Monitor MOD

[Wecrookie]

Looking forward to seeing an update on this:bunny:


Glad to hear that you're back safe and sound:banana:

Enjoy your time with the family.

Then get back to bloody work !!!;):D


yours wecrookie:eek:

[SgtM]

Welcome home!

Semper Fidelis

[The boy 4rm oz]

HELL YEAH. Glad to hear you are ok. Can't wait for an update.

[Spacehonkey]

Guess what it's finally time, after a 7 month boat ride, for an update. Well it's more like a report of where I'm at and what I still need to do to finish my project. I first had to start by cleaning my work space, the garage, because my wife used the space as storage and it was a mess. She also stored some stuff on top of my monitor :mad:. Lucky I covered the monitor up enough to protect it from any damage. Well after a little spring cleaning it was time to get to work.

I went ahead and gave the monitor a test run to make sure it was still in working condition and it was. Plus this was the first time I was actually able to test out the bigger speakers I installed and they are 2-3 times louder than the original ones that came with the monitor :). During my ops check I noticed that some of the paint had transfered from the frame to the acrylic panel and was a huge eye soar.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/PaintTransfer.jpg
Luckily with some use of cotton balls, Q-tips and paint thinner I was able to clean off the paint on the acrylic panel. As for the monitor frame I came up with an easy quick fit. I'm just going to glue on some small thin strips of black foam and then secure the acrylic panel back in place. The foam should prevent any future paint transfer and also cover up the paint damage on the frame.

Now I need to work on how I want to operate the monitor buttons. I've mentioned it before that I would like to do something similar to what was done on the Steampunk Monitor but use finger bones instead.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Parts/Steampunkfrontview.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Parts/Steampunkbottomview.jpg
I need to play around in SketchUp so I can have an idea of how I can wrap the finger bones around the acrylic panel.

As for the huge obstacle of making the backbone adjustable I've decided to just make the backbone itself completely stationary and make the monitor adjustable where it connects to the backbone.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/AdjustableMonitor.jpg

So here's my TO DO LIST:

- Glue foam on front of frame to prevent paint transfer to acrylic panel
- Mount monitor function buttons with finger bones
- Install metal rods into backbone for support & shaping
- Install monitor adjustable hinge
- Use car filler to cover up monitor hinge & base
- Cut the filler so it doesn't interfere with the monitor's movement
- Wire in red LED bulbs to monitor circuit board to light up acrylic panel
- Paint bones & filler

Well I think that's it. Now I need to go shopping so I can finish this baby up.

[nevermind1534]

I like the idea of a monitor mod. You usually only see this kind of thing for overpriced desktops and macs. It will be nice to see this completed.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Yay update, good to see ya back in the game and that everything is in working order.

[IndyRacer27]

Welcome home Spacehonkey! I'm glad you got home safe. Great to see an update.

[Spacehonkey]

Well I found some black foam and glued that on the front of the monitor and it worked out pretty well.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Foam-1.jpg

I also cut out the buttons on the the original monitor plastic frame and will be securing that to the bottom of the monitor frame. My plan about the finger bones wrapping around the acrylic panel is just a little to much for the project right now. I might add them in later after everything else is done. So I'll just keep it simple for now. I did update my SketchUp file a little so you can see what the button setup will look like. The buttons are located on the small rectangle piece on the bottom of the monitor.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/NewbuttonlayoutfrontA.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/NewbuttonlayoutbottomA.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/NewbuttonlayoutbackA.jpg
As you can see it still goes with the flow of the design.

I did finally find an adjustable bracket that I think will work.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Parts/Bracket.jpg
I'll have to make a few adjustment because it's to big and bulky. I don't have access to any metal cutting tools right now so I played around in SketchUp again so you guys can see what I plan on doing with it.
Well first off I need to cut out the huge back plate and just keep the small bracket in the middle.
Original bracket
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Parts/3DBackPlate.jpg
After trim, only center piece left
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Parts/test.jpg
Now I'll get rid of the center piece because I don't need the monitor to move left and right. I only need it to move up and down. So the finished mount will look something like this.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Parts/3DCompleteBackPlateTrim.jpg
Changing the mount will shorted it from 4 1/2 inches long to only 2 3/8 and shave some weight off.

I've also put a 3/8 steel bar in the backbone to give it enough strength to support the weight of the monitor. I think that's about it for right now. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more done this week.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Can't wait for completion.

[Tale Gunner]

Welcome Back and thanks for the commitment. Looking forward to your update when you get the chance.

[Spacehonkey]

Since I'm still waiting on my switch for my LEDs to come in the mail I decide to tackle the back bone stand. I have some updated pix of my progress. I've put a 1/4 inch steel rod in the center of the backbone for strength and shaved off all the unnecessary parts on the monitor bracket and screwed the hands in place to the mount. The whole setup is still a little unstable, the monitor sways left to right, that's why I had to hold it still in the pictures and the base it's flat enough to stand up on it's own.
*SketchUp Design**What it really looks like*
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/RealSketchUpFront.jpg*SketchUp Design**What it really looks like*http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/RealSketchUpSide.jpg
The whole thing is about 26 inches tall from base to top of acrylic panel and 23 inches wide from skeleton hand to skeleton hand. As for wieght it's already at about 15 pounds and I still need to add the base platform. I'm guess this it going to end up around 20-25 pounds. THIS THING IS HUGE.

I'm not completely satisfied with the side profile but if I curve it to much it creates ugly spaces between the vertebrae. I might still try to straight it out a little more like I have in my SketchUp design. I also need to get rid of all the visible bolts and screws on the bones and create a stable platform for the pelvic bone to sit in. I think when I put the car bondo on the base and on the monitor bracket and gluing the individual vertebrae in place it'll help stabilize the whole thing.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Your right, this is huge. A very awesome mod all the same, I can't wait to see it finished.

[Spacehonkey]

My switches came in yesterday. http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Parts/switches.jpg The button wasn't long enough plus it was to big and square to fit in the hole I drilled on the button panel so I had to round the edges and take the red portion of this switch http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Parts/redpushbutton.jpgand secure it to the other one because I thought it looked better and made the switch stand out from the other ones so you can easily turn the LEDs on/off. http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/BackButtons.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/BottomButtons.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/FrontButtons.jpg
As you can tell I also installed the battery pack for the LEDs, wired and installed the LEDs, secured the button panel and put white sleeves on all the wires. Here's a close up of the AAA battery pack. I think it blends in nicely.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/BatteryCloseUp.jpg
Here's the LEDs turned on with the room lights on.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/LightOnLED.jpg
As you can tell you can barely tell they're on, that's why I installed an on/off switch so you can turn it off when you don't want them on. Now for a shot with the room lights off.http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/LightOffLED.jpg
The only major thing now is making the base strong enough to handle the weight and balance the monitor. After that it's just clean up, bondo and then paint.

[The boy 4rm oz]

A battery pack. Who would have thunk it lol. +rep for the awesome idea

[Spacehonkey]

I decided to work on the base. I secured the pelvic bone down with some screws and now it's stable as a rock. Instead of just slapping down some bondo and only having a few minutes to shape it before it hardens I decided to play around with some modeling clay first to help give me some idea of what I want. As always I took a few pix. Remember this is just a rough idea of what the rock will look like. The texture will be completely different since I'll be using bondo instead of clay.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Sidecopy.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Front1copy.jpg
As you can see in this next pix the pelvic bone isn't sitting level, can't believe I didn't notice that, so I'm going to have to unscrew it and readjust to make it level.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Front2copy.jpg
My wife thinks it covers to much of the pelvic bone. I was just trying to make sure I hid the screws and most of the rods. The rock will also be covering the entire surface of the base board so you won't be seeing that either. As far as the texture when I bondo it I'll be using the same technique that Crimson Sky used when he made his alien mouse to give it a rough look. I would like to hear your honest opinion on this because I would hate to mess this project up when I'm so close to finishing it up. Is the placement of the clay look good or should I subtract some to show off more of the pelvic bone?

[The boy 4rm oz]

I like what you have done with the clay. I don't think it covers up too much of the pelvic bone. It makes it look like it it coming out of the ground, not sitting on top.

[Spacehonkey]

I tried out some more tests with the base. This time I used some bondo on a spare bone to see what it'll look like. Here are the test shots. Yes I should of layed the bone down on the board but for some odd reason I decided to stand it up.

Before adding bondo
Wide Shot----------------------------------------------Close-Up
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Beforebondowidecloseup1.jpg
After adding bondo
Wide Shot----------------------------------------------Close-Up
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Afterbondowidecloseup.jpg
I sanded the sharp points down. I then scratched one side up a lot more than the other side to see which looked better. I think the scratched up side looks better.

Scratched Side----------------------------------------------Smoother Side
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/RoughSmooth.jpg
What do you think?
The next step after I figure out which looks better is deciding what color to make the rock. BLACK, GREY or BROWN?

[The boy 4rm oz]

Black would look good. Perhaps black with grey dry brushing?

[Eclecticos]

I would paint the rock grey.
Then go over it with Dark Grey/Black on a sea sponge, and add hints of green, and brown.
Looks really good! Makes me want to start a new mod.

[SgtM]

Go grey. Get some of that modeling moss from Hobby Lobby, and dry brush some brown and black spots here and there. Here's some outdoor rock speakers I airbrushed recently. And of course, you have some rep.

http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/sgtm_usmc/rock%20speakers/

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/sgtm_usmc/rock%20speakers/DSCF5241.jpg

[Spacehonkey]

Bet you guys thought I fell off the face of the earth. Well I'm still hang on just been real busy with work, they keep sending me all over the place so that hasn't left me much time to work on my monitor. OK enough with the excuses now down to business. I do have a few updated with pix.

First remember I had a problem with the paint peeling/flaking off well I fixed that by striping all the old paint off and then giving it a good old black powder coating and it turned out beautiful and a lot more durable too. I just have to file down some of the over spread so everything will line up again.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/PowderCoated.jpg

Second I've been playing around with different paint jobs for my bones. I finally decided to go with a worn brownish look as if it was just dug up. I also didn't like the rubber pieces that were between each vertebra. I replaced those by filling the space with some clear casting. I think the casting looks a lot better and it also made the whole thing more stable.

The first 2 pixs show the true color of the bones. They other ones look different because of the lighting in the room. The shine of the bones are from a protective coating I sprayed over the paint.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/FrontBrown2.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/Side2.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Monitor%20Worklog/Base2.jpg

Now I need to sand out some rough spots on the casting, touch up some spots with the paint and paint the hands. Who knows how long it's going to take me to do that.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Man good to see you're still around. I was wondering where you had gotten to lol. Powder coating looks much much better than the old paint. The bones look really realistic. Very nice work. +rep

[nevermind1534]

I like the paint job on the bones.

[jdbnsn]

Ohh dude, you don't know how happy I am to see that this project is still buzzin' and that you are still around. I am stoked to see this one come alive!

[DonT-FeaR]

yeah i agree with all of the above good to see ya back

[Spacehonkey]

Almost done. I finished painting the arms & hands, did a little touch up on the backbone and put everything together. All I need to do now is create some type of rock structure to cover the board & screws on the base and the mount in the back on the monitor where everything joins together.
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8481/frontdw7.jpg (http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frontdw7.jpg)
If you notice there is a semi-gloss shine on the bones. That's from the protective coating I sprayed over it to keep the paint from rubbing off. I was thinking off dulling it down but after I put it all together I think it complements the rest of the monitor.
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/9632/frontangleki6.jpg (http://img528.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frontangleki6.jpg)
Since this monitor sits higher than a normal one I had to tilt it down a little to help bring it down to the users eye level.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/1989/sidesp1.jpg (http://img248.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sidesp1.jpg)
I think this is the best shot. It shows off most of my hard work and has a nice contrast from the black of the monitor to the white wire sleeves and the chrome of the speaker grills to the aged paint job on the bones.
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/7720/backleftanglemz7.jpg (http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=backleftanglemz7.jpg)
I know we always try to avoid a pix with the reflections of the camera flash but I think it helps show off the beauty of the powder coating here.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/1252/backoc3.jpg (http://img248.imageshack.us/my.php?image=backoc3.jpg)
On this shot you can see where all the wiring meets up and disappears into the circuit board of the monitor.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/8954/backrightanglerd6.jpg (http://img248.imageshack.us/my.php?image=backrightanglerd6.jpg)

Well I thinks that's it for today.

[nevermind1534]

Nice job +rep

[DonT-FeaR]

:O excellent

[The boy 4rm oz]

That is looking very awesome mate, really nice work.

[Spacehonkey]

I finally started on my rock base.

I used some foam sealant to fill most of the rock space. A little goes a long way. This stuff expands a lot.
http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/1345/foamcanji9.jpg (http://img376.imageshack.us/my.php?image=foamcanji9.jpg)
Than I shaved off the excess foam down to the side I wanted.
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/1215/frontfoamstepswy0.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frontfoamstepswy0.jpg)
http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/1535/sidefoamstepsww9.jpg (http://img368.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sidefoamstepsww9.jpg)
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/5493/topfoamstepsjq8.jpg (http://img392.imageshack.us/my.php?image=topfoamstepsjq8.jpg)
I then covered the foam with some bondo & attacked it with my dremel to give it more of a rock texture.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4726/frontbondostepsqt9.jpg (http://img140.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frontbondostepsqt9.jpg)
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/8987/sidebondostepsza4.jpg (http://img185.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sidebondostepsza4.jpg)
Next I need to paint the bondo to look like rock and I'm done with the base. After that I need to do the same thing to the back of the monitor where all the pieces meet together and then I'm All Done.

[DonT-FeaR]

bah!!! thats awsome... how hard is that stuff to cut??? i was thinking about using it in a mod..

is it soft/hard?"
does it stick to things ??

[Spacehonkey]

The foam skin is a little hard & smooth so I cut off the skin with a razor. Once you get through the outer skin it's easy to work with. It's like a sponge just a little stiffer. After I removed the skin I just dug my fingers into it and ripped pieces off to give it a more rough look.

It does stick to just about anything it touches pretty good since that's what it was designed to do. I didn't have a problem with it though since I sprayed the bone with a clear acrylic sealer to protect it from damage. It was most like Elmer's glue, I just peeled off the extra foam that I didn't want on the bone.

I did play with it, run some tests, before I used it on my project. Like I said in my post before this one, a little goes a long way. I sprayed just a little and about 3 hours later it was 2-3 times bigger. Plus it's a little messy at first so you need to get a feel for it before you use it on a project.

Over all I really think the foam sealant was a great product to use.

[jdbnsn]

I am blown away at how good that spine came out. The bones looks excellent and that base you designed is PERFECT! Great work SH!

[The boy 4rm oz]

I am blown away at how good that spine came out. The bones looks excellent and that base you designed is PERFECT! Great work SH!

I agree, excellent work.

[DonT-FeaR]

oh cool thanks... i will consider it now :)

[Spacehonkey]

Now that I'm in the final stretch I hit another bump in the road :(. I'm going to have to put my project on hold for a couple more weeks because I'm going in for minor surgery tomorrow. Nothing to worry about, I just over did it in the gym and got a hernia. I'll be unable to work or even move around for 2 weeks. See you guys in a couple.

[markkleb]

lol, as someone that just got over minor surgery (in the hospital for 3 weeks) good luck and I hope it goes well.
Looking forward to seeing you finish this up.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Man that' sucks haha. I wish you luck and a speedy recovery.

[DonT-FeaR]

me also /\

[OvRiDe]

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

[SXRguyinMA]

I just read through this whole thing and its crazy! hope you get well soon :up:

[Spacehonkey]

I don't have any updates on the mod yet because of the surgery, Christmas and visiting family but I hope to soon. I just wanted to log on and tell you that the surgery went fine and I'm go to good now and thx for all the support.

Oh yeah last night I was showing my brother-in-law how you can surf the net with the PS3 and brought up the TBCS home page and saw that I made front page. :up: Thx again for all the support and interest in my project.

[SXRguyinMA]

glad to hear you're doin good :up: