First project - Ocean/Coral sea theme (need name)

this is my first mod, on a generic case. the case is about as bad for modding as you can find. the roof can't be taken off (fixed ) and the doors have 4 long "bumps" each that are supposed to look good but pretty much destroy any chance of cutting a complex window. the PSU only fits upside down, there is no top blow hole(fixed), the fan grills are terrible (fixed), the bay covers are larger then the bays so after stealthing the DVD drive you can't take the front off without taking the DVD rom out too, you get the point.

this is the case as it first was, sorry for the size but it was the only one I found online.


so far, I've just been playing around, without planning. I made a rectangular window in the left door, and a little more complex one in the top which came out uneven and the lines need lots of filing.

the DVD drive needs replacing after a couple of less-then-succesfull mods, but it still works, just makes allot of noise (isn't closed well, lost the screws).

until now all my mods have been low budget, fast, and mostly spontanious. that's what happens when you're a 17 yr old, with no job and learning in 12th grade. but now, it's finals season so we get a vacation until the end of the year. I won't be studying very hard (god bless photographic memory) and I recently had a B-Day, which means I have the cash. so, I decided to start working right. I'll be going for an ocean/coral sea theme because I love the coral sea, I'm a diver, and even my name is yam which is "sea" in hebrew.

here's what I plan:
http://server6.uploadit.org/files/DeadTeddy-modplans.jpg
http://server6.uploadit.org/files/DeadTeddy-modplans2.jpg

front will be rebuilt with 2 mm plexi and the frame of the old one. the plexi will be sprayed silver. it will have a built in bay cover for my DVD drive that in a few months will be junked and I will get an RW one. below it are 3 knobs for a custom built fanbus. at first they will be cheap bought ones, but will be replaced with custom backlit plexi ones. below them there are 5 buttons. the big middle one is a plexi start button with some sort of coin on it, the blue ones will control the fanbus, cathode, and turn off the VU meter.

then there's a front intake that will have a custom dolphin fan grill, and on it's sides those X's mark the LED's I will use for the VU meter. on each one the bottom 4 will be green, middle 3 sea green and top 3 green.

the bottom will have a row of 10 buttons 9 of which will control winamp and the last will be for the DVD drive eject button.

the insides of the case will be painted sea green/blue and will have a blue CCFL at the bottom, and diffused UB sea green LED's around the case (hidden of course). the bottom will have sand on it, well glued and with several coats of clear spray to make sure none of it escapes, ever.

other then that, the top window has a silver bladed fan, and the front and back fans will be crystal clear blue LED fans. IDE cables are UV blue ones that will have UV LEDs in at the ends that will light on HDD activity.

the window will have a 3 color engraving using 3 pieces of plexi. it will have a shark, starfish, turtle and the beautiful fish I have no idea what's it called in english.

so, got any ideas for how to improve this without making it too difficult? still is a first mod, and in it has ot be done in about 40 days cause I'm moving the eilat (city on the shoar of the red sea, where my dad lives) for a year and I will be working and living alone so I won't have much time, resources or energy. at least I'll have my dad's digicam to upload pics

 

Nice ideas you got there dude. This promiss a lot. I like the theme you choose! Go for it dude!

btw: Welcome to the forum!
~Xeno~

 

Watch out for the sand. I dunno if I could ever trust sand in the bottom of my case no matter how much glue I used.

 

I might create a sheet of sand with that plastic they use for library cards to make them waterproof. I'll trap it in there and place the thing on the bottom of the case. easy, cheap and safe

 

very cool idea hope you can pull it off

look @ this here i found maybe you get more ideas off it

TROPICAL PC

good luck

 

It wouldn't look right.

Try mixing the sand with Elmers Glue, not too much glue, but enough to coat. You can then spread the sand however you want (and Elmers has a decent working time, and you can use your bare hands) even create 'footsteps' or 'sandcastles' if you wanted...

 

what's elmer's glue? and I'm making this a sea bed thing, so no castles/footsteps unless fish evolved and developed feet since the last time I checked

 

try textured plexi like this and then glue a thin layer of sand over the top. Then over that you could use spray glue over the top to keep the sand in place without making it glossy or look fake. Or you could try satin polyurethane finish used in word working as it will stick to the sand and the polycarbonate.

just a thought

 

Sorry, guess they don't have it in Israel?

 

Elmers ? I think it is the glue for wood....
of course we have it here....

nice to see another Israeli project, hope the level will be good enough.

Avner

 

For the sand, mick it first with elmers glue and some water, then lay it in there an let it dry. afterwards, get som crystal clear spray paint varnish. It will still look like sand, but be as hards as plastic.

 

Coulndt you just use a sheet of sandpaper for the sand?

 

What about making a false bottom out of plexi and filling it with sand and shells etc. Similar to those glass jars you buy at tourist shops on the beach.

Kinda like this

 

That's reaslly odd! Sandpaper doesn't even looks like sand to me! If it was my project, I woul make a floor with 2 plates of acrylic. Get a small fan with a filter and attach it at the back / front of your case. This way you got a bottom which isn't thin, but the sand is dancing at the wind deliverd by the fan. What do you think about it.

~Xeno~

 

He said in the above post that he is making a thing at the bottom out of plexi. I think he means that he is making a sealed box with all the sand and shells and stuff in.

Tell me if im wrong but thats what i think he means

 

you should start reading the names of posters. reiko suggested it and photoshopped my sketchup pic. I like that idea allot, and I'll look into it but my mobo is about 1 mm off the bottom of my case which means I will have to either work around it (looks worse) or somehow make my case taller which is kind of hard considering the only 2 powertools I own are a dremel and a drill. at least I'm getting rid of the 3.5 bays so that's no problem.

 

I was afraid there wasn't room for that. 1mm isn't much space.

 

The effort to read the name of posters is too much.

Instead of extending the case up, shrink the mobo by buying a mATX one. then it would fit.

 

Sorry 'bout my bad english. . But that was what i ment, a sealed box with sand in it. And then using a fan to make it real as you could see at a real beach / ocean.

~Xeno~

 

If you had a fan, it would blow all the sand to the back. Then you would need to open it and even the sand out again. How horribly inconvenient