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Old 14-December-05, 10:09 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Default Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing

Did you wonder WTF? when you read the title?...

Lokie and the DragonModz crew sent me a sample of thier Dragon HDD activity meter quite a while ago.... I asked Lokie if I could could exhange it for different colors.. He was super cool and sent another asap. and I, well..ummm (heavy sigh) broke the new one... I'm not going into details, but I felt stupid and I never mentioned it. I think the DragonModz crew thought I blew them off or something. I ordered another last weekend and Lokie (being super busy too) made another one, and its on its way! These guys are so nice to us!!!

I had actually been saving that original HDD meter for something special.... It was the last detail for my Harley Davidson project. I've been working on HD100 on/off for nearly a year. Its now ready to be delivered.. Its a Xmas gift for somebody..

HD100 has got a real pimped out interior... I fabbed all the interior mods by hand. (look at photos)

The chassis was modified to accomondate 120mm and 92mm fans without sacrficing use and removability of the original HD cages. If you know Cheiftec Dragons, thats a real tricky proposition.
Then the chassis was professionally powdercoated Orange with a glossy clearcoat, theres a sweet custom HD logo window residing in the bottom. I fabbed a 120mm HSF fan grill with HD100 logo by hand, I've also utilized real carbon fiber trim. I fabbed diamond plate frames around the fans. Spent SEVERAL HOURS sleeving/cabling/routing all the wires out of sight!

This was also the first time you ever saw a chassis window Heres a Video clip of how to install one
Attached Thumbnails
Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-prhdw1.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-prhdw2.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-prhdw3.jpg  

Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-prhdw5.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-prhdw6.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-prhdw7.jpg  

Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-prhdw8.jpg  

Last edited by mnpctech; 15-December-05 at 06:29 AM..
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Old 14-December-05, 10:10 AM   #2 (permalink)
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After all of that, I still wasn't satifisfied...

Theres all this space in the chassis after tidying up everything... How about suspending something inside the chassis? How about a portion of the HD100 logo wing behind the front intake fans?

Having watched Defyant create all these cool pieces from acrylics was really inspiring.
I ordered a 1.25" thick piece of clear acrylic from Mcmaster.com and started working...
Attached Thumbnails
Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing1.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing1a.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing2.jpg  

Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing3.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing4.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing5.jpg  


Last edited by mnpctech; 14-December-05 at 10:28 AM..
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Old 14-December-05, 10:30 AM   #3 (permalink)
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Whoaa... I had no idea... lol... If you would have told me I could have probably fixed the original unit

Nice work on the case though. I am really impressed with the level of detail you put into your work. And as always I am happy that a DragonModz product is making into such a kickin' mod.... Great work Bill !!
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Old 14-December-05, 10:30 AM   #4 (permalink)
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No worries man

Damn, you can sculpt acrylic into just about anything... I'm used to fabbing from metals, so I'm still learning the quickest methods while working with acrylic.


As Defyant has shown us, you can do three dimensional creations from one piece of acrylic.. Metals, on the other hand you more or less "cut and paste" (using the term loosely)

I'm not going to get that detailed yet... just start out simple with something two dimensional

So, I spent a great deal of time polishing the edge of the acylic cut by the jigsaw.... Started with 600, 800, then 1000.... then polished it with 3M automotive paint rubbing compound (Perfect IT III) and the Novus plastic polish system.... and I'll tell ya, the 3M rubbing compound works better
Attached Thumbnails
Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing6.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing7.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing8.jpg  

Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9.jpg  

Last edited by mnpctech; 14-December-05 at 10:46 AM..
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Old 14-December-05, 10:49 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Hows the Dragon HDD activity meter come into play?
Attached Thumbnails
Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9b.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9c.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9d.jpg  

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Old 14-December-05, 11:02 AM   #6 (permalink)
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Damn, that's sweet work. I was working with Twizted right after I did that review on your Tsunami case but we both got busy with other stuff. I was looking for an unmounted series of blue LED's that I could run from the center up and down behind the door lip. Never happened but I'm sure I'll have some need of Dragonmodz custom work soon.

Oh yeah, here is the link to that Tsunami case: http://reviews.pcapex.com/cases/mnpc...ultra_case.php

Here is the link to a Dragonmeter review: http://reviews.pcapex.com/modding/dr...ragonmeter.php
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Old 14-December-05, 11:07 AM   #7 (permalink)
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DOH!!!
Man I completely spaced that one.... It was when I was still in Wisconsin and I was doing SOOOO much up there.. I'm sorry bout that..... Hit me up if you still need it or need anything....

Nice work on the acrylic... Your flare for bringing a vision to a functional piece is impeccable Bill... I am hopeful to see how this works. I do hope you plan on making a video of it in action?
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Old 14-December-05, 11:09 AM   #8 (permalink)
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Oh wow!

Very nice work Bill! I like what you are doing with the Dragonmeter, and the detailing on the Harley case is just awe-inspiring. Bill, you have consistently raised the bar for quality modding, and Dragonmodz is honored every time you choose to include our products in your mods.

I have a fair amount of experience with acrylic, and I have found it fairly easy to work with, especially since I have a woodworking background. It tools a lot more like wood than metal, though it can be worked with tools from either arena. When I saw the wing, I thought to myself, "That needs to be carved into a 3D shape". It would take a lot of hand finishing, but the rough carving could be accomplished with a Dremel plunge router attachment. As I'm sure you are well familiar with (hands sore from sanding Bill? ) it's the detailing and polishing that take all the time. For what you are using it for, have you considered sandblasting it for a frosted look to diffuse the light?
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Old 14-December-05, 11:39 AM   #9 (permalink)
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Sweet stuff Bill. Can't wait to see it lit up and in action.

Dragonmodz stuff is top notch gear.
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Old 14-December-05, 12:05 PM   #10 (permalink)
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holy shazzbot that is a really sweet looking case!
I love the interior
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Old 16-December-05, 09:49 PM   #11 (permalink)
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Thanks gang!

WB, I'd love to see it in 3D, but time constraints are biting my arse! They want to pick up the PC this weekend and I haven't finished everything yet.

In any case, I think it looks great in 2D and stills gives the interior that unique touch

As soon as my new Dragon meter arrives, I'll keep you posted
Attached Thumbnails
Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9e.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9f.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9g.jpg  

Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9h.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9i.jpg  
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Old 24-December-05, 06:32 AM   #12 (permalink)
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Woot! This project is finally done.

Thanks to DragonModz.net for HD activity meter! It was a great match for the HD Wing

Attached Thumbnails
Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9j.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9k.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9o.jpg  

Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hdwing9m.jpg  
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Old 24-December-05, 09:18 AM   #13 (permalink)
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Now that I see it in place....no way would you want it in a 3D shape. The subtle lines match the rest of the mod perfectly. Awesome execution my friend.
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Old 24-December-05, 09:35 AM   #14 (permalink)
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When I first read "Chassis Wing" I figured ricer theme mod. Hell no! That is a wicked application of the Dragon Meter. It looks just right in that case.
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Old 24-December-05, 09:38 AM   #15 (permalink)
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hey mnpctech im just wondering.. is that 2 120mm fans u got in front? thanks
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Old 25-December-05, 07:42 PM   #16 (permalink)
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Thanks gang! I'm glad I could put the meter to good use

Quote:
hey mnpctech im just wondering.. is that 2 120mm fans u got in front? thanks

Why.. yes it is...

Glimpse into dual 120mm front fans in Chieftec
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Old 25-December-05, 10:08 PM   #17 (permalink)
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ahhhh i see !! thanks man
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Old 26-December-05, 07:29 AM   #18 (permalink)
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Making a new front mounting plate for 2, 120mm front fans was easy. The trick was modifying the 2 removable HD cages to remain usable. If you recall, the HD cages originally accomondated 2, intake 80mm fans. It was a lot of work/time and I'd never do it again, but I loved the challenge at the time.

This project had been in my workshop for nearly 2 years waiting for completion in my spare time. Finally it now resides in it's new home. It was delivered Saturday, Xmas eve. They told they bought a new cherry wood desk for it (wow, what a compliment!) They said they will send pics after everything is settled in.

It was like giving away one of your kids when you work on something for soo long, but alas I've got to feed my other kids

btw: It was an entire system mod package including monitor, keyboard and mouse.
Attached Thumbnails
Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hd100keymouse.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hd100monitor.jpg  Mnpctech & DragonModz combo: Illuminated Chassis Wing-hd100monitor2.jpg  


Last edited by mnpctech; 26-December-05 at 07:36 AM..
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