Project: the Unnamed updated - 1/25/2006 just some hardware

Alright, first of all i would like to say i love this forum, i have been hiding in the shadows here for the past month or two, never once posted. for about the last month i have been working on my own case mod. i call it crash course, because this is the first time doing this, and at first, i really had no idea what to do, and i still really don't know everything i want to do, as i get new ideas almost every time i come here... or look at the case. lol. but mainly the name is just ther for lack of a better one.

anywho.. this case was originally gonna be completly fabricated. but then i seen this oldd gateway tower i had sitting in the corner, and i decided to use that. its a good sturdy case, which makes it kind of a pain, cuz its all steel, and not cheap thin steel either...

some pics of the original case..

thats also my son in the background.. he turns 1 the end of january. he wants to help, i think? or make it harder. lol


inside shot, its got quite a bit of verticle room, i just didn't notice at first that the whole case is only 16 inches deep, so its actually gonna be kinda crammed in there if i get all the watercooling stuff i want.


Straight forward shot of the old front. I was going to mod that, but I soon after decided to make a whole new one out of aluminum.

well theres tons and tons of things i want to do to this, i don't quite know of like a "theme" or anything im going for. im just kinda going. ill post some more pics of the progress i have made already, it isn't much. but theres some

OH, i almost forgot, im going to get most of the internals from my main computer now, and its specs are..
3.0 Ghz intel w/ht cpu
msi mobo, don't remember model or anything
a gig of some sort of ddr memory
6200 nvidia geforce video card.
2 maxtor 40gb hard drives.
cd-r drive
dvd drive
a floppy drive (yea i know there like obsolete, but i still use it!.. every now and then)

 

ok, well now i have just a little amount of time, so i will post some of the progress i have already made.

first off this case had the style shell where all 3 sides are one huge U-shaped piece..


well i hate them so i cut that into 3 different pieces...
yeaaaa you don't really need pics of that, theres nothing special.. i guess... well heres the 2 sides.


so with that minor thing out of the way... i was thinking a little more of what to do with the front, my first thought was to mod the original one..

this is what that lookd like

the blue lines on it are kind of my first thoughts on where to cut it.. as you can see i was gonna almost cut out almost the whole thing, mainly to get rid of the curve.

soo i made a whole new front panel out of aluminum..

thats just the flat piece, nothing cut out of it at all, it fits pretty perfectly, i was kinda proud of myself, it was a lot easier then i thought.

heres an angled view at it when all the side pieces just sitting there to kinda show how its gona line up.

note that everything is just sitting there, i have yet to make any mounts for the sides. i'm not quite sure what all im gonna do to them, so i don't want to mount them just to make sure later it doesn't become a limitation. i do have the front mounted now though, that pic doesn't show it, but it is

alright, and next, since im doing such a great job of starting little things on this, and leaving to get finished until later i started to draw up a design to put on the side. here is the design all drawn out

im going to cut out all the black areas with some plexi behind it, and indirect green leds to illuminate the whole thing. i am hoping for maybe more of a glowing effect with that. i have yet to cut it out though, to darn cold out in the garage lol. i have to get the space heater from my moms house before i tackle it.


but anyways, i think that about it for now. not very much. i have a rough idea of where i want to place everything on the inside, i will try to kinda sketch it out sometime soon. mainly cuz im not exactly sure if it will fit the way i want it to. especially if i actually get the watercooling stuff i want. since im kind of on a budget.

well thats it for now, hopefully the holidays will bring some money my way =) so i can get more supplys, like plexi, switches, wires, leds, connectors, and random ods and ends.

to do list:
-i would like to replace all the fans in my current psu, its a pretty good psu, its just kinda on the loud side.
-i want the water cooling system with bunches of stuff, probly just for now a cpu block due to money, but eventually i would like chipset, gpu, hd, the whole bit..
-i would like to try to make my psu modular, i like the idea of it a lot.
-cut the side window for mobo side
-figure out how i want to do the window on the other side
-finish the floppy drive mounts (started, just don't have any pics)
-figure out if i do get this water cooling stuff, where the heck imma put it =)
-figure out exactly what im going to do with the front (which depends on if i get water cooling or not) and then cut everything out.
-make some sort of switch panel for all the leds/internal lighting.
-i would love to put an lcd screen in as well, but i would rather water cooling, and i doubt i will convice my wife to let me get both. oh well right now i just have a second monitor working the same.
-mod the mobo tray/back panel to be able to fit a standard atx board.
-make mounts for hard drive's
-i might relocate the psu just a little, im pondering on one idea if i do get water cooling, and moving the psu would make this idea more functional i think, but right now.. i don't know.

well right now thats all i can think of. and thats just what i have planned on soo far, and not even everything really. there TONS of little things, that you will just have to wait to find out and a lot of things are if money lets me. my moms supposed to get me a water pump for x-mas, and if she does that, i will mos def get a water cooling system. but i don't know.. shes kinda flakey.

also.. just to throw this out there.. the color scheme im going to be using for this is like black (which will be a majority of the case) with dark purpal accents and green lighting. and green plexi as well. i have some random mirrored plexi laying around, im hoping to make good use of that as well.


alright, well thats all for now, please post any thoughts suggestions or anything on the discussion thread

 

yea well i updated some of the things i have done already, please any input would be nice
project log

 

Cool design but it loots like a tribal Jeramy Beadle http://www.its-behind-you.com/images/beadlejeremy.jpg

 

lol... i don't see that.. but oh well.. when i first tryed to desipher what it looked like, the first thing that came to mind was.. and old school arabian type person, holding 2 forks, wearing like a crown of some sort. yea.. maybe thats just me. lol. but my friend had drawn that up for me, and i liked it.

 

alright, well i have a slight question. since im kinda new to watercooling. and my mom just said that she will order a water pump for me for my bithday, which is today

i was looking at the swiftech mcp655 and was wanting to get it, but then i see the danger den d5 looks like exactly the same, and costs just a couple bucks cheaper. and i have seen a lot of danger den products around here. so i was wondering if they are the same, and if not, which one is better? or even if you have something else to request that would be better, and costs about the same. so please, any help on this would be great! i can't afford to buy something to find out its junk, and i should of gotten something else. lol.
go here to post as if you didn't already know

other then that though no updates, been busy with x-mas stuff. although i did get 100 green led's for my b-day from my wife although she forgot to get the resistors like i told her oh well. ill just have to wait then till they come in.

 

help me, i need some advise on which water pump to get.. lol. read about it on the project log here

 

Thats very close to the truth. tell your mate hes good.

As to water cooling, ive never tryed it.

 

the d5 and the mcp655 are pretty much the same pump, so its just down to which pump you prefer, i'd go for the dangerden as i prefer to keep with dangerden as i know they are a solid, reliable pump, even if they are the same, plus they are a bit cheaper than the swiftech offering

 

hrm never though about cutting the U pannel into 3! thats a great idea

 

frodo-
yea i figured there wouldn't be any difference, its just that swiftech one i can order from xoxide, and i have ordered from there, where the dangerden one from what i have found soo far i have to order from there site, and i haven't ever orderd from there. i will probly try the danger den d5, just cuz here i have heard tons of good things about dangerden in general.

ener-
yea.. seemd like it was the only plausable thing to do, as the whole u-shaped case design really annoys me. i still just have to figure out exactly how im gonna mount the sides. i have a few ideas, it shouldn't be hard. ijust haven't messed with it yet, cuz i might do some mods to the top panel, and i want to make sure any way i mount the sides won't get in the way of that.

 

alright.. i have yet another question =) seems how i haven't gotten the resistors yet for the leds, im going to ask.. how much resistance would i need? i haven't ever workd with leds, i know i have to wire them all in parallel. im just not sure how big of a resistor. i talked to a fellow at my grandpas office that kinda works with this kinda stuff.. and he said i needed a 220 ohms, or maybe 250, either way, i was just wondering if this was right, and since all you people out there are such pros

thnx for the help on this, im still tryin to learn the little things like that.

if it matters heres the specs on the led.

Code:

# Emitting color: green
# Lens / feature description: water clear (BG209)
# LED size: T 1
# Diameter (inches / mm ): 0.119 / 3
# Dimensions (in.): 0.14 x 0.98 x 1.05 x 0.03
# Lead spacing (in.): 0.07
# Typical Vf@If(mA): 2.8@20
# Typical mcd@mA: 22@2
# Wavelength (nm): 563

 

For the leds you will need a 56 ohm resistor if you are using 5 volts or a 270 Ohm resistor if you are using 12v. Metku.net's Resistor Claculator Rocks

 

thanks a lot for that. good thing i asked before i ordered them

so a lil later today i should order them, and hopefully in the next day or 2 i can actually get some work done on this, been soo busy with x-mas and stuff. (and its still not over, we have to go to her familys today )

but thanks again for your help

 

ok. so today i didn't have time to actually do any work, although i did try to go get my space heaters, and one has dissappeard from my shed at my moms house (i think my sisters boyfriend stole it.. ) and the other one my moms friend let his sister use it.. yea i was pissed. so i think tomorrow im gonna try and cut the side anyways.. even though its freeezingg

but i did try to put together a lil of how im gonna lay out all the inside components. (don't make fun of my crappy photoshopness)


thats without any sort of water cooling system. its pretty simple, nothing special. just mounting the hard drives horizontal flat on to plexi, with a 120mm fan blowing between the 2 to insure they stay cool, because even if i do get water cooling, theres no way ill be able to get water blocks for everything.. and for hd a fan will do .

this second one is just a thought on where i would put things if i do get water cooling. which now it sounds like i more then likly will
anyways heres kind of the plan for that.

just a tad bit different, mainly the had drives are now moved, they would be mounted verticle again, but side by side, and far enough away from the motherboard as to clear the video card. and droping the psu down closer to the motherboard to allow more room above it, for the fans to cool the radiator on the top, which it will have some sort of casing, that i have no clue of what it will look like. and really.. im up for any advisement on a better place to put it! and yes the resevior goes through that front plate. it won't go through the front though, and the front will have a clear window and the clear tube res will be lit up with leds, it will probly take a lot of them, but im determined the pump will sit in the bottom plate.

and actually i have another idea! i will have to sketch it out. ill post it when i get done, hopefully soon!

let me know what ya think of the ideas though.. and any suggestions would be awesome!!

 

small just some concept planning. just trying to get an idea of how imma fit this in here with some space to flow.

 

alright. heres another though!



puttin the res on top, just out in the open, with 2 lil curved sides made outta green tint plexi. that will hide the tubes comming from either end, and ensure a smooth bend down into the case. and that can be illuminated as well with the green leds, almost like a handle, but most definatly won't server as one, you would rip it apart easier the anything. considering the case bare weighs in at almost 25 pounds. (they didn't mess around building computer cases in the day) although i was just looking at the sketch again, i think my drives will get in the way do you think if i moved the both down a space that would leave enough room to get the hose out of there? but yea.. i kinda like that idea.. its gonna be a pain to mold that out of plexi though... what if i shaped a piece of wood the way i wanted it, and then just kinda put the plexi on the curved side, and put it in the oven, and heated it very very slowly, just enough so it just kinda lays down to form to the wood block? i don't know that much about workin with plexi but i remember reading somone using an oven to bend plexi. but yea.. im still open for any ideas..

oh and just to mention this, im probly gonna end up using the heater core out of an old car as the radiator, i can't afford to buy an actual radiator. i have seen this done before.. and i figure it should work just about as well

 

Well today i got a little bit done today. im not really able to do much, im trying to find out a place to get plexi glass.. so far everywhere in town doesn't have it! i was shocked. and the best place i have found online has a $30 minimum.. and i don't really need that much, cuz thats like 6 12inch by 24inch sheets, at an eighth inch thick i think? i think it comes out to about 3mm if i remember right. which should be plenty thick enough for anything imma use it for. so anyways. if anyone knows of any good places online to order the stuff in the U.S. let me know

now back to the mod

i wasn't really able to take too many pics of the process, well actually none at all. but basically my goal was to fabricate the floppy drive mounting bracket. paint it this candy purpel i have. and to paint the floppy drive itself black. cuz as im pretty sure i said before, the colors for this case are green black and purple.

to make the floppy mounts i just took some aluminum, folded it in a L shape. drilled holes to screw it on to the drive itself, and then drilled 2 more holes to rivit it to the bottom plate of the cd drive houseing piece. i then cut this little design i guess? in the top of it, and proceded to paint it. the design i cut into it was mainly just to give me a little practice with cutting with a as i haven't done tooo much of it. i think it workd out nicely, heres the end result of that piece, after about 10 coats of paint all together (primer, base, color, clear)

i don't think it turnd out too bad. the paint was goin goofey, cuz it was freezing in the garage where i painted it. i had to run in the garage, put a coat on fast, and then go in the basement again, cuz as most would know, painting in cold weather = paint just not working like it should.

anyways i also took the floppy drive casing off and painted it black. well i scraped off all the stickers and such, then painted it. heres what it looks like

i don't know why it has them little white specs, there not there in person.. my digital camera sux, thats probly why. it doesn't like close up shots like that. i had to reduce the size of the pic by like 3 times just so it was completly a blur.

and heres just a pic of the whole thing (couldn't actually put the mounts on the floppy yet, still just a little tacky)


thats about all for now. hopefully soon i can get something important done

 

just posting sayin theres an update, small one, but i actually got some work done

 

alright, well first off.. i changed the name.. crash course just sounded soo.. dumb.. even dumber then i originally intended. so i simply changed the name to unnamed, i am in no way creative enough to come up with a name that i wouldn't feel like i was ripping somone else off.. i may though in time..

anyways, i haven't had much time to get any actual work done.. but i did get some supplys in

first i got in my order from jameco

notice the black wire role a litle smaller then the green.. yea they are supposed to be the same, just different color, so i check the part numbers, sure enough they sent me 22AWG when i ordered 20AWG...i emailed them, and they sent me the right stuff.. and i get to keep the wrong stuff as well.. jameco is soo awesome! other stuff in that order was 100 green leds, 100 resistors, like 2 meters of shrink tubing, 100 feet of 20 AWG green wire, and 100 feet of 22 AWG black wire (with the right stuff, 20 AWG on its way)

so the next day, i get another order!

is it my green plexi glass i ordered!


ITS BLUE!

but then i soon realize thats the protective film

so i take that off

ITS CLEAR!

so i send them an email (this was yesterday) and today they email me back saying that it will appear to be clear, but the edges will be green.. and im like WTF is the point in that! i mean really. its supposed to be green arcylic, not clear with green edges.. anyways.. so i look at the edge.


and sure enough is actually green on the edges... sooo anyways.. they made me mad. they had good shipment though, and the pieces all look good, just clear.. sooo bah on them. guess I will just have to live with it.


well thats pretty much all for now, I haven't had much time this week to do any actual modding, the wifes havin some medical problems, and im studying to take my A+ certification test in the next couple days. but in the next couple days i will have some REAL updates on this so it will actually start to take shape.