Kai Lan Case

[Boddaker]

Hey Everybody, time for a new Boddaker build! this one will be a quick scratch build for my daughter, who just turned three today. :D
Her favorite show to watch these days is "Ni Hao Kai Lan" on Nickelodeon. So this case will be based on that.

http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Kai_Lan_Title.jpg

I will be building this case in very much the same way TiTON built his Hello Kitty (http://www.ironmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:hello-kitty-themed-silent-htpc&catid=14:modding&Itemid=32) case. In fact, he was the one who suggested it. ;) So special thanks go to him for planting the seed and ultimately getting me back to modding lol!

So first thing I did was make up the design in Illustrator. Then I got it cut out of 1/8" acrylic. Here is the top face panel. Each piece will be painted separately and put back together.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL1.jpg)

Here's one of the middle pieces,
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL2.jpg)

and here's a shot of all eight middle pieces. If you looked at Ton's Hello Kitty mod, you get the idea of how this will go together. These pieces will be stacked and separated by spacers, basically making up the cavity where the components will go. Very simple.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL3.jpg)

Unfortunately, upon receiving the 1/8" panels and mocking them up, it wasn't quite sturdy enough. So I found a piece of 1/4" and re-made the base piece. I just took the original and traced it onto the piece to be cut, then made a series of holes with the drill press and connected the dots with the scroll saw.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL4.jpg)

Sanded...
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL5.jpg)

...and filed the edges down to the line.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL6.jpg)

The finished base piece.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL7.jpg)

Here's what I will be using for hardware:
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/KL8.jpg)

That's the Zotac motherboard I got from Mod of the Year, the 9300 mini ITX with wifi. I threw in an Intel 2.6ghz Celeron processor, and 2Gb Crucial memory. Nothing extreme here, since she won't be doing any heavy overclocking anytime soon lol.

I also went with a Crucial SSD (for a good solid system drive that's durable and dead silent), and a slot-load dvd drive (for playing her movies and games). And as far as pico PSU's go, I found a great resource for ITX and car pc components: Short-Circuit.com (http://www.short-circuit.com/) They got great prices and were awesome to deal with. I got my 150w pico psu and power brick combo the day after I ordered it. :thumb:

Second update will show component placement, spacing and reinforcements. 'til next time!

[Boddaker]

Haha thanks guys. Feature?? hardly lol.

SO I did some preliminary assembly last night to determine where the components will go.

After searching the local hardware store, I couldn't find suitable fasteners, so I went to McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com) and got 3" long black alan head screws and some black nylon acorn nuts. These will also double as the case feet, should I opt to lay the case flat on the table.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Fasteners1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Fasteners1.jpg)

I'm assembling the case upside down, starting with the top cover.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Assembly1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Assembly1.jpg)

Adding the center pieces...
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Assembly2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Assembly2.jpg)

and got the bottom on.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Assembly3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Assembly3.jpg)

I think I'd like the DVD to be mounted facing the side.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD1.jpg)

Peeking through the side slats, you can see the disc slot lines up with the spacing. No shimming needed. :)
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD2.jpg)

To conserve space, I will need to mount the dvd under the motherboard, using longer standoffs. But there's plenty of room on the left for the SSD, and even a few more drives should my daughter need more storage space in the future.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Placement1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Placement1.jpg)

I need to add some reinforcements due to the 1/8" thickness of the pieces. Especially around Kai Lan's shirt area and hair points. What I'll do is cut a bunch of 1/4" blocks to go in between the layers to beef it up. That'll be tonight's task.

[Boddaker]

So in order to make these 1/8" panels a bit more stout, I needed to support them in more areas than just the mounting holes where I added spacers. So instead of cutting a bunch more spacers to go in between each panel, I came up with something a little easier:

First I bolted all the panels together and cut notches in various places around the inside.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers1.jpg)

Then I cut some spacer pieces from some scrap acrylic that will fit into those notches.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers2.jpg)

They go together like so:
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers3.jpg)

Here's all of them placed. You can also see more blocks piled up at the top. Those will go around the bottom where it is too thin to do my easier method.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers4.jpg)

After assembling, I now have a solid center piece.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers5.jpg)

I can lift the whole thing up and it keeps its shape pretty well (no, they're not all glued together yet lol).
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Spacers6.jpg)

Today I'm making provisions for the power plug and the wifi antenna, since it won't fit inside the case. Maybe another update tonight!

[Boddaker]

I actually got a lot done today! In this second update of the day, I'll cover the relocation of the wifi antenna, the mounting of the motherboard, and the DVD drive.

So here's the wifi board that came with the mobo. It has usb connectivity, and a wireless antenna that screws onto it, but it won't fit inside the case. So it must be relocated to the outside of the case. Luckily, the antenna jack simply unscrews from its backplate.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi1.jpg)

And it has a long enough cable to extend the jack over to the case side.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi2.jpg)

Here's where I'm thinking the antenna will go. This way, it will work if the case is either standing up, or laying down. (Kai Lan might look a little funny with it sticking out of her head but oh well!)
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi3.jpg)

I drilled a hole into a small piece of 1/4" acrylic, then cut it out.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi4.jpg)

Using the dremel, I routed out some material to make room for the nut & washer.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi5.jpg)

Then I cut a couple more pieces of 1/8" acrylic for the sides,
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi6.jpg)

and after cutting into the lowest middle panel, I glued the pieces in.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi7.jpg)

Here's the jack secured in place.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi8.jpg)

And here's a wider shot with the antenna on. You'll notice here that I oriented the motherboard differently than how I had it before when I was first placing components. I originally thought the I/O panel should face downward towards the cable opening, but realized there wasn't enough room to plug in any usb cables. So I rotated it 90° and slid it over.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Wifi9.jpg)

With the wifi antenna done, I moved onto mounting the motherboard. Satisfied with its new position, I marked the holes, drilled, and tapped.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Mobo1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Mobo1.jpg)

I didn't have any extra long standoffs, so I combined them to get the necessary height to clear the dvd drive.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Mobo2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Mobo2.jpg)

Had to try a couple different lengths before finding the right combination. Now I could mount the dvd drive. I didn't take any pics of the bracket fabrication, but essentially it went like this: cut a piece of aluminum, bent it 90°, filed edges smooth, marked holes for drive, drilled holes, mounted to drive, drilled holes for base, set drive in place, marked holes on base, drilled holes on base, tapped holes on base. And that brings you up to this pic:
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD3.jpg)

Here's the bracket mounted to the base.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD4.jpg)

Now here's the bracket mounted to the drive.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD5.jpg)

And finally the drive and bracket mounted to the base.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD6.jpg)

Here's the motherboard mounted to the base over the drive.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD7.jpg)

And to round out the pic sequence, here's the motherboard mounted to the base over the drive with the sides.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/DVD8.jpg)

Next up is mounting the SSD and the power plug. Thanks for reading! :)

[Boddaker]

Got some painting done over the last couple days.

While I was at the craft store, I picked up some paints in the colors that I would need. Didn't need much, and these small vials are still more than enough to do the face. But I'm sure the kids will find a use for them after I'm done. :)
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint1.jpg)

Removing the blue protective coating off the pieces.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint2.jpg)

I taped them all from the back so I could do some bulk-sanding.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint3.jpg)

Started with black, and the biggest piece. After the first coat, I didn't like how the coverage was, so I sanded most of it off and used a spray can lol.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint4.jpg)

Doing the flesh tones. Took 4 coats. I used my heat gun in between to speed up the drying process.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint5.jpg)

Got all the pieces painted, and decided to have a bit of fun with them. :P
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint6.jpg)

Next step was gluing the painted pieces down to the top panel. I'm using Weld-On and clamps with some wood to even out the pressure.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint7.jpg)

I assembled the smaller parts like the flowers and eyes before adding them to the face. The Weld-On disappears fast, so I don't have much time to work.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint8.jpg)

Done, with the exception of the little hearts on her shirt. I'm contemplating using them as buttons. :)
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint9.jpg)

I still need to do some touch-up, but I wanted to see how it looks on the case. Here's a shot of the top cover on.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint10.jpg)

Standing up.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint11.jpg)

I'll probably paint the middle panels too, as I don't like how it looks clear.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Paint12.jpg)

Maybe I'll paint just the tops and leave the edges clear so if I decide to add lighting, they'll still glow. What do you guys think?

[Boddaker]

So I almost got this thing wrapped up over the holiday weekend. Wife had to work, so I spent most of my time with the kids, but I still managed to do a couple things: Mount the power plug, and make one of the hearts the power button. :)

Starting with the power plug... I decided that this case will be standing up full time, so that allowed me to mount the power plug through the base. So I used the plug as my template and marked where I was to remove material:
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP1.jpg)

I used my biggest acrylic drill bit in the drill press and drilled through the center of my template.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP2.jpg)

Removing more material with the hand-held rotary tool.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP3.jpg)

Getting there. I did quite a few trial fits before I got it nice and snug. I also created an inset so the plug would be mounted flush with the back of the base.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP4.jpg)

There we go.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP5.jpg)

Glued in place. You will notice here that I went ahead and painted the base black, as well as all the middle panels. Looks a lot better imo.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP6.jpg)

Finished shot from the back. It's not "oldnewby perfect," but it will suffice. :p
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PP7.jpg)

Now we move on to the power button. First thing to do is add a rod to the back of the heart. So I drill a hole about half way through.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB1.jpg)

Then glue the rod into it. I made sure I had plenty of length to mess with. I'll trim it down later.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB2.jpg)

Next I had to drill a hole for the rod to go through the top panel. WARNING: Some children might find this picture horrifying! Please view with discretion. lol
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB3.jpg)

Ok, now the rod can travel smoothly through the top panel.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB4.jpg)

Time to figure out where the button will reside. I made this little bridge dealio to position the button under the heart.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB5.jpg)

It fits like so...
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB6.jpg)

I made a notch for the surface mount button. I later had to widen it so the button would line up better with the rod.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB7.jpg)

Here's a close up shot peeking through the middle panels.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB8.jpg)

Most ITX cases come with an all-in-one plug for the button and led leads now, but since I don't have a case to pilfer that from, I rummaged through my box of motherboard accessories and came across this serial cable port add-on.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB9.jpg)

It has the same configuration as the leads off the Zotac motherboard. (a USB plug is opposite and wouldn't work)
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB10.jpg)

Plugs right on!
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB11_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB11.jpg)

Then it was just a matter of finding out which wires were which so I could solder up the button.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB12_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB12.jpg)

Here's a shot during final assembly. I got the reset button and some leds connected. I ended up mounting the antenna internally to the base, so I'll use that port I created for the reset button. In this shot I connected a monitor via the DVI port temporarily, and will be utilizing the HDMI port later when I get this thing inside and hooked up to our 50" DLP.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB13_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/PB13.jpg)

Next will be final shots of the case and its accompanying peripherals that go along with the theme. I'm sure I can coax my daughter into demo'ing it for us, so stay tuned! :)

[Boddaker]

Ok, so last time I told you I'd have final pics, but there was still a few more things left to do. I ended up adding a bit more functionality to the case by adding a couple external USB ports, and I got some pink led's from Moddersmart so I could add some internal lighting.

For the USB ports, I chose an inconspicuous location to mount them, and measured & cut some acrylic separator blocks. Glued them down and painted them to match. Then I threw down some double-sided tape to hold the ports in place.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/USB1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/USB1.jpg)

Digging in my stash of USB extensions, I grabbed a dual port expansion card slot cover, removed the cover and rubber casing so I just had the bare ports and cabling, and placed them into the slots I made.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/USB2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/USB2.jpg)

The ports are now sandwiched in between the base and the first middle panel.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/USB3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/USB3.jpg)

A wider shot. Good thing the cable wasn't any longer!
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/USB4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/USB4.jpg)

When I asked Moddersmart (http://www.moddersmart.com) for some pink led's, not only did I get 8 tailed 3mm leds, but also a 20-station board with purple base! These boards are now available (http://www.moddersmart.com/en/lighting/leds/led-boards.html) on their site btw, as a stand-alone and in kit-form.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED1.jpg)

Staring at the open case, I had to figure out where to mount the leds. I wanted some semblance of even lighting, but I didn't want the leds directly visible from the outside. So I came up with this mounting configuration: Acrylic bar spanning three sides, glued to the underside of the lid.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED2.jpg)

I drilled evenly spaced holes to accept the leds, and to maximize the amount of light shining into the case, I added strips of foil tape to the bar. This reflects the light that would otherwise get absorbed by the blackness of the lid.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED3.jpg)

Fast-forward past all the wire-management, and we have the result. :)
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED4.jpg)

http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED5.jpg)

http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/LED6.jpg)

All set up and ready to test! Of course I had to get the Kai Lan game installed too.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Test1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Test1.jpg)

My daughter beta-testing lol. That keyboard interface is the Computer Cool School (http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=computercoolschool) by Fisher Price. That Kai Lan disc in the above pic is one of the add-ons you can get for it.
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Test2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Test2.jpg)

I think I got her seal of approval. :)
http://bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Test3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/KaiLan/Test3.jpg)

We'll get a table for her to sit at while using the computer, and will eventually set it all up in her room once I get a separate monitor.

So I got just one more thing to do before I can post final pics. About a half hour into testing, the thing shut down due to excessive heat. As I suspected, there just isn't enough space between the lid and the top of the HS fan for proper airflow. So I'm looking into a low-profile solution to replace the stock HS/F. Back soon!