Quote: Originally Posted by SuAsDu SB218 - What would be the ideal coolant mix for this, for best performance? Distilled H20 + Yellow UV Dye + ??? SAD

Most people use a mixture of Zerex Racing coolant and distilled water or distilled water and anti-freeze. Since you want to get the perfect color I recommend you use distilled water, a little bit of Water Wetter once the loop is full and rid of bubbles, and a few drops of anti-algae (available at any pet store). Good luck. This mixture will be just as clear as the regular distilled water allowing you to make the perfect UV Yellow.

Cpt,

Thanks for the tip. I happend to already have water wetter at home Just need that anti-alge

SAD

Quote: Originally Posted by SuAsDu SB218 - What would be the ideal coolant mix for this, for best performance? Distilled H20 + Yellow UV Dye + ??? SAD

I would just use Distilled and Dye. If you add any antifreeze it will change the color away from the yellow. You have no aluminum in the loop so corrosion shouldn't be a problem and the Dye has a really high PH level so it should be high enough to keep the algea away.

Ok.. thanks for the tip. Since this case is going to travel for the LAN, i will have to send the system empty, fill it over there, and then drain it again. Distilled H20 and UV Dye will probably be the easiest to way to go for the lan.

SAD

Hey Folks,

SOrry for the lack of progress info. Time is so limited, I am just busy modding whenever I have time, and keep on forgetting to take photos. I hopefully will have some new photos in the next day or two, that will show some progress

I need to cut acrylic using my orbital jigsaw. I wanted to know if there is any type of blade or advice on the best way to acrylic.

SAD

Just go slow and lube/cool with water.

I would use a metal cutting blade. If you use a blade that has teeth that are too coarse, then it will chip.

I agree that you must go slow and use a fine tooth blade, but I prefer the scrollsaw for cutting acrylic. If you don't have one, you may be able to find or fabricate one of these attachments that turns your jigsaw into a scrollsaw:



That frees up your hands for even fancier cuts and more control over the piece.

Wordbiker - I wanted to get a scroll saw, but didn't want to invest the money on a piece of powertool that would just sit in my garage most of the time.

That scroll saw adapter things does look pretty cool. Any idea where I can get it from and how much? Does it work w/ all jigsaws, or do you need a special model / type?

SAD

Quote: Originally Posted by SuAsDu Wordbiker - I wanted to get a scroll saw, but didn't want to invest the money on a piece of powertool that would just sit in my garage most of the time. That scroll saw adapter things does look pretty cool. Any idea where I can get it from and how much? Does it work w/ all jigsaws, or do you need a special model / type? SAD

Hey SAD,
That particular model was made for a Bosch, arguably the best jigsaw on the market (in my professional opinion), but sadly has been discontinued. Being a frugal sort myself when there is no penalty for doing so, I'd personally just make a jig for either an existing table or a quickly fabricated portable one. The best part is: You can make the table/jig with your jigsaw.

To fabricate one, I don't think you'd have to use sheet metal like Bosch did, but using a material with some sort of slippery surface would help your workpiece to slide easily and allow smoother turns. Countersink some bolts into the surface of the table and make some wing-nutted brackets to hold your particular brand of jigsaw in place, cut a hole for the blade...and that's it. To use it, you'd just set your jigsaw to the desired speed and lock the trigger on. Having both hands free and a clear view of the blade allows for a lot more accuracy and control. I'd also recommend setting an orbital jigsaw to non-orbital mode. The orbital motion is great for aggressive cuts in wood, but has a tendency to grab in acrylic and can shatter your piece. Also, when selecting blades, make sure you do not get "push" blades. They would push your workpiece off the table and be hard to control. Select a blade that the teeth point in towards the table, not out from it.

Hey Wordbiker,

I might have to try to fabricate a scroll saw attachment for my jigsaw, but that will have to be a future project. I only have 3 weekends left to get this case presentatble

Ok. back to project planning

SAD

Nice man. Keep the updates coming. Nice sig BTW.

Hey Folks,

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been feverishly modding my case, trying to make sure it will be done by the LAN. Most of the time, I forgot to take pics, but I was able to capture a few. I have done a lot of modding, so I am going to break my update into a few separate posts that will come over the next few days.

For this post, I am going to cover some simple aluminum sheet cutting for this project.

After chopping the case down, the rear of the case looked terrible. The powersupply will be placed where the PCI slots were located, and the former mATX PSU slot is just a big hole. You can see what I mean in this picture:



Luckily I had a 24” x 24” of aluminum sheet left over from my last case modding project, which came in very handy.



Here is a pic of the cut out diagram for the rear of the case, along with the custom HD and CD Rack



Here is some progress shots of the HD / CD Rack being hammered into shape. I don’t have any fancy tools for bending right angles, so I just improvised by clamping a right angle to the table and using my hammer. The results weren’t that bad







I didn’t want to rivet the rear plate to the case, so I instead I used expoy



Here is a picture of the HD rack in place. I had to make custom HD hinges from the a piece of 1” Right angle alum, which I then riveted to the rack. Works out pretty nicely.



That is it for this update. I will follow up with another one in the next day or two.

As always, any comments or suggestions are always appreciated.

SAD

Never underestimate the power of epoxy!

I swear half of everything i own / live in / drive in is held to gether with epoxy Wonderful stuff!

Looking good so far. Kepp up the good work

Mark

Hey Folks,

Here is another little update on the case on the Super Hornet project. This update will cover the bracket I had to make for the radiator, along with some hinges for the case. Since I want the GT Stealth Radiator to sit on its side, and not mounted to the side panel, I needed to fabricate a hinge.

Here is a picture of the radiator on its side:

So to fabricate the mount, I got out a 1” x 1” Alum bracket. You can see I have the alum bracket all measured and marked for cutting:



Here is a picture of the radiator bracket after I finish cutting it. This was all done with a jig saw and a drill



Here is a picture of the radiator and bracket mounted to the case. I think it actually came out pretty clean. I used pop rivets to mount the bracket to the case.






I wanted to do something unique to the side panels for this case. Since the Hornet chasis is made from alum, the side panels were surprising light weight. So to make the case follow the “Hornet” theme, I am utilizing friction hinges to make the side panel move out like wings.

Here is a picture of the friction hinge mounted to the rear of the bottom chassis. I had the radiator mounted far enough not to obstruct the hinge:



Just like with the radiator, I had to use the 1” x 1” alum angle to make hinges for the side panels. Here are some progress shots:





I made 4 brackets, one for each panel (2 top and 2 bottom).

Here is a picture of the bracket mounted to the hinge, and a few pics of the hinge movement:









That is it for the update. On my next update, I will post pics of the side panels on the hinge

As always, any comments or questions are always appreciated.

Regards,

SAD

beautiful hinge work my man i must say
you should try to put that design on the side panel i love doors that you could open up the comp without having to put it someplace else... tahts why i love addtronics side panel design... if you could u should try to make em slide up like a delorion or however u spell it... u know
"lamborgini doors on my pimped-out-riiiig"

Quote: Originally Posted by WuGgaRoO beautiful hinge work my man i must say you should try to put that design on the side panel i love doors that you could open up the comp without having to put it someplace else... tahts why i love addtronics side panel design... if you could u should try to make em slide up like a delorion or however u spell it... u know "lamborgini doors on my pimped-out-riiiig"

WuGaRoo - thanks for the complients I already have two designs laid out for both the top and bottom panels. I am waiting for my replacement motor brushes to come in for my Dremel. Once they come in.. I am going to town

As for the Lambo Doors, I already did that on my last two case mods. So I am boing away fromr the swinging up motion, but rather swinging out.

I literraly have 2 weeks left on modding. So expect to see updates every couple of days.

SAD

Quote: Originally Posted by SuAsDu Hey Folks, Here is another little update on the case on the Super Hornet project. This update will cover the bracket I had to make for the radiator, along with some hinges for the case.

You haven't had that Hinge technic style patented yet

Sweeeet Work!!!!!!

T2,

Dude.. no patent man.. if you want.. use it for your Spinner case. That would be pimp

Just becareful on the weight you put on the hinge. There is going to be total of 4-5 panels w/ hinges on this case

SAD

Great job so far. I like what you have done with the hinges, keep it up!