheless, a small update will be coming soon, while we wait for the finished window pics. See you soon…