You guys and your kind words keep me going with this mod
Update 11 - Working On The Front
So it's time for me to update. i didn't do much work the last couple days, but today I got some supplies and put them to use.
The work I did a couple days ago, without updating, was to make some holes for the power and reset switches as well as the HDD LED.
So the first thing I did was to mark out the holes I had to cut:
The top two are 1/2" for the switches, and the bottom 3/16" for the LED.
And after what happened to be far harder than I had predicted, the holes were made:
I first cut a 1/4" guide hole in the center of the two larger holes, then took a 1/2" bit to enlarge the holes.
And then I test fitted the switches and LED:
They fit. Too bad I can't attach them until after I paint the frame.
Anyway, as I said earlier I got some supplies today:
Mouse traps, for their springs, and some bonding paste, which is like bondo, only it cures faster.
So I dismantled a mousetrap, took the spring and lever, and bent it to a shape I could use:
This shape will allow me to mount the spring to the frame.
And for my next process I have no WIP picks. Sorry I just forgot to take them.
First I took a piece of steel and cut it to fit inside the frame. This would be to hold the spring in place. I drilled 2 holes for rivets through the hinge and frame and steel to hold it together with the spring and mount between the steel and frame. I then riveted the pieces together.
Here are the pics of what that ended up looking like:
The front.
The back. As you can see the bar the spring is attached to extends out behind the steel and bends around. This is to prevent it from being pulled out.
The I discovered that two rivets weren't enough and the steel was flexing with the spring. So I drilled two more holes, and added in the rivets to reinforce the steel. The rig works like a charm, and the door opens very quickly:
Open, and held so by the spring.
Closed, being held that way by the steel latch.
So I once again borrowed my mom's good camera and took some high quality photos of the case:
So although it wasn't a huge amount of work it was very necessary, and quite useful. My next step is to remake the support for the motherboard tray, and then to make the reverse side panel from sheet aluminum. Then I will fill the gaps in the corners of the frame, followed by painting the frame. Then I'll continue on with my trusty to do list.
To Do
- Make new support for mobo tray
- Bondo and paint frame
- Make power and reset buttons
- Make the rest of the paneling (reverse side)
- Make easy open holding system for side panel
- Paint frame and panels
- Make fan holes wherever needed
Thanks for reading, and I hope to be done this build in under two weeks.
Cheers.