Case Mod - In Progress ANGEL - Lian-li PC-A05N Mod

Content
1. Initial post - Blowing the top
2. The story of the front bezel
3. Happy feet
4. End of the fab
5. Exterior done. End of part 1.
6. Now, that's RAD.

This is my first proper worklog. So maybe some introductions first.

My first mod was a simple paintjob to my CoolerMaster Centurion. Next came a side window. And next, a complete repaint.

My work was very amatuerish compared to the masters here. But I was hooked and next came my big plunge, I jumped into water cooling.

Besides playing with my PC, my first love has to be scale modeling. Some of my works can be seen here.

Oh, almost forgot, I'm from Singapore (the little red dot).

Some theme of this build.

• 1. Controlled air flow. Since the system still requires air intake, all vents are carefully considered to reduce dust. You can see later how dusty my system became after a while.
• 2. Cost. My rig will pale very much in comparison with all the uber i7 machines here with multiple SSDs. Most of the parts are re-used from my current rig.
• 3. Anything I can make myself, I will.

This build is based on the Lian-li PC-A05N. The N model is the latest iteration of the A05 series, it's very well made and being my first Lian-li case, I was floored by the amazing quality.
The size of the case is also one thing that I like. It's relatively small and it's reversed ATX configuration is a big plus for me. Also the wife didn't quite approve of the ATCS 840.

Obligatory stripped parts layout.


Some simple cuts first. The case has multiple venting slots at the back. The design calls for cool air to be drawn in from the back and pushed to the front. Great design by Lian-li but unfortunately not what I wanted.
Also, I need to have some proper holes cut for the 3/8" tubings.








and finished off cleanly. By the way, I'm using a Fret saw here. No dremeling. Old school Cheesecake~!


I cut the retaining piece for the tubing from some spare aluminum. First, measure and measure. And measure again. Then cut.






Installed!


I did the same thing with the rest of the venting slots (there's quite a few).








Next. Modding the top blow hole. Having used this method in my last rig. I think it's really useful since hot air rises and the fastest way of getting rid of those heat in your system is to blow it out of the top.

I have intended to use AC Ryan's RadGrillz for this. Hence the AC Ryan template.


I used a coping saw for this (just to try it out).




But silly old me, forgot to print the template in 100% and it was actually slightly reduced in size.

Oh well, I'm making my own grills then (also to save some cost. )


Mock up.




Marking out.










I seem to be missing pictures of the completed piece. Haha.. Sorry.

More in my next update. Comments and criticism welcome!

 

Fret saw - DO WANT!
About how long does it take to cut, say, a 6" line?

 

Damn, I wish I had a fret saw when I was trying to cut stuff for my first mod, looks a lot easier then tryin to hold a dremel straight, atleast for me. Would one of those work alright with acrylic?

 

A straight line? I think I can do that in about 5mins now.

Yes, actually acrylic is even easier to cut then aluminum. So far, I've cut aluminum, acrylic and some carbon fiber pieces. Yet to try out steel though.

Thanks for looking guys.

 

You're off to a great start dude, I'll keep an eye on this one.

 

clean work so far, i like your custom grill design too
gonna be watching this project

 

Great work so far!
Watchin' you, dude!

 

Very nice start, looking really good so far.

 

great grill design. your fret saw seems a bit different to mine. (ill have to find one that has some tension)

 

Since this mod has my nick I will watch it! LoL jk brother!
Love your cuts, you are so careful and clean! Good luck with the rest!

 

I love what you did with the tubing holes, very clean looking. May I ask why you want external cooling?

 

The Fret Saw seems to have gathered some interest. Haha. Will post pictures of mine.

Hey there! Ya, I saw your nick and thought of the same too. As for the clean cuts, well, there's nothing a bas-tard file can't do.

Thanks. The rad is externally mounted. Reasons being:
1. There's simply no space inside.
2. The inside of a case is hot enough as it is.

Thanks for the support guys, it really means a lot of a noob like me. More pictures soon, I promise.

 

Update 2: The story of the front bezel

Continuing the work.

As I said before, I want to be able to re-route the air flow of the case. In particular, I want to be sure of letting air into the case only at places that I can filter.

Lian-li's original design.


Therefore the front bezel has these vents all over the place. I also don't like the excessive drive bezels... I mean who really needs a 3.5" bay?


I want a clean overall look so a "blank" bezel was created out of 2mm aluminum sheet. It's simply stock aluminum cut to the correct side and the 2 edges bent.


With the proper holes drilled for the original mount, it looks like this after installation.


To keep to the clean design. I decided to use slot loading ODD.


But then I had another problem. The slim ODD cannot be mounted directly to the drive bay. I had to make a mount.

Using stock aluminum sheet again, I made a simple mount.


Cut slots for the screw holes and to allow for fastening with screwdriver.






Mounted!


Installed!




But now I have to no place for putting the power switches. I have some other plans but for now, I have a temp solution.

Using a spare slot cover from the CCFL kit.


Measure and cut






The switch from Lian-li. Again, very well made.


Cut to size.


Finally, mounted with wires properly sleeved and mounted.


BTW, this is the fret saw I'm using. The top fastening screw used to be a wing nut like the bottom but I totally stripped the screw thread after using the tool so many times. So I'm using a replacement stainless steel hex head screw.



The blade is spiral and very fine. It's perfect for modding because the throat of the tool is very deep.


Thanks for looking again.

 

Good job with the front panel! Keepin' an eye on you

 

You're off to an amazing start. Great work!

 

Nice mount for the slim drive. Very professional work. You make all of this look so easy.

 

Thanks guys.

Thanks. Well, it's a lot of elbow grease, blood and sweat. But it's all worth the results.

Hey what am I saying? That's something we all know, I'm sure.

 

Nice mod. I like projects, when you can easily see how much work has been done to create custom parts, like your dvd mount or front panel.
I'll be watching your work

 

Thanks, it's an honor. I'm watching your A05 build too. It would be VERY interesting to see what you'll be doing.

 

This looks promising! very pro cuts and very clean!
Im watching!