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richmandudeus
01-04-2006, 04:59 AM
Thanx to the insperational worklogs of Defyant and TBCS forums;) , i've been able to tackle this mod i've been working on for a co-worker friend of mine. Lucky for me, he is in no rush to get it back (cause time is not my friend). It's taking me a while to do this mod cause i've been crazy busy and i'm sure most of you can relate. I'm no good at making worklogs and taking pictures when i'm supposed to so you might find some gaps between work; bear with me here:D .

Left and right cut outs to start off (deffinately not the end of cutting)
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/b4leftandrightinner.JPG

Bottom and top cut outs
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/bottomtop.JPG

I needed to cut some of the molexes that i won't be needing and extend one of them to about 2 1/2 - 3 feet long to reach the front/bottom of the case.
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/psumod.JPG

Mini Sub + left and right speaker Mod (why: Because I can (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1676)!)
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/speakermod.JPG

Front bezel progress... sides: Cut out some holes for Power, Reset, cd-rom eject, usb ports, mic, and headphone jack
1st 2 pics: where did that floppy drive hole come from?:?
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/frontb4.JPG
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/frontafter.JPG

To give you an idea of the harddrive fan tunnel...
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/hddschematic.JPG

cd-rom mod: the top panel doesn't quite look like this anymore cause i scrapped the sheet metal and used the top of another case and bent it to fit. (did i forget to mention that he lost the top panel:eek: ) I'm still keeping the same concept though.
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/cd-rommod.JPG

Front & right (i think that's the right side) schematic, if you can't read the red, it says hard drives
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/frontschematic.JPG

Painting of front, top, left and right bezel/panels 8)
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/painting.JPG

So I still have plenty to do and am far from over. The best part is that this mod won't even break 100 bucks (0 dollars from me). Hopefully more updates to come soon... :D

Nawl
01-04-2006, 05:16 AM
I cant wait to see this when its done !! :D

That powersupply windows is awesome !!! :p

Sh0ck
01-04-2006, 06:30 AM
NICE JOB!!! also, why do people say DON'T EVER OPEN THE PSU!!! When you can. Do they mean plugged in? lol...

AKA_RA
01-04-2006, 07:34 AM
there are capacitors in there that hold a charge that can prolly kill you, even when its not plugged in, but i dont think theres much to worry about unless you go poking the capacitor leads with a fork while standing in a bathtub full of water

OvRiDe
01-04-2006, 11:14 PM
there are capacitors in there that hold a charge that can prolly kill you, even when its not plugged in, but i dont think theres much to worry about unless you go poking the capacitor leads with a fork while standing in a bathtub full of water
WHAT?? You guys don't mod in the shower too?? :D

chris_kalan
01-04-2006, 11:24 PM
LOL....

If you want to be safe, unplug the PSU and wait a few seconds. Press the power button and you should notice the fans jump....that's the extra power leaving the capacitors. Now you're ready to go into the shower to mod again.

richmandudeus
01-09-2006, 11:23 AM
Just a little quick update.
After a few coats of primer and a couple of coats of paint i have one thing to say..."DOH:mad:" The clear coat isn't that clear so it looks like i'll be doing some sanding tonight. I want that nice reflective look. Sigh... Other than that, i've got all the small pieces ready for painting as well. Cd-rom tray, cd-rom faceplate, cd-rom housing, yatta yatta yatta...

wingman358
01-09-2006, 04:54 PM
Looks like it's coming out awesome. Keep up the good work

Sh0ck
01-09-2006, 05:02 PM
try some type of plastic polish to make it shine and reflect.

Rankenphile
01-09-2006, 07:13 PM
try some type of plastic polish to make it shine and reflect.

I would hold off on this for at least 30 to 60 days after your last paint job. Lots of paints continue to off-gas for a long time after application, long beyond they appear to be dry. I wouldn't polish or wax the surface for at least 30 days to prevent bubbling or fogging.

richmandudeus
01-09-2006, 09:07 PM
alright here's an update... err kinda... I couldn't resist putting the parts together so i took pics. Some of the parts show they need sanding but oh well. Still haven't put the pollish on it and i probably will wait a little like rankenphile said. I needed to envision it and the progress which is also why i put the case together. If you can, picture wheels, a couple of chrome handles, tinted windows, red cathodes, red fans, etc. I'm getting ahead of myself again. More to come...

http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/together1.JPG

Feedback and cunstructive critisism are welcome. Feels good to give and get kudos from fellow modders.

OvRiDe
01-09-2006, 10:41 PM
Looking good .. well not at the moment but you know what I mean.. hahah

Can't wait to see the final product.. and of course the journey it took to get there..

wingman358
01-10-2006, 08:58 PM
That's going to look so sweet when you get the paint just right

richmandudeus
01-17-2006, 09:29 PM
Small update- nothin fancy...

Added the wheels and intake fan to the bottom of the case.
tinted the windows (one will be etched ;))
painted and windowed the cdrom drive. (you can't tell but it has a window on there)

http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/windowbottomcdrom.JPG

Ok so like i said, time isn't my friend and yeah, i know it's taking a while... oh well more to come soon... :)
I do what i can.

richmandudeus
01-18-2006, 09:45 PM
Alright so check this out...

I tinted both of the windows and mounted em on... here is a pic of the side that no one ever places a window on (back of mobo)
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/sidepaneltint.JPG

Now here is the side that usaully shows off everything you got inside your beast. This was my verry first time etching and could not be happier with the results:D . And i did it all on the dining room glass table (put a 500watt bulb under there and you have instant lightbox). The tint really puts contrast to the etch. And just incase you can't see what it says, it says :DELCUCU (face and all). Now imagine it with a 12" red cathode hiding at the bottom of the case shining upward at the etch... so sexy hehe.

http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/firsttimeetch.JPG
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/firsttimeetch2.JPG

I asked my co-worker to choose from 2 different face pics to add to the etch and he chose that one. I'm flattered to have my "signature face" on the etch. If you look at my signature, that's the same face but the one on the case is completely modded.
Hopefully the rest of this mod goes as smooth as this portion did.

richmandudeus
01-18-2006, 11:20 PM
here are 2 more pics with the front bezel on (front is work in progress)
oh and if anyone would like to help me out and tell me where i can get speaker mesh (small holes) for the front. I can't find any for the life of me:? . I'm almost done with this mod and still no mesh... preferably a sheet of 15"x15" (i don't need that much but you never know...)

http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/2moresidepics.JPG

OvRiDe
01-18-2006, 11:31 PM
I have never really looked but does HomeDepot carry Mesh? ACRyan (http://www.acryan.com/index.shtml)has it.. maybe you can get the hookup through Tribal or one of the distributors listed on their website.

Varock
01-19-2006, 03:59 AM
Or you could go to a local thrift store and find an old set of large speakers.

wingman358
01-19-2006, 02:23 PM
Looks really awesome. I like the tinted windows and that etch is wicked cool. I love the face and it looks really good etched, especially on the tinted plex. Nice job.

richmandudeus
01-23-2006, 11:55 PM
Alright another small update.

I was lookin around to see if i could get some free mesh here and there and found nothing. I tried the local thrift store and found no speaker mesh what so ever. I was about to leave till something cought my eye. I found a rounded black plastic panel that belonged to who knows what:? and thought... modders welcome a challenge when they can't get what they want. So i asked around if it belonged to anything and no one had the slightest clue. So they sold it to me for 1 buck :eek: . Woohoo the first dollar i've spent on this case. So i added it to the front of the large hole and fan hole. Gives it a nice glow effect i think. So the front is non-functional. Why do it?---> "Because I can!!!" (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1676) muahahahahaha!

http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/frontmoded.JPG

public_eyesore
01-24-2006, 05:55 PM
nice, but i dont like the side decal.

wingman358
01-24-2006, 10:16 PM
Woohoo! Don't you love $1 mods? I sure do. I love your mod, too. Is it done yet? What else have you got planned?

richmandudeus
01-24-2006, 10:22 PM
still need to install everything... thinking of puting frosted plexi inside so that the light is a bit more evenly dispursed from the bottom and front fans. Plus i have to rebuild the top panel (again:() to hold the cd-rom drive and the cd tray pocket. Oh yeah and put the guts in as well. You can't see it but the led's for power and activity are at the bottom of the front bezzel. It's supposed to shine on the ground versus seeing small bulbs. Other than that i'm pretty much done :). Can't wait to start my next mod...

snickells
01-24-2006, 11:27 PM
I love the plexi engraving, Very well done.

richmandudeus
01-30-2006, 09:42 PM
Yet another small update...

So i decided to go with the frosted plexi inside. Nothing fancy. Just easy work. I soldered 4 fans and the cathodes switch to one molex just to hide all the wiring. I know a lot of people will disagree with doing that but hey, it's done. Plus all the wiring are all nicely tucked away so it helps with the clutter.. (ide cables and mobo power plug are my main concern). Not sure what to do with the rear fan but the 90mm fan in the front won't even be visible once the hard drives are installed. Feels like this project is taking forever and a day... i need a corona :D

http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/b4frost.JPG
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/placingfrost.JPG
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/litfrost.JPG

G h (+) s T
01-31-2006, 01:01 AM
dude! that effect is sweeet!!!

OvRiDe
01-31-2006, 04:20 AM
Very cool Rich... Its gunna look GREAT when its finished..

richmandudeus
02-03-2006, 03:03 AM
I finally finished El Cucu. I posted the pics in Project galleries.
Check it out.
:DEl Cucu (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?p=20247#post20247)

hxcguitarist
02-04-2006, 11:13 AM
Great mod! i love the etch on the window! congrats on finishing it! :D

montmorency
02-04-2006, 01:32 PM
Love the etch. the back lit panels on the bezzle look great. nic job man.

Hasbios
03-05-2006, 11:53 AM
i have that case:-P maybe i should consider modding it

DaveW
03-05-2006, 03:24 PM
Sweeeeeeet etching. You should write a tutorial about some part of this, a lot of the guys on these boards could stand to learn a lot from you.

Especially that etching. I'd like to see your method in action :)

-Dave

richmandudeus
03-06-2006, 10:22 AM
Sweeeeeeet etching. You should write a tutorial about some part of this... Especially that etching. I'd like to see your method in action :)

-Dave

Thanx for the kudos DaveW. As far as the etching here is a quick look at my setup. I'll post again with more detail and technique soon but this is my general setup.
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/quicktutorial.JPG
http://usera.imagecave.com/richdude/elioscasemod/firsttimeetch.JPG

DaveW
03-06-2006, 11:36 AM
Nice...very nice :)

How deep do you do your etching, and by tint, do you mean the plastic that comes on the plexi, or are you talking about another layer that you put on top to change the colour? Will probably be doing a couple of plexi etchings soon, so i want to check everyone else's tips and tricks before i start.

-Dave

richmandudeus
03-06-2006, 01:28 PM
DaveW...

I used regular auto tint so that when the computer is off, it looks pitch black inside and you can't see in it. All the innards are revealed when the computer turns on. As far as etching it, since it was my first time doing it i learned a couple things...
1. Only scratch the surface. You'll be surprised at how visible even the smallest exacto knife ding would show up when lit. For this mod i went about 1/4 in.
2. Remember which way the rotary tool turns. If you start to go against it, it starts to push in directions you don't want to go (don't be scared, a firm grip will do it). Once you get the direction as far as left to right and down to up, you'll get the hang of it quick.
3. Use an engraving bit. I used 2 different sizes. Small for outline and large to fill it in.

Hope this helps.:)