wow i really like thAT case looks pretty cool.. waiting for parts sucks
Printable View
wow i really like thAT case looks pretty cool.. waiting for parts sucks
I will say this much, though: MNPCTech does not keep you waiting. I ordered over the weekend, so obviously, it wouldn't ship then...but shortly after I got to work this morning (and I come in early), they sent my tracking number - and they're an hour or so behind me!
lol nice i got to check mine.. should be on its way tonight here tomorrow
header is done!
Hey, thanks, buddy. Looks good. I really debated whether or not I should ask for one since this is such a vanilla mod...but I'm glad I did.Quote:
Originally Posted by jdbnsn
Now the next mod I have in the planning phase...
no problem, glad you like it!
+rep
Thanks for stopping by, Sarge.
Since I took today off (couldn't face going back to work just yet:lick:) I actually got some time to do some work. Boy am I glad for that: I got my order from MNPCTech in the mail right before I packed the wife and dog in to the car and left town. I was thinking about it all weekend.
Today's main focus was the front turbines. As was posted, you know that I already cut the holes in the bezel for them, and now I had the duct-work pieces ready to go.
This test fit was so that I could mark out the inner part of the case so that I knew where to cut fan holes. I decided to cut an oval instead of two circles because A.) it's a lot easier and B.) I may someday feel like making a new bezel with an oval opening like this project was originally planned.
Here we go - all cut:
I needed to test fit the ducts, and figure out how much to cut off of them.
Now, the first one, I used a hack saw as you generally read as the right way to do it. For the most part this is true, but I used a Dremel for the second one. To me it was easier to cut, but required more clean-up afterwards with the burs of plastic. If you do this,remember my tips-n-tricks bit a few posts back about melted plastic and eye protection.
Once this was done, in they went:
B-but Crippler - you said duct tape was a no-no.
Er...Shut up. I mean: Hey! You were paying attention! Yes, it is not desirable, but in this case, it held the ducts from shifting so that I could do this:
Once they were secured from the back, I could peel the tape off the front:
See? Everything makes sense in the world again. Now, the fun and messy part. Yep, more Bondo.
Here, I glopped on the "hair" filler again and sanded it down. Doesn't look bad, but as per usual, it left a lot of craters that needed filling in, so I turned once again to regular filler:
(Note: I generally use a rubber spatula and spread the filler on like frosting. However, this time I did my patented and non-FDA-approved "two fingers and a smear" approach.)
Much, much better. Now, it was getting to be just a matter of filling "potholes" and cleaning it up some more.
As I have been doing in the past, left-over filler is got slapped on to the bottom of the bezel to continue building that up and filling it in.
So, after some more sanding and a hole drilled for the power button, and here we are:
Not too shabby if I say so myself. It still needs some more cosmetic filling here and there, but I honestly didn't feel like mixing up another batch of that Bondo tonight.
The other part that I worked on was the side panel. As you may have noticed in past pictures, the body lines weren't matching up to my satisfaction.
So, I smeared on some more hair filler on after I roughed it up, and then ran a razor between the two pieces before it firmed up so that I could still take it apart.
After some more sanding, things were looking a lot better:
Obviously, there are a lot of holes to fill, but that will be my next work session. At that point, I will also be able to fill some more pock-marks on the front.
Mini update: I can only assume that the lack of comments since my last update are because you are all awaiting the next step with bated breath. :D Well, sorry - I've been busy.
The one night I had to work this week was taken up by my side project of making my HD cooler (which is working phenomenally, BTW.) I'm hoping that I'll get a chance to get something done tonight or tomorrow.
Last night, I secured the nose-cone spinners that I need for the fan turbines, so that part will be coming soon. I'm trying to decide if I want the noses to be black to match the future case color, or green to match the LED fans themselves. Any of you have an opinion?
More as it develops.
I'm not a big fan of lights on the outside of the case ( or even visible on the outside) in a home theatre application. If this is going to be sitting on your tv stand, it'll be a distraction (or even an annoyance) when you are trying to watch something in a dim room.
That being said, I know that not everyone shares the same opinion, so it's just my two cents. :)
On that note, make them green to match the fans, otherwise a black cone on a green fan might look strange. :)
