MythTV HTPC

[The_Crippler]

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/worklogbanners/mythtv.png

Hey all. I figured that I've been lurking long enough, and that I should actually contribute something. Therefore, I have been taking pictures of my current project with the aim of making a worklog. The purpose of this project is to build a frontend for my networked media server. It is a Linux machine running the Mythbuntu (http://www.mythbuntu.org/) operating system. This allows me to have all of my music, videos, etc on a remote backend accessible from simple machines hooked up to my TVs.

This particular unit is the one for my living room TV. The challenge here is that I need to make it as small as possible (so that it doesn't intrude) - but at the same, I'm stuck using spare parts that I have around to keep cost down. This means a full ATX board, and non-slimline parts. Thankfully, I don't need an optical drive, so that cuts down on a lot of space.

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the case that I'm using parts from, as it was one I long ago tore apart. Here is a picture I found on google: http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/lot062.jpg It is an old Dell box that a lot of offices and universities used to use, which is why I like them: They're easy to find when they get thrown out.

On to the project.

I cut the internal section of the case down to make the tray for the motherboard.http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3190009.jpg

I saved some other parts of that case and another, identical, one that I had lying around. These will be used for the other two sides of the case. http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3190011.jpg

Around this point, I remembered why I hate to clean my workspace between projects: I can't find anything. It took me about 20 minutes just to find my speed square.

Once I located it, it started lining up parts and mark them out for the sides. http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3190014.jpghttp://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3190015.jpg

Not being one for welding or such, I am a huge fan of pop rivets. They are an easy, secure and sturdy way to affix pieces of metal. Just drill, stick in a rivet, and crimp it down. http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3190017.jpg

At this point, I had two and a half sides. The next step was to put together the rest of this frame.
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3190018.jpg

[The_Crippler]

As mentioned before, I had leftover parts from an identical case, as well as the left-overs from the one I cut the tray from. This came in handy for this part.

Side-note: When I work on a project, I rarely use plans aside from the vague ones that I have in my head. This leaves me a more organic approach to my creation that allows me to modify it as I go along. Case and point - this next step.

Looking at the main chunk of the case I had left, I eye-balled a section that looked like it would be a perfect fit.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3190019.jpg

So, a little mark and Dremel...

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3190020.jpg

...And voila:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3190021.jpg

Looks like it did work out pretty well.

"Well," but not perfect. As you can see below, there were some tabs in the back corner by the PSU vent that were going to get in the way, and some along the top of the front side. These were going to have to go. Time for some more Dremeling...

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3200001.jpg,http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3200002-1.jpg

This required about an hour of trimming, filing and grinding, but I was able to remove those parts. Now, for the actual assembly. Something that I've used in a number of my projects is aluminum angle stock. It's available at Lowes, Home Depot, etc and is fairly cheap. Also, it's soft enough to cut with a back saw and miter box, but it's strong enough to support cases without adding a lot of weight.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3200006.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3200007.jpg

So, I used some of this to affix the back corner, as well as shore up the front. I mounted it up at the top so that I later have something to attach the side panel to. NOTE: If you notice at the top of this pic, it doesn't look like it lines up too well with the side of case. At this point, it didn't, but I added a piece of angle stock to the inside to pull those too parts together. I didn't think that needed an extra picture to illustrate.

So there we have it: I have a box.
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3200009.jpg

It's not the prettiest box, but that's okay. I have more work to do. Among other things, there are some edges on the sides that need to be ground off, and some other parts cleaned up - but for now, I have the basic frame finished.

Here it is with the mobo and PCI/AGP cards test fit:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3200012.jpg

Next time I get a chance to work, I'm going to make the mount for the PSU, and possibly cut some holes in the front panel for the USB connections and a fan.

[The_Crippler]

Okay, let's try this again - although I warn you: The absolute genius of my original post is lost to the ages. It was chock full of handy tips and tricks that would have inspired a new age of modders. But alas, it was not to be. So, back to it, then.

I started in on the back panel for the power supply. As you can see here, there is a grate for the fan in the original case, but this section doesn't have an opening for the power cord.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3210001.jpg

Standard procedure applies here: Mark, Dremel and modify.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3210002.jpg

...and....

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3210003.jpg

...All gone.

Now that I have a large, gaping hole - I need to make it a smaller, purpose-driven hole. I took the bracket from the PSU's original case and marked out the opening and mounting holes I would need on a blank piece of sheet stock.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3210004.jpg

Round about this time, the battery went dead in my Dremel. One of these days, I need to get around to buying a corded one. (I love this one, but the dead battery thing gets old after a while.)

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3210005.jpg

So, since this wasn't going anywhere for a while, I figured that I would pop off to Lowes and grab some more cutting wheels. I like to use the reinforced type (http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=94716-353-426&lpage=none) for my work. They cost more - but they absolutely burn through sheet metal and they last far longer.

When I got back, it was a simple mater of finishing the cut and test mounting the PSU:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3210007.jpg

Since that fit, I trimmed the panel down and installed it in the case. Again, it's not pretty, but we haven't reached the evening wear portion of the show just yet. (It's times like these that I wish I could just skip to the body putty and primer paint portion of the project.)

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3210009.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3210010.jpg


Next time I get a to work, I'm going to trim off all of the outer parts that aren't supposed to be there and begin working on the outer shell. Also, when I get to the side panel, there will be a 120mm fan installed next to the PSU. This is mainly because I want an exhaust fan there to offset the equation of small case + old parts = high heat.


More to follow next time I get some free work time.

[The_Crippler]

/subscribe & +rep--what are you planning on using for a capture card?

Actually, this is just a front end, so I won't need a capture card in it. My backend is running a pcHDTV 5500.

[The_Crippler]

It appears that I constantly find more time to work than I thought I'd have. The latest step was a little clean-up and some more fabrication.

The case, as mentioned before, had a lot of "sticky-outie" bits that I needed to grind off. No pictures of that, as I figure you all know what a bit of metal flange looks like, and how you'd use a Dremel to take it off. (That, and none of the pictures looked that good...)

That was honestly all I had planned to do, but I decided to start working on the shell for the case. I didn't think to take pictures of it before hand, but I had this massive old (old) server case sitting around - it even had a turbo button on it for crissakes - that I decided to hack up for this part.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3230015-1.jpg

I set the case in there to get a rough size estimate to cut on. I always cut way over what I need, and then grind/trim to custom fit. (Always easier to make something smaller than it is to make it larger.) After marking it, It was time to rip it down. Behold my grandfather's jig saw!

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3230016.jpg

He gave me it when I was a kid, and it still works wonderfully. I think that it's around 40 years old at this point.

Here we go, all ripped down:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3230020.jpg

I also figured that I would drill, tap and test fit some thumb screws:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3230021.jpg

Here's some of that trimming to custom fit I was talking about:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3230022.jpg

Once I had one side trimmed down for height (I'm leaving the length for now while I plan the front) I marked out the top to trim it for width. My plan here is to make the top and the one side a single piece for ease. This may change.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3230023.jpg


Here is where I left off. It's rough cut, and I eye-balled out some U-channel to clean the edge up a bit.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3230024.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3230028.jpg


That's it for now. Next step is to make the access-panel side of the case, and then start planning out the bezel. Thanks for following along!

[The_Crippler]

Round about this time, the battery went dead in my Dremel. One of these days, I need to get around to buying a corded one. (I love this one, but the dead battery thing gets old after a while.)

I was damn near prophetic. I tried to do some work last night, and either my battery or the charger smoked. So...now I have to buy a new one. (Since stores don't carry batteries for them around here, and they're pretty expensive from Dremel direct.)

[The_Crippler]

Six years ago, a movie called Men in Black 2 came out. Now, I can finally quote a line without irony or being simply trendy:

Old and busted.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250004.jpg


New hotness.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250007.jpg



I splurged. I got the super-whamadyne-deluxe-that's-not-a-knife-that's-a-knife Dremel kit with everything. Some times you need to treat yourself.

First step was to cut down the front portion of the top and sides that I made in the last update.
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3240002.jpg

The new Dremel has a lot more horsepower than the old one, and it positively burned through this chunk. In no time at all, I had it chopped off and ready to go.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250008.jpg

Next, it was time to cut the access panel for the other side. I just used the left-over portion of the other sides, and cut the remainder of the "L" off the top to make a flat piece. Then, it was just a matter of cutting it to size.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250011.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250012.jpg

Hey, it's starting to look like something!

Time for a whole bunch of my old friend: Metal filing. Lots and lots of filing.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250014.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250018.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250019.jpg

But, eventually, things start coming together. The front needs a lot more filing, but at this point, I said, "Screw it, I'm going to bed."

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250020.jpg

Which translated to, "Work on something else for an hour." In this case, it was the bezel. Here is the one off the case that I've been cannibalizing for this project. Please note the awesomely old-school turbo button. (It pains me that a number of people on this board aren't old enough to have ever seen one of these...I'm getting old.)

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250021.jpg

I cut it down on my table saw and slimmed it up to make a mock-up of the bezel (it might be the production piece, but I'm not sure yet.) I glued it up and left it over night. Saturday, I will get back to work on it.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3250022.jpg

[The_Crippler]

It was kind of a misnomer, in that when "turbo" was engaged, the machine was running at its stock speed. Pressing the button to turn it off, and the machine ran slower. Think of it as reverse over-clocking. Software was often written to run on a machine that was running at a certain speed (this was especially true of games) and it wouldn't work right if it was on this year's slickest model - enter the turbo button. Turning turbo off dropped the machine to a speed that the software could handle.


Now get off my lawn.

[The_Crippler]

I got the same Dremel. On my NES, it was actually melting the plastic. My XPS didoesn't have any turbo buttons, but you can tell it in the bios, to run at the slower speed.

It's funny you mention that, but I'll get there in a moment.


The good news is that I have been working this week, but the bad news is that it hasn't been anything overly picture-worthy. Therefore, this update is going to be text-only.

Pretty much it's been a lot of filing, sanding and gluing to get parts to fit together a little better. The problem with building a case from scratch from found parts is that some times, things don't fit together as flush as you'd like.

Also, I've got the bezel just about ready to go (Actually, that's one of the main parts that I'm trying to get to fit better.) I had to do some plastic cutting with that last night.

Two simple facts of life: 1.) If you have a routine, stick to it always. 2.) If you don't just one time, that's when things go wrong.

Usually, I make a point to touch an eyebrow before I turn on my Dremel. This is because, should I be wearing my safety glasses, I will hit those instead. I forgot this last night. This, coupled with the fact that I have a brand new and perfectly clear pair of safety glasses lead me to believe that they were already on. They weren't.

As mentioned above, this Dremel can melt plastic. I realized that I wasn't wearing my eyes about a half second before a glob of melted plastic flung up and hit my eyelid. Thankfully, it was the lid and not the eye itself. Non-the-less, it hurts to blink right now as I have a nice ruptured blister there.


Let this be a lesson to you guys and gals - We've all had those, "Oh, it's just for a second" moments with glasses, seat belts, etc. Sometimes, that can end badly. Just sayin'.



So, that's all for now. I promise that I'll have pictures next time. Thanks for checking back in.

[The_Crippler]

Alrighty, here we go for today's update.

As previously mentioned, I've been doing a lot of sanding, filing and "persuading" to get things where I want them. The biggie was getting the bezel affixed.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3280003.jpg

Here it is, held on with quick-clamps (love those things.) I had the side held on with duct tape as a matter of convenience. I did that a lot on this, since I knew I was going to have to do a lot of cosmetic work anyway - but seriously, don't. It leaves a sticky mess everywhere and makes your worklog look ugly.

At any rate, I fabricated a couple of plastic straps on the back of the bezel that would lie flat with the front of the case. The goal here was to use machine screws to affix it.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3300011.jpg

Now, since I'm going to be making the front bezel smooth, and put the air intakes at the bottom, I'm not going to need these vent slats to look pretty (they'll be putty'd over.) Therefore, I figured that the screw holes would be drilled and tapped much easier through the front rather than through the inside. I just powered straight through here, and did the same at the bottom. It was then screwed in place from the inside.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3300013.jpg

After exploring a few other options, I decided that the least nerve-wracking way to affix the side panel securely was with a few standard case screws. I know that it's not the norm, but it works and doesn't look bad. Also, I put a temporary screw in the top to hold that part of the outside together. This will be filled in later after I cut the planned blow-hole.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3300014.jpg

So there we go: I have a case. A bland, ugly case that needs a lot of pretty-making. That's the funny part about building a case from scratch - sometimes you can work on a project for a few weeks, just to get to the point where one normally begins. :lick:

I'd like to take a minute to address what I consider an oversight: One of the things that I'm most proud of is the size I got this case down to. I realize now that I never really gave much in the way of relative comparisons.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3300015.jpg

On the left is the type of case I took the parts from to make the body of this project. On the right is a baby ATX case. Notice that I got everything (except an optical drive, which I didn't need) from a full ATX case in to something slightly taller - but thinner - than a baby ATX. So far, that is what I'm considering the true accomplishment of this project.



Okay, on the way home tonight, I'm going to pick up some body filler and maybe get to work on the next chunk. I'm kind of up in the air on that, because I may need to wait until I order some parts. If so, I will be in a holding pattern until after payday next week.

[The_Crippler]

Short update: I picked up some bondo last night...I wanted "short hair," but all they had was long-hair. I figured, "What the heck? It should work as well."

It doesn't. It's a pain the keister to work with. Going to check some other stores this weekend. That's about it for now.

[The_Crippler]

Okay, here's the first of, what I hope, will be a few updates this weekend. As mentioned above, I have begun work on the Bondo portion of the project, which has me more excited than you might know.

First part I'm working on is the back panel. This is both because it is structural, and because it's been a while since I've done Bondo work. :lick:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3310001.jpg

The work I need to do is to fill in around the hole to bring everything up to the same external height to make it look cleaner, and to do something with that ridge at the left portion of the picture.

Well, as I said, all the store had was long-hair filler, which is not a joy to work with. Here the first level is glopped on:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3310003.jpg

Yes. I know what it looks like. Time to take some sandpaper to that and see what I can do with it.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3310005.jpg

Okay, so the first pass wasn't that bad. Needs a lot of fill in, but that was to be expected. It was just a simple matter of mixing another batch up and slapping it on.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3310006.jpg

Here's where things became clear that I didn't like this stuff. Yes, it is fantastic for building stuff up, but it doesn't like filling in pits and crevices, which was going was going to be a problem on this chunk. Please note the ledge I began building up on that ridge we spoke about.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P3310007.jpg

After that, I sanded it down to this, and pretty much left it for a couple of days until I could get some standard filler at the store.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4020008.jpg

Thhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrreeeee we go. Good old-fashioned, red-neck-hot-rod, American, pinkish bondo. That's the freakin stuff.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4020010.jpg

A quick pass with some 40 grit and it's looking like something to write home about. Mix up some more and slap it down...

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4020011.jpg

Gettin' there. I took a moment to check my progress. A straight edge along one of the structural pieces was a good gauge of how level I'm getting it. As you can see below, I still need to fill in a bit more.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4020012.jpg

Therefore, it was time for yet another application. Notice that I'm still building up that ridge line on one side of the case.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4020013.jpg

After sanding, we're down to:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4020015.jpg

Sweet. Almost totally there. You will that there are still a few craters near the camera, but that's about it. I had to leave it here, because I needed to cleaned up for dinner. I'll pick it up there tomorrow. Also,it was here that I realized, you can tell a lot about a modder by how much time he spends on the back panel...

[The_Crippler]

Lookin' good. I wanna build a media server/HTPC... All I need now is a video card and hard drive. Then I'll build a case.

+rep

When if comes to media servers and hard drives, obviously bigger is better. The OS for the backend this one is connected to is on a 40 gig drive, and all of the media is on mirrored 500 GB SATA drives. LOts of space, but I plan to bring it up to a full terabyte of redundant storage.

[The_Crippler]

Back again! I've gotten a lot more work done since last night. First off, here's the back of the case with the PSU installed:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4030004.jpg

I still need to give it a finishing sanding to get rid of scratches, but that is yet to come. Notice the counter-sunk holes for the mounting screws.

That being done, I decided that I wanted to do some work on the bezel.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4030001.jpg

Bondo glopped on to cover the front, and then...

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4030002.jpg

...a piece glued in to plug the bottom hole. I will later install on in the other hole and bondo over them. In the mean-time, I didn't see anything wrong with sanding the other end to get that started.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4030003.jpg

Later, I bondoed over the lower parts, and would have sworn that I took a picture. I did not. But here's an exciting picture of the fill-in I did after sanding it down:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4030006.jpg

Sanding that down was close enough for government work, because the next step was to cut the fan holes. Therefore, I was going to be doing more filler work later anyway:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4030007.jpg

I lined the two fans up to get a guage where they were going to go so I knew where I was going to cut the holes:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4030009.jpg

These are both green LED fans that I will be putting the turbine nose-cones on later. I know that the standard mod is one standard fan coupled with a lit one, but there just isn't the internal space in this case for it. Oh well.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4030010.jpg

This is some more eye-balling. No, that circle does not represent where the hole is actually going to be. Once I figured out where the center-point of each fan was going to be, I grabbed the hole saw and went to town.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4030011.jpg

There we go! Holes cut and ready to go. The original plan was to have a single, oblong hole for the fans, but I've now re-thought that, and am going to do individual ducts. Time to place an order from MNPCTECH (http://mnpctech.com/).

That's it for today. The plan for tomorrow is to cut a blow-hole in the top and do some more cosmetic work on the outside.

[The_Crippler]

The weekend of a thousand updates continues. Okay, well, like three, but still.

Today, the main focus was cutting the blowhole for the 80mm fan.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040004.jpg

Here I marked out the location for the fan itself. The reason it is so far to the side is because that is where it would need to be to clear the memory sticks on the mobo. (That's what I get for making such a tight a case:))

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040006.jpg

First bit was to mark out and drill the holes for the fan. The next step is to cut the hole itself. Now, the easiest way to find the center point is to connect the corner holes:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040007.jpg

Despite what Indiana Jones might say, some times X does mark the spot. Now, here is the problem: My cheap-ass hole saws can't cut through metal. In fact, on anything more than plastic or soft wood, I call them "hole markers."

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040008.jpg

But, frankly, if you're half-way decent with a Dremel, you don't need them.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040010.jpg

And here we go - hole cut in the outer case...
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040011.jpg

...and the inner one.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040012.jpg

After a quick filing, here it is test fit with the fan and PSU:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040014.jpg

Look out - it's start to look vaguely like a computer!

Notice the screw I'd put close to the front of top portion. Now that there will be screws through the case to the fan, I won't actually need that one any more. This unused hole will be filled in later..

Before I knocked off for the weekend, I took some time to reinforce the bottom of the bezel. As you can see here, it was completely open. I had left it this way so that I could access it during the build. Now that things are shaping up, it is time to close it in and make it more sturdy.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040015.jpg

Since this was going to be a large chunk of filler, the standard stuff wasn't going to cut it. This looks like a job for our favorite, disgusting-looking stuff.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040017.jpg

Letting it harden for a while, I took a sander to it. Obviously, it's going to need some filling in later, but that was it for today.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040018.jpg

So, there we go - that was a weekend of a lot of work. Just as a recap, here's some shots of where we are now:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040019.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4040020.jpg

There probably won't be that much more work this week. I'm going to be waiting on some parts, as well as the fact that I don't get much time on weeknights to work...then, there's the matter of a holiday weekend and family stuff. You know how it goes.

[The_Crippler]

I will say this much, though: MNPCTech does not keep you waiting. I ordered over the weekend, so obviously, it wouldn't ship then...but shortly after I got to work this morning (and I come in early), they sent my tracking number - and they're an hour or so behind me!

[The_Crippler]

Thanks for stopping by, Sarge.

Since I took today off (couldn't face going back to work just yet:lick:) I actually got some time to do some work. Boy am I glad for that: I got my order from MNPCTech in the mail right before I packed the wife and dog in to the car and left town. I was thinking about it all weekend.

Today's main focus was the front turbines. As was posted, you know that I already cut the holes in the bezel for them, and now I had the duct-work pieces ready to go.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120002.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120003.jpg

This test fit was so that I could mark out the inner part of the case so that I knew where to cut fan holes. I decided to cut an oval instead of two circles because A.) it's a lot easier and B.) I may someday feel like making a new bezel with an oval opening like this project was originally planned.

Here we go - all cut:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120004.jpg

I needed to test fit the ducts, and figure out how much to cut off of them.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120006.jpg

Now, the first one, I used a hack saw as you generally read as the right way to do it. For the most part this is true, but I used a Dremel for the second one. To me it was easier to cut, but required more clean-up afterwards with the burs of plastic. If you do this,remember my tips-n-tricks bit a few posts back about melted plastic and eye protection.

Once this was done, in they went:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120007.jpg

B-but Crippler - you said duct tape was a no-no.

Er...Shut up. I mean: Hey! You were paying attention! Yes, it is not desirable, but in this case, it held the ducts from shifting so that I could do this:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120008.jpg

Once they were secured from the back, I could peel the tape off the front:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120009.jpg

See? Everything makes sense in the world again. Now, the fun and messy part. Yep, more Bondo.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120010.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120011.jpg

Here, I glopped on the "hair" filler again and sanded it down. Doesn't look bad, but as per usual, it left a lot of craters that needed filling in, so I turned once again to regular filler:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120012.jpg

(Note: I generally use a rubber spatula and spread the filler on like frosting. However, this time I did my patented and non-FDA-approved "two fingers and a smear" approach.)

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120013.jpg

Much, much better. Now, it was getting to be just a matter of filling "potholes" and cleaning it up some more.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120014.jpg

As I have been doing in the past, left-over filler is got slapped on to the bottom of the bezel to continue building that up and filling it in.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120015.jpg

So, after some more sanding and a hole drilled for the power button, and here we are:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120016.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120017.jpg

Not too shabby if I say so myself. It still needs some more cosmetic filling here and there, but I honestly didn't feel like mixing up another batch of that Bondo tonight.



The other part that I worked on was the side panel. As you may have noticed in past pictures, the body lines weren't matching up to my satisfaction.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120018.jpg

So, I smeared on some more hair filler on after I roughed it up, and then ran a razor between the two pieces before it firmed up so that I could still take it apart.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120019.jpg

After some more sanding, things were looking a lot better:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120020.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4120021.jpg

Obviously, there are a lot of holes to fill, but that will be my next work session. At that point, I will also be able to fill some more pock-marks on the front.

[The_Crippler]

Mini update: I can only assume that the lack of comments since my last update are because you are all awaiting the next step with bated breath. :D Well, sorry - I've been busy.

The one night I had to work this week was taken up by my side project of making my HD cooler (which is working phenomenally, BTW.) I'm hoping that I'll get a chance to get something done tonight or tomorrow.

Last night, I secured the nose-cone spinners that I need for the fan turbines, so that part will be coming soon. I'm trying to decide if I want the noses to be black to match the future case color, or green to match the LED fans themselves. Any of you have an opinion?

More as it develops.

[The_Crippler]

Yes, this was a consideration of mine before I started. The fans I have are actually not terribly bright. In fact, in a lit room (I rarely ever watch TV in the dark) these ones are no more visible/distracting than any of the LCD displays I have on other items below the TV as it is. Good catch on that one, though.

[The_Crippler]

Here I am with your weekend update:

Today's top story: Further bondo work.

When I flipped the case over, quite frankly, I felt that this side looked just ugly.
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4160007.jpg

Just like the other side, I wanted to get the body lines matching up better. Once again, I needed to rough it up so that the filler had something to stick to.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4160008.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4160009.jpg

Here it is after the first round of sanding:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4160010.jpg

As per usual, I now applied a layer of the pink stuff:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4160011.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4170012.jpg

Then for the usual round of touch-ups. NOTE: here's another case of "I'm an idiot sometimes." I forgot to put something under the case while I was sanding this side, so I marked the bottom all up. Therefore, I needed to touch up some filler on that side again.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4170013.jpg


Now, aside from some finishing sanding, and some USB ports I decided I'm going to add the front, the outside is about ready to start painting.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4170014.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4170015.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4170016.jpg

What I plan to do tomorrow is some internal work to mount the fans and that will probably be it until my USB supplies arrive next week and I get some time to go out and buy paint.

[The_Crippler]

This for the NES pc, or another project?

But at any rate, beige boxes are both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, people like us can't stand them and are the whole reason behind why we mod - on the other hand, they're blank canvases for us to work on. All these "pre-modded" cases out there are making it harder and (ironically) more expensive to get plan boxes to work on.

ADDITIONAL MINI-KINDA-UPDATE: I have now decided that this case is going to be silver rather than black. I put the in-process case in the entertainment center where it will live, and see that (aside from the TV) more things are gray than black...so, as cool as it would look itself, it just won't look right with everything else.

[The_Crippler]

The ones that seem really hard to find are ones with nice, flat fronts - no air intakes, or molded curves...you know, so you can make your own air intakes and molded curves. :lick:

[The_Crippler]

Another micro-mini update: I'm still waiting on some parts, so work is some-what on hold. As mentioned, I wanted to add some USB ports to the front, so I'm awaiting those hookups. I ordered that cable, plus some impulse buys of fan-filters, rubber case feet and a needed fan cable from FrozenCPU on Friday. The package actually arrived yesterday, which is fast and appreciated, but - wrong USB cable. It was a simple mistake on their part, and they were more than helpful in getting it resolved. I just need to wait a little while more for the part. No biggie.

This is giving me a chance to go back over the project and tweak a few parts that I wasn't happy with. So, really, things work out. It's always good to be forced to slow down and take another look at things.


One other note: Luke122's comment below made me a bit paranoid :rolleyes:, so, since the system itself is working, I watched some TV last night with all the fans hooked up. Being that they aren't in the case, they were brighter than they'll be in the finished project. Thankfully, they didn't distract me at all. So that's good.

[The_Crippler]

Hey! We're back! Someone spill coffee on the servers?

At any who, here is this morning's update:

As I had mentioned before, waiting for parts gave me a chance to redo some parts I wasn't pleased with. The main part of importance was redoing the fan hole on the chassis.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4190003.jpg

I didn't care for how the fans would mount, nor the solidness of it, so I put a piece of metal in and remarked the holes.

Here it is, cut with fans mounted (with and without bezel):

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4200005.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4200006.jpg

Here, I temporarily put the nose cones on. I stuck them loosely with tape. (You can tell this by the fact that the lower one started to fall off right as I snapped the picture.)

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4200007.jpg

Okay...nose cones removed again, it was time to test fit the whole system before I paint it. It is certainly a tight fit getting it all in there. In fact, I ended up ordering a shorter, round IDE cable to allow better air-flow.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4200009.jpg

So, everything in place and closed up, and here we go:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4200011.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/P4200012.jpg

Now, as soon as I get the gumption to take everything back out, I can get it ready for paint!

[The_Crippler]

Hey all! For those of you still reading, welcome to another weekend update!

The end is in sight, and things are progressing very swiftly. This weekend, I actually began on painting. First off is the chassis. If you remember, here is where we left it:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4240002.jpg

Most of the upper part of the back is sanded Bondo, which I am hoping will be blended with the metal when painted. After using compressed air to plow off the dust, and a quick cleaning with glass cleaner, I applied a few coats of self-etching primer to the chassis.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4240004.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4240003.jpg

Not too shabby - and, yes, the bondo section is getting covered nicely. For the main color of the chassis, I decided to go with black. This is mainly because I had originally wanted to do the whole thing in black, but it wouldn't match the other equipment where it was going to live. Since I had a can of black paint, and no one would see it, I figured - what the heck?

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4240006.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4240008.jpg

It's unfortunate that no one is going to see it, because I think it looks quite good. Here is a shot of it with the front fans mounted with rubber vibration grommets.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250018.jpg

[The_Crippler]

I thought that it might work better if I split this update in to a few sections.

Another part that I took care of today was the spinners for the turbine fans. Here they are, roughed up to aid adhesion.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250010.jpg

No, I didn't paint them red - that just happens to be the last color I painted on this rack.

Primer:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250011.jpg

Final color:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250003.jpg

There we go, they're ready to go. I'll probably attach them to the fans tomorrow.

[The_Crippler]

Are the fans touching in the middle?

Looks great in black, I still think you should go ahead with the build in black, since the finished product will look somewhat like a subwoofer, it would be good place down beside the stand, rather than on it.


First question: No, the fans are not touching. There is a slight gap between them, as that was needed in order for the them to line up with the duct work on the front bezel.

As for the second question, it's funny that you should mention a sub woofer - that's actually the reason that I had decided to make it silver, as my woofer is silver. :)

Sorry for the horrendous picture...My camera doesn't take good ones from across the room:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250001-1.jpg

[The_Crippler]

Next chunk is the outer panels. Here is theyare , sanded, cleaned and ready to go:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250012.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250014.jpg

After a light coating, certain imperfections become more clear and then need to be fixed with spot putty:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250013.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250015.jpg

This was true of both pieces, but after a little work, a full coat of primer is applied:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250016.jpg


Finally for this weekend, the bezel.

Like the side panels, it needed some work before-hand with some spot putty.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4240001.jpg

Also, it need some modification to add a "light bar" I put together for the HDD and power LEDs:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250019.jpg

I had originally planned to make these a part of a unit containing USB ports, but after looking at the cable when it arrived, I decided that it was going to be too much work and more complicated than I wanted to get in to for a projec that really didn't need them.

Here it is with hole cut and bar inserted:
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250020.jpg

Then, the bar is trimmed down to fit:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250021.jpg

...and some more spot putty to fill in around the edges...

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250022.jpg

Don't worry, the putty comes off the plexi rather easily:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250023.jpg

After that, I placed some carefully trimmed tape over it and gave it the first coat of primer:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250001.jpg

Once again, some more pock marks and such appeared after this coat, so I patched them up.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4250002.jpg

And that's about it for this weekend. There will be some more work during the week, most likely, and I will keep you all posted.

[The_Crippler]

Yay! More updates.



We're in the home stretch here.

Currently, the glue is drying on the nose cones, as I attached them to the fans. First step was to remove the stickers from them.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4260005.jpg

After that, it was a simple matter of eye-balling them and centering them on the fan.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4260006.jpg



Returning to the painted panels. Here they are, one painted silver and one still silver:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4260002.jpg

I painted the other and left them sit to dry. Then, it was back to the bezel:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4260003.jpg

All patched up and prepped for paint.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4260004.jpg

I added another coat of primer, and then several coats of silver:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4260007.jpg

NOTE: A trick of the light sure makes the part of the bezel in the lower side of the picture look dented. I assure you - it is not.


Final touch-up and assembly is all that is left.

[The_Crippler]

Well, it's a little painful stopping back on dial-up with all the pics to load.

Well, lucky for you, I have some more!


Here's a few last "work" pics.

The final touch to the top panel was to add the silencing grommets and the U-channel.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4270002.jpg


A little tip: I like to use a few dabs of super glue to the u-channel. Helps keep it on the case while you're going around a tight turn - like an 80mm fan hole.

And here are a few shots of the "guts" being put in to the case:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4270003.jpg

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4270004.jpg


I must say, I'm a fan of the black chassis. At least the next project in the pipeline can be all black...

[The_Crippler]

Well, we have arrived at the end. Here, I will let me pictures speak for themselves:

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4270005.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4270010.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4270009.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4270013.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4270016.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/P4270015.jpg


Here it is installed (and, yes - black would not have worked):

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn169/modmakerpics/paint/front.jpg


Please let me take this time to thank you all for sticking around and offering your comments. Tune back in very soon for the start of my next project! Happy modding!


Link To Original Worklog (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15028)