Battlefield 2 L.A.N. PC.

This is the worklog for the "Battlefield 2 L.A.N. PC."

Finished Product

Please take a look at the process and time needed to finish this project

First off, im new to the forums so hello to everyone.

Ok, I recently stumbled upon an old army cooler that made me think doing a battlefield case would be rather cool. My only problem is I cant figure out how to implament battlefield in the case. Im going to put in military switches, convert the front and back into hinged doors and, install sheetmetal for a flat surface for the 6 inch lcd screen, control panel. The lower part of the front will be left for a fan and a hidden cdrom drive. All the hardware is pretty much figured out I just need some cool features for the theme. Bullet holes seem to be along the lines but that just isnt enough for another person to say "hey that case is a battlefield theme." There is a lid to this thing and it has al lbeen gutted. My mind just isnt as creative as i had hoped with this project and any help would be greatly appreciated.
ps- this case is ment for lan so durability is a must.

DIMENSIONS: 19 3/4in. long, 9 3/8in. wide, 13 1/8in. high

Dan, yes the geek.

this is how I plan on setting up the harware and the overal look of the case. I just need some advice on some ways to make this a battlefield theme. Also do you think it is a bad idea to have a cd-rom drive vertical? If so I would apreciate any suggestions about the placement.

Hey thanx for the reply. I didnt think putting in a vertical drive would be a good idea (thanx for reasurring me) so i am going to make a flip down panel on the very bottom of the front that hides the drive. I cant install it in under the front door because i just dont have enough room inside the case. It will hit the ram and most likely not help coolin, if you know what i mean. This is going to be an air cooled system because it will be for strictley lan use. Ill probably make the front door a little shorter sence i really dont need much room for a 6in. lcd and some switches. That will also alllw me to use a 120 mm in the front like I had hoped. Ill have to play with sketchup a little more to be sure. Oh the frame inside of the case is going to be removable, via the top, so working or upgrading this thing wont be such a pain. This frame will hopefully house a full atx motherboard and powersupply as well as the hardrives.

Thanx agin for your replies and more are welcome (hint hint)

I think I may do something like this. What do u think? (thanks for the front door idea). It will be placed all the way to the left to stay away from the motherboard and give room for some usb ports.


Yes that big white box on the bottom is the powersupply, I couldnt find any other place taht it will fit and still give me a rear case fan and not hit the cpu fan or be right over top of it. its okl on the bottom I guess?? Atleast it wont be the only thing you see from the top window!!

This case is my first experience with sketchup but i have used CAD a bunch of times.

I started cutting out the plates that go behind the front a rear doors. It takes forever with a dremel. I need to find a jig-saw.

This is the basic idea for the back of the case. The tabs will be bent and the plate will be rivetted to the case. (helps with the militay/battlefield theme.) I figured I would start on the back to learn the best way to do the front.

SHould I use the same color for the case or go with a desert camo? Desert camo represents BF2 more then a plain olive green. What do u think? Although, the olive green that it was painted with was pretty cool. Maybe I should have left the paint on there???? It was some strong stuff, took me almost 3 quarts of paint stripper and way to many hours of work.

Im still having a mental block trying to think up some ORIGINAL ideas to pull off the Battlefield look. I figure I will throw on some rust and keep all of the dings in the case to help it along. I could use any suggestions if you have some. (normally I am not this questioning/needing ideas from others I just cant figure this one out.)

Thanks again for the replies, it makes the forums worth coming back too.

-Do you think this should go under the worklog threads? I seem to be updating my mod for then asking questions lol!

A stealthed cd rom drive would be cool but the only proble is the area where i would have to stealth. It is quite curved and has a few other obsticles like the motherboard. I only have a 1 3/4 inch gap between the cdrom drive and the side panel. That means I have to fit the motherboard tray and the motherboard in that gap with some room to spare for the power and led connections.

Heres some pics

Do you think I have enough room for all of that?

Heres a pic of the back plate that is still onder constuction. I also have to add the back door on.

Well I have decided to start up this project again sence I have som tax money:twisted: (thank you federal government.) I dont have the pics for the missing images so Ill try to post some newones asap.

Just to recap on what has been done:
-Pain..,, I mean paint removed (alot of work i might add):dead:
-The rear and front doors cut and remounted.
- ahh.. I guess thats it lol.

A|Ill add some pics later tomorrow to show where im at.

Dan The Geek

Admin: feel free to move this to works in progrees if needed.

Here are the pics Crimson. lol

These are of my design I did in sketchup almost 6 months ago. It has a removable frame from the back(almost like a removable MB tray but everything comes out except the power and accessory buttons, front fan, and DVD ROM.

Ill take some pics of the actual case later and try to post them to show my progress. Thanx for viewing

Dan The Geek

Here are the pics as promissed. I had to borrow a camera, my olo one was acting up. Oh well.

The case looks very scratched up but it is just the flash. I also want to note that the crome molding will be sanded and painted. Its not on atached well either, just a little glue, but It will get the royal treatment on the final attachment. It will also follow the edges of the case more evenly.

Thanks agiain
Dan The Geek

Well I plan on using the top as an access to the parts on the inside. I hope to have the motherboard tray removable by only a couple screws but we well see:rolleyes: .

As for the rear vents for the PSU and FAN... Im not sure lol. I did plan on drilling a few holes in the rear door and the bottom and top of the door is open to allow for exhaust. Besides that Im not sure. Any suggestions would be cool.

Thanx for the comments, I love the look of the BIG rivets, almost tank like in person. The molding will be sanded and painted the color of the case. I will probably flatten it a little more so its not quite as rounded, and it will deffinetly follow the lines of the case( I like crisp edges.)

Well it looks like monday will be the day to start this agin. I hope to build most of the inner frame then.

Thanx again, Dan The Geek

Oh almost forgot, I did a little more tweaking with my sketchup and decided a full atx MB is a must. This also shows how all the doors should work when finished.

How do I move this to works in progress?

Well I got a bit bored a few minutes ago and decided to see if I could make a ruff design of what I hope for in the final paint job.

This is what I came up with. Used a bit of filtering and airbrush with gimp

Im not sure how i will get the effect:think: .

Well jopefully tomorrow ill stop waisting time with pictures and start on the real thing ;) . Oh well..

Any comments welcome.

Danthegeek

Well ive looked all over for this logo but I cant find a printable version of it anywhere (or at least close enough). Yes I have googled, any help would be great finding one. Thanx

Heres the logo im lookng for:

This was all I could find after a quick look:

Well I got home from work tonight and a little package from dogtagsonline.com was sitting on the steps. I think they will be a great addition to the theme.

:smoker: :smoker: :smoker:

I got bored and played with sketchup

I think this mod has taken a turn. I see it no longer as a battlefield 2 mod, but rather a military theme. I just dont see it working out well as a BF2 theme unless I paint it desert camo and throw on some hidden elements from the game (tank numers, etc.) oh well.. Maybe ill stick to the plan on my future Battlefield 2142 mod (hint .hint..;) ):D

I think I can use a few ideas from this. It looks cool.. lol
IDEAS

Well I have a few more toys for this mod.

The first one is a pair of speakers that ive had for ages. They work great and they are light duty so I should have no problem running them off of a PSU. The speakers are only 2 inches in diameter and they should fit nicely in the lid of the case. After-all, what good is BF2 without some sound.

The second one I made. Its a switch box that I can turn on and off 4 devices that use molex connectors. Its not done, I need to tighten the switches and line everything up but it works great

Front view

Rear view showing the connectors

A working view

WARNING: PICS LOOK LIKE CRAP. I was in my dark basement and my camera would blow-out the image with flash and I didn't have a good spot light I could use.

I have some pics of some progress I have made. Not much but all for the better.

I scraped the molding idea because it looked like crap. Instead, The doors will be completely flush and even to the case. Im using bondo to make everything smooth and even.

I also decided to use some bondo to fill in the rounded areas on the back. This was just to give me a straight line.

I also made a new front panel.

Everything needs to grinded a bit, sanded, and bododed to get those perfect edges:) . I will fill in the open areas around the rounded parts with bondo as well.

Ill also be cutting a new door from anther cooler I have.

I received some fan grills from xoxide.com today. Well atleast two od the frills will be for fans:) .

These are the basic plain grills I thought would look good on the case. There are twoo of each size (120mm and 60mm)

Whats 60mm grills for, you ask? Well I needed matching grills for the speakers and they almost fit perfectly.8)

I think they will look good once painted black.

Thanks for viewing.

Almost forgot. I will also be making a power remote for this case but I am unsure of how it will be done. If you have any insight please post comments on that thread, not in this work log.

This is the design for the remote once finished,the c4 detonator, hopefully.

I started constructing my remote power switch that will look like the C4 detonator on Battlefiled 2.

I went to my local Home Depot and picked up this wireless and battery operated doorbell. Its made by Chime Design, model# WD-1120, and was only $10 U.S.

I first ripped the entire thing apart.

Secondly I wired the 5V relay I bought at radio shack to the receiver. I used solder and hot glue to insulate.

I then glued the receiver into a small project box I also picked-up at Radio Shack.

I wired the receiver to my pc using this diagram. No final pics because I was simply testing to make sure it works.

With a new remote power switch, I have to make this project box look like the detonator from BF2.

I plan on completing this box tomorrow; a little cutting and gluing should do the trick.

Comeback tomorrow to see the final results on the detonator.

Danthegeek.

WARNING To 56K

Ok I started my detonator today and actually finished but, it doesn't look like the one off of BF2. Its close but definatly not the same but I still like it. The best part is it only cost me about $20 to make in total.:D

Anyways some pics.

EDIT - I took a project box and wrapped it in foam insulator for pipes to give it a rubber feel.

I then started wraping the thing in some cloth I bought a wal-mart. it was cheap ($1 a yard).

I also decided to make an antenna for it using cloths hanger, a bic pen, and hot glue. No it is not functional, purely for looks.

I then cut out the needed holes in the metal plate. One hole for the on/off, one for the led, and the other for an off switch to save the batteries:) .

I then mounted the buttons and underside for the switch.

Ok, Finished. 8) I used some paint to give it a weird look but didn't work to good on the sticker. Paint seemed to dry before getting to it. Heres some final pics, but I still need to clear coat the top. I did paint over the Led because I burnt it out, ill stop at radio shack tomorrow and get another one.

Thanx for lookin

Dan the Geek.

Well, the more I looked at the detonator the less happy with it i became so I made a few modifications.

I got a new LED and a new switch.

I also made a new custom sticker with a few added features:D

and some fun pics :rolleyes:

Dogtags

The bullets are mine, just .22 caliber. I used about 150 of them in this pic:D . I bought them from an outdoor store a few months ago, but i cant remember the name of it.:think: . They were cheap so i picked up a box of 500.

I didnt get anything done today but i do have some pics as promised

This is the front view of the case. I used a little bondo to make the edges nice and straight. I will also be making a new door for this asap. I hope it turns out!

I did a little modding to the to the remote AGAIN. I needed some stripes so a little masking tape and a razer blade helped me out with this. Note it is all done freehand, not bad for my first time.

A night shot of the working led on the remote, Im not sure why i never posted any pics of this before.

Well, that is it for now. More work on this tomorrow.

Danthegeek.

Thanks for the comments. :banana:

As for the switch cover, I do still have both ones so I can choose which one to keep. Im more partial to the original one myself but, the striped one matches the remote from BF2

Thanks again.

danthegeek

Well I did some more work on my case today. I made the motherboard tray, well actually modified an existing one. It was take out of a cheapo $10 case:D . Since the tray and rear panel were in seperate pieces I riveted them together.

In this pic you can see the two pieces together. I also painted the thing to give a nice clean finish even though it will probably never be seen.:smoker:

In this pic you can see the two pieces of angled aluminum that was attached to the back of the MB tray. This is for structural support as well were the screws will hold the tray to the case.

And a quick preview of how this all fits in the case. Note that i am not dealing with much room left :rolleyes: .

I also tried to make the front door for the case but that didnt go so well. I dont have any pics of it because I got extremely frustrated with it, beat it with a hammer, and threw it in the woods.:hurt:

thanks again

-dantheggek

Well I cant get a worn look with sketchup so heres the color im thinkin about goin with. I know it looks a little off but trust me when I say, It will not on the real case :smoker: .

More work on it tomorrow.

I have a sketchup for the top panel and lid configuration

The speakers are to the right and a storage panel for wires to the left

A closer look at the panel

And a closer look at the logo for the top. The part in white will be cut out of the top piece and frosted plexi will be added. I will use white leds to make it glow.

Thanks again

Well I did a little bit of work on the case today. I did have to stop when the drill slipped and I cut my finger to the bone. But anyways some pics are what you guys want so here you go.

I mounted some 90 degree angled aluminum on the inner part of the case for some support and for the top panel to have a place to mount to.

Heres an overall picture of the case so far.

On the front panel you can see were I cracked the bondo from moving the face plate back. It wasnt straight enough and a little more bondo will have it looking pretty again.

I bet you cant guess how many rivets are in this case so far. :think:


The answer is : 42 and im not done yet. :dead: . I still have to rivet the hinges, latches, MB tray, hard drive cage, DVD rom cage, etc. Uhh

Anyway, I took the idea you guys thew in into consideration. But instead of having just the one class I came up with this.

This panel will display the overall kills and deaths for all of the classes in my account. I will just have to find an LCD and someone who can program very well. If not Ill just paint the current stats when the case is almost finished.

Im ok now that I took some good pain killer. It happened when I was drilling out a rivet on a 90 degree steel bracket. I didnt have enough room for pliers so I used my hand :dead: . I didnt have my hand over the rivet, just next to it but, the drill poped through the hole because I was using to much pressure and I hit My hand at full speed. Thats an 18 volt Dewalt as fast as it will spin. So I hit my middle finger and I started oozing blood. Dumb me, I wiped it off on my pants and wrapped it in masking tape so i could keep working. After about an hour the tape was soaked a dripping and I had blood everywhere. So I got some peroxide and cleaned it out. Thats when i noticed I went to the bone, I could see my insides, and I think I cut the tendon because I cant bend it well. Oh well, just anther story. 8)

Well Iv ordered A few parts that should be in this week.

The first parts I ordered was an on/off key to disable the remote start and the on/off switch on the case. This way I can keep tabs on everyone 8) .

I also ordered some switches for the on/off and reset.

danthegeek.

Key Start/Arm

Theres the link. They have all different kinds to chose from, just scroll down and you will see them. They are cheap to, just be careful of the $7 shipping. :D

Ok, I have some real updates for everyone. I got a good hour of work into this case today.

I re-cut the angled aluminum for the top plate support. The edges almost line-up but its good enoughh for government work 8) .

I also made the top plate for the case. That was probably the easiest part of all so far. My measurements were nearly dead on and I didn't screw up with the dremel once. :) I still have to trim the back plate to be flush with the top and I also have to drill the holes for the screws to secure the top.

Closer Look- Front

Back

I also took a pic with the door next to the case so you can get the idea of what it will look like.

I also bought a new toy today. I got the cut-off wheels EZ-Lock kit. Let me tell you, I will never go back to the old discs. Not only does it take 2 seconds to put on a new wheel, but they last alot longer as well. Im talking 3-4 times loger.

Well thanks for looking at my mod, I plan on attaching the front and raer doors tomorrow so dont stray far ;) .

-danthegeek

Well I have some good news, Im done the back panel.

I cut out the holes using my dremel and then threw on some red primer and flat black.

I then cut out the holes for all of the fan and Power Supply. (Tip: dont paint then drill holes, just creates more work :) ) Now I have to hit it with another cote of paint and some sandpaper.

Heres a pic with the top on and I still need to drill holes and mount this.

I decided to throw in some goodies so you can get the idea of how this is going together.

I also put some-more bondo on the front panel, I need to hit it with some sandpaper and the dremel.

I picked-up some hinges for the doors today. I think they are for gates so they should holdup well and they also seem to hollow the lines of the case.

Thanks for viewing and comments welcome, good or bad :)

-danthegeek

Thanks for the comments everyone. I got a little bit of work done yesterday but I have to go to work soon so Ill post an update tonight or tomorrows.

Ookazoo- The rivets are just the biggest pop-rivets I could find at my local hardware store. Im not sure as the size because I have sense thrown away the packaging but When I get somemore Ill let you know. With sketchup..., well I would say Im that good but just practice with it. The hardest thing for me is the switch from AUTOCAD. Sketchup seems to be a little more deifficult at making it do what you want and to make everything semitransparent click "View", "face style", then "X-ray." under the menu bar.

Thanks again everyone.

-danthegeek

Edit-

Well I decided to throw in an update anyways :)

I worked on cutting out the design for the top plate. Behind the star and 4 rectangular holes will be frosted plexi, either red or white, but im not sure yet.

I didnt finish cutting the holes because I got distracted. It turns out the star can be used as a weapon. Ninja Star TIME. (yes I did actually throw it from about 10 feet away.)

I also came up with this design for the HD cage.

I got the aluminum bent for the supports and ley me just say, bending 1/8 inch thick aluminum is not easy task by hand. I had to do both at the same time so I would get the bends right.

I still have to cut out the angled pieces for the bottom and the drill holes for the mounting screws for the HDs and the case.

thanks again.

-danthegeek

Well another Update.

I finished the cut out of the top plate. The only thing is I screwed up but no worries. I think I will use thin red plexi for the stripes that go trough the center of the rectangles. It should look good, maybe enven better :rolleyes: .

I also finished the HD cage. I decided to go with 2 instead of 3 sense thats all I will need for a raid 0.

And some paint.

I will try to update again tomorrow but its finals week at college :dead: . Dont be suprised if I disapear for a few days.

-danthegeek

Well everyone, modding is on hold for a few days. I hurt my back earlier today and Im in bed now, all I did was bend down and BOOM. Shooting pains, I fell to the floor and couldnt move or breath and my father didnt know what was wrong, as I couldnt talk. I laid there, my father had to pick me up and put me on the couch. Yes I did cry, first time in a few years, but that was by far the worst pain I have every experienced in my life. Im on some godly (yes, godly, they are that good) pain killers now so I can move around.

Anyways I should get back to this in a few days

-danthegeek.

EDIT-

I almost forgot to tell everyone about my new toys. Today my dad went to a military show and picked me up a couple of ammo boxes. I dont have a pic of the big one as its not cleaned-up yet but, its about twice as tall as this one.

Thus should make for a cool HTPC.

A micro atx motherboard and power supply fit perfectly.

And a pic to show you the size. The frame behind it is a micro atx case and my everyday pc behind that is a mid-tower

I shall start another worklog for this one soon. It should only tajke me a few days to complete.

-danthegeek

Well I am officially starting again. My plan is to have this done by Saturday so I can go to N.J. to meet some other TBCS members.

Here is where I stand at 30% done.

Well I dont know if I will make it or not but I will give it a hell of a try.

I have to cut a new front door and get another lid but thankfully I have a donor for the parts.

Things Left to do:

-mount HD cage
-mount lid, front door, rear door.
-Install latches and hinges
-install speakers in the lid
-mount front switch box and key start
-finish remote start
-mount cd rom drive
-install handles
-fill holes in the sides of the body
-cut front fan hole
-Finish bondo work
-paint, paint, paint, and paint.

Ok I have some pics

The damage!!!!

The paint

Top view

I still have alot of work so i dont know if I can complete it or not

-danthegeek