So after a first attempt at a case mod (project m²) that proved to be a pain in the butt and unsuccessful for me (i never finished it due to weather, but the bondo'd side panels were warping, nothing seemed to be going right) i've decided to re-use the frame from the previous project, and make a new case. Only real tool i have at home for cutting is my dremel, so i need a type of sheet metal that will be sturdy enough for side panels, but i have to still be able to cut through it with a dremel. My design right now is a simple alum. outside, and i might try to mount the mobo as a BTX? instead of ATX. Hardware is a no go as i just put my old pc into my moms for her, but I'm considering building a new pc in which case my current hard-ware can go into this case. So my plan was alum. outside painted black with my gaming clan logo cut into the side (I've been with them for almost 2 years, don't plan on leaving so its not a bad idea to have that logo in it) The logo will be clear plexi-glass probably with red cathodes on the inside, thus making my theme black with red accents, might have some raw alum. also, because polishing takes to long and i have no experience with it. My idea was to somehow attach the alum. to the side panel with more alum but the corner kind, then have some nice shiny acorn (the fake ones since they cheaper) nuts/bolts holding the frame together. For the front, a simple on, and reset switch, and 1, possibly 2 cd/dvd drives, and an intake. The top there isn't much room for a large exhaust fan unless i convert the frame to BTX and have the power supply on the bottom, in which case its simply cutting a hole at the bottom for the psu to get some air. Though i have no hard-ware, i really want my second attempt to be successful as it requires no bondo, and its a little simpler than my first design. I have no skill with sketchup, i downloaded it about 20 minutes ago and i was able to make my box with my colours and rough idea without the window cut out, and once i figure it all out i'll post it up. Just wanted to get some opinions on my idea's so far, and any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. It's all planning for now, and in a few months the work will begin, until then i can find time to get all my materials together, and just plan. Thanks in advance. Matt You can see the logo i plan to cut out at www.f-s-f.org
I tried sketchup out and with the help of other peoples models and modifying them, i was able to come up with my base idea. Credits the people that made the sketchup stuff that i used. Here's a quick overview of it. The grey border around every panel with be angle iron peices. I plan to use to help keep clean lines. This is the stuff im talking about: http://www.stewartsandlloyds.co.za/images/steel_01a.jpg. After, i will drill holes through the angle irons and the case panels into the frame and find a way to mount them with bolts, so that i can cap them off with acorn nuts to keep the outside clean looking. These are the things i plan to use, or the fake but still nice version: http: http://www.boltdepot.com/images/Chrome/chrome-acorn-nuts.jpg. On the front we have 2 the bays for my cd and dvd drives, and two aluminum buttons, the power is the bigger one and im not going to paint these to give a nice accent to the front, as for the LED's, i never put them in the sketchup but i plan to probably change the colour of LED if i'm able, and im going to put a intake on the front, looks bad i know but it was my first time with sketchup.. Besides that, im going to try and mount the mobo tray as BTX, and cut my logo into the side. In the sketchup preview its just a window, because i was having trouble reproducing the exact symbol, but it will be a symbol. I plan to go with a theme of black, raw aluminum, and red interior lighting. There will be no usb hub or anything in the front of the case, i'll just add a usb card to a pci slot if need be. Finally, i'm going to put an exhaust on the top, again it looks bad in sketchup but it was my first try and i did it in about half an hour teaching myself and modifying someone elses hard work.This is my idea, im willing to make changes, and i hope to start by spring/summer. It's cold up here in Canada. Here's my idea's. Front: Back: Left Side: Right Side: Top: Criticism is welcome. Inside of the case will probably stay more or less stock.
