Project: Citrus G5

[J-Roc]

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/TBCS_Group/jroc/CBD-122.png

I'm building a HTPC. Im not sure what i want my project name to be but Bad Apple or Rotten Apple seems appealing to me since i will be using an Apple G5 case for an IMB clone. Im still debating the operating system but i'll probly go with Linux MCE.

[edit] name changed to Citrus G5!

The initial parts list:
Proc: AMD Athalon X2 4200+
Mobo: Biostar TA690GAM2 (one of the best htpc mobo's)
Ram: 2Gb Kingston HyperX pc2-6400
HDD: 20Gb Fujitsu IDE (i will upgrade this later)
PSU: Dont have one yet but i'll probly get a 300-400watt generic
CD: Sub standard 40x cd reader ( i will upgrade this to a LiteOn dvd-RW later on)

I managed to get this case from someone on thies forums a long time ago. I cant remember who but if they are still around, speak up plz. It was in a flood and the internals were damaged so i bought the case. I need to get some batteries for my cammera but i have two old pics on photo bucket.

Possible Layout:
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2135.jpg

Fan mod & I/O problem:
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2136.jpg

There are some problems i face with this build.
#1 Mounting the mobo. The mobo tray is also the exterior of the case so protruding stand off's are unacceptable. I'm thinking that i'll have to epoxy plastic stand off's to the mobo tray.

#2 The I/O area on the back of the case. What im thinking here is to cut a rectangular hole and put an aluminum plate moulding over it to cover any mistakes. I wont be able to use the I/O plate as the mobo will be resesed compared to the back of the case. It will be a big hole around all the connectors but im looking into ways to make this better.

#3 Painting. This will be a challange, the case cannot be dissassembled. I think i'll leave the center perforated strip its normal color and paint just the exterior wrap around aluminum shell. I think black & silver will give a nice contrast. I havent decided wether or not to put back the apple logo. It might be cool to have a decal of a rotting apple or possible calvin pissing on the apple logo.

I havent desided if i want to install a 3.5" rack to hold 2 HDD's or build the case for a single drive.

As for the PSU... If i can get one with a fan of the top or bottom (depending which way its orientated) i'll place it so the intake is pointed towards the front of the case and the exhaust is pointed down and out of the case. If i do this, i'll have to mod the psu. I'll remove the power plug and soldier in a power cord so i can redirect the cord out the back of the case.

I have some other mods in mind too. I'll be adding USB ports to the front bottom of the left side of the case. I need to add a power & reset button to the front of the case aswell. I hope to get somthing cool like a Vandal switch but im not holding my breath for a $20 switch. I'm adding a window to the removable side pannel which i've allready gave it a rough cut.

Later, i want to install an Imon Ultra Bay to the front of the case for the look and functionallity of a true HTPC.

[J-Roc]

Well my hardware is ready to be picked up which i'll do on my way home from work tomorrow.

Here are some pics of the case.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/2286/1002247yn4.jpg

This one shows the window i'll be putting in it.
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6867/1002245bf5.jpg

Here i'll have to come back and touch this up with a file. My brother was supposed to get me some today but his lazy arse forgot!
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7099/1002252ti5.jpg

This is how i plan to mount the PSU.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4871/1002251nu0.jpg

This is the front with a half assed overlay of the proposed Imon Ultra Bay and the location of the power / reset switches.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9752/1002246zh0.jpg

And this is a consept paint scheme, i might change it up a bit but it looks pretty cool now that i can "see" it.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/6833/consept1ua2.jpg

I'll upload some pics of the hardware when i get it home tomorrow.

[J-Roc]

Dude, your the man! Yeah that was i who bought your case. Under the nick CanaBalistic.

I got the hardware i order'd in today. My lazy ass good for nothing brother hasnt brought me any files. He offered to take the side pannel into work today and trim it up for me but he didnt do that either. Familly, cant live with them, go to jail if you kill them.

Here's the new hardware
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4927/1002257xn3.jpg

And a quick mock up of the mobo, i used stand off's to hold the board at the correct hight and used an network card to allign the pci slots.
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/6867/1002261ck8.jpg

I think im going to try forming the window with some scrap stuff i have laying around to get a general idea of the temps and techniques.

I'm also thinking of changing the paint. Slytherock is doing another apple case and he had a georgous orange picked out but he desided to go with black insted. I want to be unique so i think i should go with an orange/silver scheme. It fits in with the colors of the mobo too. I also have some orange plexi that i can use for the window.

[J-Roc]

The paint will be somewhat like this

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/3467/1002254copydh7.jpg

I'll also paint the PSu this color and i might paint the metal plate that the HDD and cd drive bolt to. Allthough i might paint the cd plate black. I'll deside that when the time comes.

Does anyone know where i might be able to buy some orange led 80mm fans? Aluminum frames would be nice so it fits in with the theme but i'd like there to be a nice orange glow from within. Maybe an AM2 cooler with orange leds?

[J-Roc]

Yeah i was checking that out yesterday. I wanted to change the name right away! He's damn good by the looks of it. I dont plan on beating myself up trying to be such a perfectionist as he is and the goals are totaly diffrent. He wants sli and to make it look like it came from apple. I want a HTPC and i dont care if it comes out looking like a mac or not. He's got some good points and tricks for doing things but unlike him, i dont want to redo the entire backside of the case. Ofcourse i'll try and keep things neat and tidy but not to the lengths he goes to.

But since you brought up the name, i'll need a new one so people dont get confused. Any ideas?

Quakken, i'm going to sand the anodizing off the outside only and repaint. The paint will lay almost exactly as shown in thoes illustrations. BTW, my brother who is a glazier told me that anodizing is the second hardest substance known to man. Allthough he says he used his textbook to start a fire while he was drunk and wiki cannot confirm his allogations.

[J-Roc]

Well i had to bite the bullet and buy a power supply. I tried to find somthing localy through friends and stores but no one had anything and the stores were way too expencive. NCIX didnt offer up much either as did tigerdirect.

I found a decent deal at Xodide.com, a 580watt sunbeam psu. While it isnt modular which is a huge deal for me, it is black and slick looking so i wont have to paint it.
http://www.xoxide.com/casegears-black-steel-580w-psu.html

While im waiting on that, i'll have some time to get a few things done on the case. I also tried moulding a window last night which yeilded less than stellar results. The plexi didnt want to form at all, it did droop though. Then it started to bubble and i called it quits. I dont know if this method is going to work at all so i might have to go another route.

[J-Roc]

Well i solved the stand off issue. I went to the local pc shop and bought some small stand off's. If i double them up, it gives me just the right amount of height compared to a normal stand off. My cammera doesnt like close up shots but its still visible. I stuck a regular height stand off in the corner so you can see how much height im getting and how i plan to use them. I'll just epoxy them onto the back plate of the case.

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/9798/1002265ew3.jpg

I also brought out the dremel and made an I/O opening. While it isnt perfect and i cut it too long, it should be fine since i plan to use a piece of aluminum to hide the edge and that uneeded last port on the original case exterior.

This is the marking i used, i should have left the second to last port but it doesnt matter since it will all be covered in the end.
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7517/1002262ti6.jpg

Half way through.
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/1651/1002263li1.jpg

Finished!
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3365/1002264fx1.jpg

I'll touch up the edges when my brother gets me thoes files.

For a new name i was thinking somthing like Cirtus G5, what do ya think?

[J-Roc]

Just a quick little update.

My power supply has finally shipped and should arrive about mid next week. I've got a lot of stuff to do at home, work and a lot to do on my car but im going to go buy some epoxy on satureday after work and i'll attach the stand offs and mount the mobo.

Once i get the PSU, ill figure out the best way to mount it inside the case and cut the hole to reroute a power dongle to the rear of the case. I'm still looking for cool power/reset switches. I have some switches here at home but none that will fit well with the look im after. I'll also have to come up with a way to have an orange light inside the case. The only orange thing i could find was a single 80mm uv orange fan on ebay. Totally not what im looking for so i'll have to get a white light ccfl or led stick and wrap it in orange plexi. Its a good thing i have a fair amount of it.

That is all for now, please resume your normal day to day operations.

[J-Roc]

Well my psu finally arrived and i love it! It doesnt have many power dongles which makes it easier to hide the ones im using. It has 4 molex, 1 floppy, 1 sata, and the regular cpu and mobo plugs. I didnt bother to take a pic of it as its just a standard psu. I've assembled the parts in a generica case i got from work just so i can test everything out and make sure all is working well. Allthough im having problems enabling any second display, it seems to be software related so i hope i can figure that out.

I've upgraded the temporary HDD to a 30Gb Maxtor ide drive. As it turns out, the fujitsu drive is dead. That would have left a sour taste in my mouth.

I couldnt buy any epoxy last weekend because i was busy dealing with my car accident. I'm trying to get a new car so money is tight and this build is getting pushed back a little bit. Everything should click together once i hear back from the bank about a loan extension. If all goes well, i'll be able to buy everything else i need in one shot. Then it will be straight up modding from there on out.

I also got a free 21" Apple SutdioDisplay that would fit in well with the G5 case allthough i dont think i'll pair the two up. I've got it connected to my main rig at the moment and it is killer for games.

That is all. Please continue about your daily business...

[J-Roc]

Update!

I woke up this morning to all 3 of my alarmclock's beeping. Oh snap! I missed work today. Well so i didnt waste the day i went and bought some supplies. The goal for today, mount the motherboard.

Epoxy & Methanol
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8084/1002274pn2.jpg

I needed the methanol to clean the aluminum so the epoxy would adhear better. I had marked some stuff with a jify marker and there was dust and dirt inside.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/120/1002275xn1.jpg

I was trying to deside the best way to mount the board. My first thought was to use an old board so i wouldnt damage the new one.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2276.jpg

I started to mix up the epoxy and realized that it was thick enough to stick to the stand off's in any direction. So i put the stand off's back on the good board and put a splooge of epoxy on each one.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2277.jpg

This is kind of a 2 part deal. I dont think the small amount of epoxy will hold the board so once its dry, i'll add more around the base of each stand off.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2280.jpg


Progress so far:
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2278.jpg

I also opened the new psu to see the best place to route the new power cord. I took a pic but it wasnt the greatest.

More updates as they occur...

[J-Roc]

Well the epoxy seems to be holding up quite well so i dont think i'll be adding more to it.

I got myself a cheap 6pc file set (4 files & 2 handles) for like $15. I spent about 4hrs total cleaning up the window edges. Note to self; cut closer to the line next time.

Here you can see the huge chunks i had to clear from the corners.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2252.jpg

Here it is all done:
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2285.jpg

And all together.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2286.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2287.jpg

I dont think i'll be keeping the original plexi air baffle. I have a sheet of orange plexi i'll be using for that.

Also, my Imon UltraBay is currently on its way and should arrive before friday(fingers crossed)

[J-Roc]

I've been so busy lately... Anyway, i got the power supply mounted last week. Here's how it all went down.

I couldnt find much in the way of stencils so i put a sheet of paper over the PSU and incerted the screws through it. I then used the piece of paper to mark out my mounting holes. Well this wasnt very accurate and i had to drag the drill bit to get everything lined up correctly. It isnt a big issue as the screws i'll be using cover up the uneven holes except for one which has a tiny bit of the hole showing. Then i used an old psu as a stencil for the blow hole and filled in the slots with a jiffy marker. I wasnt sure how i was going to go about this at first so i drilled a couple starter holes (the 4 you see around the blowhole) After doing so i realized that the hole will be too big. I grabed a 80mm fan duct and eye'd it out on the aluminum. The duct fit inbetween test holes so i traced it out and began drilling. I drilled the circumfrence of the hole then used my dremmel to finish it off.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2291.jpg

I then filed the excess material. This piece of the case is about half the thickness of the side panel and was much quicker. About 10 minutes later i had this.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2293.jpg
After taking the picture i could see that the hole wasnt quite perfect so i touched it up a tad. Its easy to file corners but circles seem to be next to impossible to get perfect. (sry, no pics)

Well now i had to prep the PSU. The power cord socket, on/off switch, and voltage selector were protruding and needed to be removed. I couldnt remove the voltage slector so i screwed it to the ground terminal inside. I ran a new power cord to a filed down plug i made to fit the existing rear of the case. To do so i had to knotch out a small section of the cover and install a gromet for saftey. Here it is with a mock up of the power cord sticking out from the side.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2294.jpg

I just realized that i didnt take any pictures of it all finished so i'll do so now and add them onto this post.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2313.jpg

The hole is not as good as i wanted and my brother enticed me to touch it up and make the hole a little bigger if i have to. I'll post pics of that when i get around to it.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2312.jpg

Here is another little mini mod that i havent finished. Its the fan bracket that goes between the cd drive and the HDD. There was a small squirrel cage fan and an 80mm fan mounted here but the squirrel fan cant be used so im hacking of its section from the bracket. I'm not sure yet if im going to use this but im thinking about it.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2289.jpg

Also, since i've got the ultra bay now and it has blue illumination, im going to use blue led fans insted of hunting for orange ones. I think the orange and blue will look together and opens my choices for fans.

[J-Roc]

More Progress!

I got the front cut out for the ultra bay. Its a really nice fit.

Here was my initial markings, i made sure the sides were perfect and marked where i want the top to sit. The bottom line is a ruff estimate and makes the hole a little smaller than the ultra bay.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2314.jpg

Here is the ruff cut with the dremel.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2317.jpg

I didnt get any pics after filing the hole to neer perfection but here's one with the ultra bay in the hole. Its a bit funny looking because i had to hold the unit in place to take the picture, i also fliped the pic the right way around. The little bit of black along the top is my pen line and not a hole :) There is no play what so ever.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2320.jpg

While i had the components removed, i touched up the PSU hole. It still isnt "round" but i smoothed out the funny bits and it looks better. I also touched up the I/O hole i hade and squared it off.

[J-Roc]

Mounted the Ultra Bay!! Major milestone here!!

I was so stumped and confused about how i was going to mount this after i had cut the hole for it. My frist thought was to fasion a block that would take up the space from its mounting bracket to the devider plate and glue it in place. I couldnt find anything to use as a block so i decided to use some screws and a bunch of nuts. I just fliped the bracket upside down and randomly put 4 holes in the bracket. I tested it out.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2321.jpg

Turns out the screws i had were too short so i went and got some longer ones. This is a crappy pic but you can see how i marked for the holes. I used the short screws and just drew around them :) Turns out this worked pretty damn good.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2325.jpg

And here it is all done and installed! I just need to tweek the bracket a bit in the top left corner. Its slightly out by about 1/16, otherwise its a flush fit.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2327.jpg

I also finished the fan bracket also, i am fairly certin that im going to use it.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2324.jpg

The list of things-to-do is getting smaller by the day. It shouldnt be too long before i start on body work and paint.

[J-Roc]

I cut a piece of the orange plexi for the window and all i can say is that its the most beautiful thing i've ever seen. Its like gummy bears wraped in rainbows toped with caramel fudge. I think it would look best if i glued it in place but i cant do that untill the case is painted. I'm still going to get some nice screws to bolt it in. the front / back corners are coming loose so i have to bolt thoes down and it'll flow better that way.

I'm still looking for nice power reset switches. I like the look of the vandal switches. Does anyone know of where to get some other sleek and stylish switches?

As allways, more updates as they occur.

[J-Roc]

im trying to decide my next move.

I need switches for power, reset, and prosibly an eject button.
I need to get/make some sound proffing sheets so i can cover the imperfections on the inside of the case.
I need to find some decent screws/bolts/somthing to hold the window in and hold the top flange in place (it must have been droped at some time)
I need to decide which fans im going to get and depending on that, i need to figure out the lighting
I dont know if i'll need to make an i/o shield, i cleaned it up pretty nice with the file.
With all that i'll be able to route the wires nicely. I might need to make a shield to cover the long 24pin cable plus the iMon extension.

Then its just body work and paint :)

[J-Roc]

Here's another small update so my worklog doesnt slip into oblivion. I just purchased some more gear to help finish the case.

2 x Blackfire4 UV LED 92mm Fan
1 x AeroCool SilverBlade I 80mm Fan
1 x Vandal Resistant Switch 16mm - Orange Dot
1 x Vandal Resistant Switch 16mm - Orange Ring
1 x Noise Pax Sound Dampening Material

I decided to go with the AcRyan fan's (Thanks WAG) which should really set off the interior. I was going to use blue fans but when i put the orange plexi over a blue led, it dimmed it to neer nill and turned it green. I'm putting off buying a new hard drive and the sat card untill the case is complete.

I'll have more pics when the shipment arrives!

[J-Roc]

Well my box-o-goodies arived today! Unfortunatly my batteries died in my cammera and im so broke right now i cant even buy more.

Everything looks awsome! Does anyone have experience with bulgin switches and know the layout of the pins?

I'll update again when i have some pics, items will probly be installed so no package shots :)

[J-Roc]

Well, here's another small update for critical components. My mother is going to hate me for sure. Her poor credit card is getting its arse whooped.

I just ordered the much needed hard drive and the satellite card for a total of $187.09.

Specificaly;
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS Hard Drive $63.35
Hauppauge WinTV NOVA-S-PLUS Satellite TV Tuner PCI Card W/ MPEG2 Recording Software & Remote $86.87

I really needed a sata drive because the single ribbon cable wont reach both the dvd rom and the HDD in the configuration im going for.

Jeesh, what started out as a project with a $300 budget quickly spiraled out to over $600 and counting.

[J-Roc]

Nope, all is well. Sata is what i wanted to begin with. Impreved speed and this HD has 16mb cache. Plus i needed the space. PVR functions for the sat card take up 1.5Gb/hr and would fill the little 30Gb drive in no time.

Plus, now i'll be able to use that 30Gb drive to get the 1800+ duron system in my closet going. Which btw will be my 4th computer :) That'll be my next mod i think, if all goes as planed, it'll be modeled after the concept case on the TBCS_TV website header. (yeah thats right! someone's got to make that frikin sweet case!!!)

[J-Roc]

Picture update!

I havent made much progress besides mounting the fans. A new problem has come up aswell, the sata connectors for the new drive stick out further then the IDE & molex ones do so i have to redrill holes a little further out and use stand off's to get the front of the drive above the little lip that i had it against. This should improve cooling aswell.

I also found out that the dvd rom drive im going to use is also a cd-rw which is a bonus allthough i probly wont burn anything on it.

Here is the areo cool fan mounted in its housing, the bare happauge win nova plus satellite card, the new WD Caviar 250Gb sata2 drive and the acoustic mat's which i'll use to cover the blemishes on the inside of the case.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2338.jpg

Here are the new AC Ryan fans. I'm not terribly impressed with the UV lighting but through the orange plexi it looks awsome.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2339.jpg

And lastly, the orange Bulgin 16mm switches, one dot and one circle.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2342.jpg

I'm going to try and make the mounting plate for thies today. It has to be large enough to cover over the old switches and front panel connectors.

Thats all for now!

[J-Roc]

Mounting plate is done!

I used a piece of aluminum that i had kicking around and marked out my design. I basicly just eye'd it up and took measurements to ensure it was straight. Then i did my rough cut with the dremel.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2343.jpg

After the piece was cut and could lay flat on the case i took a rough estimate of the position of the switches. I would have like to install some usb ports here aswell but the length of cable on the usb ports is about 5" so it wouldnt even reach the front. Oh well... Here i am cutting the aluminum with a wood boaring bit (works like a charm). I used a 5/8 bit cause thats what size the switches are. It turned out that the holes were a **** hair too small so i had to file it out a bit. I am wearing a work glove because that aluminum gets damn hot while cutting and i dont have any clamps.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2344.jpg

And here is the finished product! The holes are a fraction off center which i think actually looks good.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2345.jpg

Next step is to epoxy the plate to the case and drill through the old power switch. Then wire up the switches.

[J-Roc]

Another step done.

I was going to drill more 5/8's hole in the case but the old switches and screw holes would have prevented the bulgin nuts from sitting flush.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2346.jpg

So screw that noise! I just cut out a section big enough to fit the switches through but small enough that the plate will cover it all. I'll file this smooth and clean up the hole a little before i mount it.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2347.jpg

Here is what it'll look like once i epoxy the panel into place.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2348.jpg

Now im afraid i have to hack apart a perfectly good case and salvage the power/reset wires for the switches.

As allways, more updates as they occur!

[J-Roc]

Switches are all wired up!

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2350.jpg

[J-Roc]

This is probly my last post for today. I've epoxied the switches in place aswell as the new female power socket on the rear of the case. I would have taken pics but there is no point.

Well since i did all that i desided to work on the interior wiring. Luckly i had lots of zap straps for the little harness i made. I really lucked out as there seemed to be just enough length from all the diffrent wires to reach thier destination. I did make one small mistake but its more of an incovience then a problem. I didnt check which molex line i ran uptop and i ran the line with the floppy connector on it. I was thinking of just cutting it off but it could be usefull for future mods. My alternative is to either hide the floppy plug or redo the harness. Here is a pic, obviously im not done and most of the visable loose wires will be hidden under the mobo.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2354.jpg

I had to add an extention sata adapter because the straight back design on the PSU line was hitting the back of the case. The fold down type is the only one that wouldnt make me remount the HDD.

[edit]
Ha ha! you can see the shaving cream lid i used to make the radious for the switch plate in the pic! lmfao

[J-Roc]

Small update today. Not much new work done today but im getting ready for paint and rounding up supplies.

The other day at work i was able to snag this beauty.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2357.jpg

I know, wtf right? Well look whats inside it!
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h258/Cana-Balistic/100_2359.jpg

Thats a 6v LED rail! the lights are a bit confusing though. I've seen red led's before and thies arent red. I've seen orange led's before and thies aint orange either. Its in between the two. Oh, well! its good enough for now and add's tons of light. I'll be able to swap the led's at a later time for another mod. I think i'll just use some double sided sticky tape to place them where i want them inside the case. They work off the 5v molex connector to i'll have to fancy up the test plug i made so it looks pro and go from there.

I tried to buy some primer today but i bought the wrong stuff based off the kid working the paint department. I bought a can of special purpose Krylon Epoxy Enamel primer. it says it works for everything but after i got it home i realized this is the wrong stuff. The can reads "For best results, use a primer" WTF? this is supposed to be primer! Anyway, i'll take it back tomorrow and see what else i can dig up from a couple diffrent stores.

[J-Roc]

Big update!!!!

I won poker on friday so i had a few extra bucks. Here's what i bought! I totally forgot black paint for the cd drive cover and the seperation plate. I'll have to get some next time im out.
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/678/1002371rg2.jpg

So the first thing i have to do is remove the anodizing from the exterior of the case. Well the easy-off is messy stuff so i have to mask off the case.
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7376/1002368kt5.jpg

Paying attention to the little details.
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/4339/1002370qt2.jpg

I found the best method was to use my sanding sponge while the easy off was still bubbling on the case. This is such a messy method. For anyone trying this, strip the parts enough so you can rinse them under the tap or shower.
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/9199/1002372xt7.jpg

After most of the easy-off is off or crusted up, i began sanding. I love how easy this was to sand. I spent about 3 hrs sanding with the sponge block first, then i moved to 240, 320, 400, and finished with 600 grit paper. I used a small square of each. Tons of extra! Here is the fruit of my labour!
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/8619/1002373ub9.jpg

I was so disapointed to find out the apple logo is an inlayed piece. It might work to my advantage though. It might be ghosted in the paint.

Thats all for today! If all goes well, tomorrow i'll remask the case and get some zinc primer on it.

[J-Roc]

i didnt get around to the primer yet. I bought some spot putty today to fill the little imperfections. I wouldnt even have thought about painting it if the exterior didnt have what appears to be a dremmel gouge in it and big, deep, ugly grind marks on the side panel. However, it turns out i got the wrong putty for how im doing thing. I bought the UV Activated stuff because it was a but cheaper. As soon as i got it home, the sun passed and some clouds started rolling in. So heres how im trying to cure it.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8060/1002374ht8.jpg

[J-Roc]

That was the best waste of perfectly good cammera betteries. I just left the pieces by the window so the sun would get to them in the morning. All dry now :)

[edit]
Duh! I totally forgot what i wanted to tell you guys. At work today i found a surveillance cammera. Its just a stationary unit on a nifty mount and a BNC connector. I also spotted another one on the wall but i didnt have a screw driver to take it off properly so i'll get it another day. The one on the wall is a dome style cammera and appears to have swivel and tilt controls. I'll know more once i make it disappear :)

Now im going to look for a PCI-E BNC card :) Home Theatre & Security!

[J-Roc]

Major Update!

First things first! It's got some paint on it! I started out with primer.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4866/1002402nn7.jpg
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/6609/1002404xb2.jpg

Here's one that shows how i reattached the loose corners of the case.
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/9629/1002405bz4.jpg

I should have bought some regular primer aswell. This Zinc Chromate stuff is incredibly see through. I've almost used my entire can of orange just on the case body and there are still some spots that i see through to the aluminum. I guess there really is no substitute for thicker enamel.

First coat of orange. Very thin layers!
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8384/1002406zd3.jpg

Its coming together now.
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/3880/1002408wu8.jpg

This would be a nice effect if i didnt plan on adding more orange and covering it up.
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/1523/1002410ef7.jpg

OMG! Look at the sheen on that sucker! This is actually a very nice orange. Much nicer then i originally thought.
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4009/1002411ot7.jpg

I did thies so quick that i didnt take any pictures of the process. Here's a shot of them in my oven curing.
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/1300/1002412dg1.jpg

I've finished painting for today. I'll add more orange some time through the week or next weekend. I also have to do the side panel and then clear coat them.

Oh, i cant connect the video cammeras to this computer unless i sacrifice either sound or satellite which aint going to happen! The security cards for PCI are anywhere from $5-$50, the ones for PCI-E start at $260 and average is $1k. I only have one PCI-E slot available now so i might just put the cammera's on my main rig.

[J-Roc]

I was hacking all the wires to everything i could see and im fairly certin that i cut the alarm wires long ago :)

I'm going to do some more painting this weekend and i hope to have the orange coat finished. I dont know about the clear yet. It depends on how everything goes.

I also ordered an Abit AirPace WI-FI PCI-E1 Wireless Network Adapter 802.11B/G 54MBPS http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24319&vpn=WLP%2D01&manufacture=ABit
its the only one i could find thats PCI-E and inexpencive.

[J-Roc]

Small update, no pictures today.

The shipping was really quick on the wireless card and should be here tomorrow. I've also added the second coat of orange to the case and it covered all the little spots i was concerned about. Allthough i'll have to sand it down a little because of the little puff's and dirt that floated onto the case. I might need to apply a third coat of color if i sand a little too much. Im starting to second guess applying the clear coat myself. I dont want to get any dirt or anything on the case during this step but i cant help it when painting in the carport. During the week im going to call around and see what it'll cost to have it cleared by a body shop or somthing. If its too much, i'll just have to do it my self.

[J-Roc]

You wanted pictures? IDK, looks the same to me but that might be because i've been staring at it for over a week :)

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/8482/1002413ez3.jpg
http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/1939/1002414ph1.jpg

I guess there was a slight delay on the wi-fi card cause it didnt show up today. Soon though. I also managed to get myself a security cammera card today. Its a bit old and i believe its only 60FPS and PCI. Oh well, its going into my gaming computer. I might build another system around this thing :)

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4696/1002417vs8.jpg

[J-Roc]

Well i've hit the mother load at work, sorta! I managed to snag about 25-30 ft of d-sub cable! This means i should be able to run my projector in the proper direction insted of having it face my sofa. I also got somthing like 50ft of rca speaker cable and 25-30ft of monsterish(thick cable) video cord. And... about 50ft of headphone cable (3.5mm mini) and also a long length of network cable, probly 30ft.

My wi-fi card arrived today also but i wasnt home so i'll pick it up on my way home tomorrow.

[J-Roc]

Well, more good news! My micro machine wi-fi card is in my hands. This thing is so tiny, its about 1.5 inches high and about 2.5 inches long. I guess its all good, it hardly blocks the fan on my video card. This is a bad pic, i've said time and time again, my cammera blows goats for rice! You can also see the ram sinks i put on the satellite card, when i tested it out it was hotter than a flame thrower!
http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/6181/1002428us6.jpg

I also scored a WD Caviar 200GB IDE drive. I'm going to investigate weather or not i can incorperate it into the case. I only have one IDE connector on the board and the cable wont reach to where i have the other drive. So i might have to mount it under the cd drive. If i cant figure out a solution, i'll put it in my gaming rig for a total of 1.2 TB. :)
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3767/1002427vd7.jpg

[J-Roc]

Well there is no way i can get the extra HD in the case. If it were SATA insted of IDE, it'd be no problem. I've allready got a 250Gb drive for this so that should suffice for a while. I've also bought some coax cable for the satellite system. I'm unsure of where i should mount the dish for it so i'm looking into making some sort of stand for it that i can place on my flat roof. I've also added my first coat of clear to the case. I'm going to have to touch up the side panel because as i was spraying, a drop came off the nozzle and landed right on it. Tremclad you damn cork suckers! What a piss off. I just got finished painting about 5 min ago and im super busy today. I'll get some pics up later today.

[J-Roc]

Its unimpressive right now. I need to sand it a little and give it a good buff.

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/4914/1002431bt6.jpg

It might not be noticable but there is a drop on the side panel.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/6168/1002433ai9.jpg

[J-Roc]

Thats just bad lighting, i had to find a nice spot in the house where my cammera could see the sheen. Its as orange as the earlier pics. :)

[J-Roc]

I'd like to dedicate this post to my adopted little brother Matt aka LordNed. Be The Miracle My Friend, Be The Miracle...

Behold the future of computer case mods, i give you Citrus!
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/1686/1002443nx8.jpg

Dual purpose! Also works as a vanity mirror to keep you looking uber leet during thoes fly by the seat of your pants gaming sessions.
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/1488/1002440qn4.jpg

One led pointed at this masterpiece will illuminate even the darkest of basement dungeons.
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/5809/1002438sj6.jpg

Now, just take a breath and pick your jaw up off the floor. I'll be back to explain what you've just witnessed. Untill then, Happy Modding!

[J-Roc]

Last night i went out to CanadianTire and browsed around for some stuff, wasnt really looking for anyhting in peticular but i did have a plan to stop by the wax, polish section in the automotive department. I picked up some polishing compund and I was super intrested in this powerball thing from Mothers $28.99. Then i seen a 8" orbital buffer for $29.99, well hell! I bougth the cheap buffer. When i got home my plan was only to test it out on the side panel. Well it turned out so well that i imeddiately continued on and did the whole case. Thats why there isnt any pictures of the progress. I'm also thinking of taking the buffer back now that i've used it and saying its broke so i can get my money back :)

On to current affairs!

I've started to apply my noise pads. OMG! its going to look awsome. Here's the first pic of the first pad. I had to cut away a little bit so my fan would sit properly against the case devider.
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/4632/1002444hj3.jpg

As you can see, the fit is perfect and looks awsome!! The fan is slightly resessed in the foam. Sry for bad pic.
http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/3974/1002445vu7.jpg

Just as i thought... Its indredibly hard to cut the foam perfect before its put in place. This wont bee seen but it still sucks. I'll have to think of somthing better when i do the big piece under the mobo.
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5437/1002447xq5.jpg

Next is cutting the foam where the fan screws into the side of the case.
http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/6969/1002449up2.jpg

It is so much easier cutting the foam after its stuck. Look at the fit on this beauty.
http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/7391/1002448gu0.jpg

Thats all i've gotten so far. Stay tuned!

[J-Roc]

All done with the foam!
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/8132/1002450lr4.jpg

I had to piece the one side because a whole sheet of that foam is too tuff to work with.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/8393/1002451sf7.jpg

That hole is where i have to re-epoxy the standoff.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6710/1002452gt5.jpg

[J-Roc]

Assembly!

I wont take many pictures of this, its all very standard stuff. Here are some teasers though! I glued the standoff back on and the epoxy is drying.
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9113/1002453pp6.jpg

Ooo... Ahh... Looks pretty!
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/3929/1002454hz2.jpg

It wont be long now!

[J-Roc]

Basic Assembly Complete!

I have a few more things to finish up on but the parts are in and it starts up!
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/3391/1002455ps8.jpg

I have to try and clean up the wires a little bit more and it'll look really good.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4640/1002456fz0.jpg

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/6762/1002457mj5.jpg

I got a screaming deal for a sound card on ebay. Its nothing special, Diamond Xtreme 7.1 DTS for $35. I'm going to stick that in here and leave the Razer HP-1 card in my gaming machine. I also have to get some black paint and trim the edges of the case. Then i just have to glue on the window and its all complete!

[J-Roc]

Hey Hey! Im using the new computer right now! I found a few anoying problems that i'll have to overcome. First problem and the biggest is that the cordless desktop doesnt work in vista. I've tried everything i can think of and it doesnt do anything. I even downloaded the vista drivers and im so disapointed at logitech. I pluged it into my gaming computer and it worked straight away.

Secondly, the cd drive i have has a weak motor and struggles to open the sliding drive door. I'm going to try lubing it up and possibly getting a new drive.

[J-Roc]

Switched back to XP and all seems to be going well. Mouse and Keyboard are working. All essencials installed.

I'm having a hard time getting the FTA satellite card working. I've got more that 75% signal on Echostar 9 but 0% quality with a black screen and no Channels list.

Anyone have experience setting up sat dishes? Legal/Illegal, home/commercial, any information helps (if illegal, use general terms and info so we dont get banned(im not looking to steal sattelite, just to set up FTA)). I've never had a satellite before and the hauppauge options are very advanced and confusing.

Also, any recomendations on glue, epoxy, or cauking to attach my window? Curtis sugjested double sided tape but i think its a little too thick and would leave a gap.

[J-Roc]

I cant do anything untill friday when i get paid. Untill then, here are some teaser shots.

I got the Satellite working allthough i'll need a better stand. I plan to put it on my roof so i dont have to have it setup like this. :) I stuck the dish on my patio umbrella stand then put that on a chair. :P
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/6073/1002461uc5.jpg

I havent got all the channels working, some send back an "Error: No Audio Track" message but most work.
http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/9871/1002462ww7.jpg

Looks awsome!
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7253/1002458fx8.jpg
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/387/1002459qk2.jpg

And with the lights off!
http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/5415/1002460si4.jpg

More to come!

[J-Roc]

This project is complete!

I gave Citrus to my brother as a gift. I didnt glue the window in but my brother will do that. I'll update with some pictures once this final step is complete.



Link to original thread. (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2918)