Case Mod - In Progress Corsair 200D? Slice and dice!

Hello everyone, back with another outlandish idea!
I've finished my last project the Fallout Lan PC, and I recently came across a 250D second hand for a steal.
So the plan is to cut a chunk out if it and call it a day!


What we're starting with. Bone stock besides some missing insides... The plight of second hand.


A render? This is the general idea but really poorly displayed!


That's a little easier to visualise. That big triangle is going to be replaced with a big window.


With the inside, I plan to build new framework from some right angle aluminium.

Instead of chopping up the external panels and rear of the case, I plan to fabricate my own. That should be easier than trying to tidy up half mutilated windows and vents.

Stay posted for updates!

 

Alrighty, I'm hoping to keep this build a relatively quick one.
God knows the Fallout PC took long enough...

I started to strip down the case tonight and remove as much as I could to start on the modifications.


I love that the top panel is removable, even though I'm replacing it.


This is as far as I've stripped it down so far, I'll remove the drive cage and shift it about half a millimeter towards the front of the case so I can fit the new inside skin between it and the rear.
I only realised tonight that the body is one single piece. Fantastic from a design point, less so for modding.


I'm planning to reuse the motherboard tray mounted at an angle, hence why I'm fabricating a new rear panel for the IO.


This is just a very quick mockup of where it will go. I might end up making a full length panel for a possible reservoir mount but we'll see as I progress.


Unfortunately being second hand, the case is missing the drive bay brackets. I might build my own to mount a single bay reservoir with built in DDC but I'll have to do some measurements to see if it will clear the window.


The parts bin is half full, a lot of it will go back on the case.
Maybe...

I should get underway making some new side panels this weekend, so stay posted!

 

200D Update 3 - I can't believe it fits!

I wasn't kidding when I said I'd try to knock this over quickly!

I finished cutting the back out and decided it was easier to cut out the entire back rather than messing with sandwich plates and other nonsense.


I also cut out the last piece along the side and where the drive bays mount.


I drew out my new panel on some .6mm steel, the silver lines are where I measured wrong and had to hide them so I didn't cut along them by mistake.


I finally got the right blades for my jigsaw, and they cut like magic, I got incredibly clean lines with only a tiny area I had to file.
I had made some more mistakes in my markings, but I realised before cutting and got a great result.


Meet my impromptu bending tool!
I started the bend in the drawers and finished by hammering the bend along the edge of my work bench.
I will invest in a proper banding brake at some stage.


Goddamn it fits. I wasn't too sure how it would go with the folds not being quite as tight as I'd like, but it fits nice and snug.
The lower rivets were small spot welds it looked like so I drilled those out so I could rivet the bottom of the panel in securely.


Even the factory panels fit perfectly. Dayum!


I surprise even myself sometimes!


Tomorrows job will be cutting this right angle ali to fit in and square the frame up nicely.

I'll finish the frame and side panels before I start the work inside the case.
The rear IO won't be hard to cut as I can drill out a couple of rivets and work on the panel, and interior will be limited to the space I get once the outside is finished.

In terms of hardware I might end up reusing some of the parts from the Fallout PC to keep the cost down, we'll see how we go!

Thanks for having a look, more updates on the way!

 

I absolutely hate this case so dig in a file for me

 

I quite like the case, mostly because it's the little brother of my 750D haha

I just ordered a bending brake to finish the bends on the top panel I'm making.
I'll do another post tomorrow maybe.

Then jump right into the next one I'm working on haha

 

This case has worked out.....difficult, for me.
The small size is a necessity as I live on a narrowboat(still haven't had time for that post) but the quality of the plastic clips for the 5.25" and drive bays has let it down for me.

Still looking for someone to help with the cable management! Lol


e

 

Update 4ish!

G'day, don't cheap out on bending brakes.
The brake itself bends...

Continuing on!


The thing is in the thing!
I may end up making another a smidge higher to line up with the top panel I'm working on.


I started off measuring out more incorrect lines, because consistency is a virtue.


A little cutting with old mate jigsaw and we've got a perfectly close enough top panel!


This may or may not have been done in the new bending brake, I can't remember.


The $60 bending brake!
I do not recommend buying cheap aluminium bending brakes, the holes along it are where I've bolted a steel bar under it to reduce the bowing when I bend.


Not ideal...


So far it's fitting alright, I will remake this panel once I've worked out all the funny angles and bends.


The front was too short to get into the bender so I used a pair of multigrips to bend it in, it's not pretty but works for a test piece.
I'll either cut that bend out or run it deeper to get it bent better next time.


There's a slight upwards bow in the side where the bender was bowing out, but the measurements are bang on. The back section I'll revise so it doesn't look so rough.


And this corner is a mess. I've worked out how the ends will go in the next version and you can see how the support bar is a little too low here.

I've only got Saturday night and Sunday to work on it this weekend so we'll see how it turns out.
I've got an old 775 socket ITX board I can stick in there for the meantime for mocking everything up.
Core 2 Duo and 2GB RAM to the rescue!

Lets see how it goes!

 

With every part you chop off I flap my fingers and pull an evil grin

 

You can't make an omellete without breaking some eggs, extra points if you entertain with the egg breaking!

 

By the way this project isn't dead, it's just been in hibernation.
Back at it with a new approach!

 

Another incremental update!

I thought it was high time I made another update, I'm a very slow builder...

Just been fiddling with reattaching panels I mutilated in the first idea


The front has been shortened and plastic welded to remove the optical drive, because it's 2017, nobody needs an optical drive!
I want to fit a low profile 1050Ti into the case with a waterblock somehow, I'll have to put more research into that idea.
Maybe a Zotac 1080???


I've been fiddling with some lighting ideas inside the case, I'm not sure what I'll be able to fit once I've got water cooling in there but we'll see!




This actually is a pretty quick build so far, I still have several that are years old behind the scenes...