Another person's first mod... (lots of pics)

[timetrap]

Yeah, the title says it all. What can I say, I was inspired by you guys and thus was bitten by the creative bug. This is my first mod ever, so though some may say "take it easy on me," why don't you go ahead and be hard. I want to get good at this, and constructive criticism is desired. So, here we go...

I have had this boring, beige server box in my closet for about two years, and have gotten close to throwing it away about four times. It houses a PII 400, 64MB of PC100, and Creative Banshee 8MB video card. In other words, a perfect backup PC! I'm trying to decide which linux build to install, thinking about Debian.

Anyway, I was cleaning out some stuff in my room and came across some old Labtec speakers from the 386 era. Then it came to me, why not figure out a way to put the speakers in the case? That way I could save some room in my closet, and have a fully functioning backup computer (my main rig is a XP Mobile 2500+ at 2.5GHz (12.5x200 1.7v), NF7-S rev. 2, 1GB Corsair VS PC3200 (2x512MB dual channel), Raddy 9800P @ 425/371 w/ vga silencer, etc.). Kind of a stupid idea, but it gave me an excuse to mod something. :)

Here's the speakers after busting them apart.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01943.jpg

I am not a very cautious person, so as I was seperating the epoxy from the robber spacer on the speakers I accidentally tore the cone off. I almost threw in the towel right there, but then got out my super glue and gave it a whirl. They sounded as good as new, luckily.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01949.jpg

The next morning I went out to Home Depot to buy a Dremel. It wasn't as cheap as I had hoped - $60 for the "new" fandangled MultiPro variable speed kit. I also picked up some safety goggles, and face masks. Here's the MultiPro, that comes with 51 accessories (but to my dismay no reinforced cut-off wheels):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01952.jpg

I got home and started doing measurements on the case. I knew I wanted the speakers to go on top (as the stereo effect would be null in any other arrangement anyway) because the case would be sitting on the floor. Besides, they would only be used for basic system sounds and not music or games. I was anal about getting the measurements right, and think I did a good job.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01953.jpg

Here's pictures of the victim:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01954.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01955.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01956.jpg

I actually managed to break off the solder on the speakers twice during the first hour of sizing things out, so I had to teach myself to solder. I hadn't done it before, but think it went alright (the red wire was where I soldered).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01960.jpg

I wanted to use the conrols from the original speakers, so I decided to cut them off.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01961.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01962.jpg

The nearly finished cutoff:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01963.jpg

I needed a bottom, so I just cut off the bottom of one of the speaker fronts and superglued it to the control pad. I used some filter fiber in between the plastic so that it would stick to itself better - don't know if that had any impact but i couldn't pull the two pieces apart afterwards. This "control box" is going in the 3 1/2" slot on the front of the case.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01966.jpg

I finally began cutting the speaker holes. Man, the Dremel kit comes with 10 cut-off wheels and two thick ones (forgot the numbers) and I went through 4 of the normal ones and one of the thick ones. Rediculous... and I was going very slow, too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01968.jpg

The cuts were pretty decent, but needed some major deburring. I did this for about 20 minutes with the aluminum oxide stone, but couldn't get it smooth nor perfectly round, so I decided to bondo. I don't know if this was a good idea, but it sure helped smooth things out a lot and fill in some of the burrs I didn't manage to get.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01971.jpg

I also bondo'd the "control box," to make it as smooth as possible.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01972.jpg

I dropped one of the speakers, breaking off the solder joints (again) so I had to resolder and then I figured I had better try the speakers out before I go ahead. They worked just fine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01974.jpg

While the bondo was drying, I went ahead and began to cut out the front of the case to put a wire mesh in place (actually a square from a cd-holder thing).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01976.jpg

Here's how the bondo'd holes looked afterwards. Got rid of almost all the bondo on the surface, which is fine, but the holes are much smoother.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01977.jpg

Sanded down the control box.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01978.jpg

Popped off the buttons on the circuit board for the control box and painted them along with the box itself.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01979.jpg

And I painted the main piece as well. This paint will be practically all sanded off when I can get around to it - I really need some help learning how to paint. Can anyone direct me towards a good site that gives good directions, or perhaps even someone else's mod here?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01980.jpg

That's it for now. It all took me about six hours. Not too bad, but I'm hasty and impatient. I should be done in the next couple days, but painting is tricky. If someone can give me some pointers on painting It'd be very appreciated. And also, the holes aren't perfect. Its quite annoying, actually. Any one have any recommendations as to make the holes visually perfect (even if they aren't mathematically)?

Thanks for looking. :)

[cgrant26]

For your first mod, this is looking pretty cool. My suggestion for making holes look clean is either use a hole saw or take the time to grind those edges clean. I usually get pretty clean looking edges using just a grinder, but C-molding can always cover up a rough edge and will seal a fan against the hole.
As far as painting goes, take your time with the prep work and choose your sandpaper grits carefully. I wouldn't even think about paint until smothing a surface out with at least 400 grit. For your first coats of paint, use a sandable primer. This can really help you to find imperfections that need more work and will also fill in many smaller scratches. once your using primer, you shouldn't be using lower than 600 grit unless you find some pretty drastic flaws.
once you lay down a primer layer that looks flawless enough for you, start applying coats of paint. Wet sand between coats with 1000 grit or better and once your happy with the paint coverage, clear coat the whole thing to give a nice uniform appearance.
Its the attention to detail and patience in this process that most seperate the really professional looking mods from the amature ones IMO.

Hope this helps. :)

[CrimsonSky]

Congrats on the first mod!---very ambitious..

I have a suggestion for the speaker holes--I saw a worklog a few years back where a guy was hacking a round hole in his CDR drive, and needed to make a clean bezel it. he took a can of Planter's peanuts (the cardboard kind with metal top and bottom) and cut the cardboard off. The metal ring on the top of the can made a perfectly round bezel that he then glued on the optical drive with epoxy.

Round bezels can be found anywhere in nature :p Keep up the good work

[ness1469]

do a google for spiv's painting guide. Might even be in the FAQ. Even if you aren't going for the mirrored paint job, it is very good for teaching how to paint.

Basically, you want to take your time. Don't move sporadically, start at the bottom, and do row by row, about an inch each. Hold the can about 45 degrees, a little less than a foot away. You should move about 2 inches per second... which means that an entire row should about 9-10 seconds for the average case panel.

Also, it's great to just do some work and see where it goes, but the better mods I've seen have sketches and such before any work is done. I guess you could say it's "Measure twice, sketch twice, measure again, cut." Not that you NEED to, but it DOES help, as opposed to randomly working.

[timetrap]

Thanks guys for the feedback and helpful suggestions. I will definately try those painting techniques (spiv's is great too) - I asked my dad last night how he paints his spots on some of his project cars and he told me almost the exact same thing you guys are telling me, and his paint jobs look absolutely amazing. I asked him if the paint would get all over your hands when you wet sand, thinking that you sanded while the paint was wet. What an idiot. :rolleyes: He laughed and clearly explained the technique, and it finally made sense. And Crimson, your suggestion is perfect. Nut cans were too big, so I am going to cut down the ends of a large tin can and bondo them around the hole. It should look very nice. I'll do an update soon, thanks again!

[Sobek]

cgrant and ness nailed it with the painting guides but I will offer this as well. Use 2000grit sandpaper after the first layer or two of clearcoat to smooth out any imperfections or buildup of CC. Use it very lightly and it works better wet. Black paint is easier to clearcoat from my experiance the past few weeks so that shouln't be much of a problem for you. Just keep in mind that clearcoating will make it appear glossy.

Looking good so far.

[timetrap]

Thanks for the clear coating advice, I will do that.

Here's a small update - I hope to wake up early tomorrow, head down to home depot and start painting at least the side panels and the top. I spent about 3 hours on this today and got a decent amount of work done. Most importantly the impressive results (at least in my humble opinion, as I thought this would all look terrible) have inspired me to keep going. I have realized as a first time case modder that there is a decent startup expenditure involved, that is upfront costs (for a poor college student :p) . My Dremel will last me for years, but altogether I will have spent about $100 on supplies to modify this case. Breaking this down, about $80 has been spent on basic stuff that I previously didn't own such as the dremel, sandpaper, dust masks, goggles, sauder, bondo (this $5 can will last me forever), etc. This is all stuff I'll have for some time, so I'd imagine in the future it should only cost me about $20 to modify a case, at least to a basic degree. Not too shabby.

Alright, so here's what I did today.

The grilles from the speakers' original cases were sanded and then sprayed with some Krylon anti-rust stuff I had lying around. Since they were kind of rusty around the top and the color was a silver, I went ahead and did it knowing its not paint.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01981.jpg

I sanded down all the paint and to the bare metal (which will be primed tomorrow).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01982.jpg

Using CrimsonSky's great suggestion I ate a can of soup and cut off the ends, making very sure not to bend or mis shape them. I wasted a whole cut-off wheel on this, now I'm down to only 4 left after only two days! :eek:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01983.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01984.jpg

I then got the bondo out and proceeded to dig in our recycling to find a paper box to place the top of the case on in order to have the smaller soup can ends rest on something. Cheez-its rock for this purpose.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01991.jpg

Here's my really messy bondo job, though I'm starting to get better at it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01992.jpg

Nearly finished sanding after 20 minutes...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01994.jpg

And done sanding after 20 more minutes... (left circle looks somewhat ovally because its closer to the camera)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC01995.jpg

The last thing I did was sand down the control box some more. You can't feel the line between the two pieces I crazy glued together. This will be painted and then clear-coated eventually.

Well that's it for today. I also bondoed the place where the case badge use to be, but that was really ugly so I didn't take a picture of it. Hopefully I can do an update tomorrow, assuming I get anything done. ;)

[DRJ1014]

As for the painting go in lines. hold down the spray nozel and go across the case top from left to right then stop spraying. then start spraying right to left. then stop then left to right. it will give you a nice even coat.

[cgrant26]

Nice update! Keep em comming. :) I'd say you have graduated from n00b status. :)

[DRJ1014]

yes he has graduated and moved up to amature. or is that worse? i always get confused

[JEEVES/whohasmyname?]

how sturdy are those can heads? Bondo is not realy ment as an epoxy, just becareful as the bondo will crack easily with the sligtest movement (and that will show through the paint). Main thing with painting and modding in general is take your time. Go slow, even if it takes you a year, believe me you wont regret it. Dont cut corners cuase it will come back to bite you in the ass. but that is just my two cents.

JEEVES

[clone#13]

A hole saw would have given ya a perfect circle. I know it is kinda late now, but keep in mind for the future. Great job though.....keeps us update!!! :D

[timetrap]

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. Jeeves, I was worried about using bondo as well and was going to use JB Weld instead, but I realized that the case top does not bend at all. Even clamping it down to the table didn't bend the metal, because it's basically a box structure. The metal is also a little more than 1/16th inch steel, so its pretty non-flexible itself. The can ends are also pretty sturdy. Just to be safe, I may sand down the other side and place a small layer of JB Weld along the ring. That should keep it in place should anything happen, but I'm not too concerned. BTW, I've seen the stuff you do with bondo, and you're quite amazing!

I don't have a hole saw, but after I was going through all the trouble of cutting the hole my neighbor was out cutting his lawn and wondering what I was doing. He then told me I could have come down and used his shop, which is huge and has a hole saw attachment for his drill press. :mad: I will have to consult him next time I do anything.

Another question - I have an old palm pilot and I was considering cutting a slot on the front of the case (making it flush, of course). I wouldn't want to use just the screen, but rather keep the whole thing intact (and leave the backlight on). If I'm not mistaken, a AAA battery provides 1.5v. Could I somehow make this run off the power supply using a resistor or something? Anyone have any links to someone who did something similar?

[penguin]

As for painting, I really really like Linear's Painting guide:
http://linear1.org/gm/archives/00000156.php
Very nice guide with pics :) As for everything else, looking really good, especially for a first mod :)

[Kurtis]

i would also advise against using Krylon to paint by the way. I have found Dupli-Color to be MUCH MUCH nicer

[Tripper]

I'd agree with all that you are doing a great job for your first try. I've painted more than one case and I now allow myself around a month or so for doing one as you really do need to do more planning than work. I am in no way good at this yet, do it for fun, but the last one I did had the best paint job I have yet to do and it took around 20 days (Ima freak for letting the paint cure). I take a case and paint it like a car.....buncha coats and a crapload of wetsanding.

Anyways, what I was gonna recommend is not just using bondo, although you seem to be pretty good with it. I use spot filler also--not the cheapest stuff but not too bad. It works perfect when a mirror like paint job is what you are after (no air bubbles, etc). Might fix that line in your speaker control panel.....

I was thinking also, are you lighting this thing up or what? LED's on the speaker controls would look pretty cool....

Keep going bro....you are off to one helluva start! :D

[JEEVES/whohasmyname?]

Anyways, what I was gonna recommend is not just using bondo, although you seem to be pretty good with it. I use spot filler also--not the cheapest stuff but not too bad. It works perfect when a mirror like paint job is what you are after (no air bubbles, etc). Might fix that line in your speaker control panel...

You can pick up a HUGE tube of spot filler from auto zone or homedepot for like 3 bucks. And I would also recomend using it, Infact I am even going to say it is a must. The spot filler goes on in very thin layers and 2000 grit can cut through it like butter, but you will get a perfectly smooth surface with it. You said that you have scene my WL, well the spot filler is the uber red stuff that i was putting on practicly everywhere i did work to. Defenitly worth investing in.

JEEVES

[Sobek]

Deffinetely get some spot putty. I used two applications/layers of it on my res. It can be seen on page 5 of my worklog. Wet sanding with anything over 800 grit (like 2000 as Jeeves said) gets it super smooth. I started with a lower grit and worked my way up.

I will tell you what no one told me about using Spot Putty. You have to apply it in very small amounts because it hardens as fast as Bondo itself. At least with it you don't have to mix it together. I found it was very easy to apply by wearing a latex glove and just squeezing a small amount onto my gloved finger and then spreading it out with my finger. When it dries to the glove, just pull the latex out from your finger a little bit and the dried putty will plake right off. The putty dried finger portion will wear out from use after a while but then you just have to switch fingers.

edit: I forgot to mention that you should get a Tack Cloth for removing dirt and junk from your paint job before you add a new layer. It's basically like medical guaze but is sorta sticky so it picks up everything. The only better alternative is an air compressor (I'm too lazy to haul mine next door everyday to use my neighbor's). You can get them at most hardware stores or even Wallmart for a few dollars.

[Tripper]

Also, when wetsanding in between coats I use a little bit of dish liquid in the water as it helps the paper glide easier and lifts alot of the residue off the panel for a cleaner rinse.
Sand, rinse, dry, repeat. I'm sounding like a frikken hair care commercial....sheesh! :rolleyes:

I'd like to see some more pics on how you are coming along also....hard to try and help if we can't see!! ;)

[timetrap]

Thanks for the suggestions. It has been pouring down rain here in Seattle for the past couple days and I'm afraid to paint, though I've been dying to. I had to bring all the dusty crap inside, but here's a few pictures as to how the primed panels look.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC02007.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC02008.jpg

As you can see, I'm going to go out and buy some spot putty and put it to good use. I saw this spot under closer inspection (its zoomed in quite a bit and you can't really see it without looking very closely on the panel).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/casemod1.jpg

The picture makes the metal can end look raised, but its not... :confused: Don't know what to make of that. Once we get some decent weather out here I'm going to start painting.

[Tripper]

Looking good bro--the spot putty should take care of all that little stuff no problem. Flat black spray paint put over each primer coat in a 'mist' is called a guide coat. That way when you are sanding you will see high and low spots, imperfections, etc. Keep priming and sanding till your paint will go on perfect. Anything else will show up in the finished product.

Patience, young grasshoppa. Looking good so far. Hope the weather clears up more so you can get back at it!!

[timetrap]

Did a little more work today.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC02013.jpg

Finally a decent weather day to do some work!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC02012.jpg

Wet sanded the primed panels with 800.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC02014.jpg

The result was quite nice indeed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC02015.jpg

Used some bondo spot putty to fill in the tiny indentations that I had missed before. The stuff worked great, thanks for the recommendation fellas.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC02018.jpg

I probably should have just used some bondo again (the case badge was already bondo'd, but I used some of the filler putty instead to get rid of tiny grooves I had left in the stuff.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/holes.jpg

I then primed this again and wet sanded it about an hour later. This picture doesn't give you a good example, but its smooth.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC02023.jpg

Then came the paint! For this I chose some flat black, as I don't want it to be terribly shiny when I'm done. My PlusView isn't shiny, so I want it to match to some degree. I will be putting at least two more coats on each and then a couple layers of clear coat.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v459/timetrap/DSC02024.jpg

The top panel. Starting to look good.

Well that's it, I'm rethinking the control box idea as its been a pain to get it right... I'm thinking of taking the floppy drive cover and cutting holes in that, then making my own buttons. Whatever I end up doing, its probably not going to be easy. :)

[DryFire]

this is one of those things many people would not think about doing. Very nice mod so far. Especailly for your first.

[sandman78]

Wow, looking good.

[Tripper]

Coming along--glad the spot filler worked for you. Are you going to wetsand between coats or just keep painting? You said you didn't want a shiny case....

I'll just sit back and watch this one as I don't really know where you are heading. I'm sure you can see it I guess I just am so used to shiny shiny paintjobs.

Keep going bossman....you're doing extremely well :)

[CrimandEvil]

Nice good there kid, looks like it's coming along nicely. :)

[timetrap]

Thanks guys. I've wetsanded with 800 grit between each coat for about 10 minutes. Its usually pretty shiny afterwards, but most importantly the imperfections are gone. I am a perfectionist so this mod had better reflect that. I don't want a super shiny case, but it will be shiny. It looks like I can't avoid that easily even with flat spraypaint. Besides, black looks shiny very easily. I will likely do about two more coats of color then two of clearcoat. The point is that I want the case to look elegant, and importantly I want it to be easy to wipe down. Oh, and yes, the spot filler did work great, and it sands down very nicely.

Just to give ya'll an idea of what its going to look like, I'm not going for cheesy colors here. The exterior will be black, including the front panel. The speaker grilles will be shiny silver, as will the front grille. I am putting some black 1" castors on the bottom of the case. I will not be cutting a side window, as I'm kind of sick of them. My main/gaming rig with a PlusView has a window and you do grow tired of seeing it everyday. I want more of a mysterious look now.

If you note the pictures of my case originally, there are the ventilation holes/grill on the top of the case where the speakers will be. Space permitting, I will put a blue cold cathode in there to shine out the slits. A similar set of slits reside on the two panels, and so I will be mounting a blue cold cathode behind the motherboard tray and inside the case itself. This will shine out a bit from the front grille as well as the side slits. I have decided that I will be tossing the original control box for the speakers and instead making my own out of a floppy drive bay cover. I'm hoping to put some opaque plastic around the buttons/knob so that the blue from the CCFL will shine through. I also plan on changing the red LED to a blue one. The CDRW drive will be masked.

Taking an idea I saw from a sound proofing forum, I plan on making an aluminum/metal shroud on the back so that a 120mm fan can blow out, hopefully reducing the noise. Underneath this shroud will be hidden a power strip from which I will hopefully be able to disguise. Into it will plug the speakers, PSU, an 8-port rj-45 hub (which will be modded somewhere I haven't decided), and the plug for the KVM. I want things to look as clean as possible, that's why this is being added to the back. The idea of a singular plug going into the wall from the case is very attractive.

Anyway, this is what I've come up with. Any other ideas are appreciated. :)

[timetrap]

Oh, where can I get some blue LEDs for cheap? I'm also planning on modding my MS intellimouse explorer with a blue LED instead of the red one, so I could probably put about 10 of them to use.

[Tripper]

Now we're talking. I love the idea of doing the hub and the power supply in the box....that is definately new. Now I'm starting to think of how I could do that :p

BTW....think about making it really shiny......nothing is sexier than a perfectly finished paint job and you can use gloss over flat with little to no problem as long as you use the same type (enamel, laquer, etc). I'd move up in grit as you get further along also. It tends to thin out the scratches as you are probably seeing (and feeling) already. I personally used 6 coats of paint and 6 of clear on my last case......but I've moved a few times and I need to clean it up.

Idea 1: Mount the power strip to the side of your cards (pci, agp etc). Looks to me like there should be enough room there but remember rule #1: It's your case. Rule #2 is BE CAREFUL!!....lol

Idea 2: Use a 5 1/4 bay for the hub and run the wires back through the bezel.....that would be fuggin kewl!! I'm looking at a 4 port right now and starting to think......... :D :D

I like your idea....keep on trucking man. I'm impressed so far....my first mod got tossed after about 4 days. You have talent....don't let anyone tell you different

[SayNoToPistons]

Oh, where can I get some blue LEDs for cheap? I'm also planning on modding my MS intellimouse explorer with a blue LED instead of the red one, so I could probably put about 10 of them to use.
ebay, but the 3+ dollar shipping is gona cost you even if like 50 leds are like a cent so it adds up to like 4 bucks for like 50 leds of different colors. check the voltage first though