Greetins all...

Com'n over from A4t to do the contest....

This is my 1st ever "built just 4 Contest" mod.... and starting with 1 week 2 go......
so go ez on me

Been busy w/ lots of other stuff L8ly - wished I'd seen this sooner...oh well - Here goes
- it'll be interesting 2 see what I can do in a week when pressed

Donated Gateway ESX E-4000 workstation

- nice PC in it's prime - but time to Convert the cow into the modern world

The specimen for processing... and associated mod & accessories:

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Subscribed.

I'm interested in how much you can get done, too.

Right now, I'm on vacation, but I'm 200 miles away from my rig and my mod work -- seriously considered taking the stuff with me, if I could have sold that concept to the wife ... taking a jigsaw, rig, files, sanders, acrylic, and packing it into the back of the Escape with the kid's toys, food, blankets, pillows, clothing, etceteras ... that would be funny.

Anyway, good luck! I'm tracking this.

-godling

Quote: Originally Posted by godling Subscribed. I'm interested in how much you can get done, too. Right now, I'm on vacation, but I'm 200 miles away from my rig and my mod work -- seriously considered taking the stuff with me, if I could have sold that concept to the wife ... taking a jigsaw, rig, files, sanders, acrylic, and packing it into the back of the Escape with the kid's toys, food, blankets, pillows, clothing, etceteras ... that would be funny. Anyway, good luck! I'm tracking this. -godling

Yeah that would be better than the Griswold's on vacation....
and trying to find that on the road, open late Radio-Shack ...
- cuz ya accidentally fried your last 5v blue LED by plugging it into the 12 accidentally ! oops
( no - no personal experience implied - Ha)

Thanks for the encouragement...

I've been diligently working away the past day & half

- Lots of pics to put up - but not enuff time right now
....primer drying .... parts to sand.... paint .. and some cutting of the doors still.....

- will def try 2nite to give ya'll sum proof I really am doin somethin
I actually have made more progress than I thought I would these first hours...

Put the following updates up on A4t Thurs morn - just gettin round to makin the post here.. srry for the delay

so here we go....
B4 getting to the bulk of the case.. I did the ez part 1st - the keyboard

Hammered metal finish w/ purple base.. yes purple..
goin w/ the Phenom thing on this 1 - add cow & we'll see where it goes... hehe


series of ... apart - primered - painted and All put back 2gether.....

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Next on to the disassembly and cutting of new holes...

Blowhole in the top, remove the honeycomb on rear fan, drill holes to mount new PSU - and oh yeah ....
- why I usually don't do Gateways....NO I/O opening for new mobo - gotta cut that too....

I love a challenge - lol

Then Primered the case and drive bays

Last Pic... New 550 W CoolerMaster PSU....

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Marked up some smoked plexi for the side window...

Window cut & laid out on inner panel (this has an old school metal inner panel w/ plastic shell)

Drilled through backside to make the marks on outer shell for cutting...

Outer panel marked & ready for cutting

Cut inner panel & primed.......

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Back to the blow-hole in the top I referred to earlier..
no fan yet... just a heat escape for now


Drive bay retainers taken off and painted w/ hammered finish

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Top of front panel has a neat feature that I was able to add a cool mod to... the drive bays have a door that swings up and rests on top of case

when it's down - just looked too plain.....
so gotta take it apart to see what I can alter...

cutout a graphic, inset a piece of smoked acrylic, add some UV backlight....

This is really a UV (purple in person) LED - but the cam will only capture it as blue
- U get the idea...

have a few more things to do to this B4 it's done...


Well... that's all the pics I have processed so far ... lots more work done - but haven't uploaded the pics yet -
Try 2 get sum more up 2moro....

L8r..

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Managed to get one more update before this day concludes....


Worked some more on the front panel - added the rest of the detail pieces and a mirror behind the acrylic to enhance the light

- also makes a neat effect when looking down at the panel - makes it look ike the pieces are floating
- pics just can't capture it

Got started on the wire prep:

- UV cable sleeving on the fans/accessories..
- replaced the white connectors w/ black on PSU
- went back and redid the others to match after I took the pic

- UV sleeving on the PSU cables w/ coiling to add a bit of whimsy

- since this is going to be a cow theme.... hey why not


- The coiling also helps to hold the cables in the postition once they are configured in the case

Finished painting chassis - Chrome

Painted and striped the base to match the rest of the hammered finish pieces


Still have lots more to post... but need to sleep sometime..... lol


L8r......

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Down to the wire... LOTS of pics and a MONSTER update for the last day.....
hang on - it's a long ride - hehe

Over past few days... Cuttin mirror and securing it into bottom of case w/ silicone
- added a stripe of liquid tape around edges of mirror to absorb vibrations it may create
…. & to keep from cutting myself – have a bad habit of that…. :-?


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Doors:
Used dual channel molding w/ lock strip for window – very clean results
Added fan to keep the 9600 cool

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- Painted base black w/ black plastic paint
Taped off w/ ez release auto tape to protect base coat
- cutout shapes… primed to make sure purple paint will adhere over plastic black paint…. Worked well
removed masking and added striping

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Same process w/ the other door

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Changed orange PWR LED for blue
sleeved pwr and LED cable together


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Next repaiting of the dirves - AND my Most favorite part of any Mod..

THE VW Clause.... :p

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Drive Bays complete:
Custom Spots painted on Drive bays and HDD coooler
- repainted drive bay retainers – purple handles

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Painting the Monitor and speakers to match the theme....

not doing much to the mouse- just gonna leave it alone so I don't mess it up.... just taking out the red LED for now....



more to come... have to go process some more pics...

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- Mounting the 120 mm fan and inside of panel, painted the inside purple too

- Starting to put the case back together.... Drive bays installed and PSU in place

- Fan, smoked acrylic window, and drive bay close ups

- Close ups of the reflections in mirror - or is that really a 2nd card - I wish

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more pics of the insides...

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UV action.....
Check out the fan centers... UV paint on each - looks cool when the spin

Replaced a blue LED on the fan w/ red - makes a nice mixed purple light in person
- the cam really pics up more red than there actually is

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FINISHED PICS... YAY!!!


Hope You enjoyed this project as much as I did...
really wanted to see if I could pull it off in a week - since this is the first rebuild I really have been this pressured to complete...

Good Luck everyone!

[edit]All finished pics were posted on A4t by time of contest completion yesterday... with limited pics posted here due to time constraints
- my wife went into pre-term labor contractions & I had to go w/ her to Hospital[/edit]

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Hey all... I had finished and posted A4t links to The finished pics yesterday.... well have time to finish the actual uploading the pics here tonight...

Here ya go....

- ( I have better, Higher def pictures on my A4t worklog if you would like to see in better detail)

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The last pics here are of the setup w/ monitor, speakers, and keyboard....

- also component specs and such... (Phenom quad, Gigabyte mobo, 2 g Corsair XMS2 DDR2, and 9600 GSO card)

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Congratulations on 3rd place. It turned out really great. I'm amazed at how quickly you were able to get this done. I hope your wife is doing well and that your baby stays put until she's ready.

Thanks....

I'm surprised too - but you should see my shop- what a mess !

she's doing well now that they have stopped
.... and I hope so too ... just a few more weeks to keep the kid in her room , then.....


See ya in the next contest.... (hint...hint?)

Reminds me of the old days when people changed the LED colors in their stock Power On/Drive Activity LEDs, before the days when pre-mod cases all came with blue. Nice job! I also find it ironic--I was always telling people to do something (for the love of mod-God) with those ugly lavender-colored plastic pieces inside some cases--that you found a way to make the rest of the case work with those pieces, instead of making the pieces work with the case.

The combination of purple and blue is quite nice!