The Interocitor - My First Mod

[klingelton]

hey ouch, gratz on getting into http://www.custompc.co.uk This edition! when i was reading the article, i was like "im sure i've seen this pc somewhere before!" now i know where! nice job on the mod too!

[F_A_F]

Yep, hope you enjoy all those prizes ^^

[Ouch!]

Originally Posted by m4gnum

Looked good in the magazine, I can't believe i missed it originally on here. How did you wire up the valves?

I tried loads of different ways to light up those old valves...the best way was to mount high intensity LEDs behind and let them shine through the glass!

Easy....

Ouch!

[Ouch!]

Originally Posted by DaveW

Woot! Well done! Didn't know you were a slap-head dude. I guess now we know why your case kicks ass so much, you're compensating.

:p

Just messing ya dude. Not like i've ever been published.

-Dave

Yes I'm a baldy!

Actually it's a solar panel for a sex machine!

Ouch!

[DaveW]

Lol...+rep for the good comeback.

-Dave

[Ouch!]

Custom PC Article

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Here's the draft of the article in case it's a bit fuzzy.....my scanner is crap!


[TITLE] THE INTEROCITOR MK. 14
[STANDFIRST] Keith Billinge combines an old military oscilloscope with modern PC hardware and ‘Secret Alien Technology’ to create a unique PC for LAN gaming.

I’ve had an interest in computers ever since I was at school, which for me is a little longer ago than I suspect it was for most of you reading this. I won’t say exactly how long ago it was but, to give you a clue, I was using a Commodore PET! Since that time, however, I have built several systems.

I’ve always loved computer games and I recently discovered online gaming. I’m now a member of a brilliant clan called DVDF (www.DVDF.net), which plays Call of Duty, CoD 2 and Battlefield 2, and it was through the members of the clan that I learned about LAN gaming. I duly signed up for my first LAN party, Multiplay i29, in November, which is an event in which over 1,000 people participate in multi-player gaming, all using their own PCs. I therefore decided that it was time to build my first, proper ‘modded box’ to show off at i29.

First I needed a theme, and because I play plenty of war-based games I wanted the PC to have a military look, and I also wanted it to look old. I read a lot of military history and Sci-Fi novels, and so I also wanted the computer to be a combination of these two genres. In short, I wanted it to be unique.

I didn’t have much money to spend on the project so I raided my spares box for most of the major components, including the CPU, memory and hard disk drive. As I planned to use a 350W PSU I wanted a graphics card that would be relatively energy-efficient, so I bought a Galaxy GeForce 7600 GT for £65 off eBay, which has enough oomph for my games. It also had a TV-out socket, which was essential for what would become one of the PC’s more interesting features; more on this later though.
I also bought a micro-ATX Abit NF95 motherboard, which I purchased as B-grade stock for £35 from an online retailer and a laptop-style, slot-loading DVD-RW, which I intended to fit to the top of the finished machine.

The next component to sort was the chassis, but I didn’t want to use a normal ATX case. After some time looking at different options I eventually stumbled across some old oscilloscopes, which really grabbed my interest. They were portable, chunky, and roomy enough to accommodate a decent-sized motherboard. But, better than this, they were covered in knobs switches and dials, which gave it retro look. I found the ideal ‘case’ on eBay; it was an old ex-military issue oscilloscope and I simply had to have it! The oscilloscope itself wasn’t expensive, but the postage certainly was.

After the oscilloscope had arrived and I’d had a chance to give it a thorough going over, I started to get plenty of ideas about how to progress. I eagerly set about stripping the beast but unfortunately found that it was full of dust and dead spiders!

Once I had cleaned out the detritus I had a better idea about how to go forward. First, I used a sheet of aluminium to form the rear of the case and then retrofitted and old motherboard tray from a discarded case. Then, remembering all my old metalwork classes from school, I sawed, cut, riveted, filed and soldered the thing together. All the main parts are hand made and the only tools I used were a drill, jigsaw and Dremel-style rotary tool.

Next, I installed a front audio panel, also recovered from an old case, and added black Perspex trimming to it. I then bought some LEDs and wired them to the front panel switches at the front, which gave a pleasing effect. I wanted to keep the front panel as original as I could and only use the existing switches to activate lights and fans, although I did wire-up the large voltmeter to show the hard disk drive activity. I also added some old valves to the main compartment, which provided an eerie, alien glow through the small side-panel window.

The next big job was to mod the oscilloscope screen, which was crying out to be customised to show a fuzzy picture of the Windows desktop. In order to achieve this effect I bought a 5.4in PS One LCD screen, which I then ‘hot glued’ into the opening behind the oscilloscope screen. To power the screen I used the 12V car adaptor that came with the screen to step-down the voltage from 12V (as supplied by a Molex power plug) to the required 7.5V. All this was achieved with some simple soldering. The finishing touch was to connect the PS One screen’s TV lead to the TV-out connector on the GeForce 7600 GT graphics card.

The paint scheme for the case was simple, as I wanted it to be matt black with some accent pieces to make it look dangerous and menacing. I was originally planning to ‘distress’ the case by scratching the paint and adding a few extra dents but it was difficult to do this without it looking fake and contrived; a few more trips to LAN parties will probably do the trick, anyway! So instead of artificially weathering the case I decided to customise the look using labels showing bar codes and warnings symbols that I made using photo paper and stuck on with impact adhesive. I then stencilled a warning notice on top of the case and carefully scraped it away to make it look old and damaged. I also modded a cheap keyboard by incorporating some bright blue LED lights and spray-painting it with yellow stripes. Finally, I used some stick-on lettering from an art shop to add the PC’s name to the side of the case.

Thinking of the name was actually quite tricky. For inspiration, I decided to go for a beer with my friend Paul Webb who is a Sci-Fi model builder and he immediately suggested that the PC be called ‘The Interocitor’ after the 1954 film ‘This Island Earth’. In the film a scientist receives a kit of parts for an unknown machine, which, after the parts are assembled, allowed him to contact evil aliens. The name fitted perfectly, and I liked the idea that my PC was a modern gaming machine masquerading as some sort of military/alien hybrid communications device. I decided to call it ‘The Interocitor Mk 14’

The PC was really well received at i29 and I’d like to thank all those people who came to talk to me and had positive things to say about The Interocitor Mk. 14. I was delighted to see such appreciation from the ‘experts’ in computer gaming and this has given me plenty of enthusiasm and ideas for my next project.

[BOX] Meet Thy Maker

Name: Keith Billinge aka [DVDF]Ouch!
Sex: Male
Age: 42
Occupation: Police Officer
Location: Essex
Main uses for PC: LAN Parties
Likes: Military history, skiing holidays and FPS games
Dislikes: Strategy games, beach holidays and cauliflower

[BOX] System Specs

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3500+
CPU Cooling: Stock AMD cooler
Motherboard: Abit NF95 (micro-ATX)
Memory: 1GB PC3200 Kingston Value RAM
Graphics: Galaxy GeForce 7600 GT
Hard disk(s): S-ATA Seagate 200GB
CD/DVD: 2.5in slot-loading DVD-RW
Audio: On-board 7.1 sound
Speakers: None
Case: Hartley Electromotives CT316 oscilloscope
Input: Cheap Microsoft Keyboard, Logitech MX518 gaming mouse
Extras: 5.4in PSOne LCD, Secret Alien Technology (SAT)

[Bucko]

On the topic of This Island Earth, have you seen Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Movie?
It is This Island Earth, but with a whole lot of funny extra voices added.
I picked up a copy on VHS (couldn't find a DVD anywhere) after seeing the tail end of it on TV.
I was absolutly cracking up the whole way through! It's brilliant!
So I knew exactly what an Interocitor was when I read this thread.

Great looking case you have there too!

[.Maleficus.]

Woah.


That is damn fine work. Incredible job man. Congrats on the mag appearance and front page too!

[Ouch!]

Not happy with some of the features of the Interocitor Mk 14. I am currently planning Interocitor Mk15.......OOOOooow! My wallet!!!

It will have an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and larger side window. The PSU will probably have to be near the front of the case to improve access and cooling to the Mobo. More valves and old stuff will feature. I'm still in the planning stage but have already picked up a second oscilloscope.

I may have to sell Mk14 to finance Mk15. I'll ask 'she who must be obeyed!'

Ouch!

[Ouch!]

Now featured on the Custom PC website. Go to the URL below and click on "This months winner"

http://www.custompc.co.uk:80/readersdrives/gallery/

Cheers

Ouch!