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BoCo · 04-19-2003, 07:04 AM

So far I've only finished about a third of everything I plan to do to my case, but I figured I'd go ahead and show you all what I've done so far.

This next one shows some work already finished, such as the stealthed CD-RW and DVD drives. I simply used velcro strips to hold the bay cover on the lid (makes repositioning easier) and I got a couple aluminum, non-slotted thumbscrews to use as eject buttons. The screws had to be filed down a little, but not much. It also helps keep fingerprints off the covers by pushing on them. I've also already cut the holes for 3 120mm exhaust fans. The original fans were black Vantec Stealths, but I recently switched to blue LED fans for a better look. The knobs on the RheoBus were purchased at RadioShack. They're brushed aluminum and 1" in diameter--way bigger than the standard knobs, plus they have arrows on them so you know their positoins.

Here's a pic with the front off. I relocated the front intake fans to the outside of the case to make more room inside for wiring. The space was exactly 25mm so the fans barely had room to fit, but they did fit. You also get a better look at my painted floppy and the switches for my 2 pairs of PCToys cold cathodes I got from CoolerGuys.com.

Next are my blue LED fans. I have 2 92mm fans over the mobo and videocard, even though I know they're really unneccessary. They look good and keep things cool. You can also see my top 120mm LED fans.

A shot from the back:

Next up is my big project I'm about to start. I have a Kenwood in-dash MiniDisc player that I'm not using anymore, so I decided to cram it into the top bay of my case. It's a little too wide, so the front removable panel has to have about 3mm trimmed away on each side of the bay opening, but that's the easy part. After that, I have to de-rivet and remove the 5¼" drive cradle and cut along where that red line is to make room for the back of the MD player. I also have to remove material from the case front where I've already marked the black lines.

When I get the MD player in, I'm going to get a second 12V, 10A power supply from Parts Express to give it power. I'll have the + and - going to the MD player's constant power wires, then I'll run a 12V wire from my Vantec PSU to the ignition wire. That way, when I push the power button on the case, the revolving face of the MD player will open and it will come on. When I shutdown, it'll close back again and all you'll see is it's black panel. I'm then going to use the MD player's built-in 4-channel amp to run a couple small PC speakers I'm going to build and two JBL 12" subs that will be built into my couch (my PC is in my living room, BTW). I'll run the soundcard's output to the MD player's AUX input to get sound to the PC speakers. I'm also going to have a second connection going from the soundcard to my home receiver so I can still listen to music through my main speakers like I do now. That front 120mm exhaust fan will hopefully pull enough heat away from the built-in amp so my case temps don't go up.

I cut the front panel. It fits perfectly from side to side, but I'm not 100% sure about the clearance it will have while it's opening. I'll use flat black paint to cover up the exposed aluminum where I had to file.

I got the entire case apart Thursday and de-riveted the main drive cradle so I could start cutting it:

Here it is after I chopped off a couple inches and put it back in for a test fit:

The front of the case fully cut and ready for the stereo:

I used a mini-hacksaw for most of the cutting and a Dremel for a little of it, then I filed like crazy until everything was nice and smooth. The drive cradle was remounted with some self-tapping fan screws instead of rivets (so was the top of my case). They hold just as well as the rivets, but it'll be easier to take it apart in the future.

Look, it fits!

Here's the initial test fit:

Unfortunately, the bay cover wouldn't fit right under it, but with a little hacksaw work, it slid right in.

All done! It's closed because I haven't finished the wiring yet, but it's on the way. Until then it's just something to look at. As soon as I get some power to it, I'll put some more pictures up.

I was bored Friday so I decided to quiet that large back panel on my case. I rattles sometimes, so I used some sound damping material I've had around for awhile to silence it. It added a couple pounds to the panel and it fits a little tighter, so I know there's no more metal-on-metal to vibrate. I used a little roller to flatten it, then heated it with a hair dryer for 5 minutes so it'll hold really well.

Before:

During:

After:

Another shot from the front:

Here's all my clean wiring I did last night:

04-19-2003, 07:04 AM	#1 (permalink)
BoCo Fear the bunny Location: Hanging off the tip of the Right Wing	Project Pics of My Case So far I've only finished about a third of everything I plan to do to my case, but I figured I'd go ahead and show you all what I've done so far. This next one shows some work already finished, such as the stealthed CD-RW and DVD drives. I simply used velcro strips to hold the bay cover on the lid (makes repositioning easier) and I got a couple aluminum, non-slotted thumbscrews to use as eject buttons. The screws had to be filed down a little, but not much. It also helps keep fingerprints off the covers by pushing on them. I've also already cut the holes for 3 120mm exhaust fans. The original fans were black Vantec Stealths, but I recently switched to blue LED fans for a better look. The knobs on the RheoBus were purchased at RadioShack. They're brushed aluminum and 1" in diameter--way bigger than the standard knobs, plus they have arrows on them so you know their positoins. Here's a pic with the front off. I relocated the front intake fans to the outside of the case to make more room inside for wiring. The space was exactly 25mm so the fans barely had room to fit, but they did fit. You also get a better look at my painted floppy and the switches for my 2 pairs of PCToys cold cathodes I got from CoolerGuys.com. Next are my blue LED fans. I have 2 92mm fans over the mobo and videocard, even though I know they're really unneccessary. They look good and keep things cool. You can also see my top 120mm LED fans. A shot from the back: Next up is my big project I'm about to start. I have a Kenwood in-dash MiniDisc player that I'm not using anymore, so I decided to cram it into the top bay of my case. It's a little too wide, so the front removable panel has to have about 3mm trimmed away on each side of the bay opening, but that's the easy part. After that, I have to de-rivet and remove the 5¼" drive cradle and cut along where that red line is to make room for the back of the MD player. I also have to remove material from the case front where I've already marked the black lines. When I get the MD player in, I'm going to get a second 12V, 10A power supply from Parts Express to give it power. I'll have the + and - going to the MD player's constant power wires, then I'll run a 12V wire from my Vantec PSU to the ignition wire. That way, when I push the power button on the case, the revolving face of the MD player will open and it will come on. When I shutdown, it'll close back again and all you'll see is it's black panel. I'm then going to use the MD player's built-in 4-channel amp to run a couple small PC speakers I'm going to build and two JBL 12" subs that will be built into my couch (my PC is in my living room, BTW). I'll run the soundcard's output to the MD player's AUX input to get sound to the PC speakers. I'm also going to have a second connection going from the soundcard to my home receiver so I can still listen to music through my main speakers like I do now. That front 120mm exhaust fan will hopefully pull enough heat away from the built-in amp so my case temps don't go up. I cut the front panel. It fits perfectly from side to side, but I'm not 100% sure about the clearance it will have while it's opening. I'll use flat black paint to cover up the exposed aluminum where I had to file. I got the entire case apart Thursday and de-riveted the main drive cradle so I could start cutting it: Here it is after I chopped off a couple inches and put it back in for a test fit: The front of the case fully cut and ready for the stereo: I used a mini-hacksaw for most of the cutting and a Dremel for a little of it, then I filed like crazy until everything was nice and smooth. The drive cradle was remounted with some self-tapping fan screws instead of rivets (so was the top of my case). They hold just as well as the rivets, but it'll be easier to take it apart in the future. Look, it fits! Here's the initial test fit: Unfortunately, the bay cover wouldn't fit right under it, but with a little hacksaw work, it slid right in. All done! It's closed because I haven't finished the wiring yet, but it's on the way. Until then it's just something to look at. As soon as I get some power to it, I'll put some more pictures up. I was bored Friday so I decided to quiet that large back panel on my case. I rattles sometimes, so I used some sound damping material I've had around for awhile to silence it. It added a couple pounds to the panel and it fits a little tighter, so I know there's no more metal-on-metal to vibrate. I used a little roller to flatten it, then heated it with a hair dryer for 5 minutes so it'll hold really well. Before: During: After: Another shot from the front: Here's all my clean wiring I did last night: Last edited by BoCo; 04-19-2003 at 07:58 AM..