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Here's some photos of my finished computer. If you want to see how i made it, then the whole worklog is here, from start to finish. Enjoy!
-Dave
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Right! It’s time for me to get down to posting some of my work. I’m sure forum regulars have noticed me hovering around, offering advice, giving my opinion, but never actually seeming to do any real work.
Well, here we go. Because of uni and my job I rarely have time to get down to doing anything creative, and spend a lot of my time on trains and so forth talking about doing it more than actually making something. When I joined these forums, I didn’t really know much about the world of modding, or about the world of electronics. Since then I’ve been inspired by a million amazing mods, and now it’s my turn, hopefully, to inspire someone else.
My mod project is no small undertaking. It involves modding 2 cases and then a lot of hardware hacking and so forth in order to make a gaming computer and a mini-server, both of which can control a variety of different things around my home. They’ll be attached to a wireless network running 3 other computers, and the theory is that at the end of the day I’ll have power over pretty much everything from a single chair.
Sounds ambitious for a first time mod? Well, it is bit, but i have a plan. First, I’ve set up a dingy workbench in my cellar. I’ve borrowed and bought a cheap set of tools, and I’ve studied electronics. Having not done anything practical, this is my first 'real' foray into the world of computer modding, and I plan to document it well for all to see.
My Dingy Cellar.
My Shelves and laptop.
So how do I plan to do this? I’ll to keep it simple:
Stage 1 : Gaming Box
A Modded box for my hardware.
Stage 2: Fallout Mini-server
A miniserver with a Fallout themed mod.
Stage 3: Integration
The final goal. Wiring, signal amplifiers, constructing KMV switches-the nasty shizeny.
You’re looking at Stage 1, the gaming box. As it’s my spring break, I want to get as much done as I possibly can, because the next big chance I get is going to be 2 months away after my exams.
My case naked...microwaves, look away now! Televisions, cover your IR ports! Shocking 010101 Rated stuff here!
My aims here, are hopefully to make a decent mod with the basic tools available to me, and to learn techniques with an easy mod that I can carry on to stage 2. I’m also making a website based on this mod, which is part of my assessed coursework. It’s due in 3 weeks time, so I’ll be making the website along with the case (I doubt I’ll get the whole case finished in 3 weeks, but if you don’t aim high, you’ll never hit it!) for which I’ll need 3 suckers…erm I mean helpful forum peeps to look at and help fill in a questionnaire. (Bleh)
I’ve started off stage 1 with a PSU mod, the PSU being the only piece that I’m certain about at the moment. I’m still drawing up the plans for the rest, but I’m not sure how much each part will cost and therefore how much I can get done.
The PSU mod consists of putting some Orange LEDs inside, feeding off the 5volt always on wire. First, I took apart the PSU, and removed the chipboard and the switch. Then I de-soldered the switches, and removed them. Using a permanent marker, I drew up my plans for the box, and using my cheap knock off dremmel I set to work hacking it to pieces. Remember Kids, old man says always wear eye protection! I’m a sucker for safety, they say. But they’re blind now, so haha.
The first cut
The pattern on the side of the PSU. This will be visible through the window.
Back on track! (Gee, I can really talk!) I was well into the first part, and hacking away through my second part, when my cheap dremmel knock off decided it didn't like me enough to keep working. This is probably the first time ever a cutting disk has lasted longer than the drill. Grr!!! So i tried fixing it with some foil but the foil got destroyed by either temp. or vibrations and came out as poweder. So don't try and use foil to make a dremel bit fit into a dremel knock off. Does anyone have any ideas about how to get those stickers off the damn metal? It leaves behind a damn mess that not even sanding seems to get rid off. Anyway, i filed down the edges of what i had done, and those came out allright.
Now that I have this part sorted out, I want to get into my plans for the rest of the case. The inards of my case are getting painted orange with gloss, and all outer bodywork with matt black. There’s a theme of orange LED’s throughout, with Orange Perspex and black mesh helping to add tone. At the front, I’m trying to veer away from the standard lights and dials type of feedback, and instead go for something less practical and more…organic you could say? I’ll post my plans later (I’m still in the cellar. It’s cold down here, but we Scotsmen are hardy folks ). I need to contact someone who gave a quote for the panels for both of the cases, the Fallout and the Gaming case. I’m just trying to work out if I can save money and work by just using what I’ve got here. I’ve acquired some flat side panels, and if I can get my hands on some Bondo, I reccon I could simply use that and then not have to worry too much about anything else. I’ll have to go to B&Q and have a look.
Right, that’s enough for now. I’ve not said everything that I wanted to say but it looks like I’ll be here all night as it is. So I’m posting this and then getting to work on my website, and I’ll next get some modding done on Monday. By that point, I’m hoping to have my drawn plans finished, and I’ll be posting them. I also hope to have removed any remaining stickery stuff.
-Dave