This is my first "large-scale" modding project. It was in the planning stages for too long, and I finally have enough spare time to pick this project up, and finish it off. I want to leave the interior of the pc kind of generic, so that upgrading the hardware in the future will not be a huge head-ache. I know eventually i will be upgrading most of the hardware, but the pc does what i need it to do atm, so why waste excess $$$ on upgrades which are useless to my current needs. In stating that, 90% of my mod will be based on the exterior features. Here's a shot of the unmodded case, an old HP NetServer: I found a cool looking fan grill on a site which i forgot to bookmark one night, but luckily i did save a pic of the grill. the fire / yin-yang like pattern really appealed to me, so i decided to loosely base my mod off of it. Here are a couple of pics of my buddy Mike(top) and I carving it out. Dremel 101: All cut out. This is all still the rough cuts, several hours of grinding, and sanding yet to come. I needed a new HDD cage with ample cooling, since it won't be visible, functionality was all that was important here. I removed the drive harness from an old tower, and pop riveted to one of 2 original drive rails i got with the case. As it turned out, a 92mm fan cage from an old IBM 200w power supply lined up perfectly with the bottom of the new assembly. Added a bracket to the front to house 2 x 120mm fans. If need be, this can hold 8 HDDs, but I'll only have 4, so there is good air flow between them. A few days of looking at the cut out side panel led me to believe it needed something more. Instead of it being a simple cut-out, i decided to take it from a 2D cut-out to a 3D design. A trip to the local Canadian Tire's automotive department got me a container of Fiberglass Bondo. This stuff dries as hard as concrete, but is still sandable. Here's a pic after the first coat. Up to 1 inch thick in spots: I've decided to carry the 3D aspect over to the rest of the case. This is where I am currently working on this project. Over the last 2 days, I have started sculpting molds for the top and front of the pc. I got the foam from a friend who sprays industrial foam on oil tanks. its fairly solid, and easy to cut with a utility knife, or a serrated kitchen knife. On the top, i need to harness an exhaust assembly for 2 x 120mm fans. When finished, the top exhaust will be housed in 2 "fireballs" tapering towards the front of the tower. Here's a foam test fit. Note: foam is still rough cut, detail work to come this weekend: Here's a couple of pics of the foam: And a rough fit of the front and top: Note: the fans will not be external, just there to show where i need airflow. I plan on finishing off the molds and start fiberglassing them in this weekend. More pics to come soon.
Nice to see a Netserver getting a new lease of life, What spec was thiswhen you got it or was it just a case?
that's some great work, and I like the looks of the back plate, this mod has great potential, will be watching this, keep it up
It was pretty much just a case, 90% of it had been stripped, and what was left behind was too old to be of any real use. I just couldn't let this old beast go off to the recycling center, with it's size, it had too much potential.
hehe, i had a NetServer Pro a while back, gave it away to a mate with a P200 Pro, 128MB of ram and 3 4.2GB scsi drives in a raid array, couldnt get it booted tho and it was a bit big to bring home from uni
It's a: Hewlett Packard NetServer LH Plus specs available at: http://www.ciao.co.uk/HP_NetServer_LH_Plus__5359746
Only a small update today, I didn't get alot done last night, as I got wrapped up in the Flames game. I did Tape up the top mold. FYI : fiberglass bondo does NOT stick well to packing tape, so it works great for covering the foam. After taping it all up i decided to break out my air brush and do a little spraying. I've never used an air brush prior to yesterday, so I figured i might as well start getting the feel of the tool. I didn't do alot with the air brush, but even from the small amount of spraying I did do, I found it to be alot easier than I expected it to be. Anyways, here's a pic of the top taped and sprayed: More to come on Monday.
I also have a great love of this big metal (see Wife's Despair in my sig) I have an HP Netserver waiting for my attention...has been lurking in my garage for a while and I'm inspired by your work to drag it out and make a start
Due to a recent change in my work schedule, I will have to put this project on hold for a month or 2 I'll be back to update once things settle down for me again.
I have good news, and bad news regarding this mod. First the bad news. I had a flood in my basement, and several of my components were damaged or completely destroyed. I will be unable to continue on with this project. Now the good news. I have obtained a new, bigger case, and I will be starting a new log for it.
