Mod Project: APHEX

E

ErrOnReq

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 5, 2003
Messages
187
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:

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.

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

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Kurtis taking pictures of me dremeling:

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

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

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

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Anyway, I'm tired. I'll go in to more detail later.
 
i love those superflower cases. i wish i could get one. it looks like kingwin, or inwin make ones that look exactly like those.
 
Looks like a nice start. Keep us updated, maybe you'll inspired me to mode my SF-561 :) .
 
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.
 
I have this case and am very interested to see what you have in store for it. :D
 
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.

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

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

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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:

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

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

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Well, that is it for now...
 
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.
 
whoa, where do you live by the way?

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

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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 :-/
 
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!
 
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 :)
 
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.

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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.


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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

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So purdy.
 
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.


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Closer look:

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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:

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Closeup:

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


anyway nice mod!
 
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.
 
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:

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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.
 
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. :)
 
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.

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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.

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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.

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A close-up shot of the bends.

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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.

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

i like how this is coming together so far.
 
I smell Harbor Freight . 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.
 
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.
 
Also, sure that mesh polishes up nice but how are you going to prevent it from rusting? clearcoat it? or is it stainless?
 
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.
 
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!
 
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