The Modded Antec Mini P180 Thread

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antecuser

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Jun 2, 2008
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The mini p180 has just come out from antec just a few weeks ago. I have not seen any mods on this case done yet, so I am thinking i am the first. This case is super quiet and also very fun to mod.

Here is the case and what it looks like inside and out. I will get to my mods in a bit..



My first mod was to change around the hdd cages. Like the larger p182, this case has two hdd cages. One with twohdd sleds, the other has then sideways and can fit 3 hdds. I wanted to use the sled system, but my video card made that impossible. Also the hdd cages are not interchangable.

So i took the sled hdd cage, took off its rails, and put the rails from the other hdd cage on the sled cage. I also oriented the rails differently by 90 degrees. I added some spacers between rails and cage because the top hdd cage location is slightly taller than the bottom location.

I also had to bend in the piece of metal where the thumb screw went to hold down the hdd cage. Also had to redrill new holes for the grommets that hold in the hdds. The old holes are made for the hdds so that the ports face out, but I wanted them facing in. So i drilled some holes, then drilled larger holes until they met.



Now, after I finished doing this, I noticed i scuffed up the back panel. Which means now would be a good time to add a custom window. I dont know what color i should choose though. Please take note that this case scratches very easily.




Now, because I was adding in a window, I decided to add some lighting. I also wanted to fix my hdd activity led which was not working either. Now no matter what I did, the led would not turn on. So i gave it some 5v from the psu and found my problem. There was a short in the wire which almost made my system catch fire.



Here is my lights added in and the fixed hdd light. The old hdd led was blue, but since my lighting is red, I changed the hdd led to red as well.



I will be buying and installing a window kit soon. I need suggestions on what colors I should use or if my window should be clear.

Btw, this is my first time modding a case.
 
***** Update *******

Just bought a clear window kit. Im hoping that most of the top will be visible through the window.
 
im interested in the is case, look pretty awesome might get over lian li for a pc im building for a kid
 
I've been thinking about getting one of those for a smaller build. My P180B weighs a ton with all the crap I got in it, lol. Very nice.
 
Wow,

I have not checked this thread in two months and look at all these responses.

To everyone that has replied and waited, I have cut into my case. However the window kit that I bought from performance-pcs was tricky and hard to do due to the very thick side panels of the Antecs.

So now I have a giant hole in my side panel with no plastic to cover it. I did try cutting my own plastic window and using screws or other methods to attach it. However, a scroll saw is a bad choice to use, and created many small fractures on the cut line.

I am afriad I might need something laser cut which can be expensive or maybe performance pcs can send me a custom cut peice of plastic to my exact specs.
 
Thanks for the posts. Looking forward to seeing how it looks with the windows installed.

Has anyone managed to mod a mini to fit an ATX board in it? Haven't been able to find anything on how such a mod might work. I bought a P180 mini, then found a really good deal I couldn't pass up on an Abit IP-35 Pro. Oops. I have a P182 also, but thought it'd be fun to modify the mini (which should have better cooling anyway). Plus, the mod will keep me busy so I won't try any more builds till Nehalem becomes available for my budget.
 
I've got this same case and have been thinking seriously about a window. Bottom line is that the nicely finished black interior is just too cherry to cover up and the case is very quiet anyway.

I was hoping to see your mod and get some ideas. Sorry to hear about the trouble you've had. I am planning a window to cover the entire side panel or rather a replacement. My uncle is an engineer and is helping me with the design. Once I get some pics I'll post them.
 
Ok everyone sorry for the long wait. Here is what everyone has been hoping for.



After the initial cut into the case, I used my dremel to clean up the lines and curves. Performance PCS was able to make and ship me a laser cut window to my exact specs for $15 flat. That is the best way to do it and you cannot beat the pricing.

Now as far as quality goes, I know I did this hastily and now I regret it. At first I was going to use the corners and you can see the holes I already started. However, I left on the paper while drilling holes so I did not scratch or break the plastic. Thus I was drilling holes blind.

O well, my case needed my side window. In the 6 months since I have had this case, the insides were completely covered with dust. Had to literally get a vacuum to get the dust out.
 
looks good, i bought one also...... it will be here tomorrow, i will definitely be doing the HDD rail change
 
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