Creating a window

Raz

I have one of these babies



It's the grey one on the right and it's made by codegen I think.
What I wanna do is cut a great big hole in the side of the case (with rounded corners!) and put in a window.
Here's where I need help,

What tools will I need for cutting the hole in the side?
(And a method if you want to post it?)
What material should I use for the window?
(perspex, glass? Heat flow properties should be taken into account because I've no faith in the heat flow of the case!!)
Would I be able to cut it to size myself?
Would it be too much trouble to put a fan in the window?

All suggestions are greatly anticipated.

Raz

CombatCow

That looks like a really nice case,but if ya wanna put a window on the side there are planty of guides on the net do a google search,but if ur like me and wanna do a custom diy jobby read on...

1.You will need a rotary cutting tool ( i use a dremel ) with reinforced cutting wheels.
2.I would suggest perspex for the window cause it's kinda easy to get.
3.you can cut the perspex easily to whatever size you want.
4.putting a fan in the window ? Easy as pi$$ just use a drill attachment hole cutter.
5.i used rubber car door protectors to use as 'trim' for around the window

Hope that helps a bit, i can post some more indepth pics if you like, to help you ( and me to show off )

The case looks kinda differant now from the pics i took at darkside lan V

Have to pimp it a bit more for MEGALAN.
btw ( its an old gateway P2 450 case ) which i put a lot of work into,and turned out great ( i think ,for a first time mod )

COMBATCOW

The_Bullman

I have cut out an ober sexy case window jobbie, but I can't find some nice pritty bolts to hold them on.

Let me try to discribe the type of ones that I am looking for. The viewable bit is a nice rounded chrome type finish. In side there is the normal screw thread but to stop it rotating when screwing on the nut, it has a square bit near the rounded bit.

You can see why I can't find any of them anywhere!!

CombatCow

Soz here it is.

vac

I want to look into having a shape cut out of the side panel of my chieftec case. I was hoping to have the CS logo man cut out, and maybe hold the perspex in place with a circle of pop rivits or something. I don't know alot about the expense/tech of any cutting techniques, but like to have it cut by a pro. Anyone have any info on water cutting? Also my case is black so im not sure if the paint would crack off it during the process or what.

the logo is here http://members.boards.ie/vacilator/cslogo.jpg

Anyone ever had any water cutting done before?

Raz

That's one hell of a nice mod combatcow. I know those cases and that looks a hell of a lot better than what they ship like. I like the way you put the window in, did you use any screws at all in that?
It's a very neat finish! (I see the screws now )
If you wouldn't mind posting more details on how you did it, I'd love see.
How much would a dremel cost? and are replacement wheels if you need them?

I'm going to go peruse you pic some more to see what I can make of it

Bullman, I think I get what type of screws you're looking for. You would need to use them in a square hole so they'd lock in place?
I'm gonna state the obvious, but, have you tried all the hardware shops around?

CombatCow

Here's meh case as of today : side

CombatCow

Here's the front of the case ( taken today also )

Raz

Now that's some nice mods!

Was the LCD screen hard to do? I'm thinking of putting one into myspare 3.5" bay, but I'm not sure if it'll fit. I'm also thinking of doing a phono port mod that I saw on http://www.moddin.net
I'll record from records

I've also decided to move away from the standard square window and I'm gonna do my own funky design
Let me show you

Here's the template I'm using for the design,



My aunt doodled that one day and I thought, cool! Now I've finally found a use for it

Raz

Here's how I intend to position the template on the door of the case,



I might even have space left for a fan in the bottom right corner
Here's the template traced out onto the door using permanent marker (I did this on the inside of the door, I think it was safer in case I botched it!! )



Hopefully it's obvious that I'm gonna cut out the shaded parts.
It won't be much of a looking deep inside the computer, more a "look at my cool, curvy, lit up design!!"
I'm reckoning that bolts will be the best way of fixing the window to the case, due to the closeness to the edge in some places and the way it's gonna have to curve around that handle-like indent.
I'm gonna keep a record of how theis goes and I'll start uploading it as I go, but I need to get some tools first!

Oh and one more question Combatcow, whats that little black circle in the bottom left of your window? Is it the PC speaker?
Dremel here I come

CombatCow

The little circle is a switch for the 2 blue cold cathode tubes,tiz very handy,I just took this pic 10min's ago after buying new IDE cables in maplin,they look great.

I got the LCD temperature monitor in maplins,it's suppost to be for lian li case's ,it runs off two small batteries which is good, you can get smaller 1's for 3.5 bay's aswell.

Wow Raz that design looks really great but it's gonna take a steady hand and a long time to do i'd say , good luck with it,should look v.funky when it's finished.:)

Have to tidy up the cables b4 megalan tho.

COMBATCOW

Raz

A switch for the cathodes! Why didn't I think of that!
Did that require any special work or did you just stick a switch in the middle of the wire to the cathode?

I'll have a look for the LCD displays during the week if I can manage it.

I pray to God my hand will prove steady enough. I can't wait to get the tools so I can get started. Only 2 weeks to my first pay day!

I've taken loads more pics of stuff I've started to Mod. I'm gonna start a little website in a few days and I'm calling it, EasyMod
Hows that!!
I'm taking it from a completely beginners perspective so it's basically gonna follow me as I develop my system and add new features and stuff

MegaLan! I wish!! It's likely that I won't have a working PC by that stage. I still don't even have a motherboard

CombatCow

Raz

I've taken loads more pics of stuff I've started to Mod. I'm gonna start a little website in a few days and I'm calling it, EasyMod

Sound's great,good luck with it,''and remember theres no more important safety rule than to wear these safety glasses'' seriously tho b careful with the dremel.tiz mad i tell ya.

The cold cathodes were in a kit i got from maplin ( again ) and contained x2 cold cathode tubes ( 1x blue + 1x ultraviolet ) an inverter and on/off switch,i actually bought a second kit which was on special offer @ the weekend ( nearly worked out cheeper than just buying a single tube ) just for the blue cold cathode,your welcome to have the x2 ultraviolet 1's and all the cables/switch and inverter if ya like.:)

COMBATCOW

Raz

Well I've set up the basic shape of the website and I'm working on getting a look for it. I probably won't have anything up for public viewing until next week But hopefully it'll be good

If anyone else has documented a mod they've done and would like to put it up I'd be happy to help. You can e-mail them to me at goaz@redbrick.dcu.ie

If you havn't got them in HTML that's fine, I can manage that much
I'm gonna have to learn javascript or something so I can make the site all fancy

If that offer of the UV and cables/switch/inverter is going, I'll jump on it
Just let me know how I can get my hands on them

CombatCow

Pm'd you raz

COMBATCOW

Raz

Originally posted by Combatcow
Pm'd you raz

COMBATCOW

And I've replied

CombatCow

sorted.:D

COMBATCOW

Ruu_Old

heres my cheaper version of Combatcows window hehe
Ordered the blue cathode today

Raz

Might get me some tools today
Have to consider my money situation first.
I havn't gotten to far with the website yet as I've had a very busy week and there's been some unforntunate circumstances that affected my ability to get any work done on it.
So I'm planning a launch next week. I hope everyone is on the edge of their seats

Ruu; kinda hard to make stuff out in you're picture but I think I see the window

ManWithThePlan

Good luck with that funky mod Raz.

I too am considering cutting a window into my case, so don't forget to post up that site you're making about how you got on.

Ruu_Old

i know, the pics was only taken with the webcam, it still needs work, got the cold cathode neon lamp today and its taking shape, good luck with ur modding

Raz

I havn't got all that much done on the website yet. This week hasn't been the best for it. It looks kinda bland but that should be offset by the functionality and content of the site.
I'll have a pretty functional draft done up and posted by about Wednesday next week I think.
Here's a sneak preview of what it'll look like.
You may notice that I have Combatcows name up the top. That's because I've asked him to join in but he hasn't confirmed whether he will or not yet.

Raz

I've just gotten back from Dublin after spending roughly €160 on goodies today
So what did get for my hard earned cash you might ask?
Well you can discount the optical mouse and the 20 CDRs for a start due to their lack of modding neccessity. That puts me back to a respectible €105.

I picked up a few nice modding accessories though,

From B&Q (Liffey Valley);
Perspex sheet (2' x 4' x 2mm) = €14
Drill bits for metal (4mm & 4.5mm) = €8
Drill Mandrel (needed for hole cutter) = €8
Hole cutting bit (70mm) = €16
Nuts and Bolts (4mm) = €5
Junior Hacksaw = €5
10 Hacksaw Blades = €5
Crosshead Screwdriver = €7
6piece File Set = €4
6" Steel Ruler = €4
Metallic Black Spray Paint = €9

From Peats (Parnell st.);
80mm Red LED Fan = €13
Fan Grill 80mm (paid for 2, got 3 ) = €8

It was quite interesting sitting outside the B&Q shop trying to cut in half the 4 foot sheet of perspex!!! Made it a lot easier to carry though.
You may (or not!) have noticed that a dremel doesn't feature in my nice list. That's because B&Q decided they didn't want them in their (HUGE!!) shop anymore. So now I'm gonna have to wait that little bit longer before I can start mincing my case
You might be wondering (also) what I'm doing with black spray paint ....... I've decided my case needs a new look, so my color scheme has been decided as Red and Black. Just like the dangerous animal it will be

I met up with Combatcow yesterday and have gave me a Cold Cathode kit with inverter, 2 UV bulbs and a switch which he bought extra himself!!
A big, no ... HUGE ... Thank You to Combatcow
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You
It put me a big leap forward in my case modding project (which I have just decided to call Venom )
So watch this space

Raz

I've decided to go with the jigsaw instead of the dremel. I wonder will this make it easier or more difficult.

I picked up a Black&Decker one with variable speed (Can slow it down for cutting perspex!) and it cost me €45. I added some blades to the package for €8 and I went home happy
There's something about going into a hardware shop that makes wanna buy all the cool tools so I'll be able to do any kind of DIY job in the world!! Grrrrrr........ Manly

So my grand total on my modding equipment is now up to €213.
Just think, I coulda had a top of the line motherboard for that, or a fancy P4 2.4Ghz CPU. :rolleyes: Ohwell. At least this stuff won't be obsolete in a year!! And I'll have one hell of a fancy shamncy case

CombatCow

Raz

It was quite interesting sitting outside the B&Q shop trying to cut in half the 4 foot sheet of perspex!!! Made it a lot easier to carry though.

Huh dude ur crazy,i have one more super secret idea for my existing case,then im gonna move on to a new project quite soon - within 2-3 weeks i'll start it,should be fun gettin into some seroius modding again,gotta trawl the net for some funky ideas first.will prob be a media box for the sitting room ( for films )

Good luck with the jigsaw, should cut through the aluminium quite easy,red N black sounds sweet, for the color scheme.

COMBATCOW

Raz

I saw one or two mods where guys made PC's outta coffee tables. I think it's actually a really good idea. How often do you eat an drink while at you computer?
You'd also have loads space to put stuff cos you wouldn't have a great big case taking up most of the real estate.
I might try that myself some time.
I saw it in the case archive of www.moddin.net

Raz

I've just finished my first REAL foray into the world of modding. I've added an extra fan to my PSU. It doesn't look too bad, but it eas scary as hell cutting the hole.
I had the PSU cover held in place on a workbench using the stops that you place through the holes. No clamps!
To my absolute terror the cover went flying off the bench and across the garage as I was using the hole cutting bit for the drill.
It cracked me on the hand as a parting "piss off!" before it decided to hit the wall and bounce around a bit. I decided to get the protective gear.
After that blatant attack I couldn't let it go unpunished so I whipped it back up onto the bench and put the drill to it again. This time I got through part of it before it took the jump.
After one more try I decided to use the jigsaw I got. That was bloody scary too! But more from the noise it was making than anything else. Got that hole made eventually though!
So after this little experiment I give the heartfelt advice of "CLAMPS"! Use 'em or be prepare for flying noisy pieces of metal!

Anyway a pic of the finished product is attached. I hope everyone haas learned something from my little jaunt.

CombatCow

LOL raz.modding is a scary when there is metal flying around the room.the jigsaw is crazy aint it,it jerks worse than a two doller w**re.The psu mod looks great,i'll post some pics of my secret project on friday if everthing go's to plan.

COMBATCOW

Raz

Well I've done all the cutting work on my case so far. I still have to do a bit of filing and a bit of wiring for the leds I'm hookin up but apart from that I'm pretty much finished. I screw the window in place and sit back and admire

Here's a peek at how my cutting turned out. It's a bit dodgy in places but on the whole it turned out alright, if not the most professional.

A note on the website, it turns out I'm a lazy ass bitch so it'll take a while longer b4 I get anything worth publishing up on the net.

Pimp Ninja

Wow.. Great job on that cutting Raz.. looks fantastic. Did you just use a jigsaw for that???

Keep up the work man, and keep this thread updated. Its giving me an itch to get started on one of my own...

Raz

Yeah, just the jigsaw
It was a bit awkward though. There was quite a few bumps and lums on the inside of the panel which made it hell using the jigsaw because the base had to be lifted a bit which then made the panel vibrate like mad and quite a few times made it bend quite viciously.
If you look at the pic again you'll notice (if you havn't already) how lumpy the panel looks due to those bends.
I'm hoping it won't be a noticeable once I paint it but that might be a bit niaive (i think that's how you spell it!! )
Also the thin strip at the bottom right of the design broke at one point so I decided to cut it off completely. Doesn't look too bad though. Everything will be just fine

And thanks for the encouragement. I was actually getting a bit disheartened and thought nobody really gave a crap. So thanks for letting me know at least one person is interested

Raz

Well I've finally done what I've been threatening to do.

Click Here

That address was,

www.easymods.cjb.net

It's in no way near finished but it's not too bad now
Hardly any links work apart from the "Raz's Mods" link at the top.
The rest are all just rubbish really, well so far anyway
I'll do a bit more updating very soon.

Raz out

CombatCow

Ur mod looks really great ,and you did it with a jigsaw holy $hit.Im gonna start on my new case at the weekend,im gona put the thundercats logo on the side.:D with prob red cold cathodes,and meh new mobo and zalman flower cooler,should be sweet,i will take plenty of pics this time,stay tuned.

CombatCow

Btw raz couldent access ur site for some reason.

Raz

That's be one of the greatest mods ever!! You gotta do it
And you could have Liono and Tigra and Snarf and everyone
Well maybe that'd be a bit much but it'd be cool

I'm almost finished the filing now (one hell of a job on a cut like that!!)
Once that's done I'll do a trial fit of the perspex, then I paint it, then I put it together for good, then I pilfer all the compuonents from the home computer and stick em in and watch it light up
It will hopefully look really cool

That was odd not being able to access the site! I tried it just now and it seems fine. Maybe the server was down for a little bit. Who knows
Needs a lot more work mind you

[edit] Plus it's a free domain name so there's ads. Just ignore them, they're a load of rubbish and only pop up once at the start. (unless you click refresh!) [/edit]

CombatCow

OK well after 5 hours of ( non stop ) modding this is what i created,i hope you agree that it's a piece of sweet ass.:D

Ne way i took 50+ pics but ran out of room on the flash card so i decided to delete a few pics but the camera decided to format the card so i lost all of the drawing,templates,cutting,filing,and im just left with the finished product.

Tiz not finished yet tho,iv cut the lexan to put behind it and going to get 2 red cold cathodes tomorrow.should look sweet ( sweeter )


CombatCow
( ps. soz bout the spelling,well it is 1.48am :rolleyes: )

CombatCow

And here's the door im more detail,the lexan will be flush behind it tomorrow.CombatCow

Pimp Ninja

OMG Combatcow you own.....

You are the casemod god.. that rocks.

/me drools

DRakE

with a case that l33t, you must have a tiny willy

Magic Monkey

I'd say the tracing of the logo onto the panel took a lot of skill and a steady hand; the work of a true artist *cough*

Raz

That is ... purrfect! :rolleyes: Sorry I just had to
But really, there's no other word for it, perfect is all I can say.
The cutting is perfect and the filing is perfect, the scaling is perfect. I've never seen such a nice piece of work.

Can't wait to see it all finished up and with lighting. It'll be georgous

Ruu_Old

grade A job does mixing cathodes work? like having a blue and red for example in there..im working on mine, they do give out a huge amount of light.

Pimp Ninja

Mixing cathodes can be done quite well. I saw a case at Megalan, cant rem whos it was, had a red and a blue cathode in it. It had a frosted/scratched out window so you couldnt see the inside of it, but the lighting did look quite well throufh the frostyness.

The_Bullman

Originally posted by Pimp Ninja
Mixing cathodes can be done quite well. I saw a case at Megalan, cant rem whos it was, had a red and a blue cathode in it. It had a frosted/scratched out window so you couldnt see the inside of it, but the lighting did look quite well throufh the frostyness.

sounds like Phaxx's case Pimp Ninja.

Raz

I must say I'm going to find it hard living up to Combatcows standards but I'll sure try!

So far I've started painting. I probably wont have that done until the weekend. I'm being kept plenty busy.
I've also added a couple of purdy lights to my floppy drive and I'm hoping to test them out this evening. I'll let you see how things proceeded once I get some pics.
I've been doing a bit of work on the website but it's decided that it wants to be a bitch for me so I'm just gonna have to whup it into shape. Easier said than done I'm afraid. I'll have it soon though! Don't you worry. (And maybe it'll look better too )

Anyway, must get back to work,

Raz.

Raz

I've done a bit of a mod to my floppy drive,


Large Version


It didn't come out as well as I'd hoped but it's not too bad I hope you'll agree.
I'm almost finished with the whole window mod. I put the (hopefully) last coat of paint on it last night and it should be perfect by this evening. I'll hopefully have pics by tomorrow.

Raz

Well I'm finished cutting and I'm finished painting.
So what do I have to do next?
I gotta put in the window and glue a piece to it. Once that's done I can say I'm finished with the window

So here's a pic of how it's looking, all painted up and pretty (I hope it's not too big!)

The fully painted case


[edit] Changed the HUGE image to a link to the image. It was just too damn big!![/edit]

CombatCow

Holy $hit that is V.Sexhy,the red silver and black go well togeather. it really looks fantastic tbh.the red around the cut out makes it very striking,great job.

CombatCow

Raz

That's all I needed to hear
I hope to have the perspex bit finished by tomorrow but I cant be sure. There's one bit that I have to glue to the perspex so that will take a bit of preperation to make sure it's right.
After that I want to paint the inside of the panel white (some of the red went through to the back) but it may not be worth it.
Once I've decided on that I can put all the bits from my home PC into it and flick on the CCs.
I also have a mod that I have to finish on the CD drive.
Watch this space.

How's your case holding up Combatcow? Are you finished completely now or are you planning more?
The Thundercats just looks so great.

(anyone new would think we just go around patting each other on the back )

CombatCow

Looking forward to seeing the finished article ( as they say ),iv been hella buisy at my place of employment ( not considerd work ) so iv had no time to do nething to meh case,hopefully the project im on will be finished in a few days so i'll have some time to do stuff to the case when im off,just wanted to update every 1 with the long overdue photo of the logo with the lights on,kinda looks orange in da pic but is red in real life.need sleep.work tomorrow.well today actually.yawn.

CombatCow..........

Raz

Well so far I've taken some 150 pictures of different mods and stuff for the website.
I'm working on redesigning the site with drop down menus and stuff to get rid of all the crappy frames and to make it easier to navigate.
All I have to do now is write more content, well I have to finish fixing up the menus and I'll have to recode whats already there but that's nothin

Plus I've finished all the painting and cutting for my case (I cut a design for a blowhole in the top of the case at the weekend). I'm practically ready to start filling it with bits. Hopefully I can strip down the house computer and put everything in there untill I get my own components
Pics of the blowhole tomorrow

Raz

So here's that pic I promised.
I've painted it since I took the photo so it doesn't look so scratched I've also mounted a red LED fan underneath. I havn't tested it switched on yet but I'm hoping it'll look kool