Spider House

[ContraptionMaker]

Hello everybody!
This is my first post to TBCS and I welcome any suggestions. I have been an AMD man since my second computer over 20yrs. ago. Since then I have built several computers and done some minor modding. This is by far my most ambitious build. When AMD announced the spider platform I just had to have one so I started saving. I have most of the parts now and have completed quite a bit of the case mods. This is nothing compared to some of the stuff I have seen here but I hope you like it anyway.
The guts:
Antec 300 case (used this case cause it was free with the PSU.)
AMD Phenom 9950BE
Foxconn A79A-S mob. 790FX and SB750
Antec 850w True Power Quattro PSU
2x WD 250gig HD's Raid 0
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1T HD
Cooler Master Viva Duo water cooling for GPU's
iBuypower IBP-Z001 water cooling for CPU
No RAM yet but will have 8gigs 1066
No video cards yet but plan on 2x 4870 w/1gig RAM (yes I have a long crossfire cable for this.)
Last major part will be the Gx Typhoon Black Insert Tri Color USB Graphic Display.
So on with the build....

[The_Crippler]

I have most of the parts now and have completed quite a bit of the case mods.

:pics:

[SXRguyinMA]

:stupid:
:pics:
:D

[The_Crippler]

:fight:
Who ya callin' stupid, dumbass?










;)

[SXRguyinMA]

lol who ya callin a dumbass, stupid 8) :lick: :D

[The_Crippler]

Okay, ContraptionMaker - you better get some updates going pretty darn quick. I have a feeling that Dumbass over here and I can keep this up all day.

[SXRguyinMA]

:stupid: http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/doh.gif http://www.postwhore.biz/albums/userpics/10082/laugh.gif

[ContraptionMaker]

I'm working on it! Will try to get some pics posted tonight.

[ContraptionMaker]

I strarted with the Antec 300 case. I used this case cause it was free with my PSU.



http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000228.JPG




http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000232.JPG



It was really a pretty nice case. Two front USB's, headphone and microphone jacks, all at the top front. A 3 speed 120mm fan on the rear and a 140mm 3 speed fan on the top. Plus mounts for 3 more 120mm fans, two on the front and one on the side. I also liked the fact that the whole case is heavy gauge steel.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000235.JPG



I also liked the bottom mounted PSU.



http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000242.JPG


Here is the front with a fan door open.
Things I plan on doing to this case...
I plan on mounting my card reader under the bottom fan and HD's. A window will go on each side and one on top. The rad for the GPU's will be mounted on the right side and the rad for the CPU on the rear. A few lights will be installed with front mounted switches, stealthed DVD, and paint. Mostly basic stuff compared to some of the work done here. Of course all wiring will be sleaved.

[ContraptionMaker]

I started with a 3.5" card reader from my old comp. The Antec has no 3.5" external bays so it had to go some where else. I didn't take a pic befor I took it apart but it looked just like this one...http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_Card_Reader/slides/20-223-076-03.jpg


I removed the case and stripped off the USB port. Not only did I not need the port but it got in the way of the bottom fan.http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_Card_Reader/slides/IM000269.JPG


The first thing I did was cut a slot in the bottom of the case to put the card through.http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_Card_Reader/slides/IM000321.JPG

Then using a piece of acrylic and some stand offs I made a mount for the board.

http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_Card_Reader/slides/IM000310.JPG

This is how it mounts in the case.

http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_Card_Reader/slides/IM000291.JPG

Using the original front panel, I took my trusty "Dremel" and cut the slots in the front bezel.

http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_Card_Reader/slides/IM000307.JPG


This is how it turned out.http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_Card_Reader/slides/IM000311.JPG


Cards fit perfect!. This shows a SM and an SD card inserted into the slots.

In my next post I'll be installing the water cooling for the GPU's.

[ContraptionMaker]

I am sure you guys are wondering why I am going to have two seperate cooling systems. Well the answer basicly boils down to easy and cheap! I paid $25 for the GPU system and $75 for the CPU system.http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000275.JPG
http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000276.JPG
This is the CoolerMaster Aquagate Viva dual GPU cooler. It can be used to cool two video cards or one video card and the CPU. The pump is intergrated onto one of the water blocks and includes flow indicator and alarm. Dual 70mm fans on the rad and come pre-filled with coolant.
http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000281.JPGhttp://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000282.JPG
This is where I will mount the rad. Normally this would be used for cable management. CoolerMaster says to mount this into a drive bay, a pci slot or rear or the case but this seemed to be the perfect place to me.
http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000283.JPG
To build my mount I started with an old drive bay.
http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000285.JPG
I then cut that down to this.
http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000301.JPG
Then added a couple of stand offs.
http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000304.JPG
Drilled some holes in the side and screwed it in.
http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000297.JPG
Testing the mount. I found I needed some support on the left side of the rad.
http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000305.JPG
So I cut the original pci mount and used it to support the rad properly.
http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000300.JPG
This is the view from inside the case.

In my next post I wll be stealthing the DVD.

[ContraptionMaker]

The next thing was to work on stealthing the DVD. At some point I plan on replacing this with a Blue-Ray recorder so I wanted to make the swap as easy as possible. I started with a Lite-On DVD Lightscribe recorder. The red stuff is double sided tape. I was origanally going to just stick the bay cover here but later came up with a better idea.



http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000250.JPG

The naked DVD...

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000259.JPG

The first step was to drill a couple of holes to run the wires.http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000263.JPG



This is how it will run through the DVD.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000266.JPG



Red and black go to the open/close switch and white and green go to the access LED.



http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000330.JPG



I removed a power conector from an old floppy drive. I will use this to plug in the front bezel.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000329.JPG



This is where the power connector will mount.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000251.JPG



I took this board from an old amp. The switches would work perfect for opening and closing the DVD.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000258.JPG



This is the switch removed from the pcb. It's just 3/8" long.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000420.JPG



Using power wire and reset wires from an old case, I mounted the switch and LED to the front bezel.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000244.JPG



Now to stealth the front. First I trimmed off the ends of the original bay cover.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000245.JPG



Then I cut down the sides.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000425.JPG



The better idea I spoke of earlier. I simply attatched the original front to the drive bay cover, after grinding it flat, with heavy duty double sided tape. This will later be painted to match the rest of the case.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000424.JPG



This will make it easy to change when I replace the DVD.


http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/IM000342.JPG



The finished stealth. The open/close switch is located just to the left of the USB ports. The access LED is just to left of the power and reset switches. I have also painted the case and front bezel in this pic.


Well that's it for tonight guys. Tomorrow I'll start posting the case mods.

[DonT-FeaR]

nice work man.... im likeing this ... keep it up

[ContraptionMaker]

nice work man.... im likeing this ... keep it up

Thanks! I appreciate that!:yellow_green:

[mittelmeier]

Looking good. I can't wait to see more of this.

[The_Crippler]

Well...you certainly put dumbass and stupid in their respective places. Looking good, man.


\I'm interested to see what the performance stats are on your bargain cooling system. Cheap is good - but only if it holds up. Keep it up!

[SXRguyinMA]

yep, sure did, looks awesome so far! :up:

[ContraptionMaker]

Well...you certainly put dumbass and stupid in their respective places. Looking good, man.


\I'm interested to see what the performance stats are on your bargain cooling system. Cheap is good - but only if it holds up. Keep it up!

I don't remember all the sites, but both of these got good reviews from everywhere I could find them. Mind you not GREAT reviews but most always better than the stock coolers.
Actually one site ranked the CPU cooler in the top 5 for Intel processors. One reason I chose it was because it is one of the very few that was acctually designed for mutli-core CPU's.

[ContraptionMaker]

I have most of the cutting done on the case so now its time to paint. I have an air compressor but no paint guns or airbrush. I'm really not much of a painter so I never had a use for these but I may explore them someday. http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/paint.JPG
What I did use is Rust-oleum's new multisurface paint. This stuff is supposed to paint most any surface.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000323.JPG

Taped and ready for painting.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000326.JPG

The picture does not do this paint justice, it is really a very nice paint.


http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000343.JPG

Cutting window for the top of the case. I created a pattern in Paint Shop Pro, taped it to the bottom of the acrilic and then cut with a scroll saw.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000345.JPG

This is the window after cutting.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000346.JPG

Just another view.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000348.JPG

Using a blow drier I heated the legs and raised the spider about 1/4" higher than the plane of the window.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000350.JPG

One more shot of the elevated spider.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000351.JPG

I cut a hole in the case with my Dremel and then installed the window.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000412.JPG

Once installed I taped everything up except for the edges of the spider. Then I painted with invisible UV paint.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000355.JPG

I personally think it looks great!

When I get back from work I'll post some more.

[SXRguyinMA]

looks amazing, love the spider! +rep :up:

[p0Pe]

the spider is awsome! but give it a beat with some sand paper. up to grid 1200 in the edges:D would give the last touch

[The_Crippler]

Love the idea of raising the spider. I'll +rep that.

[mittelmeier]

That spider looks sweet and raising it makes it look better.

[slytherock]

http://luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/IM000305.JPG


Finally a good use of that lost space. :up:

Nice job on the plexi too

+ rep

[ContraptionMaker]

Thanks for all the reps guys!!! Never expected such a great responce. You are all really awsome! I'll try to keep it up...

[ContraptionMaker]

the spider is awsome! but give it a beat with some sand paper. up to grid 1200 in the edges:D would give the last touch
Thanks Pope...I thought about that, but my real live tarantulas have hairy legs, thats kinda what I was going for.

[ContraptionMaker]

Ok, I got the top window in, so now to get the others in...
I think you all know how to install windows, so I'm not going to get into the installation, I just show you the results.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000379.JPG
I removed the mesh and will place a hand cut grill over the CPU wc rad.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000423.JPG
This is the grill for the rear of the case. I cut this by hand on the scroll saw.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000407.JPG
This is the right side of the case. You can see the holes I cut for the wc rad and side window I installed. The spider and web are an applique. This will be lit with a blue CCFL.. All my window and fan holes were cut with a "Dremel" and I cut the windows with my scroll saw.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000405.JPG
I am going to have these words turned into an applique to complete this side. If anybody knows a place to have this done, please let me know. So far all I've found are places that only do single colors.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000421.JPG
These are the only fan grills I bought and will cover the GPU rad fans.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000377.JPG
Left side window hole.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000410.JPG
Gasket in, ready for window.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000411.JPG
After installing the window I applied this stencil and will paint it with invisible blue UV paint.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000413.JPG
This is the UV paint I used.

Ok, this pretty much brings everything up to date. I'm sorry but there won't be many updates for the next few days. I am going on vacation next week and will be working a lot of hours until then. So unfortunately that won't leave me much time to work on my puter. I'll be checking back often, though, for questions and comments.

Thanks for all your interest and will post when I can.

[phen0m]

It looks pretty good.
Nice job with everything. +rep

[mittelmeier]

Wow, nice work. I can't wait to see the lettering once you find someplace to get it done.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

The spider theme's great; the top grill-spider looks great raised up like that. Keep it up! +rep

[Pointy_Stick]

For the appliques for the words "Spider House", I was browsing CaseModGod.com and came across this guide.

http://www.casemodgod.com/ModGuides/PrinterAppliques/printed_appliques.htm

Could be a possible solution for you.

[ContraptionMaker]

For the appliques for the words "Spider House", I was browsing CaseModGod.com and came across this guide.

http://www.casemodgod.com/ModGuides/PrinterAppliques/printed_appliques.htm

Could be a possible solution for you.

Thanks Pointy,
Not quite what I had in mind. Looks to white, but thanks to your idea I did find this:
http://www.texascraft.com/hps/home.php?cat=283
I think I will give it a try. Just a lot of cutting time but mods don't come without sacrifice.:banghead:
Thanks for your help...

[SXRguyinMA]

lookin awesome :bowdown:

[DonT-FeaR]

pretty nice man...i like it

[ContraptionMaker]

pretty nice man...i like it

Thanks so much!

[DonT-FeaR]

thats ok.... if ypu ask any1 who knows me well.... i speak my honest opinion...

[blueonblack]

LOVE the spider, lookin' great, keep it up. +rep
________
MFLB VAPORIZER (http://vaporizers.net/portable-vaporizers)

[ContraptionMaker]

Well today I managed to get the UV LED's installed in the top fan and I got the cooling system for the CPU, YEA!http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P1010030.JPG
Getting ready to install UV LED's in top fan.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P1010031.JPG
I will wire these with in a series-parallel configuration.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/LED%20schematic.jpg
Here is the wiring diagram. The LEDs are rated at 3..3v -3.8v 20ma. each. The resistors are 1/8 watt 220 ohm.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P1010032.JPG
Testing out the first two.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P1010033.JPG
All four working.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P1010034.JPG
Fan running, spider glowing! This was shot in the daytime btw.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P1010035.JPG
Now to hide those wires and seal off the back of the LEDs. Also will do something with that center fan sticker.

Water cooler...
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/P1010001.JPG
The CPU cooler arrived This is the iBuypower IBP-Z001 liquid cooling system. This is an OEM product and as such has no instuctions, just the parts.

http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/P1010002.JPG
Pre-filled, 1/2 norprene tubing and seems very well built.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/P1010003.JPG
The rad.
http://www.luckyleta.com/SpiderHouse/Installing_the_WaterCooling/slides/P1010004.JPG
Water block/pump assembly.

Hopefully I can get this all installed soon. Still waiting on 2 8" ccfl UV's and of course saving my pennies for my vid cards and mem....

[XcOM]

dude this looks freeking sweet, very fast and good work.

+Rep

[mittelmeier]

The paint you put on the spider legs looks really good with the leds. +rep

[jdbnsn]

Awesome build so far, I especially like those spider web grills. Nice work!

Sorry about the
:pics: comments in the beginning of your worklog, I thought that was a pretty tacky way of welcoming a new modder to the ranks myslef. So, I'll just say welcome to TBCS and I am digging your various projects you've got under your belt! :up:

[ContraptionMaker]

You all humble me :bowdown: Thank you all for your comments. They really mean a lot to me.

[ContraptionMaker]

Hey Man that's ok. You were right, a thread is worthless without pics! I'm just honored to be part of TBCS!:grouphug - not mine



Awesome build so far, I especially like those spider web grills. Nice work!

Sorry about the comments in the beginning of your worklog, I thought that was a pretty tacky way of welcoming a new modder to the ranks myslef. So, I'll just say welcome to TBCS and I am digging your various projects you've got under your belt! :up:

[J-Roc]

Nice Build so far. +rep

[DonT-FeaR]

i like it man .... very nice work on the leds...

[ContraptionMaker]

I finished the top fan by covering the wires and center sticker.
http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000447.JPG

I made these on a full sheet of label paper to stick on the fan centers.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000445.JPG
To finish off the top fan I covered the wires with a piece of shrink wrap glued to the arm, sleved the power wire and placed the Spider House logo on the fan center.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/IM000448.JPG
This is the DPDT center off switch that will control my lights. I will mount this on the front bezel. I will be able to turn on the blue CCFL's or the UV LED's and CCFL's or turn them off completely.

Well that's it for now, like I said, small update.

[ContraptionMaker]

Ok, I've gotten a little more done. I got the light switch installed in the front bezel, I got a few more wires sleved and tested the CPU water cooling rad mounting. I'll get some pics of all this up later. I have also been working on converting an external drive bay into an internal hot swappable, removable, IDE hard drive. Will post pics when I get it complete. In the meen time I managed to get my front fans converted to be able to turn the lights off. I will also post this mod in the misc. projects so more people may learn how to do this. I did this because I wanted to turn off all the blue lights when I turn on the UV's.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010016.JPG
In addition to the soldering iron and solder we need an old USB cable and an Exato knife. I used a USB cable because of the size of the wires. They need to be small enough to feed under the motor housing of the fan.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010015.JPG
The first step is to remove the sticker covering the wiring. Once you do this locate the negitive connection of the LED's.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010018.JPG
Here I have unsoldered the negitve wires. I have also temporarily soldered a bare wire to them so you can see how this will be wired. This is also a good way to test your wiring plan. Simply plug in the fan and touch the end of the wire to one of the original negitive terminals to make sure the lights work. If they do then you are ready to continue wiring.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010021.JPG
Here I have fed the black wire under the motor housing and attached the end to the first wire. Be sure to tape all your connections as you do not bare wires touching the circuit board of the fan.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010020.JPG
The hardest part is stripping the wires in the middle to make the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th connection.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010022.JPG
Again be sure to tape up the connection to prevent shorts.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010023.JPG
Then pull the wire through the housing and move on the the 3rd connection.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010024.JPG
Here is the completed the wiring. The 3rd and 4th wire connects just like the 2nd wire. The green wire attaches to the original negitive connection. Once the fan is powered up, you turn on the lights by touching the black and green wires together. These are what will connect to your switch.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010027.JPG
Here is the fan running, no lights.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010028.JPG
Touch the green to the black and "Woopee!" we have lights! Now I will be able to turn the lights on and off without affecting the fan. Also using a speed contol on the fan will not dim the lights.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Fan_Switch/slides/P1010029.JPG
Finish off the mod with a new sticker to cover the printed ciruit board and new wiring.

Well that's it for tonight. I hope tomorrow to get these wired to the switch and sleved.

[DonT-FeaR]

:O very smart.... +rep

[SXRguyinMA]

aweosme idea! +rep

[mittelmeier]

Wow, that's a great idea. +rep

[ContraptionMaker]

Well got a little more done tonight. Planned on wiring my lights tonight but am still waiting on my 8" UV CCFL's so I started on the removeable hard drive instead. But first a couple of little things starting with the switch installation.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P2010001.JPG

This is the switch installed on the front bezel. This will allow me to turn on only the blue lights or only the UV lights or turn them all off.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P3010003.JPG
After drilling my hole and removing some plastic, I simply screwed the switch into place.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P1010008.JPG
The bottom oval hole is where my switch wires will pass through the case.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P1010009.JPG
I had to enlarge the hole for the wires to pass through and for the bezel to close properly.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Building_the_Case/slides/P1010013.JPG
Another thing I did today was cut this small slot in the rear of the case and will mount the fan speed switch here.

Now on to one of my biggest challenges, the removeable hard drive bay...
http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/IM000432.JPG
OK, here goes. I have been using this 5.25" external case on my laptop for my DVD drive. Once I get the "Spider House" built I will not really need it so I decided to turn it into a removable IDE drive. I have at least 3 IDE drives over 60gigs that I will continue to use for storage. I want my new computer to be all SATA so these drives wiil not be installed in my new system. With this mod I hope to continue to use them.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/IM000436.JPG
I plan on turning this into a "drive drawer" installed in a 5.25" bay. I want to be able to easily swap out the IDE drives at will. Since this is USB this should allow me to do this whithout shutting down the computer. To make it fit I will have to reduce the height and width. Then come up with a way for it to plug in when I slide the drive into the bay.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/IM000437.JPG

The case was originally designed to hold a CD or DVD drive and not a hard drive.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/IM000439.JPG
This is the business end of the case. A molex connector and a IDE ribbon cable on the inside and a USB port, LED, on/off switch and power port on the back side. I plan on the power and USB connecting when I slide in the drawer. The LED and on/off switch will be moved to the front.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/IM000440.JPG
This is the original power converter for the case. According to the label on the back and my volt meter. it simply puts out 12 and 5 volts. Should be fairly easy to wire to a molex connector.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010005.JPG
This is a close up of the power plug. There are two grounds, two 12v pins and two 5 volt pins.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P2010004.JPG
Power supply label. Of course I will not pay any attention to the Caution!

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/IM000443.JPG
This is my old hard drive cooler that I may intergrate into the mod.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010030.JPG
These are the sides of the case after cutting. I will deburr these and drill holes to mount them in the drive bay. The slot you see in the bottom one is the guide for the drawer.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010010.JPG
This is the first side temporarly mounted in the drive bay.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010011.JPG
Both sides temporarly mounted so I can size the drawer.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010031.JPG
Here I have temporaraly mounted the sides in the drive bay and cut down the "drawer" part of the case.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010032.JPG
The hard drive will sit here and slide in and out on these rails. There will not be any mounting screws but the bottom will be covered with rubber.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P2010005.JPG
I cut down the back of the case and mounted it to the two drawer halves.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010033.JPG
Here I have cut down the back of the case, attached it to the drawer halves and slid it into the bay for a test fit.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P2010006.JPG
To mount the rear I simply drilled a couple of holes and screwed it together.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P2010007.JPG
Just test fitting the front.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010008.JPG
This is a FREE sample handle I got from RAF Electronics thanks to a post in the forums.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010009.JPG
It is what they call a free fall handle. It has 90 degrees of movement, is aluminum and black anodized. I will mount this to the front of the drawer along with the power switch and LED.

That's it for tonight, got some more planning to do for the next step. I'm heading for the casino in St. Louis tomorrow, won't be back till Tuesday night, so maybe get some more done Wednesday. Untll then everybody take care and keep modding!

[DonT-FeaR]

cool... nice thats interesting

[mittelmeier]

Looks nice. Very interesting way to make a removable hard drive.

[blueonblack]

Love the hard drive drawer!
________
Vapir No2 Vaporizer (http://vaporizers.net/no2-vaporizer/)

[SXRguyinMA]

+1 and +rep on the HD drawer! :D

[Liquid_Scope_99]

looking great keep it up

[ContraptionMaker]

OK, back from vacation :(, back to work :mad:, and back to modding :)!
Trying to get this removeable hard drive done befor I move on...

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010017.JPG

I placed a piece of aluminium against the back and marked the outline and cut this out with my Dremel.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010018.JPG
The next step was marking the holes where the wires would come through. These had to be persice as the male plugs had to meet up with the female jacks.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010020.JPG
I then drilled two holes. One for the power jack and one for the USB.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010023.JPG
Then using a square jewlers file I squared the hole for the USB. I have also scored the edges to help the expoxy I'm using stick to the metal.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010021.JPG
This is how the jacks will fit throug the back panel.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010024.JPG
This is what I decided to use to hold the whole thing together. I had originally planned on using "JB Weld" but this was a couple of dollars cheaper and is made specificly for metal.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010025.JPG
I plugged it all in, taped it together with electrical tape and applied the epoxy inside the joint and outside not covered by the tape. Tomorrow I will remove the tape and apply some more expoxy.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/P1010026.JPG
This is what it looks like so far. Once the epoxy dries and I make sure the jacks will line up, I will secure the male plugs to the back plate.

[Bopher]

Good call on the JB Weld. From what I've read on the label it has a shearing hold of 700lbs but I've tried to use it and depending on the pressures put on it it tends to come undone with less.I think where this is going to have some regular pushing/pulling pressure the epoxy is probably a better selection. I used that stuff to hang training materials and after it was dry nothing could pull those hooks off the hoods at work.

I hope everything stays lined up for you. +rep

[DonT-FeaR]

very cool nice work... keep it up man

[mittelmeier]

I've never had issues with JB Weld and I've used it on exhaust headers before. I think the epoxy was a better choice for this though. Nice job on the drawer. The holes in the back look good.

[BerticusPryme]

I would have never thought of doing that. very ingenious. lookin good too.

[ContraptionMaker]

OK I got back at it last night and this is what I got done:


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0005.jpg
I decided to add these, on each side, because the back was flexing too much.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_%2812%29.jpg
Added a lot of strength to the whole thing,


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_%284%29.jpg
Checking to see how everything lines up.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_%283%29.jpg
Looking good!


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_14.jpg
Perfect fit. Here you can also see the braces I added to the back panel. The epoxy was not holding as well as I wanted. It looks a little sloppy now but once it's painted you won't notice (I hope?!)!



http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_%2811%29.jpg
I needed to make a front for the drawer. I had lots of aluminum, but I didn't think that would be strong enough, and the only steel case I had I wasn't ready to cut up. I ended up using, as I'm sure most of you recognize, a base plate from a CD ROM. The line is the fist cut I made. To make sure the cut was strait, I used a cut-off blade on my table saw.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_%2810%29.jpg
This is what I ended up with. I cut it from the end so the edge would still run across the top for strength.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_%289%29.jpg
Next, using my Dremel, I cut 45's to make a corner.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_%288%29.jpg
Then I turned the piece over and scored a fold line with a cut off wheel in the Dremel.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_%287%29.jpg
This is the front ready to be drilled for the handle, the switch. the LED and the screws to hold it in.



http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_%285%29.jpg
The front piece in the drawer. I drilled a hole in each tab I made to screw this to the drawer side.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0002.jpg
This is the finished front piece. The two holes are for the handle, the rectangle for the switch, and just at the bottom you can see a half circle, that is where the LED will be.



http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0003.jpg
This is look down into the drawer. You can just see the screw, at the upper left, that secures the front piece.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0004.jpg
After finishing the front I clamped the drive bay cover to the front and cut the holes to match. I also cut the tabs off of each end that originally held it in.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0006.jpg
This is the back side of the front of the case.



http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0007.jpg
The finished front.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0008.jpg
Here it is back in the bay and ready to close.



http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0009.jpg
Here is the front of the case with the drawer and DVD in place. The only thing that will change here is the LCD display in the top bay.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0010.jpg
Here's the tough end. Getting the plugs and jacks to line was a real pain in the..., well you know!

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0011.jpg
Back apart, ready to paint.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0012.jpg
Waiting for the paint to dry....

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0013.jpg
More paint drying....


As soon as my paiint dries I get it wired up and lined with rubber.

[ContraptionMaker]

Well I got up this morning, and had a couple of hours before work, so I finally figured out where to put the fan and started working on this:



http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_1106.jpg
Remember this from earlier? This is where I plan on placing it. The fan will come up from the bottom and blow cool air, coming from the front intake fans, and blow it over the bottom of the hard drive.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0015.jpg
First I made the cuts running along the front and back of the bay. Cutting these two lines was fairly easy...


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0016.jpg
I haven't figured out how I'm going to cut these two lines? Any of you guys got any suggestions. My Dremel just will not fit to make the cut. I'm thinking I'll just have to revert to the old hacksaw!

If you have any better ideas please let me know...thanks!

[SXRguyinMA]

I believe dremel makes a 90º attatchment, or maybe their flex-shaft will fit? :?

:EDIT: found it (http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=575) :up:

[mittelmeier]

Very nice. + rep

It seems like dremel has an attachment for everything.

[Couch3ater]

Hmm. Lol, too lazy to just pop out the hard drive tray then pop it back in afterward? If not, then perhaps the flex-shaft for the dremel. Not sure... =\

[ContraptionMaker]

Hmm. Lol, too lazy to just pop out the hard drive tray then pop it back in afterward? If not, then perhaps the flex-shaft for the dremel. Not sure... =\

Would be nice if it just popped out! It's riveted in if you look.


Added:
Finding best but easiest way is not lazy, it's called exercising your brain! Work smarter not harder!

[ContraptionMaker]

I believe dremel makes a 90º attatchment, or maybe their flex-shaft will fit? :?

:EDIT: found it (http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=575) :up:


Thanks, I remember seeing this at Menard's now that you mention it. I going tomorrow to pick one up!

+rep for the reminder! Thanks SXRguy!

[KiLLERMAN21]

Nice man, looking good. +rep

[DonT-FeaR]

i really wish people would stop posting links to that dremel page.... im gunna go broke...

[simon275]

Wow ContraptionMaker's you do some really solid work. I have been kicking around these forums for a while now and I haven't been this impressed with someone's work in quite a while. The fan mods are so great. I shall now follow this mod with interest. :up:

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Wow! That removable bay looks great. +rep

[jdbnsn]

agreed with the above, very cool idea and the project looks great so far. Keep up the great work!

[ContraptionMaker]

Thank you all so much. I can't wait to wrap this one up. I already know what I'm going to do for my next mod.

[DonT-FeaR]

every1 plans like 2 mods ahead..

good to know you wont disappear

[nevermind1534]

I might do something similar to your removable bay with my case. I'm debating on whether to do that or put a 120MM fan in there.

[ContraptionMaker]

I might do something similar to your removable bay with my case. I'm debating on whether to do that or put a 120MM fan in there.

Put the fan in or, at least, use a pre-made removable drive bay...it's a he** of a lot easier!!! LOL :D

Truthfully I will probably never do this again! Don't let that discourage you! I believe you should always challenge yourself to do something harder! It keeps you sharp! This was fun, challenging, and wracked my brain more than once! Above it all I learned a lot of new techniques and I've been working on, and with, computers for over 25 years. (No old fart jokes I've heard them all! LOL)
Just proves your never to old to learn.


Anyway, went to Menard's to get the right angle attachment, had them clearance priced at $19.99! Of course I get there and they are sold out!:mad: Then I went to Lowe's and they had them in stock, but they were $29.99! Now I'm kind of a tight wad. I would rather spend the $30 on a new part for my computer than get a new tool. I knew there had to be a way to do it with what I had. This is what I came up with, not the neatest, but worked!

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0018.jpg
I'll finish the cutting the hole using the old modders standby...case nippers.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0036.jpg
I will also use these Dremel bits as well as the cut off wheel (not shown) as much as possible. The one on the left is one everybody should have in their Dremel collection, a Tungsten Carbide Cutter. This thing will cut hardened steel, stainless steel, cast iron, ceramics and other hard materials. The only thing you can't do with it is drill. I used this to cut the edges to my line then used the grinders to finish it up. (These are what they looked like after I was done!)

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0017.jpg
First I cut the biggest hole I could.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0019.jpg
Then made another cut across the back as far as I dare. Then bent the resulting piece down.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0021.jpg
Then using the cut off wheel from the bottom, I was able to cut fairly close to my original line. Because the bend was arched and not square, I had to cut just below my line.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0022.jpg
Once I had that piece out, I cut through, using the case nipper, to my rear cut.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0024.jpg
Then I bent each side down and cut once more.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0027.jpg
Once I had as much of the metal cut as possible, I bend the edges back up, and used the high speed cutter to bring my edges to my lines.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0033.jpg
This is what it looks like after final grinding, looks like I'm going to have me some repainting to do.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0031.jpg
This is how it all fits.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0028.jpg
Now to clean up the fan, repaint the case, mount the fan and move on the the next part.
That will have to wait till tomorrow...

[BerticusPryme]

awesome work man. also W00t for the nibbler tool. Best thing I ever bought from radio shack. also the worst thing to use when cutting one of the old chieftec steel cases. things about that makes my arms hurt.

[DonT-FeaR]

very nice update there.... good to see ya ideas...

worked out well i think

[KiLLERMAN21]

Nice idea with the fans in the bay. Lookin great ;)

[ContraptionMaker]

Thank you all so much for all of your comments. You all have great skills and honor me with your recognition!

I'm going to start this update with a warning. Don't use super glue on plastic!

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/PB100039.JPG
Don't use super glue on plastic...this is what happens!

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Stealthing_the_DVD/slides/PB100040.JPG
All the white stuff you see is from the super glue. I sanded all this off and painted it the same color as the case. Instead of glue I stuck the mesh on while the paint was wet and used it as the glue.

Here's what I got done today:

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0037.JPG
To finish the drawer I painted the plastic behind the mesh then clamped the mesh onto the wet paint to help hold the front on.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0057.jpg
Then I cut the LED from the circuit board and soldered on some extension wires.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0058.jpg
Next was to shrink wrap the wires going to LED.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0059.jpg
Finished circuit board wiring.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0060.jpg
This is some of the rubber I will glue to the bottom of the drawer. It is about an 1/8" thick.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0063.jpg
I used a ruler and a couple of clamps to hold the rubber down while the epoxy dried. Also note the sleeving on the wires. These were secured in place with hot gule.

http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0064.jpg
This is the finished drawer. The fan will blow air throught the center helping keep the hard drive cool.


http://contraptionmaker.info/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_0065.jpg
Here is the drawer with a hard drive plugged in and ready to go.

Well that's it for today. I did some other things too but I'm keeping those secret for now :bad:

[DonT-FeaR]

very nice... i was excited from when you said what you had done in that email last night..

good work man

[mittelmeier]

Nice work, the drawer looks great! I can't wait to see what you are keeping a secret. +rep

[calumc]

Nice work, im getting 1 of these cases so I may be stealing some ideas ;)

+rep for u :D

[ContraptionMaker]

OK, I know it's been a while since I posted but the holidays have me kinda frantic, Between work and getting ready for the holidays, I haven't had a lot of time left for the work shop, but I have got a couple of things done so here goes...

One of the first things was finishing the cooling fan for the removable hd.
Here is the finished fan installation complete with edge molding.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Removable_IDE_Drive/slides/ide_1021.jpg
Here is the finished fan installation complete with edge molding.

One of the other things I got done was finishing the wiring for the lights. I can run only the blue lights, only the UV lights, or turn them all off.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC060003.JPG
This is the left side of the case. I have three CCFL's on this side. Two UV, one across the top and one on the right. Across the bottom there is a blue CCFL. I also have two blue LED fans on the front, the UV LED's in the top fan, and two 8" and one 12" UV CCFL's on the other side.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PB300018.JPG
Since I wanted to control my lights with a switch, I wanted to build a junction box for the lights. I found just the part I wanted on this old sound card.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PB300019.JPG
The part I needed was the connector at the rear of the card.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PB300020.JPG
Then I cut the large connector in half and ended up with two connectors with ten pins each.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PB300023.JPG
After sanding off as much copper as possible, I tinned a piece of solid core wire, and soldered it across the pins.


http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PB300024.JPG
One wire on the top pins and one on the bottom pins. These will become + and - once the switch is plugged in to one end. Then each light will plug into the two pins.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PB300026.JPG
The connector does not sit flat so I will have to make a mount for them. I plan on putting these on the right side of the case, next to the hard drive bay, above the radiator.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PB300025.JPG
I started with a scrap piece of acrylic and routed out two depressions for the pins.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PB300028.JPG
This will allow the connectors to sit flat as well as insulate them from the case.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC010030.JPG
After I had the depressions to size, I cut the mount to size.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC010031.JPG
Here is the completed light bank. One end is blue and the other is UV. The positive connection is the row in front, or next to the widest part, and negative is the far row.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC010032.JPG
The middle two connections are from the switch. The other connectors run to the lights. To add a light all I have to do is solder on a two prong plug and plug it in!


http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC010033.JPG
Next I will make a cover for this.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC060007.JPG
I started with a spare piece of Plexiglas and cut it to fit.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC060006.JPG
The lip at the top of the cover slips under the top lip of the case and is held in place with a screw at the bottom.


http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC060010.JPG
After sanding I applied a couple of coats of white paint. This will be the back ground of my label.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC060011.JPG
I printed extra labels just in case I messed one up. I also used one to block the area where I will apply the label. To make the graphic am using clear full sheet labels. The back ground has to stay white because the letters and lightning are clear and will be the color of the background.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC060013.JPG
Next I painted the whole thing black. After the paint dried I used a 1500 wet/dry sandpaper to make the white dots.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC070014.JPG
Next will come three red stripes. To make these I started with a piece of Velum. This is a paper material with a light sticky backing.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC070015.JPG
Using a ruler and an Xacto knife, I cut the strips out.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC070016.JPG
I re-taped the label to the top to block off my white area. This will give me a nice outline and background stripes.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC070019.JPG
With the masking done, all that was left, was to apply the red paint.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC080028.JPG
Here is the finished cover after a coat of satin clear coat.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC080030.JPG
The finished cover in place. Not something that will really be seen, but it was fun to do, and I will always know it's there! Here you can also see most of the lights on the right side. Two 8" UV's, one at the top and one, at the bottom. A 12" UV just to the right of the cover, and to the right just out of picture, there is a 12" blue CCFL tube.

http://contraptionmaker.info/Chris%27s%20Crazy%20Contraptions/SpiderHouse/Case_Lighting/slides/PC080032.JPG
Here is a close up shot of the cover in place.

Well thats it for now, like I said, time is tight right now but I try to find a little here and there.

[SXRguyinMA]

that looks awesome! +rep for the idea with the connector :bowdown:

[DonT-FeaR]

master of recycling... i need to study your mind is this ok? +rep

[ContraptionMaker]

It is with deep regret that I make this post as this will be the last to the "Spider House". I am typing this from my work computer because yesterday 12/10/08, our house burned down. We lost just about everything we had. The Spider House and all it's components were in the center of the fire. All of our other computers were water damaged, along with everything else in the house. The most important thing is we are both sill alive and I thank God for that. I will try to check back as often as I can, but until I can get a computer again, it will be spotty.
Thank you all for all you encouragement and praise. I will have another mod someday, who knows, maybe the Spider House will live yet.

As a final note here are some pics of a couple of things I was saving for later.

http://www.luckyleta.com/pics/P1010031.JPG



I transferred my spider stencil to a piece of UV acrylic and cut it out with my scroll saw (yes it got burned up too).
http://www.luckyleta.com/pics/P1010036.JPG



This is what I ended up with.

http://www.luckyleta.com/pics/P1010037.JPG



Then I glued it to the inside of the window.

http://www.luckyleta.com/pics/P1010039.JPG



This is what it looked like with the UV's on.

I never did find anyone to make the Spider House lettering for me so I came up with something different...

http://www.luckyleta.com/pics/Pb110055.jpg

First I cut the letters in the side of the case.

http://www.luckyleta.com/pics/PB190093.JPG

Then I cut the letters for the UV acrylic.

http://www.luckyleta.com/pics/PB190099.JPG

This is what they looked like under UV.


http://www.luckyleta.com/pics/P1010013.JPG

And this is what they looked like in the side with UV on.

Happy holidays to everybody.
ContraptionMaker

[Spidermeld]

Sorry to hear about your house. Glad everyone is okay.

[KiLLERMAN21]

:( sorry about the fire. That must suck sooo much. Our best wishes go out to you.

[mittelmeier]

Wow, sorry to hear about your house man. I'm glad everyone is ok.

[TheGreatSatan]

Do you have insurance? What was the cause?

[ContraptionMaker]

Do you have insurance? What was the cause?
First of all let me thank all of you.
To answer your question Saten, no ins on contents, minimun on house. We are hoping to rebuild.
Again, thank you all for your concern.

[SXRguyinMA]

sorry to hear man, keep it up, keep your head high, hope you can at least get reimbursed for the things you lost

[blueonblack]

Wow, just found this sad news, very sorry to hear it. If there's anything I can do, feel free to send me a PM.

[XcOM]

sorry to hear that man, the most important thing is no one got hurt.

I wish you the best of luck rebuiding what you once worked so hard to get.

XcOM

[985323]

wow, sorry to hear , just glad to know everyones alright

[p0Pe]

sorry to hear about the fire:( that case looked amazing:/

best of luck from here too!

[Couch3ater]

Wow. I don't even know what to say. In my opinion, sorry doesn't really cover it, but it's the best we've all got right now. I hope that you have a happy holiday. You have my best wishes.

-Couch3ater

[ContraptionMaker]

Hello everybody,
First of all I want to thank all of you, again, for all your well wishes and support. It is wonderful to belong to a community that supports each other so well. It means a lot to me, Thank You all one more time.
Here's what's happening in my world....
I'm sad to report two lives were lost in the fire...
Rosie, my 18 year old Rose Hair Tarantula, and my unnamed 3 year old King Baboon Tarantula. Sherlock, the cat, (yes he has a brother named Holmes) was outside at the time and is doing just fine, although a little scared and confused.
On a happier note, my wife's computer made it through and so did my monitor. Our furniture and clothes are pretty much ruined and most of our electronics bit the dust so it may be a while before I get a new computer.
After the fire we spent five days in a hotel, now we are staying at, are you ready for this?, my wife's ex-husbands house! Is is it awkward? Not too bad, they've been done for years, but have always been friends. Is it comfortable? Well let's put it this way, "It's better than a van down by the river!"
We have spoke with the insurance company and building contractors. The ins. co. of course is dragging their feet but have told us they will "hopefully" be done by Christmas. The contractor is ready to start and says we can be back home in two to three months. It won't be the same as what we had, we will lose about 700 sq. feet, but it will be a house and we will be very thankful for that.
Thank you all for your caring and concern,
ContraptionMaker and family.


:santa:A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!!!:santa:

[SgtM]

Glad to hear that you're safe man. If there's anything I can do, please feel free to PM me.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Man, I'm sorry to hear it... but at least you're okay, and still have contact with the outside world. And the cats made it, that's always a good thing. :)

Doubt I can help at all, but if I can, I will.

[Kumo]

Sorry about the fire and the spiders. Is always painful to lost a pet.