LotusBlossom

[amberella]

first off..... a little something to introduce myself.

i am still awaiting the arrival of the actual **case** that i will be working with for this project, but i'm dying to do something. so i ... um ... MODDED my monitor.
"modded in all capital letters? that's craaaaazy!" you say. well, when you see what i've done i think you'll understand just what kind of mad skillZ you're dealing with here. ok, before:

that's right people. i was poor and in college, and the monitor was a gift from my parents. at least it's a step up from CRT. well, that was then.
THIS IS NOW!!!!!

yeah, be-atch! flip back and forth a couple of times so you really get the full effects of my master craftsmanship.

ha. ok. if you're still reading this and i haven't lost ALL credibility already.... here's an outline of what i'm going to do, and also some pics of me testing one process.

THE OVERVIEW
i'm moving a few old parts and several new parts (nothing mind blowingly spectacular) into a new system that i'm going to use as a rather low-traffic webserver for two websites that i run and all my mail and other goodies. (gotta love the Gentoo, people) i'll be working with an all crystal clear, acrylic mATX case and adding a few more drives than the case manufacturer suggests, but not adding any PCI cards because i really don't need screaming fast graphics for my command line. i'm looking forwards to the challenges of working with the tight space and the nowhere-to-hide aspect of the acrylic. note: many HUGE thanks to those who have been posting to help me sort out my cooling issues <3 you rock.

this is what's going in the box:
mATX socket 754 sempron 2800+ mobo
CD-R
3.5" Floppy & 8-1 Card Reader
2 HDDs
5.25" Fan/Light controller
230W mATX PSU
2 80mm intake fans
1 120mm outflow

because all my hardware is separated into three zones: 1. motherboard/cpu heatsink, 2. PSU, and 3. drives , with no extra gobbledygook, i got the idea to sheath each of the three areas in a thin box.

see what i mean:
side view (old version on left, improved version on right)
front view (old version)

the zone with the motherboard will be surrounded with a white holey mesh (maybe metal, not sure yet) that will allow plenty of airflow but still visually obsure the board's components. OH - unless the motherboard arrives to me and it's purple. i think it might be purple. cuz that would rock and i would totally leave it uncovered to go with the theme..... don't be scared. the other two areas will be covered with super-thin wooded cubes (think balsa) with slightly rounded corners. each of these will be all white. all the cables are white. the fans are white-translucent. everything will be covered in a superhard, supershiny epoxy layer that will create an ipod sort of surface. that's right - it's a clear case with all white glossy insides. this is because when i first saw acrylic cases with all the components showing, i thought it was the coolest thing ever, but now i feel like i've been there done that (no offense to anyone) and i'd like to do something a little different.

but in the end, that miiight get kind of boring. so i've got some UV paint that dries very close to clear. (that totally needs to be tested cuz if it sucks i have to rework this idea) i've read the reviews, people, you don't have to tell me that some people have had problems. i'm gonna try to figure something out with it. sooo assuming it does actually work, i'm going to paint traditional style lotus blossoms in UV green and purple in a few strategic places and do some other decorating. anyway ... i don't want to talk out of my ass yet if the UV paint gets all messed up. so while i wait for the UPS man to pay me a visit, i tested an idea that i totally decided against. but hey - that's part of the process!!! i was **going** to cover the drives themselves in very thin acrylic, and then paint that white and epoxy it. but... i realized grouping the components together made the look cleaner, easier to pull off, and provided more channels for airflow. oh, and i will also be working in a more, um, workshoppy area than my livingroom in the pics. but The L Word was on!

without any more ado... the pictures of things that will completely not be in the final project. yea!!!

practice safe modding!

laying out the design and measurements

uncovering the cut acrylic (it was really thin, i could use a utility knife)

i should really do my nails.

right angles are our friends!

testing size of first mock-up. this is the point when i said, "DUH i should, like, cover all the drives at ONCE!" ha. ha.

okokok...

it will be cool. i promise.

amberella.

[amberella]

so now that i'm NOT sitting with no power in the middle of hurricane force winds, i thought i might finally get around to doing some test painting. overall, i'm quite happy with the method that i used and the final results, although the one OBVIOUS problem was that there is some "fuzz" around my stencil lines which is easily fixed with some spray adhesive when i'm stenciling. no biggie. at any rate...

so i'm planning on having these all white covers inside my clear case, which have some UV art that is invisible unless the UV lights are on. here's the image/theme i'm going to use, it's a lotus blossom. they're pretty. also, i've been saying that i'm going to get a lotus blossom tattoo on my neck for like 5 years now, so this should placate me for a while.

this was achieved through a high tech method called "tracing against a window." works great. i actually traced it really thinly and then beefed up the lines later based on where i though the positive/negative cuts would look best later.

i placed this transparent template plastic (meant for quilting i think) on top of my traced picture and cut out where necessary with an exacto knife.

this is at a bit of an angle or you can't see the stencil at all. it matches nicely.

test board i painted white. in the future i'd spend more time sanding priming and preping but i really just wanted to get to the painting!

stencil on the board, ready to go.

the UV paint i'm using.

this is a big UV light i had left over from high school, when apparently i thought that at any moment my bedroom might turn into the best club ever and demand some high quality lighting scheme....

painting like this is so boring....

but painting like this is COOL!

random art shot. moving stuff around.

the big reveal

like i said, a light spray adhesive would have solved that fuzzy problem. the parts where the lines are crisp do look nice though, just what i was going for. one comment... this is supposed to be PURPLE and green, not BLUE and green, but maybe if one had their blue paint next to it then this would look purple. in fact, in the picture it looks more purple than it does in person. i dunno. i was also really happy that the WHITE board didn't glow like crazy under the UV light. that was one thing i was testing for. also, i left two of the green leaves uncovered and painted over them with the purple to see what would happen. surprisingly (or not, as purple and green are almost complementary), it created kind of a soft whitish glow, something that would be very useful for highlighting later.

the board in the light again - the UV paint is entirely clear. kinda makes me want to paint all over my apartment just before i move out....

comments? and don't say the fuzz!!!!

:p amberella

[amberella]

well as i said i would, i got some spray adhesive to fix my overspray lines and the results were great. also, i created two templates that would have some overlap to control where the highlighting would be. take a look.

penciled shading to decide what goes on what template.

side by side and on top of each other.

useless but fun action shot. i should play some grateful dead or something when i paint UV.

layer one done

both layers

more realistic coloring. yea!

i need some ideas of other things that would go with this theme to use as borders, etc. i thought japanese symbols, but too overdone. dragons? maybe a little violent for me. i like the asian zen theme i'm going with.... suggestions?

:p amberella

[amberella]

On a side note, there is an incredible Japanese garden and gallery near my house that I went to this weekend with my girlfriend. If you're still working on this mod, I could go shoot some reference photos for you, there are some great scenes there to shoot. Great flat stones creating a walkway across the pond leading to an island with a wooden bridge and a huge artificial waterfall. Very neat place.

Wow - that would be awesome if you're already gonna be there. I actually finished a 70mm fan cover that i did an Ouroboros design around the fan hole and then kind of..... "japanese dragonized" it. I'm very happy with the results... must post pic. And I love your photo and idea, btw. Definitely something I could work with.

a standard ouroboros design (just for reference so you know what I'm talking about ... the one I drew is more "hefty" and has talons in the style of a traditional japanese dragon design and some small wings just cuz i like 'em and cuz i wanted a slight celtic influence):

In other news, I wanted to drop in and explain my absence since this worklog began:

1. Was looking for a job/moving to Manhattan - very time consuming flying back and forth and pretending to be all stuffy and businesslike.

2. During job search, current firm closed (like, forever) and so I will be officially out of a job in 2 weeks. Job search intensified.

3. My current firm's sysadmin (and entire IT dept... and friend) decided to start a consulting firm for other brokerages/businesses down here, based on all the work offers he's had over the last few months. And (drumroll, please) he's asked me to partner with him on the venture. =D So I will be doing the web design, custom app coding, etc. in addition to all the financials (accounting, balance sheets, CFO stuff). I actually wrote some software for my current now-defunct firm that was ready to be deployed THE MORNING they closed, lol. So..... source code... mine.

THE MAIN REASON..... VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED

4. You might remember that I had this whole ipod-y box idea, which was going really well. I was cutting out all the pieces when - WHAM - utility knife slipped and i sliced through my thumb. Like -THROUGH my thumb. No exaggeration. Longways from the knuckle through the nail and out the front tip. It was connected by a tiny little piece of skin. So emergency room and 12 stitches and a lot of Perkoset later, I'm down to a bandaid now and can almost bend it. Yikes. Watch out kids, don't play with knives. I was gonna post a picture for you here, but I didn't want anyone to be like, "dumbass.... you shouldn't have been cutting like that..." which is, of course, true - but you know when you think "I just have one tiny little thing to cut just this once......" Yeah, it sucked hardcore.

At any rate, I'm settling down again and ready to start work again, so come back and check out my progress, and I'll post the dragon pics soon.

Thanks for reading, everyone!!

amberella :p

[amberella]

RE: Hurricane

That sucks! Apocolypse planning can be fun if you have enough weapons at your disposal.

RE: Pics of my thumb

Yea.... it is healing so well right now that i think it's not even that gross anymore. half my thumbnail still may fall off though, so i could post that! sidenote: i ran into this guy that i occasionally play shows with (i play guitar) and he was like, "what happened to you, you dropped off the face of the map" and i just held up my thumb. the look on his face was priceless. i can't press the buttons on a remote yet, let alone hold down a bar chord. se la vie.

amberella

[amberella]

Quick question: Is that the same dragon as the tattoo on Scully's back in the X-Files?

nice catch (or did my signature quote give it away??)! I think that graphic may be the same one. The one I drew (not posted yet) is different. But yes, Scully's tattoo was indeed my inspiration. I've been a crazy obsessive x-phile since the show started in 93. jesus - now i feel old.

oh, and thanks for the compliments. it'll rock if i can get back to work.

amberella :p

[amberella]

:omg:

PRAISE RANDOM DIETY OF YOUR CHOICE - I FINALLY HAVE POWER & INTERNET AGAIN ... i couldn't get a hot shower OR slashdot for a WEEK!!!!

once again here's me...

like - wtf??!! the universe soooo hates me. bonus, though, of being bff with the sysadmin - the first day after the hurricane that we were actually allowed back in the office, he told everyone that the generator was running low on diesel and he had to shut it down and have everyone go home. then we came back, fired that sh*t up, watched movies on the CEO's big screen tv, and drank 3 bottles of 1986 merlot he found in the server room, lol.

anyways --- thank you all so much for your kind words, let me see if i can respond accordingly:

congrats on the upgrade to a Feature!

yeah thanks, i totally didn't even notice that until you said something. i should really get my ass back to work!!!

GO 'WAY, WILMA!

see above - yeah, i hear ya. everything here is destroyed. there's trees everywhere, traffic signals in the middle of the street, police curfews and crap - totally teh sux0r! oh - and the damn NIN concert was cancelled. and i had floor tickets!!! grrrrr!

I think I'm in love...

sweet! i just broke up with my girlfriend last night, and i'm super excited to be single! pass the dirty martinis, please!

A pretty girl that wants to turn her room into a bar, works in IT, plays guitar and enjoys modding!
Where do I stand in line for your number...

well apparently you're second now, after phreak99, lol. maybe i'll whip up a quick PHP app to apply..... did i mention that i also dyed my hair hot hot pink and play a kickass game of pool? yeah - i rock .... :p .

What was the name of the transparent/uv reactive paint you used? And do you know where to purchase it online?

it was clearneon, which i was warned against, but ended up being fine. c'est la vie.


sooooooo

i think that's it for me for now, as you can see just recently got back my internet connection, so i'll be online more now. and i'm gonna do some work tonight since y'all are so encouraging!

thanks, rock on, peace out, etc, ad infinitum

[amberella]

aloha! so, news:
upgrades: i have a stable internet connection!
downgrades: i no longer have a kickass digital camera so i apologize if these are not the bestest quality ever, but they should suffice. hey .... at least i finally have some new pics to share!

this is just a basic mock up to show you the case itself - and might i add that while there's plenty of room vertically and in front of the motherboard sideways, fitting those IDE cables by the power supply is ROUGH in that upper area:

here is the most basic idea of what i'm going for... you can see that my goal is to enclose the stack of components in this thin wood box (there's already acrylic there, so it's not affecting airflow, purely cosmetic) and give that box the finish that you see in my previous test posts. that lotus blossom is evenutally going on that nice clean expanse of wood right there. also, there's going to be a fan in the bottom of the cube (and the back is more open than the sides) to make sure there's no circulation probs.

next are some pics of the little fan cover i made for the CPU fan. it only covers the actual fan itself, not the heatsink, so it shouldn't warm anything up either. since most of the stuff i'm doing in this project is inside the case instead of, say, covering it's outside with skulls (still a noble cause if you're into that...), it's important that i don't interfere with anything actually WORKING, lol. i didn't take pictures of the stencils and everything like i did for the lotus blossom previously, but you can rest assured that the process was pretty much the same. overall, i'm happy with the way that this dragon worked out, but i might end up not using it anyway, as when it's actually inside the box it is already a tight fit, and i'm worried about running some cables around it. it seeeems to work as of right now, but we'll see. and see that shiny little glint on the lower right hand side? that's cuz it's all glassy from the thick, pourable epoxy. i'm so happy i thought to use that, it really looks awesome in person.

here's the motherboard. you probably can't tell (due to my parents' crappy digital camera i was forced to borrow) but it is a deep purple color. purrrrty. also, the lines of the dragon are actually nice and clear. again, camera. ugh.

soooo that's that for now, more later this week. i have the basic forms for all sides of my main cube area, which includes a front panel, so i am getting ready to really get my hands dirty .... next up:

• enlarging the back fan hole from 80 to 120mm
• mounting the fan bus and cutting the 4 corresponding knob holes
• procuring some appropriate length screws for the PSU ... the manufacturer's aren't quite long enough to compensate for the additional thickness of the acrylic case
• cut and add an additional HD slot for my second harddrive
  

oh, and last but not least:

my thumb! it's actually all healed and growing out now, so it looks pretty decent. you can still kinda see were it was cut in half.

and this last one is a joke, really. so... it goes out to who it goes out to, lol.

peace out, and goodnight.

amberella :p

[amberella]

As the resident naughty-painty-stencily-graffiti-artisty I feel obliged to A) congratulate you on a very nice stencil. And B) give you some tips!
firstly, reg marks! If you cut two little squares in the same place on each layer, you can line up the layers much more easily. 'but then you will have 2 little squares on the stencil!' well, if you're sensible you stick 2 little pieces of masking tape where the squares will be!
H

heya - yeah, i have marker dots that line up the stencils. and thanks!

ok so i am like the worst person ever for not finishing this damn project yet, but i am starting a new IT consulting biz right now (Blackwire LLC) and it is like sucking my time away from me. i know more about partnership taxation than anyone should at this point. here's an artsy-fied picture of me at work, doing a little routine maintenance on a some rack mounted servers:

HA! JUST KIDDING! (ok it is me and i am at work, but it was just a joke)

anyway - I prooooomise to finish this thing before the hardware becomes obsolete. ugh, i swear. at least my business is up and running (and profitable, so far!) and my thumb is healed!! it is back to 100% of it's previously thumby antics, and i only have a kinda-weird looking scar. c'est la vie.

-amberella

[amberella]

Your beautiful..... I mean your case roxxors all soxxors. No seriously looks good. Hope your thumb heals up, but seriously your hott....Im not a petififle either<.<

or am I? heh heh heh heh

somehow i missed this post when i was just reading stuff.

thanks for the compliment, i think, but i am curious as to your concern about being a petififle. as i'm sure you're aware, the spread of petififilia throughout this great nation threatens the very fabric of our core values - freedom, democracy, and access to all the pr0n your bandwith can take.... so please, should you feel even the slightest tendancies (petite-petififle, i believe that first stage is called), get help. for yourself. for america.

and i'm 23.

amberella.

ohhhhh waaaait ... i get it. you meant petiFIVEL .... the compusive need to watch "An American Tale." You gotta admit, that mouse is spunky!
http://www.gamehead.com.au/image.php?productid=83965