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MrGoat
02-03-2011, 07:14 AM
Note: if you get red Xs instead of images refresh the page. My webhost is being retarded at the moment....

In the beginning,

http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/beforeum8.jpg
In November 2006 I built my 1st gaming rig since the Half-life 1 era, an E6600 powered machine with a brand new at the time 8800gts housed in a beat up old Thermaltake shark. Pure PC Gaming bliss! A bit later when it came time to upgrade the case I picked the 900 due to its modularity, high airflow and mostly because its a cool looking case. It's been with me ever since.

A couple years later,

http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/oldwc.jpg
About two and a half years ago I took plunge and added water cooling to the system and got a bit more serious about cable management. The mess in the picture above with the PCI-E power got cleaned up by stepping up from a 280 to a 285 which did not need a 8pin adapter. At the same time I moved from multiple drives to a single 500gb mounted vertically in the rear fan grill.

Below is a recent picture from November when I lost my power supply, rather than take the time to actually replace it I just set the new unit next to the machine and ran it this way for around a month until I had time to take things apart.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/borked.jpg

That was then, this is now,

It's that time again, yes sir its upgrade time. I took some cash from a recent contract and purchased the following,

EVGA GTX580
Intel Core i7 950
ASUS Sabertooth X58
6gb Mushkin Silverline 1600mhz
Crucial C300 64gb SSD

Since this is a new project I had probably best have some goals in mind before kicking anything off. Here is what I want to accomplish,

Stuff all of the above plus 2 500gb Caviar drives and water cooling gear into this case
Clean up the paint and other aesthetics
Show folks what can be done with basic tools found in a normal garage.


What have we here?

The base chassis with all exterior components removed and new pc hardware installed for the time being while the exterior work gets done.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/nowdec.jpg
Santa brought me some NZXT fans, Feaser white tube, black hose clamps, IandH Deadwater and black Anti-Kink for Christmas.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/WCparts.jpg
The exterior components ready for cleanup.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/panels.jpg
The old water-cooling components all cleaned up and ready to install again.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/wccomp.jpg
And finally some raw materials, specifically some 16ga mild steel sheet and some perforated steel. This will be used to fabricate the new drive cage.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/rmats.jpg


That's it for now, I'll have some pics up shortly of the new drive mounting and cage, until then good evening and happy modding

diluzio91
02-03-2011, 01:07 PM
I would strongly budgeting in a full cover block for the 580... The extreme heat produced by that almost makes it a must if you are watercooling it, as something (i cant remember what ATM because when my friend was explaining it I kind of spaced out) has a tendency to overheat and fry your card. DangerDen and EK make good blocks. if you're looking for a cheaper block you can also go with koolance. But PLEASE don't put that beautiful overpowered card under that universal heatsink!

Otherwise looking pretty good so far.

MrGoat
02-03-2011, 03:45 PM
The reason you dont just run a universal block and some generic ram synks is that there is a second chip on the card that gets really hot as well (VRM I think?) which needs cooling that a simple ramsynk cant provide. My plan at the moment is to do the same thing I did with my 285 and mount Swiftechs full coverage ramsynk like this (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11673/ex-blc-811/Swiftech_GTX_480-HS_Full_Coverage_Heatsink_-_GeForce_GTX480.html?tl=g30c311s1173#blank).

The drawback to this plan of course is that this presumes that Swiftech plans to produce these for the 580 and they will be suficiant to handle the heat. Additionaly with the bigger card and the fact I plan to strap a nice OC on the processor I'm going to want more radiator before I add video back to the loop. So depending on what goes a full block very well may be in the picture down the road but for the time being the Video card stays on air.

MrGoat
02-03-2011, 05:28 PM
On With the show

I'm a function over form guy so that said I blew the vast majority of my budget on the actual PC hardware. When I saw the side mounted drives on blueonblack's Project ClockworkII (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19854) I loved the idea. Initially I planned to outright use the external enclosure idea, but it was out of the budget, guess I'll have to do this the hard way.

Drives laid out on the side panel so I can visualize locations and fitment.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/layout.jpg
Initially I was going to use the Hex head bolts as structure to hold the cover in place and give an industrial look, but I may go with Allen style machine screws instead to match the other side of the case.

Drawn layout with hole locations center punched.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/punch.jpg
If you are going to be drilling any holes you should own a center punch. I picked this spring loaded one up from Harbor Freight for $9, well worth the investment.

Nothing says committed like a set of 3/8" holes in the side of your case!
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/holes.jpg
The basic procedure I used here was to punch the centers and then start the holes as 3/16" then move up to the bigger bit as the big bit will still try and "walk" out of the centers without enlargement. I drilled into a backing of scrap pine to keep from distorting the sheet as the drill passed through. A utility knife does a great job of cutting the burr off of the edge of any cuts. Even better would be a proper de-burring blade, but most folks won't find one of those in their garages.

First two holes cleaned up with rubber grommets installed.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/gromet.jpg
Test fit of the rubber grommets which will hopefully provide some sound dampening for the hard drives.

1st test drive mounted
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/driveback.jpg
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/drivefront.jpg
Everything fit up perfectly, it's a pretty good start.

Both test drives mounted. Everything dropped in without struggle and even better it fits nice and firm so there should be no rattles etc.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/bothdrives.jpg

Next post I will be starting to create a cover to go over the top of the drives.

TheGreatSatan
02-03-2011, 07:47 PM
You got me watching....

MrGoat
02-04-2011, 12:15 AM
I'm gonna cut ya!!

I'm sure you already noticed the outline I had on the tape for the drives. Basically what I'm looking to do is create a shape that flows with the existing design as I'm not planning any other major external changes to the case.

16ga mild steel sheet with the basic layout taped to it.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/toplayout.jpg

Here we have the patient clamped and ready for surgery
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/topclamp.jpg
A Dremel type tool is a must for every garage, beyond my drill and screw gun this is my most commonly used tool. When doing long straight cuts like this don't try to cut it all in one pass use multiple shallow passes that go clear across your work piece.

After a little Jenny Craig we end up with this,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/chopped.jpg

One of the freshly cut edges.
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/rawedge.jpg
With a little patience and a good bit of care a Dremel can make a pretty clean cut. Notice that part of the pen line is still visible, in this case since tolerances are not an issue I tried to make the cut right down the center of the line and was able to make a cut that will require very little cleanup.

The edges after cleanup
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/edges.jpg
After some de-burring, some filing and a bunch of draw filing the edges are cleaned up and ready to go.

All done,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/topfinished.jpg
Not bad for being cut by hand.

MrGoat
02-07-2011, 11:55 PM
Quick Update

Had a little time tonight so I decided it was time to drill some holes,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/toplayout2.jpg
Everything laid out. Note I taped the whole thing for a reason, you'll just have to see what that's about tomorrow.

Holes drilled,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/topholes.jpg

And Filled,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/topscrews.jpg
I changed my mind about the Hex bolts and went with 1/4"Allen cap screws to match the existing hardware on the case. I think with this painted black and the screws left stainless it should look pretty decent. More to come tomorow!

TheMainMan
02-08-2011, 01:08 AM
Love the side mounted drives, they look really clean. Also, thanks for clearer pictures. I know the first ones were from the archive but I was glad to see some nice clear photos come out. Keep up the good work!

MrGoat
02-08-2011, 10:14 PM
Thank you for the kind words. Yeah the old ones are cam phone pics that I had handy when I started things out. Current pics are being shot on a 10mp Nikon Coolpix, def not a studio quality device but it sure beats phone pics. Now if I could just learn to use it a bit better....

MrGoat
02-08-2011, 10:33 PM
More Holes,

Today I started to finalize the top of the drive cover. Most of you will be able to recognize the similarity with the Antec 900 windowed side panel.

Laid out,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/tclayout.jpg

Rough Cut,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/tcrough.jpg

Cleaned up some,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/tcbetter.jpg
I still have a good bit of cleanup to do on this before its ready for paint but all of the big cutting is done at least until I start the sides.

MrGoat
02-15-2011, 03:18 AM
One of them days,

Been working my ass off the last few weeks at work to clear some projects only to find out today that I'm officially unemployed. Good news is of course now I have plenty of time to work on this mod :)

More Holes,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/sideholes2.jpg
Dropped a couple of mounting holes into the side, the rest of the cap screws will only be for looks.

Primed,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/sideprimed.jpg
Primed the inside mostly as a rust inhibitor it will be a simple flat black to hide any holes utilized for cable management. Speaking of cabling holes, forgot to add the ones for SATA, doh!

Drive Cover Cleaned up,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/dcclean.jpg
After a bit with a polishing wheel and the files got everything cleaned up and ready.

Getting the sides laid out,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/perflayout.jpg

WTB Pan Box Break?
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/perfset.jpg
Since I don't have a break I need to make due, so I put a piece of sharp edged oak from when I built my desk to keep a straight edge and clamped it all in my shop table.

Getting bent,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/perfbent.jpg
After a little work with some oak and a rubber mallet I ended up with a half decent bend. It still needs a little work but we are getting there.

See where it's going yet?
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/perfidea.jpg

MrGoat
02-17-2011, 12:35 AM
Taking a break,

Yesterday I wasn't in the mood to do any metal work on this so instead I decided to do some paint and fit some fans.

Side exterior cleaned up and primed, (This time with a hole for the cabling!)
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/sideprime2.jpg

Fans installed on radiator,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/radfans.jpg
These NZXT fans are pretty nice especially for ten bucks each. The sleeve is nice and thick and no wires hanging out at the ends.

200mm test fit,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/200mm1.jpg
The original "Big Boy" fan was mounted in with screws that shot into the top plastic bezel of the case. As you can see here the NZXT fan's housing is significantly smaller than the original, so unless I make some clips mounting in the same fashion won't work.

200mm test fit to chassis,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/200mmcha.jpg
Fortunately it fits perfect to the hole in the chassis all I'll need to do is drill a couple of holes and mount it with screws.

Break over,

Today I got back onto the drive cover part of the project and its really starting to come together.

Cut the bend from the sheet,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/bendcut.jpg
Broke out the cutting disks and the dremmel again and did a quick cut down the line. Didn't need to be perfect this time as the cut will be hidden regardless.

First two corners bent,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/2bends.jpg
I cut the angles on the top and did the bends by hand.

Four corners bent,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/4bends.jpg
Here without the top covering it you can see how the cuts were made to allow for the corners to be bent.

Test fit,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/tf1.jpg
After a couple of tweaks the test fit is pretty close to where I want it.

MrGoat
02-21-2011, 03:48 AM
Just a quick update

Today was work for my wife day so between working on some projects around the house I got a couple of minor updates made to the case.

Painted all of the mesh bits,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/meshpainted.jpg
If you haven't guessed it yet the BW in the name is for the black and white paint scheme I'm going with.

Here is the cover clamped together,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/cvrclamped.jpg
Initially I primed the top not thinking about attaching the sides which is being done with JB weld. I had to clean it up with a little wire wheel mounted to my drill. A lap joint like this is ideal for soldering, however I don't have a torch around and figure most folks won't have one ether so JB weld should still work just fine.

MrGoat
03-06-2011, 11:09 PM
Argh!!!

Last couple of weeks have been a bit rough both personally and with this project. My job search has left little time for this and so it's been neglected a bit.

Eeewww....,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/eeww.jpg
This is what happens if you fail to properly clean before painting. I thought I had done this piece but upon turning it over noticed dust etc so obviously I didn't.

After cleaning, a bit of sanding and two coats of primer ,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/topppr.jpg
Fortunately everything turned out OK after some heavy sanding a thick coat of primer and then wet sanding a second coat of primer with 1000 grit.

Finish gloss white in the indents,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/toppwh.jpg
All that's needed now is some cleanup sanding and a coat of clear then the rest goes back to flat black.

And another boo boo,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/booboo.jpg
Unfortunately when I JB welded the sides I thought it had set and unclamped it too soon allowing them to shift out of position. Not much to do to fix this without a major rework so I'm going to deal with it as is.

From the front,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/frboo.jpg
From the front with an exterior coat of primer. As you can see its not way out but definitely noticeable. The other side slid in about as much as this side slid out.

Clamped with the center bit installed,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/cenmesh.jpg
The driver cover with the Center panel JB welded in place and clamped. Tomorrow I will begin work on closing up the back and finalizing this part of the project.

MrGoat
04-29-2011, 12:41 AM
Quick Update

Its been so busy around here that I haven't had the time to both update this post and work on the case so I've been doing the work and figuring I'll make some posts later. Here is a quick tease shot of the nearly completed project.

http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/preview.jpg
This has all the internals and all of the wiring completely mounted and configured.

Doh!!,
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/metro.jpg
I was having a bad day today then these guys dropped by my neighbors place to say Hi. Apparently the new way to say hello these days is with flashbangs and battering rams. I'll have to keep this in mind next time my mother-in-law visits.

Fuganater
04-29-2011, 03:01 AM
Quick Update
http://www.paulintech.com/a900bl/metro.jpg



THATS AWESOME! I would have so been taking a video of it.

Oh ya the mod looks good too :D

xr4man
04-29-2011, 11:13 AM
that reminds me of the episode of family when the cops bust in and peter is watching it on tv.