Case Mod - In Progress Dark Tranquillity (19 Dec 2009)

This will be my first mod on Bit-Tech.

Its a Media Centre PC/ Lan rig.

It will be slow. Being a electrical engineering student = Zero Time and semi-permanently flat broke ( )

I started out on this project late last year over here, but for various reasons I got frustrated and stopped and went and bought another case and mobo for my main rig.

I intend to post a brief summary of the work I have done so far, before moving onto the modding action. Apologies if some of the pics are too large, I am having issues with photobucket.


Silverstone SG02F SFF/uATX case (I think I bought the last one in SA )




The F version is steel, not alu unfortunately. although the steel one is layed out better.


Hmmm, what have we got here






Gigabyte G33M-DS2r

So Lets get onto the modding

Masking the cover. I really loath the clamshell cover design, its too awkward but more on that later.

Masked


Clamped Securely


Dremelled



I wonder what this could be for?


Tada


Sketch up Model for what I thought I might do for the vents.


unfortunately, that has proved too dificult to do. I don't have access to a milling machine and my hands are not steady enough for me to try it with the dremel.

So, we move onto plan B.



This would be 3 seperate sides made of alu or acrylic with Hexagonal Mesh.





I will post the rest of hardware once I can get the pics off my sisters camera

Thats all for now. Too tired, can't stay awake

More Pictures tomorrow or soon.

 

Small teaser and update:

Hmmm



3x Vizo Super Muffles



What could this be for?




Tada



I hate the included fan screws. I always replace them with M5's. The final ones will be dome headed.

teaser of sorts:



Though I still need to see if i can find a blue bar graph, though for what I am planning its not that big a deal.

 

i'm liking the start mate i will be following this one

 

Nice Start mate , Im looking at building a m-atx myself so will Be watching close

 

That looks like a promising start!

 

Thanks

Thanks. Well I started most of my current rig out in that case. The biggest thing that annoyed me was the cramped space interefered with my constant obsession with fiddling

Oh and temperatures, though apparently I have a defective quad that reports high temps.

Thanks.

 

I have a small update, unrelated to the teaser that i'll post tomorrow hopefully.

I write physics 2 in the morning and project management in the evening. So after that i can relax a little

 

Is it just me or is gigabyte getting real annoying ? When will they move that 4 pin power to the edge of the board

 

Lookin' good sir. I think the vents in sketchup will come out looking pretty sharp.

 

So, here is my really small update. yesterday proved a little hectic so I only got onto it onto it thursday night and today.

I took a white version of this liteon DVD writer bezel:


Filed and sanded and file and sanded and filed and sanded until the raised portins were completely gone:


sprayed it with several coats of gray and sanded with water paper

Took some red perspex or acrylic I salvaged off something being scrapped at varsity, cut a small piece and filed it to shape:





Filed the bezel to fit the tiny piece of plastic:


and now I am given the bezel more coats of grey paint and sand it to remove some of the scratches

*Looks at his lack of finger prints*

edit: Still working on getting the middle piece flat

 

Thanks

Asus seems to do the same. I suspect its to get it as close as possible to the CPU

edit: The reason I am fiddling with the drive face place is that I have to wait till next month before I can buy some IC's and Alu and Mesh...

 

Another update and more pics of the DVD drive bezel
Apologies for the poor quality pics-I took these with my cellphone

After sanding to remove high spots:


Assembled:



Getting it flat and smooth took forever.

Tomorrow (later), more sanding and then several coats of gloss black spray paint.

I need finer water paper, I only have 600 Grit

 

sw33t

Promising start

Subscribed

 

Thanks!

Couldn't get gloss or satin black paint for some reason

Front bezel completed with matt black and clear laquer:



but I notice a few faint scratches in it which i will have to fix in due course.
Finish is not as good as i wanted but i think thats the matt paint.

And, until I can find my MX510, I have modded an MS mouse.





(And Yes, Cat fur )

next is to get the mesh. Might be a weekend or 2 delay. I have a community project and cement boat to build.

 

looking good bud.... subscribed..... still looking for a case that appeals to me to be modded....

 

He Joined! Thanks Bud!

hope you find one

 

Oooo, this thread needs an update

Haven't done much work, will do some in the coming weeks. Varsity has been heavy on my time in recent months.

I have screws and other bits to go on and more spraying and cutting to do. It also needs something for feet, hmmm

I got a brand new wireless keyboard and mouse set out of the varsity electrical labs so, i can retire the one i went and modded

We have an arrangement with a cash for goods outlet where anything broken gets sent to the labs for us students to use for our own purposes, because they for what ever reason, don't repair stuff; they give the customers something else or a refund.

Turns out there was a loose connection in it so i fixed that and now it works brilliantly

maybe I'll mod it too



Better pictures may follow when i get my new camera and a tripod for it

 

Ok, small small update.

Bought Myself a nikon D50. I am now flat broke but can atleast take decent pictures.

this is what those screws are intended for. When I have some funds in january, I shall be buying some acrylic to make the new cover and the fans will bolt directly onto it with the screws showing on the outside.

I am replacing these:



with these:



and will be doing away with the infernal piece of metal they are mounted too:



when I get my acrylic.

Edit: That Bar Graph i mentioned a few posts back is going to be turned into a temperature probe. You get celcius graded temperature diodes and I have a schematic to feed one into an LED driver chip to drive the bar graph.

 

You probably need some kind of opamp.

 

Indeed. It puts out so many milivolts per degree which you feed into an analog to digital converter (lm3194 I believe) and you hook the output to the pins on your bar graph. Or into a segment driver chip and onto a segment display.