Case Mod - In Progress [Project] DragonHolm Update Jan 22 Off to the Trash pickup

This will be a quick mod. I need a home(Holm) for my P4EE 3.0Ghz Windows XP system. It's been sitting in the Rocketfish/Lian-Li full tower case since I got my G6600 Vista daily driver.

I still need it occasionally because it has some treasures on it's HDD I want. Yeah I know make a DVD/CD and throw away the P4.
Sentimental value. I made a profound amount of $$$$ with this system in the last few years and - I LIKE IT!

The P4EE mATX board in the Rocketfish:



One motherboard, one Optical, one HDD, one PSU, done. Minimalism.

​

Thank you Soyo!


Some pics - most have been in modding section until I decided it was a project:

Front:


Top Handle with power, reset and LEDs;

Back - blow off the three power plugs for lan parties, they go bye bye:

Better look at handle:

Inside:

Dust bunnies marking the top where the 120mm LED fan will go:

With the fan lay out:

The inside of the handle with the vents that made the dust trails:


Enough for now. I am looking at the front for another fan or two.

This is a Soyo Dragon case from 1995. Not as viciously steel as a Dell case but really close. I horde stuff!

John

PS: The Rocketfish/Lian-li is the next project. This is a quicky.

 

The case Pt. 2

Here's the front. Strangest front opening I've ever seen.


It has mounting holes for 1 single 120mm fan or 2 80mm fans! The 3.5" bays will all go to support the fans.

1 120mm fan:

Looks good but wait!
80mm fans X 2



I'm thinking here now!

john

 

Gawd, that thing's a , isn't it?! Please, by all means, hack that thing up and make it look good!

I'd personally favor one 120mm over two 80's in interest of noise.

 

No!!! Not a Soyo razorblade! Do you have any fish fillet safety gloves?

 

Photographing UV Plexi?

Guys and Gals,

I need a quick bit of help. What is the best way to take pictures of UV plexi?

Examples:









This is just a small lamp about 9" tall but you can see my problems.

I use a Kodak point and shoot easyshare 6340.

Should I choose the background color differently for UV? Flash - yes or no?

Thanks in advance

john

 

no flash

do it in complete darkness and knock your aperture right up (if you can change it)

 

Your suggestion is taken! 9 watt blacklight in total darkness with no flash. Thank you.



Disassembly for painting. Top de-riveted, 3.5 bays removed. I'll remove the 5.25 bays and hope it doesn't COLLAPSE.



A note to Cheapskate: No blood was shed during this update.

john

 

I'm enjoying the jhanlon303 signature red velvet back drop with the photos.

 

Don't forget the hard wood floor! I mod from my chair so it either sits on the red (might have to get the wall upholstered in velvet) or on the floor within reach.

john

PS: Second thought says red velvet upholstered walls would look like a brothel. Not that that is a bad thing, mind you.

 

Whacking holes

I started whacking the front steel panel for the 120mm fan. General concensus it 120mm is the way to go, Plus I have some to spare.
Removed the top panel and the 3.5" bays:



/Begin Transformer voice
"Taking the top off was a bad mistake"
/End Transformer voice.

I had to re-rivet the top panel back on for a while while I do the fan-dango.

Fan goes here:



Taped and ready to cut out. Holes whacked to allow the nibbling tool access:



Hole cut out but not filed yet. I was surprised that the Soyo case actually cuts way easier than a Dell. Can I say that on a family forum?



Right in the middle of the work the prospective tenant shows up!




"Seems a bit crowded FOO" These wings need more room.

I go to file for a couple hours.

john

 

Was this taken in total blackness? Wow! Plus, that's a fantastic lamp! (seriously)
As you may recall from my log, I've been trying to get some good shots of my UV green along with the different layers. I do the complete blackness, no flash, automatic focus point and shoot on a tripod... and take lots of pics. I downloaded my camera manual to look for macro focus and manual focus info, but my camera just doesn't like to get up close and personal even with that. It's hit or miss when I do the half shutter thing to auto focus, so I tend to zoom in n out a bunch to try and hit the sweet spot.
I started to use a black velvety background, which really draws your eye to the UV plexi only, but I also like my previous attempts on a white paper background, which give a nice glow to it all.

 

My wife found the lamp in a charity store. She knew I was playing with UV plexi.
My cheap EasyShare Kodak has a macro setting for 2 feet or less. It gets brain dead and changes from horizontal to vertical if you get too close for some reason but... I have found that if I get reasonably close and frame the shot then use the zoom feature I can get some nice shots closer.

I don't know why but when the little lamp is on none of our three cats will come near my room. It might be a highpitched whine that I can't hear from the fluorescent tube transformer or just the wavelength of the UV but the cats split.

john

 

Cat repellent? wonder if theirs a patent for that yet? maybe cats just don't like it. i had a bio hazard neon in my room a while ago and i don't recall any cats going near it.

 

I could really use one of those cat-repel-things for the grass near the back door...
If I remember right, those cameras are bad about choosing a solid line in an image and assuming it is the horizon. The 'smart' technology they put in that series makes them nearly useless sometimes.
I had one I was using for an animation sequence. It kept making images in funky diagonal positions. I resolved the issue by adding a false horizon. I make the background black, and the floor white.

 

The top fan begins

I masked off the top panel:



Whacked off one of the ribs to show where I'm going:



Continued the rib removal. Surgey is not what I studied in college.



Doesn't look too bad unless you look close. More to do but I need to get out the Dremel!

Grabbed the 'mesh' from the stash closet. Nothing special just some more of the typical waste basket sold at K-Mart and Wally world.



I'll use this mesh for the front 120mm fan and the top 120mm fan because it is on hand.

Now I'm looking at the rear and it's fan and the ungodly holes left by removing the electrical sockets.




I'm thinking. Maybe a nice Lian-Li exhaust fan just above the PCI slots? Steel T U R D !

john

 

Front and top 120mm fans laid out

Just a couple quick pics while my camera batteries recharge.
I cut, used the grinder and here is where the single front 120mm is going.

Front with the mesh


ZOOM IN



and I measured and cut out for a single 120mm top fan that will be under the handle. No it's not round - it follows the contoure of the inner handle.



The next picture shoot will show how the top fan is set into the carry handle space.
It's supposed to be above freezing again tomorrow and no 80mph winds so I should be able to un-rivet everything and prime it up.

Tired. I've been wrestling alligators all day with the Win7 Beta download for H2O-C7.

john

 

Ghetto Paintbooth

This is my ghetto paint booth! I may be confined to one room and a bathroom but I will not let them confine me!.

So, I went with my Lady/Wife Marilyn to the neighborhood dollar store and picked up a couple of shower curtains for $1 ea. I'm frugal. Grabbed the package tape and used one of the curtains for a wall and the other to cover my sink and make the floor. Grab a big fan to help my little fan exhaust out the window and you get this. Hold the laughter until the end.



Note the filter on the sink. These are important kids.


OH - Shiny top !!!!



The front for no good reason.



How you gonna hold the door open in a 46mph wind?


Bondo bucket!

This one is an accident! Please forgive the Goo Gone and the rest of the crap and look at the clouds in the window on the right. Colorado has some sweet sunrises and sunsets.



When the high build formula primer dries ( what, you think I'm going to speed it up with my heatgun?) I'll put the top handle pieces back on and show you the fan cutout. Not round.

john

 

Nice one John! That is a great sunset btw...

 

Let me see if I got this pic right John: From the hand that makes the "L" to the one that makes the backwards "L" - Goo Gone, medication, medication in the form of a Guinness Pub Draft can, Listerine, Right Guard, medication, Wicked Colorado sunset, fan.

Was there something other than enjoying a Guinness and a Colorado sunset in that pic? I forgot.

Mac

 

You forgot the can of scrubby bubbles!
Toilet beer bothers me, but if you can paint while on the toilet...
Just don't do like a certain friend of mine who actually painted his toilet...without draining it or cleaning it.

I like the cake frosting on the walls, BTW.