Project: Armor Redux

[SXRguyinMA]

Alright, my Thermaltake armor case is currently water-cooled, I painted the whole inside of the chassis black, and installed an extra 120mm LED fan in the side panel (I bought the Armor before the 25cm side panel fan).

Here's the plan. I'm going to be getting rid of the watercooling. Yeah its cool, but I don't need it on my Pentium D. Also, its a hassle anytime I do anything to the case. I have to drain it, remove the tubing, etc., then reconnect everything and refill/bleed it, check for leaks, etc etc.

I've currently got 2 12" UV cathodes that light up the water tubing. Since the tubing will be gone, the UV cathodes will be useless pretty much.

I'm going to pick up the new Thermaltake Big Typhoon Pro (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=26105) cooler. Also by ditching the pump I'll have room to put my 2nd 3870x2 in crossfire :D

I've got one Thermaltake iCage (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3533) installed, and will be ordering a second to add incoming airflow. This will be painted black as the other is. This will give me 3x120mm intake fans and 1x120mm exhaust fan (in addition to the 140mm PSU exhaust fan and the 2 exhaust fans on the 3870x2 cards that blow directly out of the case). I'll also be getting a NZXT Sentry 2 (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=26057) fan controller to control the 4 120mm fans and the CPU fan.

Now I was having a tough time deciding what color scheme to go with for the lighting. I thought red would look neat. But the CU cooler has blue LEDs in it, and my mobo (Abit AW9D-MAX (http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?DEFTITLE=Y&fMTYPE=LGA775&pMODEL_NAME=AW9D-MAX)) has changeable blue LED back-lighting effects. I think this will end up clashing pretty good with the red LEDs I wanted in the fans, etc.

So I'm again enlisting the help of my friend John over at PCBoard.ca (http://www.pcboard.ca). I'm going to get another one of his LED Rainbow (http://pcboard.ca/kits/led_rainbow/) kits (same one I used in Rockin Case). This will be controlling the case lighting effects. I'm going to be mounting some of his RGB modules (http://pcboard.ca/shop/shopexd.asp?id=208) inside the case. This way I can make the interior any color I desire, or even cycle through various colors or even the whole rainbow.

And then another thought crossed my mind. I'm now going to have 4 120mm blue LED fans. That will mess up my whole lighting scheme! So I'm getting a bunch of these 5mm RGB LEDs (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3020765) that will replace all the blue LEDs in all of the fans. These will be connected to the LED rainbow controller as well. This way, the fans will change colors in sync with the interior :D

I'm also going to be doing a lot of cutting/sleeving/heatshrinking of wiring to make it look a lot nicer. I never really took the time to lay it out nice because it was the only PC I had to use. Now that I've got Rockin Case to use, it'll let me take some time on this one and do it the way I always wanted to.

Once I get my tax returns back next week I'll start ordering up the parts.

Here's some shots of how it looks right now:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2267.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2268.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2269.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2272.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2274.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2275.jpg

[Trace]

Looks good! I'll be watching this one :up:

[SXRguyinMA]

alright, I got everything ordered this morning, except the 2nd TT icage. I'm not going to bother with another cage, I've got plenty of 120mm fans (non LED). I'll make an acrylic bracket for it to mount where it would if I used the icage. Once everything comes in, its time to start working :D

[SXRguyinMA]

alright I got my performance-pcs order in. I'll be doing a separate review on the Thermaltake BigTyphoon Pro cooler, so keep an eye out for that. I also received the NZXT sentry 2 fan controller and some cable sleeving.

I managed to get the 4-pin molex connectors cut off the fan controller, the 3-pin connectors re-soldered and everything sleeved up.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2276.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2277.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2290.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2291.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2292.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2295.jpg

now once my LEDs come in from LEDshoppe.com and my RGB kit from pcboard.ca, I can get rollin on doing up the fans

[billygoat333]

I want one of those sentry 2 fan controllers. they are sexuh. lol

[SXRguyinMA]

alright, got the RGB kit in the other day and got it soldered up and tested, works great. and got this nice little brown package in from Hong Kong today :D

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2296.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2297.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2298.jpg

I got an RGB strip, 20 RGB 5mm LEDs, 100 560 Ohm resistors and 100 470 Ohm resistors

now I'm just waiting for this order to come in from Performance-PCs:


2 x Connectx™ Low Profile Molex Connector - Punch Down with Cap - Black
- Cap Type: Pass-through Cap
2 x Connectx™ Low Profile Molex Connector - Punch Down with Cap - Black
- Cap Type: End Cap
4 x Connectx™ Male Molex Housing Black
- Molex Pins: Add 4 Molex Pins
5 x Connectx™ Female 3-Pin Fan Housing Black
- Molex Pins: No Molex Pins
5 x Pro Series Male 3-Pin Fan Housing with Hood - Black
- Molex Pins: No Molex Pins

will be doing some wiring and sleeving and such this weekend, stay tuned

[TheMainMan]

I love those little brown packages from Hong Kong! So much fun for so little cost! Look forward to seeing it come together!

[SXRguyinMA]

I got my performance-pcs order in, everythings perfect :D

More progress today! I got one fan completely done! Holy crap was it a LOT of work! I had to solder 3 resistors to each LED (one for red, green and blue), then heatshrink and run wiring, then consolidate wiring and end with a molex connector. Molex works perfectly here because I've got 4 wires (power, R, B, G). These will plug into a central wiring harness coming off of the RGB controller board

The one thing I noticed is because the RGB board controls the LEDs with PWM, it makes for interesting effects on the fan blades. I didn't like it at first, but the more I watch it the more I like it.

resistors soldered:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/0227001646.jpg

wiring soldered and ready for heat shrink:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/0227001702.jpg

wiring completed, LEDs installed and wiring bundled:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2306.jpg

fan completed (almost, waiting for installation time to sleeve/trim the 3-pin power cable)
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2307.jpg

and a video :D I'm going through the different modes in the video, most I'm not letting run all the way through.
qmMP4QHWLBY

I also picked up this nice sheet of alu from the hobby shop
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/0227001748.jpg

I used my metal brake and bent it to the size of a 5-1/4" drive device:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2302.jpg

and I've got a perfectly-sized spare piece of plexi from Rockin Case
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2305.jpg

I also picked up these momentary switches, the flip switch and red LED that willb e installed in the panel
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2304.jpg

the idea is the DVD drive will be stealth-ed, and one button and the LED will be for the drive, the switch is to turn the LED effects on or off, and the other button is to change the mode

I want to get words water-jet cut out of the alu (MODE, ON/OFF, ACT. and EJECT), and light the plexi with UV LEDs, so the words will glow green. We'll see how it works though, I may go a different route with the words, and I'm open to suggestions :D

I'm also looking for someone that can program the IC chip used in the RGB kit, as there's some sequences I want programmed in that aren't there.

[SXRguyinMA]

this project is not dead, I've been hard at work on it, it should be finished up tonight, will get pics up once its up and running again

[SXRguyinMA]

rig is done! uploading pics as I type....

[SXRguyinMA]

Ok, so I went through the trouble of measuring, drilling, grinding, etc, to end up with this panel:

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2340.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2341.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2342.jpg

That I decided not to use. I realized that it wasn’t going to fit in with the rest of the front of the case. So I scrapped that idea.

I ended up using one of the standard TT faceplates, and drilling/grinding it for the buttons and stuff instead. It was a lot easier to mount and looks much better IMHO.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2347.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2346.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2345.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2348.jpg

[SXRguyinMA]

Next up was stealthing the DVD drive. This went pretty easy. With a TT faceplate and some hot glue, it was done. I just had to drill a new hole in the chassis for the screw to mount it, as it sat too far back, but that was no big deal.

Tray motor removed
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2408.jpg

A few well-place snips and dabs of hot glue, and the wiring is done
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2409.jpg

Faceplate work
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2332.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2333.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2334.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2335.jpg

Open:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2338.jpg

Closed:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2339.jpg

Next up I sleeved the SATA cables to hide their red-ness
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2329.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2330.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2331.jpg

[SXRguyinMA]

Then I did this neat little voltage mod to the MB that I found online. Apparently there’s a significant drop in the voltage between these two points due to a too-thin trace. So the remedy is to solder a thicker wire between them.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2382.jpg

also while the board was out I removed the heatpipes and heatsinks. I also read that these mobos have issues with overheating due to the use of thermal pads instead of grease, so I removed the pads and used grease, then reassembled it all. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, so I didnt get any pics.

I also sleeved the power/USB cables
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2374.jpg

[SXRguyinMA]

Then came the OCZ memory cooler. I didn’t want the blue LEDs anymore, so I started by taking the fans out
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2376.jpg

Then de-soldering the LEDs
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2377.jpg

All sleeved up
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2378.jpg

RGB LEDs soldered up
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2381.jpg

Ready to go
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2391.jpg

[SXRguyinMA]

I also had blue LEDs on the CPU cooler as well, but for these I just put a piece of heat shrink over them
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2387.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2388.jpg

Mobo, cpu cooler, memory cooler and a pair of 3870x2’s installed
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2394.jpg

[SXRguyinMA]

My 5 leftover RGB modules from Rockin Case
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2383.jpg

4 of these got mounted to the bottom of the case, and one to the side panel opposite the PSU.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2386.jpg

[SXRguyinMA]

Then I decided to do something I saw on the Dark Blade mod. I put LEDs inside the DVD drive.

Board with LEDs soldered up
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2410.jpg

And sleeved
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2411.jpg

LEDs in place, with a few snips of the plastic housing
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2412.jpg

Aw crap – the cover hits
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2414.jpg

Oh well, break out the dremel :D
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2415.jpg

Ahhh that’s better
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2416.jpg

Sleeved up and ready for install
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2417.jpg

I also got this nice little brown box from Hong Kong, and in it was this
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2404.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2406.jpg

It’s a PIC programmer. I set up my spare mobo with Windows XP on it, because it’s got a serial port that’s needed to use this puppy. As soon as I can get it configured right, I’m going to try creating my own color sequences in the RGB controller. Look out for a different thread on that later on.

[SXRguyinMA]

And she’s done!
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2419.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2420.jpg

And set back up
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2424.jpg

And a few parting shots and a video. The camera doesn’t get the colors too well, it’s something you need to see in person, or wait until I can afford a nicer video camera lol.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2426.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2428.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2429.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2430.jpg

I’ll post the link to the video once it’s done processing

[SXRguyinMA]

I need a better camera. for some reason the colors on these pics all look lighter than they actually are lol

Red:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2431.jpg

Green:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2432.jpg

Blue:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/HPIM2433.jpg

And a vid:
N-jqBe_nXsM

[billygoat333]

looks very clean and nice! I like the usage of the original tt bay cover for the switch panel. :)

[SXRguyinMA]

thanks :)

[SXRguyinMA]

well after spending all day programming the 12F683 PIC (HUGE thanks again to John @ pcboard.ca for helping me sort it out) I've coded my own heartbeat sequence. tell me what you think. It'd be cool if I could have a software interface with it that's connected to the CPU usage, so the more CPU you're using the faster it would "beat"

5QTq-S1EVCA

[Trace]

It's probably possible.

[blueonblack]

Very nice work, the drive stealthing is perfect. You also obviously have a lot more patience with solder than I.

Edit: I threw some rep your way and Lo! You might be God! :bowdown:

[SXRguyinMA]

thanks!!

[burntheland]

And she’s done!...

I see a cameo appearance by my old friend Coors light!

Mod looks sick man! +rep. Can we get some pics of how the LED's you installed in the drive turned out? I'm pretty handy with the iron, but looking for some ideas for my next mod. I'm going to make my POS Dell Insparon a stationary fixture and just attempt to upgrade the RAM. But I would also like to put some snazzy light fixtures up in there as well.:up:

[SXRguyinMA]

I see a cameo appearance by my old friend Coors light!

Mod looks sick man! +rep. Can we get some pics of how the LED's you installed in the drive turned out? I'm pretty handy with the iron, but looking for some ideas for my next mod. I'm going to make my POS Dell Insparon a stationary fixture and just attempt to upgrade the RAM. But I would also like to put some snazzy light fixtures up in there as well.:up:

yea Coors Light is my friend :D

I'll try to get some better pics of the lighting in the DVD drive, but theres a clip (albeit not too clear) from about 0:55 to 1:05 of it. I'll see what I can do for you tonight, as I've got a nicer camera that takes 720p video now :up:

N-jqBe_nXsM

[burntheland]

Hard to see, but it looks like it turned out pretty sweet. :up:

[SXRguyinMA]

here's a couple better pics and a new vid I just took. I added 3 more heartbeat sequences after work today. I added green, blue and purple.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/SANY0072.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/sportrider12584/Armor%20Redux/SANY0068.jpg


I just uploaded the vid so it'll take a few mins to process, then the quality will be much better
rvEfWVU7HfQ

[jiggiwiddit]

here's a couple better pics and a new vid I just took. I added 3 more heartbeat sequences after work today. I added green, blue and purple.


I just uploaded the vid so it'll take a few mins to process, then the quality will be much better
rvEfWVU7HfQ

timing of lights looks excellent for heartbeats. keep on it.... great effect :up:

[Waynio]

Love the rgb leds, looks like it was worth the time spent on them, love the relocation of the eject button & activity led & awesome stealth of the dvd, you rock at electronics man, brilliant bit of modding there +rep :bowdown:.

[SXRguyinMA]

timing of lights looks excellent for heartbeats. keep on it.... great effect :up:

thanks! it took a few hours to get the timings correct. then it was just instant on, so I added a quick dim pulse before the first bright one and in between the two to make it look a little smoother


Love the rgb leds, looks like it was worth the time spent on them, love the relocation of the eject button & activity led & awesome stealth of the dvd, you rock at electronics man, brilliant bit of modding there +rep :bowdown:.

thanks! it was definitely worth the time. I must have spent 30+ hours easily just swapping the LEDs and getting them all soldered and wired up. now I've got 3 blue LEDs and a red one on my MB that I cant shut off and they're irritating the crap outta me lol. I may just take a sharpie or somethin and try to cover them up

[Oneslowz28]

Awesome work with that Pic!!! I had a code for Arduino that would have worked had you went the Atmega route.

Oh BTW.... Thermaltake saw this thread and told me to pass along that they thought this was an awesome feature.

[SXRguyinMA]

Awesome work with that Pic!!! I had a code for Arduino that would have worked had you went the Atmega route.

Oh BTW.... Thermaltake saw this thread and told me to pass along that they thought this was an awesome feature.

thanks!! I'm working on more sequences still, so I'll post them up once I get them working right lol.

Thermaltake saw my thread? :eek: I'm not even dressed in my Sunday best! lol

Seriously though, thats awesome! Thanks for sharing! Het Tt....if you're still looking at this...That new Armor A90 has my name written all over it :devious: :whistler:

[Oneslowz28]

You are coding them in C right? If you need some help I might fancy a look. I am still learning but it might be fun.

[SXRguyinMA]

TBH I have no idea what it is lol. John over @ pcboard.ca gave me a quick walkthrough of how to do it, and once I opened the sequencedata.inc file I figured it out myself. I can email you the code set I've got in there now if you want :up:

I'm using MPLAB IDE (http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1406&dDocName=en019469&part=SW007002) to compile the sequences

The info on the RGB controller is here (http://pcboard.ca/kits/led_rainbow/programming.html)

[Oneslowz28]

Yea sure. Email it to cgantt at thebestcasescenario dot com and I will have a look. I am almost positive its C and will be very similar to arduino language and can help.

[SXRguyinMA]

sent :up:

:EDIT: sent again, spelled your name wrong lol