Wsup pcapex. School is finally coming to an end for the summer and I will be able to start my first case mod. I can't wait to get started and get this worklog rolling. Here are a few pictures of the case in all its glory...or shame before the modding begins.




the curve on the front is very interesting and hopefully it will not cause me any problems.


I cut this custom hole some where around a year ago due to the case having cooling problems. Never could get this case to cool efficiently so now its secondary and becomes my first mod.


I wish all companies would use one basic desgin for drive bays.




My camera is low on batteries so these are all the photos I have at the moment. The full details for this mod have not been decided but the ideas I do have will be revealed as I complete them.

More to follow,
Sir Hoffman

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first off WELCOME TO PCAPEX!!! im shure they'll be like 20 more saying the same soon enough. Looks like a great case to work on. The front curve looks very inviting... for a dremel!! lmao. So whats the overall theme you have planned for this mod? WEll good luck!

i like the front bezel and welcome to PCApex

i must also say i like the front of the case i cant wait to see what you do with it.

what colors and moddeds were you thinking of

I first am thinking of removing all the buttons on the front and filling them in with puddy. I also am not to wild about the V shapped grills on the bottom of the bezzel. I'm thinking of cutting the grills out and replacing it with some sort of steel or aluminum grill. As far as colors; I thought I might go with some sort of dark blue with a white cross graphic on the side. I also have an awesome idea for a window and I shall wait to reveal that after I begin cutting.



Here is an image of the front of the chasis. With the bezel removed, you can see why this case has no air flow. Its just a solid wall so Im also giving some thought to dropping in a 120mm fan in place.

all for now,
Sir Hoffman

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Cutting is always a good option! Cut cut cut cut!!! lol

I kinda like that shape of the front... bit different and a good starting point for sure!!

Good luck


Mark

With regards to the bezel, I must say that sometimes a hot case is a like a hot woman, you just gotta admire the curves! Can't wait to see where you take this! BTW, you gonna try to resculpt or augment those curves at all?

Quote: Originally Posted by Silent Rabid With regards to the bezel, I must say that sometimes a hot case is a like a hot woman, you just gotta admire the curves! Can't wait to see where you take this! BTW, you gonna try to resculpt or augment those curves at all?

I really like the curves. its a very unique aproach for a bezel and gives it a little style. Why ruin a good thing?

Quote: I really like the curves. its a very unique aproach for a bezel and gives it a little style. Why ruin a good thing?

My idea exactly.... the 'curves is what make this 'bezel "stand out"...

TDR

Hehe, I loved that case when I saw it, almost 2 years ago! Here's how I transformed mine, maybe it'll give you some ideas. Best of luck with your project, you chose a nice case with intriguing lines that make it a perfect candidate for a cool-looking mod!

Here's the beginning of a very long worklog, if you're looking for detailed how-to's: Project Pisces

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thats a pretty sweet looking mod you got there. thanks for the input bud.


i shall be getting started shortly

well my month old graqphics card went out last night so I decided to get started on this mod and take advantage of the warm weather were having down here in the east.


lets kick things off with the first image of the bezel. I really wanted to do something different with this grills.


here is the back of the bezel (aka the back of the front). i love this simple design for mounting. makes it so easy to remove from the chasis.


first things first. I removed the buttons and lights and gently sanded down the symbols with 150 grit paper.


its not officially a day until youve broken a disc before you even plugged the dremel in.




heck yeah. bargain!!!!


here is the first cut (or melt i should say). the dremel has a funny way of melting the plastic while cutting it. makes for a very not-so-neat job.


i started with some really thick paper and worked my way down to 150grit and then 100grit to produce this ultra smooth cut. boy these pics make it look easy


as you can see the dremel got a little close towards the bottom and melted the plastic below. ill just fix it with some puddy.


and the other side.


the pre-cut grills were a killer pain to sand away



it pays off in the end


i wanted to fill in those holes and I'm short on cash so lets see if this stuff works.


theres a first time for everything. I sure hope the paper cleans this stuff up.



mother saw my shirt and told me I better wash it or "that crap" won't come out. mother's know best.

thats all for now,
Sir Hoffman

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Nice update! I like your idea for cutting out the side grille-vents, that will make it very distinctive when it's finished...maybe an idea: replace the cut-out parts with frosted acrylic, and backlight it with some 4" cathodes (of course, you'd probably have to cut holes in the metal chassis beneath too). I'm interested to see where you take this project, already you've come up with some intriguing mod ideas!

Is that Vinyl Spackling? The stuff for walls? Tell me how well the stuff works since I recently found a huge amount of it...

Those are awsome cuts, man! Even without sanding, they're prettie clean concidering the tough angles and hard to reach places. This one's got me excited!
Keep up the good work!

Great work so far dude!

Tip for cutting plastic with the Dremel... use a very low speed and then it shouldnt melt the plastic.

Love the look with the grills cut out - just begging for some swanky lighting behind!


Mark

man I started this thing and now I just can't put it down.

I mentioned earlier that I wanted to create some better air flow through the front of the case. Todays job was to drop a 120mm fan in. I first want to give a big thanks to Jonny English for his tutorial on designing and cutting blow holes. I borrowed a few ideas as well as used a few of my own.


I started out with one of the stencils from the tutorial and the rest was magic. lol j/k heres what i did


made a mistake here by taping down the entire front and then thought of an easier way.


marked off the center of the circled. then I used a tape measure to center the entire stencil. took me a few times of moving it around but I finally centered it up (yes i know this image isn't centered)


I finally taped fuly over the front and we all know what the next step is.


I used the biggest hole saw I had and made an initial cut. Sorry I don't have a prior image of what it looked like after I made the first cut. I was looking for my jigsaw and couldn't find it. I was so frustrated about having to use the dremel to finish it up that I forgot to take any pictures. There was a lot to friggin dremel out


here I cleaned the hole up and I drilled smaller holes for the screws. I need to find some of the rubberized material to wrap around the edge of that cut hole to clean up the appearance.


heres a general idea of what were looking at so far. I also sanded down the spackling which was disapointing at first. I sanded to deep and had to reaply some. So yes the spackling works fine, just use a block sander to sand it down. I recommed the heavier mix since it won't powder and break up as much.

I mounted a blue LED fan and fired it up to get an idea of what it would look like so far. I would post some of those pics but it looked so damn good that I'm gonna make you guys wait.

believe me there will be more to come,
Sir Hoffman

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Lookin good so far Hoffy. (BTW this Bob_Holmes) I am liking where this is going. Looking forward to seeing the progress.