Project Dave

[daavvee]

hi all

after reading through a few of the worklogs here i thought i might start my own

i decided my pc has gotten boring... what better way to spice it up than to build a new case, make a fish tank, cannibalise a laptop, add in some beer and mash it all together!!

daves excited!

problem is im not too sure what i want it to look like... the current theme involves a lot of UV stuff, some cold cathodes and leds so when mixed with the beer theme im getting a nightclub kind of vibe

requirements :
# it has to be portable, able to survive car trips and seatbelts without bits getting ripped off
# must hold at least a six pack of cans
# must cool said cans to a good drinking temperature (at least 2 at a time)
# cold cans come out through bay doors on the side of the case spaceship style on a launch pad
# has fish swimming 'through' the case (not just a tank bolted in the top half)
# plasma lamp somewhere in the mix (probably on the front of the case as im a little worried about shielding if it was internal)

optional/too hard basket reqs :
# interface an old p3 laptop screen on the top of the box and probably keep the keyboard and touch pad around as secondary inputs (this box will become a game server in a year or two as its starting to get old) so i need something like a kvm switch in reverse (not sure havent researched yet)
# cd/dvd disc storage compartment
# internal surge protector?
# tv to the laptop screen (dreaming here haha)
# some of those UV reactive fish out of taiwan (havent seen them in australia, atm im looking at neon tetras)

all of that crap is going to need some space, if anyone has a hot tip on widebody cases for sale id be eager to hear about them, i have a tall case that is awaiting demolition (currently empty) but it weighs half a ton empty.. + beer + fish = heavy

my fish tank idea :
as i said earlier i dont want a square tank inserted up the top of the case, im thinking that some 3 inch diameter acyrilic pipe would really achieve what im hoping for, it would be easy enough to cap at each end without leakage and the tubes could be anchored with cable ties for panic attack removal when a leak is discovered

beer cooling idea :
everyone has seen the beer catapault video, im quite envious, just like everyone else but it has a few shortcomings
# once youre drunk the temptation of seeing if you can hit ian in the back of the head with a cold one will be too great to ignore
# if you're sitting at your pc, half pissed, aiming a can towards your computer at screen breaking velocity isnt so smart
anyways here is the cooling pad link... might need a few... hehe drink chiller (http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/7f5a/)
so! it would be really impressive to have an automatic feeding system that delivers a can to this cooling pad. then on the press of a button a door opens up and the beer slides out on its launch pad

damn - work is over - home time
cya soon,
Dave

[Omega]

The cooling elements combined with the computer elements in a single case will be too big and heavy, if you want a computer with considerable power and upgradeability. Even a server case would be crammed, and the cooling would be a problem (refrigerators work with radiators that release the heat into the environment -- if this is inside your computer, it's gonna get hot).

I'd say it's a cool idea, though. Some other modder did it with Mountain Dew (but the case only dispensed and cooled the beverage, and had no working computer inside).

Perhaps use Mini-ITX components? These will give you mediocre performance, but tiny size (and therefore, go-anywhere-ability, even in a fridge-case), and you'd probably have to make your own mounts.

I suggest scouring all over Tom's Hardware (google it -- I don't have the link on hand), because I think the Mountain Dew computer was on there.


I wish you luck, and please don't take this the wrong way, I've been thinking like an engineer recently.

[Spawn-Inc]

your usb cooler in ment to keep things cool not cool them down. it will take forever to get it done from room temp. all this stuff you want in a case is gonna take forever (if you have a day job) to build and leak test and so on. good luck with it!

[DaveW]

Hey Dave, welcome to the boards! Notice how Dave's the world over seem to prefer their real name to nicknames? :p

Good luck with the comp!

-Dave

[Drew]

Mahooooosive project.

Sounds like fun though. Good luck, you'll probably need it.

And for a wide case...try gutting a fridge.

Oh, and don't seal the fishtank bit, the flishies rely on oxygen transfer from the surface... don't wanna suffocate the little buggers.

+ rep for a totally OTT first mod. Welcome ^.^

[Guardian]

My sig is a night-club kinda vibe. GL, looking forward to the project.

[mercerman318]

why dont you mod a minifridge into a computer? like just stick the computer parts into one section of the fridge

[.Maleficus.]

why dont you mod a minifridge into a computer? like just stick the computer parts into one section of the fridge
Major condensation issues. The heat from the computer will make condensation on your parts, and that's never fun (unless you are trying to do that, in which case it is). Unless you meant have the fridge off.

But this looks like a cool project! I really hope this turns out, it would be awesome if it did.

[Ironcat]

Okay, I am old and cynical but I call BS on this daavvee guy. Not even the great Crimson Sky would attempt all of that in a portable seat belt strappable unit, and ONLY the great Crimson Sky would be capable of pulling it off. Someone is screwing with us...

On the other hand, if you guys don't know what he's talking about with the fishies... you can buy Glo-Fish at WalMart. They have been available for years now.

http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn4411/dn4411-1_250.jpg

The GloFish was produced by injecting zebra fish eggs with the gene of a sea anemone which makes it red coloured. The researchers have also produced green fish by injecting the eggs with a fluorescent marker gene from jellyfish, which is commonly used in experiments.

To enable the fishes' use as pollution detectors, the scientists have pinpointed gene promoters which act as on/off switches in the presence of certain triggers. One type of switch is activated by the sex hormone oestrogen, which can contaminate water. Other glow switches can be stress-induced and will respond to the presence of damaging chemicals like heavy metals.

[daavvee]

dont you hate it when you have an entire day's post compiled, youre checking for errors and bad style then the #&$@* pc crashes and you lose it all. that would be the perfect mod - crash proof pc

apologies for the cut down replies


I wish you luck, and please don't take this the wrong way, I've been thinking like an engineer recently.

no worries mate, i need all the help i can get
the mountain dew machine is some major work, and i think he would have to clean it and service it so thats not really a path i want to go down. cans will serve me fine


your usb cooler in ment to keep things cool not cool them down. it will take forever to get it done from room temp. all this stuff you want in a case is gonna take forever (if you have a day job) to build and leak test and so on. good luck with it!

yeah i think youre going to be right, ive got a lead on something a bit beefier but it will kill the launch pad idea

travel cooler (http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/en/product/M4500)

fix this in the bottom corner of the tower, exhaust straight out the back, and door opens on the side? ill pick one up on the weekend. it says it draws 3amps though... im guessing thats a lot for a psu to supply especially when the thermostat kicks in?


Hey Dave, welcome to the boards! Notice how Dave's the world over seem to prefer their real name to nicknames?

haha i never noticed, it is a good name. top bloke that dave


Oh, and don't seal the fishtank bit, the flishies rely on oxygen transfer from the surface... don't wanna suffocate the little buggers.

+ rep for a totally OTT first mod. Welcome ^.^

the fish love you already mate. haha that would have been a good stuff up. i guess ill make two end caps, one for transport that seals and one with airlines to keep the little guys going. cleaning the tank could be an issue too


My sig is a night-club kinda vibe. GL, looking forward to the project.

cheers, im not sure what kind of lights can get the depth/intensity of colour in your sig without being blindingly bright. ive ordered a sound sensitive module to sync the cold cathodes with music... could be good or bad considering everyone at a lan uses headphones

sound sensitive module (http://pccasegear.com/prod585.htm)

and the plasma ball has a similar feature, i was expecting the stuff today... dodgy couriers


why dont you mod a minifridge into a computer? like just stick the computer parts into one section of the fridge

yeah as .Maleficus. says condensation really kills the idea, weve all had it and all gotten dissapointed when reality says hello, that and the fact it is really bad karma to destroy a perfectly good bar fridge


But this looks like a cool project! I really hope this turns out, it would be awesome if it did.

haha i hope so too, the odds of it turning into a pile of shorted out computer trash seems kinda high though

thanks for the help, im off to go casehunting
Dave

[daavvee]

Okay, I am old and cynical but I call BS on this daavvee guy. Not even the great Crimson Sky would attempt all of that in a portable seat belt strappable unit, and ONLY the great Crimson Sky would be capable of pulling it off.

haha i hope you're wrong mate, ill be taking photos when the bits start coming together.


On the other hand, if you guys don't know what he's talking about with the fishies... you can buy Glo-Fish at WalMart. They have been available for years now.

you guys are lucky! i havent seen them anywhere down here...



Edit:

seat belt strappable unit

haha you just gave me a top idea! bottom front corner has the male end of a seat belt clip and the top back corner has a female one so i wont have to worry about the seat belt not fitting around the beast. gold! i dont think seat belts are generic though?

[Drew]

[steps onto soapbox]

GloFish.

No.

Not good. As cool as they undoubtably look, they're banned in several countries. Much like dyed fish.

Dyed fish are very cool also, but are created (like GloFish) with injections. With human sized needles.

In real terms, it's like someone ramming a pencil in you, without anasthetic.

Many people say 'who cares, they're just fish', or 'fish don't feel pain'.

They need slapping about.

Fish are people too. Kind of.

I thought that this barbaric practice had stopped. Makes me sad :(

[/steps off of soapbox]

Cue the flaming.


:edit: Just re-read the original GloFish post, and it seems that the manufacturing process has changed to butchering eggs instead of fish. They used to inject the flishies direct, and that's what I was stropping about.

Is it different? Hmmm... moral dilemma.

[daavvee]

:edit: Just re-read the original GloFish post, and it seems that the manufacturing process has changed to butchering eggs instead of fish. They used to inject the flishies direct, and that's what I was stropping about.

Is it different? Hmmm... moral dilemma.

ok i took a look at their faq and googled dyed fish (never heard of them before).

Dyed fish are the poor ones that get needles stuck in them and are apparently often sold as 'painted glassfish' or 'disco fish'. You can read up on it here dyed fish article (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=72)

The glowing fish I am after are the offspring of genetically modified fish. The original ones were developed a few years back to help detect pollution in water. The genetic work is done at the embryonic stage and the glowing gene is passed down to its offspring. So any fish i could hope to get would be no more traumatised than a standard non-glowing variety (besides the obvious issue of wondering why you're bright orange, whether a fish has that level of thought process im not sure). either way, im much more comfortable with these fish than say having a dog or cat desexed

here is some stuff from the faq


Do you have to add a fluorescence gene to every fish before it hatches?
No. Today's GloFish® fluorescent fish are bred from the offspring of fluorescent zebra fish that were originally developed several years ago. Each new GloFish® fluorescent fish inherits its unique color directly from its parents, maintains the color throughout its life, and also passes the color along to its offspring.


Does the fluorescence harm the fish?
No. The fish are as healthy as other zebra fish in every way. Scientists originally developed them several years ago by adding a natural fluorescence gene to the fish eggs before they hatched. Today's GloFish® fluorescent fish are bred from the offspring of these original fish.


Not good. As cool as they undoubtably look, they're banned in several countries.

I think theyre banned in some countries because governments are worried about them getting into the wild and becoming pests. Fair enough if theyre banned here, our country has made a few stuff ups in the past... google 'cane toad' if you're bored

ok, now for the computer stuff, im hunting down an appropriately sized spaghetti container instead of acryllic tubing for the tank (going back to the parents place to see if i can raid one haha) which would cut down any faulty seal at the bottom issues. plus im lazy and it will be so much easier

in other news i think my hard drive controller is on the way out so i may have to buy some new parts anyways :twisted:

off to the shops now,
dave

[Drew]

Dave, thanks for the clarification.

And at least one more person is aware of the dyed fish problems.

I never thought TBCS would learn me more about flishies.

+rep for doing your research.

Double +rep for making me imagine a flishie confused about why it glows in the dark.......

[Slug Toy]

man... if you want a real glow in the dark fish, pay someone to take you down to the bottom of the ocean and get yourself a viper fish. not only do those things have glow spots along their sides, they look scary too. wouldnt have to worry about someone stealing it, they would be too afraid.

[daavvee]

Dave, thanks for the clarification.

And at least one more person is aware of the dyed fish problems.

I never thought TBCS would learn me more about flishies.

+rep for doing your research.

no worries mate, some of the fun stuff arrived today. pictures soon


get yourself a viper fish

haha - i like the idea, but those guys are scary looking and are too big to fit. im guessing that the effort required to catch one would be slightly prohibitive too

Photo time!

Spaghetti Container - BigW - $12 aus
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w64/daavvee/project%20dave/IMAGE_035_dave.jpg

Leak test, upside down full of water
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w64/daavvee/project%20dave/IMAGE_037_dave.jpg

Car cooler - Dick Smith - $30 aus
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w64/daavvee/project%20dave/IMAGE_038_dave.jpg

Opened up
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w64/daavvee/project%20dave/IMAGE_039_dave.jpg

Bad photography skills of the p3 toshiba - office rubbish bin - $0 hehe
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w64/daavvee/project%20dave/IMAGE_040_dave.jpg

The Plasma globe
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w64/daavvee/project%20dave/IMAGE_045_dave.jpg

havent taken photos of the other lighting stuff yet
soon,
dave

[Drew]

Oh, this might actually be happenin'......

[daavvee]

Oh, this might actually be happenin'......

hell yeah,

im hoping that itll get moved back to the worklogs section soon *cough* hint *cough* once i start working on the case frame, problem is a lack of funds... i have about 100 bucks to play with each week so its a case of money spent on the pc is money i cant spend on beer/partying

todays job is trying to think of ways to cut down on materials costs (i havent even been to the hardware store but i took a look at FyreKnight's V worklog and he mentioned 300 bucks worth of aluminium) and since ive just moved out and have no power tools it makes sense to spend my money on an angle grinder and drill rather than raw materials

the full tower i used to have has dissappeared (tragedy) my money is on dad throwing it out (he always hated it lol)

I really like the idea of an aluminium case, but 300 bucks is a while away and im too damn impatient to sit and wait, if anyone knows a good source of cheap/salvageable aluminium or other lightweight material id love to hear it

options so far :
#home made aluminium case (hardware store, up to 300 bucks)
- fun
- lightweight
- a challenge
- expensive
- the best scenario

#filing cabinet (2nd hand, maybe 50 bucks)
- heavy
- looks like a filing cabinet
- set sizes (probably too wide/bulky)

#street signs (my friend has a collection, case of beer)
- friggen heavy
- nice thickness
- might not even have to paint them if i get one with a funny message on it
- still need to make a proper frame

#old computer cases (2 or 3 relics in storage at the parents place, have to listen to my parents for an hr)
- dodgy
- will turn out patchwork style (probably ugly)

oh yeah i know nothing about welding... slight problem haha
dave

Edit:
just found this fat case (http://www.gigacase.com/Product_Detail.asp?product_id=20)
bit wider and shorter than what i was thinking.... hmmm figuring out minimum dimensions might be a good idea

[Bucko]

If you want some cheaper power tools, head to Bunnings. I got my drill and angle grinder there for $15 each and they have had a fair bit of abuse so far. They also have Jigsaws for $15.

For a wider case, click the link in my sig, you'll see how I'm combining a Dell server with a PC case to get what I want. The people I bought the Dell off are in Canberra, and you could get a bare case shipped to you for around $60 total (maybe even cheaper).

[daavvee]

If you want some cheaper power tools, head to Bunnings.

thanks mate, im waiting till i get paid before going there, and im taking cash only ! 15 bucks sounds top notch

i do like the look of that dell case, was that a one off or did you get it from a 2nd hand place? had a quick look through your thread but couldnt see any contact info, either way i will start scouring ebay haha

[Bucko]

I bought it on eBay, but mine was one of the last complete servers they were selling. They are now just stripping them down, selling the parts and binning the cases. PM me you email address, and I'll forward the contact details for them to you.
They told me I could get another case for very cheap if I pay shipping.
They may have other server case types come up too.

The power tools brand is XU-1 (yes, like a Torana...) and they are in a fairly plain brown box. The drill I got is a hammer drill, with a 13mm chuck.

[daavvee]

The power tools brand is XU-1 (yes, like a Torana...) and they are in a fairly plain brown box. The drill I got is a hammer drill, with a 13mm chuck.

thanks heaps, i wonder if everyone else knows what a Torana is.

[daavvee]

ok i hooked up the fancy stuff to a secondary p4 machine that i salvaged and got that burnt silicon smell on power up... #@%!

not sure whats broken, hoping graphics card, but i didnt want to deal with it last night so just turned it off and watched dvds

[Redundant]

What did you plug in? Did the machine work fine before?

Unplug everything you added and see if it works still.

If it doesn't, it might be that the PSU had too much amp draw which killed it and possibly other things in the PC

[daavvee]

What did you plug in? Did the machine work fine before?

Unplug everything you added and see if it works still.

If it doesn't, it might be that the PSU had too much amp draw which killed it and possibly other things in the PC

it was an old p4 asus board, 256 ram, and a 9250 gfx card. i had 3 fans hooked up, twin 4' cold cathodes and the plasma ball. it was on the new 650 watt psu so i wouldnt expect it to have been overworked kinda thing. the pc was a salvage job and has been run 24/7 for 3 years so i think itll be something in there. no rush, im away all weekend so ill deal with it later

ill have to read up on this amp draw stuff before attaching the cooler. i saw a device that lets you cascade on two power supplies so i might have a dedicated meatshield psu for the cooler/fish tank gear