Project: Frankenstripe

[Drum Thumper]

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/TBCS_Group/DrumThumper/Frank%20Banner.png
Alright, some of you may remember me trying to install a fan in the side of a Micron case.

It didn't turn out too well.

Note to self--80 mm fans take 3 1/2 inch holesaws, not 3 inch ones.

Anyways, as I posted elsewhere, I came across a cheap ass piece of plastic at Walmart last night. Brought it home and quickly chopped it some and sanded the edge that got chopped. It now looks like this:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0194.jpg

Please forgive the shakiness, I took that pic without a flash while I had it sitting under a blacklight.

Here's a quick refresher of the hack job that didn't turn out too well:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0195.jpg

Did a couple of rough draft drawings of how I wanted this window to look and then decided I didn't like the beveled corners, but anyways:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0197.jpg

Bear in mind, that first pic was under a blacklight, and it doesn't do it a damn bit of justice. THIS THING GLOWS. I personally think it looks cool as all hell, so I went down to Radio Shack (gasp!) and paid way too much for some UV CCFLs. I also picked up a toggle switch, since I'm not gonna give up a PCI slot for the damn on/off switch. I bored out a very rough hole:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0198.jpg

and in the spirit of form following function:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0199.jpg

mocks up quite nicely.

Now the fun part:

I taped up the backside of the panel with some good ol' duct tape and marked off my window.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0201.jpg

Yes, I know it's cockeyed. That's the point. :D

At first, I was gonna dremel the metal off (worked quite well on the toggle switch hole), but one minor problem: I forgot to charge my battery! Oh well, I bought a jigsaw today just in case (no pun intended and besides, what kind of a modder would I be without a jigsaw?!?), and took the panel outside and scared the hell out of the neighbor's yappy mop of a dog for a few minutes.

This is what I got for my hard work:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0202.jpg

I'll finish up this beast tomorrow, as my dremel is charging.

"The Frankenstein Design, a registered U.S. copyright, and the VH logos, registered U.S. trademarks, are used on this website under license from E.L.V.H., Inc. The owner of this website is entirely responsible for all content and material on this website, and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, VAN HALEN or E.L.V.H., Inc."

[PiGMaN]

+rep dude for been persistant...keep it up

[Drum Thumper]

Thanks man. If nothing else, I am VERY bull headed!

[chaksq]

Not sure what case you are using but that looks like the side panel of the older beige style Dell XPS.

[DaveW]

Keep it up dude! We all have moments like that, when something just goes wrong, doesn't work, or constantly turns out below your standards. You might never be happy but all you can do is keep trying or give up...giving up is not an option!

-Dave

[Drum Thumper]

Not sure what case you are using but that looks like the side panel of the older beige style Dell XPS.

The case is a very cramped Micron case. As soon as I find something somewhat decent, the mobo is going to find a new home. And since this damn thing is pretty much 1 molded piece and one side panel, I'm thinking going ghetto on it and going crazy (in a tatseful way) with those stickers that you can get out of vending machines at gas stations.


Keep it up dude! We all have moments like that, when something just goes wrong, doesn't work, or constantly turns out below your standards. You might never be happy but all you can do is keep trying or give up...giving up is not an option!

-Dave

Thanks for the kind words DaveW. I've found that two things apply to modding:

1) TAKE YOUR TIME. Don't rush it, otherwise yer gonna screw something up.

2) If you do screw something up, WALK AWAY, go play some music, smoke a pack of cigarettes (if you're addicted that is, thank God I'm not), watch a movie (I prefer a movie from what I call the Sergio Leone trilogy), etc. Then come back to it with open eyes, and then either fix it or incorporate the screwup somehow into the finished product.

All right, I'll get off my soapbox or whatever the hell it is I'm standing on and get to modding.

[Drum Thumper]

A 'Why in the hell didn't I think of this sooner' moment hit me.

JUST REMOVE THE DAMN METAL SHEET!

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0205.jpg

One step closer to done. I also got to thinking that while I'm not the biggest fan of moulding on computer windows, I might go that route to hide the 'practice' that I'm doing on this case.

Also, I somehow lucked into a four day weekend--this should be done by Monday, if not sooner.

[danthegeek]

:::Pricless words of love:::

If you ever give up I will come to your home and beat you with your own dremel.

J/K

Seriously NEVER SURENDER!!!!

[Drum Thumper]

:::Pricless words of love:::

If you ever give up I will come to your home and beat you with your own dremel.

J/K

Seriously NEVER SURENDER!!!!

You can take my Dremel when you can pry it from my cold dead hands!

[Drew]

If nothing else, you're at least having fun...

You give it some!

[Drum Thumper]

Alright, quick update for now, and probably another one around 1 am or so (I'm a night owl!)

First off, I slid the panel back on and marked off what needed to be chopped out of the optical drive cage:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0207.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0213.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0214.jpg

This will be knocked out hopefully late tomorrow morning, weather permitting (snowing right now)

And here's the window in it's current state:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0208.jpg

A little cockeyed, but after I take the dremel to it some more, it should look much better.

And I'm almost afraid to show this pic, but what the hell:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0215.jpg

Cable management? What is that?

Once I find a decent case at a decent price to transplant the mobo, I'll probably get my hands on a modular PSU.

And one last picture. The CPU fan was sounding like it was about to throw a bearing. Upon further inspection, I saw this:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0216.jpg

Dunno if you can really tell in that picture, but some of the insulation got ground off by the fan. Good thing I've got some shrink tubing, that could be a bit dangerous.

The dremel battery is on the charger at the moment, so I'm gonna head down to Home Despot and see what I can find for some molding.

[Drum Thumper]

Also, I somehow lucked into a four day weekend--this should be done by Monday, if not sooner.

Pfft. It's Monday, and I'm nowhere near finished. Although I did spend the last twenty minutes doing this:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0219.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0220.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0222.jpg

I got a bit carried away and am going to have to do some reshaping when I'm done:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0221.jpg

And the $10 toy that I did this with:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0223.jpg

Optical drive cage got pwnd. Next up, fixing the window!

[Omega]

Heh, I don't even have to walk away for long. Normally if I screw something up really bad, I just go buy a mountain dew or iced tea then come back and keep working. Most screw-ups get a sigh then back to work I go.


Can't wait to see it finished.

[M!ST!CX]

[QUOTE=danthegeek;86299]:::Pricless words of love:::

If you ever give up I will come to your home and beat you with your own dremel.
/QUOTE]hahahhahah i almost fell off my chair when when i saw your post and start laughing
roflkopter:D

[Drum Thumper]

First off, this will be the last damn plastic case I mod.

My poor dremel can't take this kind of abuse lol. I really need to get me a corded one.

Anyways, I busted out the duct tape and outlined the window (again). Got half of it cut before the battery went tits up.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0227.jpg

Left side and top cut.

I'll give the battery an hour on the charger, cut what I can till she dies again and repeat as necessary.

EDIT--Only got about a 1/3 of the right side cut after 1 hour on the charger. I'll finish the cutting in the morning, mount the plastic and begin touching up the cage. Then comes the last part (for now)--wiring!

[Drum Thumper]

A To do/buy list:

Finish window.DONE
Finish cut on cage.DONE
Install CCFL unit with custom switch.
Buy two of these. (http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=315018) DONE
Buy one set of these (http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=370845) since yellow seems to be becoming a predominate color.
And lastly:

BUY A NEW CASE.

And repeat as necessary :D

[intergalacticman]

dude do you have a pentium 2 or something??
why is your cpu vertical??

[Drum Thumper]

dude do you have a pentium 2 or something??
why is your cpu vertical??

I never have listed the specs of this machine have I?

Intel Pentium 3 @ 550MHz
3 x 128 Megs of PC100 RAM
Maxtor 60 GB HD
SE440BX2 Mobo

Outdated, yes, but it plays music, which is all it's really used for.

I suggest you go study up on the history of the Pentium III Intergalacticman. The answer is quite obvious really.

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0231.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0233.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0234.jpg

Looks much better. Now I just gotta find some moulding. Suggestions?

Also, I ordered the two new Vantec IDE cables this morning, since I got my State tax return. I'd much rather have to pay in, but meh, whatever.

Next up will be the cage in a couple hours.

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0237.jpg

I'm getting fed up with this dremel. Beginning to think the battery might be near the end of it's useful life.

But then I stop to think about all the stuff I've used it on and remember that it's seen some serious work in the last five years.

I got about 5 minutes worth of grinding in on top of 10 minutes finishing up the window before the battery fizzled out on me this time.

That Ryobi setup down @ Home Despot is looking nicer every day...

[chaksq]

Your machine's specs aren't that bad. I use about the same in my Dell XPS.

Looking good so far. I really need to do something to that XPS of mine probably will be just a large window. A corded dremel definately sounds like what you need.

[Intrance]

I have this gnawing feeling that your Dremel battery is pretty kaput:dead:?!

I agree that a good way forward may be to get a corded one then you have no mucking around when at the crucial moment of completion it wont all goe horribly flat!!

[Drum Thumper]

So I answered the moulding question on my way to work yesterday, and went down to the hobby store to get some 90 degree angled plastic. A little cutting with the dremel and the x-acto and this is what it currently looks like:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0238.jpg

Got a little more trimming to do to get everything more or less flush, and then I'll get a sheet that has prefabbed squares on it for the corners. After everything looks cool, it'll be painted. I saw a small airbrush at the hobby store for putting metal flake paint on model cars. Wasn't all that expensive either. Hmm...

Also, I'll be getting a new rotary tool (http://www99.epinions.com/hmgd-Tools-Hand_Power-Rotary-Ryobi-Ryobi_Ht20vs_Variable_Speed_Multi-Tool) next week. $50 bucks down at Home Depot, and it comes with all the trimmings, INCLUDING Ryobi's version of the flex-shaft.

[mellojoe]

Definatly should start looking into a corded Dremmel. Sure, you loose a little mobility, but you gain greater reliability as well as more power.

[dfigravity]

Where in walmart did you find the plastic? I know they sell it at Lowes, but it tends to be a little pricey...

[Bucko]

Where in walmart did you find the plastic? I know they sell it at Lowes, but it tends to be a little pricey...

Have a look at this thread in which he tells where he found it:
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7270

[Drum Thumper]

Well now, it's been a couple weeks since I last updated. Not much has happened, due to real life (read: Wedding and School) taking over. I have, however, with a little bit of Ichbin-style finesse (j/k) I have managed to get all the plastic crap off the skeleton.

Not only is this beast getting the window which is 99% done, but she's gonna get a paint job to go with it.

Enough chit chat, because as we all know:

:pics:

It's a linux box, and like any linux box, it's gotta show its true colors:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0255.jpg

The Intel sticker will be going the way of the dinosaur. The badge from the previous pic will be going in the corner right above it.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0256.jpg

This has got to go. I'm currently thinking about front side USB.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0257.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0258.jpg

Remember this guy?

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0259.jpg

He's about to get gutted. I need the LEDs.

Here's the top and bottom of the case. Remnants of a sticker on the topside. This is where the goo gone is going to come into play.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0260.jpg

Ahh, the skeleton. Yes, the skeleton. (Plus rep to whoever can tell me what I'm paraphrasing!)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0261.jpg

This concerns me. Kinda hard to make out, but it's some kind of spring/hook that the mobo is resting on. This machine doesn't seem to have a tray. Interesting...

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0262.jpg

EDIT: It dawned on me that I didn't say what the paint job was going to be. I've decided to combine two of my favorite things:

This color scheme:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/denver_broncos.jpg

And this paint style:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/180px-EVH_frankenstrat.jpg

At first I was going to do a full fledged Van Halen inspired paintjob, but realized that with the window that I've chosen, it would look gaudy (among other things). I think the Denver Bronco colors are gonna look sweet with the window myself.

[progbuddy]

I have that SAME exact case. Got the old Micron back in 1996 :). I love those cases. You can take the drive cages completely out, put them back in, and basically do anything you want with them.

[Drum Thumper]

Finally. It's mounted. And it don't look all that bad.

First off, I made a trip down to Ace Hardware. Spent $2.20 (by far the cheapest amount I've EVER spent there).

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0265.jpg

A selection of M4 nuts, bolts and washers.


One final mockup before digging out the Dremel and DeWalt:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0266.jpg

Rough mockup of how I felt the layout should go. Note the trim laying under the window. It's going to be on the finished product:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0268.jpg

A couple minutes of drilling through plastic and I got the first set of holes knocked out:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0269.jpg

A little duct tape to temporarily hold the window in place:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0270.jpg

Marked it up with the permanent marker, and drilled the holes. If anyone needs to do something similar, I cannot stress that going SLOW is the key here:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0271.jpg

Which leads us to the final mockup:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0274.jpg

Next step: Sanding and priming. After some more thought, I've dropped the Denver Bronco color scheme. This case is most decidedly 5150 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5150_%28Involuntary_psychiatric_hold%29).


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0263.jpg

Feedback is welcome and appreciated as always.

[Drum Thumper]

One quick update:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0279.jpg

Primed. Will let it set and toss a few coats of white on them tomorrow and begin the tape job tomorrow night.

Also, I'll be priming the base and front panel tomorrow as well. Base will be getting straight black as the color and the front will be Banner Red Gloss according to the rattlecan.

Then I'll get to tear apart the CD-R drive and do the faceplate. That should be interesting.

[chaksq]

Okay I was just looking at the pics and that is a Dell XPS case. Micron and Dell must have used the same case. Can you get me some pics of the whole case with all the covers on. The side panels, top, bottom, and chassis are identicle. The only thing different is the front panel.

I am working on the same exact case except by dell. My Dell (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7578)

[Nick_Black]

yay! eddie's pain style!, this gotta be good now :D:D, gj so far!

[Drum Thumper]

And now for a nod to Defyant. I was browsing his large collection and saw a great way to take care of the crappy 3.5" bay drive slot that's built in. And in true modding fashion, I'm gonna take it a step further.

I took the little bit of mesh that came with the case for my John Deere mod (which I really need to get cracking on) and chopped it down to size:

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/6835/img0282wu7.th.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0282wu7.jpg)


Here it is seated in the case:
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9580/img0280ss2.th.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0280ss2.jpg)


And a view from the front:
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/9521/img0281dg8.th.jpg (http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0281dg8.jpg)


And yes, that is blood. Got just a little carried away cutting this stuff. Tis but a scratch!

Also, I drilled out the Plastic LED cover. Gonna put one of the blue LEDs from the Wii gift card in there if it's the right size. If not, then I'll order from LSDiodes.com

Sorry about the thumbnails, Photobucket is down for maintenance.

[Drum Thumper]

After some thinking and a little bit of research, I changed the color orders: Black, then white, then red. The original Frankenstripe guitar that Eddie played was white with black stripes for the longest time, then around 1982 or 83 he added the red paint. So I've got a layer of black down at the moment.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0283.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0285.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0286.jpg

Yes, I realize you can see scratches in the case. It's meant to be that way. Just wait till you see the final product.

Also, I had a couple drips happen off the tip of my finger. Not that big of a deal, I'll just make sure not to cover them up with tape and do a little wetsanding action. And I've got to learn to keep my finger flush with the spray nozzle! Or get myself a dedicated spray area so I can hang these pieces up, one of the two.

So tonite, I sand. Tomorrow morning, I paint again. Hopefully there won't be any drips.

I'm off to throw down another layer on the side pieces.

Edit--I've decided to hold off for the time being doing the front panel. Defyant's webpage
is...inspiring...

Edit--Totally off topic--Ed's out of rehab. Back to the 1995 Balance era look too. Hopefully he stays clean this time!

Just thought I'd share that tidbit with you all.

[LiQuid-V2]

Love the dedication with this mod and can't wait to see the finished product. That paint job sounds like it will look awesome. Good job man can't wait to see how it turns out.

[Drum Thumper]

Quickie update, as I'm on my lunchbreak:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0288.jpg

It's do or die time.

[Omega]

Please tell me that's a 4.5in PVC Pipe Coupling piece.

[Drum Thumper]

Please tell me that's a 4.5in PVC Pipe Coupling piece.

Actually, no. It's a 3 inch. I still have that 80mm casefan that is going, no, make that GOING to get installed in this case.

Besides, it seems that everyone is doing the 4.5" thing. Figured I gotta be different somehow ;).

[Drum Thumper]

Say 'Goodbye' ugly front panel...

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0295.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0296.jpg

Tomorrow I shall take the jigsaw to it. Maybe the Dremel too for good measure.

And do a light sanding on the panels as well.

[Drum Thumper]

Gonna make a spot of breakfast and then...

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0298.jpg

Bondo time.

The switches and lights are gonna get moved also. I know where I'm putting the HD usage light, just need to get some idea as to where the power switch needs to go.

And I also have to tear the frame down to barebones so I can cut away on it as well.

And clean up the living room. Looks like someone, well let's just not go there:p.

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0299.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0300.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0301.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0302.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0303.jpg

Currently curing. I'm gonna let it sit for about an hour. Gives me enough time to tear apart the skeleton so I can chop away on it as well.

[Drum Thumper]

:mad:

It's raining outside. Hopefully it's just a quick shower.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0305.jpg

Sanded, ready for layer two. I'll cover up the whole damn thing this go around so I can change it from a chunk of PVC stuck in a front panel to something that looks halfway cool.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0306.jpg

Turns out all that was holding the mobo in was 1 tiny screw. So it's now gutted, and ready for:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mod/IMG_0308.jpg

More dremel action. And no, I haven't upgraded yet like I want to. Food and gas are a bit more important than my modding tools.

That poor poor battery.

I'm getting the feeling that's all for today.

[Drum Thumper]

So the lil storm passed and I got back outside before sundown. Got some shaping done as well, but I still have lots left it seems. Might see what happens with the dremel tomorrow for part of it.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0309.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0310.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0311.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0312.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0313.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0314.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0315.jpg

Probably won't be any picture updates till Sunday or Monday. The better half is stealing the camera so her mom can take some pictures of her getting her wedding dress fitted. May 27th can't get here fast enough.

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0327.jpg

Slowly coming together. Lots of shaping to do. And I'm gonna strip all the bondo off the raised panel above the hole, cut out the old on/off switch area and rebondo.

Sorry for the lack of updates, but real life took over. Hopefully I'll get some work done on this sometime this week. Also, I might upload a tutorial on a different part of this mod that hasn't been posted yet--once I get the work done (in MSPaint no less! :eek:), I'll post it.

[intergalacticman]

wow, ive been off these forums for like 2 weeks, (my runescape addiction came back, the horror!!) anyways, your fan mount is quite the ingenious one, ive always wanted to experiment with PVC tubing ,and this is quite helpful to me.

[Drum Thumper]

wow, ive been off these forums for like 2 weeks, (my runescape addiction came back, the horror!!) anyways, your fan mount is quite the ingenious one, ive always wanted to experiment with PVC tubing ,and this is quite helpful to me.

It's a very time consuming process, and time is something that I have little of at the moment.

Glad you like the work, but I can't claim credit for it. Search around for some of defyant's worklogs--you'll be getting ideas left and right, I promise.

[Drum Thumper]

Since I have hated this case since day 1, and since I now have access to other cases, this project, in it's current state, is going to get scrapped and restarted from scratch.

Two things that are going to stay the same in Mach 2:

*The paintjob
*The blowhole

Some things will be added, others will be changed completely.

The components from 'Blue' (main machine) are going to reside in Frankenstripe Mach 2 as well. The PIII mobo from Mach 1 will temporarily reside in the filing cabinet mod, which might or might not become a freestanding system of its own.

The window placement and the window itself will be moved to a more logical place. I think you guys will approve of what I've got in store for that. It is going to be quite original, as I don't think anyone else has ever thought of putting one of these babies into the side of a case. Since I'm not ready to let the cat out of the bag just yet, I will leave you all with an ambiguous clue:

Everything will be much clearer in a couple of weeks, the detail of which might astound you!

[Drew]

New direction?

Don't ya just hate it when that happens?

But kudos for the Defyant Blow hole.

I love that guys stuff.

[Drum Thumper]

This mod took on a life of it's own a long time ago.

Actually, I love it when that happens.

[psychowit]

lookin good

[Drum Thumper]

Alright, time for some new stuff.

1st off, the new idea for the window:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0031.jpg

A magnifying glass that I acquired through a bit of dumpster diving a couple years back. I had originally intended on using this for fly-tying (another hobby of mine!), but just never got around to modding it on an arm. So now it's gonna go into Mach 2. Here's a closeup of my newest Ebay purchase:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0035.jpg

That's the CPU on a HP Pavillion that I picked up for $40 bucks. The guy said it didn't work. Gee, wonder why? If the chip is fried, oh well. I'll get a cheap P4 and drop it in there, and do a bit of cable management, but that's gonna be down the line. Probably should plan on getting a HSF for it too.

So there it is, my minor update. I'm planning on heading over to Harry's computer pile and seeing if I can find a decent case for Mach 2 on Thursday, and probably start modding later that day.

[Drum Thumper]

Here begins Mach 2. Got myself a real case, not nearly as much of that flimsy plastic stuff for me!

Beginnings of dismantling:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0042.jpg

Quick shot of the front panel:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0043.jpg

Front panel got chopped up. I've got something in store here. Don't know what exactly, but like I stated previously, this mod took on a life of it's own a long time ago.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0045.jpg

View of the inside:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0044.jpg

I don't think I had my screw tight enough in the cutter. Snapped it right off. Oopsy.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0048.jpg

I just spent the last couple of hours sanding. Pretty much down to bare metal:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0049.jpg

Tomorrow, I shall clean everything down and prime the top and back panel. The side panel needs a hole. But in order to get that, I need to make some measurements first. Which means Blue is going to get opened up. Oh, the agony!

[b4i7]

ive had that happen to me before...broken screw in the cutter....


lookin good!

[Drum Thumper]

A little more progess, this is starting to come together nicely, if I do say so myself. Now I'm just hoping I don't royally screw up the defyant-inspired blowhole that's next.

Anyways, on with the pics!

Just in case you forgot what is going to go into the side as a window:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0058.jpg

So I chopped it up a bit, and sanded a bit. Looks like it was never part of a folding unit!

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0060.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0059.jpg

Did some more sanding--there were a few areas that I needed to go over again. I'm to the point now, however, where I can rub everything down with some mineral oil (my project for the next couple days)

So, onto placement:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0061.jpg

Looks like a good spot. Out comes the masking tape and a permanent marker:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0065.jpg

As you can see, it's been mocked up, marked up, lined up and drilled down. 30 seconds later:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0066.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0067.jpg

And now for a couple of the backside:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0068.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0069.jpg

And every mod needs a mascot! I do believe that's where I went wrong the first time. So here's my mascot, my in-law's cocker spaniel:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0078.jpg

More next Friday, as I got to work the next 6 days.

[.jrauck]

Nice mod, keep up the work.

I got a cocker too :)

[Eclecticos]

lol. . a Mascot. I got a Chihuahua.
Great Idea. . With the Magnifying glass.

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/hammerguy.jpg

That guy is going to become a fan guard. I'm going to have to find some stock somewhere and get some practicing done.

[Drum Thumper]

Here's what I've got planned for Friday:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0066MODIFIED.jpg

The two elliptical areas are going to get bondo'd. The two triangle shaped areas represent the two smallish windows that I'm going to cut into the panel.

Also, the more I think about it, the blowhole isn't going to be done on this mod. Two reasons--#1, I need more practice with shaping bondo, and #2, it really doesn't fit into the theme as well as I thought it would. I still have the old front panel from Mach I of this mod, so I will woodshed on that until I am satisfied with the results. Hell, if it's good enough, I might even post some pictures!

Having said that, I am planning on covering the gaping hole in the front panel with either modder's mesh or something similar. I'm still planning on a 120 mm fan in the bottom of the case, so I'll probably get that cut this weekend as well.

After that's all said and done, it will be time to move onto the next part. I'm also planning on getting some acrylic rods from Estreet Plastics (http://www.estreetplastics.com/1_4_dia_x_11_7_8_long_Clear_Acrylic_Rod_p/5003012100.htm), cutting into the front panel like this:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frontpanelmockup.jpg
(not to scale, and I added a view of the mesh as well).

And installing rods on each of the long sides of the front panel. And yes, those rods are gonna light up. I'm planning on getting a handful of red LEDs from LSDiode as well (http://www.lsdiodes.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=18).

After that phase is complete I will move onto painting.

[Drum Thumper]

So I've got some goodies heading my way courtesy of Crimson Sky's eBay offerings, including a fan controller that is going to go into this mod. After a quick PM regarding the dimensions, I'm going to add a 120 mm fan on the top of the case and build a 'false top' out of wood for the frame and styrene for the body, with modder's mesh (or similar) on the front and back for air flow, kinda like this:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/mockupfalsetop.jpg

I'm currently planning on ~ 3 3/16 inches high so I can add one or two 80mm fans for added air movement.

[Drum Thumper]

A bit more of an update. I got the rough shape of the window cut out and the 120 mm fan hole in the top of the case cut as well. Tomorrow (hopefully) I'll be working in Dad's shop for a little bit, so I'll have access to all sorts of goodies. Anywho, here's some more pics:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Picture001.jpg

All taped up. Wasn't quite sure how far I was going to be going with the cutting, so I played it a bit safe.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Picture002.jpg

Opted for one big triangular window instead of the two small ones.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Picture003-1.jpg

Three guide holes and a few minutes with my jigsaw and I've got a very rough shape.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Picture004-1.jpg

Uh...jigsaw decided to take my masking tape off in the process. Not that big of a deal.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Picture008-1.jpg

Busted out the dremel and got a helluva lot closer to my finished product.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Picture009.jpg

While I was letting the dremel cool down, I marked out another hole

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Picture.jpg

Viola!

So that's it for today progress wise. Next week I'll be getting my grab bag in the mail, so I'll see what can be used other than the fan controller--I've got plans for some of that loom that's in there.

Comments and criticism always welcome!

[peoplefire]

clean cuts :]

[Drum Thumper]

clean cuts :]

Thanks! I'm hopefully going to be getting some more filing done on the triangle window sometime in the next couple days.

[thrash]

Very nice Cuts DrumThumper. I'll be watching this mod :D

+rep

[Drum Thumper]

Front panel mockup time!

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Picture002-2.jpg

3/8" wooden dowel, when I get my rods from estreet and the LEDs from LSDiodes, I'll install them--just wanted to see if this was gonna work.

And now for the piece de resistance:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Picture001-2.jpg

While cruising around Michael's Crafts store, I had a brilliant idea in regards to the mesh, one which is going to work perfectly: Plastic Canvas. Same stuff little old ladies use to make kleenex box covers. As you can see, I took a permanent marker to this for the mockup. I'll be throwing down a few coats of black paint on it for the final product.

That's all for this evening--I'm gonna trace out Hammer Guy and get him scanned sometime tomorrow. Then two things are going to need to happen: Figure out what size to make the fanguard and figure out where the hell to put him.

Thanks for looking!

[Drum Thumper]

Another little update--Bondo round two.

I've no need for the 3 1/2" drive bays, so:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0113.jpg

Traced it out

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0114.jpg

Dremeled it out

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0115.jpg

Hot glued it in

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0116.jpg

Bondo'd!

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0001.jpg

Current state. I'm going to go get some spray putty some time this week, sand it a bit more, and touch it up. Also thinking about a different switch location--maybe on the one 5 1/4" drive bay that's not going to be used. I'll play around with some ideas--I'll take a bay cover to work with me.

Edit--just ordered the acrylic rods and 10 LEDs. Combined with all the goodies that Crimson Sky is sending my way, I can't wait!

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0005.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0010.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0006.jpg

I little bit of spot putty, some elbow grease and I will move on to the side panels.

I realize that the bottom of my bondo area looks a bit ragged. I plan on using a combination of hot glue and bondo to attach the rest of the front grill, and even more sanding. But first I gotta fabricate that. I know what I want, just need to get the stock to knock it out. Figuring that part will take me a day.

And on another note, my LED's and acrylic will be here soon. Hoping for today, But I'm betting that they'll show up tomorrow.

[Drum Thumper]

Update time! I got some toys in the mail over the last few days! First up, from the grab bag from Crimson Sky:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0001.jpg

Fan controller that I quickly disassembled.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0002.jpg

This is gonna get repainted. After I'm done with it, it's hopefully going to look like a front panel for a guitar amp--gonna relabel the four fans Gain, Volume, Presence and Resonance, a la the 5150 amp.

And then today I got my acrylic tubes and 11 LEDs from estreet plastics and LSDiodes, respectively:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0005-1.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0004.jpg

This had to go on my parts box.

And finally, I've been kicking around some ideas for the back panel. I think I finally came up with a winner--another window like so:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frankenstripe/IMG_0003.jpg

This one's gonna get a frosted plexi window with the VH swirl logo right in the middle, and even more LEDs!

So, my to do list is as follows for this weekend:

Right side window cut.
Make a jig to bend the acrylic.
Finish left side triangle.
Find some mesh--dunno if the plastic canvas is gonna hold up or not--it's good for mock up work though.
Look around for something to kitbash for the front panel that I've been bondoing. I know what I want, it's just a matter of finding it.

A real update will be posted Friday. Saturday's my birthday, so don't expect all that much--I think we might be going jet-skiing on the Missouri. Or maybe just fishing on the Missouri. Either way, I'll be soaking up some sun!

Edit--here's a very rough sketch of what's going to be etched in the right hand window:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/logotrace.jpg

Needs quite a bit of touchup done to it--this is just the first draft of it.

[Drum Thumper]

Damn, I haven't had time to do **** with this, so I shall ask the collective (a la TGS) the following:

Flush blow hole or no?

I've been playing around in sketchup, and am starting to get the hang of it--here's a wireframe pseudo side view of my propose front panel:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/blowholefrontpanel1.jpg

And here's a shaded with textures version, different angle:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/blowholefrontpanel2.jpg

Should I go this route or do something along the lines of this:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/frontpanel3.jpg

And just modder's mesh the cut out area?

I, myself, am leaning towards the flush blow hole (again).

[slytherock]

mesh!!! mesh!!! mesh!!!

[FrooP]

hole!!! hole!!!! hole!!! :D no really mesh is so... standard :D make a monster hole or a gfk one organic shapes^^

[Drum Thumper]

Having decided that I only need one optical drive, along with the fan controller, I got a bit crazy with the bondo.

I'll commence sanding tonight when I get home from work.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0016.jpg

And as you can see, I'll be doing a little bit of touchup on the other areas.

Next up, the bottom of the front panel!

[Omega]

Do a mesh-hole. It looks good (pictures forthcoming).

EDIT:

Mesh-hole, taken from my worklog:

warning, huge picture (http://www.lotechdesigns.com/host/images/5694PA100014.JPG)

[Drum Thumper]

Best of Both Worlds (shameless Van Hagar plug lol). I like it.

But, I think I might have found something definitely different, and it might work.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/faucetcover.jpg

A Styrofoam outdoor faucet cover. Dirt cheap (less than 5 bucks) at Home Depot.

Sadly, I didn't get a chance to get some dimensions off of it. But from looking at it the other day, I'm pretty sure the larger end will fit flush in the gaping hole that I made.

Cut it down a bit, either bondo or fiberglass it, and move on.

I'm gonna go pick one up tomorrow and see if it looks as good in real life as it does in my head.

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0018.jpg

Sanded and what was originally supposed to be just a dusting of paint to see what the hell is going on. As you can see, it didn't turn out quite that way.

Oh well, this is actually much better. gives me some ideas as to where I still need to work.

More coming tomorrow!

[Drum Thumper]

So, I snagged one of these for $3.49:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0019.jpg

I chopped the top off and mocked it up sitting on the front panel. Looks like I'm gonna be removing some bondo tomorrow.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0020.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0021.jpg

I definitely like how it looks--almost like a porthole on a speaker.

BUT--here is the dilemma--from what little research I've done, it sounds like this is gonna be a bitch to get to cooperate. Fiberglass resin eats through this stuff faster than a bulimic at an all-you-can-eat buffet. I haven't tried bondo yet (I still have the top section I cut out for trial and error), but I'm not keeping my hopes up.

[alphastryk]

looks great man...keep it up!

[Drum Thumper]

Great news to start with: Bondo will adhere to sytrofoam:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0025.jpg

So, having solved that dilemma, I went ahead and did some more chopping on the front panel and got the soon to be blowhole flush with the chasis:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0022.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0023.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0024.jpg

So now I am going to chop up another cheap plastic cd case that I got from work and begin filling in the four holes. Tomorrow I do believe I will be bondoing.

[Drum Thumper]

Well, back to the drawing board. I just attempted to bondo the styrofoam. Wouldn't take. Also, the bondo itself was getting warm--most likely a chemical reaction between the 'foam and the hardener (or possibly the putty for that matter).

I'd show some pics, but the camera is dead at the moment.

[Bucko]

Bondo is meant to get hot. It does that as it hardens. It's quite normal.

[Jim Beam]

you can spray the foam with primer then use the bondo

[Drum Thumper]

you can spray the foam with primer then use the bondo

I was kinda kicking around that same idea earlier--either a primer or a sealant. Or perhaps even some automotive undercoating so the bondo would have something to grip.

+rep for the idea, I'll see what I can come up with on Friday (day off).

[Bucko]

you can spray the foam with primer then use the bondo

Be careful using a rattle can primer though. The solvents in it to make it thin enough to spray can eat away at the foam, just like if you spray paint it. Try it on a scrap piece first and see what it does.

Another way may be just to put a coat of paint or primer on with a brush, then bondo.

[Drum Thumper]

Wow--haven't done jack squat with this since July. That's not good.

Anyways, I busted out the good ol tracing paper tonight, and came up with what will become my other 120 mm fanguard:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/VHlogo1.jpg

Creating this should prove interesting. The flames themselves extend far enough to feasibly cover the screw holes, but what about the bottom?

Must think a bit more on this one.

And I retraced the swirl logo again. Tomorrow (time permitting of course) I shall retrace it again...and again...and, well, you get the idea. And after it has become second nature to me, I shall engrave it. *Note to self: better practice it backwards.*

And if all goes well with the LCD portion of the filing cabinet server box, the spare might or might not show up in here somewhere. I like the idea, but don't think I can incorporate it unless I undo a bunch of stuff that's already done.

[billygoat333]

lookin good +rep. so what grit did you use for sanding that aluminum side panel?

[Drum Thumper]

lookin good +rep. so what grit did you use for sanding that aluminum side panel?


I busted out the wire brush attachment (http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1307392&cp=2568450.2628094.2629273.2629309&parentPage=family) for my DeWalt drill. Took me around an hour or so to get it to it's current state. Looking at it right now, I'm noticing that I've got some small areas that are still painted--mostly on the top corners. A bit too cold to do much with it right now though.

Minor update in a bit--I'm gonna try my hand at etching some scrap plexi that's laying around. Hell, I might even etch something into my main rig's side panel.

[billygoat333]

nice. I never thought about using a brush bit. sounds like a good idea! (thinkin on what to use on my aluminum for my ps2 mod. did a shabby job cutting it so there are some nicks, black marks, etc. on it. want it to be shiny! and as far as etching goes, good luck. I tried etching and i decided that i need more practice with real drawing first. (at least, a brush up, haven't drawn a picture since i was a sophmore in high school. :P

[Drum Thumper]

First ever attempt @ etching. I'm impressed, as these pics (as usual) do not do any justice at all to the real deal.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0025-2.jpg
Lights on.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0027-1.jpg
Under the Black Light. This thing absolutely glows and looks cool as hell. I smudged the top flame on the V a bit, but that was due to working on such a small scale. For reference:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0028.jpg

That hole is the same size as two floppy bays. And this pic is the only one that really shows how vivid this piece of scrap is under a blacklight. Damn near have to wear shades when you're lookin at it!

[billygoat333]

looks wicked. like the glittery effect on the plexi too :)

[Drum Thumper]

I have requested a quote on some 1/4" transparent red plexiglass from Estreet Plastics, with the intention of having it ordered before the end of the week. I have also scrapped the magnifying glass for this mod, but it very well might return in a different mod down the road. Or I might just use it for working of PCB's--time will tell.

I'm off of work tomorrow, so I might be able to do some actual work on this. I haven't touched the front panel since July of last year, so if nothing else, I'd like to get that sanded down (currently covered in bondo), and prepped (read: hacked up) for the next step.

Weather permitting, of course.

[Drum Thumper]

Minor update; slim chance I'll get some work done on this this weekend--weather permitting (as usual).

Got my plexi in today!

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0041.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0044.jpg

And I've got a redesigned window for both sides in mind--hence the smaller piece of plexi.

Stay tuned...

[Drum Thumper]

So I've been scratching my head for the last couple days pondering this question:

Do I use red LEDs or white LEDs?

I'm gonna see if I can get a quick video up of my little experiment with the LEDs...

[Drum Thumper]

Hooray for double posts!

Video 1; this is the red LED with the plexi:

Ruuv_Y9R8to

Notice that the LED gets dimmer, then brighter, then dimmer again. This is me moving the plexi in front of the LED.

Video 2; this is the ultribright white LED:

6nVHQogBVMo

Quite the difference huh?

So needless to say, I'll be using white ultrabrights in this.

I also played around with an ultra bright blue LED a bit. While its not going to show up in this mod, lets just say the damn thing is BRIGHT! I might make a nightlight out of it in the future...or mod a nightlight that is in the house already... :twisted:

[Drum Thumper]

Side panel window is cut. Now all I have to do on it is a bunch of cleanup.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0051-1.jpg

Taped and drawn out.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0059-2.jpg

Finished Product. As I said, I've got some cleanup to do. Here's why:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0053-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0054-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0055-1.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0056-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0058-3.jpg


Regarding the second pic, that bend is a trick of the camera. It doesn't do that, honestly!

Guess what I'm doing over the next couple of days!

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0060-1.jpg

Mock up. Please ignore the clutter, that'll be taken care of before the end of the week.

Envision, if you will, a few more pieces of metal dividing the window up even more. Something similar to this:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/evh_art_BW.jpg

Where the black bars are the metal dividers (for lack of a better term). However, what I have in mind will not be as cluttered looking.

But first, I gotta get some work done with the good ol file set. Not to mention get that damn front panel cleaned up so I can steal an idea from one of the new members (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12845)!

[sirkillalot617]

looking good so far.

What make of guitar is that?

[Drum Thumper]

That particular guitar is a Fender. If you look closely at the headstock, you can see the new Fender logo. The original Frankenstein, however, was a mongrel put together by Eddie back in the mid 1970's--a Boogie body that was a second (meaning it had imperfections), a humbucker out of a Gibson, and a Linn Ellisworth neck.

Edit: Here's a great link (http://www.geocities.com/joelcrowservo/vanhalen.html) that details the history of Ed's arsenal.

[sirkillalot617]

cool thanks You Play?

[Drum Thumper]

cool thanks You Play?

Yes and no. I know how to, but I haven't touched a guitar in about three years. In fact, I used to own a Peavey Wolfgang; I sold it to finance a trip to Denver to see Van Halen in 2004. I miss that guitar, but you gotta do what ya gotta do, you know?

[sirkillalot617]

yup good luck with the mod and maybe you will play again some day.

[Drum Thumper]

Small update--I'm back to sqaure 1 on the front panel. And I think I've got a plan that'll actually work this time.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0001-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0003-2.jpg

I've knocked off all the excess bondo. I'll hit the top half with some spot putty and higher grit sandpaper.

Ok, phear my mad paint skillz:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0001mod.jpg

See the area within the red box? I'll be removing that completely soon. And I'm planning on making a false front (not unlike McCoy's (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12845)) and covering up the gaping hole.

Still undecided on how to use my soon to be made real estate though. Time will tell.

I've also retaped my window, and will be redrawing lines so I can tidy it up with the dremel. Hoping to get that knocked out this weekend, along with a ton of work on the server.

[Drum Thumper]

As much as I like the false front idea, I don't think it's going to see the light of day. I was doing some cleaning and rearranging and came across some styrene sheets that I forgot that I bought.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0091.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0092.jpg

Fairly thick stuff--I'll have to take either the jigsaw or the dremel to it to cut it down to shape.

Then it will be measuring time. The blowhole is going to be resurrected. No lip this time, completely flush, and covered with the gutter guard and a custom yet to be made fan guard, the design of which has been posted already.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0093.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0094.jpg

A little cleanup left to do. Not much, but enough to annoy the hell outta me.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0098.jpg

I finally got around to popping the 5 1/4" drive bays out. Something tells me that I might want to hold onto these...

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0095.jpg

80mm fan? I think not. 120 mm is more like it. I now know where to put those two knockouts. JB Weld ftw.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0099.jpg

Case feet that need to be replaced. With what is yet to be seen, but I'm sure I'll think of something...rollers might be a possibility. I'll have to look around and see what I can find.

I'm hoping like hell I'll be able to have an actual update tonight.

[Drum Thumper]

It was a beautiful day outside...so I spent a good chunk of the afternoon working on this case.

Busted out the dremel and the window now looks pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. But hey, don't take my word for it, have a look yourself:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0001-3.jpg

So, having fixed that mess, I turned my attention to the front panel. And I like where this is going. Here's some progress pics with a bit of chit chat from me where I feel it is appropriate:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0002-2.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0003-3.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0004-3.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0005-2.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0006-2.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0007-3.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0008-3.jpg

Ok, so there wasn't any chit chat from me after all. The pics speak for themselves. Obviously, I've got a lil bit of bondo work left to do, but now that I am privy to how to work with it properly, it's gonna be no sweat at all. I've also got to strengthen the bottom half of this as well--the bondo didn't hold up too well and started coming off--too big of a gap for it to fill. I've got all sorts of scrap plastic around here, so filling it in shouldn't pose too much of a hassle.

My biggest threat right now is the weather. T'was 60 degrees today, tomorrow it's suppose to get to 35 and snow. Next week's out of the question, I've got a trip to Kalispell MT planned for a doctor's appointment (that'll be a 1 day trip thankfully) and then my parents are going to be in town for the weekend.

Anyways, here's what I can think of that's left to do:

Order window trim
Make custom fan guards
Case feet (I know how I'm going to approach this one now, you're just going to have to wait to see for yourself)
LEDs. Lots of LEDs. White and red. Probably should wire em up too :D
Paint

I'm going to price the trim (and possibly order) tonight, along with what I need for the feet.

[Drum Thumper]

Forgot to add this:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/PAINTMOCKUP.jpg

Fear my photoshopping skillz!!!

Honestly, if the end product looks half a good as this does to me, I'll be very happy.

[Drum Thumper]

Urgent update: I've just made a bit more work for myself--the case took a small (less than a foot) drop but landed in such a way that I bent the frame. :mad:

Even though I was planning on tearing it down completely, I wasn't planning on doing it this damn soon. And I sure wasn't planning on trying to straighten the frame either.

Edit: The damage:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0009-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0010-4.jpg

[Drum Thumper]

Feet! I've decided what to do for the feet!

Four of these (http://dicepool.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1698) lit by four of these (http://ledshoppe.com/Product/led/LE1002.htm).

I'm still working on how to attach these to the case. My initial idea was to drill and tap, and that might still be a possibility if I use an odd numbered side of the die.

I'm planning on implementing something similar for the fan controller knobs and possibly the on/off and reset switches as well.

Edit--just realized how small 19 mm is. I'll have to keep looking, I'm thinking the smallest I can feasibly go is 25 mm for the feet. But this is the general idea.

[Drum Thumper]

More of a reference for me than anything else: rivets that are about to be removed.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0011-4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0012-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0013-4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0014-2.jpg

I've got the JB on standby just in case this gets ugly.

And since I'm going to have this beast completely torn down, I might as well figure out what color to paint the chasis.

[jdbnsn]

Hey Joe,

I'm sorry I haven't had time to browse the worklogs in a while but after you mentioned your mod in the CR I had to come check it out. I haven't seen this in a long time, it's coming along great! I'm a big VH fan and even painted my first elec guitar in that pattern (somehow thinking it would make me play better, it didn't). It's been so long since I've read this from the beginning I need to go back through, but before I do I thought I would throw a couple of ideas at you (hoping that they aren't already in the pages before). You know what I think would look cool? Replacing those fan control knobs with tuning keys and placing alternating red and white LED's behind the knobs.
Okay, I'm going back to the beginning to see if I'm stating the redundant.

[Drum Thumper]

Hey Joe,

You know what I think would look cool? Replacing those fan control knobs with tuning keys and placing alternating red and white LED's behind the knobs.
Okay, I'm going back to the beginning to see if I'm stating the redundant.

I was thinking about getting some knobs off of a 5150 head and using them. But the tuning knobs, that sounds like it might be a tad bit cheaper. I'll look into it some more.

Red and white leds...hmm...lots of possibilities. Alternate, or wire em up somehow to the pots inside the control unit? Start with red at the low end and white at the top end maybe? Or perhaps wire in some kind of sound activated module? LOL, damnit Jon, now you've got me curious. And since I'm already knee deep into some pretty serious soldering on the jukebox, I'm thinking I've got a good chunk of resistors and whatnot I'd need for the sound unit.

Anyways, I'm thinking I've got the front and back panels back to some sort of straightness.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0017-1.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0018-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0019-3.jpg

I'll be finding out, well next week now. Painting throughout this week and will let this cure for a week before I rivet it back together.

Thanks for the input Jon, I can understand being busy. Especially given your occupation.

[jdbnsn]

Red and white leds...hmm...lots of possibilities. Alternate, or wire em up somehow to the pots inside the control unit? Start with red at the low end and white at the top end maybe? Or perhaps wire in some kind of sound activated module? LOL, damnit Jon, now you've got me curious. And since I'm already knee deep into some pretty serious soldering on the jukebox, I'm thinking I've got a good chunk of resistors and whatnot I'd need for the sound unit.


I was talking about using two of each color, one per knob. Not alternating colors in a single knob, but arranging them red-white-red-white. I don't know how hard it would be to do what you were talking about.

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0030-1.jpg

Got the feet. Now I just gotta drill, tap and mount some LEDs.

Also picked up some inspiration for my next mod:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0032-2.jpg

The Dark Tower Comic Book, issues 1 through 7.

[DonT-FeaR]

I'm a big VH fan and even painted my first elec guitar in that pattern (somehow thinking it would make me play better, it didn't).


if only it did mate we would all rock really hard

[Pointy_Stick]

Instead of replacing those knobs with those off a 5150 (I assume its a guitar), have you thought about using some clear dice for knobs, like the ones you used for the feet? I think that would look sweet, especially if you could wire 'em to be lit from the inside.

[Drum Thumper]

Instead of replacing those knobs with those off a 5150 (I assume its a guitar), have you thought about using some clear dice for knobs, like the ones you used for the feet? I think that would look sweet, especially if you could wire 'em to be lit from the inside.

5150 (http://www.kellyindustries.com/guitars/peavey_amp_5150.html).

I'm still debating on how to do the knobs--the dice idea did cross my mind.

+rep for having the same idea!

[Drum Thumper]

Tonight I plan, tomorrow I begin painting.

Yes, I realize that the front panel is still needing to be finished--this isn't nearly as big of a deal as it seems, as I'll be able to lay the paint down on it seperately and tape the stripes off by mocking it up to the rest of the finished product.

The chassis is going to be straight black--I've done quite a bit of debating over this and have decided that a glossy black will look absolutely wicked with the frankentheme paintjob.

I also need to drill a few more holes in a few spots and cut a bit more on the front part of the chasis, but I'll be able to knock that out tomorrow no sweat.

Expect a Tech-Daddy inspired pic or three tomorrow.

[Tarenmor]

Mmm... very awesome. :D Love the music, Love the guitar, Love the case! +rep man.

[Drum Thumper]

Update time!

I spent the afternoon turning that no color gray color of steel into something a bit more pleasing to the eyes. Still a bit of work to do on the front panel, that's why it didn't get painted--I'm hoping that the weather will be cooperative next Sunday so I can get a bit more work done.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0049-1.jpg

First stage of the back panel. 4 coats of glossy black; I'm going to let it cure for a week, tape and lay down some flat white.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0050-1.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0051-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0052-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0053-4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0055-3.jpg

Now I know I said that there was going to be a Tech-Daddy inspired update. My original plans were to have this stuff hanging from rain gutters and whatnot. However, with the wind blowing a steady 25 mph outside, I didn't really feel the urge to chance it. I did, however, consider hanging all this inside from the rafters in my in-law's garage; but since it's their garage and not mine, I couldn't justify hanging a tarp up for just a few hours. Who knows, I may take this approach down the road.


One more pic before I start to rearrange my office:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0057-4.jpg

I scratched up the back a little bit trying to get the 'feel' of the riveter that I borrowed from my dad. I was going to fix it with some touchup paint, but then realized that the guitar I'm basing this paint job on has been literally beat to ****, so I'll leave any screwups as they are--it'll add authenticity or some crazy thing to the final product!

I also realized I painted the wrong side of the motherboard tray--whoops. I'll have to fix that this next weekend, weather permitting as usual.

[b4i7]

lookin good DT!

[Drum Thumper]

To Do/Buy List:

Buy
LEDs -- Both Red and Clear
Acrylic tube, diameter tbd
Vandal resistant switch
USB front panel -- found a supplier, but they're a bit on the pricey side, so there'll be some dumpster diving in my near future. Or I might just keep an eye on Ebay and score a cheap case with front side USB.
Reset switch -- still deciding on what style of switch to use

To Do
Mount Feet
Mount LEDs
Finish front panel, chasis -- most likely this weekend
Finish front panel -- hoping to knock this out at the same time as the chasis
Paint

And a decision needs to be made -- keep the current nearly outdated 939 board for now or just bite the bullet and jump to an AM2+ compatible board?

[Drum Thumper]

Staying true to form with the whole notion of the 'Do It Yourself' revolution that Eddie had a part in kicking off in the 1980s...

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0059-4.jpg

I chiseled out a hole for a 120 mm fan to fit in. Said fan will be attached to my new and improved front panel that I've started on already (see previous posts for pics).

I'm going to file the sharp edges down later today and am hoping to get a couple of layers of paint down Tuesday, with completion of putting the chassis back together on Wednesday.

So here's hoping I straightened the damn thing enough to make this work. Otherwise I'll be back to square one, and will be forced to break out the heavy artillery.

[Drum Thumper]

Good news on this front--I managed to beat the case back into enough shape to fit properly. I've got some minor problems down the road a ways, but I can deal with them when the time comes.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0062-1.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0063-1.jpg

Red goes down this coming Saturday.

[Drum Thumper]

More toys...well one toy bought today:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0065-2.jpg

I'll be starting on the front and top fan guards this weekend as well.

[Drum Thumper]

I've got some trouble...

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0001-4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0002-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0003-4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0004-4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0005-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0006-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0007-4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0008-4.jpg

I've narrowed it down to three possible things: Panel was too cold, dirt, or some weird reaction between the glossy black and the glossy red. As you can see, it destroyed all the layers where it blistered.

In light of this, I am scrapping the historical approach to painting this case in favor of doing it the easier (and probably proper) way.

I'm hoping my update tomorrow won't be as disastrous as this was.

[Eclecticos]

Ive seen this type of thing happen before, it is unfortunate.
If i remember correctly it is the mixing of paints that causes this.
I would soak it in mineral spirits re-prep the surface and start over.

[Drum Thumper]

Thanks for the info Eck. I'm going to put painting off for a little bit--just about to go do some work on the custom fan guard for the front. Expect another update soon.

[jdbnsn]

It kind of looks like the tape played a role there by the distribution. I have no idea why it would though.

[Drum Thumper]

It kind of looks like the tape played a role there by the distribution. I have no idea why it would though.

That what I thought at first too--upon closer inspection though, it only happened where there were black stripes, and only in certain areas as you can see. Like I said, I'm going to get other things done first before I repaint everything again.

One thing I can almost scratch off that list is the front blowhole cover:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/074.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/075.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/076.jpg

I know I said I was going to use the flame VH logo but I could not get it sized properly. Don't worry though, I am still planning on using it. And as you can tell, I've got a bit of sanding to do on this.

[jdbnsn]

Great fan cover!!!!!!!

[Drum Thumper]

Just wait till you see the top fan cover. That's gonna be badassed.

Two words: Hammer Guy.

[Drum Thumper]

Took a small break from rearranging the apartment and lined up mounting holes on the front fan guard:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0079-1.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0078-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0077.jpg

I'll be cleaning this up tonight after I get my homework done, and will hopefully be finishing up the bondo work on the front panel as well.

Then it will be onto the top fanguard.

[Lord Ned]

Looking sweet. Are you going to put mesh/plexi behind it to keep fingers out? (Clear plexi behind it with some inner light provided by LED's maybe)

Though you'd have to find a way to push the fan 1/8" off or so, however thick the new plexi is.


What did you use to cut the plexi for the fancover?

[Drum Thumper]

Looking sweet. Are you going to put mesh/plexi behind it to keep fingers out? (Clear plexi behind it with some inner light provided by LED's maybe)

I'm planning on using good ol gutter guard as a medium between the fan and the acrylic guard that I've made.



What did you use to cut the plexi for the fancover?

I bought a scroll saw with part of my stimulus check, and gave it a test run on this. As you can see, the results are great.

Having said that, I doubt there's gonna be another update any time soon--this is another hell week for me due to a birthday party on Friday and a wedding on Saturday, both out in the closest town to the ranch where my parents live. So I'm gonna be taking a three day weekend from work and school. Which means I've gotta get four assignments done before Thursday.

What fun.

[JohnyFive]

Looking awsome dude, love the custom fan grills. Gotta get me one of those scroll saws soon, theres only so much the almighty dremel can do. Was a shame about the reaction between the two paints, you can see how good it would of looked had they not reacted like they did, where they the same brand? if not maybe next time using the same brand of paints will help.

Keep up the good work m8. +rep

[Drum Thumper]

Looking awsome dude, love the custom fan grills. Gotta get me one of those scroll saws soon, theres only so much the almighty dremel can do. Was a shame about the reaction between the two paints, you can see how good it would of looked had they not reacted like they did, where they the same brand? if not maybe next time using the same brand of paints will help.

Keep up the good work m8. +rep

Same brand, bought from the same retailer, at the same time. Like I've said, I've decided to jettison the historical approach and will be redoing this paint job in the very near future.

Thanks for looking!

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0010-5.jpg
See that package? 200 LEDs, straight from Hong Kong.

Oh, and that box underneath? That's 50 ft of wire sleeving.

I've got a three day weekend. Expect a huge update. Both this and ROIO.

[DonT-FeaR]

cant wait.... wow 50ft

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankredLEDsolution.jpg

More of a reference for me than anything else. This is for the bottom of the case, gonna have some bad assed red glow going on.

[Drum Thumper]

Update #1 for this weekend:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/014.jpg

I found some decent drawer knobs that became case feet. The dice shall be used somewhere else...

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/015.jpg

Front shot of the feet. Ignore the dust.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/016.jpg

Holes! 13/16ths of an inch holes, which is just a touch (thousandths of an inch) bigger than 5 mm (which is the size of the LEDs).

I also picked up some 1/4 W, 220 ohm resistors.

And I've begun building my arrays:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/020.jpg

7 more to go.

[DonT-FeaR]

lol nice good luck looking good

[Drum Thumper]

Bottom lights: DONE. Might be sanding them, will run a night test once the sun goes down.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0021-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0022-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0023-4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0024-4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0025-5.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0026-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0027-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0028-2.jpg

I've got a smallish issue with the positive lead--kinda loose. I know where at too, so if the problem persists, I'll be fixing it.

Thanks for looking, I'm off to finish the front panel!

[JohnyFive]

Looking awsome man, keep it up! +rep and sub.

_'j5

[Drum Thumper]

As promised, the night shots (if you own the 1984 album, listen to the lead off track while viewing):

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0029-1.jpg
Before sanding

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0030-2.jpg
After sanding with 220 grit. Looks better, but there's still room for a small bit of improvement.

I'm going to measure the bottom and cut some MDF or possibly order some chromed plexi for a false bottom.

And I didn't get to the front panel as planned, due to a bit of a surprise birthday dinner at the in-laws.

Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Edit: Just made a banner, it's all the way back on page one.

[Drum Thumper]

Plexi time!

Finally got around to knocking out installing the new window. Also ran into a small problem, but nothing the dremel can't take care of!

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0031-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0032-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0033-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0034-4.jpg
Haven't decided yet if I want black anodized bolts or not. As pricey as they are, I might just stick with the stainless, as pictured here.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0037-2.jpg
I had no idea that this red was going to be this damn hot! This is gonna look great with the window etchings I've got planned.

I've still to get to work on the front panel, but hey, I'm still having fun with it! Besides, I cannot get this side panel to mount correctly, as I had to have the plex sit flush with the bottom (cheaply done) latches, so I've got to chop on the case a bit more.

[DonT-FeaR]

:O looks killer keep it up

[Aud1073cH]

Did you get the paint problem figured out?

Whenever I'm doing stuff on metal, I'll prime with auto primer (I know lowes has it) that stuff seems to stick to anything. Next I'll do the colors in flat - the flat paints seem to stick to each other better. Then I'll do the clear coat last. Do a clear gloss, and it will make it all gloss. (I've had other things I want to leave flat, so I use an artist's flat clear coat - because regular "flat" gloss seems to come out sort of satin semi-gloss.)

For diffusing those LEDs, you could use a clear piece of plexi, and sand it on one side. Then just four screws or some epoxy should hold it.


This is one crazy banana ->:banana:

[Drum Thumper]

Did you get the paint problem figured out?

Whenever I'm doing stuff on metal, I'll prime with auto primer (I know lowes has it) that stuff seems to stick to anything. Next I'll do the colors in flat - the flat paints seem to stick to each other better. Then I'll do the clear coat last. Do a clear gloss, and it will make it all gloss. (I've had other things I want to leave flat, so I use an artist's flat clear coat - because regular "flat" gloss seems to come out sort of satin semi-gloss.)

For diffusing those LEDs, you could use a clear piece of plexi, and sand it on one side. Then just four screws or some epoxy should hold it.


This is one crazy banana ->:banana:

Honestly, I haven't even bothered with trying to replicate the painting issue. I'll be dealing with it soon enough, however, as all that is pretty much left to do is to paint the proper side of the motherboard tray and fix the mess that represents the front panel.

Also, I ran into a bit of a problem with the fan controller--the damn LEDs are BLUE! So now I'll be tearing that apart as well and swapping colors out.

Or I could scratch the fan controller and use it in a different mod, as I've got something in mind that could use blue lighting--we'll just have to wait and see on that.

Thanks for looking, have some rep for the comments and suggestions!

[Eclecticos]

Ground effect lighting, Looks really cool.
Have you considered cutting out multiple circles of red plexi . .and making some lit case feet?

[Drum Thumper]

Ground effect lighting, Looks really cool.
Have you considered cutting out multiple circles of red plexi . .and making some lit case feet?

I thought about going this route, but to be honest, I'm not sure if that's what I am looking for. Hell, I'm not even sure that the drawer knob approach is what I'm looking for. But for now it will work. I was going to use dice (see pics a couple pages back) but I destroyed the first one that I tried to drill out--cheaply made. Plus, they were too small for what I needed anyways.

I'll continue to look around and see if I can find something that'll work--I kinda like the idea of casters (think bottom of a half-stack amplifier), but that might call for a bit more work than what I'm willing to do, especially now that I've got the LEDs installed.

[DonT-FeaR]

if ya mount it low enough you wont see those rings if it helps...

[SXRguyinMA]

LOOKIN SWEET! Awesome mod! Can't wait to see it finished!

+rep

[Drum Thumper]

Minor update, no pics, as the subject matter would be very boring. I've applied another layer of bondo to the front panel, this time covering the whole thing in a very thin layer. I'm going to let it cure overnight and do some sanding in the morning before the temps get too high--it got damn hot here today (over 100F), although its supposed to be in the mid 80s tomorrow. Hell, right now it is 77 outside, and it's 12:30 am FFS.

[Drum Thumper]

Update #1

I think you guys are gonna like this, especially after the positive feedback I got on my tribal sun etching.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0046-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0048-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0049-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0050-2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0051-3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0053-5.jpg

If you don't mind me tooting my own horn...that came out awesome!

Now, I'm off to finish the front panel.

[JohnyFive]

Duuude, thats the **** right there! awsome work man, might have to ask for some tips later on ;)

+rep

[Drum Thumper]

Get some scrap plexi, keep your dremel on a low setting, and take your time.

I've also found that tracing paper helps a bit too--allows you to practice the curves a lot. I went through a whole tablet of tracing paper drawing and redrawing this logo backwards, so it seemed like second nature when I decided to bust out the dremel.

[jdbnsn]

Nice job Joe! I love the logo, edges came out slick!

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Damn, man, that's awesome work!

+rep for the etched logo... and for making me dig out 1984 on cassette.

DrumThumper cooks, DrumThumper swings. He's got the look - DrumThumper, he's the king!

Errr. Ahem.

[Drum Thumper]

Ladies and Gentlemen...THE MAIN EVENT!

I am finally done with this &%*^(#@(&^! bondo stuff. This is as good as its getting for me. Yes, I know there's some pits and whatnot. I have a plan for them. And this time, it will work.

I have also realize that I still need to figure out just where exactly to place some front side USB and audio ports. I've got a few ideas, but I'm going to have to dig around and see what I have available for ports before I get too carried away.

Anyways...
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/034.jpg
100 grit
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/035.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/036.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/037.jpg
Wet sanded with 220. Notice the beveled edges. I got tired of trying to get the bondo built up enough to make a square edge, and said **** it, I'll make it work this way.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/042.jpg
Smoother than a baby's bottom. Gotta love the 220 grit.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/043.jpg
First layer of ruddy brown sandable primer.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/044.jpg
4 coats. I'm going to let this dry for a week, wetsand with 220 again and lay another layer of primer down.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/045.jpg
The beveled edge again.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/046.jpg
If you look closely, you can barely make out the filled in 3.5" drive bay. This is where I'm considering putting the USB/Audio ports.

Tomorrow, I do the three metal panels.

[DonT-FeaR]

nice i saw the hv and i was like no F*CKn way omg lol sweet i should etch something to my mod

[SXRguyinMA]

lookin good!

[Dane Bramage]

damn... i hate to wait a week for the next update, but i guess all good things in their own time, right?

nice work on the etch. brilliant to do it on the back side in reverse.

[Drum Thumper]

damn... i hate to wait a week for the next update, but i guess all good things in their own time, right?

nice work on the etch. brilliant to do it on the back side in reverse.

There will hopefully be a smallish update today--there's a few other things I'd like to get done that I haven't mentioned.

[SXRguyinMA]

eagerly waiting 8)

[Drum Thumper]

eagerly waiting 8)

I've lucked into an 8 to 5 shift tomorrow. Planning on getting the rest of the panels primed after work.

It won't that exciting of an update, but it will be an update nonetheless!

[Drum Thumper]

Text update for now--left my camera across town.

Stopped by Radio Shack, got 4 3mm red LEDs, 2 chrome 5mm LED holders, and a pair of yellow LEDs, of which I'm only going to need one (HD activity.)

Cut the offending latch system off the bottom of the case on the windowed side.

Wetsanded the front panel. Got a bit overzealous. No biggie, I'll be throwing more primer at it shortly.

I also have some mineral spirits in my possession. Time to prep some metal.

But not now, it's nearly 9 pm here and I've pissed off just about every dog in the neighborhood with my dremel.

There might be pics in the near future--I've got a bit of homework to knock out as soon as I get home.

[Drum Thumper]

A bit of an update!

I've started my frontal assault on the fan controller. For those of you who don't remember, I won a grab bag from site owner Crimson Sky last year, and one of the items in the bag was this:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly92008002.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly92008003.jpg

That blue, however cool it does look, needs to go. It does NOT fit in with the color scheme one bit. So, out comes the Leatherman and the soldering iron:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly92008005.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly92008006.jpg

After much fighting with my cheapo soldering iron, and figuring out which side was positive, I ended up with this:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly92008007.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly92008008.jpg

Low intensity LEDs from Radio Shack FTMFL. 2.5 mcd, 700 nm peak wavelength. If I install all five of them, I'm gonna end up with pink--and that ain't gonna work.

So, another order (http://www.ledshoppe.com/Product/led/LE4001.htm) to Hong Kong's finest LED Shoppe is in my near future. And a trip down to Radio Shack to return the package of FTL LEDs that I haven't opened up yet.

[SXRguyinMA]

should look nice. you may end up needing high intensity reds to get the full color

[Drum Thumper]

should look nice. you may end up needing high intensity reds to get the full color

And I just ordered them today, along with a vandal switch.

[Drum Thumper]

A small preview of what is going to happen tonight when I get home:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Frankenstripe010.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/Frankenstripe009.jpg

Then it's back to the painting.

[Acey]

Erm.. I dont get it.. pardon me, electronics retard here

[SXRguyinMA]

mmm cant wait for the update

[Drum Thumper]

Switch has been installed. And in the true spirit of this mod, I had to do a bit of hacking to make it work.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly182008001.jpg
I took an unconventional approach and made my pilot hole from the back.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly182008002.jpg
Phone call interrupted my modding, so I thought I would take an in progress picture.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly182008003.jpg
The biggest drill bit I have wasn't big enough. No problem, that's what the dremel is for.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly182008004.jpg
Damn thing got away from me. Not to worry though:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly182008005.jpg
As you can see, most of it got ate up while making the hole, and the rest of it will be covered in the near future by a flat washer.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly182008008.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly182008009.jpg
That's with nine volts applied. Seems a bit orange, but in real life it's quite red.

I've also abandoned the chrome LED holders, as they protrude too much. I'll get something worked out--lets say I'm formulating an idea for the HD activity light.

Now, as soon as my LED Shoppe purchase shows up, I'll finish switching out the LEDs on the fan controller.

[iandh]

I have some low profile chrome panel mount LED's that would match your power switch perfectly. I think I have green and red. If that sounds interesting, PM me, I will send you a couple for free.

[DonT-FeaR]

looking good hope to see more soon

[Drum Thumper]

And the night shot:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/IMG_0013-6.jpg

I can't wait to see this put together. Its stuff like this that makes me want to mod all night long.

Edit: iandh--check your PMs.

[SXRguyinMA]

lookin sweet

[Drum Thumper]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly182008010.jpg

I'll be finishing up the fan controller tonight.

Oh, and those blue LEDs? I've got plans for them too (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9194).

[SXRguyinMA]

got enough LEDs? holy crap!

[Drum Thumper]

got enough LEDs? holy crap!

http://www.ledshoppe.com. Shipping is free, although it takes a while (~2 weeks) to get them. I'm considering buying 1000 piece packs and turning them on Ebay as 10 ct packs.

[Drum Thumper]

Remember this?

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly92008002.jpg

Well...it looks a lil' something like this:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/drumthumper5150/FrankenstripeJuly182008011.jpg

I'll be tearing this apart once again in the near future to throw some paint on the front panel, but this is where I'm at for the time being.

I wish I had more to post for everyone, but I've got homework to get cracking on.

[OvRiDe]

mmmm... Red looks GOOOD!!

Good luck on the HW!!

[Drum Thumper]

Good luck on the HW!!

Network protocols. Easy stuff. Learned it ages ago. Thanks for the encouragement!

[Snowman]

Network protocols. Easy stuff. Learned it ages ago. Thanks for the encouragement!
Oh my good old CCNA days I miss them. I do have a question though I have that same fan controller in black from vantech and was wondering how you got the knobs off. The only difference I see is your is a four fan controller and mine is a three fan and one cathode controller for a dual cathode setup.

[Dane Bramage]

diggin the red. nice work there.

[Drum Thumper]

Oh my good old CCNA days I miss them. I do have a question though I have that same fan controller in black from vantech and was wondering how you got the knobs off. The only difference I see is your is a four fan controller and mine is a three fan and one cathode controller for a dual cathode setup.

The knobs just pulled right off, and the plastic diffuser cover had a nut followed by a flat washer.

[Snowman]

Thats what I tried however they didnt seem to budge at all. How much pressure did you put on it because I dont want to damage the potentiometers.

[Drum Thumper]

They popped right off for me with minimal force. Sounds like you might have a very small allen-head screw holding them in place.

[Acey]

:O mate are you re-selling LEDs? hahaha cos thats like A LOT of them. Btw, if you're setting up the LEDs on other parts can I see how the whole board looks like? Cos i got no idea tho I want to do a couple for the next mod.

[Drum Thumper]

:O mate are you re-selling LEDs? hahaha cos thats like A LOT of them. Btw, if you're setting up the LEDs on other parts can I see how the whole board looks like? Cos i got no idea tho I want to do a couple for the next mod.

I'm looking into it. Most likely through Ebay. Won't make that much of a profit, but should be self sufficient at the minimum. We'll see what happens, as I have a few other ideas as well, and since I've got a website that can handle 7.5 TB of traffic a month...

[SXRguyinMA]

what color LEDs do you have again? I may need some for my project :)

[Drum Thumper]

5mm -- Red, Whte (clear) and Blue. I should do a patriotic mod sometime :D

3mm -- Red.

PM me, I'll set something up on ebay with a buy it now.

[SXRguyinMA]

you wouldnt happen to have any UV ones would you?

[iandh]

Did those LED's come in yet? Interested to see the placement.

[Drum Thumper]

Yes, they showed up over the weekend. Thanks again!

I might be able to get placement figured out tomorrow after work.

[SXRguyinMA]

any more preogress?

[Drum Thumper]

Sadly, no. Been focusing mainly on school. Give me a few weeks to wrap that up and we'll see what'll happen.

[Snowman]

Sadly, no. Been focusing mainly on school. Give me a few weeks to wrap that up and we'll see what'll happen.
The only thing school did for me was put me in debt.

[SXRguyinMA]

The only thing school did for me was put me in debt.

:up: I 2nd that one :glasses:

keep us updated!

[Xpirate]

School did cost serious money, but it made me powerful. However, Google makes you even more powerful.

[DonT-FeaR]

google is my friend... lol

[Drum Thumper]

Time to resurrect the dead. Weather is finally cooperating with me, so I've got some work to finish up.

I've got a new motherboard for this build. Tis a Gigabyte GA-M61VME-S2 (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2381). I'm limited to a dual core chip for this board, which is more than enough horsepower for me. There's currently a gig of RAM installed as well.

Hard drive wise, I'm currently planning on a couple of 750 gig drives for storage and whatever small thing I got laying around for the OS. I've got to dig around in linux and see what my choices are for playback. I'll most likely have the remote control concept come back for an encore performance as well.

Hoping to lay down primer tomorrow for what should be the final time. Somewhere around 5 coats, then wetsanding sometime this weekend. Next week will be some black, followed by masking tape, followed by white and fine line masking tape and finally the red.

[DonT-FeaR]

SWEET cant wait to see some progress

[Drum Thumper]

Why plan? Every time you make a plan, it just blows up in your face.

Ain't that the truth. My parent's computer died over the weekend, so guess where the mobo for this is heading?

Yep, ma and pa have a beefier machine than me now. I gotta do something about that in the near future.

Plus, I've been debating on just what all this particular machine is going to do. I've also got some other ideas that I'm kicking around as well. They'll be made public soon, I promise.

In other news, I've primed everything, just looking for the time to paint.

[DonT-FeaR]

cool man wanna see more of this one

[Drum Thumper]

And from the ashes rises the Phoenix.


We are officially on to Mach 3 with this build. Nearly everything has been scrapped and we're starting over again. The NZXT Gamma that I recently reviewed will be the recipient of the striped paintjob, a smaller window and some serious hardware.

If nothing else, I'm still having fun with this!

[Drum Thumper]

New parts, getting ordered as soon as I get the taxes done:

ASRock A780GXE/128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G ATX AMD Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157139)

XFX HD-575X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150448)

AMD Phenom X3 8750 Toliman 2.4GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W Triple-Core Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103252)

Patriot Gamer Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Desktop Memory Model PGS24G8500C7KC (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220439) x 2

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST380815AS 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148231) x 2


hec Zephyr 1000 1000W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339030)

And of course Windows 7. Like I said, some serious hardware. My single core days are soon to be over.

[Kayin]

All that, and only a Phenom I? Phenom II stuff is pretty cheap. Srsly.

[Drum Thumper]

All that, and only a Phenom I? Phenom II stuff is pretty cheap. Srsly.

My bad.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103652

Damnit, now I gotta find a decent cooler lol.

[Kayin]

Was just joshin ya, but that's much better.

This looks interesting. Will be watching.

[Drum Thumper]

Alright, side window and 4 chrome thumbscrews ordered from FrozenCPU. Should be here some time next week, then the Gamma case is going to meet Mr. Dremel!

And my latest mobo plans go derailed as I didn't act fast enough on buying and now Newegg isn't carrying said boards any more. So now I have narrowed my choices to:

Elitegroup (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135258)

MSI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130233)


DFI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136071)

The DFI board is leading the pack at the moment. Need to do some more research on all three of them before I make the purchase.

Getting some dremel cutoff wheels a bit later today. Also spending some uber cash at the lumber yard this weekend as well--garage here I come!

Edit: almost forgot, I may have a line on some other goodies from ebay. Just waiting to hear from the seller regarding dimensions, so I can figure out placement.

[diluzio91]

I saw you had 29,999 views, so i had to look! lol... happy 30000!

[Drum Thumper]

New parts ordered today, waiting for a shipping confirmation

1 TB drive for storage (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136490)
4 gigs RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227479)
A pair of these (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148231) for booting
MSI Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130254)
Raedon 5670 video card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102871)
Phenom II Tri Core Black (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103652)
850 Watts of PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024)
And a CPU cooler (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835114100). Yes I went cheap. This is temporary.

A Wacom (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823100056) as well!

[Drum Thumper]

http://thebestcasescenario.com/drumthumper/v3/IMG_0036.JPG

http://thebestcasescenario.com/drumthumper/v3/IMG_0037.JPG

As you can see, I've got some new hardware. And I've modded the Gamma a bit (and managed to **** it up in the process)

http://thebestcasescenario.com/drumthumper/v3/IMG_0038.JPG

No sweat though. An email to NZXT remedied the situation. Thanks NZXT!

And with that, this particular worklog has reached its end. After some quick discussion with OvRiDe, it was decided that due to the massive changes in hardware, a new worklog (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?p=285065#post285065) shall arise. Stay tuned, Constant Reader, stay tuned.

dSCvvn5Hn4w