Case Mod - In Progress Project: Orange Monster, 2006-07-26; Arts & crafts 2025-02-23

A clean slate


Not something I get to say every day, but I bathed a monster yesterday. I stripped everything off of the case which were attached with screws and scrubbed the case with dishwashing liquid and a soft brush. A clean slate one might say...



Flipped the monster belly up so that the legs can be attached. When we are nearing completion I need to do a final polish of the parts, but cleaning will do for now.



The Lian Li PC-V1000 was already known to have a lot of holes, but man alive I've added a few too many over the years. At least some of the holes have a purpose still, but damn.



A few extra holes on the inside as well, but at least some of those are original and here I have a solution for them.







A bit of cleaning and the side panel retention system can be put back together.



The modified fillport can be installed next (original part is on the left, but for clearance issues I had to shorten it quite a bit).



Installed & not looking too shabby.





A quick clean on the older Aquaero 4 and the custom front panel I've made out of the cut-out of the original side panel.





Same goes for the reservoir. There are a few parts missing from both pieces, but that's easy to remedy.

Also I've tapped two M3 holes on the back of the reservoir, so I'll design and 3D-print a better solution for the UV-led wire management. The reservoir will have its UV orange color with the led shining through the water, which will have UV orange dye in it (or that is the plan anyway)





It's nice to see all the parts together on the front end. I'll do a mockup with all the parts I have so it'll be easier to scope what still needs to be done.

Also this will give a bit better overview to people who are unfamiliar with the build (especially when I discovered that most of the images are not visible in the thread). I don't know what the issue is with the earlier images since I've never stopped hosting them, but that might be something I need to fix in the future.

There might be a quick update later on some 3D-printer goodies that arrived today. I need to see if I can get them installed and get ye olde clonker back to life

 

Also the curse of the page 66 has been broken

 

It's so cool to see such an old school mod in 2025. Keep the updates coming, mate!

 

@perplekks45 Will do!

Today I spent my evening upgrading my 3D-printer, which will be needed in the near future. There should be an update tomorrow and a bit of an explanation of where I'm going with this one

 

New-old school since there's a 3d printer in the toolbox now. I had my suspicions when I saw your pegboard.

 

@Cheapskate Indeed an it'll be one of the things that'll enable me to realize some of the parts I've dreamt about for a long time.

A CNC mill or router would be cool and also a laser cutter, but those are kind of hard to run in an apartment. Maybe some day...

 

Odds and 3D-printer ends

Just a quick update for today. Made a bit of progress with the Monster, but mainly I've been doing the upgrades to my 3D-printer.



I re-installed the stand-offs, I/O-plate and the expansion slot covers in order to go ahead with a mockup installation. It's been so long that I need to temporarily install everything so that I can scope what still needs to be done.





On to the 3D-printer upgrade...



Some nice parts from Micro Swiss with their NG Revo hot end & direct drive extruder kit, new Creality fans, which were the main issue with the old setup and an accelerometer from Bigtreetech for input shaping purposes.



I don't know how economically viable or sound it is to drop that sort of parts for and old Ender 3 V2, but I kinda like the old girl



Out with the old...



...and in with the new. I'll have to say that this thing is quite cool



Shame the cooling solution covers the milled goodness, but here it is wired and hopefully operational.

I still have a few issues, which might take a while to sort out

1. There is no bracket for the BL-Touch, so I'll have to print/fabricate one and that'll take some doing since I haven't run the damn thing without abl in a long while. I'll probably have to re-install the physical endstop for Z-axis to get it operational enough for printing.
2. Someone put a huge extruder motor just where I need to route the wires for the BL-Touch. Not a big deal otherwise, but the wiring harness for the sensor is too short. Which in turn means that I have to re-do/extend the harness one more time to call this thing done

More mockup-shenanigans coming up tomorrow

 

3D-printer upgrades continued



Not much of an update today because of this tiny little part I was stupid enough to not print before attacking the hot end swap

Getting the printer ready to push plastics wasn't a big deal, but I've relied on automatic bed leveling for years now, so getting the damn thing to work even remotely I had to comment out a lot in the config files



But once I got the part printed out, I got it installed, uncommented a lot of rows in the config files and went on to trying to remember how to set up abl when the offsets are completely different...



I also had to improvise a bit and made a temporary strain relief so that the wiring loom doesn't rip out the tiny JST connector from the BL-touch.



The bracket works nicely, but I had to add two washers in between the sensor and the bracket so that I got the BL-touch to work reliably. I might have to add a few more washers still, but that's not a big deal.



Main thing is that the sensor is installed and working. I also did a lot of other stuff like PID-tuning for both the hot end and the bed, bed screws tilt calculate, followed by a bed mesh calibration etc. etc.

Those aren't really needed, but it's less work for the hot end to handle when printing. I use adaptive bed mesh, which only probes the bed in the area of the part being printed and that has worked quite well.

Tomorrow I might still do the input shaping calibration, but most likely I'll postpone that and get back to the Monster mock-up, so stay tuned for that

 

Shrouds



Back to the backside again. Here we see probably the first mod I made to the case, which was to add a window to the PSU air guide or whatever that thing is

Also digging through the hardware & accessories box for OM I found a switch that goes on the back. I think its purpose at least originally was to switch the cold cathodes or led lighting on/off. At least it covers the monsters butthole there...



Backside looks about complete if you can see past the lack of hardware, fans etc. installed.



Next up is a cover plate to get rid of the majority of holes on the divider. I might remake this one again, depending on how I like the screw placement & countersunk screw look.

The plate needs to be able to be detached because of the wiring passthrough in the center. The hole for the 8-pin motherboard power cable isn't big enough for the plug, but the hole under it is.

I was trying my hardest to make these parts so that if something has to come out, I wouldn't have to disassemble for example the loop itself, but this is one of those plates that contradicts that concept.



Next is the cover plate for the frontside accessories and the 5.25" cage.

There is a cut-out at the top for the radiator to go through and I made the plate next to the motherboard removable. Mainly because it needs provisions for cables and the placement of those provisions might change in the future. This way only that straight plate needs to be changed if (and when) the motherboard is upgraded etc.

Also the oldschool backside engraved Orange Monster acrylic plate (which will be backlit with uv leds) is in its place. I wish I had made the acrylic plate a bit bigger so that there would be a bit more space especially on the top and on the bottom, but I'll see what I can do with the shroud.



PSU shroud slides in next and yes, that cut is definitely one that's needed to get these shrouds in place.

I might cut a hole on the front of this shroud and maybe install some mesh so that it doesn't entirely isolate the PSU. Although there is plenty of airflow for the PSU as is because the bottom of the case is perforated. But something to keep in mind.



The fitment is quite nice and it's even better when the shrouds are actually screwed into place. I don't want to waste time at this stage screwing everything in, because it'll have to come out multiple times still.



The front shroud & pump "mount" is a bit of a pain to get into place because the bottom and the "ceiling" have multiple extrusions because of fasteners and rivets. But after a bit of thinking and moving things around it slid into place.



Here's the view from the side with all shrouds installed (and again, not screwed in, so there are gaps visible).

These shrouds will eventually be painted semigloss black to hopefully sort of match the exterior anodized aluminum look. They are not going to have the same brushed look, but hopefully I can colormatch them pretty well.

They also cover most of the holes I've made along the way, but I still want to have the backside of the case as close to mint as possible.

Although let's be honest and say that the only way this thing is going to be mint is if I can find another new-old-stock or completely unmolested PC-V1000B case and transplant the parts to that case.

At least I'd be most interested in a windowless side panel to replace the backside, because that'll be more or less visible even with the fixes I intend to do. So if you have one laying around, please contact me

I'll make a separate post about some musings about where this project is headed next...

 

Inspiration & theme:



This is the thing that this project is named after and I'm not sure if I've ever clarified that before.

I used to scuba dive and I have an affinity towards automatic watches. Especially divers watches for some odd reason

So this is the Seiko SKX781 aka. the Orange Monster. And while I actually don't own this particular watch, I do own the next best thing:





A Seiko Black Monster with an orange silicone strap

It's a bit worn and beat up like the Orange Monster case, but it's been really reliable and a lovely watch to own.

Another clear influence and inspiration for the theme is of course this:



I've always been a huge fan of the Half Life series and the black/orange theme has definitely rubbed on to my mind from the franchise as well.

Direction and the way forward:

My idea at the moment is to first treat this project as what you'd call in car terms a barn find. This is let's say "stage one".

This project has been on my mind for so long (and let's face it, I've created a real monster for myself here), so I just need to see this thing finished. And at the same time I want to realise the vision I had at the beginning.

So at this stage I want to install all original parts I've bought along the years even though they are really outdated. Well, I'm pretty sure I could play HL2 with the setup, but that's about it. The hardware is going in for a mockup in the next update, so you'll see what I mean when I say "realize the vision".

In "stage two", which we'll call again in car terms a "resto-mod" I need to thoroughly think about the parts I want to get for the build.

It can't be fully watercooled at that stage if I can't find a way to mount a bigger rad than 240mm slim version. And it would still be pushing it, but it could be possible. The current water cooling setup might be inadequate for the current parts as well, but I guess we'll find out

Go ahead and comment if you have good ideas or parts that would fit the theme (and more on that theme in the next update as well)

 

Phase 2: Get an ITX motherboard tray, Move the mobo up and a 3 fan rad over the psu bulkhead. Or switch to a SFF psu, and add a full rad to the base.
Of course, everything would have to be gutted...

 

@Cheapskate True that and thank you for the suggestions. Without totally re-assembling the innards a micro-ATX mobo could also give some leeway.

A thicker 360mm rad on top, which should fit, but will be tight with the fill port needing that to be "integrated" into the fan grill and into another, slimmer type.

Motherboard isn't an issue since there are pretty much all black mobos available. Not as cool as the good old DFI lanparty with its UV orange goodness, but still. Orange accents can be added with 3D-printing if needed. Probably also black memory kit since I haven't seen anything in orange in a while.

GPUs, especially water cooled are quite tiny since the pcb itself is really small. Otherwise I'd have to find one that doesn't go beyond the normal ATX width unless I don't want to ditch the shroud or make a gaping hole in it for the GPU.

Fans are going to be an issue. A.C.Ryan is long gone in eBay there are still uv orange Cooler Master fans available, but not in retail and they are only uv-reactive and not equipped with uv leds.

In any case, stage 2 will be built with some form of hard tubing like you suggested earlier. Glass would probably be the best choice, but perhaps not that fun to work with.

We'll cross those bridges once we get there, but for now it's going to be ye olde soft tubing from Innovatek (don't even know if they are still in business)

 

UV orange Plexi tube is (was?) a thing. Glass would be awesome, but the lack of flex would make fitting a nightmare.
Another possibility with a high potential for trouble would be to 3d print water channel manifold bases. I can see issues with material shrink. You definitely would need to make the mating face with o-ring grooves extra deep and sand them until the o-rings mated the coverplate correctly.

 

I could make my peace with clear tubing & UV orange liquid. And I agree that glass could be a pain, but on the other hand it's very inert compared to petg or similar materials.

PrimoChill has a bunch of UV orange watercooling equipment: https://www.primochill.com/collections/uv-orange?page=7

I also think I won't go with 3D-printing anything to be in contact with water, but it's not entirely impossible for me to outsource some milling work either.

Now back to working on the next update

 

Mockup continued:



Let's call this the radpack. A radpack with very dusty fans, which I forgot to clean before photographing





I also remembered that I've actually had de-ionized water in this loop or at least some of it at some point.

Lovely. I need a bunch of new o-rings and probably need to open & clean every waterblock I have in the Monster, which is 4 blocks + rad + pump + flow meter etc.





My newest Knipex tool came in handy taking out those crusty fittings from the rad. Comes with Darkened recommended seal



Let's bring out the very relevant hardware I have for this build. Can you remember the time when motherboards actually had a north- and a southbridge

There is a Core 2 Quad Q6600 installed and four sticks of DDR2 800. Feel the power



Installed in the case with no more than two screws because, well, mockup...



Radpack installed and this is why I call it a radpack. The fans screw into the rad with short allen screws and the pack is installed with fan screws from the top.

The fan grill (more on that later) is then attached to the rivnuts with four screws from the top.

This way the grill looks more sleek with only four screws and the assembly is not connected and sandwiched from both sides of the case.



Side view with mobo, radpack and the front shroud installed. Lower front fan is also partly visible.



Another, more complete side view. Basically everything you can see from this point of view is installed.

The mighty ( ) 8800GTS and the CPU waterblock along with the rear exhaust fan are in their place.

Also the top fan grill is placed on top, but there's not much to see quite yet. I'm in the process of filing the "fins" at the moment and that thing has been entombed into painters tape for over 10 years. Hopefully I can unwrap it soon.

To end this update off, I just had to see some UV action happening and I found my old cold cathodes, so here goes:





The setup is fairly janky having to hotwire a PSU to give power to the cathodes, but it should give a bit of a look at what this thing is going to end up. Not with cold cathodes though, but for this purpose they'll do

You also might see in the background that I have some UV reactive tool holders on my multiboard wall...

As it turns out, Prusament PETG is very UV reactive at least in the three colors I have. The tool holders on the wall are printed with the original Prusa Orange. I also have a roll of Prusa Orange transparent, which is going to be used in the OM. And a roll of transparent green, which is also very UV reactive if someone is wondering

Disclaimer:

I know the thing is filled with EK gear, but at this point I have zero options or will to get something else for hardware this old. In stage 2 I'll definitely go with something else.

And at the time EK was a good company in my eyes and I was actually the one who brought the brand into Finland to the company I worked for at that time.

 

No one is going to give you grief over 20 year old Ek parts.
I'm mourning the loss of a north&south bridged board right now. Mostly because of all the custom blocks I made for it.

 

Back when Eddie was in multiple forums asking for feedback, EK was a good company run by a man who wanted to create a great product. Nobody with half a brain will tell you to replace them because today the brand is (rightly) tarnished.

 

Knipex tool approved!!

Uv cold cathodes

 

Great to see this epic build back to life, I'v just watched it all over from the start, this old hardware is so beautiful still, and mach the build perfectly, new updates are delightful to my eyes, I blame myself being absent of the forums for so long...awesome work

 

Thank you all for commenting

@Cheapskate & @perplekks45 I kinda didn't think anyone would mind, but you'll never know so I added the disclaimer. It's a real bummer that the story of EK had to end this way since there was a lot of love for the parts they produced. Comparing the EK blocks to say Zalman at the time was no contest.

@Cheapskate That is pretty much the only gripe one would have against getting rid of the NB & SB, but it's kind of fun to relive that era as well

@Dot_Kappa I'll agree with approving Knipex. It's pretty much my go-to these days if I need some new tool. Bahco with their orange & black color theme is for some reason also close to my heart And I don't know how I even managed to find all the parts for the cold cathodes and them to be working still after all these years was a nice surprise.

@kim Welcome back to the forums! I'm having so much fun getting back into the groove and I don't know if Youtube is the equivalent for a forum in the end. You can certainly grow your own community, but a forum is more like a hub for talented & likeminded people to congregate. And also I'll tip my hat to you if you went through the whole thread

Unfortunately there are photos missing (at least when I last checked) and I don't know why. Nothing has changed on my end and I've paid for hosting all these years. If anyone has a good guess and preferably an easy way to fix the earlier photos, please let me know.

Next update will be up soon...