Project: Red Jester

[Jabyaeye]

Hi all! This is my first mod, so I thought I'd keep it simple and just modify the case door to add a plexi window to it.

I have already completed some preliminary work before finding my way here to these forums, but I thought I'd share with you what I have done up to this point.

My concept was to cut a jester/joker out in the side of the case, then use red-tinted plexi behind it and have some red LEDs highlight the etching I will do on it.

http://www.conwayhobby.com/RedJester/Red_Jester.jpg

I used Sketchup like I have seen on a few other posts to help everyone get a concept of what i was going for
http://www.conwayhobby.com/RedJester/Red_Jester_-__Sketchup.png


This is my worklog so far:

printing off the pictures and positioning them correctly
http://www.conwayhobby.com/RedJester/IMG_0097.JPG

After I had them positioned, i cutout the black areas, then used them as stencils
http://www.conwayhobby.com/RedJester/IMG_0100.JPG

After two major modifications to the design of the pictures and how i wanted them laid out, I then began cutting out the different sections with a Dremel
http://www.conwayhobby.com/RedJester/IMG_0001.JPG

I will post more pics as I progress with it, but for now, that's it. An hour till midnight on New Year's Eve and I have spent my time grinding away on my case door. haha! Hope everyone has a Happy New Year's Day!

--Jabyaeye

[Vision]

wicked design mate, and good work with the dremel!
Keep it coming
Vision

[jdbnsn]

I love it! Keep it up!

[Jabyaeye]

Thanks for the nice comments!

I had a day off today (like most), so I spent it grinding away on the steel side panel door. I made some progress, but it is tedious and slow going due to the thickness of the steel. I have the upside down face cutout, and a small section of the upper one done.

This picture shows my progress. I placed the door over the plexi that still has the factory protective coat on it. The fluorescent lamp is shining though it.
http://www.conwayhobby.com/RedJester/first_face-complete.jpg

[Jabyaeye]

Update:

I have finished cutting out the pattern with the Dremel. I gave it a nice new coat of flat black.
http://www.conwayhobby.com/RedJester/cutouts_complete.jpg

Now on to trimming the plexi and making the red LED light array that will shine down on it.

Now I have a question for those interested: Should I mount the LEDs on top of the plexi and have it shine down into it, or have the LEDs mounted on the face of the plexi and have it shining back into it? Basically, top mounted versus face/side mounted?

I had planned on top mounted, but thought I'd ask to see if it made a difference or not.

[LiTHiUM0XiD3]

if your gunna do etching.. have the light shine thro the plexy instead of onto it..
then the etching will show up nice and bright..

[Jabyaeye]

Ok, cool. Thanks, CHIMAERA!

Will 6 high-intensity red LEDs be enough to light up a 9in x 17in area?

[LiTHiUM0XiD3]

perhaps.. but not the brightest.. if you really want it to glow i would suggest something like 10 atleast.. i used 4 VERY bright blue LEDs to light up a 6 inch by 6 inch frosted square of plexy in my xbox.. it didnt work so well.. the more the better :)

[Jabyaeye]

perhaps.. but not the brightest.. if you really want it to glow i would suggest something like 10 atleast.. i used 4 VERY bright blue LEDs to light up a 6 inch by 6 inch frosted square of plexy in my xbox.. it didnt work so well.. the more the better :)


Ok, wow! I might need like 20 or so LEDs then to light up a 9"x17" etched plexi then. Hmmm..that changes my plans a touch.

Thanks for replying!

[Drum Thumper]

I'm surprised SgtM hasn't chimed in with some insight...

Excellent work on the cuts. And yes, the more LEDs the better. If you've any questions regarding wiring them up, just ask.

[J-Roc]

Thoes look like ICP jokers card heads. I like :)

[Jabyaeye]

Thoes look like ICP jokers card heads. I like :)

Yes, that was kinda the look i was going for. :) I think it will look nice once it all comes together.




Excellent work on the cuts. And yes, the more LEDs the better. If you've any questions regarding wiring them up, just ask.

Well, I have built an on/off switch circuit with a small momentary switch that I plan on incorporating into the case somewhere.

The circuit I used was here (http://www.cpemma.co.uk/flipflop.html). About halfway down that page I used the 555 timer circuit.

I then connected it to 6 red LEDS that light pretty brightly, but when I put it against the smoked plexi, it isn't so bright anymore. I will need MANY more LEDs.

I am off work again today, so I will post some pics of my progress later today or tomorrow. I am having problems getting the paper film and glue off of the plexiglass at the moment. I was given an old piece of plexiglass and i think it is fairly old. It must have sat in the sun at one point and baked the paper and glue on to it. :(

Any ideas on how to remove the paper and glue from the plexi?

[SgtM]

The more LED's the better. You can't go wrong with them. In your case, you'll want to inset the LED's into the perimeter of the plexi, spaced about 2" apart. You could opt for CCFL's, but LED's (IMO) are more fun.

[Drum Thumper]

Any ideas on how to remove the paper and glue from the plexi?

Goo Gone perhaps? I'd try it on a piece of scrap first to make sure it won't spiderweb the plex.

[Jabyaeye]

Thanks DrumThumper for the suggestion, but I have since tried some "home remedies" I saw on the internet, including using peanut butter, to remove the glue. This resulted in portions of the glue are now gone, but in return, I now have a nice pattern of small swirls on a small section of the face of my plexiglass.

I had gotten frustrated with trying to remove the paper and glue by picking it with my fingernails mostly because my fingers had gotten so sore I could barely touch anything.

I now need to still remove the glue, the resulting swirls, and the remaining paper. This has left me frustrated and discouraged in this project. Until I find some way to properly fix everything, it will be put on hold for now.

I guess I could go buy a piece of plexi and just mark this one up as experience. I'm not sure what I'll do next. :-|

[Jabyaeye]

While I ponder the outcome of my current plexiglass window to be junked or etched, I have been thinking about what else I could do to my case. It seems, despite the plexi setback, that I have been bitten hard by the modding bug.

I am currently envisioning a new front bezel made out of aluminum angle stock and aluminum screen door wire riveted all together and then painted flat black to match the exterior of the case. The front bezel will be fashioned to cover the entire front with a 120mm fan grille (located at the bottom front) that has the Jester face cut from shiny aluminum. The current front dual USB ports would be re-worked to the bottom of the case and have a nice shiny aluminum bezel around it as well.

The current rear dual 80mm fans will be reworked to dual 120mm fans with aluminum fan covers.

I had also thought about painting the interior a full-on Ferrari-style bright red and have it fully lit with either red cathode tubes or red LEDs (or both).

I also have an old LCD video screen that hangs on the backseat that we had gotten for the kids to watch movies on, but since we have upgraded vehicles to now having one built-in, we don't need these anymore (they hardly work anyways due to loose connections). So I thought about incorporating one of the 6" LCD screens into the three open 5 3/4' drive bays in front.

[Kumo]

Have you tried Loctite glue remover (it's for superglue, but works with others).

[Jabyaeye]

Goo Gone perhaps? I'd try it on a piece of scrap first to make sure it won't spiderweb the plex.

DrumThumper! You, sir, are a genius! The Goo Gone got all the glue AND the old paper off the plexi!! Woot! Woot!

There are still some scratches on it, but I think once I etch the final picture into it, it won't even be noticeable behind the case door cutouts.

I would go start etching it now, but the BCS game is on and I have to have priorities, ya know. :D



Have you tried Loctite glue remover (it's for superglue, but works with others).

Kumo, I had already put Goo Gone on the grocery list for the wife to pick up on her next trip to the grocery store.

[SgtM]

You can polish that plexi. Or, if you're real careful, google flame polishing.

[Jabyaeye]

You can polish that plexi. Or, if you're real careful, google flame polishing.

Interesting...and good to know. Thanks SgtM!

Does anyone know if using something like lemon Pledge to fill in the small spiraled scratches and swirls will help? I have read several airplane, dragster, and motorcycle forums that swear by it on plexi windshields. Most of them weren't driven and used daily though, so I'd think that it should be ok on a case window that is not in the direct sun.

[Jabyaeye]

I tried using the Lemon Pledge that I was referring to in my last post. While it helped maybe a little bit, the obvious scratches from the peanut butter were still there.

My method involved spraying it on pretty thick, and then waiting 30 secs to a minute before wiping it off.

Overall, I do not recommend it as a swirl remover on plexi windows for cases.

[Jabyaeye]

Update for those interested...

I finally was able to finish etching the plexi window and I have it fitted to the door. I still need to paint the door, cutout the eyes from the case section scraps, put a light sanding on the etched areas, and overall tidy things up a bit.

http://www.conwayhobby.com/RedJester/cutout_with_plexi_-undusted_unpainted.jpg

BTW, this is the first time I have ever used a Dremel tool, either for cutting or etching, so go easy on me. :)

[Twigsoffury]

I'd just go get a nice new piece


There should be a wirewheel you can get to smooth up those edges from cutting. Just take all the cutting marks off. your cut itself looks amazing.

[Jabyaeye]

I'd just go get a nice new piece


There should be a wirewheel you can get to smooth up those edges from cutting. Just take all the cutting marks off. your cut itself looks amazing.

I have a new piece of plexi already. Since this is my first time, I wanted to see how the two pieces would look together and see how everything fit, so I invested the time to etch the plexi anyways. I did find some places on the case that ended up scratching the plexi (it's behind the case door, but still).

The shiny edges of the case door are where I polished, rounded, and cleaned up some with the Dremel cutoff wheel. I will try to find a wire brush wheel for proper polishing.

Thanks for the encouragement...it helps.

[DonT-FeaR]

wow that looks cool

[Kumo]

Nice design and cuts. We Want to see the rest of the case!

[billygoat333]

have you tried any cd or dvd repair kits? all a cd is is plastic with some foil pretty much, when I worked at a used cd store we used a buffer wheel and a plastic polishing compound. works great for smaller scratches makes it look brand new! also some people have told me toothpaste works as well for small scratches. dunno thats just what ive heard.

[Jabyaeye]

have you tried any cd or dvd repair kits? all a cd is is plastic with some foil pretty much, when I worked at a used cd store we used a buffer wheel and a plastic polishing compound. works great for smaller scratches makes it look brand new! also some people have told me toothpaste works as well for small scratches. dunno thats just what ive heard.

No, I haven't tried any repair kits, but sounds like a good idea.



Nice design and cuts. We Want to see the rest of the case!

The rest of the case is basically a plain stock black Antec steel full tower that is inside my rack, still plugged in, and used daily.

I have provided pics of the the plainness below:
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/case_-_front.JPG

http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/case_-_angle.JPG

http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/case_-_side1.JPG

I have plans for it all though...

[Jabyaeye]

Since this is my very first mod, I had originally just planned on adding a window for side case door, but the more I got to thinking about it, I realized that there was more stuff I wanted to/could do to it. Since I now plan a full mod, I should start from scratch and give you a parts list that I am starting with, as well as restating my intentions.

I have already stated that I wanted to strip the case and paint it bright Ferrari-style red inside, leaving the outside flat black. Light up the inside with red lighting to expose the plexi etchings, whether I use LEDs or CCFLs.

I would also like to change out that ugly plastic case front and put something more sexy in. What I had in mind was a front made of alum angle stock, alum flat stock, and alum screen door mesh wire. The whole front would be flat black with a shiny alum fan grille that is made to match the jester logo/pattern I have already created.

The top section of the case (might) be put to use with an LCD screen that I have leftover from a behind-the-seat entertainment center for the kids that I had bought used anyways (depends on if i can figure out how to make it work). I can't use a second monitor with a crossfire setup though, so a separate PCI vid card would be needed.


The system specs as it now sits are as follows:
1 - ASUS M3A79-T Deluxe AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
1 - AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2.2GHz Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor Model ADA4200CUBOX - Retail
1 - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit
2 - ASUS EAH4850 TOP/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
1 - CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI and CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
1 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
1 - Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical - OEM
1 - Rosewill RK-100 Black USB Standard Keyboard - Retail
1 - Antec black full tower steel case (Cheiftec Dragon replica)


Now pictures :D

Mobo:
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/preconfig/asus_mobo.JPG

Video Card (times 2)
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/preconfig/ati_video.JPG

PSU:
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/preconfig/corsair_psu.JPG

Box of goodies:
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/preconfig/case_of_goodies.JPG

...and finally a mockup concept pic done in Sketchup:
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/Red_Jester_-_Mockup_Concept.jpg

[Drum Thumper]

Nice cable management. I wish my case looked that clean!

As for the swirling patterns--it'll take a bit of elbow grease, but you might have good luck with some ultra-fine wet sandpaper. Start at 1000 grit and work your way up to the highest you can find. Lemme do some searching here, I know for a fact that there is at least one worklog that had similar problems.

Edit: I stand corrected. Rubbing compound with a buffing wheel might be your answer. This link here shows a build that had a similar problem. Fair warning, you will be gobsmacked by clicking on this link as we like to say around here. It's that good.

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2853

Enjoy!

[Jabyaeye]

Nice cable management. I wish my case looked that clean!

As for the swirling patterns--it'll take a bit of elbow grease, but you might have good luck with some ultra-fine wet sandpaper. Start at 1000 grit and work your way up to the highest you can find. Lemme do some searching here, I know for a fact that there is at least one worklog that had similar problems.

Edit: I stand corrected. Rubbing compound with a buffing wheel might be your answer. This link here shows a build that had a similar problem. Fair warning, you will be gobsmacked by clicking on this link as we like to say around here. It's that good.

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2853

Enjoy!


Now that sounds like something I could do...I just need a buffer...hmmm.

Yes, I have already pegged Defyant as one of my inspirations. :D

[Jabyaeye]

Small Update:

I have pulled everything from my case and re-created a free air case by hanging it from my metal bookshelf rack. I will strip the case and complete the mod, while the interior guts to it hang freely by my desk.

Now for some crazy pic goodness...


http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/buildtime/017.JPG

http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/buildtime/019.JPG

http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/buildtime/020.JPG

http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/buildtime/021.JPG

I'll have to be careful not to drop any objects (especially metal objects) in the vicinity of the exposed parts.

However, in the free air with the large fan blowing on it, it stays pretty cool. I was quite surprised with the results, even in Crossfire mode.

http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/buildtime/CPU-Z_freeair_1.jpg

http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/buildtime/CPU-Z_freeair_2.jpg

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Wow! That cut would still be pretty impressive if it wasn't your first time with the Dremel... but it's amazing, since it was! You're a natural, I think. +rep

[Jabyaeye]

Ok, another small update.

I got the aluminum frame made that will be underneath the front cover and will be used to mount the switches, LEDs, LCD, and DVD. It will be behind the front cover which will be made from a sheet of aluminum (that hopefully I can make and finish this weekend).

I took cool and interesting pictures to make everyone happy. :)

I stripped the case down to the bare minimum
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/case_stripped_down.JPG

I then took it out to the workshop and started wrapping the front of it with aluminum angle
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/case_alum_strip.JPG

Completely framed. You can see the overlapped sections at the bottom.
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/case_alum_framed.JPG

I notched the overlap, then drilled and cut it out to fit
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/case_alum_overlap.JPG

Grabbed the handy-dandy rivet tool
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/case_rivet_tools.JPG

This shows the completed finished frame
http://conwayhobby.com/RedJester/case_alum_strip_finished.JPG

So much left to do....so little spare time.