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Maze case mod

D

Drewdog

n00b
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Messages
30
This weekend I finally got my ass in gear and put a few modifications on my case.

I started by taking all the components out of the case and sucking the 5 pounds of dust out. The dust bunnies were turning into dust buffalo's...
Then I reinstalled everything and followed Holly's wiring guide to hide the wires. Wiring Guide
It was a tight fit putting the extra molex connectors and wires back behind the mb tray, but they fit.

Before:

1525wires_before.JPG



After:
1525wires_after.JPG


Holy crap, there is memory back there! I took a blue sharpie to the bright wires that stood out too much to help hide them.


After that I cut a hole in the side of the case using a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. It made a surprising smooth cut and needed minimal filing.

Now on the good stuff...
It just so happens that my parents run a laser engraving business. Which means that the acrylic cutting and etching for the window will be cheap. Score!

1525laser_machine.JPG

Thats the laser, quite a handy tool.

After all the graphics were worked out, I had the image etched onto 1/8th inch acrylic and then cut to size. I have a tube that connects the processor fan to the outside of the case, and the laser helped with that perfectly circular cut. It also leave an edge that doesn't need any smoothing.

1525edge.JPG


Attach the window to the case and viola. Not bad for my first window.

1525unlit_window-med.jpg


The picture really doesn't do it justice, the maze on the inside came out better than I expected.

And with the lights...

1525lighted_window-med.JPG


I wanted something else, something that would be different than most cases, so why not engrave right onto the case?
So I picked another maze pattern and engraved that onto the top of the case, removing the paint and stripping it down to the metal. Then I color filled the maze design that was etched out with blue to match the lights inside. the result...

1525top_maze.JPG


Thats all I could fit in this weekend. Some upcoming weekend I'm going to make some acrylic fan covers and figure out how to wire some LED's into them. Then I'm going to put all blue LED's in it replacing the green ones. Also a gasket around the window will improve the look a little.

It runs about 2 degrees C cooler now with the wiring redone, the airflow is much improved, so anyone who's overclocking and has a mess of wires, I'd definitely recommend rewiring. Unless of course you have H20 cooling. :p Anyway, hope you guys like and let me know what you think. Happy Modding
 
Awesome work, turned out really good.


The wiring job was massively improved :p
 
Wow... that's a nice design on the window. I like it a lot. Well done.
 
The whole maze concept makes for a cool theme, ant the window... nice.

By far the most stylish part is the laser engraving on the case. Props to yuo!
 
bad assed, but can you do the maze?? (your parents whant to adopt me for a week so i can get some engraving done??)

good work i hope to see the thing all togeather two thumbs up
 
Very nice job, i like the maze theme a lot, it looks cool and can keep you entertained on a boring evening.

You're lucky to have access to such machinery.
 
Why didnt you cut the window out from the side panel with the laser. A few passes taking off little more each time would have done it if its not a strong laser to cut through metal. Would have looked better imo.
 
Wonder how much money they could make selling custom engraved case windows to the computer world, or do they already do that?
 
Originally posted by Triath
Why didnt you cut the window out from the side panel with the laser. A few passes taking off little more each time would have done it if its not a strong laser to cut through metal. Would have looked better imo.
Click to expand...

You cant cut thru metal with a low watt CO2 laser. :(





Originally posted by NewBlackDak
Wonder how much money they could make selling custom engraved case windows to the computer world, or do they already do that?
Click to expand...


Yes we already do that :)



Nice job Drewdog on your first time with a laser....its fun :)
 
To cut through metal you need what is commonly called a YAG laser. They are extremely expensive, mostly only industrially owned, but you might be able to find one that will do a small side job for you.

The maze in the window i can do, haven't tried the one on the top though. It will be good to help procrastinate though :)

My brother(also an [H] member) has a black anodized aluminum case that he wants to do soon. The laser will remove the anodized part leaving shiny aluminum to stand out. Look for some pictures of that if I can motivate him enough to do it.

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by NewBlackDak
Wonder how much money they could make selling custom engraved case windows to the computer world, or do they already do that?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Yes there are quite a few companies that do this, as well as my family's. Every company is different though, just go with the one that has great service and timely feedback, as that is one of the most important parts of a custom job.
 
In case anyone was wondering, YAG stands for yttrium aluminum garnet. I believe they dope YAG crystal with different materials for different purposes, Nd:YAG (Neodymium) is used for dentistry.
 
Originally posted by Drewdog
My brother(also an [H] member) has a black anodized aluminum case that he wants to do soon. The laser will remove the anodized part leaving shiny aluminum to stand out. Look for some pictures of that if I can motivate him enough to do it.
Click to expand...

Alright already, I'll get off my ass and do some laser engraving :D I need an idea that will be better than the maze though!
 
hook a [H]ard brotha up with some etching :D

that window design makes me want to do a stargate themed case...
 
kronchev - I tried sending you a PM, but your mailbox is full. PM either myself or DrewDog and we can hook you up with some custom engraving for your window.:D
 
Damn you are very lucky you have a laser cutting tool cuts like a gem... I bought a table saw to cut my 1/2 acrylic for a WC box I am building.
 
Dang, that laser machine gives me a hard on:D

Very nice so far, keep up the good work.

How's your AN35N-U + 2xCorsair CMX working for you, OC wise?
 
I've never had a problem with this motherboard, which is worth its weight in gold in my book. The memory is Corsair XMS pc 2700. As for OC, I hear you can get up to 200MHz FSB with these but I haven't played around with it that much. My Barton 2800+ is't locked so I have it at 168x13.5, almost a 200MHz OC.

That Thermaltake Volcano 7 blows, and not in a good way. I can't put any more juice on the processor cause its gettin too hot. I'm gonna grab my bro's Thermalright SLK900-A when he starts water cooling. :)
 
Whoa, that is neat. I want to attempt and make a use out of the Wiring Guide but not enough resources and time to do so.
 
I love that etching. Sweet job and welcome to the forums.

Originally posted by kronchev
that window design makes me want to do a stargate themed case...
Click to expand...

As soon as I get some money I plan on building a HTPC that is Stargate themed. Plan on ripping all 6 seasons I have on DVD to a HD along with all my Divx movies, etc. I'd like to have the entire thing look like a Stargate if I can (with an LCD in the middle). One way or another it will have a huge fucking Stargate on it though with every single little detail I can put in it. Been thinking about this idea for a while now, just need the $$$.
 
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