Neptune's Trident

[Boddaker]

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

[Boddaker]

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. :)

[Boddaker]

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.

[Boddaker]

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]

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!

[Boddaker]

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)

[Boddaker]

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.

[Boddaker]

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)

[Boddaker]

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!

[Boddaker]

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)

[Boddaker]

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.

[Boddaker]

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)

[Boddaker]

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:

[Boddaker]

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)

[Boddaker]

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)

[Boddaker]

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. :)

[Boddaker]

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?

[Boddaker]

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.

[Boddaker]

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?

[Boddaker]

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. :)

[Boddaker]

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

[Boddaker]

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?

[Boddaker]

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)

[Boddaker]

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?

[Boddaker]

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. :)

[Boddaker]

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. :)

[Boddaker]

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!

[Boddaker]

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.

[Boddaker]

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.

[Boddaker]

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! :)

[Boddaker]

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. :)

[Boddaker]

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)

[Boddaker]

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)

[Boddaker]

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

[Boddaker]

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.

[Boddaker]

...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.

[Boddaker]

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

[Boddaker]

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.

[Boddaker]

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

[Boddaker]

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!

[Boddaker]

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. :)

[Boddaker]

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)

[Boddaker]

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).

[Boddaker]

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!

[Boddaker]

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!

[Boddaker]

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!

[Boddaker]

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:

[Boddaker]

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

[Boddaker]

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

[Boddaker]

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. :)

[Boddaker]

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!

[Boddaker]

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.
:)

[Boddaker]

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

[Boddaker]

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!

[Boddaker]

I was getting the holes cut out of the motherboard tray this morning, but I decided to take a break from
that and put the monitor together. Then I had to see how it looks in the sun, and oh man, is this paint amazing!
The metallic flakes add a whole 'nother dimension to the components in the sunlight, and actually takes little away
from the water droplet effect, due to the depth. Luckily, this will be displayed indoors lol. Anyway, here are the eye candy shots! :D

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor2.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor4.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor3.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor5.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Monitor6.jpg)

The monitor looked so good, I had to see how the keyboard looked in the sun as well:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/KB1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/KB1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/KB2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/KB2.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/KB3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/KB3.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/KB4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/KB4.jpg)

And here is what I did with the mouse. Logitech offers custom G9 grips for $20. You upload a picture to their site,
and they print it onto the grip and send it to you. Pretty cool!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Mouse1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Mouse1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Mouse2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Mouse2.jpg)

Ok, back to the mobo tray! ;-)

[Boddaker]

So Boddaker I'm guessing this mod will be done by Intel Lan. Will we be seeing it there?

i was planning on going to the one in Sacramento, but unfortunately I didn't get my seat before it sold out. :facepalm: I will, however, be attending PDXLAN the week prior, and PAX in September.

[Boddaker]

WOW! Two updates within a 12 hour period! :shock: The assembly part of a build is the most exciting, and gratifying.
So much so that I just couldn't stop!

Here are the holes I cut in the mobo tray for the cabling. A couple along the top edge (of the tray (on the bottom in the pic)
for the front I/O cables and pwr/reset, one for the case fan, and the long one is for the IDE cable.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBtray1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBtray1.jpg)

Here's with the back plate and cover on, with matching holes:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBtray2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBtray2.jpg)

I'm using both counter sunk and white rivets to put the case back together.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rivets_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rivets.jpg)

Here's the tray back in the case:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBtray3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBtray3.jpg)

Back shot:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBtray4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/MBtray4.jpg)

A shot of the side panel latching hardware:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SPlatch_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SPlatch.jpg)

Back shot with side panel on:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly5.jpg)

left side panel:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly6.jpg)

Right Side panel:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly7.jpg)

Well, I couldn't stop there, I had to get the rads in too! Here is the rad/fan assembly with the revised mounting brackets:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly8.jpg)

In the case:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly9.jpg)

And with the mesh boxes:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly10.jpg)

Tomorrow I'll get some shots with the mesh boxes in and the side panel on. I will be getting the window in as well.

'Til then! :D

[Boddaker]

Of course system installations never go issue-free. I ran into a problem with the video card heatsinks (Swiftech GTX200).
It appears that two of my 260 cards have a slightly different board design than my other one. As such, the heatsink
won't fit properly. So now I must modify it!

Here's the card with the heatsink:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC29_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC29.jpg)

You can see here how the heatsink is designed to fit around the components on the video card.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC30_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC30.jpg)

however, on the newer GTX260, it doesn't fit quite right.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC31_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC31.jpg)

The chips and capacitors have been relocated.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC32_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC32.jpg)

So I lopped off the offending section of the heatsink...
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC33_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC33.jpg)

Now it sits flush onto the video card, but what to do about the exposed components that need cooling?
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC34_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC34.jpg)

Enter the stock cooling solution!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC35_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC35.jpg)

I cut along the dotted line...
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC36_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC36.jpg)

Made a couple adjustments to take advantage of the screw holes...
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC37_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC37.jpg)

and voila! Problem solved.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC38_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC38.jpg)

Gave the stock part a coat of black to match and it's done.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC39_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/VC39.jpg)

So now installation can continue (until the next problem arises) lol.

[Boddaker]

Ok, here's an update (not that I have time for it, seeing as how I haven't even installed the motherboard yet lol)

I had to leak-test the floor before mounting it into the case. So I hooked up a bunch of hoses so that I could test all channels at once.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_test1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_test1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_test2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_test2.jpg)

Once I knew there were no leaks (yay!), I prepped the underside for paint and taped off the top.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_prep1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_prep1.jpg)

In order to get the same white/pearl effect on the floor, I had to spray the pearl first directly onto the acrlyic, followed by the white.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_paint1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_paint1.jpg)

Looking at it from the top down, the effect is intact.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor10.jpg)

To finish off the floor, I wanted to make a nice logo trim piece to go along the visible edge. So I took some blue
transparent acrylic, scuffed it up and applied some custom lettering. I first printed them out on label paper, then
cut them out of that masking material with an exacto knife.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_edge1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_edge1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_edge2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_edge2.jpg)

Painted.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_edge3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_edge3.jpg)

un-masked (the blue you see through the letters is the blue masking tape on the back side).
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_edge4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_edge4.jpg)

Close up of the un-masking.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_edge5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor_edge5.jpg)

And here's the overall shot of the final effect. When I designed the floor, I left a cavity behind the letters for a 12" ccfl.
Should glow nicely! :D
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor12.jpg)

That's all for now. It's back into the garage for me (and a late night I'm sure!)

[Boddaker]

haha thanks guys. Well, I got back from the lan (and our mini vacation), so now I can continue assembling. I was trying to at least get fluid into Trident, but last minute set-backs prevented that from happening. I will be re-doing a couple things including the floor. Yes, it holds water, but it looks terrible and I know I can do better! I got some clear-setting epoxy to try this time, so hopefully I can get it completely bubble free.

Anyway, here are some assembly pics I took last week:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly11.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly12.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly13_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Assembly13.jpg)

[Boddaker]

Yes, I'm still alive. After the LAN, I kinda went a bit backwards and disassembled the case again
to re-do some things that didn't quite work the first time. I'm spending a lot more time in the cabling department
this time. I didn't like how the SATA cables came out so I'm completely remaking them using white wires.
I'm also using these shorter pass-through connectors, but only one at the end of each cable.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA1.jpg)

These make it easy to swap out the wires. Just pry the back cover off.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA2.jpg)

I cut the white wires to length and soldered the pins on.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA3.jpg)

Then pressed each wire into their slots and put the cover back on.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA4.jpg)

For the ATX cables, I wanted a different effect than sleeving. Something that would match the case theme, and pass through
the floor. So I'm making an extension with all white wires that I'm coloring blue, to match all three shades of the coolant.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX1.jpg)

Using the female side of the ATX connector, I adjusted the wires til they created a smooth 90° curve.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX2.jpg)

Then after allowing for additional length needed to pass through the floor, I temporarily tied them together to make my cuts.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX3.jpg)

Once they were all cut to length, I soldered the pins on.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX4.jpg)

But before I put the connector on, I'll need to feed the wires through the floor, and I can't do that until I finish
up some other things first. 'Til next time!

[Boddaker]

Wanted to show some in-progress shots of the new floor. This time I used a 2-part epoxy and got a completely bubble-free result. Check it out:

After mixing in a small container, I poured it onto the first piece. In order to promote adhesion, I lightly sanded
the surfaces with my orbital sander.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor14_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor14.jpg)

Spreading out the epoxy with a squeegie
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor16_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor16.jpg)

Full coverage! I let it sit for a few minutes to let the epoxy flow out (this particular epoxy had a 45minute work time)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor17_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor17.jpg)

Out came the clamps. I found that I couldn't use my smaller spring clamps because they were too strong, leaving a dry
spot at the pressure point. So I opted for the lighter plastic clamps with some wood scraps to even out the clamping force.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor18_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor18.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor19_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor19.jpg)

Bottom and center piece glued:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor20_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor20.jpg)

And the final part. Completely clear with no bubbles. :D
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor21_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Floor21.jpg)

After the gluing, I cleaned it up a lot, removing drips and smoothing out the edges. I drilled cabling and mounting
screw holes, cut notches here and there, getting a perfect fit. All that's left is paint and polish (to get rid of any fingerprints
on the top) and I can finally get back to installation.

[Boddaker]

A smallish update: DVD drive mounting and cover

Here's how I mounted the optical drive: It sits in a recessed area of the floor, just underneath the bottom T3 reservoir.
The drive I'm using is the Pioneer K05 slimline slot-loading drive. It's a DVD player and recorder.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVD1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVD1.jpg)

To mount the drive, I am utilizing this dual drive 5 1/4" bay mounting plate. Just the part above the dotted line.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVD2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVD2.jpg)

Bent the tabs at the appropriate height...
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVD3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVD3.jpg)

... marked the holes, drilled and tapped into the floor.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVD4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVD4.jpg)

Since the slot-loading optical drive is situated beneath the bottom T3 and will be visible, I needed to make a cover for it.
I did a quick cover for the lan, but it wasn't perfect. So I used it as a template to make a new one, with some
changes. This shot shows all the pieces before gluing.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVDcover1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVDcover1.jpg)

Once glued, I proceeded to carefully cut the slot in front. I used the thinnest file I had to slowly widen the slot.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVDcover2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVDcover2.jpg)

A shot from the end shows it's pretty straight and even. Time to stop filing!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVDcover3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVDcover3.jpg)

Sanded, primed, sanded, painted, pearled, and positioned over the drive.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVD5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/DVD5.jpg)

A bit of double-sided tape will keep it from moving around (it won't need anything more, since it will be basically locked in place under the res).

[Boddaker]

Some more cabling...

Here are all three SATA cables I strung up with white wires and L connectors.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA5.jpg)

I cut holes in the back cover, ran them through and plugged them in.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA6.jpg)

A close up shot. But I don't like how the cut wires show through the connector.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA7.jpg)

So I whipped up some quick covers for them...
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA8.jpg)

and glued them on.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA9.jpg)

Ahhh, much better! :D
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SATA10.jpg)

[Boddaker]

lol thanks Drumthumper! :D

Welcome to my cabling nightmare! :twisted:

I've been cabling for the past two weeks and I'm now officially SICK of cabling! lol
Here's what it looked like a few days ago, as I was just starting the arduous task of shortening the ATX cables.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Wiring1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Wiring1.jpg)

Not sure if I showed this before, but it's the 8pin cable extension I made using white wires.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/8pin1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/8pin1.jpg)

After coloring and installed through the floor.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/8pin2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/8pin2.jpg)

Getting back to the ATX cable, I stuffed each color group through separate holes in the floor. Not as clean as I
would have liked, but it will have to suffice. I had originally intended on sleeving them with clear tubing to mimic
the watercooling. But it just didn't look right. I need some kind of triple boot to cover the end of the hose at the
connector. But that's for another update, I'm done messing with it for now!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX5.jpg)

So after the wires were through the floor, I could put the other connector end on. Then I could measure and shorten the
cables from the psu.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX6.jpg)

Instead of cutting and putting new pins on each wire, I opted to just cut out a section of wire out of the middle and solder
them back together. I put the connector back on after sleeving it. I did the 8-pin cable as well.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX7.jpg)

Here's a shot from the underside to show the connection. You can also see the recess in the floor to accommodate all the cabling.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX8.jpg)

The cable recess from a slightly different angle. You can see the PCI-e cables as well.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/ATX9.jpg)

Speaking of PCI-e cables, here's a shot of the future location of the connection point between the psu and
extension cables. That large square cutout is where the extension cables will be coming through from the cards. I
drilled holes in the motherboard tray for the zip ties that will hold each connector in place.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe1.jpg)

Now I can shorten each PCI-e cable to reach the connection point.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe2.jpg)

Here's a before-and-after shot to show the difference in length. Again, I cut a section out of the middle and soldered
them back together. One down, 35 to go!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe3.jpg)

One group of six complete.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe4.jpg)

Got the two hard-wired PCI-e cables from the psu done. The other 4 are modular.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe5.jpg)

I temporarily folded the modular cables over to the correct length and tried a test fit. Well it turns out I won't need to
shorten them, I'll need to lengthen them. After placing the rad/fan/mesh box assembly in last night, there is
no more room on top, so I'll have to route them down under the mesh box and back up.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe6.jpg)

I finally got all the extension cables cut to length, pinned, soldered, and connected last night.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe7.jpg)

Here's a shot with the cover on in front. Looks like I'll need to do something about those yellow wires that are still visible.
A couple well-placed zip ties should take care of those unruly wires!
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PCIe8.jpg)

As a parting shot, I thought it appropriate to show just how much of the cabling I removed.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Wiring2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Wiring2.jpg)

"I've lost the fat man and I'm runnin' lean!" -Kramer

[Boddaker]

Moving on to the leds. Moddersmart sent me some of these killer led pigtails. They're just ready-made led strings that plug into...
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/LED2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/LED2.jpg)

... this 20-station board. Has a standard 4-pin molex hookup and has the resistors incorporated into the pcb. No fuss, no muss! :D
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/LED1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/LED1.jpg)

I strung two UV leds together and sleeved them,
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/LED3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/LED3.jpg)

So they would fit into the led holders that came with the T3 res.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/LED4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/LED4.jpg)

Two more sets like this one, then I can move on to some accent lighting.

8)

[Boddaker]

Almost done! :D On the home stretch now. Got the last couple of items painted, and the loops filled. woot!

Before I could finalize the tubing, I had to paint the tubing guides. So I did that while I was doing some last minute cabling.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Guides2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Guides2.jpg)

Here's a wide shot of everything so far with the guides on. I swapped out those silver sata cables for some UV blue ones.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Wide1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Wide1.jpg)

Here's a close up shot of the lower rad compartment. Don't even ask me how I managed to hook it all up lol!
(no, really. I don't remember. :P)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Rads6.jpg)

Upper main compartment with guides:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Tubing3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Tubing3.jpg)

Close up shot of the T3 side:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Tubing7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Tubing7.jpg)

Close up shot of the component side:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Tubing8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Tubing8.jpg)

Finally I get to fill the system! I carefully turned the case onto its back and started filling. First the CPU loop:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling1.jpg)

Next is the NB/SB & middle video card loop:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling2.jpg)

Lastly, the loop for the two remaining video cards:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling3.jpg)

All three T3's filled and ready to go! I used a spare psu to cycle the pumps, bleed all the air out, and check for leaks under pressure.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling4.jpg)

Money shot of the floor with all three shades of coolant flowing through it:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling5.jpg)

And finally an overall shot:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/Filling6.jpg)

I did have a few leaks I needed to address, but nothing catastrophic (which is actually amazing considering how many
fittings I'm using lol). I just have a few final items to address, then I can call this thing D-O-N-E.

8)

[Boddaker]

Thanks guys! :D

Well I had issues with the ATX 24pin extension cable I made, and it wouldn't power up. After jumping the psu and getting power to the fans, lights, and pumps, then hooking a spare psu up to the motherboard and getting it to power on, I determined that extension cable was the culprit. So Brian at Moddersmart is making one for me and overnighting it up to Seattle for me. woot! Words cannot express my gratitude! :)

So while I had the spare psu hooked up, I got Windows 7 installed. And while that was going, I worked on mounting the side panels.

Here are a couple shots of the case with the windowed side panel on:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP34_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP34.jpg)

Gotta address some alignment issues with the lower mesh boxes, but otherwise looks pretty good.
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP35_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP35.jpg)

The trident window is blue transparent acrylic, while the top and bottom pieces on the right are mirrored acrylic.
(the camera flash kinda makes them look like smoked acrylic)
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP36_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP36.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP37_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/SP37.jpg)

Driving up to Seattle tomorrow for PAX, so I'll try to post some pics of the event.

[Boddaker]

I would guess it's about 60-70lbs. If I remember, I'll put it onto the scale and get an accurate weight for ya.

I took some quick shots of the case set up at PAX:

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX2.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX3.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX4.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX5.jpg)

The flash pretty much overpowered the internal lighting, so here's a couple non-flash pics:
http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX6.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/PAX7.jpg)

You can kinda see in that last pic the new and improved extension cable. Once I get Trident set back up, I'll take better shots with the side panel off. I'm also lining up a professional studio shoot so I can get some real nice desktop-worthy shots. :)

[Boddaker]

Let me be the first (I think) person to congratulate you on making the cover of CPU magazine AGAIN!!!!!

You never cease to amaze us, Keep up the excellent work!

Thanks man! The cover and spread came out really awesome. Here's the cover shot :D

http://www.bods-mods.com/Trident/CPU_Cover.jpg

Should be making its way to mailboxes now, and on newsstand shelves in a week or so.

And thanks for the front page news flash! :)


Link to original thread. (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17307)