Project: Gr1zz

[WarMace]

It has been raining since my last post so i haven't gotten much case work done.

So here is a picture of Sage helping. I was eyeballing how to mount a HDD between the bars to the left.

I decided to switch gears to the small LCD in the instrument panel.

I may need some assistance from anyone who knows electronics. Feel free to chime in if you know the answers.

Here is the PDA. It was thrown out at work because it would not hold a charge. So I snagged it in hopes of giving it a new life here.

It is missing the power cable, so with a little luck i can power it from the PSU.

Dissembling the docking station showed how simple it really is.

Heres where I'm a little unsure of myself. If the underside of the docking station labeled the black power port as "5V DC, 2A". Does that mean i can just hook the red wire to +5v line on the power supply, the black to ground, and it will power the unit? Or is there more to it??
The PDA is DOA so it doesn't matter anymore. Good thing i found out before spending a lot of time on it.

The water cooling parts are all in, but I cant even begin to use them until the case is finished.

 

[JonCl]

I think the 5V DC, 2A means it needs a 5V power supply that can supply at least 2A. If your 5V supply from your psu is rated for 2+ amps, then I think you're good.

The water cooling parts are all in, but I cant even begin to use them until the case is finished.

Me too!

 

[AMD_RULES]

It has been raining since my last post so i haven't gotten much case work done.

you must be on the east coast

 

[WarMace]

I think the 5V DC, 2A means it needs a 5V power supply that can supply at least 2A. If your 5V supply from your psu is rated for 2+ amps, then I think you're good.

According to the box

Silverstone Zeus ST85ZF
+5V is 30A

So i guess I'm safe there, it just seems too easy...

you must be on the east coast

Yup, Mass. but not by choice.

 

[AMD_RULES]

Yup, Mass. but not by choice.

yep, down here in PA, bad flooding and wind.
everything on the case looks good so far

 

[Willsonman]

Yeah, it has been crazy windy here in NC with TORNADO warnings!! Lots of rain last night but cloudy and WINDY here today.

Anyways, I was looking at my pocket PC for something like this but could not get it to do what I wanted in Vista. Innobec sidewindow worked well in XP but I'm not sure how you plan to interface the PDA. Just thought I would throw that out there.

 

[WarMace]

Well the PDA wouldn't turn on even with the original power cable, its really frustrating because that was a key part of this mod. Those units go for $99 on ebay, so its not like i can just go out and grab another one. Glad I tested it before I got too far, I'm so bummed out by this. Maybe I can find another one, but i doubt it.

The skys parted this evening just to give me enough time to do some cutting so here you go.

I cut a little bit off each end of the lid. I need to go shopping for a hinge tomorrow.

I cut out the top window. It looks great if i do say so myself.

No more major cutting left, now i just need to start shaving off anything that obstructs the lid from closing.

 

[Willsonman]

Did you try to reset it before you powered it up? Pretty sure its the two outside buttons at the bottom + power + reset. Try that.

 

[Viperlover]

Maybe the pda doesn't work but the screen should still work. It's worth a try, and you really have nothing to lose.

 

[FIDDYOWNZ]

update please? Lol, I can't wait to see this beast...

 

[Teknokid]

alphacool do lcd's.....
put a pin in reset and hold the power button. or just try the reset...

 

[Arcygenical]

Thought about using a PSone screen instead?

 

[WarMace]

update please? Lol, I can't wait to see this beast...

LOL, I did, 2 hours before you posted that.

Yeah, I reset the device and all that. I thought it would turn on at least when i got it, but i may have been wrong, the led wont even come on.

Fear not, in the words of my comforting wife "Youll think of something, you alwase do."

I am dead set on having a LCD in the insturment panel, so ill figure something out.

 

[meinzorn]

I am dead set on having a LCD in the insturment panel, so ill figure something out.

What were you going to use the LCD for? were you just going to leave the PDA as is or were you going to try to display other stuff on it?

you can probably get a small display screen on the internet for around 100$ I think.

 

[WarMace]

I am planning on using Innobec sidewindow that Willsonman mentioned, I have used it in the past successfully with XP, but have not been able to get it going in Vista.

It makes your PDA become an additional monitor so i could put anything on it i can drag to it.

Its still raining, so I went to Home Depot and picked out the hardware to mount the top window. And some of the hardware to make the hinge, but i don't think I like it and may use something different...

Edit: Home Depot has nothing compared to the hinges they stock at wallmart. I got my hinges.

 

[WarMace]

Found another PDA in the bin at work that has issues. Its digitizer only works half of the time. So I grabbed it for this project. The downside is that it hasn't technically been thrown out, so I am only borrowing it, and should it be called on for its parts I will forfeit it. A digitizer is the touch sensitive layer of the screen, making it useless as a PDA, but great as a mini full color monitor. There are zero charging cables with it so i found the cheapest cable at radioshack that had the same plug so i could use it for the project below...

Having spare molex pins in your toolbox is priceless. Here you have the power jack that fits the pda, and molex pins.

Positive to positive and ground to ground, with my very first heat shrink tubing to hide the ugly gobs of solder.

Because the PDA is a loaner i quadruple check everything. Ground, Check! Positive 5v in the center, Check! (Wow, my test power supply has a high 5v)

iPAQ's are excellent for mounting inside PC's because they charge off 5v which is ample inside a modern PC.

I bite my tongue as i hook up the iPAQ.

Charging.....?!?! Success! I never doubted myself for a second....

I'm figuring out the logistics for the peltier hookup in my thread in the Electronics sub forum in case you want to follow my work on that. Once their expert advice gets me on the right track, I'll post the final wiring plan for it in this thread.

Its still raining outside, but...
30 Days until the storm.

 

[Willsonman]

You can always swap screens Glad to see you are making headway. I'm just watching everyone else mod right now since I am finishing up a semester. May 1st is last day and I only have 4 exams. Microbiology, Cellular Biology, Chemistry, and history of american music. Enough of my griping!! get going!!

 

[WarMace]

You can always swap screens

Shhh!!

Glad to see you are making headway. I'm just watching everyone else mod right now since I am finishing up a semester. May 1st is last day and I only have 4 exams. Microbiology, Cellular Biology, Chemistry, and history of american music. Enough of my griping!! get going!!

I'm doing what I can. Getting the metal case to fit the curve of the lexan is going to be tricky once the rain stops. Until then, I'm prepping other parts. Marking cut lines, Planning, picking out hardware, relearning circuitry.

Edit:

Here you can see the light outline of the hole I plan to make for accessing the CPU backplate. Too big? After that is cut and de-burred, that piece will be ready for paint.

Here is black vinyl tubing i will slit lengthwise to use as a gasket on the sharp edge of the curve. There is a 1" sample applied.

 

[WarMace]

I'm pumped! I have tons of lines drawn and ready to do a lot of cutting, the rain finally stopped.

The little screw head sheared off the cutting bit on my first cut! By the time dinner is ready and I finish it I can come back from the store in time for it to be too dark to cut. (I don't cut after dark because I don't want to annoy the neighbors.)

Well that was a fun. I will buy a new bit, and a spare or two so i can cut first thing tomorrow morning. Expect a big update tomorrow because I have the day off, and no where to go.

 

[[M]artini69]

Hope the weather brightens up so u can work on it some more! Looking awsome so far keep it up!

 

[AMD_RULES]

looks good
keep it up

 

[Willsonman]

Yeah, had the screw sheer right off TWICE the last time I used my dremel. Stupid diamond cutting wheel. Ahhwell. Look forward to the update

 

[matrix563]

nice. i have a stacker case. i can'twait to see how it ends up

 

[Arcygenical]

Can I suggest you go pick up a CHEAP 1 time use jigsaw for your cuts? it takes about 10 seconds to do a line around a foot long.

For reference, the first few radiators I put up top on a case? They took about 2 hours by dremel. I can do them in under 5 minutes with a drill and jigsaw, and the cuts are a hell of a lot straighter too!

Looking good though

 

[Teknokid]

yep keep us upto date pleeeeese.

 

[WarMace]

28 Days until the free dog tags.

OK, the sky is beautiful and I have been measuring, cutting, and carefully deburring since 9AM. Its 12-noon and I took a lunch break to let the cordless drill charge and give you a update.

First up is a bunch of hardware I have accumulated over the last couple rainy days.

• 18 Gague Wire (assorted colors)
• Hinges
• Dremel spindles
• Dremel engraving bit (I may try my hand at this IF I have any spare time before the Nor'Easter)
• A 20A switch with High, Low, and Off positions for the TEC (peltier)
• some heat shrink tubing
• Nuts and bolts for attaching the windows and various items.
• Some nice plastic covers for the top window bolts.
• a couple inline fuses for the TEC (one for 5V and the other for 12V)
• Molex Connector kit, but i need more male's

My Dremel is back into action.

Can I suggest you go pick up a CHEAP 1 time use jigsaw for your cuts? it takes about 10 seconds to do a line around a foot long.

Noted, it will be nice to have one for next time, but the cutting is nearly done on this project. The reinforced bits are great for cutting the thick steel in hard to reach corners.

...and I am back on track.

Nice square hole cut, deburred, and ready for paint. After a bit of scuffing of course.

In case you missed it, I plan on moving the HDD's to the side bars like so. I diced a old HDD tray to make the angle brackets. Just need 2 holes drilled and they will be ready for paint.

Top window ready to be cut to length. ProTip: If you tape both sides of your cuts in Lexan the burrs are easier to remove because they cant stick to the plastic.

Cut to length, but need a bit of trimming and notching to fit inside.

Snug inside finally.

Started drilling holes until the batteries died. Charge faster!

Cut the lid even shorter. I'm paranoid I will cut too much off, so i measure 3 times using a metric ruler.

This is where the hinges will be on both sides. I worry about them not being square. (If multiple hinges are not perfectly straight then your door will not close smoothly, or worse, will tweak the case. I am considering reinforcing the hinges using Arcygenical's suggestion, but i will instead use scrap steel i cut out of the case because its free.

I'm getting really close to mounting the lid. This excites me because once the lid is finished, the rest should fly together.



This really is a testament to the CM Stacker case. Stock is o.k., but it really gives you a lot of modding opportunity's. Ultimately I chose to try to deviate from a box case and that is what is consuming most of my time, but I do not regret it in the least. The worst part is not knowing how well the top will look when finished. I cannot look like a 5 year old did it. Otherwise I will have to try something different.



Ok, back to lunch then back to work!

 

[WarMace]

The bad news is the switch on my Dremel Tool broke.


The good news is before it had 3 settings, Off, low, and High. Now it is just Off, and Woah!

I called the company, and they said I can take it back to Lowes, and don't have to mail it to California. So it looks like I will continue working as soon as i get back.

 

[WarMace]

Ugh, darn drill went dead again, so I guess Ill post more pictures while its charging.

Its now 7:43PM and millions of people are sitting down to watch the Red Sox battle the Yankees, I am putting the last minute touches on my case before some friends arrive for a LAN party. Here is everything I have done since the noon update.

Hinges on. If you look close you can see i made little shims out of lexan bits so the hinge wasn't falling off the top window. Ehhh, well their there anyway, you'll have to trust me.

I shaved out little cutouts for the hinges out of the lid so it would be flush, but ultimately it did not close correctly so....

...I cut it flush again. I will use a pliable material to fill the gap. (Its not crooked, its a bad camera angle).

Drilled and bolted on the lid, wow, it felt like i was never going to get to this point.

Its looking so good, I don't think I need to use the rubber hose gasket on the outside edge.

Now that the lid is in place I begin clearing the way for the instrument panel.

Cutting away the extra.

Heres my mockup for the instrument panel. Looking back on this photo, i could have cut the notches smaller.

Taped and measured the instrument panel.

Here is when the dremel went ape-sh** and spun at Mach5. It was so fast the cutting bit ran cool and didn't melt the lexan one bit, hence the front half of my body all white with fine powder.

Drove to Lowes to exchange the dremel for a new one and lost some time in rush hour traffic.

It fits, and it looks darn good too.

Threw down some tubing so the instrument panel wouldn't get scratched up thought its life.

With the drill charged I mounted the HDD mounts.

I also made 4 little right angle brackets with screw holes for securing the instrument panel, but the drill died again before I could mount them.

Hope that tides you over for the weekend, Cheers!

 

[l0cke]

looking very good!

 

[AMD_RULES]

looks great

 

[rsgunter]

Awesome dude! Super creative! Great workmanship as well. I can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[RAA-Kr1cH]

Lookin great so far!




You really need to buy a new drill!!! haha

 

[Wahoomcdaniel]

There's another option instead of filling the area between the curved lid and metal case top.
Instead of using two hinges as you installed, you could use a piano hinge.
The piano hinge will keep the lid straight and it can be cut to length. It will serve as the backing for the entire length of the plexi, so there shouldn't be an issue with the lid not fitting square.

Here's a link to one - I could only find a pic at an online woodworking store, but it is probably sold at Lowes as well.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=20&filter=piano%20hinge&cookietest=1

 

[Willsonman]

I believe I have seen that at lowes. Should do the trick nicely at a low cost. Also, as a hobby I do piano restoration... this stuff is not actually used on pianos except maybe to fix a bench lid

 

[WarMace]

There's another option instead of filling the area between the curved lid and metal case top.
Instead of using two hinges as you installed, you could use a piano hinge.
The piano hinge will keep the lid straight and it can be cut to length. It will serve as the backing for the entire length of the plexi, so there shouldn't be an issue with the lid not fitting square.

Here's a link to one - I could only find a pic at an online woodworking store, but it is probably sold at Lowes as well.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=20&filter=piano%20hinge&cookietest=1

Thanks, I was considering that, but could not find it at my home depot. I got those hinges at Wallmart because home depot didn't have simple project hinges.

You really need to buy a new drill!!! haha

Yeah, the drill is actually pritty good, its the charger makes bad contact.



Things are going pritty fast now, but I think the painting will slow me down again, thank you for reading, and stay tuned!

 

[tylerdustin2008]

Looks good!

 

[JonCl]

warmace, if you haven't yet picked up the paint, check my post #16 in my Typhoon project thread. That first paint I tried took basically a whole day just to touch! The second paint in that post took only ~45 minutes. Even better, if you can find lacquer-based paint, I believe it only takes around 20 minutes to dry to the touch and still leaves a very nice finish. BTW, project is looking good! Good luck with the paint job!

 

[Teknokid]

i used car paint on my case, takes 20mins to dry...

 

[WarMace]

warmace, if you haven't yet picked up the paint, check my post #16 in my Typhoon project thread. That first paint I tried took basically a whole day just to touch! The second paint in that post took only ~45 minutes. Even better, if you can find lacquer-based paint, I believe it only takes around 20 minutes to dry to the touch and still leaves a very nice finish. BTW, project is looking good! Good luck with the paint job!

I, coincidently, picked up the very same paint way back when i was starting. The internal parts and sides will be painted with thin coats of Rustolium (checking the days humidity helps). The inside will be flat black.

And I am working with a contact to get the outside an automotive finish. The outside will be painted in "Gunmetal" with a touch of blue for a hue. And then we will see about any last minute flair.

 

[Arcygenical]

Are you gonna try baking the (metal) painted bits? After they're dry, throwing them in an oven heated to 180f then shut off, creates an incredible finish.