Project - CLOWNED!!

[TheGreatSatan]

Alright, let's start over. This is Project - Clowned. This will be for my Mom. The specs are unknown. I have parts, but may change them all, I just don't know yet. I want to do a Clown Theme case, since my Mom collects them. I don't want an evil clown like from 'IT'. I'm still a bit unsure on the total color pattern or what the window will look like, but I have started anyway. I'm using this OLD Hewlett Packard that was once equipped with 32MB of SDO RAM! Here's the before pics.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/4315/casepaint19qx.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/1605/casepaint24jf.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5027/casepaint35lz.jpg

I thought the case would look good with white, red and yellow. There may be some blue added later.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/7793/casepaint42if.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3174/casepaint51bf.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/1355/casepaint62ln.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7841/casepaint79nk.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7922/casepaint80pc.jpg

Here's the front panel.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/2629/facepaint11ep.jpg

I sanded off the writing.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3154/facepaint20mz.jpg

I painted with a clean plastic primer to start.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/4517/facepaint37fh.jpg

Here's the two panels before. The one that will have a window will have to wait until I decide what I'm cutting and have done the work.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5481/panels8qk.jpg

Here's the paint I'm using. Has anyone tried using this laytex H2O spray paint?

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/2508/whites7cb.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8917/yellows9ls.jpg

Here's the first primer coat of white. I'll be doing two coats of primer.

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/6459/panelface9lq.jpg

I painted the drive plate too, although I think I may not be needing it.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/2207/faceplate9kj.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I painted the front with that laytex paint. This stuff is awesome. It comes out at about double the pressure as normal spray paint, but doesn't bubble up.

http://img418.imageshack.us/img418/2684/yellowface17pn.jpg

Then the right panel.

http://img306.imageshack.us/img306/5359/yellowpanel11nj.jpg

Then I let them dry.

http://img446.imageshack.us/img446/4015/faceside8vs.jpg

And here's the front after two coats.

http://img306.imageshack.us/img306/5773/facedone1jj.jpg

I flipped over the case and touched up the red.

http://img306.imageshack.us/img306/525/touchup8vr.jpg

Here's the floppy drive I'm using.

http://img306.imageshack.us/img306/9550/floppy7ht.jpg

And here's the slot loading CD player with a coat of white primer. I'm ordering a new DVD player too. They'll both be painted red.

http://img306.imageshack.us/img306/3858/slotwhite9kg.jpg

I added the project name to the case too.

http://img306.imageshack.us/img306/7182/script1bp.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

This morning I set the slot loading drive into place.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/9779/slotin6pk.jpg

Then I painted the top and side edges of the front red.

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/3082/rededge10zu.jpg

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/7511/rededge28fo.jpg

I put on my last coat of clear on the panel...

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/495/clearpanel5cm.jpg

And on top.

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/7316/cleartop3if.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

The edging is finished

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/6029/rededge32qc.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/1659/rededge46vx.jpg


And the slot loader looks good.

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/4236/redslot6yl.jpg

I decided to use rivets instead of screws on the right panel. Nothing BIG.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/1083/rivets0jo.jpg


Next, I did choose to go with the open clown mouth blow hole idea. Thanks everyone.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4089/blowhole16sy.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4771/blowhole21lp.jpg


I'm NO artist, but I'll do my best. It's the thought that counts.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3194/mouth15jf.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5985/mouth23ib.jpg

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/9653/mouth35cp.jpg


And the nose will be the Power button.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2512/nose18yg.jpg

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/6559/nose24bt.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/78/nose30jz.jpg

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/3509/nose48lz.jpg

The face work is next.

[TheGreatSatan]

I bought a Lite-On DVD drive. I painted it white with the primer.

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/6302/newdvd16vt.jpg

Then red to match the other.

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/682/newdvd27ly.jpg

In she goes!

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9325/newdvd39vp.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2029/newdvd45dt.jpg

I'm gonna make a slight change in direction. My daughter wants to help me on this mod. She wants to help on Grandma's present. I let her pick the clown face to draw. Here's the first one that got pitched.

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/3711/firstclown5mc.jpg

And then the one we went with. I let her do the coloring (in marker) then I applied a clear coat over that.

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/5068/2ndclown15xh.jpg

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/5068/2ndclown15xh.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6889/2ndclown30uz.jpg

For the blow hole, I'm trying to see if the fan will fit between the case and the front bezel. Otherwise I'll have to mount it inside and then fill the gap with something....

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2797/80mmblow18rp.jpg

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8127/80mmblow21gb.jpg

Lastly, the front spring will need to be replaced. It lacks any "spring". When you push the button it stays down.

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/3097/spring2ef.jpg

Here’s the front fan mounted and powered. I connected it to a test system to get it running.

http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/822/frontfan15cg.jpg

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/1706/frontfan22kw.jpg

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/2600/frontfan33iy.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

The motherboard arrived yesterday. It's a FIC K7MNF-64 with nVidia N-Force 2. I'm not sure if I'm actually gonna be buying her a video card so for now there will be onboard video. The processor is the Athlon XP 2800+ which will come later.

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/3180/fic12rz.jpg

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/525/fic20ze.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

Here's more of the components. Most of which I have yet to receive.

Athlon XP 2800+

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8646/28000xj.jpg

PC2100 (2 x 256MB)

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/5598/pc21005121bd.jpg

600 Watt PSU

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/431/600watt5ea.jpg

Clown shoes (2 sets of 2 = 4 shoes/case feet)

http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/8544/shoes0pf.jpg

Top hat

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/5275/hat3uo.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I added another clear coat to the top. I may do more coats.

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/1536/clearedtop13bu.jpg

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1754/clearedtop24lj.jpg

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4821/clearedtop31zx.jpg

Here's the window design I'm going with. It's a balloon dog. I'll cut it tonight.

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8982/dogpanel2id.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I drew out the window image

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/285/dogwindow18ji.jpg

And began cutting

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/9074/dogwindow21rs.jpg

Still too rough

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/2990/dogwindow34ps.jpg

More taken off. More will come off too.

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/6854/dogwindow47nu.jpg

Modding is dirty, boys and girls.

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/2965/dirty0qp.jpg

Oh, and I stripped the DVD drive. I'm gonna start that over again.

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/9549/stripped0fs.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I've started painting the dog panel.

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/8930/yellowdog5zl.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

Alright, the Maxtor 80GB DiamondMax 16 arrived today. I also got the top hat. It's a lot BIGGER than I had expected, so I will NOT be using it.

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/1664/80gb4du.jpg

And I finished the side panel. I still need to add the plexi/glass/mirror/mesh. I waiting till someone helps me decide what to go with.

http://img424.imageshack.us/img424/2011/donepanel17ob.jpg

http://img424.imageshack.us/img424/3994/donepanel29mr.jpg

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/6083/donepanel31am.jpg

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/2589/donepanel42sv.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I decided I wanted red thumb screws, so I'm painting them.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/8540/redscrews1sn.jpg

Since I'm not using the top hat, I'm thinking of going with a case handle. What do you think?

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4276/handles12sd.jpg

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3327/handles24hn.jpg

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/3428/handles38sj.jpg

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4834/handles41pu.jpg

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4834/handles41pu.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

So I should mount a breadboard within the case?

[Rankenphile]

No, the breadboard is jsut a testing circuit. How are you at soldering? If you can handle making a basic circuit on a standard Radio Shack blank board, you can get everything you need, from resistors to the IC, from online shops for cheap and make it yourself. The diagram there is a good example on how to do it, and we'll all be glad to give you a hand with it, if this is something you're interested in making.

If you wanted to use a breadboard, then by all means, but a better and more permanent solution would be to simply get a blank IC board, like this one:

http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2265164w345.jpg

...and just configure the circuit to fit that board. It's not tough, I basically walked through the process with a friend of mine and we taught ourselves using online tutorials and help from other members when I was working on my sound-reactive circuit for my arcade project.

I would drill small holes in the edges of the plexi to insert the LEDs into, the way that Defyant did on his HP-Rez 3 (I think that was the one) with the blue and red LEDs. It's really not tough work, just requires some patience, willingness to learn and fiddle with things, and a steady hand.

[TheGreatSatan]

The 600 Watt PSU came today. Wait till you see how I braid the wiring.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/2938/psu6000vi.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I bought some silly looking plastic sheets for braiding the PSU wiring.

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/6111/psuwrap15ue.jpg

Then I cut myself when cutting the plastic.

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/8264/bloody2hm.jpg

The ATX connector cable is done.

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/9085/psuwrap25fw.jpg

And the rest...of which I used a lighter to melt it to the cables.

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/9991/psuwrap38in.jpg

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/3037/psuwrap46za.jpg

I also finished the handle. I went with the longer chrome one, I didn't feel like messing up those black handles with paint.

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/6945/handle12lm.jpg

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/5834/handle20vr.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I put the PSU in.

http://www.tgsmods.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/psu_in1.jpg

And put the Heatsink on the motherboard.

http://www.tgsmods.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/heatsink1.jpg.w560h373.jpg

http://www.tgsmods.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/heatsink2.jpg

And I had to dremel the IO area because the hole for the plate was just a tad bit too small.

http://www.tgsmods.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/io_fit2.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I finally got the case clown shoes a couple of days ago. They are designed to be used with dolls. The pic gives you an idea of how big they are.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2170/shoes18vj.jpg

First I filled them up with expanding foam and let them dry overnight.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/3927/shoes23sb.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/5187/shoes36vw.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9732/shoes48eh.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2300/shoes51wf.jpg

Then I painted them with a clear plastic primer and then with yellow.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/7093/yellowshoes0cl.jpg

Next I taped off the shoes because I want to paint the toes RED.

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9762/toes11yq.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9433/toes28mr.jpg

I'm still waiting for them to dry.

[TheGreatSatan]

The shoes are done.

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/2600/shoesdone28ti.jpg

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/5300/shoesdone10ht.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I worked on the legs and feet. Here a thick threaded beam I used for the legs.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/5714/legs16ia.jpg

All four cut.

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/3162/legs21zi.jpg

I widened the holes on the bottom so they'd fit.

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/9416/legs38fk.jpg

The painted the legs yellow.

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/9310/legs47gd.jpg

I attached them to the shoes and screwed them in.

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/6262/legs59of.jpg

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/8123/legs64cf.jpg

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/6320/legs76ls.jpg

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/7349/legs88yn.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I used EL Wire for the window. I don't want to have too much lighting in this case.

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/2285/doglight17sl.jpg

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/7073/doglight21ay.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I got some spacers, nuts and washers for the legs. I will use hot glue to apply the plastic coloring to the spacers.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3011/pants17wi.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/8322/pants22gf.jpg

Here's after some glue. I applied the glue to the spacers, gave them a couple seconds to cool then stuck on the plastic. This method prevented the plastic from melting when the glue was applied.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4467/pants34jm.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/945/pants42kg.jpg

I then slid them on the threaded legs.

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/8639/pants59rz.jpg

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/9933/pants63bh.jpg

Lastly for the night I sprayed the nuts and washers red to match the case and to avoid them from sticking out so bad.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3102/washersnuts5ea.jpg

I'll put it all together tomorrow.

[TheGreatSatan]

I attached the shoes this morning. It came out better than I had hoped.

http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/6889/feetdone15ie.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2780/feetdone20bm.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/4444/feetdone37bc.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7282/feetdone41eq.jpg

http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/7250/feetdone52de.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

Thank you.

I decided to put all the components in the case. Partially because I have so much stuff in my work area and I'm running out of clean space and becauseI've been doing so much more on other projects and this one needs to be finished. I tried putting the motherboard in, but unfortunately it wouldn't fit; the bolt on one of the legs was too long and in the way.

http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/3900/bigbolt16sn.jpg
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/5240/bigbolt29mf.jpg
http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/5139/bigbolt38aq.jpg

So I trimmed it.

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/2365/cutbolt11nf.jpg

Then screwed it back into the bottom.

http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/5153/cutbolt24oc.jpg

Before I put the motherboard in I had to take out the HD, because otherwise it wouldn't fit. But after I got the motherboard in, the HD wouldn't fit because the heatsink was in the way.

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/3849/hdfit11fg.jpg

Now that I got that in, here's a question. Do you think this is a bad setup? I really don't have the room too do anything about it, but does it seem like the PSU and the heatsink are going to fight for air?

http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/5652/hdfit23sk.jpg

Next comes the cables and lights

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/8489/cableslights3qu.jpg

The 12V was easy to reroute.

http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/1401/12v1mo.jpg

All other cables are in.

http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/8606/allcables3ov.jpg

Now to the lights.The first I put along the bottom.

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/3126/lights12lw.jpg

But the second won't fit where I want it to go, so I won't be using it.

http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/6871/lights23ui.jpg

Everything is in.

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/7669/total15ov.jpg
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/2568/total21tn.jpg

If my mom doesn't want all that light she'll be able to turn it off in the back. Also there's 6 USB ports and Onboard Video.

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/6080/back7jw.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I shave off the end of the light.

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/146/shavelight15lx.jpg

And it fits.

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/7833/shavelight28nz.jpg

I also started painting the converter box.

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/141/redbox0mc.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I painted the wiring on the bottom to camoflage it.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/4012/redbase2oh.jpg

Then I dropped in the plexi glass.

http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/1452/glueglass14jv.jpg
http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/9631/glueglass28rx.jpg

AND YOU HAVE BEEN CLOWNED.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/6908/clowned14nv.jpg

Time for the lights!

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/4947/clowned21ag.jpg
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2236/clowned36fp.jpg
http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/6851/clowned49xd.jpg

Here's in the dark with the EL Wire only.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/609/clowned52vc.jpg

And then with the two cathodes.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/8097/clowned68dc.jpg
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/4900/clowned74bu.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

Here's the 15 inch Gateway CRT I'm giving my mom too. But I will not give her a plain old monitor. I will match it to the CLOWNED case.

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/9831/monitor15xw.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/3421/monitor27si.jpg

http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/5613/monitor31wn.jpg

http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/4242/monitor43hz.jpg

I've decided to put in a window too. I may etch it. I'm looking into possible images.

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/1820/1stcut16ps.jpg

http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/9307/1stcut28wk.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/7708/monitorplexi8og.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I got around to doing a little with the monitor. I cleaned up the window hole and it's been prepped for painting. I'll go out tomorrow and get the red and yellow plastic paint.

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/7634/crtwindow16cw.jpg
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/4421/crtwindow28il.jpg
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/6393/crtwindow37ee.jpg

And my mom's keyboard and mouse combo arrived.

http://img422.imageshack.us/img422/9103/keyboardset2wx.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I'm painting the monitor. I haven't yet decided what yellow/red scheme I'm aiming towards

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/7075/yellowcrt3rb.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

Here's the speakers I got. I'm gonna paint the silver back part yellow.

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8653/red8iw.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I decided to leave the back part of the monitor just plain yellow and to paint the area surrounding the screen red. So first I covered everything critical up.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3052/gateway17eu.jpg

Then I sanded off the Gateway logo and model number.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/7075/gateway24lt.jpg

Next I taped off the screen.

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/9852/gateway35oe.jpg

And here's the first coat.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/129/gateway48bi.jpg
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/5849/gateway50tg.jpg
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/1020/gateway63cy.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I applied hot glue to hold the window in the place.

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/1489/hotglue14dz.jpg

And then used space HD's to keep it down while it dried.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/1762/hotglue21cu.jpg

The monitor dried real nicely...

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/5638/redmonitor9ls.jpg

Next I painted the base.

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/9180/redbase1sv.jpg

Then put it all together

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/5268/crtdone16vy.jpg
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/492/crtdone29az.jpg
http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/2661/crtdone34ef.jpg

Still works too.

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/3933/crtworks4dp.jpg

Lastly, the speakers,

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/7976/speakers10me.jpg

I'll let the pics do the talking. :D

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/6361/speakers21eb.jpg
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/2434/speakers33tr.jpg
http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/6889/speakers49dj.jpg
http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/5600/speakers50sx.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

You're right, I never thought about McDonald's. Although he is a clown.

Well here's some of it all set up. I have to load the OS still. I'll soon have better pics of this set up soon.

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/3987/setup19qy.jpg
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/705/setup20hs.jpg
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/3772/setup31yq.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

I finally got around to fixing that scratch on the top of my mom's CLOWNED case. I bought this stuff called Magnum Steel at the local Auto supply store.

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/5930/scratchlv8.jpg

I then used a razor blade to fill in the scratch. After 24 hours I sanded it flat.

http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/8249/scratch1cx8.jpg

Then matched the paint and added primer (not pictured)

http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/2069/scratch2hz0.jpg

Then painted 2 coats.

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/8607/scratch3wy0.jpg

....and let it dry. I'll still add another coat of red before I apply 3 coats of clear.

http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/4245/scratch4nz2.jpg


Link To Original Thread (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2527)