Window!

[dfigravity]

He's not kidding, i had 2 cheapies burn out on me, one was inside the case for a while afterwards and had slightly burnt the top of the case

I have found the Ultra brand of UV CCFL's to be top notch...bright as hell too.

[DaveW]

If our resident plastic expert, Tybrenis, catches this thread then i'm sure he'll be able to drop in with some more information.

Tybrenis saves the day! Seriously though, this guy knows his ****.

Lexan is polycarbonate, which emits most visible light until 400nm where it cuts off, cutting off all UV light transmission. I think you might still get an effect, but no UV can truly pass through lexan. Now, polymethyl methacrylate (or acrylic), however, transmits light down to 300nm, allowing UV to pass through no problem.

You're going to have a hard time making your paint adhere to an acrylic window, and with the UV paint it will never be truly clear. I just want you to know that before you invest too far into it - you'll always see a faint outline at the least without lights on.

For trying to paint acrylic, it can be done, but its a bit tricky. Just go in very very light passes, and make the first few practically a dusting. Allow them to fully dry, so you have a basecoat down for the restof the paint to adhere to. You want to paint over the paint, not the acrylic. So just do 4 or 5 quick quick dustings of paint. If it isn't enamel or lacquer based paint, it will wash off. So, seal it with a good clear acrylic spray paint like Krylon Crystal Clear etc. Use similar steps painting this onto the window, as it will not adhere well to the acrylic either.

-Dave

[Ookazoo]

First . . . some pictures!

The cut. The ugly bump on the right side is where the latch came out, I will file that down later.

The other side (notice protective masking tape)

The fuzzy jigsaw, at the scene of the crime

I am very stoked to have finished this cutting part, the jigsaw noise is scary! To cut on the narrow sides I found a piece of wood that was as tall as the edge for the jigsaw to rest on. Even though the jigsaw wasn't directly against the metal, the blade was long enough to cut no problem. Unfortunately, the corners are messy, but I'm new at this, and I have enough room to file them out. Next step is to file it all to perfection, then paint it with enamel.

Tybrenis, thank you for your insight. When I think about it, it doesn't really matter if UV light goes the the lexan or not, because I'm only concerned with the visible light that comes out when things react to the UV. I shall have my facts correct next time. Also, thank you for the paint advice, I wouldn't have figured that out otherwise.
Will non-washable liquid paint stick better or worse? (see krystally's links)

Dfigravity, thank you for the UV CCFL advice. I was looking at those before, and now I have confirmation.

That wraps it up for todays edition of "Simplest Mod Ever," I'll post more pictures when more happens.

[tybrenis]

The paint that you mentioned might work a little bit better than a waterbased paint, but the difference will be nominal. As long as you go slow and take your time with ultra thin coats, either paint will be absolutely fine. Just don't forget to clearcoat.

[Ookazoo]

Hi everyone! I have an update on the window's progress!

Pictures:

I used this enamel to seal the raw metal from the cut, the color is to match the case

This is the newly painted window hole

I filed the edges to make them nice, and they're straight enough. I used a dremel tool on the curves, because it was round and it filed faster. Once this drys, I'll glue the lexan on! For that I plan to use 5-minute epoxy mixed up in a cup and distributed with a foam brush. Does that sound good? Tybrenis, will that 5-minute epoxy work with lexan and steel? The next step will be to order the UV paint and lights.

This quite simple mod is winding down, I'm excited!

[Ookazoo]

I've FINISHED!

picture time!

Front side, unfortunately the lighting isn't optimal

This is the back side, notice how the lexan doesn't cover the whole thing, I'll explain that later

This is a flash shot of the computer when its off. It kinda sucks.

This is a no-flash shot of the computer when its on. The light in there is coming from LEDs on the motherboard and in the power supply

The reason why the lexan is offset is because I cut the hole too close to the edge. Otherwise it would have been to fat to fit against that piece of metal, and a real hassle to fix. Overall, I am very pleased. The curvey corners turned out nice, and the enamel was perfect. I will order the UV CCFLs as soon as I can, along with some UV paint to go with it.

EDIT: Unfortunately, no Ultra brand UV cold cathodes are on the internet, so would this be good? What about this? Keeping in mind that I plan to install my own switch and cutting up a molex would be an inconvenience.

My dad suggested putting a mirror at the bottom to reflect out more light, what do you think?

[Ookazoo]

Update Party!

I ordered this UV light. I liked that one because it has the cool control over the flashing of the LEDs. I would have gotten the Ultra brand CCFLs, but they were out of stock.

I got this UV paint. I will follow tybrenis' advice (thank you) for painting it. I'm kinda bogged down with school for the next few weeks, so it'll be a while till I get the chance to work on it.

I'm a little worried though. Will the UV paint be clear enough to be acceptable on the lexan?

[DaveW]

Try it on a scrap piece. It's the only way to be sure.

-Dave

[Ookazoo]

Well I don't have a scrap piece, but there is a little edge that doesn't show (see above pictures). I'll use that.

What do you guys think of the meteor lights?

[Eclecticos]

Kewl, That turned out preddy good. +Rep
If I were you Id put a circle and a fan on there somewhere. Say 120mm?i!

What are meteor lights?