PDA

View Full Version : Neptune's Trident



Pages : [1] 2

Boddaker
12-30-2008, 09:12 PM
Well, here we go again with another project! With BSG finally complete, the family settled in at the new house,
and my work area in place, I can mod once again. :)

This project will be a more traditional mod, in the sense that it won't be scratch built, or have fabricated engine
pods or other appendages attached to it. It will be simple, clean, and functional.

I originally came up with the idea to do a case mod that revolved around the number 3. As far as components go,
it will have 3 video cards, DDR3 memory, 3Ghz processor, 300Gb hard drive, and three water cooling loops.
One of the main features of the case will be three Primochill Typhoon III dual-bay reservoirs with attached pumps
mounted in the drive bays. It was from these pump/res's that the watery theme was realized. The name lends
itself well to the underlying water elements while staying consistent with the number "3".

The case I'm starting with is a Lian Li V2000. It will have a trident-shaped window on the side that will wrap
around the corner towards the reservoirs, and three pass-through holes at the bottom where the three 120mm
rads will be located. Here is a preview animation of the case:

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Trident.gif

With most of the planning done and parts ordered, I should be able to finish this mod fairly quickly.
Special thanks go to Moddersmart.com (http://www.moddersmart.com) for working with me to get everything I need for this project! :D

985323
12-30-2008, 09:26 PM
That looks awsome, +sub

Boddaker
12-30-2008, 11:33 PM
Ok, so here's the case. First time I've worked on a Lian Li, and I must say it is a pretty stout case! Well built and nice thick aluminum panels.

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/V20001_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/V20001.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/V20002_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/V20002.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/V20003_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/V20003.jpg)

...And gutted. That didn't take long! lol
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/V20004_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/V20004.jpg)

And I'm off and running. :)

jdbnsn
12-31-2008, 12:05 AM
Hell yeah, Bod Mods On! You are a machine dude.

EvilNeverDies
12-31-2008, 11:59 AM
I really want to base my next mod on either that or the v1000 but they cost like £200 :(

SXRguyinMA
12-31-2008, 12:15 PM
Looks Neat So Far

rendermandan
12-31-2008, 02:05 PM
Sounds and looks like a cool design. (no pun intended lol)

I'll be watching this one.

Karbon Killa
12-31-2008, 08:22 PM
Looks like an awesome design, but one question, and I know you have an answer. Where are the HDD('s) going to go? Just sorta wondering because I dont see anywhere they can really go other than next to the mobo, unless you are using external drives.

The boy 4rm oz
01-01-2009, 09:05 AM
A Bod mod is a good mod. Can't wait to see how this turns out mate, good luck.

Boddaker
01-01-2009, 03:20 PM
Looks like an awesome design, but one question, and I know you have an answer. Where are the HDD('s) going to go? Just sorta wondering because I dont see anywhere they can really go other than next to the mobo, unless you are using external drives.

I haven't really settled on a location for the hard drives yet, but you are right, they will most likely go next to the mobo tray. I'm working on a trident-shaped mounting bracket that will attach either to the tray, or the floor.

gramatton
01-01-2009, 05:42 PM
The sketch up looks awesome. After seeing the BSG mod I can't wait to see this one.

BTW, what are you going to do for a cd-rom, won't all the bays be taken up by resevoirs?

Boddaker
01-01-2009, 06:07 PM
The sketch up looks awesome. After seeing the BSG mod I can't wait to see this one.

BTW, what are you going to do for a cd-rom, won't all the bays be taken up by resevoirs?

The case has seven external drive bays, and I am using all of them (the reservoirs normally take up 2 each, but I'm spacing them out a bit). I did however leave a 1/2" at the bottom for my slimline slot loading dvd drive.

Boddaker
01-02-2009, 05:25 AM
After gutting the case, I started in on the side panel window design and pass-through holes. If you remember the case came with a windowed
side panel that also had a fan hole in the upper right corner. Luckily, Moddersmart had a solid panel for the case lying around so I got that too. :)

I penciled out the lines for the cutouts. I didn't bother to protect the surface with tape, since I will be sanding and painting later.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP1.jpg)

Drilled some pilot holes for the jigsaw and started cutting.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP2.jpg)

Cuts complete, but I made a tiny boo-boo. See it?
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP3.jpg)

How bout a closer look. I mistakingly drilled the pilot hole in the wrong spot. Doh!! :x
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP4.jpg)

Here is the panel on the case.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP5.jpg)

To fix the whoops, I cut a round disc and plugged the hole, and will bondo over it later.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP6.jpg)

On to the other side panel!

The boy 4rm oz
01-02-2009, 05:52 AM
Nice cuts for the windows.

Boddaker
01-03-2009, 10:24 PM
Some progress today!

To cut the other side panel, I used the first one as a guide. After cleaning up the cuts with a file, I layed the two panels
together and drew out the three holes.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP7.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP8.jpg)

Holes cut (I got the pilot holes right this time! :D )
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP9.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP10.jpg)

Then I removed the front post.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Post1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Post1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Post2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Post2.jpg)

Instead of just working with the existing floor, I opted to make a whole new one out of the old windowed side panel.
This provides me with a clean slate so I can make my access holes wherever I need them. Using the old one as a template,
I marked out the side panel. Had just enough material in the middle.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor1.jpg)

Cut, complete with mounting tabs and notches on the ends for the side panels.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor2.jpg)

Test fit. Gotta make a few adjustments...
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor3.jpg)

Now it fits! I won't rivet it in just yet. Gotta first make all the holes I need for cabling, tubing, etc..., and paint.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor4.jpg)

Next up will be the back panel, psu mount, and bottom radiator mounting brackets.

8)

Liquid_Scope_99
01-03-2009, 11:10 PM
Great start man you skill amazes me +rep

The boy 4rm oz
01-03-2009, 11:52 PM
I agree, you have gotten off to a really good start. Keep up the excellent work (I don't expect anything less from you Bod ;), The new divider looks much better than the original.

jdbnsn
01-05-2009, 02:25 AM
Fantastic cuts Bod!

Vitz¥^
01-05-2009, 09:57 AM
Dont you just hate these amazing looking mods when they are just "in progress". I get desperate to see the finished article ffs!! Such a disappointment when the pics stop and leave you wanting more :| LoL!

Looks sweet :D

/sub

J-Roc
01-06-2009, 05:16 AM
what do you plan on doing with the cd drives with that pillar cut out? +sub

humm, maybe i'll read the posts without pictures from now on

It makes me sad seeing a brand new case being cut up :( you seem to know what your doing so good luck!

Boddaker
01-06-2009, 01:12 PM
It makes me sad seeing a brand new case being cut up :( you seem to know what your doing so good luck!


LOL Isn't that what they're there for? :twisted:

p0Pe
01-06-2009, 01:47 PM
LOL Isn't that what they're there for? :twisted:

HAHA! right on!! looks awsome bod. cant wait to see what you can do with a lian lii case;P

Boddaker
01-08-2009, 04:14 PM
Work continues on the PSU area.

In order to fit the power supply where I wanted, I have to stand it on end. Which meant that I had to remove part of the case for airflow and to reach the power switch.

I turned the case over and removed the back wheelset. I forgot to take a shot before cutting, so here's what it looked like lol.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU1.jpg)

And here's after the cut. I later had to remove a bit more from the bottom of the case to clear the power switch. You will notice in the next couple of pics I repositioned the wheelset forward a bit.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU2.jpg)

Here is the original back plate. I'm cutting off the PSU mounting portion and relocating it.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU3.jpg)

Relocated! Now I can place the PSU in for a test fit.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU4.jpg)

I'm using Corsair's 1KW power supply, which can accommodate the three EVGA GTX 260 cards in SLI. It has six 6-8pin cables right out of the box. No need for molex adapters!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU5.jpg)

It is quite long, but it fits!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU6.jpg)

Since I mutilated the original backplate, I needed to make a new one. So I grabbed some left-over aluminum panel and cut one to size.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU7.jpg)

Then I curved the bottom portion so it would match the corner curvature of the case. Looking around the garage, I found a ladder wall hook to have a suitable tube diameter to bend around. :)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU8.jpg)

And back on the case.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU9.jpg)

Last thing to do was to cut the fan hole. The Corsair psu has a 140mm fan, so I found the center, used a compass to draw a 5 1/2" circle, and cut it out.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PSU10.jpg)

I'm working on getting some grills made, so that will cover up the hole and finish it off.

p0Pe
01-08-2009, 04:47 PM
love the way youve mounted the psu:D keep it rolling dude! looks good as always

The boy 4rm oz
01-08-2009, 09:15 PM
Cool idea with mounting the PSU like that Should give you a lot of extra space to work with.

Boddaker
01-09-2009, 03:16 PM
Thanks guys. It was really the only viable solution. I'm glad it worked out! :)

Got a bit more work done last night. Made the pieces that will go in between the Typhoons and around
the corner to complete the trident shape.

I used more of the left-over side panel and cut two 9/16" strips.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP11.jpg)

Then I bent them 90°. Here's a shot of them in place to give you an idea. They will just be mounted to the
wrap-around window with double-sided tape, as I dont want any visible fasteners.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP12.jpg)

8)

XcOM
01-09-2009, 03:18 PM
looking sweet dude, and you need a new sig for this mod!

The boy 4rm oz
01-09-2009, 08:55 PM
Yep it is looking great Bod. I can't wait to see how that window turns out.

985323
01-16-2009, 02:50 AM
Sounds great... but it would be nice to see some pics, (none of the pics work for me)

Boddaker
01-16-2009, 03:19 AM
Sounds great... but it would be nice to see some pics, (none of the pics work for me)

Yeah, I will be switching servers here real soon, cause my current host (1and1) is sporadic at best. Seems the server is down more than it is up lately. :mad:

check back in a few, and the pics may show up then.

msmrx57
01-20-2009, 01:02 PM
Great looking start. This is going to be one of those mods that make me wish I had 1/2 the talent some of you guys do.:bowdown: Quality like this is inspiring to say the least. +rep

DonT-FeaR
01-23-2009, 12:32 AM
sooo this is the secret project u wouldnt tell me about............

Drum Thumper
01-23-2009, 12:44 AM
Bod, you should have just started this thread in the featured worklog section, it's gonna end up there anyways!

Great work!

Boddaker
01-23-2009, 03:04 AM
Great looking start. This is going to be one of those mods that make me wish I had 1/2 the talent some of you guys do.:bowdown: Quality like this is inspiring to say the least. +rep

Thanks man!


sooo this is the secret project u wouldnt tell me about............

Umm actually, it isn't......... ;)


Bod, you should have just started this thread in the featured worklog section, it's gonna end up there anyways!

Great work!

lol thanks, but that is up to the all-powerful mods to decide. :)

Boddaker
01-23-2009, 03:40 AM
Smallish update just to let you know I'm still working on it :thumb:

Laying out the rads and fans placement, I whipped up some quick mounts from angle bar.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads1.jpg)

Then I laid them out to see where they will eventually go.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads2.jpg)

I'm working up some custom acrylic one-piece mounts that will look much better than these ones.

I also did some cosmetic work to the front of the case. It seems that Lian Li forgot to drill some holes in this one area,
and they just stuck a square name badge over it to cover up their mistake! :lol:
Well, not to worry, I'll take care of it...
I used the corner piece I cut out as a guide to drill out the missing holes.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Debadge1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Debadge1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Debadge2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Debadge2.jpg)

All done, save for some sanding and filing. :)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Debadge3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Debadge3.jpg)

I will have a custom name badge mounted over this area, so it has to look uniform, which is why I drilled out the old LL badge.

I should be able to get some more work done over the weekend, so til then!

YeeHa
01-24-2009, 04:37 PM
Love the number 3 idea, and aluminium, watching with much interest.

chaksq
01-25-2009, 08:59 PM
Oh I like this. Really some cool ideas coming out in this. The resivours should looks awesome when finished. PSU mounting is nifty. My favorite has to be the pass-throughs for the radiators. Looking forward to seeing this one done.

The boy 4rm oz
01-25-2009, 09:47 PM
She is looking really good Bod, as always your attention to detail is amazing. Keep it up.

Boddaker
01-26-2009, 12:29 AM
Thanks guys.
Got more accomplished this weekend. Worked on the side panels a bit more, and got the hard drive mounts done.

After contemplating how I was going to mount three hard drives in the case, I decided to go
about it a bit differently than the standard drive cage. I came up with a way to stack them up,
but on their sides, so there will basically be a wall of drives next to the motherboard. I used
some 1/2" square acrylic rod, cutting two pieces equal length. I only had two old drives, so I
used a Coca-Cola tin as my third, just to get an idea of overall height. three drives stacked
comes out to 12", and I have 13" total height from the floor to the top of the case. So I spaced
them out so I had 3/8" on top and bottom, and 1/8" in between.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD1.jpg)

I marked the rods and cut out three 4" sections for the drives. One done, one to go.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD2.jpg)

Here's how the drives will sit on the rods.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD3.jpg)

I will be utilizing the drive's bottom mounting holes, instead of the usual side holes.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD4.jpg)

After some filing and general clean-up, I brought the 1TB Samsungs out for a test fit.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD5.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD6.jpg)

Here is how they will be positioned in the case.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD7.jpg)

To secure them in the case, I will drill and tap some holes in the bottom ends, and in the back
side for the top. Once I get to the lighting portion of the build, I will probably add some led's
as well and light them up.

8)

The boy 4rm oz
01-26-2009, 12:35 AM
The HDD rack looks awesome mate, nice work.

DonT-FeaR
01-27-2009, 03:00 AM
OMG just put this thing in featured

Boddaker
01-28-2009, 02:16 PM
lol thanks Jeff. :D


Work continues on the side panels..

Ok, so these three pass-through holes are becoming more tricky than I thought at first. In order to get a nice clean transition
through the side panel, I need to add a lip around each hole. You can see in this first pic there is already a bottom lip, which is the
channel used to secure the panel onto the case. So I had some U-channel lying around, and will continue the lip around each hole with it.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP14_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP14.jpg)

All I had to do was make a cut into the open end of the channel, leaving the back side in tact, then bend 90° for each corner.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP15_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP15.jpg)

Three done, three to go for the other side panel.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP16_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP16.jpg)

To secure these to the side panel, I will be using some cold weld epoxy. I'm drilling a bunch of holes to give it something to grab onto.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP17_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP17.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP18_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP18.jpg)

And on the panel side I ground it up a bit, again for better adhesion.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP19_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP19.jpg)

Once I get it all epoxied up, I'll add some bondo around the seams and smooth it out. From the front it will look like the
side panel is 1/2" thick. :) But more importantly, I will have a flat surface to which the rectangular tubes will mate.

The boy 4rm oz
01-28-2009, 10:21 PM
Looking good Bod. Keep up the fantastic work.

DonT-FeaR
01-29-2009, 02:49 AM
/\ agreed man... ur so... explainatory its great i learn lots from you lol

KiLLERMAN21
01-29-2009, 04:49 AM
Looking good Bod ;) keep it up.

Boddaker
02-01-2009, 04:29 AM
Getting back to the hard drive rack today, I was able to get it mounted to the case.

I wanted to position the hard drives evenly in between the reservoirs and the motherboard. As such, it turns out that I will have
to notch the tray a bit at the top. So I marked the area where I needed to trim,
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD8.jpg)

..and cut it away.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD9.jpg)

Then I made an acrylic spacer to fit the lip of the case.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD10.jpg)

Here's a shot from behind. I marked two spots for new holes,
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD11.jpg)

..then once they were drilled out, I marked the spacer.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD12.jpg)

Once that was drilled out, I glued it onto the hdd posts.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD13_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD13.jpg)

Using countersunk fan screws, I secured the top to the case.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD14_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD14.jpg)

For the bottom of the posts, I just marked the area of contact on the floor, drilled a hole and marked the bottoms of the posts.
I seem to have misplaced my 6-32 tap, so I just used one of the screws instead. No, they weren't self-tapping screws.
Since I was screwing into acrylic, I took my blow torch and heated up the screw a bit,
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD15_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD15.jpg)

..then just screwed it into the hole, waited til the acrylic solidified, and backed it out again. Voila! Instant threads lol.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD16_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD16.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD17_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD17.jpg)

Here's a shot from below showing the bottom screws in place.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD18_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD18.jpg)

And a shot of the drive rack mounted in the case with drives. :)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD19_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HD19.jpg)

The boy 4rm oz
02-01-2009, 05:34 AM
The rack looks really good mate. I like how you tapped that plexi, I will have to try it one time.

DonT-FeaR
02-08-2009, 06:04 AM
top work once again

Boddaker
02-12-2009, 10:17 PM
Ok I have an update for ya. :D

For the last week and a half I've been chuggin away at these side panels. The last side panel update I left off with prepping
them for the cold weld epoxy for the edging around the holes.

So here is a shot of the edging being epoxied down, held in place with as many clamps as I could find. ;-)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP20_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP20.jpg)

It's been pretty cold up here, so I brought the panels inside to set up overnight. After that, I applied a bit of bondo to smooth
out the transition between the panel and the edging.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP21_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP21.jpg)

After the requisite amount of sanding and filing, here is the result. I also went ahead and rounded the corners for a nicer look.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP22_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP22.jpg)

Since it's too cold to paint, I set the panels aside and started on the three mesh boxes. I scored a sheet of aluminum
mesh from a local metal supply warehouse. 12x48 for $20. So in order to get three 7"x3" boxes out of that piece,
I had to do two parts per box. So I cut the first piece and measured out my bend lines.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP23_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP23.jpg)

Using a couple pieces of mdf and a piece of L bar, I started my bends.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP24_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP24.jpg)

I used a rubber mallet to bend the mesh over.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP25_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP25.jpg)

Got the first two-part box cut and bent.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP26_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP26.jpg)

They slip together like so. Since the inside of the boxes are what will be seen, I made sure my overlapping ends were on the outside.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP27_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP27.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP28_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP28.jpg)

I'm securing them together with some short screws that fit perfectly into the 1/8" holes. The mesh doesn't line up,
so I drilled out the outside to match the inside, and screwed them together.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP29_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP29.jpg)

A shot of the screw from the inside. Pretty subtle, and once painted, will be unnoticeable.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP30_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP30.jpg)

Got all three boxes bent.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP31_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP31.jpg)

And here's a shot of them inside the case with the side panels on.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP32_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP32.jpg)

A closeup of the first hole.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP33_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP33.jpg)

I got them propped up on some wood pieces right now, but they will eventually sit on the custom rad/fan mount I designed. Will show that when I get it in.

:cooldude:

The boy 4rm oz
02-12-2009, 10:22 PM
Damn that looks slick. The boxes look great, I have never seen a case design like this before.

Kumo
02-13-2009, 04:56 AM
Very interesting. Like the boxes concept and side panel design.

KiLLERMAN21
02-13-2009, 06:23 AM
Dude! They look sick as! The boxes look sweet, and the rack is really good too! Great work, +rep.

SXRguyinMA
02-13-2009, 10:16 AM
its coming along nicely :up:

DonT-FeaR
02-13-2009, 09:06 PM
:O omfg thats.... unspeakably cool

Boddaker
02-17-2009, 04:08 AM
Thanks guys!

Ok, got the acrylic pieces in and they look sweet! :D

So I went straight to work on the rad/fan mounts. Rather than designing them as two one-piece
rails and bending the mounting tabs, I opted to have them cut separately so I could glue them together.
That way I get a clean 90° corner.
Here they are with the tabs glued on.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads3.jpg)

I didn't waste any time putting the fans and rads in place.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads4.jpg)

...And sitting in the case with the mesh boxes resting in their places.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads5.jpg)

I will secure the rails to the bottom of the case with some brackets.

8)

985323
02-17-2009, 04:39 AM
Very nice, im loving the color of the plexi matching the fans

DonT-FeaR
02-17-2009, 07:07 AM
:O wow... rep

The boy 4rm oz
02-17-2009, 09:21 AM
Dude you are a genius, top work. +rep

rendermandan
02-17-2009, 11:01 AM
one word. -EXCELLENT!
+rep

SXRguyinMA
02-17-2009, 11:03 AM
:stupid: :D

Drum Thumper
02-17-2009, 08:43 PM
Hey Bod, remember when I said you should have started this in the featured worklog section?

Gratz bud!

Boddaker
02-17-2009, 08:53 PM
Hey Bod, remember when I said you should have started this in the featured worklog section?

Gratz bud!

w00t! :banana:

DonT-FeaR
02-18-2009, 01:58 AM
yeah i figured this would happen when i was that last update...
.
your work is officiallt legendary..


grats

Boddaker
02-22-2009, 02:35 PM
Time for the weekend update! Worked on more acrylic stuff. In addition to the fan/rad mounting,
I had Moddersmart (http://www.moddersmart.com) cut me the window and res rack, also out of transparent blue acrylic.

Here is the center window, with the backing peeled off the end that will wrap around the corner of the case.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window1.jpg)

Here you can see I had them route a V-notch at the bend point to facilitate a sharper corner,
and make it easier to bend with a heat gun.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window2.jpg)

The idea in setting up for the bend, is to direct the heat right where you want it. So I sandwich the
acrylic between two pieces of MDF, with a larger piece clamped just above the bend line. This helps
direct the heat and also helps keep the acrylic flat as I bend it down.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window3.jpg)

Some closeup shots of the isolated area to be heated..
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window4.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window5.jpg)

After applying the heat, the acrylic is slowly bent to shape. The weight of the large MDF actually did
most of the work lol.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window6.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window7.jpg)

Here it is, taped in place.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Window8.jpg)

Next up is the res rack (formerly the 5 1/4 drive bays). After numerous measurings, I made up
a design that would take the place of the drive bays, and accommodate the three pump/res's with
room for a slot loading DVD drive at the bottom. Cross members were strategically placed so
they would be in between the pump/res's and eventually hidden from view behind the two trim pieces.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/RR1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/RR1.jpg)

In order for the rack to be flush with the front of the case, I had to round the top corners to fit the
case's radius. I used a socket with a matching radius to mark the acrlyic.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/RR2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/RR2.jpg)

Here is the rack assembled. Once I get the Typhoons in, I will drill the mounting holes to match,
then glue everything together.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/RR3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/RR3.jpg)

Placed in the case..
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/RR4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/RR4.jpg)

..And with the metal trim pieces.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/RR5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/RR5.jpg)

I'll be working on securing the res rack into the case today.

You also may have noticed I made an acrylic cover for the inside. This will go behind the motherboard
and hard drive rack, and will be painted to match the interior.

Ok, now for some goodies! :D I thought I'd reveal some of the hardware that will be going in this thing:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HW1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HW1.jpg)

EVGA 790i motherboard
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 3Ghz CPU
EVGA GTX260 cards (x3)
4Gb DDR3 Crucial Ballistix Tracers in blue 1600Mhz
Samsung 1TB HDD (x3)
Corsair 1000W PSU (shown previously)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HW2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HW2.jpg)

8)

overmark
02-22-2009, 03:17 PM
Looks awesome as always, keep up the good work.

I love the tri setup, that hardware will be sweet, I'm jealous!

The boy 4rm oz
02-22-2009, 06:56 PM
Man I have never seen a mod like this, truly one of a kind. That side window is amazing.

Very impressive tech. Please tell me that you will water cool the GTX260's, they will cook like that lol.

Boddaker
02-23-2009, 01:32 AM
Please tell me that you will water cool the GTX260's, they will cook like that lol.

lol I will definitely be slapping some blocks on those 260's. I just threw them on the mobo for a quick pic. :)

KiLLERMAN21
02-23-2009, 03:34 AM
Nice window man, it looks sweet. I am very jealous of the system in this thing, its gonna be a BEAST. Nice work Bod.

DonT-FeaR
02-23-2009, 05:06 AM
must i say this again!!!

legendaryy////

billygoat333
02-23-2009, 12:18 PM
i love the bent acrylic. nice touch. :) and the tri-sli setup? sweet.

Boddaker
02-23-2009, 09:09 PM
Nice window man, it looks sweet. I am very jealous of the system in this thing, its gonna be a BEAST. Nice work Bod.


must i say this again!!!

legendaryy////


i love the bent acrylic. nice touch. :) and the tri-sli setup? sweet.

Thanks guys! Can't wait to see how it all looks with the protective covering off. :D

DonT-FeaR
02-24-2009, 04:20 AM
:O didnt realise lol wow... will look like super duper fantasticly awesome then... love the bay to :)

The boy 4rm oz
02-24-2009, 06:22 AM
Bod you should get a 9800GTX/GTX+ to run as a single card PhysX engine ;). I have seen it done before with Tri GTX280's, oh and they were eVGA cards also :D.

Boddaker
02-26-2009, 01:43 PM
So I've been trying to see how I can run the tubing to/from the radiators, through the floor and up
to the reservoirs and blocks. Using Sketchup, I went through different configurations, but came
to realize I just don't have enough room under the floor. This is due to a blatant miscalculation on
my part at the very beginning of the build: I simply cut the holes in the side panels too large.

As you can see in this pic, the mesh boxes are so tall, they block the radiator ports.
Even with 90° elbow fittings, I don't think I can make it work.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads5.jpg)

So, aside from obtaining two more side panels and cutting the holes again, which would mean re-doing all the edging and window cutting,
I have a possible solution, depicted below. The top pics show the mesh boxes as they are now, and the bottom pics show the proposed solution.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box1.jpghttp://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box2.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Cutout1.jpghttp://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Cutout2.jpg

What do you guys think? Any other ideas that may work better?

tomcatt
02-26-2009, 03:20 PM
I think the second design is a bit better for your waterflow

SXRguyinMA
02-26-2009, 03:32 PM
:stupid:

The boy 4rm oz
02-26-2009, 08:29 PM
Yeah I agree. Both ideas would work and the first would be neater (in a way). The second idea would be better for your water flow but you need to make the mesh boxes again :(.

p0Pe
02-27-2009, 05:13 AM
could you use something like this`?

http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=695

dont have a better idea than that you have i think:/

Boddaker
02-27-2009, 06:41 PM
could you use something like this`?

http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=695

dont have a better idea than that you have i think:/

Those are sweet. They might come in handy! :)

p0Pe
02-28-2009, 12:11 AM
but... i cant help to think. i almost got into trouble cooling my phenom quad, and a single gfx card with a 360 raddy. how are you gonna cool an intel extreme and 3 gpu´s :O honestly i dont think that the 3 raddy´s can handle it:/

Boddaker
02-28-2009, 02:06 AM
but... i cant help to think. i almost got into trouble cooling my phenom quad, and a single gfx card with a 360 raddy. how are you gonna cool an intel extreme and 3 gpu´s :O honestly i dont think that the 3 raddy´s can handle it:/

I think that is one of those questions where we'll just have to wait and see. :) There are many variables in WC'ing a system that make each configuration unique. For example, my BSG case utilizes a 360 rad, but only has two 120 fans on it. And it cools my AM2 6000 and both 8800GTS cards with no issues.

On Trident, I will be breaking up the loops as follows: Loop 1- CPU, loop 2- GPU1 & 2, loop 3- GPU3 & NB (and possibly SB & mosfets too). I think a single 120 rad would be sufficient for each of the loops, but as I said, it will be a wait and see. I will also be toying with the fan directions to see what gives me better numbers.

DonT-FeaR
03-01-2009, 05:10 AM
:( bummer.. oh well this is boddaker right.... he will fix it

The boy 4rm oz
03-01-2009, 06:14 AM
I think the single rads will work fine, even under load. Most people who water cool overkill on the rads so they can get the lowest possible temps for OCing and extensive gaming sessions. You won't get ultra low temps but they will be much lower than stock, more than enough.

jdbnsn
03-01-2009, 12:03 PM
I also think the 3 rads will be plenty. I'm running a dual core CPU and 2 GPU's on one rad that size and it works fine.

EspoNation
03-01-2009, 09:07 PM
It is really good to see that this build is packing some firepower! def like the rad setup and the components! cant wait to see the rest! keep it up! the 3 rads will be just fine. coolant the loop should be big enough to get rid of the heat.

Boddaker
03-08-2009, 01:03 AM
Hey guys, I finally got something to show on the tubing. After spending countless hours running tubing in Sketchup, I ended up with this configuration:

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Tubing1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Tubing1.jpg)

Please don't mind the mess under the floor, that is still under construction lol. I just wanted to get the upper portion figured out first. I had initially tried running the lines from the blocks straight across to the reservoirs, but that looked horrid (I'm not even going to show that jumbled mess!). So I opted to run all lines down through the floor making it neat and clean. Yes, it will add to the overall length of each loop, but with a dedicated pump for each, I don't think I will have any problems.

What do you think?

The boy 4rm oz
03-08-2009, 05:20 AM
I think it will look very neat, very unique. Am I right by guessing that the NB will have an actual water block and not the stock cooling?

The HDD mounting looks awesome. Personally I would remove the stickers and polish up the silver top, that would look sweet.

Boddaker
03-08-2009, 05:38 AM
I think it will look very neat, very unique. Am I right by guessing that the NB will have an actual water block and not the stock cooling?

The HDD mounting looks awesome. Personally I would remove the stickers and polish up the silver top, that would look sweet.

lol yeah, I couldn't separate that NB cooler from the sketchup model, so I just left it.
And yes, I plan to remove the factory stickers from the Samsung drives, and add an acrylic cover with maybe an etching of some sort. :)

p0Pe
03-08-2009, 12:40 PM
still think that the single 120 will have its fight with the xtreme processor:Pbut hey, ive been wrong before:) sketches looks good!

DonT-FeaR
03-09-2009, 04:48 AM
wow thats cool...

congrats on being featured on cpu magazine mate ! (with bsg)

Boddaker
03-15-2009, 03:01 AM
WEEKEND UPDATE!

Did a bunch of work on the mesh boxes, and got them almost done. woot! I went ahead and made the
notches in the tops, so the fittings and wc lines would clear. I cut one side,
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box3.jpg)

...then the other.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box4.jpg)

For the top, I made a cut down the middle, then bent each part to line up with the side cuts.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box5.jpg)

All bent. I will cover the gap in the middle with an extra piece of mesh and screw it down.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box6.jpg)

Since this mesh would cut down on airflow if left as is, I need to remove some material on both sides.
For the radiator side, rather than just cutting a boring square hole, I thought it would be cool to mimic the
side window design. So after measuring the radiator, I cut out a cardboard template.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box7.jpg)

Then used it to transfer the design onto the mesh boxes.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box8.jpg)

Using the drill press, I made numerous starter holes,
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box9.jpg)

... and proceeded to cut it out with the skil saw.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box10.jpg)

What I couldn't get with the skil saw, I finished up with the rotary tool, then filed the edges down.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box11.jpg)

Here's a shot of the mesh boxes in place against the rads.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box12.jpg)

Once that was done, I turned the boxes over and cut the round hole for the fans.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box13_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box13.jpg)

Then it was time to mount the fan grills. :) I came up with a design that incorporates the trident
shape, and had Moddersmart cut them out of mirrored acrylic.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box14_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box14.jpg)

Here's a close up shot:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box15_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box15.jpg)

I used some 3/8" nylon spacers to set them off the mesh a bit, and secured them with 6/32 screws that
screw right into the mesh. Any excess protruding through the back was cut off. This way the mesh
boxes are totally self-contained and can be removed easily.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box16_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box16.jpg)

A shot of two mesh boxes in place on the rad/fan mounts.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box17_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box17.jpg)

..and with the side panel on:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box18_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box18.jpg)

And finally a shot of the rad side with the panel on:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box19_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Box19.jpg)

The boxes still need some finish work before they are ready for paint, but they're pretty much done
for the most part.
Got word that my T3 reservoirs will be shipping this week so I can't wait to check them out when they arrive! :D

The boy 4rm oz
03-15-2009, 03:08 AM
The trident cut out and the fan grills really take the rad boxes to the next level, they look amazing my friend, as does the rest of the mod, keep it up. +rep

DonT-FeaR
03-15-2009, 04:20 AM
*clap clap clap..* wow... very nice my friend

jdbnsn
03-15-2009, 12:50 PM
WOW! Those are awesome!

KiLLERMAN21
03-16-2009, 05:56 AM
Sick.

Boddaker
03-17-2009, 04:39 PM
Mounted the front logo medallion last night to see how it looks.

After placing the piece on the front, I marked the holes,
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB1.jpg)

..and drilled them out.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB2.jpg)

Using the same 3/8" nylon spacers and 6/32 screws, I mounted it directly to the mesh.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB3.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB4.jpg)

Not sure I'm happy with it yet. Even though it looks nice now against the aluminum case, remember
that I will be painting the case blue. So I'll need to do something else to make it pop off the case more.
Perhaps a backlit effect is in order?

Oneslowz28
03-17-2009, 09:17 PM
I have always wanted to mod a case with a bottom like that. Great work and I will be watching.

DonT-FeaR
03-18-2009, 01:32 AM
oh that looks nice... good mounting..

yeha i think leds are in order :)

The boy 4rm oz
03-18-2009, 07:37 AM
Your right, the grill does look very good against the silver mesh. Have you considered painting the back of the grill silver so you will get a similar effect on the blue paint? Otherwise white LEDs will do the trick.

Boddaker
03-19-2009, 01:52 AM
Ok, here's what I did: I wanted to see what the individual tridents (cut-out from the medallion) looked like on the front. So it's a reverse of what I had earlier.

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB5.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB6.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB7.jpg)

I realize I'm posed with the same blue-on-blue situation as before, and I'll toy with different ideas in a bit, but I wanted to get your opinion on this first.

Which do you think is better: Medallion with trident cut-outs, or individual tridents?
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB4.jpg) http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PB8.jpg)

Luke122
03-19-2009, 02:33 AM
Why not do something similar to Rendermandan's setup.. colored plexi is lit up, then a piece of black plexi (or some other material) is overlayed to give a glowing edge effect. That will also break up the blue on blue appearance.

DonT-FeaR
03-19-2009, 02:41 AM
i think the 3 tridents alone looks alot less busy... but they both look good

jdbnsn
03-19-2009, 01:18 PM
I agree with Luke, the individual tridents look better but in my opinion would look better still with some thin black plating over the front to give the glowing edge effect. That sounds like a great facade on a blue case.

Boddaker
03-19-2009, 02:18 PM
Yeah, I think I'm leaning towards that idea as well. And maybe the blue on blue isn't such a bad thing after all. With some white led's backlighting the tridents, that should be enough to set them off without introducing another color to the mix.

Mark_Hardware
03-21-2009, 12:13 AM
The power of 3... One of the most important numbers... I will be watchin this.

Boddaker
03-22-2009, 05:05 PM
Ok, how bout this:

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front.jpg)

I kinda took both versions and made this one. After seeing it lit up with the led fan, it was still too hard to see the separate trident shapes. So I introduced a solid background between them. But instead of just the circle, I made it into a tear drop shape to be consistent with the water theme, and then worked in the power/reset buttons.

So the tear drop shape will be polished aluminum with trident shapes cut out of it, and the transparent blue tridents will be inset. The light from the led fan should provide the backlighting for the tear drop, and maybe even help the tridents glow a bit as well. If not, I can always add a few led's behind the tear drop to help out.

What do you guys think?

SXRguyinMA
03-22-2009, 08:39 PM
looks nice :up:

rendermandan
03-22-2009, 08:50 PM
Very nice.....

Oneslowz28
03-22-2009, 10:19 PM
I like it.

DonT-FeaR
03-23-2009, 02:28 AM
yeah... looks good...

KiLLERMAN21
03-23-2009, 03:09 AM
Definately that way, it looks great.

The boy 4rm oz
03-23-2009, 09:08 AM
I'm liking the individual tridents. I think Bod's idea is a winner, would work for either grill design.

DonT-FeaR
03-24-2009, 02:09 AM
yeah bods idea with the tridents and the ring would be cool

Boddaker
03-24-2009, 03:00 PM
First off, I want to thank you guys for all your cool suggestions and opinions. It's great to be able to bounce ideas off you and get feedback. :D

But I think I'm going to do something else for the front. Forget all the acrylic tridents and medallions, tear drops, and get back to the basics, as it were. Once again I'm getting too complicated and I must reel myself in. The main focus of this mod is the T3 reservoirs, and there shouldn't be anything else on the case to detract from them. Got something in mind that will be subtle, elegant, yet consistent with the trident theme. Will mock it up tonight. :)

The boy 4rm oz
03-25-2009, 12:32 AM
I can't wait for the sketches.

DonT-FeaR
03-25-2009, 02:47 AM
yeah sounds good...

the main focus is cool tho :)

Boddaker
03-25-2009, 02:33 PM
Ok, here's what I ended up with after simplifying things: I'm repeating the trident window shape and
spacing it off the mesh a bit so I can add some backlighting, then relocating the power/reset
buttons and IO ports. That's it. Simple, consistent, clean. :)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front4.jpg)

Here's a wide shot to give you a basic over view of the entire case.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Trident2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Trident2.jpg)

I gave it a lighter color in Sketchup so it was more visible over the blue mesh, but I may actually
paint it along with the rest of the case, and just let the backlighting define its shape.

I think it's finally there, but I still want to hear your thoughts. :)

Luke122
03-25-2009, 02:34 PM
Love it! It definitely matches the theme, and it repeats the trident shape from the side perfectly.

The thing I really liked about the other trident design was the curve to them, which really gave a sort of "water wave" feel to the front of the case.

SXRguyinMA
03-25-2009, 02:36 PM
:stupid: looks great!

The boy 4rm oz
03-25-2009, 10:17 PM
Yeah definitely matches the rest of your detail pieces, looks very cool, especially in the silver. I think you could even add the plexi tridents to the front without it looking over crowded.

KiLLERMAN21
03-26-2009, 03:09 AM
Nice Bod, the sketch looks great!

DonT-FeaR
03-26-2009, 05:32 AM
looking lots better.. i like it ... its really sweet and it fits in nicely

Boddaker
04-02-2009, 03:24 AM
Got some actual work done on the front! :D Was so anxious to start working on it, I neglected to take
pics of the cutting. But that's just basic stuff anyways... measure, mark, measure, cut.

After cutting and filing the edges, I proceeded to bend the bottom tips of the trident. Looking around the garage
for a suitable object to bend around, I spotted the post of my drill press, and saw how easy it was to dismantle lol.
Moments later, I had it in the vise and beating the trident into submission.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front6.jpg)

The result. The surface is a bit weathered, but it's nothing a good sanding won't cure. I'm just focusing on the
smooth curve for now.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front7.jpg)

Positioning it onto the case it looks to be about right. This will give me about a 1/2" space between
the trident and the mesh.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front8.jpg)

So I marked some holes and drilled them out.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front9.jpg)

Screwed it right into the mesh.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front10.jpg)

I removed it again and cut the top off level with the bottom of the drive bays, then drilled a 3/4" hole
for the power button. After a good sanding and clean-up, it looks like this:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front11.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front12.jpg)

I will be adding a piece of blue transparent acrylic behind the trident as well as a short tube to cover the
back side of the switch. Also have to drill some small holes to accommodate the pwr and hd leds.

More to come!

DonT-FeaR
04-02-2009, 04:38 AM
wow... looks sweet... you are a genius man... a modding god... not just cuz of this update but everything ive seen you do... reggage...


EDIT: wow... that sounds gay

The boy 4rm oz
04-02-2009, 07:23 AM
Front trident really does look good. I was wondering how you measure out for those bends, I can't quite get my head around it lol (pardon the pun). I am thinking of making a rounded edged case for my next build and want to make it Silverstone style from a single piece of alu and want to get it right the first time.

Boddaker
04-02-2009, 12:37 PM
Thanks Jeff... and that didn't sound gay, until you said it sounded gay lol!


Front trident really does look good. I was wondering how you measure out for those bends, I can't quite get my head around it lol (pardon the pun). I am thinking of making a rounded edged case for my next build and want to make it Silverstone style from a single piece of alu and want to get it right the first time.

For those bends, I didn't actually measure anything. I just started bending the ends around the pipe and kept checking its position on the front until I got the center of the trident about where I needed it, then went back and straightened the ends to give me a flat mounting surface. I figured I could just cut off any excess if I needed to, but it turned out to be about right. Then once that was done, I just lopped off the top to fit.

For your case, just make sure you leave enough material on the ends so that after the bends you can just cut them down as needed. That way you dont have to compensate for the metal stretching from all the bending.

The boy 4rm oz
04-02-2009, 08:32 PM
Thanks for the info, I never thought of bending it first and cutting off the excess later lol. 1 More question, how this was that alu you used, is it pretty strong? I was thinking of using 3-4mm for my case, you think that's strong enough?

DonT-FeaR
04-03-2009, 02:23 AM
3-4mm alumi... will be plenty strong enough... imho

The boy 4rm oz
04-03-2009, 03:26 AM
Yeah but you can get soft and hard alu, thickness needed really depends how sturdy the alu is to start with. The alu base on LEXA is 3mm but with the hole I cut for the rad plus the pressure of the feet it bows inwards into the case slightly, a minor design falt on my part.

Boddaker
04-03-2009, 12:45 PM
Thanks for the info, I never thought of bending it first and cutting off the excess later lol. 1 More question, how this was that alu you used, is it pretty strong? I was thinking of using 3-4mm for my case, you think that's strong enough?

I'm re-using alu from the original windowed lian li side panel, and it's thickness is .08, which I believe equates to 1.5mm. It's plenty strong, so it must be a harder aluminum than what you used on Lexa.

The boy 4rm oz
04-04-2009, 02:45 AM
Yeah I used the stock alu from the case on LEXA, really light and cut like butter lol.

DonT-FeaR
04-05-2009, 05:08 AM
ah ok... i get the hard alumi :) its the only stuff i have avalible to me...
they use it to build trucks so its strong

Boddaker
04-06-2009, 01:30 AM
Work continues on the front piece...

Marked out the location of the front IO ports.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front13_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front13.jpg)

I started by drilling out the center of the holes,
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front14_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front14.jpg)

Then went in with the rotary tool to trim out towards the lines.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front15_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front15.jpg)

Finished up with a bit of filing and sanding. Once that was done, I made the mounting holes and screwed in
the port module for a test fit.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front16_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front16.jpg)

Next up is the acrylic counterpart. Stay tuned! :)

DonT-FeaR
04-06-2009, 02:41 AM
:O that's very nicely done... gw mate

KiLLERMAN21
04-06-2009, 03:43 AM
Nice work, the front trident looks sweet!

The boy 4rm oz
04-06-2009, 10:06 AM
Almost as if it was stock ;), good work Bod.

Boddaker
04-06-2009, 03:10 PM
Thanks guys. Now I just have to figure out how to hide the stock holes lol.

YeeHa
04-06-2009, 05:02 PM
This build keeps getting better, great work. Front panel with IO ports looks really good.

rendermandan
04-06-2009, 05:18 PM
Hey Bod, That front panel looks really good. Looks like you are using the same front panel port I used on my case. Keep up the good work!

Boddaker
04-07-2009, 04:17 AM
This build keeps getting better, great work. Front panel with IO ports looks really good.

Thanks YeeHa!


Hey Bod, That front panel looks really good. Looks like you are using the same front panel port I used on my case. Keep up the good work!

Thanks Dan, I hope the cables will be long enough to reach all the way up to the top of the motherboard lol. :think:

Boddaker
04-07-2009, 04:18 AM
And now, the acrylic portion of the front trident:

I traced the shape onto a piece of blue transparent acrylic.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front17_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front17.jpg)

Used my scroll saw to cut it out. As you can see, I cut a rectangular hole for the IO module to fit through.
No need to cut individual holes. :)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front18_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front18.jpg)

Then it was time to do the bends. I found this piece of acrylic tube to be the right diameter. Had to be careful
though not to melt it while heating up the trident piece lol!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front19_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front19.jpg)

Bent. I did distort the tube a bit, but it wasn't enough to worry about.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front20_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front20.jpg)

I bent a little bit more than I needed to, just to make sure I had a nice curve. I marked the aluminum
trident where it meets the case.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front21_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front21.jpg)

Then transferred that mark to the acrylic and cut off the excess.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front22_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front22.jpg)

I sanded it down to a nice sharp edge...
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front23_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front23.jpg)

...so it will fit snugly in between the case and the outer piece.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front24_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front24.jpg)

It still needs a bit of cleanup and polish around the outside, but it's pretty much there.

Next up: running the IO cabling through the mesh, and covering the backside of the power button. :)

DonT-FeaR
04-07-2009, 05:21 AM
cooleo..
looking good as always bod..

SXRguyinMA
04-07-2009, 07:09 AM
lookin nice :up:

The boy 4rm oz
04-07-2009, 10:18 PM
Nice plexi work Bod. I am thinking you should keep the case silver lol, looks awesome with the blue accents.

P.S - Hey Bod, I found some RAM for this Rig. G.Skill Trident:
http://www.techpowerup.com/90470/G.Skill_Announces_New_Trident_Series_Triple_Channe l_DDR3_Memory_Kits.html

Boddaker
04-08-2009, 03:18 AM
Nice plexi work Bod. I am thinking you should keep the case silver lol, looks awesome with the blue accents.

P.S - Hey Bod, I found some RAM for this Rig. G.Skill Trident:
http://www.techpowerup.com/90470/G.Skill_Announces_New_Trident_Series_Triple_Channe l_DDR3_Memory_Kits.html

Hehe The one thing on this mod that doesn't follow the "3" them is the dual channel memory lol. Rather than going out and buying a new motherboard and an i7 cpu, I opted to stick with my trusty eVGA 790i board. The Crucial Ballistix I have is DDR3, so that still qualifies! That G-Skill memory looks pretty cool tho. :)

DonT-FeaR
04-08-2009, 03:39 AM
im not gunna see this for 2 weekss :(

hope you will have some surprises for me when i come back

Boddaker
04-15-2009, 12:58 PM
Hey everyone, hope you all had a great Easter weekend. Mine was excellent, the kids had a blast searching for eggs in the yard. :)

But because of that, I don't have too much to show, progress-wise, but it's progress none-the-less! :D
So we left off last time fitting the acrylic piece behind the aluminum Trident up front. Well I got the IO
port module to fit, but had to make some "adjustments" to it first lol.

I marked the area to be removed. Too bad it goes right through where I de-badgified the case lol.
Oh well, it was going to be covered up by the front Trident anyways.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front25_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front25.jpg)

And cut.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front26_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front26.jpg)

I also removed the old IO port openings. This will get addressed a bit later.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front27_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front27.jpg)

Here's what I had to do to the module. There was a clearance issue with it and the front radiator fan, so I had to
get the cables to lay over to one side. To do this I removed the exterior molding and some of the surrounding glue/wax stuff.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front28_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front28.jpg)

Here's what it looks like from the bask side. The cables will be sleeved and organized better for final assembly.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front29_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front29.jpg)

In order to secure the top of the Trident to the case, I fabbed up a small mounting bracket that takes
advantage of how the power button is secured. This way I avoid having any unsightly fasteners on the front face.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front30_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front30.jpg)

The bracket is attached to the case with one screw from behind.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front31_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front31.jpg)

Here's a side view..
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front32_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front32.jpg)

Done, with the exception of one thing... lighting! That will be next on the list.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front33_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front33.jpg)

SXRguyinMA
04-15-2009, 01:00 PM
lookin good :up:

KiLLERMAN21
04-18-2009, 04:54 AM
Looks nice!

DonT-FeaR
04-24-2009, 04:43 AM
wow nice update mate... been away for 2 weeks... wondering how this was going

Boddaker
04-26-2009, 07:00 PM
wow nice update mate... been away for 2 weeks... wondering how this was going

Hey man, hope you had a nice vacation. I haven't gotten much done on this for the past few weeks,
so you didnt miss much! Other pressing matters been taking up my time. But I did manage to get in the
garage and finish up the IO hole...

I got an extra front bay cover so I could use it as a patch. So I placed it behind the hole
and traced out the area to be cut, and cut it out.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front34_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front34.jpg)

Sanded off the anodizing and filed the edges til I had a nice snug fit.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front35_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front35.jpg)

A shot of the "nice snug fit"
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front36_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front36.jpg)

I taped it from behind and slapped some bondo on it.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front37_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front37.jpg)

Since the patch was a bit thinner material than the case was, I decided to bondo the back side as well.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front38_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front38.jpg)

After it set up, I sanded it down, first using a cheese grater file, then a orbital sander.
Then I used the bay cover as my drill guide, and drilled out the holes.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front39_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front39.jpg)

Done! Can barely tell it was even there. Once the primer is on, it will disappear completely. :D
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front40_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Front40.jpg)

DonT-FeaR
04-26-2009, 07:57 PM
:dead: genious... im loveing this mod so far! REPPAGE

The boy 4rm oz
04-27-2009, 12:48 AM
Awesome outcome there mate, I can't even tell there was a hole there previously lol.

p0Pe
04-27-2009, 08:25 AM
thats amazing:D looks like something you could just as easily do in photoshop! great work

Boddaker
05-03-2009, 08:34 PM
Ok, I got some stuff to show you. :D

I have been working on a new floor design with Geno from Boxgods, in an attempt to alleviate some of the mess
of tubing down by the radiators. The floor is made up of three sheets of 1/4" clear acrylic and there
will be six channels through the middle, each 1/2" wide, with compression fittings on each end.
Of course the design had to be trident-approved. ;-)

As you can see, I color-coded the channels so you can tell the three loops apart.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_mockup3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_mockup3.jpg)

Here are the three floor layers, the top being the farthest away. I also incorporated cut-aways
for the optical drive, power cables, and lighting, as well as notches for case fitment and alignment.
This is not the final version, as there are some areas that need minor adjustments (which
weren't apparent until I did the mockup tests).
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor5.jpg)

Here's a shot of the middle layer with the channels placed on top of the bottom layer.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor6.jpg)

And all three layers together. I set them on a piece of cardboard so they might be easier to see.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor7.jpg)

Here is the floor assembly clamped in place in the case.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor8.jpg)

I will also be employing the new compression fittings from Primochill. :D
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Fittings1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Fittings1.jpg)

I screwed them into the floor to see how they fit. This is when I realized the bottom holes were too close
together. So that will be addressed in the final revision.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Fittings2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Fittings2.jpg)

A closer up shot:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Fittings3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Fittings3.jpg)

And with the compression rings on.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Fittings4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Fittings4.jpg)

In addition to minimizing the amount of tubing, this new floor design will look pretty cool with the
coolant running through it. I plan to paint the underside of it so you won't be able to see through
to the radiator compartment.

Now the trick to pulling this off will lie within the gluing process. If I screw it up, I will have leaks and
cross-channel mixing of fluid (which will not be good since I will be using three different colors of coolant).
I've got some scrap pieces I can practice with, and I will make a jig so that the layers will be lined up
correctly. Should be interesting, so stay tuned! :D

SXRguyinMA
05-03-2009, 09:15 PM
neat idea! cant wait to see it!

The boy 4rm oz
05-04-2009, 12:01 AM
Dude that is a sweet idea, and what a result you will get when it's done. The one thing I don't like are the compression fittings, I fear for their durability. The plastic looks like it may go brittle over time and you don't want any leaks, I would use chrome bitspower fittings personally.

Boddaker
05-04-2009, 01:17 AM
Dude that is a sweet idea, and what a result you will get when it's done. The one thing I don't like are the compression fittings, I fear for their durability. The plastic looks like it may go brittle over time and you don't want any leaks, I would use chrome bitspower fittings personally.

Thanks, but after all is said and done, I will have 48 total fittings in this thing, 18 for the floor alone. And at $10 per fitting (yikes!) for Bitspower, well you can do the math... :-)

And I'm told these fittings are poly carbonate, UV stabilized, and plenty strong, so will last quite a long time.

DonT-FeaR
05-04-2009, 02:46 AM
wow... gunna be great
i like the new addition :)

The boy 4rm oz
05-04-2009, 02:48 AM
OMFG that's $480 for the fittings lol. Well as long as your sure those plastic fittings will be ok. If you don't mind me asking, how much do those plastic compression fittings cost? I have never seen them before.

DonT-FeaR
05-04-2009, 05:57 AM
im gunna say alot under 480 :)

Boddaker
05-04-2009, 12:29 PM
...how much do those plastic compression fittings cost? I have never seen them before.

These are brand new on the market, and I believe will sell for around $1.50 each. They come in many colors (color matched to Primoflex tubing) and are paintable as well. Not a bad option for people on a budget. :)

Should be available at Moddersmart (http://www.moddersmart.com) by next week.

The boy 4rm oz
05-04-2009, 10:35 PM
Thanks for the info Bod. If they perform well I may replace all my barbs with these.

Boddaker
05-10-2009, 09:09 PM
Smallish update:

Only had a short amount of time this weekend, so I thought I'd tackle the hard drive covers.
I took 3 pieces of 1/4" transparent blue acrylic cut to hard drive size:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC1.jpg)

Looks cool held up to the light. :)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC2.jpg)

I set up my router table with a 3/4" round-over bit to give me a nice wide curve around the plexi.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC3.jpg)

First piece cut. A little rough, but I'll smooth them out in a bit.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC4.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC5.jpg)

A couple minutes on each edge with a mouse sander and 220grit sandpaper and I have this:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC6.jpg)

I purposely rounded only three sides on the top and bottom piece, and only the 2 sides on the middle piece.
This way, even though they are separate pieces, they work together to make up a larger canvas for the next step.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC7.jpg)

I'll need to sand these a bit more in preparation for paint. Then I will apply a mask with a trident-ish graphic.
But that's for another time. :D

DonT-FeaR
05-11-2009, 02:55 AM
great work mate.. pitty you didnt have more time cuz i love your work

The boy 4rm oz
05-11-2009, 03:10 AM
Nice bevel mate.

Boddaker
05-18-2009, 04:52 PM
Here's a little show of some progress I made before all the other goings-on this last weekend (daughter's 2nd birthday party).

T3 reservoir mockup with tubing! :D
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/T3mockup1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/T3mockup1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/T3mockup2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/T3mockup2.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/T3mockup3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/T3mockup3.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/T3mockup4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/T3mockup4.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/T3mockup5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/T3mockup5.jpg)

I'll get some more detail shots of them up a bit later.

p0Pe
05-18-2009, 07:05 PM
dude that looks EPIC! what are thoose resevoirs?

The boy 4rm oz
05-18-2009, 09:40 PM
Dude, that is sweet. Awesome idea. +rep

Boddaker
05-19-2009, 12:52 AM
dude that looks EPIC! what are thoose resevoirs?

Thanks man. These are the new Typhoon III dual bay reservoirs from Primochill. Just came out, should be in stores in June. They're pretty sweet. Can accommodate two separate loops with two inputs and two outputs on the back. They also feature two fillports in front which make filling and emptying the system a breeze. Just tilt the case over on its back to fill, and tilt it forward to empty. Comes with or without a D5 pump, and it also will be available in a non-pump version. :D

Karbon Killa
05-19-2009, 04:20 AM
Now those are some killer reservoirs.I would love to get my hands on one and mount it to the top of my case facing upwards. Just gorgeous I tell ya, simply gorgeous.

SXRguyinMA
05-19-2009, 07:37 AM
those look sweet

DonT-FeaR
05-19-2009, 11:24 PM
looks great... good work as normal..

say happy bday to the daughter from tbcs

Boddaker
05-20-2009, 01:44 PM
Got more work done on the hard drive covers:

Received the paint mask in the mail and couldn't wait to try it out. The actual masking is sandwiched
between two protective backings:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC8.jpg)

Peeled the top coating off,
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC9.jpg)

Flipped it over and applied it to the covers after lining them up as they would be on the hard drives.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC10.jpg)

Then peeled off the other backing:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC11.jpg)

Using the x-acto knife, I took care of the pieces spanning the gaps between the covers.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC12.jpg)

Then I primed and painted them white with a pearl topcoat. You can kinda make out the iridescence in the light.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC13_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC13.jpg)

I'll remove the masking tonight and place the covers on the hard drives to see how they look. Stay tuned!

SXRguyinMA
05-20-2009, 04:01 PM
this should look way cool :bowdown:

The boy 4rm oz
05-20-2009, 10:19 PM
I think it looked awesome with the white pattern on the blue but when you peel the mask off it will look insane.

DonT-FeaR
05-21-2009, 03:39 AM
yeah this is gunna look awesome bod... good work mate

p0Pe
05-21-2009, 07:09 AM
make it dry faster! update NAO!:D

Boddaker
05-21-2009, 01:00 PM
Removed the masking last night! :D

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC14_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC14.jpg)

Then I put some UV cathodes behind the covers to see how it will look lit up.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC15_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC15.jpg)

This is with me holding the cathodes over the covers.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC16_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC16.jpg)

I'm surprised the white paint doesnt glow under the uv light. Maybe it's the pearlescent coating that shields it?
Works better this way, and I may not even need to light these covers from behind like I was thinking. :)

rendermandan
05-21-2009, 02:14 PM
Man, that looks so sweet!!! +rep

SXRguyinMA
05-21-2009, 02:14 PM
looks sick! :bowdown:

tomcatt
05-21-2009, 05:47 PM
awesome, The white doesn't shine like I thought either ... but the effect you got now looks better !! :bowdown:

The boy 4rm oz
05-21-2009, 09:57 PM
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC16_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/HDC16.jpg)


Now that looks bloody awesome Bod. +rep

DonT-FeaR
05-24-2009, 05:05 AM
thats HAWT! lol

nice work as always

crazybillybob
05-24-2009, 07:34 AM
so Bod.....

Have you ever made any thing that Sucked ???? :)


Nice effect by the way!
Now hurry up and get this done we're dyeing to see it!!




CBB

Karbon Killa
05-25-2009, 01:37 AM
Wow. Just wow. That is all I have to say. (well apparently not because I said all thoe other words too... haha.)

Boddaker
05-25-2009, 03:10 AM
lol thanks guys. And CBB... Yes, I have! I just neglect to take pics of that stuff. ;-)

DonT-FeaR
05-25-2009, 03:38 AM
i never want you to show us ur stuff ups :)

The boy 4rm oz
05-25-2009, 03:45 AM
A true master acknowledges his mistakes and learns from them ;).

Boddaker
05-26-2009, 02:08 PM
A true master acknowledges his mistakes and learns from them ;).

lol believe me I have learned A LOT that way. ;) And I do show the ones that I think others could learn from as well. It's just sometimes, things are better left on the garage floor lol.

OvRiDe
05-26-2009, 08:18 PM
Well you couldn't tell that any mistakes were made by the results of the end product! Looks fantastic.

The boy 4rm oz
05-27-2009, 03:08 AM
lol believe me I have learned A LOT that way. ;) And I do show the ones that I think others could learn from as well. It's just sometimes, things are better left on the garage floor lol.

HAHA, yeah I know what you mean, you should see my first window mod hahaha.

Boddaker
05-29-2009, 01:12 PM
Was able to mock up the tubing in the lower rad section last night. Still was pretty tight (due to the thicker floor) so I had to get some 90° and 45° elbows to make it work.
Came out ok I think. I love the blue fittings on the white tubing! :D

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Radmockup1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Radmockup1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Radmockup2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Radmockup2.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Radmockup3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Radmockup3.jpg)

crazybillybob
05-29-2009, 02:19 PM
the tubing looks great!

but the $1000,000 question is does the floor leak :)


CBB

Boddaker
05-29-2009, 02:43 PM
the tubing looks great!

but the $1000,000 question is does the floor leak :)


CBB

haha, I haven't actually gotten to the leak-testing phase yet, cause I still haven't glued the floor together. I did a glue-test last weekend, but apparently didn't use enough Weld-on so I got a bunch of air pockets. That stuff evaporates fast, and if I don't get the pieces together quick enough, it dries up. (doesn't help the weather up here has been upper 90's & no humidity).

DonT-FeaR
05-30-2009, 12:30 AM
looks great bod

the blue and white is great

Nate Dogg
05-30-2009, 09:57 PM
I agree.. sometimes it just goes that little too far :(

Vitz¥^
06-01-2009, 04:37 AM
looking awesome, evertime time i look at this Mod i want it finished! lol!

The boy 4rm oz
06-01-2009, 09:18 AM
Yep, blue fittings looks sweet mate. I am re plumbing LEXA ATM and am trying to make do with the left over hose I have from the first time, I think I am like 1 inch too short in total :(.

Boddaker
06-06-2009, 03:50 AM
I just got done prepping stuff for tomorrow's painting session. Sorry I didn't take any pics of the boring sanding,
cleaning, and priming of parts, but I didn't think you'd mind too much.

Here's a couple shots of all the parts:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint2.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint1.jpg)

If you remember my paint scheme, it will be blue with water droplets on the outside of the case, monitor, and keyboard,
and pearl white on the inside, but only in the main top section. It will be blue in the lower rad compartment.
As you can see, I already laid down the white inside the case shell and mesh boxes, mainly because of the mesh.
If I waited til after we painted the exterior, then all the holes will be white, and I don't want that. After I took the
pics I taped all the white mesh areas so that I wouldn't get any blue overspray on the inside.

So basically we're laying down the blue base coat and clear this weekend. Then we have to let that cure before going
back over and doing the water droplets. If you're wondering why we're shooting clear before the water droplets,
it's because we are using water-based paint, and the base needs to be sealed before we do the next layer. Then
after that we'll do a final coat of clear, maybe with a hint of candy or pearlescence. We'll see!

The boy 4rm oz
06-06-2009, 03:57 AM
I can't wait to see the pieces painted, they should look insane. I am wanting to do a gloss white interior on the new LEXA mod I want to do.

_ferry_
06-06-2009, 02:39 PM
I just flew trough this project at lightspeed, watching pictures, and it's awesome!

Boddaker
06-07-2009, 03:21 AM
PAINT PHASE ONE: BASE COAT

Here's my painting progress for today. We first laid out all the parts in the paint booth and wiped them with a tack cloth.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint4.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint5.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint6.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint7.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint8.jpg)

I brought with me the color of coolant I will be using so we could match the paint. But my buddy already had some
blue sitting on the shelf and thought we'd see how close it was. Turns out the first can we opened was a perfect match! woot!!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint3.jpg)

It also meant we didn't have to use the water-based paints he had to mix & match, which would have been more difficult.
So we could stick with acrylic enamel all the way through. :D The paint is Nason blue metallic by Dupont.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint9.jpg)

Mixing the paint with reducer and hardener..
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint10.jpg)

Base coat laid down:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint11.jpg)

I still can't get over how well it matches the coolant!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint12.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint13_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint13.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint14_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint14.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint15_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint15.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint16_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint16.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint17_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint17.jpg)

PAINT PHASE TWO: CLEAR COAT

After the base set up for about a half hour, we mixed up the clear coat. This is necessary to seal the metallic so
when we prep for the water-drop phase, we won't disturb the metal flakes in the base.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint18_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint18.jpg)

After the clear was shot, I snuck in the booth for some beauty shots. Shiny!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint19_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint19.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint20_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint20.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint21_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint21.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint22_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint22.jpg)

So that will have to cure for a few days before we can do anything else. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get back
up to lay down the water drops for another week or two. However, Scott may have some time to do a few test pieces,
and if he takes some pics, I'll post them up in the interim. So until then!

The boy 4rm oz
06-07-2009, 03:29 AM
That is a beautiful shade of blue, looks very nice, lucky you ;).

tomcatt
06-07-2009, 05:09 PM
awesome painting - I love it !! :D, and I'll bet you and many others do ^^

DonT-FeaR
06-08-2009, 01:57 AM
epic win!

they are perfect!

Kumo
06-12-2009, 12:22 AM
impressive clean work, and nice paint room.

Boddaker
06-14-2009, 03:03 AM
Thanks guys!

Got a bunch done today, and was able to get most of the interior white pieces painted. :D

Cleaned and prepped all the pieces to be painted pearl white:
Motherboard IO plate; video card IO plates; IO cover plates; water pumps; water pump mounting brackets;
mobo tray cover; new & improved rad/fan mounting brackets; SLI connector cover; video card covers; NB/SB block;
compression fitting rings (not shown); & CPU block mounting bracket (not shown).
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint23_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint23.jpg)

Not having full-time access to my buddy's paint booth, I had to improvise. Set up a make-shift hanging rack
by tying a rope from the ladder to the garage door track lol.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint24_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint24.jpg)

These compression fitting rings are paintable, so they're getting a coat of pearl white as well. :)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint25_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint25.jpg)

Other pieces that couldn't or didn't have to be hung were placed on a piece of cardboard.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint26_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint26.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint27_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint27.jpg)

After the pearl top coat:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint28_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint28.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint29_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint29.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint30_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint30.jpg)

After a few hours, the pieces were dry enough to handle, so of course I had to assemble some things to see
how they looked! I mounted the water pumps and screwed in some fittings:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint31_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint31.jpg)

Fastened the IO plate back onto the motherboard tray:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup1.jpg)

That looked great, so I had to set the mobo tray cover on as well as the hard drives and covers:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup2.jpg)

Should I go get the motherboard and video cards? Sure why not! :D
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup4.jpg)

A close up of the SLI connector. I masked it off to match the hard drive covers:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup3.jpg)

Another angle of the motherboard. I don't have the cpu block yet, so the mounting bracket and fittings are just there for effect.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup5.jpg)

And a shot of the video card back plates. The one on the right is different because I am using slightly different versions
of GTX 260s. They are all EVGA cards, just one is a bit older than the other two. I'll probably put the odd one in the middle:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup6.jpg)

I'm still working on the video card covers, so I didn't get those painted just yet. I got something planned for them,
and I think you'll dig it, so stay tuned!

The boy 4rm oz
06-14-2009, 03:33 AM
OOOOOOOOOOO pretty :D. Lovin' the SLI bridge cover, very cool. The reservoirs with the pumps installed also look awesome.

DonT-FeaR
06-14-2009, 05:42 AM
looks soooo FIRGAN SWEEEEEEET!!!! i really really am going to try steal that...
lol
thats amazing!

AntraxLife
06-15-2009, 12:03 PM
wow, just amazing man! great job, keep it up!
are that three video cards?... why the hell you need that for???
doesnt mean i dont like it! :D

-AntraxLife

The boy 4rm oz
06-15-2009, 12:14 PM
Yep, those are 3 video cards. Bod doesn't need em, he has them cos he can hahahahaha.

rendermandan
06-15-2009, 01:01 PM
Oh, I love it when you finally get to start assembling all those shiny pieces together. Excellent work my friend! +rep.

Boddaker
06-15-2009, 04:57 PM
wow, just amazing man! great job, keep it up!
are that three video cards?... why the hell you need that for???
doesnt mean i dont like it! :D

-AntraxLife


Yep, those are 3 video cards. Bod doesn't need em, he has them cos he can hahahahaha.

Well, I can't very well have just two cards in a "three"-themed case now can I! :p


Oh, I love it when you finally get to start assembling all those shiny pieces together. Excellent work my friend! +rep.

Thanks Dan! It's getting real close now, only a few more weeks to final assembly. :banana:

The boy 4rm oz
06-15-2009, 10:26 PM
Well, I can't very well have just two cards in a "three"-themed case now can I! :p

No you can't , it wouldn't be natural hahaha. Mod on!!!

DonT-FeaR
06-16-2009, 06:59 AM
/\ agreed

The boy 4rm oz
06-16-2009, 07:18 AM
Congratz on your MOTM nom at Bit-Tech Bod, you got my vote ;).

Boddaker
06-16-2009, 01:37 PM
Congratz on your MOTM nom at Bit-Tech Bod, you got my vote ;).

haha thanks man! It was quite a surprise to see my case nominated, especially since it's so late in the month, I thought they discontinued MotM completely lol.

tomcatt
06-16-2009, 04:25 PM
yup, you got my vote 2
all the succes !! you realy deserve it :P

Mod on !! :D

Drum Thumper
06-17-2009, 10:48 PM
My wife loves this build. I think its top notch as well!

Boddaker
06-19-2009, 01:13 PM
Thanks guys!

I'm finishing up a cool piece for the video cards, and should have another update for ya tomorrow. It's a cable cover that will route all those unsightly video card power cables down through the motherboard tray and hidden from view. And of course it's trident shaped. :p

Scotty
06-19-2009, 11:16 PM
This looks great, awesome job.

Boddaker
06-22-2009, 03:05 PM
Made a piece to cover the ends of the video cards, where all the power cables plug in. I wanted the cables to be hidden,
so I fashioned a trident-shaped cover that routes the cables down and through the motherboard tray. I'm making
my own extension cables too, so the actual power cables from the psu will plug into these behind the mobo tray.

Here is the mess of cables: two 6-pin plugs for each card = 36 wires!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC1.jpg)

First thing I did was glue them all together with some acrylic and styrene spacers.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC2.jpg)

Once glued, I can remove them all as one.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC3.jpg)

After measuring, I cut out the trident shape and side pieces.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC5.jpg)

Gluing them together, using the ruler as a square:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC6.jpg)

Testing the cable assembly in the cover..
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC4.jpg)

Test fit on the cards (one of many, many test fits lol)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC7.jpg)

Another test fit, this time with more side pieces glued onto the cover:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC8.jpg)

You can see how the cables are being routed to the center of the cover and down.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC9.jpg)

After the usual sanding-filling-sanding routine, the cover got a coat of white and pearl, like the others.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC10.jpg)

Here's a close up shot of the hole I made in the motherboard tray, where all the wires will go through. The cover will
conceal this hole from view.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC11.jpg)

A wide shot of the video cards with cover. The cables are not plugged in yet. I will need to have the case reassembled
to finish the wiring on the other side of the mobo tray.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC12.jpg)

A final close up shot of the cover. I had hopes of permanently gluing the cable assembly into the cover, but plugging
all six connectors in at once proved very difficult at best, and would be near impossible when concealed by the cover.
So I will be leaving the cover loose.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC13_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC13.jpg)

Next up are the three custom bottom plates for the vid cards. :D

Kumo
06-22-2009, 03:51 PM
Nice idea with that cover. Maybe a light effect under it, would be nice.

nevermind1534
06-22-2009, 05:47 PM
Nice idea with that cover. Maybe a light effect under it, would be nice.

Would be nice, but hard to do with the wires in there, I would assume.

The boy 4rm oz
06-22-2009, 09:25 PM
Mate, that was suck a cool idea. I have never thought to do anything like that, very nice idea.

Indybird
06-23-2009, 01:21 AM
I'm loving those power connectors, if you don't mind I'd like to copy off of that idea for my future crossfire setup.

Every post you find another place to perfectly integrate the trident theme. Not only is this mod clean, but it uses some creativity...I like that.

-Indybird

Boddaker
06-23-2009, 01:50 PM
Nice idea with that cover. Maybe a light effect under it, would be nice.


Would be nice, but hard to do with the wires in there, I would assume.

Yeah, I was thinking about doing a glowy effect on this piece as well (which is why I made it from the blue transparent acrylic), but I decided against it since it will be right next to the hard drives, and the vid card bottom plates will have a glowy EVGA logo on them. And I dont want to overdo it.


Mate, that was suck a cool idea. I have never thought to do anything like that, very nice idea.


I'm loving those power connectors, if you don't mind I'd like to copy off of that idea for my future crossfire setup.

Every post you find another place to perfectly integrate the trident theme. Not only is this mod clean, but it uses some creativity...I like that.

-Indybird

Thanks guys. I always disliked how the power cables on video cards are always placed right out in the middle of everything, so I sought out to do something about it. :)

DonT-FeaR
06-24-2009, 03:02 AM
:O i love it

rendermandan
06-24-2009, 09:44 AM
Dude...... So nice!

Nate Dogg
06-24-2009, 10:23 AM
Wow, looking very cool :D

Boddaker
06-26-2009, 04:41 AM
I finished up the video card bottom plates tonight. Get ready for some more UV glowy goodness! :D

One of my 260 cards already has an aluminum bottom plate, but it has this factory decal on it.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC14_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC14.jpg)

...which was easily removed.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC15_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC15.jpg)

My other two cards do not have a bottom plate. But that's no problem, I just made two more from acrylic using the
existing one as a template.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC16_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC16.jpg)

The stock plate has raised mounting posts where it's screwed to the card, to clear certain parts on the pcb.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC19_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC19.jpg)

so I had to replicate that on the acrylic copies. I basically cut a bunch of squares from 1/8" acrylic and glued
them on the back of the plates after drilling the large diameter holes. Then I went back and drilled the smaller
holes through the squares.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC20_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC20.jpg)

Since I pretty much stripped these cards of all their identity, I wanted to put some of that back on, so I had Moddersmart (http://www.moddersmart.com/)
cut me a few EVGA logos out of 1/8" blue transparent acrylic. I could have just made all three plates out of the blue
acrylic and masked off the EVGA lettering, but I thought the raised logos would stand out a bit more, giving them a
more 3-dimensional look.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC17_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC17.jpg)

I laid the letters out on the plates, lining them up with pieces of tape as guides. After marking each piece's position,
I removed the paper backing on one side and glued them down.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC21_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC21.jpg)

Here are all the plates with the logos glued on and ready for paint. Notice I left the paper backing on the lettering.
Makes a perfect mask!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC22_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC22.jpg)

Primed, painted, pearled. lol
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC23_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC23.jpg)

Time to take the masking off!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC24_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC24.jpg)

Me like, iz goood!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC25_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC25.jpg)

All the plates de-masked:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC26_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC26.jpg)

They looked so good, I got out the UV cathodes for some glowy pimpage...
Lights on:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC27_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC27.jpg)

Lights off:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC28_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC28.jpg)

Of course with the flash off, the camera lets in way more light than normal, causing an exaggerated effect, but it's still cool!

I was going to get a shot of the plates on the cards, but I ran out of time. I'll see if I can do that after work. 'Til then!

The boy 4rm oz
06-26-2009, 05:39 AM
Bod, you don't need me to tell you how awesome those back plates look lol.

SXRguyinMA
06-26-2009, 07:57 AM
:stupid: looks amazing! :bowdown:

p0Pe
06-26-2009, 09:10 AM
daym... quit your job, and finish this thing! im dying to see the end result Ó_ò

Boddaker
06-28-2009, 03:30 AM
Thanks guys!

PAINT PHASE III: Water Droplets

Got the water droplets on all the parts today! :D It wasn't as easy as it seems though, and we had to try numerous
methods before we got the water to bead properly, but I think we succeeded. First we scuffed up the parts, getting them
ready to accept the next layer of paint.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint32_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint32.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint33_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint33.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint34_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint34.jpg)

However, the scuffed surface didn't yield satisfactory results, because the water didn't bead at all on the scuffed surface,
because it was too rough. So we tried leaving a bit of dust to help with the beading, but that didn't work to well either.
Then we noticed the water beading up perfectly on the table (look next to the part) and realized we needed to re-clear
everything and not scuff them at all.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint35_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint35.jpg)

After clearing everything again, we waited about :30 minutes to let it tack up, then went in with the water bottle and the black paint.
Here you can see how well the water beads up on a freshly cleared part:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint36_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint36.jpg)

A close up shot. This is what we are aiming for the final look:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint37_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint37.jpg)

So after we laid down the black over the water drops, we just let the water evaporate away, then went back in for
one last wet coat of clear. And here are the results:
Side panel:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint38_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint38.jpg)

Close up:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint39_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint39.jpg)

Case top:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint40_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint40.jpg)

Close up:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint41_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint41.jpg)

Front I/O trident:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint42_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint42.jpg)

Monitor Base:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint43_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint43.jpg)

Keyboard palm rest:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint44_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint44.jpg)

Close up:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint45_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Paint45.jpg)

So after some trial and error, I think we got it pretty close to what we were looking for. I have to leave the parts in the
booth for a few days for the clear to cure, then I can re-assemble the case.
:)

The boy 4rm oz
06-28-2009, 08:11 AM
Man the paint effect turned out very well, well done.

SXRguyinMA
06-28-2009, 10:26 AM
indeed, looks great! :up:

p0Pe
06-28-2009, 10:29 AM
dude... this is one of my fav mods atm! keep it up:banana:

msmrx57
06-28-2009, 02:58 PM
Awesome Paint!!!

Waynio
06-29-2009, 11:03 AM
I read through your worklog for my 1st time so have a bunch of comments lol.
The jigsaw work you done looks very very good, made me think about getting a good one as the one I own violently wrecks sheet metal so have to stick with my trusty dremel or metal shears for that kind of work, same with my drill it wobbles all over the place.
haha that is one hell of a nice idea to save space with the psu, I would not have thought of that, good one :).
That hdd rack is pretty damn nifty too I like.
Thanks for the heating up a screw trick for making a thread, should come in handy some time.
Ah very nice box seperators indeed :).
when you asked which one is better on the medallion or tridents, its a tough one to call they are both good, the sketchup you came up with for the tridents looked great.
what a great fit for the front IO, nice.
That middle panel, is that what I think it is, is it cnc'd plexi joint together for a water channel where you can plug barbs in either end instead of excessive tubing, if it is then wow 1st time I've seen anything like that, phenomenal :D.
I really like the pattern uv strips, very nice effect.
Oooh that blue paint is gorgeous, I need to buy myself a spray gun, air brush, already have a good air compressor
paint seems expensive but worth it from what I've seen, want to ditch cans.
Really extensive effort for hiding the wires, great stuff :)
Awesome gpu cover mods :)
Water droplet finnish too saaaweeeeet :).
Good work m8 good work.
I really look forward to getting my skills up so I can do my own WOW piece but it mostly comes with much practice hehe.

OvRiDe
06-30-2009, 04:42 AM
Well Bod, what can I say that hasn't been said already.. well I gunna say it anyway!!

This mod is the freakin COOLEST!!! The everything is top notch! Loving the paint job and I can't wait for the next damn update!! :D

Great work!

Boddaker
06-30-2009, 01:02 PM
Thanks guys!

@ Waynio: thanks for all the cumulative comments there lol. Really provides a good synopsis of the whole build!

Boddaker
07-01-2009, 01:30 PM
Mocked up the video card bottom plates last night...

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup9.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup10.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBmockup11.jpg)

That should hold you until I get back with the parts tonight! :D

Liquid_Scope_99
07-01-2009, 02:19 PM
Very nice man +rep

SXRguyinMA
07-01-2009, 02:45 PM
:stupid:

AntraxLife
07-01-2009, 03:42 PM
:stupid: just WAUW! :D

The boy 4rm oz
07-01-2009, 10:35 PM
OMG, dude that is awesome, a great effect under UV. +rep

Boddaker
07-02-2009, 01:32 PM
I got home late last night, but stayed up til the wee hours of the morning laying out all the parts and starting the re-assembly process.
After peeling off the masking, I got the two case halves put together and the wheels on, and now we have a rolling chassis!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly1.jpg)

I had painted the interior with the white/pearl prior to doing the exterior because I didn't want to see any white through the mesh.
Had to do extensive masking, but it was worth it!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly4.jpg)

I also got the power supply put back together (yes, I kept the factory decals :D )
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly2.jpg)

Before buttoning up the psu, I realized the fan needed some work, since it would be visible from the back. So I took it apart, gave the blades the white/pearl treatment, and re-assembled it.
I discarded the wire grill and will mount my own Trident version.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly3.jpg)

Next step is mounting the motherboard tray back into the case, but I still need to make some holes for the cabling, and that is easier to do while it's out of the case.
So I will take care of that tonight. 'Til tomorrow!

rendermandan
07-02-2009, 01:46 PM
Great job as always.