MythTV HTPC

[nevermind1534]

I got the same Dremel. On my NES, it was actually melting the plastic. My XPS didoesn't have any turbo buttons, but you can tell it in the bios, to run at the slower speed.

[The_Crippler]

I got the same Dremel. On my NES, it was actually melting the plastic. My XPS didoesn't have any turbo buttons, but you can tell it in the bios, to run at the slower speed.

It's funny you mention that, but I'll get there in a moment.


The good news is that I have been working this week, but the bad news is that it hasn't been anything overly picture-worthy. Therefore, this update is going to be text-only.

Pretty much it's been a lot of filing, sanding and gluing to get parts to fit together a little better. The problem with building a case from scratch from found parts is that some times, things don't fit together as flush as you'd like.

Also, I've got the bezel just about ready to go (Actually, that's one of the main parts that I'm trying to get to fit better.) I had to do some plastic cutting with that last night.

Two simple facts of life: 1.) If you have a routine, stick to it always. 2.) If you don't just one time, that's when things go wrong.

Usually, I make a point to touch an eyebrow before I turn on my Dremel. This is because, should I be wearing my safety glasses, I will hit those instead. I forgot this last night. This, coupled with the fact that I have a brand new and perfectly clear pair of safety glasses lead me to believe that they were already on. They weren't.

As mentioned above, this Dremel can melt plastic. I realized that I wasn't wearing my eyes about a half second before a glob of melted plastic flung up and hit my eyelid. Thankfully, it was the lid and not the eye itself. Non-the-less, it hurts to blink right now as I have a nice ruptured blister there.


Let this be a lesson to you guys and gals - We've all had those, "Oh, it's just for a second" moments with glasses, seat belts, etc. Sometimes, that can end badly. Just sayin'.



So, that's all for now. I promise that I'll have pictures next time. Thanks for checking back in.

[nevermind1534]

Usually, I make a point to touch an eyebrow before I turn on my Dremel. This is because, should I be wearing my safety glasses, I will hit those instead. I forgot this last night. This, coupled with the fact that I have a brand new and perfectly clear pair of safety glasses lead me to believe that they were already on. They weren't.

As mentioned above, this Dremel can melt plastic. I realized that I wasn't wearing my eyes about a half second before a glob of melted plastic flung up and hit my eyelid. Thankfully, it was the lid and not the eye itself. Non-the-less, it hurts to blink right now as I have a nice ruptured blister there.


Let this be a lesson to you guys and gals - We've all had those, "Oh, it's just for a second" moments with glasses, seat belts, etc. Sometimes, that can end badly. Just sayin'.

Now I'm thinking that maybe I should start wearing safety glasses when doing that kind of stuff. i know that when cutting the plastic on my NES and the window on the side of my server case, I had some stuff flying around that was too hot to touch.

[The_Crippler]

Yeah, you really should. Glasses are second nature to me after my dad putting them on me as a kid, and later in life, working jobs that I would be fired for not having them on.

Last night was a total brain fart, and I got lucky. Especially since I wear contacts, if that gob of plastic had gone in my eye, I would have been in a world of hurt.

[Dane Bramage]

impressive work. i'm considering a "from scratch" build, and i'm glad to see your work to give me some pointers on piecing stuff together.

[The_Crippler]

Glad you're liking it. Hopefully, the finished product will do it justice.


BTW, I have always gotten a kick out of your name. At least once a day when I'm on here, I say to myself, "Heh. Dane Bramage."

[Dane Bramage]

BTW, I have always gotten a kick out of your name. At least once a day when I'm on here, I say to myself, "Heh. Dane Bramage."

lol... that's funny. glad ya get a kick outta it.

i'm not very good with names and that one just kinda jumped out at me back when i was trying to come up with a good nick. and for anyone that remembers... it kinda dates me too

[DonT-FeaR]

lol glad im not the only one that says that to my self

[The_Crippler]

Alrighty, here we go for today's update.

As previously mentioned, I've been doing a lot of sanding, filing and "persuading" to get things where I want them. The biggie was getting the bezel affixed.

Here it is, held on with quick-clamps (love those things.) I had the side held on with duct tape as a matter of convenience. I did that a lot on this, since I knew I was going to have to do a lot of cosmetic work anyway - but seriously, don't. It leaves a sticky mess everywhere and makes your worklog look ugly.

At any rate, I fabricated a couple of plastic straps on the back of the bezel that would lie flat with the front of the case. The goal here was to use machine screws to affix it.

Now, since I'm going to be making the front bezel smooth, and put the air intakes at the bottom, I'm not going to need these vent slats to look pretty (they'll be putty'd over.) Therefore, I figured that the screw holes would be drilled and tapped much easier through the front rather than through the inside. I just powered straight through here, and did the same at the bottom. It was then screwed in place from the inside.

After exploring a few other options, I decided that the least nerve-wracking way to affix the side panel securely was with a few standard case screws. I know that it's not the norm, but it works and doesn't look bad. Also, I put a temporary screw in the top to hold that part of the outside together. This will be filled in later after I cut the planned blow-hole.

So there we go: I have a case. A bland, ugly case that needs a lot of pretty-making. That's the funny part about building a case from scratch - sometimes you can work on a project for a few weeks, just to get to the point where one normally begins.

I'd like to take a minute to address what I consider an oversight: One of the things that I'm most proud of is the size I got this case down to. I realize now that I never really gave much in the way of relative comparisons.

On the left is the type of case I took the parts from to make the body of this project. On the right is a baby ATX case. Notice that I got everything (except an optical drive, which I didn't need) from a full ATX case in to something slightly taller - but thinner - than a baby ATX. So far, that is what I'm considering the true accomplishment of this project.



Okay, on the way home tonight, I'm going to pick up some body filler and maybe get to work on the next chunk. I'm kind of up in the air on that, because I may need to wait until I order some parts. If so, I will be in a holding pattern until after payday next week.

[JohnyFive]

Looking good man, keep it up. +rep + /sub.

_'j5