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SgtSteve
11-29-2005, 02:23 AM
Hello, Modders!

Been frequenting this site for a while now, and I've decided to create my own worklog series for a few case mods I have planned. The goal is to get the PCs ready for the Digital Overlord 2006 LAN in March (brought to you by the people at Ctrl+Alt+Del); They are just too stock to be seen in public.

These mods will be learning experiences for me, as I've never ventured.. well.. Out of the box.. when it comes to modding. On my first log, Julia, Modding has already begun inside. I hacked together a 120mm fan mount to utilize my unused drive bays, sucking air through the breathable front of the CM Centurion C5 case.

I'll get some real pics up tomorrow, but here is a decent representation of the case as it is..

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4425/julia9sk.jpg

And as I plan on having it..

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/1333/moddedjul8od.jpg

The creases in the black part of the side panel will be created using something simple like Styrene just to elevate off of the door just enough to create depth. I dont want a 2d Door. After the hacking away of humble pieces of Aluminum, Acrylic, and Styrene, I want to finish the case with gloss black, and the side door will open like a cabinet

I went out today and bought 60% of the things I will need from the Home Despot, and only spent about $16 in the process. :D The cabinet clip, hinges, handles, Acrylic... Even bought a set of wheels for good measure (I dont think i will use them in this project, though). lol


measuring things up, i think I have enough acryllic for most of the stealthing on my next log, Squire. This one will be for a friend, as will any other mods for the show.. err.. LAN besides Julia.

Back on topic, though!
I will be working with a local shop to create one or two decals for this, and i havent the slightest idea of what to adourn the window with.. I will also be using something to cover up the ugly tool-less bay racks.. and I want to incorperate a similar design into that.

The name Julia is just a temporary one, also. It has nothing to do with what I see for the case, it is just the name it has on my Network. Perhaps I will change it down the line as the PC Shapes up.

Inside I have an Air cooled AMD 3500+ Venice, a gig of PQI Turbo, An X800 Pro 256, ASUS AV8-E Mobo, 160 GB Maxtor RAID-0, and a 120GB WD Boot Drive. Decent enough to show off, I think. ;)

Now Comment, Scurvy Dogs. Critisizm is a godsend!

Crimson13
11-29-2005, 09:46 AM
wow those concept pics look great. i like how you are going to contuinue the sliver trim and have the window have corners. too many windows have curves and i think straight edges look cleaner. Good luck on modding this i hope it turns out as good if not better than these pics

SgtSteve
11-29-2005, 11:48 PM
And to greet you, here is gamer Darth. he fell off my TV about a week ago, and I SWEAR i could hear him say "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
http://img414.imageshack.us/img414/1149/dscf03593ic.jpg


Ok, Didnt get as much done on the case today as I wanted, but I decided to use the door I already have rather than fabricating a whole new one to save some money for the other mods. Really I've been doing a bunch of measuring and playing around with masking tape. On a past mod I found out how close a CD is to 120mm, so I have a few old unused disks to use as templates for the fan vents. The surface of the door is not ideal for the project, but since I will be paneling most of it with Styrene, I dont think there will be a problem.
http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/1539/juliawklg0076ki.jpg

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/9595/juliawklg0156rm.jpg

And in Interior shot, showing off the LOVELY ( :p ) toollessness.

http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/4066/juliawklg0059en.jpg
Wooo, Dusty! Its not as bad as it looks, I swear! The flash just brings it out more! I just ran out of canned air, too...

I found this piece lying around not too long ago and I want to incorperate it into a mod. Looks like a Spoiler from a race car... Maybe in the future.

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/2602/juliawklg0096nu.jpg

SgtSteve
12-02-2005, 06:44 PM
Small update.

I cut the panel for the window, going to smooth it out tomorrow after work. I'm heading up to the Depot AGAIN on saturday to scope out vents.

adreamtraveler
12-02-2005, 10:32 PM
sweeeet, looks like it's coming out nicely. can't wait to see the vents.

hooray! home depot! :D

SgtSteve
12-03-2005, 10:55 PM
So Home Depot has let me down at last. A sad day. Oh well.. I have some pictures of the cut side panel before and after grinding the line straight, but I'm not going to be able to put them up until tomorrow because the camera is being used elsewhere.

Seeing as two local Home Depots and a few other automotive/Hardware stores (I did a TON of window shopping today..) had NOTHING to fit what I needed, I'll prolly make something out of Schedule 80 PVC.. The 5" Stuff has a similar ID a 120mm Fan; and the sides are thick enough for me to do some slit cutting for the fins.. I might have to hop over to my uncle's Basement since he has a decent array of tools. Maybe I'll taper the tops to give it less of a flat look.
Kind of like..
.._________________________
./-----------------------------\
|__________________________|

...But with a steeper angle at the top. The dashed line is (A) a place holder for the no-Spaces-allowed forum, and (B) a representation of the top of the grill fins.

Also having trouble thinking of the final color scheme. I know I want a black and silver exterior, but the interior is just unfinished aluminum at the moment.

Any suggestions on that guys? I already have a blue light in the PSU, and I dont want anything too flashy to take away from the "sleek simplicity" of the mod.

Also wondering on the finish of the black. I'm torn between a glossy or textured finish. Ugh, choices!

SgtSteve
12-04-2005, 10:15 PM
Here we are, the pictures from days passed.
http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/579/juliawklg0174ho.jpg
There is a shot with the front panel off. That fan is great, but a dust whore!

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8392/juliawklg0162lu.jpg
About to start smoothing the cut with an air tool (Mind the brews, they arent mine. Borrowed Space)

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/306/juliawklg0194rq.jpg
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3198/juliawklg0180mi.jpg
The finished cut, and I'm ready to sand the old finish and attach the window. The frame/moulding I have in mind will hide those ugly lines perfectly.

I'm going Pipe Shopping tomorrow morning. That rectangular mess of holes wont be visible in the final product, FYI..

Rankenphile
12-05-2005, 12:04 AM
Thumbs up so far. :)

Crimson13
12-05-2005, 10:26 AM
its looking great! cant wait to see the end product of this one