Discussion can be found here: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=104737 --- original idea: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=97183&highlight=springbok things have changed a bit. New ideas, and a different case. More importantly, i decided to get off my lazy arse and actually do a case, running the pc bare on top of my desk http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/manifested/P1000612.jpg just started to annoy me whenever i wanted to go to lans. this is my first case mod, so dont expect something in the leagues of defyant etc. the case is this one: http://666kb.com/i/10ts8o1b253pc.jpg Day One : To start the case off, i thought i would start with the front plastic plate of the case. I intend having dual 120mm fans. Taking and using the dremel for the first time ever was a daunting task. This was the plastic plate by itself: On there you can see the idea of the 2x120mm fans, also the cut i hope to achieve. Using the dremel for the first time resulted in this: note the bit to the right, thats what it did look like, as rugged as that. sanded this part down a fair bit, but it still wasnt perfect. as a result, after more sanding with the dremel, i got the result i wanted: and that concludes day one, i started this late today
Projekt Springbok Discussion from this log: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=104735 --- comments please. edit: removed almost everything, still not sure how this dual-forum system works, ive read the stickies though
Day Two in order for there to be space for the 2x120mm fans, i need to remove the pre-existing hard disk rack after some work with an angledrinder to remove the tough steel, i get this result. i have marked where the fans are going.
Main update here is the fact i have been able to cut the fanholes. pretty sad for an update, but ive really been out of time. this case is turning out to be a toughie. The metal is just too darn strong for a rotary tool, or any attachment. So, the solution to this is to use the jigsaw This is the case before the fanholes were cut: after the fanholes were cut: with the front plastic plate on: Something that i will need to get sometime is an extra 120mm fan. A shot with the mesh i intend using, and a rough fitting of it, and the fan:
sorry about the lack of updates, i have been pretty busy with work and family commitments, then not being able to get any dremel disks after that Day three is updated, look at first link Not very often i ask for help, but this is one occasion where i am going to. With the speaker mesh, i am finding it hard to try and get it to fit around my shape. atm, the mesh is bent around the general shape, as can be seen here: however this isnt a very good shape, as it doesnt fit around the curve at the front perfectly. any tips how to achieve this? those parts are bent as a way of attaching the mesh onto the shape. ---- Im also going to discuss my future ideas for this case. not the theme bits, im still working on those, but rather the design bits. Since there is space for 3 cd-rom drives, and ive hacked the hard disk holders away, the hard disks are going to be in a custom caddy that fits into two of these drives. the same 'cage' from this shot, on the right: I'm still deciding whether i will be integrating an 80mm fan into it, will go at the front. If one looks at these shots: for the rear fan you can see there is 1x92mm fanhole. I intend having 2x80mm fans there rather, to get equal input / output airflow. Since there is this 92mm fan mount, im thinknig of using my trusty jigsay, cutting the area out, a bit more than 80mm x 160mm. Then ill cut some perspex, make 2x80mm fan holes, then attach this perspex to this new hole i will cut. This perspex may attach by velcro, to make it easier to replace fans That covers it for now, lets hope i can get some serious updates happening. thanks for the interest guys
starting to love the look all ready now its giveing me some ideals alredy. Your going have to update those tools alittle rusty.
Day Four Since the metal will be able to be seen through the mesh at the front, the solution is to place something in front of there that will prevent anybody seeing the metal. As you can see from this shot, it isnt exactly the best thing to be looking at, seeing holes in the metal (which was stock). http://users.cyberone.com.au/windmill/PS/20.01.06/P1020010.jpg so as a result, whats the best thing to use? Perspex of course. Measuring up with the case: holes lined up and ready to be cut: (probably NSFW, depends...... if youre wondering what made those circles, it was a CD, then a piece of PVC tubing to make it a little bit smaller) Dual intake holes cut out: Really bad shot of the perspex on the case: This perspex will be painted a colour, when i decide on what colour. Atm, it will just stay transparent. Thanks to some guidance from Defyant, i was able to do some front mesh. Im still to get a way of attaching it to the case, will probably use double sided tape (hence why my hand is holding the top part up. The perspex can also be seen in this shot It's still not perfect, will fix it up closer to the time. Now to get back into the garage, and continue working
Day Five Since ive hacked up where the hard disks are supposed to go, It means ive got to find a new place for the disks. The easiest place would be the existing cdrom bays. Since there are only 2 bays, and 3 drives, this means a custom caddy is needed. Fortunately, i was able to find this caddy from a old case. A shot with the hard disks in Trying it with just these disks in showed the hard disk temps to go right up to 50 degrees ... a little too high for my liking. So we need some cooling as a result. I found this piece of tin lying around the place, with another shot of the caddy. Holes have been drilled to connect the tin to the caddy. Since the caddy is 80mm high, we cant fit in a 80mm hole there without splitting the holes. As a result, 2 seperate pieces are needed Best cooling for this setup would be a 80mm fan. A cheapie 80mm tri-LED fan i found lying around will do the job for now. Those triangular holes on both sides of the fan are intentional, because there is going to be more mesh used. This mesh will exhaust any rebounding air from the hard disk Next is a means of attaching this setup to the caddy. These nuts and bolts should do the job nicely Two shots of the final result for now, there is more to come to this. Im pretty happy with this setup now, 32-34 degrees, which is about 10 degrees improvement at least Next update will be the way that this is actually going to connect to the case, and a few other ideas with the drive bays as done before, no parts were painted yet. im doing all the painting at once
new update in the worklog (Day Five) http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=104735 for the lazy ones
Day Six Since ive hacked up the hard disk bays, i need somewhere to put the drives. In the previous day, i had created the bracket for the hard disks. Now we need some way of attaching this bracket to the case. This is a view of inside the cdrom bays. Note the bits sticking out on the bottom section. These need to be removed. Some bending and cutting created this After cutting those bits out, and some sanding, i got a result that was smooth, the metal didnt look the greatest though, but it will be out of sight anyway. Next i planned some perspex and cut it up In this view, i have bent my custom hard disk bracket, the legs at the bottom, like so Then drilled some holes, and an edge so the piece of perspex doesnt touch the motherboard These motherboard spacers and screws will come in handy Attaching the spacers to the perspex No prizes for guessing what the perspex is for... Those screwholes on the cage and the spacers line up nicely, giving me this: Not this is how it will attach to the case. Looking from underneath, with my hand holding it in place: Now i have been slack here, forgot to take some pics, but this perspex will be attached by some fan screws at the bottom, 4 of them.
Day Seven Since the custom hard disk bracket wont look the prettiest, we need some other way of concealing it, yet allowing the fan to have some fresh air. First we create a piece of perspex that is exactly the same size as the one used for the custom hard disk bracket. This piece will cover all the cdrom bays, like so. We need a 80mm hole for fresh air for the fan in the custom hard disk bracket. This is why you should secure whatever youre worknig on, especially when using holesaws. Gah, means i have to create another piece. Now this hole looks better a bit of sanding and cleaning up: Lines up perfectly with the fan We cant have a fan bare like that otherwise dust may become a problem. So some mesh was cut out And dented with a hammer, using the same method used for the front of where the 120mm fans will go. Just for now, bluetak will attach it to the perspex Looking good Two days ago i got something i have been dying for, really needed these, got them off ebay. How about some progress shots, showing everything that has been done so far, all in one? Since i went over to Glitch's house for a lan, i needed a case. So i put everything to the test, and a very quick job at assembling everything, cables everywhere. And thats all for now, thanks for the interest so far. After one or two more functionality mods, i will get started with the theme, and why this is called 'Project Springbok'
Day Eight Sorry about lack of updates, i have been really busy, and then got assaulted, as mentioned here: http://tinyurl.com/ohlp9, so that means i havent been able to do much at all. Been feeling woozy since the attack, so this update is mainly what i had done up until the attack, as i dont know when the next update will be. This is the view of the rear exhaust, a stock mount for a 92mm fan. One 92mm fan wont be enough exhaust considering the intake set of 2x120mm fans. The power supply that will be used has a 92mm fan at the bottom which will also extract air, but that still wont be enough. Since i cant exactly drill a fanhole there, as it wont fit, i need a different idea. What i will be doing is cutting out a rectangular piece, about 160mm x 80mm from that section. What will fill that hole is this: some circular shapes drilled where the screws will go were made, so the screwheads dont stick out. Also a shot of one of the fans in action and thats it for now, sorry about the lack of updates and the lack of a substantial update here. Will finish this bit as soon as im feeling better, as well as tyding that piece of perspex, looks shoddy
