Project: Ultra Violet

[The Infamous Mr D]

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/ultra violet.jpg

Hi all, I'm a long time lurker and first time poster to these forums.

I've long since fancied having a crack at modding a case, so when a friend offloaded an old case on me, I figured "What the hell? Why not?"!

The much neglected and extremely unloved case in question is a RaidMax Cobra...

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/raidmaxcobra.jpg

A bit unsightly looking, but a little tender love and care can fix that!

First job, get that ghastly yellow acrylic and those tacky eye things out...

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod01.jpg

Then out with the non-removable motherboard tray and the hard drive rack...

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod02.jpg

I'm going to knock up a proof of concept in the next few days to point the direction which this is going. Until then... :)

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Looks like a solid starter case! The theme's intriguing - I sure hope this is gonna lead to glowy things and purple light/paint...

[DonT-FeaR]

this should be a good start im setting up a tent

[The boy 4rm oz]

I agree, nice starter case. Looks to be a good mod.

[The Infamous Mr D]

Okay, I feel a bit less of a shill now I've got my ideas in order a bit better :)

So, the case is going to an all black inverted ATX affair, accented with purple lights. Alas, while I've had some experience with watercooling, my budget for this project (consisting of recycled tat here and there) won't stretch to watercooling, but it's my intention to optimise airflow as much as possible for a bit overclocking goodness.

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/ultra violet 02.jpg

This gives a better idea of what I'm aiming for - alter the front fascia with a bit of filler and sanding, recut the inlets and add black acrylic to shroud a channel for the PSU. I'll be including a seperate air channel for the internal components - I'm not settled on the exact specification, but at least this is a step forward :)

[dfigravity]

looks sweet man...I like the name too. Can't wait to see your mad skillz. yo.

[DonT-FeaR]

looks cool cant wait

[Collinstheclown]

Stange, I just saw this movie for the first time a few days ago...

Looks like a fun mod!




-CollinstheClown

[The Infamous Mr D]

Update time!

I've finally managed to order a rotary tool and some tool bits so I can get to the important and enjoyable stage of cutting things up. I've also ordered a hot glue gun and some clamps as well; it should all be with me mid-week. Then I can get to the important job of modding!

Just as an aside, does anyone know of a good online store or bricks-and-mortar retailer in the UK that does good quality automotive filler ie. Bondo or another quality product? I've been shopping around the obvious outlets and only a handful sell similar products but I've been warned off cheap imitations.

As for parts, I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. I have plenty of leftover parts from doing builds for friends and family but most of it is stone-age (as computer tech goes). So we'll see how things pan out before I splash too much cash on it ;)

[The boy 4rm oz]

We don't get Bondo here in Australia either (as far as I know). I have always jsut gone down to the hardware store and got a small tub of polly filler. Not the plaster stuff because it is really brittle. I have found the synthetic stuff to work better.

[nevermind1534]

It shouldn't make much difference. I guess Bondo is just a brand of body filler, like Kleenex one just a brand of facial tissue.

[b4i7]

i like the design, cant wait to see what you do with it!

[The Infamous Mr D]

Update time!

Finally, I have all the tools I need to get this underway. Let's start by excising the plastic inner of the main door:

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod05.jpg

And the effect is certainly impressive:

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod03.jpg

Plus, a little rotary fun and the case is now dismembered nicely on the lounge floor:

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod04.jpg

I've also adopted another stray, who is rather cute-looking yet sorely neglected:

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod06.jpg

From the innards I pulled out, the only good thing was the case :)

More to follow...

[FuzzyPlushroom]

An Athlon XP, and only the case is good? For shame! I hope you mean "suffered catastrophic failure".

Cute case, though - and yeah, the door looks a lot better with that cheap-looking plastic gone (leaving only the nicer-looking plastic).

[The boy 4rm oz]

Yeah the door does look better with that plastic missing.

[The Infamous Mr D]

An Athlon XP, and only the case is good? For shame! I hope you mean "suffered catastrophic failure".

Some rube had switched out the original Vaio guts with some shambolic Celeron III nonsense - there was burst capacitors everywhere and he wonders why it wasn't working... Hmmm. Best leave that with me.

I probably won't mod the Vaio - a good clean and new guts and it'll serve very nicely as a HTPC for my shiny new Samsung 42" Series 6 :)

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Shame about the swap, mate. I agree, it's pretty cute as it sits - a couple plastic pieces to replace the missing ones, maybe some Bondo in the Vaio logos on the sides, and it's good to go. What's it got room for in the rear, an 80mm? 92mm?

[Mysteriphys]

bodyfill there are different types, polyblend with strands will give you a strong base to build up and I hear evercoat brand has a good finish sanding primer for taking out the scratches form heavy grit sandpaper

[The Infamous Mr D]

Shame about the swap, mate. I agree, it's pretty cute as it sits - a couple plastic pieces to replace the missing ones, maybe some Bondo in the Vaio logos on the sides, and it's good to go. What's it got room for in the rear, an 80mm? 92mm?

I've got the drive bezels, they're still on the excised drives and just weren't in the shot! :)

And as for exhaust, well... Curiously, the PSU is mounted directly above the CPU HSF. I've only seen this configuration in a few cases, mostly low-power office doorstops. As a result, there isn't a rear exhaust! But that won't deter me from making one...


bodyfill there are different types, polyblend with strands will give you a strong base to build up and I hear evercoat brand has a good finish sanding primer for taking out the scratches form heavy grit sandpaper

Thanks for the tips. I'm off out to buy some filler tomorrow, and give it a go on my two week holiday :)

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Curiously, the PSU is mounted directly above the CPU HSF.

Oh no, one of those! I've had a few cases like that - the InWin A500 was the only one which I didn't hate with a passion. If you weren't planning on using it as an HTPC, I'd suggest you mount the PSU on top, or hanging out the back...


Thanks for the tips. I'm off out to buy some filler tomorrow, and give it a go on my two week holiday :)

Can't wait to see what you pull off, mate!

[The Infamous Mr D]

Update time. I know it's been a while... :)

I've stripped the rivets off the case and it's now in pieces for easier cutting/spraying. I've turned my attention to the front fascia, seeing as it's the most noticible part of the mod.

I've filled in the areas I wanted to resculpt and also some of the knocks and scuffs and sanded it back into shape (albeit getting covered in lots of dust).

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod07.jpg

I've also recut the air intakes to match them to the new contours.

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod08.jpg

I've just refilled the last few holes and imperfections; hopefully I'll be ready to start priming tomorrow :)

[The boy 4rm oz]

The front turned out well. Now it just needs some paint.

[ContraptionMaker]

Great start! Love UV am using in my case as well. Have you thought about some invisible UV paint? The stuff is pretty cool in that it only shows up if there is a UV light on it. Under normal lighting you can't see it at all. I found brush on and spray on. The spray can was $20+shipping.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000413.JPG
I ordered this from Performance PC's in Palm Bay, Florida, USA. The URL is:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=117
They have several different colors available. And no I don't work for them, just ordered a lot of stuff from them and they have always treated me well.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Cool paint. That was exactly the kinda stuff I was looking for lol. Oh well, I settled for yellow highlighter haha.

[The Infamous Mr D]

Great start! Love UV am using in my case as well. Have you thought about some invisible UV paint? The stuff is pretty cool in that it only shows up if there is a UV light on it. Under normal lighting you can't see it at all.

That's exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for the tip!

Although most of my attentions are on the exterior of the case, I have been comtemplating the interior as well - I was hoping to coat the motherboard's plastic connectors with UV reactive paint so they glow under a blacklight, as well as being lit by purple cathodes. This stuff should do the job nicely :)

[DonT-FeaR]

very nice... i like it looks really good .

[SXRguyinMA]

looks cool so far :up:

[ContraptionMaker]

That's exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for the tip!


No problem, check out the "Spider House" if you want to see how it worked on my top window.

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16356&page=4

[The Infamous Mr D]

Update time. Sanded out all the lumps and bumps and tested the surface with some primer.

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod09.jpg

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod10.jpg

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod11.jpg

Looks pretty fine... except for a few small bubbles which have left holes in the sanded surface... Bah! Will take the filler to them again tomorrow evening...

[The boy 4rm oz]

I think you should leave it like that lol. I know it's not done yet but it is a really good effect haha.

[DonT-FeaR]

i like your need for perfection... nice

reminds me of some one.... coff coff.... boddaker

[mittelmeier]

Nice progress. The way it's painted now is a cool effect. I painted a case this summer and my only regret is that I didn't take the time to fill in the little pits on the plastic. I'm not happy with the color so I'll repaint it next summer and fill in the pits then.

[The Infamous Mr D]

Yes it is a nice effect - the grey makes it look like it's moulded out of clay. It also shows up imperfections far too easily!! :)

Which is a nuisance as I am a complete perfectionist. I am trying to be a little less anal about it and just get on with it, but I know if I leave something I know to be wrong, it'll bug me for ever.

[The Infamous Mr D]

Okay, finally got rid of the nasty bubbles and got around to spraying the first coat of primer.

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod12.jpg

http://www.fanchouer.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/casemod13.jpg

[DonT-FeaR]

:O side pannel spray booth....
took my idea :(

nice work man...

[The boy 4rm oz]

I paint on the grass lol, or a cardboard box.

[DonT-FeaR]

cardboard boxes.... ftw

[Karbon Killa]

I hang my stuff with hangars and zip ties and paint. lol. I like how this is coming together.

[The Infamous Mr D]

I normally use a large cardboard box folded up into a makeshift spraying cubical. Unfortunately my former box has gone all soggy and had to be binned... No matter, I work for a company that sells boxes as a sideline, I'll grab one tonight :)

[DonT-FeaR]

oh ok cool.... lol