Mod Project: APHEX

[ErrOnReq]

Now that all our work at TheTechLounge is starting to slow down a bit for Kurtis and I, we are able to start working on modding! HURRAH! Kurtis has already started his case mod and has been working on it for some time. His worklog is located here:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1157

I have been planning my "APHEX" modification for quite some time, but have been too busy with other things to actually get started. The case I am going to be tearing apart is Super Flower's SF-301T3-BK. You can check out my review of the case for detailed pictures of what it looks like before the dremel from hell came in contact with it:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/review.php?directory=super_flower_sf-301t3-bk_case

Anyway, I don't really feel like talking too much about how the case will turn out at the moment, so here are a few pics of what I have done so far. I will update at a later date with all my plans. Definately get your hopes up though, this mod will consist of new aluminum structuring, fiberglass work, fancy chromy stuff and some sleek paint. Oh, and of course the obligitory water cooling. The water cooling stuff is mostly sponsored by Danger Den, a fantastic company with some really sweet water cooling products.

As I said earlier, I will go in to more detail later...

Fancy logo which has absolutely no point at all except for curing 3 minutes of boredom:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/aphex.jpg

here are a few random sketches of what I plan to do. Those scoops that look like they belong to a rice burner will be molded with fiberglass on to the sides of the case.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/06.jpg
http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/07.jpg


Here is a pic of the case before all hell breaks loose:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/01.jpg


Kurtis taking pictures of me dremeling:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/03.jpg


All the drive cages are removed, rivets had to be drilled out.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/02.jpg


The case cleaned up a bit for a nice purdy pic:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/04.jpg


Here are the water blocks sent to me by Danger Den. They sent me some other stuff as well: pump, res, etc.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/05.jpg


Anyway, I'm tired. I'll go in to more detail later.

[bored-sarcasm]

i love those superflower cases. i wish i could get one. it looks like kingwin, or inwin make ones that look exactly like those.

[Johnie]

Looks like a nice start. Keep us updated, maybe you'll inspired me to mode my SF-561 :) .

[ErrOnReq]

Here is a little more info on the airflow and cooling of the case. Most of the really hot components of the computer will be water cooled. The only parts that will need decent airflow is the radiator, the hard drives and the power supply.

The top 1/4 of the case will be an airflow chamber which contains the hard drives and PSU. A 120 mm panaflo will pull in the air through the front of the case, over the hard drives and through the PSU. The chamber will be constructed out of aluminum and that is part of what I am working on in the pics in my first post.

The bottom 3/4 of the case is mostly water cooled. Air is pulled in through a 120 mm panaflo, through the radiator across the motherboard and out the back of the case with the assistance of 2 80 mm panaflos.

All the cooling and airflow has already been worked out before I even thought of fabricating scoops. The scoops on the side panel and the top of the case are purely for looks. The majority of the front and top of the case is going to be made of mesh through which the 120 mm fans for the hard drives and the radiator get their air through.

[[dRu]]

I have this case and am very interested to see what you have in store for it. :D

[jayjaya29]

Nice case and Great mod idea, keep us updated.

[ErrOnReq]

It has been raining non-stop for the past two days so I haven't been able to do too much. However, I did finish cutting and filing what remains of the top drive cage.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/09.jpg


I did a quick little diagram in Photoshop of what the basic internal structuring will look like and somewhat clarify the cooling solution.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/08.jpg


The part of the top drive cage that I have cut up (first picture in this post) is located on the far side of the "Top Cooling Compartment" in the picture. I have a sheet of aluminum here that I will cut up and bend into shape (using a bending brake that is being delivered by FedEx right now) that will complete the top cooling compartment. The hard drive cage (which I will also make out of aluminum) inside the cooling compartment will most likely house 3 drives. So far my plan is that it will be secured by 4 thumbscrews. The top of the case will be hinged to allow access to the hard drive cage which will be removed vertically.

The exterior of the case will be quite stylish in my opinion. Of course this is because it is my idea... and I'm making it. The majority of the front panel will be polished steel mesh (as to look somewhat like chrome). Towards the bottom there will be a black recessed area with access to the CD drive and a power switch and a single rheostat that controls every fan. The mesh will not cover the entire front. Black aluminum will cover an inch on the left and right sides. In other words, the mesh will be a very thick stripe going down the front of the case.

The top-front corner of the case will be curved, a little over an inch radius. This way, the mesh almost seamlessly continues to the top of the case. About 1/2 to 3/4 of the top will be mesh as well with 1" black aluminum on each side just like the front. There will be a single air scoop on the back 1/3 to 1/2 of the case top. The side panels of the case will have dual air scoops constructed out of fiberglass. The entire exterior, except for the polished mesh, will be painted either a dark charcoal or black to an automotive finish. Kurtis and I have been working with painting and polishing the past few days with some great results.

This was an extremely small progress update but hopefully it is a bit more informative as to what the project will turn out to be.

[3N1GM4]

so i take it your in the north texas area too ?


its been raining here aswell for atleast 2-3 days straight... kinda getting old...

nice idea too

[ErrOnReq]

Kurtis and I are down here in the good ol' San Antonio. Well, maybe not so good... mneh.

Looks like it wont be raining today though *crosses fingers*

[rogue_jedi]

boy that looks like a total revamp of the case. can't wait to see how it turns out.

[JEEVES/whohasmyname?]

yeah I am in the dallas area and today is our first day in awile with out rain. Me and enigma were both born in san antonio, but moved around an awful lot since then. You guys going to quakecon this year?

JEEVES

[ErrOnReq]

Not this year. Next year we may start going to more conventions. Hopefully we will make it to CES 05 as well as a few others. But it all depends on time and money.

On a different note, Tomarrow I have some steel mesh coming in from McMaster. Monday my 30" bending brake should arrive. I am going to start marking and cutting the rest of the top cooling compartment on an aluminum sheet so it can take shape on monday or tuesday. Today I am going to be removing the prefab fan grills on the motherboard tray. Maybe some other stuff as well. I'll keep you all updated though.

[Johnie]

Looks great so far. My case is a different model Super Flower but pretty much the same. I can't wait to see how this ends up, I've been wanting to mod mine but thought about just selling it and getting a new one but then it's so pretty I don't want to get rid of it. How's San Antonio? I'll be up there next week for orientation maybe I can stop by and steal your case ;) .

[ErrOnReq]

Johnie: Hah! Don't ask me what I think of SA... I hate this place! Most people like it though. Does get pretty hot during the summer. Right now it is a bit cooler because of all this rain we have had. Orientation? For college or something?

Today I sketched out the rest of the top cooling compartment onto an aluminum sheet. Sometime in the next few days I will drag out the table saw and cut them out. Using the dremel on all these straight edges would be a horrible idea :-P

Not sure if you can see it all that well, or if it really matters, but here is the aluminum sheet covered in tape with all the dimensions:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/10.jpg


I also removed the prefab 80 mm fan grills that were built into the motherboard tray. Anything that obstructs airflow must go! I used the dremel with a cutting wheel to tear out the grill and then used a grinding stone bit to smooth the edges out. Even though the edges aren’t sharp, they aren’t pretty. The bare aluminum peaking out along the edges of anodized black aluminum isn't the best thing to look at. I used some thin rubber "C" molding. Tomorrow I should go to the store and get some glue to keep the molding in place and "flush" against the aluminum (the corners are pretty tight so the molding attempts to bend away from the edge).

Masked off the area:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/11.jpg


This is what it looks like after the grill was removed:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/12.jpg


After adding the "C" molding I installed two 80 mm panaflo fans using the fan retention button thingies that came with the case:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/13.jpg

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/14.jpg


Well, that is it for now...

[Thermite Paste]

nice job on the fans

[ErrOnReq]

I thought this was quite interesting. I ordered a metal bending brake a few days ago and this is it's trip so far:

===============

Picked up by FedEx
FORT MYERS, FL

Scanned at FedEx origin location
FORT MYERS, FL

Loaded onto trailer at FedEx facility
FORT MYERS, FL

Departed FedEx sort facility
FORT MYERS, FL

Arrived at FedEx sort facility
ORLANDO, FL

Scanned at FedEx sort facility
ORLANDO, FL

In transit
FORT MYERS, FL

Departed FedEx sort facility
ORLANDO, FL

Scanned at FedEx origin location
FORT MYERS, FL

Loaded onto trailer at FedEx facility
FORT MYERS, FL

Departed FedEx sort facility
FORT MYERS, FL

===============

Somebody dropped the ball on that one.

[[H]Daemon]

whoa, where do you live by the way?

ps. very nice workbench and mods you've got there, great job.

[ErrOnReq]

San Antonio

[[H]Daemon]

Weird, I wonder why your package is bouncing around in my town. :\

[ErrOnReq]

That is where it shipped from. In Orlando someone probably confused the to and from labels and accidentally sent it back to Fort Myers. I have no clue :-/

[ErrOnReq]

Just a quick update. Kurtis and I have been screwing around with different types of paint, rubbing compounds, polish, etc. This is a pic of black Dupli-Color paint that has been sanded down with 2000 grit sand paper, 3 coats of Turtle Wax rubbing compound and 2 coats of Turtle Wax polish.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/15.jpg

The rubbing compound is meant to clean up the scratches left behind by 1500 grit sand paper and rub to an equivalent of 5000 grit. The rubbing compound gets all the scratches out pretty damn well, but leaves its own very light circular scratches that are only visible when reflecting a bright light.

Anyone know if there is any Super Magic Rubbing Compound that is able to leave behind absolutely no trace? I have tried two different compounds and they both have the same problem.

Maybe I am looking for something that can not be :-/

[diredesire]

I just wanted to comment on your C-Molding for the fan holes. If that is Rubber molding that is a KILLER idea. It'd dampen vibrations while keeping your hole looking clean. Kudos!

[Kurtis]

yeah we had some layin around because i used some in my mod when i cut up the hard drive rack...

it looks pretty snazzy, and like you said, it will dampen vibration as well :)

[ErrOnReq]

Well, Kurtis and I tried following several painting guides, and have now used 3 or 4 types of rubbing compounds, some polishing and waxing compounds, etc. The end result is pretty much the same no matter what. There will always be those hard to see microscopic swirl "scratches."

On another note, I got my huge sheet of steel mesh today! I ordered it from MCMASTER's website. I have a sheet of Modder's Mesh from MNPCTech which has 60% free surface area for airflow but it is a bit too thin for my liking. The new mesh has 40% free surface area, which is still plenty and more than enough for my application of it.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/16.jpg


Here is a comparison of the two mesh types. The mesh on the left is from MNPCTech, the mesh on the right is from MCMASTER.


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/17.jpg


I cut off a small rectangle so I could sand and polish and see how it comes out. After cleaning off the grease, I sanded with 400 grit then 2000 grit sand paper until I had a very flat reflective surface. I then used Mother's Billet metal polish applied with a dremel/polishing wheel. The result is damn nice in my opinion and a much cheaper alternative to chroming the mesh :-P

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/18.jpg


So purdy.

[ErrOnReq]

A small update but I glued the "C" molding on the motherboard tray's 80 mm fan holes into place. Now it doesn't bend outwards and sticks close to the surface.


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/22.jpg


Closer look:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/19.jpg


If you read my review of the Super Flower case, you might remember what I said about the side panels. Due to the machine pressing of the side panels to imprint the window, handle and thumbscrews, the aluminum slightly warped. The side panels were not completely flat and bowed out a bit. Not only is this annoying if you are a perfectionist, but it made installation of the side panels quite annoying as well (you have to push the middle of the panel inwards a bit in order to get the side panel to lock into place smoothly).

For my plans to fabricate air scoops onto the side panels the majority of the side panels would be sanded and covered in fiberglass. Since the current aluminum side panels would be hidden under a layer of fiberglass, I found a very easy way to solve the problem of the bent panels. I simply cut slits in two key areas which relieved the tension and allowed the aluminum to sit perfectly flat. The edges of the panel are still intact so the panel is still sturdy as is until I cover it with fiberglass. To test how well it aids the installation of the panel, I tried installing it on the case and viola! It slides into place like butter!

Here are some pics of the side panels:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/20.jpg


Closeup:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/21.jpg


Tomorrow I am going to go purchase a table saw blade meant for cutting aluminum and cut out the panels for the top cooling compartment.

[Johnie]

Yea I was talking about orientation for college. I hear there are a lot of nice looking girls there too :D . Is that true?

Where did you get the C molding stuff from?

[ErrOnReq]

Chicks here are decent. A wide range of em. Beware, we are one of the fattest cities or something :-P

The molding was from MNPCTech ( http://www.mnpctech.com )

[ExtremeFragFest]

Heh I used to live in San Antonio Very hot.. and yeah everythings big in texas.. i mean EVERYTHING...


anyway nice mod!

[Johnie]

It's ok I live in Houston so I am used to the heat and Houston was the fattest city 3 years in a row or something like that.

[ErrOnReq]

Well, I went to Home Depot and wasn't able to get the right blade for my table saw so I could cleanly cut the aluminum sheet. Monday I will be going to a machine shop to have them cut it instead. I will be getting the bending brake Tuesday unless it is sent back and forth between two more towns :-/

So I haven't had much to do really. I have a semi-timeline I am following for my mod and don't really want to do anything out of order. So the past two days I have been doing some more testing with paints and polishes and whatnot. I have finally worked out a solution that gives me an incredible mirror finish and a clean smooth surface. One of the main problems was the Turtle Wax rubbing compound and polish which both kinda suck for this. So I picked up some 3M Perfect-It II rubbing compound and Meguire's Show Car Glaze. After the surface is sanded completely flat with up to 2000 grit sand paper, I did four coats of the rubbing compound and three coats of the glaze. Here are some pics of what I was able to achieve:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/23.jpg

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/24.jpg

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/25.jpg


Don't mind the edges and the dents... I have been testing all sorts of junk on that surface, including how hard it is to chip the paint :-P

This will be the technique I use on the case when it is nearing completion.

[jayjaya29]

I've been keeping up with this worklog since its creation and it has gone way past my expectations of what you were going to do. The case so far looks spectacular. Keep up the fine work. :)

[ErrOnReq]

LOL! You aint seen nuthin yet!

Thanks for the kind words though :-)

[ErrOnReq]

Ok, time for another update!

On Monday, I brought the aluminum sheet to a metal shop to get it cut quickly, easily and cheap! It was either buy a $10-$25 10" table saw blade and have to cut it all myself, or spend $10 to have the metal shop cut it with a metal sheer. I think I made the right decision :-) I also marked where all the mounting and rivet holes will be and drilled em out.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/27.jpg


I didn't give the metal shop all of the dimensions and had to do a little cutting myself with the dremel. After some grinding and sanding, the edges are nice and smooth.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/28.jpg


On Tuesday my precious bending brake arrived. It can bend up to 30 inches of 17 gauge steel. I happened to have 17 gauge aluminum. So after hauling this monster around and tinkering with it a bit, I got the courage to bend the aluminum plates.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/29.jpg


A close-up shot of the bends.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/30.jpg


Here are some pics of the compartment sorta together. Tonight I sanded the plates down and primed them. Tomorrow morning I will sand some more and start with the color coat.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/31.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/32.jpg

[rogue_jedi]

ooh, pretty! how much did the bending brake cost?

i like how this is coming together so far.

[Pherret]

I smell Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41311) . Home of some of the worst but cheapest tools around. Their tools will work fine, but don't expect them to outlast their usefullness.

I'm sure it will work well for a long time if you are only bending alu though.

[ErrOnReq]

I got it off of Ebay. The final price with shipping was about $60. It does angles up to 90 degrees. There are more expensive ones that go further though. It is meant to be mounted on to a work bench, but I have found that standing on the edges while I pull the lever is a better way considering there is no work bench where I live right now.

But man is that thing heavy... and greasy... but cool :-D

EDIT: I saw those at Harbor Freight but the store sucks. Bad ratings.

[ErrOnReq]

I forgot to include a pic of the bending brake. For all those who care:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/26.jpg

[Pherret]

Also, sure that mesh polishes up nice but how are you going to prevent it from rusting? clearcoat it? or is it stainless?

[ErrOnReq]

Clearcoat.

If for some reason it isn't shiny after the clear coat and extra polishing if needed, I might have to get it chromed or get stainless steel mesh. Whichever is cheaper. I'm sure I can get the effect I want with a clear coat though.

[ErrOnReq]

Yesterday and Today I am working with Dupli-Color's chrome paint. I don't expect to get a perfect chrome look, but with some sanding and polishing I am hoping to get a decent metal look. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know. Wish me luck!

[jayjaya29]

Good luck. :D

[Pherret]

Thats funny, Im working with some Rust-oleum "chrome" paint. It looks nothing like chrome. It's nearly the same silver I am already using but with much finer metal flake.
Im taking it back tomarrow because the cap color is chrome/miror like appearance, and all of their other paints have a very good representation of the paint on the caps.

[ErrOnReq]

Same here with Dupli-Color so far. It's just a semi-reflective silvery paint even though the cap looks like chrome :-P

Sanding down the paint turns it to a dark grey, so I'm not sure how this will work out :-(

Still no good alternative to actual chrome.

[ErrOnReq]

The past two days I have been working on the top cooling compartment. I had to cut out room for the 120 mm intake fan, prime and some other small things. I also started work on the hard drive cage. I am going to use the sides of the hard drive cage that was originally part of the case since it already has good mounting holes. However, I cut and folded out a new bottom of the cage. Saturday I will cut out the sides of the cage, fold them, and hopefully get it all primed and maybe start painting. I also need to add the ability to mount the removable drive cage into the top cooling compartment. Hopefully I can get this done tomarrow and have some more pics up.

[TANKORR]

one word - inspired! :D

[ErrOnReq]

As I said, I have been working on the new removable hard drive cage. It is not finished, but it is progressing. I have some pics for you, but not of the final product. The sides of the cage still need to be modified for mounting, as well as the mount itself. I also need to create one more mount. Basically, there are two "L" brackets that will be riveted to the walls of the cooling compartment. The hard drive cage will have flaps that overlap the "L" brackets and screws are used to secure them together.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/33.jpg

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/34.jpg

[ErrOnReq]

Is it just me or have HardForums become a lot less active lately? The forums being down for a few weeks really seemed to push people away :-(

[jayjaya29]

Yes I have seen a decrease in activity. I check the forums about 3 times a day, and there has been fewer posts. I'd say to give it some time to get back up to where it was.

[TANKORR]

Is it just me or have HardForums become a lot less active lately? The forums being down for a few weeks really seemed to push people away :-(


Agree - I wish we had the ability to see the old forums and some of the old projects - now with that said lets get this back on topic and watch how another killer case mod gets made.

[ErrOnReq]

Well, today, I have to celebrate father's day with two people as well as my mother's birthday. So sadly I am not able to work on the mod today. I'll keep you all updated as soon as I get back to work (hopefully tomorrow).

[1337m0dd3r]

looking awesome so far :)

[R@Mo]

Great work so far! Hope you had a good Fathers Day...now get back to work!! :D

[ErrOnReq]

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to work on the mod in the past few days. I have been doing a lot of cleaning up here. Tomorrow (Thursday) Looks promising for some work to get done though! Expect some sort of update. If I am for some reason unable to update with any fabrication pictures, I may consider showing off some of my designs, ideas and schematics for the case. There is a LOT that I haven't shown or talked about yet. HINT: When the mod is finished, and you remove the side panel of the case, you will feel like you are looking under the hood of a ricer, not the circuit board and wired mess of a computer case :D

[ErrOnReq]

Ok, well I said I would get some sort of work done today. This time I didn't lie! Hurrah! Well, it isn't much, but hey...

The previous mounting bracket for the hard drive rack wasn't the proper dimensions, so today I had to cut two out of an aluminum sheet, sand and file etc until they were nice and pretty.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/35.jpg


Then I bent them into shape using the bending brake of who I love more and more with each passing day.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/36.jpg


Next I have to sketch out and cut the proper tab dimensions for the drive cage so it sits neatly on top of the brackets. The cage isn't put together yet, it first has to be cut and painted. So I held it together temporarily with a hard drive.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/37.jpg


All the cutting and sanding involved in the brackets was horrible. Too bad the end result doesn't have as big of an impact on the eyes as it did on my patience. Anyway, I also mentioned that I might show off some of my ideas for the interior of the case. Well, here are a few sketches:

This is one of my first ideas to make the inside of the computer resemble an engine. That would enclose the CD drive and bay res. wires from the PSU and mobo IDE would go in on one side, and the wires that power each fan, voltage regulated by a rheostat, would exit the other side.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/38.jpg


This was another idea, same basic idea with a different design that would actually fit inside the case.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/39.jpg


But I didn't really care for either of them and I had thought of a much better idea. Why not fabricate a fiberglass engine cover and stuff to cover the motherboard and graphics card and aid in cooling as well?

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/40.jpg


I ran with this idea and sketched out how each individual fiberglass cover would look.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/41.jpg


I wasn't completely happy with it, so I did a bit more tweaking and this is my vision so far. I'm still not happy with the part that covers the graphics card and I haven't sketched in the radiator yet.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/42.jpg


When I was trying to compute some of the curves which would needed to be made on an aluminum sheet, I found that I didn't have a protractor... so instead of spending 73 cents on a cheap plastic one, I decided to make my own using a ruler and a circle traced from a roll of masking tape.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/43.jpg


You know you're hardcore when you make your own protractor!

[Morphes]

lol nice protractor, although i would suggest getting one its neat that you can make your own. Great work on the fans, very impressed, where did you get that molding?

[Hack_light]

Looking great. Keep it up.

[ErrOnReq]

I think the molding is from MNPCTech (www.mnpctech.com). Kurtis had some lying around so I stole it.

Thanks for the kind words all :-)

I have been doing the finishing metal work (cutting, drilling, sanding etc.) on the hard drive cage, mounts and the top cooling compartment. I tapped some holes in the mounts so the hard drive can be secured with thumbscrews. The weather sucks horribly right now. It decides to rain randomly during the day, every day. Well, pseudo-random because it always happens to start raining as soon as I want so do something outside. Next I need to sand down and prime all the cooling compartment, hard drive cage and mount stuff but it is too humid!!! Hopefully tomorrow will be decent. I'll update with some pics tomorrow probably.

[ErrOnReq]

Ok, well here are some pics of what I have done since the last update with pics.

I had to do some finishing touches on the hard drive cage and mounts. The cage tabs had to be cut to the right size. I also had to grind down, sand and "perfect" the tabs and mounts. I did run into a small problem when testing the drive cage and mounts. When the hard drives are installed and slid into place, a couple of the screws that hold the drives in the cage stick out too far and hit the mounts. This was a simple problem with a simple solution. I just cut out the corners of the mounts. Now there is plenty of room, even if I want to use thumbscrews to secure the drives.

One all the pieces were test-fitted, it was time to drill some holes. Measurements were taken and the mounts and side cooling compartment panels were drilled. I also fit the drive cage sides with the mounts to get those holes drilled out. Finally I had to tap the holes on the mount so thumbscrews could be used to secure the cage.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/44.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/45.jpg


Well, now that a bunch of the tiny things are done, I was able to test fit the entire compartment and drive cage. Thankfully it all fits! I just stuck some pop-rivets through the holes for a temporary structure.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/46.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/47.jpg


The last thing I did was sand down all the different parts to get ready for primer and paint (I cut myself in the process *sad face*). Tuesday, if it isn't too humid due to all this rain, I will hopefully be able to prime everything and get ready for the color coat. Tomorrow, while in between coats of paint and whatnot, I am going to start working with the fiberglass!!! I will just muck around and try to get acquainted with it. I will most definitely have pics of that. Once I have my fun, I should start working on the top of the case.

[ErrOnReq]

Well if it isn't my good friend the rain!

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/48.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/49.jpg


According to the local forecast, we will be spending the next few days together! Since all the work I need to do requires a well ventilated or outside area, and no humidity... it looks as if I am screwed until Thursday or Friday :-(

I will keep you all updated...

[NotVery[H]]

Awsome work so far man. :cool:

[SayNoToPistons]

nice work. have some fun with the deers, are they REAL?!?!

[ErrOnReq]

Man, people on Bit-Tech are asking the same question! Yes they are real :-P My neighborhood is full of em.

[ErrOnReq]

Ok, well it is nearing the end of Thursday. Today was finally clear skies and dry air. I was able to do some painting today. The hard drive cage was primed and color coated. In a day or so I will clear coat it (Same with the drive cage mounts). I did buy some DupliColor spatter paint and truck bed paint to see what kinds of textures I could get. The spatter paint was a bit too thick and bumpy for my needs, but the truck bed paint stuff was perfect! It has a small texture too it, much like a truck bed! Whoda thunk it?! After painting a piece of scrap metal with the truck bed paint, I found that it is extreeeemely durable and highly resistant to scratches. Because of this, I will be using it on the tabs of the drive cage and the mounts. That way, when inserting and removing the drive, no paint will get scratched off on accident.

I haven’t painted the rest of the cooling compartment yet because I still have some work to do on it. I need to make some holes where the PSU lines will go out and the IDE/SATA lines will go in. I have been planning it out today and tomorrow I might be able to work on that. Tomorrow I will also hopefully work with the fiberglass and see how that comes out. I may be slow, but I want this to be perfect. Thanks for not bitching and keep the comments coming :-)

[TheMostWantedPolishTwin]

I'm really amazed.. can't wait to see how the engine cover will turn out..

[ErrOnReq]

Ok, well today I am working on the fiberglass! YAY! I did a single layer on a test piece. If it comes out well I will be able to use it in the mod, so I have my hopes. Fiberglass is a little different than I thought it would be. ALOT more mess and it is pretty hard to get around corners. I have to cut out pieces that will meet at the corners rather than a single piece that bends around. I have taken some pics and will post them later today after I do some more layers and dremeling I hope!

[ErrOnReq]

Well, unfortunately I was not able to do as much today as I had planned. I mentioned earlier that I primed the drive cages and the mounting mt. mount thingies, well the parts dried and I did the black color coat. A day and a half later (earlier today), I put a good layer of that fantastic DupliColor truck bed lining spray stuff. Now scratches will be impossible! BUAHAHAHAH *evil cackle* heh... ehh... yeah, so anyway Today that is drying and tomorrow I will probably clear coat the parts that don't have the truck lining finish. I only have a pic of the primed parts, nothing color coated or truck lining stuff. I might tomarrow.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/50.jpg


After that, I finally got to my testing of FIBERGLASS! HURRAH!!! I got all my supplied together, must be prepared! I made sure that I had a respirator, plenty of disposable gloves and some goggles just incase.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/51.jpg


First I went to Home Depot and got some insulating foam that I cut layered into a shape that the fiberglass could be molded on top of. I glued the layers together with Elmer's glue, nothing fancy. I then covered the entire mold in aluminum foil which the fiberglass shouldn't bond to too much. This session is just a test, to see how I work with the fiberglass. If it turns out well, I will be able to use what I have made. If not, I shall try again with my newfound knowledge of fiberglass!

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/52.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/53.jpg


I mixed the fiberglass jelly with a few drops of hardener in a plastic cup. My random choice of cup was a bad idea. The resin slowly softened the plastic and halfway through the project I realized that the bottom half of the cup was missing! So I used a cheap plastic container that some rivets came in (which are now neatly on my floor). I cut up a few strips of the fiberglass cloth to have them ready. I then coated the entire mold in the resin. I then placed a strip of cloth on, brushed more resin over it and made sure the resin soaked through the cloth. One thing to note about the brushes, I had to buy a bunch of really cheap ones. One you get the resin on the brush, it isn't coming off. Ever. I had to use two brushes for the first layer of fiberglass.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/54.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/55.jpg


Since this is my first time with fiberglass, and really just a learning experience right now, I didn't do everything how it should have been done. One thing I learned was that the fiberglass cloth doesn't like tight corners. It isn't thin or flexible enough for a nice 90 degree turn. While I wasn't really expecting to achieve a perfect corner, I was able to get it decent enough. From now on though, I will have to cut smaller parts that will meet at the edges rather than trying to bend the cloth over the edges.

Working with fiberglass is also much more of a mess than I expected. I thought it would be messy, but not this bad! The fiberglass cloth is a fairly loose weave, so when pieces are cut, the resin likes to pull off strands of fiberglass as the cloth is put in place. Then the fiberglass gets on your hands (which damn well be in gloves) and when you use your fingers to push or poke an edge, a strand attaches itself to your finger and doesn't let go! It is worse that those Face Huggers from Aliens!!! Towards the end of the session, my fingers had annoying strands stuck all over them and a big pile of fiberglass strands which I was able to pull of my hands.

It is dark out now and the fiberglass isn't 100% dry, maybe 99%, but that isn't good enough! So tomorrow I will hopefully get to go at the beast with a dremel and then apply another layer. Wish me luck!

[jayjaya29]

Good luck man. This will all be worth it.

[siege]

I've done a bit of fiberglass work for my car (custom door speaker enclosures and working on a custom center console) and I have a few tips.. First of all, yeah its a freakin mess. If you're using the big thick rubber gloves like dishwashing gloves, ditch them - they aren't worth it and are difficult to work in...use some plain old disposable latext gloves...they're nice and tight so you can still use your hands well.

also, have a bucket with acetone in it handy and leave your brushes in that when not in use...it'll keep the resin from hardening and you can use it to clean wet resin off brushes (you can also use acetone to thin the mix of resin - add before you ad the MEKP and don't use a lot).

another thing that helps with the brushes is to have a few different ones on hand. I like having 4 to use: a 2", a 2" that has been cut down so the bristles are stiff, a 1" and a cut 1". The stiff bristles make it easy to work in the resin a lot of times.

you definately want to bend the cloth over the corners...much stronger. a little tip with cloth (and mat also)...get some 3m spray adhesive and glue down the a layer of cloth before you start with the resin..after about 10 minutes it'll stay on while you're putting the resin on but once its soaked it may start moving...just tends to make your first layer easier to work on

plastic buckets from home depot make good mixing containers. a small 16 oz plastic bucket is perfect really. and when mixing, use a paint stick or something wood. I personally prefer chopsticks. when you're done and you have extra resin in the bucket, leave the mixing tool in the resin and let it harden...then you can use it as a handle to pull the resin out - it doesn't stick to smooth plastic very well. and you can just break the chopstick or whatever off and use it again and again till it gets too short.

hope these help, I'll post any more tips I can think of later

oh yeah, you can also vary the amount of hardener you put in the resin to allow you to have more working time, or allow it to harden in 20 minutes if you want (i've done several small things where the part was ready to handle in about 45 minutes). again, don't use too much or it'll mess things up.

also, I noticed you have foil on the ground. grab one of those plastic dropcloth rolls you can get at home depot. resin will come right off of that cause its plastic. foil just is a tough time tearing it up when your part sticks to it (found that out the hard way). if you can't tell...plastic is the key :)

for forms, I've found that modeling clay works really well as long as its not warm outside :) whatver form you make, you can spray/brush it with cooking oil to aid in the release when its cured. of course you could also go buy PVA Mold release but that's not too easy to find and cooking oil works adequately

[rogue_jedi]

wow nice set of tips. i'll have to save those incase i ever decide to work with fiberglass.

looks pretty good so far. can't wait to see what it ends up looking like.

[ErrOnReq]

Wow! That is the kind of comment I like :-D

I have a box of latex gloves. Thankfully I heard about that before I actually tried it.

I put in a little less hardener than Bondo recommended since this was my first time. I didn't have a reference point for how long it would take to harden and I didn't want it to stiffen up too soon. But now I have a better idea of how long it takes and how much to put in.

This is hopefully the only mold I need to do that requires sharp corners. Everything else is pretty curvy. For the corners, I might do a small batch of resin with a generous amount of hardener and hold the cloth over the corner until it becomes stiff enough to hold it's shape. Then again, that still might be too long to sit there and hold it.

Thanks for the tips. They will definitely come in handy :-)

[ErrOnReq]

I've done a bit of fiberglass work for my car (custom door speaker enclosures and working on a custom center console)

Do you have any pics of your work on your car? What kind of car is it? I'm intrigued by your mention of a custom center console.

[siege]

Do you have any pics of your work on your car? What kind of car is it? I'm intrigued by your mention of a custom center console.

yeah I have some pics....well I do of the door speakers. the console is still a work in progress but I can snap a pic with my phone in a bit. the car is an 86 mustang (exterior/interior converted to 87).

[siege]

here is the speaker enclosure for the door..I made them to house a pair of Pioneer ts-a6969 6x9's and aim them for best sound quality (yes, that's 6x9's in the doors)

http://members.cox.net/jhight1983/doorspeaker.jpg

and here is the center console. its still very much a work in progress as I haven't gotten to work on it in quite a long while. one of these days I will finish it. sorry about the quality on this pic, my phone is my only camera currently...

http://members.cox.net/jhight1983/console.jpg

and here's the car if you care

http://members.cox.net/jhight1983/side.jpg

and a closeup of the console...

http://members.cox.net/jhight1983/console-close.jpg

[ErrOnReq]

What do you suggest about dealing with the dust? I have goggles and a respirator and latex gloves. Should I wear a long sleeve shirt? If the dust collects on that, I would have to wash it separately from anything else?

[siege]

you definately want to wear long pants, long sleeves, gloves, goggles, repirator, everything. That fiberglass dust is NOT fun when it gets on your skin, in your eyes, or in your lungs (found that out the hard way too). when you're done I'd shake out the pants and shirt to get the majority of dust off and yeah, wash them separately from everything else.

also, I don't know if you're planning on more layers to that, but it would definately be a good idea. with just one layer of cloth, the part can warp once taken off the form. One layer of cloth is also surprisingly quite flexible...almost like thin plastic I would say. I would do maybe 2-3 layers of cloth, take it off the form, and then a quick layer or two of fiberglass mat on the underside (mat is strong than cloth, but more messy and tougher to get a perfect finish on so its easier to put it on the side that doesn't show).

[JEEVES/whohasmyname?]

I used to work in a door manufacturing shop. One day i was hard at work at my machine cutting and preping wood doors when my lungs started to hurt and my skin was all itchy. I tured around and looked through the white haze to see some of my co-workers cutting into fiberglass door frames! I was so pissed that no one told me before they started working on it. My nose bled for like a week after that, and my lungs still hurt (some). I would suggest as much protection as possible, I hate fiberglass :mad: .

JEEVES

[ErrOnReq]

Well I decided to wear long pants and a long sleeve shirt. I also placed a huge vacuum hose on the wooden bench to pull out a lot of the dust. I then vacuumed my cloths before I took them off and stuck them in a plastic bag.

I wanted to get rid of some of the edges before I did a second layer (which is in the drying process right now). I still have a bit more on the second layer to do and then I might do a third layer. I did overlap a lot on the second layer, so I sorta have 2.5 layers right now :-P

Putting a layer on the inside is a good idea. I didn't think of that. Would clean up all the foil crap that will most likely be stuck to the inside.

Thanks for the continued tips and support :-)

[siege]

you can do more than one layer at a time if you want..it doesn't really matter. I would just suggest doing no more than 3-4 layers at a time since resin heats up when it cures (just like bondo) and the thicker to put it, the hotter it gets, and it could crack. of course since this isn't really anything that needs to be super strong I wouldn't think you would need to do more than 4 layers period :)

JEEVES, work with fiberglass resin for the first time and you'll hate it even more :) were those guys working on the fiberglass door wearing protection? if not I'd hate to be them. That's the one downside to this stuff..the fumes are horrible, the dust is even worse, and if you get enough of it in you it could be downright deadly. :(

[ErrOnReq]

It's my first time, so I didn't want to do too much at once and accidentally slide the different layers around when applying a new layer. I did do quite a bit of overlapping though, I'm not trying to get a single perfect layer at a time :-P As I do more and more I will become more efficient (I hope).

BTW siege, you better stick around! You are a great resource ;-)

JEEVES, that is horrible! I hope you got some sort of compensation or at least got someone fired!

[siege]

It's my first time, so I didn't want to do too much at once and accidentally slide the different layers around when applying a new layer. I did do quite a bit of overlapping though, I'm not trying to get a single perfect layer at a time :-P As I do more and more I will become more efficient (I hope).

BTW siege, you better stick around! You are a great resource ;-)

JEEVES, that is horrible! I hope you got some sort of compensation or at least got someone fired!

yeah I figured you just didn't want to do too much at one time, which is understandable...hell, I don't even do more than 2 layers unless its something flat :)

I'm glad I can be of some help..usually on forums I can help but its generally "I've heard that..." or "I've read that..." or "I think..." this is one of those few topics I have a decent amount of personal experience on :)

I'd love to stick around and I'm sure I will this time. probably 3 or so years ago I was on these forums (same nick too) and I participated a bit and had a few mods to show off, but nothing big. I'm hoping this time around I'll be able to make more of an impact on the community.

and I was gonna say that to jeeves too but I forgot :)

[ErrOnReq]

Ok, well I have done some more work with the fiberglass. After my 2.5 layers had completely dried, I had to pry the fiberglass cast from the mold. My idea to use styrofoam covered in foil was a horrible HORRIBLE idea. Many thanks to the guy who said it was a good idea! Next time I will cover the mold with some kind of oil or wax prior to laying down the fiberglass. Anyway, getting the foil off was a bitch. I couldn't get it all off because some resin had gone through the cracks and embedded the foil in itself. Doesn't really matter though.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/56.jpg


After I pulled out the mold and sanded off as much foil as I could, I cut off the nasty edges with my dremel. I had a huge vacuum on while I was cutting so most of the dust would get sucked up. I still managed to get some dust on my shirt, but the vacuum made short work of that! After everything was cut to a more clean shape, I washed off the fiberglass and wiped it down to get rid of that horrible dust.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/57.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/58.jpg


Next I fixed up another batch of resin and precut some cloth squares and did a nice good layer on the inside of the shell. This way, if the shell is a little too big (in the end it has to be flush with the power supply), I will have plenty of room to sand down. The shell is pretty much hardened right now, so tomorrow I can continue my work on it. Tomorrow I will cut it down to the right height, check the dimensions and sand it down. Once it is the right basic shape, I will need to use a bit more fiberglass so I can get some inner flaps made so it can be attached to the PSU. After that I will better define the shape with bondo.

Of course, I will only be doing all this if it turns out well when I check it out tomorrow. If it is horribly wrong, I will get to do it over, starting off with more knowledge than before.

[siege]

I had a funny feeling not all of that foil would be coming off :)

you said you'd be defining the shape with bondo...are you adding a lot of curves and such? Personally, I prefer to use as little bondo as possible when doing things like this. One thing I like to do is make a basic shape out of foam like you did, but then use modeling clay to finish off the shape with whatever curves I want. fwiw, when coated with cooking oil, fiberglass comes off of the clay fairly easily (as long as you don't let your part cure in a warm place - the clay will melt into the reisn.) to top it off you can use it over and over and over and over and over (etc) again and you can really work it into shape with a hairdryer. really cuts down on the finish work required. of course bondo is always needed but hey...

anyway, looks good, especially for a first try. In regards to those bubbles/wrinkles, I usually end up cutting those off with a dremel and then glass back over them. if you get a pool of resin, well...start sanding :) Keep up the good work, can't wait to see the next update.

its nice to see you have a better solution for the dust than I did. last time I did any major cutting I was in my bathroom with the door shut and fan on, long pants, long sleeves, no gloves, a pair of sunglasses and a t-shirt wrapped around my face. LOTs of sweeping and cleaning after that one. after that I decided that any heavy sanding/cutting gets done outside at my parents house :)

(if you can't tell, I've had nothing to do today so I've been watching my posts like a hawk...need a new front door for my case to start my mods..)

[ErrOnReq]

No, I meant "Defining the shape" as in, making it flat and have sharp corners. This may be a first time with fiberglass, but I know bondo, and I have common sense :-P The fiberglass as it is isn't perfectly flat and has done dents, some folds, etc.

LOL! The master of fiberglass doing it in his bathroom! I didn't see that one coming!

I might have to check out the clay thing. But I do have tools for shaping foam. Years back, in my early teens, I was into model trains and shaped a 4x8 foot board w/ stacked foam into hills cliffs and mountains.

[siege]

No, I meant "Defining the shape" as in, making it flat and have sharp corners. This may be a first time with fiberglass, but I know bondo, and I have common sense :-P The fiberglass as it is isn't perfectly flat and has done dents, some folds, etc.

LOL! The master of fiberglass doing it in his bathroom! I didn't see that one coming!

I might have to check out the clay thing. But I do have tools for shaping foam. Years back, in my early teens, I was into model trains and shaped a 4x8 foot board w/ stacked foam into hills cliffs and mountains.

I know you have common sense, just had to make sure :)

I'd hardly consider myself a master..I've only done a few projects myself, but I've picked a lot up in a short amount of time. but thanks for the compliment :)

[ErrOnReq]

well, you seem to know what your talking about and looks to me like you have some decent experience. Maybe it's not "master", but it's definitely "better than me"

That is, until the whole bathroom incident *cough* :-P

j/k, just giving you a hard time.

[siege]

btw, the whole bathroom incident was because I was in an apartment and was probably the best place to do it. I had a balcony but you could hear more noise from your balcony than you could from either side and above and below you. (place was solid brick). so really it was my best choice :)

[ErrOnReq]

Earlier today, I took the fiberglass shell, and placed it on the PSU it will eventually be attached to. I checked the size and measurements and the shell is a tad too big. In some areas, it would have to be cut down so much that it would leave barely one layer of fiberglass cloth as a wall! Since I would have to sand the walls down to fit the dimensions of the PSU, I first had to thicken the inner walls. I mixed up some resin and did about a 2-3 layer thick application of fiberglass on the inside of the shell. Once this is dried, I will trim off the excess cloth and compare it to the PSU again, making sure that after the walls are sanded down, that there will still be enough wall left for good structural support.

This is my first attempt, and I didn't get off to the best start. Now that I know so much more, I will be able to spend more time planning and preparing the mold next time.

So right now I am waiting for the inner layers to finish drying, then I will hopefully be able to sand down the outside until it fits the proper dimensions. If I can get that done today, I will update with some pics. I would like to start doing bondo on the outside today as well, but I will have to see how the time goes.

[FiZ]

I used to work in a door manufacturing shop. One day i was hard at work at my machine cutting and preping wood doors when my lungs started to hurt and my skin was all itchy. I tured around and looked through the white haze to see some of my co-workers cutting into fiberglass door frames! I was so pissed that no one told me before they started working on it. My nose bled for like a week after that, and my lungs still hurt (some). I would suggest as much protection as possible, I hate fiberglass :mad: .

JEEVES
You didn't take legal action? That shit sucks. I have a bunch of silicon in my lungs from sand blasting but that isn't nearly as bad as having a bunch of little cuts in your lungs.

[ErrOnReq]

The last update I had was that I had added a few more layers of fiberglass onto the inside of the shell. Well, since then, that has dried and I was able to flatten the bottom of the shell. I also took a power sander with 40 grit sandpaper and sanded down each face of the shell. Now was fun part #2. Fiberglass work is pretty much done for this shell right now, and now it is on to Bondo! HURRAH! Not worse than fiberglass, but still a little messy. Here is the shell after sanding:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/59.jpg


Anyway, I applied a layer of Bondo, enough to fill most voids and cover most peaks. After that dried, I spend a good amount of time sanding down each face until it was reasonably smooth. Of course there were some pits left over, and another application of Bondo was needed.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/60.jpg


After the second coat, I sanded it down again with 40 grit sandpaper and there were still some minor imperfections. Another coat of Bondo and some more sanding. Now the sides are almost perfectly flat, and the corners are nice and clean. The shell now fits the almost exact dimensions of the power supply.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/61.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/62.jpg


Tomorrow I will be cleaning up that angled hole you see in the pics and cutting an 80mm fan hole as well as some holes for the wiring that will go to the hard drives. If I am really in the cutting mood, I will also cut a hole in the side panel of the top cooling compartment so the wires can exit and enter the power supply and the case.

While I have been waiting for the fiberglass and Bondo to dry the past two days, I decided to jump around a bit and get started on another part of the mod. This part involves the keyboard. I used a spiffy looking Cooler Master Keyboard Q which sort of fits my theme, but not enough. I took of the top aluminum plate and sanded it down with 240 grit sandpaper. That was a huge pain in the butt! I have to go all the way up to 2000 grit and then apply a metal polishing compound, clear coat and rubbing compound or glaze. That will get the keyboard looking nice and shiny, but that isn't all that is in store for this baby! Anyway, here are some pics of the keyboard so far:

Before:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/63.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/64.jpg


Notice the dull brushed aluminum (if you can see it in the pics):
http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/65.jpg


Here is the face plate after 240 grit:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/66.jpg


You can sort of see a reflection… a ways away from the finished product though.
http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/67.jpg

[rogue_jedi]

nice looking keyboard. does it type like a laptop keyboard? (looks like it does) cause that would suck. the psu cover looks pretty good too.

[ErrOnReq]

Yeah, it does type like a laptop keyboard, but it is mostly for show. I am modding the CM KB because it will fit the theme quite nicely and I am capable of using it semi-comfortably if I really have to. The only keyboard I really like is my Microsoft Natural keyboard. I considered modding that one, but it wouldn't look as great and I really do not want to go through the process of having to re-label each key after it is painted.

[jayjaya29]

Does it feel like a laptop keyboard? I love the feel of laptop keyboards. The progress is great so far.

[Kurtis]

we reviewed the keyboard if you are interested in it:

http://www.thetechlounge.com/review.php?directory=keyboard_q

[ErrOnReq]

To answer your question, yes it does feel like a laptop keyboard. But feel free to see what Kurtis thinks of it in that shameless plug :-P

*hopes it isn't against the rules*

[Kurtis]

lol i wouldn't call it a shameless plug, it is relavant to his question, and he seems interested in purchasing it, so i figured he'd want to see the review... :)

But yea it does feel like a laptop... hurry up and finish modding it brian i want to see it all reflecty :D

[jayjaya29]

Ahh thanks you guys. I already have a wireless keyboard but I may want a wired one soon.

[ErrOnReq]

Now that most of the fiberglass mold is done, it was time to cut and drill to make room for the I/O and 80 mm fan. The big hole in the middle is obviously for the 80mm fan, the three larger holes on the side will have IDE and SATA cables that go to the HDDs and the smaller holes accompanying them will be the HDD power wires. The large angled hole on the opposite side is where the PSU wires will exit and the IDE/SATA/fan wires will enter.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/68.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/69.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/70.jpg


Right now I am in the process of applying fiberglass to the open end of the mold for mounting to the PSU.

Ok, well the paint on the drive cage and mounts have fully dried now after two days. They are painted black and have a nice and thick clear coat on them to hopefully resist small scratches. The flaps and the mounts were painted with Dupli Color's truck bed lining stuff which is really heavy duty. I can go at that stuff with a screwdriver and it doesn't chip!

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/71.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/72.jpg


Now that it is dry, I got some rivets for my pop rivet gun and assembled the cage. Voila! Nice and purdy.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/73.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/74.jpg


Here is a pic with the mounts screwed on via thumbscrews. These mounts will later be riveted to the inner walls of the top cooling compartment.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/75.jpg


I am about to go continue working and might have an update later tonight.

[siege]

wow that psu cover turned out pretty nice. good job.

[Shadowspawn]

Thats an excellent idea for the internal paint, using the bed cover stuff. It should reduce the overall noise quite nicely. I may have to do that on my mod.

[rogue_jedi]

nice job with the hdd rack and the psu cover. does the truck bed stuff go on clear? i may have to try some of that on my next mod (not sure what it'll be, but still...)

[ErrOnReq]

Thanks for the compliments.

The truck bed stuff is black.

Well, it got too dark too soon :-/ I used fiberglass to add some internal mounting flaps on the shell and cleaned it up a bit once it was dry. I also got some Bondo Glaze and Spot Filler to, well, fill spots. Right now it is 11:45 and I am letting the final little application of the spot filler dry so I can smooth it down. I didn't have time to cut with the actual PSU or the side panel of the top cooling compartment. I will most likely do that tomorrow as well as prime and paint the shell. That is, unless I think of something else I need to do on the shell. Like drill some holes in the flaps so it can mount onto the PSU (figures, I always forget something).

[ErrOnReq]

I have a quick question. For this mod, I am going to need to make my own Serial ATA cables. I have to fit the cable through an enclosure which is too small to fit the connector through. Does anyone know where I can get the connectors themselves? Solder or Crimp... although I don't think there is crimp. I have checked the local computer hardware stores, even a place that is all connectors and ICs and resistors but nada :(

Thanks!

[emorphien]

I have a quick question. For this mod, I am going to need to make my own Serial ATA cables. I have to fit the cable through an enclosure which is too small to fit the connector through. Does anyone know where I can get the connectors themselves? Solder or Crimp... although I don't think there is crimp. I have checked the local computer hardware stores, even a place that is all connectors and ICs and resistors but nada :(

Thanks!

Perhaps you could use a rubber molding to fit around it? I've not seen any tools for that either.

[siege]

isn't a SATA cable just like 4 decent-sized wires? only time I've handled one IRL was breifly (I'm behind on the tech...I just upgraded to a 1.4ghz athlon from a duron 900 I've had for 3.5 years) so I don't remember exactly. if they're a decent size to handle, why not just cut the wires and resolder them? somewhere in the middle that would be hidden....just a suggestion

[ErrOnReq]

It is 8 wires. I broke apart an SATA cable to see if I was able to reuse it, but the housing cannot be removed without breaking it and rendering it completely useless. I can unsolder and re-solder the very tip of the connector, but that leaves a very fragile connection between the wire and the drive.

EDIT: Oh and the wires and pins are very tiny. I could probably do it with a lot of patience.

[emorphien]

See if maybe there's a male to male connector you could get and pass that through if possible. Actually, not sure if that solves the problem anyway.

nevermind

[ErrOnReq]

Thanks for the help all, but one of my staff managed to find a local store near them that could order them.

[jmroberts70]

Lookin' good! Encouraging to see some more geat craftsman ship here.

[siege]

Thanks for the help all, but one of my staff managed to find a local store near them that could order them.

sweet, glad you found a solution. as for taking the cable apart and putting the connector back together, I was thinking more along the lines of cutting the cable in the middle and putting it back together :)

8 wires hmmm...wonder if you could use cat5 for the wire and not lose any performance...voila, rounded SATA cables :)

[emorphien]

sweet, glad you found a solution. as for taking the cable apart and putting the connector back together, I was thinking more along the lines of cutting the cable in the middle and putting it back together :)

8 wires hmmm...wonder if you could use cat5 for the wire and not lose any performance...voila, rounded SATA cables :)

Be an interesting thing to try. Cuz you know, those SATA cables are big and annoying so rounded ones would be nice. :)

[ErrOnReq]

I don't think you can use cat5 for SATA. If you look at the inside of the cable or a diagram of it, there are 8 wires. 4 wires are in 2 pairs. Each pair has a thin wire on either side of it. Due to the high speeds required by SATA and the seemingly weird makeup of the cable, I really don't think you can just use any 8 wires as a cable.

If I couldn't get any connectors I would probably have to resort to cutting the wire in half and soldering it back together. Thankfully I don't have to take the messy way. But now I have to solder 8 tiny wires onto 7 tiny pins for 4-10 connectors :(

[emorphien]

I don't think you can use cat5 for SATA. If you look at the inside of the cable or a diagram of it, there are 8 wires. 4 wires are in 2 pairs. Each pair has a thin wire on either side of it. Due to the high speeds required by SATA and the seemingly weird makeup of the cable, I really don't think you can just use any 8 wires as a cable.

If I couldn't get any connectors I would probably have to resort to cutting the wire in half and soldering it back together. Thankfully I don't have to take the messy way. But now I have to solder 8 tiny wires onto 7 tiny pins for 4-10 connectors :(

I suspect the cat5 wouldn't work either, but it'd be interesting to see someone try.

[CrimandEvil]

You and Kurtis are doing some great work, I can't wait to see more of it. :)

[ErrOnReq]

Thanks :-)

I should have a fairly good update tomorrow. I've smoothed and painted the fiberglass shell (needs another coat though), cut the hole in the cooling compartment, primed the cooling compartment (will paint tomorrow), and constructed another piece out of fiberglass (which will be cut and sanded and have Bondo applied if needed and painted tomorrow as well). I also cut a hole in the PSU and removed all the stickers. I should sand and paint that tomorrow too. I'm not able to put the cooling compartment together until all the paint is dry which means Sunday probably. However, I will try to post some shots of how it will look. I have some of the wiring stuff here, but I need to order some tubing from MCMaster as well. I hope I have plenty of time to work tomorrow :-P

Man, how many times can I say tomorrow in one post?!

I'm too tired, I'll count em tomorrow.

[emorphien]

Man, how many times can I say tomorrow in one post?!

I'm too tired, I'll count em tomorrow.
I'm tired too, but I think I counted 6. You can do better than that, tomorrow.

[SacLANd]

just read through the thread, nice work. wish i read earlier to warn you about the fibreglass. I did the EXACT same thing my firsy time. i did a styrafoam mould wrapped in aluminum foil and it was a pain to get off because the resin went under the tiny creases at the corners. anyways the stuff is great once you learn to use it. I feel like i could make anything outa fibreglass now.

[eyedol]

You might want to try spraying some wd40 on your glooves to keep the wet mat/cloth from sticking to your gloves too much. It can help and make things a bit easier.

[CrimandEvil]

Well...it's tomorrow ;)
LOL :D

[ErrOnReq]

Sorry all, my schedule was "delayed" a bit last night. It's 4:00 and I just woke up. I'll try to work on the mod today, but things aren't going well for me right now.

[CrimandEvil]

Take your time then :)
You should always mod with a clear head unless you want to see your Dremel eat into half of your case, lol.

[ErrOnReq]

Well, yesterday I pretty much laid around all day. I tried to mod a bit and was only able to paint about half of the cooling compartment. Today is a little better though. I actually got outside to mow the lawn and I continued sanding the second fiberglass piece and went at it with a dremel. Sadly it is now about to rain. I like how nothing ever goes right. Ever.

Oh well, life’s a bitch.

Also, is it just me or are the thread views messed up? For a week the # of views on this thread have been 2751. Even as the number of posts go up, the views stay they same. HardForum bug?

Oh and thanks for the support or whatnot CrimandEvil :)

[CrimandEvil]

Yeah I've noticed that with the views too.
Yesterday I got some time in for modding myself, mostly taking an old Mac apart and sanding/ prime/ painting alittle of it. :D

[ErrOnReq]

How old of a mac? Do you have a log up?

[CrimandEvil]

It's a Performa 637CD (http://wwww.apple-history.com/frames/?) from '94 I believe. I don't have a dig camera so I didn't put up a log (wish I did though). The thing was built like a tank and will require that I fab up some things to make it work but I can fit a M-atx board in there with a PSU like the ones that Shuttle uses for their XPC. I'm having fun with it. :)
It's going to be my HTPC and iTunes server.

[siege]

Take your time then :)
You should always mod with a clear head unless you want to see your Dremel eat into half of your case, lol.

or half of your hand :)

[tylerhskate]

cool mod keep it up man :D

[ErrOnReq]

Sorry for the delay. I was having some non-computer problems which are finally getting better. I have gotten back to work.

I have been trying ever so hard to get the very light scratches out of the first piece of fiberglass. It is taking some time because I am trying to retain the very delicate shape of the piece (right angles and whatnot).

My work on the second piece of fiberglass is kicking ass. Worked out a lot better so far. I don't have any pics yet, but fear not, they will come. It has been raining all day today, so painting is out of the question. Hopefully I will be able to display my progress soon.

[ErrOnReq]

Ok, I finally uploaded some pics of my progress. I didn't take many pics of the second piece of fiberglass' construction. I snapped some of the cutting and shaping of the foam and then wrapped in aluminum foil. This time I sprayed and spread some cooking spray on top of the mold. It was a little more difficult to get the first layer of fiberglass on though. What I ended up doing was just brushing the resin all over the mold and let that harden and then do the fiberglass cloth layers on top of that. The cloth wouldn't bend well enough due to the non-stick spray.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/76.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/77.jpg


Now here are some shots of the second piece which is done with the fiberglass work and awaiting Bondo. The part of the case that it attaches to isn't done yet, and still has to be painted on one side. I wanted to show you what the piece was and how it would fit in with the mod though. The piece covers the hole where the power supplies wires will come out and the hard drive cables go in. All the wires and cables will be routed through some cool 5/8 inch OD rubber tubing to go along the lines of the car/engine theme. There should be four black tubes which come out of the power supply (through the first fiberglass mold) and route through this piece and then down into the case. This second fiberglass piece, once cleaned up with some Bondo, will probably be painted with that truck bed spray stuff. You know how the parts under the hood of a car are kindof rough... I think I'm going for that look right here. We will see.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/78.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/79.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/80.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/81.jpg

Holes still need to be drilled in the fiberglass piece and the panel it will be attached to. I'm not sure if I will tap the holes or just use rivets. I'll probably tap em though.

[siege]

nice piece (of fiberglass - get your mind outta the gutter :) ) looks like you did a decent job there. keep up the good work.

[CrimandEvil]

Nice, I'm thinking of try out fiberglass for some mods (maybe do some cases for my little crappy speakers lol). How hard is the stuff to work with? I'm reading a few guides and I understand what I need to do (I'm pretty good with that kind of stuff) so I'm just wondering.

[ErrOnReq]

The first time, no matter how much you read or plan, will never go how you think it will go (doesn’t mean failure though, but it might). It takes time and patience, and if you can work with Bondo, fiberglass is just a little more of a mess and a lot more of a hassle to stay away from the dust when cutting and sanding. The resin is a lot more fluid than Bondo, so it is easier to get into cracks and you don't have to worry about pockets of air as much (they are visible through the clear resin, so you can spot them easily). The fiberglass cloth coming apart in strings and sticking to your hands and in between your fingers can get quite annoying though. It will try your patience (at least it did mine), but it is really fun to work with, and it is a blast when you finally realize the endless possibilities.

[CrimandEvil]

Someone once said "A plan only last until it encounters reality" (or something like that :) )
Anyways I planned on using some old white T-Shirts intead of the cloth for that reason, I didn't really have trouble with Bondo (had mini vac next to me :) ) speaking of which would fiberglass be good for going over Bondo? I'm thinking of finishing my case front with the stuff and I've used some Bondo on it. Thanks, your case is coming along great. :D

[ErrOnReq]

Fiberglass can go over Bondo. It will stick. There are some things that fiberglass won't stick well to and that is metal and plastic. Unless you sand metal or plastic real well, it probably won't stick. This is what I have heard and seen from others but have yet to see for myself. I will personally find out later on in my mod though. With a T-Shirt, you might have to work a little extra to make sure the resin soaks through, I'm not sure. You could probably ask Mashie for some tips; seems like he has done everything... and then some.

Thanks for the compliments on the mod so far guys. As different parts near a finishing state, you shall be in much more awe! I Promise! :D

[siege]

t-shirts work alright, but are not very strong and you would need like 6 layers to equal maybe 3 layers of fiberglass(it would be thicker, but not as strong). t-shirts work really well if you want to stretch over a form to make a shape. I would personally just use t-shirt material for just one layer maybe.

the trick with cloth is this...have precut strips and squares of various sizes on hand. brush on a little bit of resin and then lay the cloth on it, and use a short-bristled brush to "pull" the resin through the cloth from the bottom. you can pretty much tap the cloth if you have a brush that you've cut down like I suggested a few pages back. you'll still need to brush more on top of course.

another method is to have your resin in a paint pan or similar and actually dip your strips of cloth in the resin, take it out, wipe off excess with your fingers and then lay it down and flatten it out with a brush...quite messy but sometimes its the best way.

and if you're doing a second or third layer on top of a dry layer....3M spray glue is your friend. keeps the cloth on there so you can do what you need to do.

and if you think strands pulling off cloth is a mess and a pain, try using the mat sometime...it just gets rediculous :)

[CrimandEvil]

Just remember that Mashie had used the shirt for making a mold, stupid me. :D
Anyways my mom does sewing work so I could always grab some cloth (denim feels like it might work, no?) from her. Damn tomorrow I have to go to radioshack and get some stuff and maybe go by compusa and see if they have anything that I could use (usually not) maybe I can stop by an auto shop and see what I can there.

[ErrOnReq]

siege, do I have the right impressions on the metal and plastic? You told me plastic is my friend if I don't want the fiberglass to stick to it, is it the same with metal? If I sand down metal or plastic well enough, will it stick?

Maybe you already told me, I don't remember :p

Oh yeah, and siege is a good person to talk to too :D

[siege]

yeah its tough to get fiberglass to stick to metal and plastic. I'm not sure how well just roughing the surface of plastic would work. I've never actually had to bond fiberglass with plastic or metal before, but here's a technique with plastic I've read...

rough up the plastic with some low grit sandpaper. then get some plastic epoxy (i think that's what its called - used for bonding plastic to plastic, etc) and spread a light coat on the plastic part. then lay the fiberglass cloth on the part and kinda let the epoxy soak half way through the fiberglass...I know it sounds odd and difficult. when the epoxy is dry it should still pretty much feel like cloth..then just throw some resin on that, put down another layer and some more resin, and voila...if all went well you should be good to go.

as for metal...well idunno. bondo seems to stick well so maybe do a light bondo coating and then some fiberglass? seems like it might be worth a shot

demin may be a bit thick for the resin to soak in properly...not quite sure. I know a lot of people use polyester sweater material when doing initial forms..still not very strong though. I personally think you would be best of using fiberglass cloth still. really once you get the hang of it its not too difficult.

once you get it down, don't move it around much, and when you're brushing the resin into it, don't use strokes. its really easier to use a cut brush to "tap" the resin through the fiberglass.

if you get it on your fingers, dip your fingers into some acetone and rub the rest off with a paper towel. acetone will kinda soak thru the thin latext gloves but I don't think its too bad really..shouldn't be enough to irritate your skin unless its sensitive to that kind of thing.

hope this helps

I know this video isn't exactly about laying fiberglass but watch the technique he uses once he gets to the fiberglassing part. The laminating resin is actually cool as well...can leave a nice finish :) (never used it tho). also note the PVA that is used and see how easy it comes off...that's like 3x easier than using cooking oil.

http://www.freemansupply.com/video/epoxysurface/epoxysurallqt300.htm

[CrimandEvil]

Thanks for the tips!

[ErrOnReq]

I slapped some Bondo and Spot Filler onto that second fiberglass piece and smoothed it our real nice. Also drilled the mounting holes, tapped the holes in the panel on which it will mount, and painted it with the truck bed spray stuff. I need to get some nice black screws for mounting it, or paint some shiny steel ones I have.

[homersapien]

you can spray/brush it with cooking oil to aid in the release when its cured. of course you could also go buy PVA Mold release but that's not too easy to find and cooking oil works adequately

Something I've found that works even better as a mold release: neutral colored Kiwi shoe polish. With cooking spray, my epoxy always seems to find a spot to clinge to anyway. The shoe polish stays put, and cleans up easy ;)

[siege]

Something I've found that works even better as a mold release: neutral colored Kiwi shoe polish. With cooking spray, my epoxy always seems to find a spot to clinge to anyway. The shoe polish stays put, and cleans up easy ;)

Wow I've never even thought to use shoe polish. I would assume it doesn't come as a spray and you have to wipe it on? Might have to try that sometime, thanks for the tip

[ErrOnReq]

Wow, the page views are actually starting to count up again. Hopefully the bug is fixed!

I have some updates for you all which I will post tomorrow (Thursday). I will be on vacation Friday through Monday or Tuesday, so I won't be able to get any work done :( *whimpers*

This part of the mod is finally coming together. Check back tomorrow!

[homersapien]

Wow I've never even thought to use shoe polish. I would assume it doesn't come as a spray and you have to wipe it on? Might have to try that sometime, thanks for the tip

It's a paste, wipe it on, wipe it off. Just seems to work a lot better for me than cooking spray, though I miss out on the sweet buttery smell of the spray. Mmmmm...butter.

[siege]

It's a paste, wipe it on, wipe it off. Just seems to work a lot better for me than cooking spray, though I miss out on the sweet buttery smell of the spray. Mmmmm...butter.

yeah the butter smell is delightful. however, I think I might just pick up some PVA soon...I feel a little ghetto using cooking oil for some reason :) plus its only $10/qt. plus shipping at http://www.fibreglast.com/showproducts-category-Mold+Releases-23.html so I might as well

[Kurtis]

Bah, oh well... I'll update Monday I hope. Sorry guys.

EDIT: this is Brian, Erronreq...

[ErrOnReq]

Got back from the lake Monday night! Sooo relaxed. Will update tomorrow. Tired, must sleep :p

[ErrOnReq]

Well, here is the update I promised! This is all stuff that I have done in the past week or so.

I finished the second piece of fiberglass. Once the basic shape was made and cut, I used Bondo and Bondo spot filler to smooth it out and make it all purdy. Then I applied a nice coat of the truck bed coating. This gives the piece a very "manufactured plastic mold" feel instead of "crappy fiberglass work" feel ;)

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/83.jpg


Here are some pics of the fiberglass piece and how it will be attached to the top cooling compartment. The screws I used are not final. I want to find some nicer screws that better compliment the style.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/84.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/85.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/86.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/87.jpg


Here are some pics of the first fiberglass piece all painted and purdy.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/90.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/91.jpg


http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/92.jpg


And here are the top cooling compartment panels all painted and whatnot.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/88.jpg


Today I started the clear coating of all of these pieces. They should be completely done in a few days and ready for some sort of assembly... assuming I don't have to leave it unassembled for other mod work. Oh and before I forget... KITTY PICATOR! She got in one of my shots earlier, so I figured I'd take a pic so you all can see the little monster that likes to get in my way of my mods!

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/89.jpg

[CrimandEvil]

I envy your skills. :D I have to get some film developed ( :( no digi cam) and then maybe I'll start posting some of my mods.

[TANKORR]

I am really wanting to try the fiber glass thing out - I need to build (mold) a supercharger air intake - if you do not mind can you provide a shopping list of the products that you bought?? I am considering this but the shape is rather complex. (4 me)

[ErrOnReq]

Everyone has their own way of doing fiberglass and depending on what you are trying to do, some ways are better than others. In my case, I do it a weird way that probably not many do. There are other people here that could describe a better way of doing it than me since I don't do it the "right" way :p

For any case of working with fiberglass, you need cheap brushes that you can toss ($0.50 at Walmart), fiberglass resin and hardener (Walmart or any auto part store, fiberglass weave or cloth (same stores as resin and hardener), some kind of oil so the fiberglass doesn't stick to the mold (I just use cooking spray), and materials to construct a mold of what you want (I use foam [Home Depot], but you can also use clay or similar).

The best way to do it is to create an exact mold of what you want to construct, this is called a plug. Then you put a thin layer of oil on it and make a mold of the plug with fiberglass. The oil allows the fiberglass mold to be pulled off of the plug and you will then have a nice invert mold of the piece you want to make. Then cover the inside of the mold with oil and use fiberglass again to make the actual piece. This is just a basic description. I don't do it this way so I am not going to go into any details. You can check google for many MANY guides on how to work with fiberglass, from the very basic to the annoyingly expert.

[siege]

ErrOnReq pretty much his it right on the nose with that info. little note, you can also get fiberglass resin at Home Depot and the likes. I personally recommend getting a gallon of it, cause you'll use it all eventually....sooner than you might think :)

making the plug mold is a little too lengthy for my tastes...I like to shape what I want with foam and clay, and then do a couple layers of cloth - not too thick - then demold, and add thickness to the back. However, if your plug mold is nice and smooth, you'll get a much better finish on your final piece and it will require less finishing work (sanding/bondo). After I move later this month and get settled in, I'm gonna start working on my case and I'll include a hefty fiberglassing tutorial within - unfortunately we can't really expect this until september...sorry guys I'm busy and broke :(

very nice work ErrOnReq, I really like that truck bed stuff...might have to refinish the inside of my case with that

[ErrOnReq]

Thanks :)

I don't need to do the whole plug - mold - final piece thing either, so I don't. But I know it can be good in some situations, especially when the outside of the piece needs to have exact dimensions or something.

Some guy on Bit-Tech was telling me this long and involved way of doing it with a plug, and spoke as if any other way would screw up the entire project :p

As you can tell, I didn't listen to him :D

[CrimandEvil]

You know I'm pretty impressed with the amount of stuff you can get from Walmart, the other day I found these switches (http://www.pctoyland.com/cat_LEDROCKSWI.htm) for the same prices while I was looking at the auto paint.

I can't wait for that walk through Siege! In the meantime, TANKORR I learned somethings reading through Mashie's (http://www.mashie.org/guides/cfbalsa01.html) little guide that helped me understand some of what goes into using Fiberglass.

[ErrOnReq]

Here are some tutorials that helped me a bit:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=35432&highlight=fiberglass+resin

http://web.njit.edu/~cas1383/proj/main/

In the above link, the guy does not use any oil or whatnot on top of the foil! The fiberglass WILL STICK to the foil!

http://www.rqriley.com/frp-foam.html

[ErrOnReq]

I am currently working on two other fiberglass pieces that will aid in the hiding of the motherboard. Tomarrow I should finish up the fiberglass and do the Bondo. I also finished up the clear coat on the top cooling compartment. In two days, the coat should be completely dry, at which time I shall attempt some sort of assembly for pics.

[ErrOnReq]

Ok, finally time for another update! Sorry for the delay. All the top cooling compartment pieces are completely painted and dry so I mock-assembled them so you get an idea of how it will look.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/93.jpg


As I mentioned earlier, I have been working on more fiberglass stuff for the parts that will be covering the motherboard. There are three parts that cover the majority of the board, and others that will cover the graphics card and below. So far I have two parts which will eventually be painted with the black truck bed stuff. There will be a middle piece which overlaps the other two and it will have some sort of chrome or metal look to it. The notches on the edges allow for the water cooling tubing to enter and exit.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/94.jpg


I installed them onto the motherboard tray for an idea of how it will sorta look.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/95.jpg


Here is an in-case shot with a few other components so you can get a better idea of the layout. There is a lot of work to be done.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/96.jpg


Here are the two fiberglass pieces after some good Bondo work.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/97.jpg


I used the fiberglass resin to attach some nuts to the fiberglass parts so they can be secured into place with screws.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/98.jpg


Here are the parts installed on the tray and in the case.

http://www.thetechlounge.com/random/aphex_worklog/99.jpg


I still have to do some cuts for the airflow system but they are nearing completion. I have also done some more planning for the top of the case and I am getting very excited about this mod. Stay tuned for more updates within the next few days!

[SacLANd]

hows the new fibreglass technique doing? it looks quite clean.

[RS3RS]

Niceeee... Loving the fiberglass work, that stuff looks awesome

[jayjaya29]

Yeah, the case looks amazing, keep us updated.

[cnealjr]

Awesome work log! Just read thru all the posts and it looks fantastic. Keep up the great work.

[xphantg0d]

Great Job cant wait for you to finish and post more pics.

[TANKORR]

.I can't wait for that walk through Siege! In the meantime, TANKORR I learned somethings reading through Mashie's (http://www.mashie.org/guides/cfbalsa01.html) little guide that helped me understand some of what goes into using Fiberglass.


I can't wait either - (althought this current thread is GREAT!!!) and THANKS for the linkage bro! Now I have to figure out if I can aactually make the part I need or alter something that exists and transform it it to what I need. When I get back from Arizona and New Mexico on the 9th of Aug I will begin the deconstruction of my new $77.00 Sonata - I am planning doing an airplane theme - no wings... but a turbine - special paint and markings plus any detail I can add that might provide the user with a visual that has some similarity. It is alos an excuse to buy some books to research my favorite plane.

[CrimandEvil]

I can't wait either - (althought this current thread is GREAT!!!) and THANKS for the linkage bro!
Sounds like some great plans! I want to use that guide to do a Chost in the Shell case mod (modeled after the Fuchikoma (http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Fuji/3598/gits6.htm)). :D

[wayne]

wow, thats beautiful

i m gonna get into fiberglassing now, sounds great to make anything

for fiberglass, do you just get the mixture stuff right and paint layers onto a foam mold and pry it off after it has cured?

[Kurtis]

brian went pretty into detail of how he does it. read the whole thread

[Jaden]

This project is absolutely amazing. Keep up the good work!

[vcorpus]

Keep up to good work! I've got the same casing but it's nowhere near this!

[ErrOnReq]

The project isn't dead. I've done some other work to it which I haven't posted yet. But right now I am fairly busy with stuff at TTL and whatnot. I shall return!

[wayne]

The project isn't dead. I've done some other work to it which I haven't posted yet. But right now I am fairly busy with stuff at TTL and whatnot. I shall return!
PICS PICS PICS!!! :D

[sev]

Wow... nice stuff...

If anyone cares, I beleive these guys were the first to introduce this style of chassis

http://www.chyangfun.com/pt_case_d.asp?MID=4&SID=ATX%20Tower&PNo=CF-2029

You can buy it in the US from

http://www.amselectronics.com/Products/PC_Servers/CF-2029.html


http://www.amselectronics.com/Products/PC_Servers/gmono_family_lg.gif

[OptPrime]

I was under the impression that that was a kingwin design from like 4 years ago... buts thats just what saw on modthebox.com

[TANKORR]

The lack of updates is unacceptable! :D Just kidding! Now that I am back from vacation I will be pulling apart my Sonata - its going to be a big learning experience - drilling out rivits...

[em00guy]

Did you ever sort out that mess with the chrome paint. I'm working on a mod and i'd like to paint my case chrome but i have'nt seen any acceptable results. THe rust oleum stuff looks like my standard silver case. Gonna try some krylon chrome, i'll tell you how that works out.

[Kurtis]

Did you ever sort out that mess with the chrome paint. I'm working on a mod and i'd like to paint my case chrome but i have'nt seen any acceptable results. THe rust oleum stuff looks like my standard silver case. Gonna try some krylon chrome, i'll tell you how that works out.

he tried chrome, and it doesn't come out very nice.. just looks like it does on the cap... no better or worse. =\

[CrimsonSky]

I really like this project so far..I'll be watching it!...I love the fiberglas and sexy shapes :p

[ErrOnReq]

I'll get back to work on this project soon. Within a couple weeks I hope.

The chrome came out worse than the cap of the spray can.

Thanks crim :-)

[CrimsonSky]

The most amazing spray-on chrome paint + films and laminates are found here: AlsaCorp (http://www.alsacorp.com) You can get the paint by the ounce, pint, quart or gallon, and applies easily with a HVLP (high velocity, low pressure) spray gun if you should have one of these (around $50 at Lowes, sans compressor) Just a thought --amazing stuff I have to try it sometime

[Kurtis]

The most amazing spray-on chrome paint + films and laminates are found here: AlsaCorp (http://www.alsacorp.com) You can get the paint by the ounce, pint, quart or gallon, and applies easily with a HVLP (high velocity, low pressure) spray gun if you should have one of these (around $50 at Lowes, sans compressor) Just a thought --amazing stuff I have to try it sometime

Crimson, just wondering what you think on this... Brian and I had sort of considered getting a spray gun before, to make it easier to paint cases etc. when we do mods. However, we found that the good spray guns were pretty expensive, and they look pretty sensitive (i.e. require proper care after use). Also, we found that automotive quality paint is extremely expensive...

If you were to paint something, what approach would you take? I know you do different methods, but I'm not talking about the sort of job you would want to brush paint on for. If you know of any more economic methods of getting sprayers and paint let us know b/c it would make the whole process go a lot smoother. Painting with spray cans is a pain in the ass :P

[CrimsonSky]

welp.....very good spray paint equipment is expensive--because they put on a good coat of paint (along with user know-how) and in the long run is more economical than cans---and like any piece of good equipment it needs maintenance--granted this stuff more than others--but part of becoming a good craftsman is learning how to take care of your tools (replacing worn/broken parts) until it becomes second-nature. A decent spray gun should last a lifetime actually..they are very simple mechanicaly...few moving parts.

/preaching :D

[Tripper]

Crim--you aren't preaching....you're teaching. Just to say that Err--you got skilz man. I'm impressed watching this thread while waiting on Crim to finish his :D

I envy all of you. I have so many ideas in my head now I just need to find the money to make it all happen!!

Thanks guys--you will see your work and ideas incorporated into my next mod. I just need a camera and a garage.....hmmmm....I wonder if my sis would care :eek:

BTW--Kurtis...you d man too

[][V][AGIC]

this dead?... i was hoping to see a finished piece

[Kurtis]

Actually I'm not sure if he's going to finish it or not. Originally he intended to finish it this summer, but he's been tied up with other duties for TheTechLounge. I think he should finish it though, personally, because it was already starting to look good

[cell_491]

wow this is almost a year old...i wonder if hell ever finish it

[eyedol]

I remember this. I'd like to see a finished product as well.




Off topic...anyone know what happned to the little kid that was gonna spend 8K on a robotic computer? :D

[Brando457]

coming along nicely

[Ice_Frog]

Actually I'm not sure if he's going to finish it or not. Originally he intended to finish it this summer, but he's been tied up with other duties for TheTechLounge. I think he should finish it though, personally, because it was already starting to look good

Finish it!!! It´s GREAT!!!

[RAA-Kr1cH]

Excellent work! sad to see you had to take a break from it. hehe the date actually screwed me up, I was looking at dates that said 7/27/04, and thinking hey wait a minute... thats tomorrow! Then I noticed the year. Hopefully all of these little bits of good comments will inspire you to find some more time to work on it!