1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Case Mod - In Progress AppleCoreDuo

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by Cyprio, 2 Dec 2006.

  1. Pete Wright

    Pete Wright What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    16 Aug 2004
    Posts:
    31
    Likes Received:
    0
    Cyprio, it's brand new. Damige is the delivery or it fell during stroage. I haven't seen on ebay in a long time UK side i shall keep looking but i might go for this one
     
  2. Cyprio

    Cyprio G5 Supermodder

    Joined:
    2 May 2006
    Posts:
    547
    Likes Received:
    0
    Sorry, Pete didnt realise you were expecting an answer. I dont think it would be that easy to bend back, its pretty tough metal.

    Depends what tools you have i guess.

    EDIT: regarding the mod i have just started out again after moving house. Modding the rear of the case is harder than i was expecting - the epoxy putty/glue i used isnt strong enough as it stands - it cracked whlist i was drilling out the holes. :(

    I have ordered some stronger epoxy (that sets much harder with heat), a heat gun (will need for plexi work later) and some thin aluminium to place behind the join to strengthen it.

    Will post more pics next weekend when i have the components hopefully. :thumb:
     
    Last edited: 15 Apr 2007
  3. ViperzX

    ViperzX What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    9 Nov 2006
    Posts:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hey guys just wanted to chime in from Aus, i am following this and MrBean's project closely as i am about to embark on the same mod, albeit a bit more simpple as i am just starting out in the modding scene. I picked up my case off ebay for AUD $41 with a psu :jawdrop:, it has a few scratches but i'm planning ti paint it anyway... I'll shut up now and not deter you from a very good lookin project

    Mod on :rock:

    Vipez
     
  4. Cyprio

    Cyprio G5 Supermodder

    Joined:
    2 May 2006
    Posts:
    547
    Likes Received:
    0
    Thats one hell of a good price! Hopefully update this on Sunday. :dremel:
     
  5. Cyprio

    Cyprio G5 Supermodder

    Joined:
    2 May 2006
    Posts:
    547
    Likes Received:
    0
    Problem solving!

    Hey all.

    Finally managed to make some time to work on this. :dremel:
    I sweated over the case for about 4-5 hours on both Sat and Sunday. :rock:

    Problem!

    As i mentioned in a post above the epoxy putty i used on the case wasn't strong enough to hold the back plate and case together with no extra support. It cracked when i started to drill the holes out. :sigh: :duh: :waah:

    It really felt like quite a setback as i had already started to think about the front ports. :miffed:

    This is what happened:

    [​IMG]

    My mum once told me never to give up :D

    Back to the drawing board I went. I racked my brains and came up with a solution i hoped would still let me have a "seemless look" on the outside...

    I bought a small sheet of 3mm aluminium and cut some thin strips out with a dremel (I had ordered a jigsaw for this but it hadnt arrived by the weekend and i got impatient!).

    Aluminium strips for placing inside the case:

    [​IMG]

    I also got some very stong epoxy that sets harder at high temperatures.

    [​IMG]

    I glued these to the inside of the case around the join between the backpanel and the case. I used a heatgun that can produce 600 degrees and it set the epoxy in a matter of minutes. Things were looking good. :)

    [​IMG]

    View from outside:

    [​IMG]

    You can see the strip on the inside supporting the junction... dont worry those holes are going later. :) Looks pretty messy to me - might need a little sand as well...
     
  6. Cyprio

    Cyprio G5 Supermodder

    Joined:
    2 May 2006
    Posts:
    547
    Likes Received:
    0
    Metalwork :dremel:

    The tools of the trade:

    [​IMG]

    First I drilled through all the holes that i had been covered by the supporting strips of aluminium. Believe me, that's a lot of holes!

    [​IMG]

    Next i cleaned up the inside of the back plate, around where the motherboard backplate will be.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Below you can see the 'sandwich' effect of the supporting aluminium strips. It really is a much stronger bond.

    [​IMG]

    Moving on the rear of the case and more sanding...

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    And a little pic of me!

    [​IMG]

    Results

    Well after all that i am quite pleased with the end result although i dont think the pics do it justice due to all the different crap i have tried to use along the way... just goes to show why you need to plan a little more. Anyway here is what it looks like:

    Outside:

    [​IMG]

    Detail:

    [​IMG]

    Inside:

    [​IMG]

    Detail:

    [​IMG]

    And the whole thing:

    [​IMG]



    That's all folks! :thumb:

    More sanding with finer grit to follow and will need to think about the PSU socket, front of the cage and whether i need anymore holes for all the watercooling thats going in here!

    A little taster of watercooling bling: EK motherboard blocks! These are silverplated ones with acrylic tops. :rock:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: 20 May 2007
  7. Evenge

    Evenge Minimodder

    Joined:
    16 Sep 2006
    Posts:
    659
    Likes Received:
    8
    Nice job! :thumb:
     
  8. customh

    customh conflagration.

    Joined:
    22 Oct 2005
    Posts:
    2,590
    Likes Received:
    1
    Nice job overcoming obstacles, keep it up!!
     
  9. Cyprio

    Cyprio G5 Supermodder

    Joined:
    2 May 2006
    Posts:
    547
    Likes Received:
    0
    I love the feeling of sitting down with a beer after a good days modding to write up the progress! :thumb:

    Biggish update today:

    1. Got the internal cage pretty much ready for a sanding down and painting. Finished off the front ports - did these again as decided to incorporate them into the case rather than use the black aluminium piece that i did before.

    2. Got down to some serious sanding and polishing to see how shiny i could get the external case.

    3. Wired up the DVD drive with an additional button for open/close to place on the case so have to keep the front stealthed.


    Front panel


    Got up pretty early today to start on this as it was supposed to rain in London and didnt want to loose the day, so needed a pick up to get going... black coffee and bagels! :rock:

    [​IMG]

    First off i cut out the old Apple USB and Firewire ports to use as a template as i really like the round edges. Nice Scholl sandals eh?! :D

    [​IMG]

    Then I dremelled out the individual USB, Firewire and Audio ports - i used superglue to temporarily attach the Apple template and needle files to get the insides perfect. Round file for corners first then flat file to complete it. I used 3mm aluminium sheet for this.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Using the same method as before i had 1mm aluminium plates behind the insert and use epoxy (heated to high temps to set rock hard) to fix this in place.

    [​IMG]

    Drilled a hole for the Bulgin (blue) power switch and tested the positioning again. Once again it looks a little rough now but the ports will be lined with plastic and the screws replaced by stainless steel socket bolts.

    [​IMG]

    This is my attempt at a Photoshop mock-up of what it might look like in black.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: 23 Jun 2007
  10. Cyprio

    Cyprio G5 Supermodder

    Joined:
    2 May 2006
    Posts:
    547
    Likes Received:
    0
    Sanding


    Well my arm is still aching from this. If anyone is thinking of trying this be warned - it takes patience and a lot of eblow grease!!

    You may or may not remember but the plan is to have the middle cage of the G5 black and the outer case polished aluminium. The case is anodised and i took the this off with a power sander using 100 and 150 grit. For the later stages i used a bowl of soapy water (Strawberry Fairy Liquid if you must know :p) and a sanding block.

    [​IMG]

    What the side panel looked like during sanding...

    [​IMG]

    This is the finish after 150grit:

    [​IMG]

    Then 400 grit with the sanding block (this was the hardest bit - getting the lines out):

    [​IMG]

    Moving ever higher - 600 grit:

    [​IMG]

    Detail:

    [​IMG]

    My hand was killing by now - took about an hour of non-stop sanding to get here! But im not one to stop easily! 1200 grit!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    Not bad eh! Well so i thought - till i compared it to the AC Ryan AcrylPanel Mirror2 i am planning to use as a window...

    [​IMG]

    If i want the seemless look i am after it looks like i need to go even higher grit - or use a polishing compound to buff it to mirror finish.

    I wouldnt mind some advice on this as its my first time metal polishing and am not sure which to do - higher grit or get a buffing kit?




    I had some spare time so i attacked the other side of the outer cage. Bye bye Apple!! :naughty:

    [​IMG]

    I ran out of 100 grit though so only got 3/4 done:

    [​IMG]


    DVD drive


    I saw this mod done in a worklog over on XS forums (Rubik Cube) and thought it was perfect for this case. It is basically just adding an external switch to your DVD drive. As the G5 doesn't have an 'Open' switch i thought i would leave the front this way and add a switch somewhere else out of the way.

    First you take the drive apart (using a paper clip to open the drive before this):

    [​IMG]

    You see the button on the right? Its simply a matter of soldering the switch's two wires to the top two contacts:

    [​IMG]

    You then need to file down the case a bit to allow the wires space to come out and the lid to close again:

    [​IMG]

    And here is a little videoclip of it working:

    DVD switch



    Finally after a hard days work i had some spare time to do a mock up and some measuring for things to come...

    I got an old ASUS P5B Deluxe mobo off ebay that was broken to use as i didnt want to damage my one. :) Can you see the EK blocks attached?! :)

    [​IMG]

    The Seasonic 600w PSU fits like a glove up there... and cable management should be pretty easy behind the mobo tray.

    [​IMG]

    Finally - the radiators. The Thermochill PA120.2 was always going to go at the front but the Swiftech 120.1 was a tough decision to make. I had wanted it to go in the floor of the case but i think there will be too many tubes there and so i settled on the side next to the mobo tray. It is very snug but it seems to fit (after a little mobo tray trimming!). I will add another 120mm exhaust below this - probably get this water/laser cut as the outer case is very tough 3-4mm alu that i dont think i can cut myself. The dual DDC-2 pumps will sit at the bottom of the mobo.

    [​IMG]

    Things to come...

    1. Fixing the PSU extension cable to rear of case.
    2. Sanding the inner cage down and priming it for a spray.
    3. Sending the outer case and side panel to a water jet service to get the precision cuts done - any recommendations for the UK?

    That's all for today folks! :hip: :thumb:
     
    Last edited: 17 Jun 2007
  11. Cyprio

    Cyprio G5 Supermodder

    Joined:
    2 May 2006
    Posts:
    547
    Likes Received:
    0
    Just had to post these pics as soon as i got my new Aquacomputer waterblock!!!

    EK silverplated Asus P5B Deluxe mosfet, NB, SB blocks and an AC Cuplex Di. 8/10mm compression fittings.

    I will let the pictures (taken with my crappy point and shoot Pentax) speak for themselves. :)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  12. ShadowWings

    ShadowWings What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    22 Jan 2006
    Posts:
    64
    Likes Received:
    0
    Those blocks look absolutely stunning. Keep up the good work.
     
  13. cyberspyder

    cyberspyder Canuck

    Joined:
    26 Nov 2006
    Posts:
    125
    Likes Received:
    2
  14. Mr-IK

    Mr-IK Minimodder

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2007
    Posts:
    304
    Likes Received:
    0
    That mobo and those blocks are dope!
     
  15. elbarto241

    elbarto241 What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    12 Sep 2006
    Posts:
    149
    Likes Received:
    0
    dang, those germans sure know how to make WCblocks! :D
     
  16. Cyprio

    Cyprio G5 Supermodder

    Joined:
    2 May 2006
    Posts:
    547
    Likes Received:
    0
    Yeah. Well i thought about posting the log over there as well but i thought a link in my sig would be enough! :)
     
  17. hu$tla

    hu$tla What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    19 Jun 2007
    Posts:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    very good work :D Your board looks great with the coolers.

    keep up
     
  18. simosaurus

    simosaurus What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    12 Jun 2005
    Posts:
    353
    Likes Received:
    0
    yeah the mobo blocks look sick
     
  19. Teyber

    Teyber ******

    Joined:
    18 Mar 2007
    Posts:
    1,369
    Likes Received:
    9
    very nice but you need to be extremely carefull: if im not wrong, and if so someone correct me, epoxy/puddy or whatever sawdust after sanding is horrible for you health, so always use a mask when working with the stuff(the particles get stuck in your alveoli i believe, but not positive) like fiberglass, but maybe im confusing it with just fiberglass!?!!?

    anyways nice work!
     
  20. Cyprio

    Cyprio G5 Supermodder

    Joined:
    2 May 2006
    Posts:
    547
    Likes Received:
    0
    Ok folks, had some more time today to work on the case and i used it to do some more metal work on the external cage. I needed to drill air vents and mounting holes for a 120.1 Rad and an exhaust fan. I bought a small sheet of aluminium mesh with 3mm holes to use as a guide and carefully measured up as no mistakes were allowed!


    A little reminder of what the why i am drilling these out and also what the outer cage looked like before i got to work on it with a sander:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Template is held in place with doublesided tape after measuring up.

    [​IMG]

    A third of the way there, praying the holes were straight!

    [​IMG]

    All done!

    [​IMG]

    Let's see what irreversible damage to the case i've done...

    [​IMG]

    And a close up so you can see the countersunk hole for the fan mount:

    [​IMG]

    Sanding it down to smooth it off:

    [​IMG]

    And final result :clap:

    [​IMG]

    One fan vent down and one to go ladies and gents. :thumb:[​IMG]
     
    Last edited: 21 Jul 2007

Share This Page