My CASE MOD --- Reviewed SEE it yourself!!

[Tech&ME]

I understand that this may not be the correct section to post here, but I could not find any separate section for Case Modding and the Index page of this forum say's all case modding here (Hardware Troubleshooting)

Hence, posted it here.

This is a long post with images and sort of tutorial also.

Case Modding

Before Modding

*img389.imageshack.us/img389/4089/image1042ym.th.jpg
*img206.imageshack.us/img206/9381/image1057ko.th.jpg

After Modding
*img206.imageshack.us/img206/5030/image1422qb.jpg
*img143.imageshack.us/img143/2301/image1346td.jpg



Knowledge you need (pre-requisite)
You must know how to dismantle the components from the case and place them in the proper anti-static bags.

You must also know how to open and dismantle the cabinet entirely , that is you must know which screws to open and remove parts step by step this is very important because you must also re-assemble it as it is in the reverse order. So, remember what you are doing.

Ok let’s start now.

To start with we will plan what we need to do with the cabinet first.

Check-list
1. Paint the side and upper panel with black color.
2. Paint the front with silver color.
3. Paint the inside of the cabinet with silver color.
4. Paint the SMPS cover with silver color.
5. Cut out a design in the left cover panel of the cabinet.
6. Fix a glass to cover the area which we had already cut from the panel.
7. Fix a lighting system to light up the cabinet.

Once this was decided I went forward and dismantled the components and placed them in the anti-static bags.(need i tell you what is that ?)

Then I opened the cabinet and removed the cabinet parts slowly. Once this was done I decided to work on the side panel first and hence made a design on the left side panel with the help of a pencil. This done, I took the side panel to a car garage and asked the person working there to cut the shape I had drawn on it exactly. He used his traditional method to cut it out. (sorry, we do not have any laser cutting tools in practice here as of now!)

*img115.imageshack.us/img115/20/image1220lc.jpg

*img151.imageshack.us/img151/9499/image1250vp.jpg
This is the glass which will be fixed to the cabinet side panel.

After the glass is fitted onto the side panel, its looks like this:
*img478.imageshack.us/img478/1038/image1269ys.jpg

Now my mean machine was ready for a overhaul drive, yes! So, I went to a paint shop to pick up some nice color for my cabinet, I purchased Black and Silver color duco paints with one litre of thinner. (available with most hardware stores).

I again took all the parts which required a paint on them to the car garage and asked the person to help me paint them. He allowed me to use his painting machine. I sat to work.
*img479.imageshack.us/img479/5408/image1161kq.jpg
*img211.imageshack.us/img211/9541/image1142vb.jpg
Once this was done , I put them to dry in the sun.
And in the meanwhile I went shopping again. I bought a nice looking glass for the panel and some LEDs to light up the cabinet.

*img224.imageshack.us/img224/5549/leds1xm.jpg

Back home I re-assembled the cabinet with all the components in it and then I pasted the glass on to the left panel from inside. I fixed some blue LEDs inside the cabinet and my cabinet was ready to explore.

I switched on the computer this is what the cabinet looked like.
*img143.imageshack.us/img143/2301/image1346td.jpg
*img224.imageshack.us/img224/7205/image1356vq.jpg

I hope you liked this mod.

Any comments, questions , information are welcome

Please kindly let me know your views. If you want I can post similar mods with my keyboard, mouse and monitor later.

Do mail me at: jalandeepak(at)gardencitycollege(dot)edu

 

[nishant_nms]

I liked the mod and plese post the mods for other peripherals

 

[Vyasram]

Gr8 mod dude, PLz post it in reviews or tutrorials. I guess this is not the section to post it

 

[wizrulz]

Can u please add mods so that ventilation can be increasaed in the cabinet...what if i ahev to add a fan inside......add MODs for such question....i will be greatfull....atleast soem suggestions/ideas...
looking forward....for them...

 

[ymhatre]

U r gr8 man good MOdelling
I think DC shld hired u for his car modelling....
HAhAHAHAHHHAHAH.....

 

[Tech&ME]

Can u please add mods so that ventilation can be increasaed in the cabinet...what if i ahev to add a fan inside......add MODs for such question....i will be greatfull....atleast soem suggestions/ideas...
looking forward....for them...

Thank you for your appreciation. I have also added a 80MM fan to this cabinet. I will post the images today. And if you guys also need to know the exact money i spent to mod the cabinet then I will also post the price list.

And please please guys do encourage me so that I can post more mod ideas and help you people out here

But it seems to me there are not many in this forum who are interested to mod their cabinets. But let me tell you for sure, even if you can spend 3K to 5K on new cabinets this days. A good looking well vantilated cabinet can be made by using your old ATX cabinets in just spending Rs 500/- maximum.

 

[wizrulz]

@ Tech&Me

Thank you for your appreciation. I have also added a 80MM fan to this cabinet. I will post the images today. And if you guys also need to know the exact money i spent to mod the cabinet then I will also post the price list.

Waiting for ur post(images) and suggestions and also the price list................... :roll: 8)

 

[Tech&ME]

@ Tech&Me

Thank you for your appreciation. I have also added a 80MM fan to this cabinet. I will post the images today. And if you guys also need to know the exact money i spent to mod the cabinet then I will also post the price list.

Waiting for ur post(images) and suggestions and also the price list................... :roll: 8)

sorry mate, could not upload since my network is down i am posting this thread from a cybercafe. I think the network will be up again in the morning (i.e. tommorrow) there is some technical problem with my Airtel GPRS connection here and the speed is too slow to upload anything even I cannot surf the net. I will do it as soon as the network is up i.e. my tomorrow morning.

 

[Tech&ME]

@ Tech&Me

Thank you for your appreciation. I have also added a 80MM fan to this cabinet. I will post the images today. And if you guys also need to know the exact money i spent to mod the cabinet then I will also post the price list.

Waiting for ur post(images) and suggestions and also the price list................... :roll: 8)

Here is the image of adding a 80MM fan to this cabinet.

*img82.imageshack.us/img82/2633/image1518he.th.jpg

U can see the top of this cabinet has some holes in it. This was done using drill machine and a circle was made. The fan is fitted from inside the cabinet and the three screws that you can see are holding it there. All the warm air from the cabinet is pushed out (upwards) direction.

Now let me give you some details shopping list with price.
(Note: Price given here may differ from what it is in your city.)

LEDs: RED/GREEN/WHITE - Rs 18 per dozen

BLUE -------------- Rs 26 per dozen

WIRE: 5 mts ---------------- Rs 20

TAPE : Each ---------------- Rs 15

Soldering Wire :............... Rs 5

UnSoldering Wire :........... Rs 5

Glass ..............................Rs 14 (9x10)

Fan .................................Rs 200 (ordinary)

Paints : Duco Black + Silver + Thinner ...... Rs 230


NOTE: Sorry for the quality of images.

 

[theraven]

the fans well done ... but the make do "grill" u have made is gonna be difficult to clean
besides ... to increase air flow widen the holes or cut out the portion and add a fan guard ..

not much of a dff ...
tho aesthetically this will look better i guess ... and also ull be able to keep stuff on ur cabinet without worries


i doubt whether using GLASS is such a good choice
adds considerably to the weight of the cabinet and ofcourse the side panel ..


i would like to see the positioning of ur led's .. and a panel if uve created one ...
commendable painting job tho ....

 

[Kniwor]

good job done there....
just a suggesion...
i agree to theraven and believe u could have used plastic instead of glass.....

what about the plastic parts... will the paint not come out after a while....

 

[Tech&ME]

the fans well done ... but the make do "grill" u have made is gonna be difficult to clean
besides ... to increase air flow widen the holes or cut out the portion and add a fan guard ..

not much of a dff ...
tho aesthetically this will look better i guess ... and also ull be able to keep stuff on ur cabinet without worries


i doubt whether using GLASS is such a good choice
adds considerably to the weight of the cabinet and ofcourse the side panel ..


i would like to see the positioning of ur led's .. and a panel if uve created one ...commendable painting job tho ....

good job done there....
just a suggesion...
i agree to theraven and believe u could have used plastic instead of glass.....

what about the plastic parts... will the paint not come out after a while....

First, thanks for your appreciation.

@theraven
it is indeed true that the glass has put on some weight to this cabinet but remember that the Reflection of light look very good when glass is used, whereas if we use a plastic we would not get that good a reflection. (You can see in the pictures above how the light is glowing and reflected outside the cabinet.) Also note that a plastic glass would be a PLAIN glass but I have used designed glass to give it a glowing look.

the other thing which I understand is of the weight that the cabinet has indeed gained due to this glass, but on the contrary given the fact that one would possibly not move his cabinet all the time from one place to the other , and also the weight gained is not significantly higher, just half kgs.

Yes, when I started working on this project, I first thought of using a suitable plastic for the side panel but later i decided to go in for the glass as i was not in any way going to keep on moving the computer from my room ever now and then. Also it gave me a very good lighting option and weight was not at all that problem.

Next, i appreciate your suggestion on the grill for the exhast fan that i have added to this cabinet. Actually I didn't had any other place in the cabinet to place a additional fan so the top portion was chosen. If you see new cabinets in the market this days which retails for about 4K or even 5K come with a exhast fan on the top of the cabinet.

Anyway, I will try to change the grill fitting.

Regarding your query on the LED positions I will upload the image by tommorrow.

and a panel if uve created one .

And what panel are you talking about ? I did not get your question.

@Kniwor

that's a very good question.

NO the paints will never come out from anywhere. To insure this you will have to polish the cabinet with car polish. (available with most car asserories shops).

Forum Members please post your queries here. I will try to help as far as possible from my side. Don't waste your money in new cabinets for 3k or 5k get your old cabinet up and running in 2 days.

 

[theraven]

basically i just want to know how uve used the led's and how uve placed them

comin from an engg background i was able to create a small circuit consisting of 6 blue led's in parallel in turn parallel with 6 more white led's and switchable between them ...
so i was wondering if uve done the same

and where are u sourcing the voltage for the leds ? is it from the molex connectore ? in which case u would probably have designed a circuit to step down the voltage and current for ur led

or are u using the voltage from the motherboards POWER LED attatchment ?

 

[Tech&ME]

basically i just want to know how uve used the led's and how uve placed them

comin from an engg background i was able to create a small circuit consisting of 6 blue led's in parallel in turn parallel with 6 more white led's and switchable between them ...
so i was wondering if uve done the same

and where are u sourcing the voltage for the leds ? is it from the molex connectore ? in which case u would probably have designed a circuit to step down the voltage and current for ur led

or are u using the voltage from the motherboards POWER LED attatchment ?

oh in that case, i would like to say that i have not used any circuit for this purpose. I have used the molex connecter to source the power for the LEDs to glow.

I have used two (2) BLUE Leds for this purpose.

I will post the images tommorrow.

And It will be very helpful if you could post your circuit for the 6 Blue LED's and 6 White LED's which are switchable. Since, I am also from an engineering background.

You can directly send mail to me at : jalandeepak(at)gardencitycollege(dot)edu

 

[ashnik]

Hey theraven, plz post the circuit here too. I am in 2nd year Engg.

 

[theraven]

damn i have it on imageshack and another forum .. ill just send u the link via pm ...

anyways ur DIRECTLY sourcing the power from the molex connector ???
DUDE ... the LED's will bust ..
theres no ampere control in direct source ..
trust me i tried and fried a few LED's myself !!
and its a b!tch lookin for the damn 3mm blue and white LED's here .. i have to go to town..

anyways .. im pm'ing ya'll the direct link .. check ur pm's

 

[Tech&ME]

damn i have it on imageshack and another forum .. ill just send u the link via pm ...

anyways ur DIRECTLY sourcing the power from the molex connector ???
DUDE ... the LED's will bust ..
theres no ampere control in direct source ..
trust me i tried and fried a few LED's myself !!
and its a b!tch lookin for the damn 3mm blue and white LED's here .. i have to go to town..

anyways .. im pm'ing ya'll the direct link .. check ur pm's

hey theraven, saw your mod pics on that forum nice work, but you could have posted more pics and also could have edited the pics first in photoshop, they are not so clear.

Anyway, coming back to where I left it. Below is the image you wanted to see.

*img229.imageshack.us/img229/9577/image1549vc.th.jpg

Both the LEDs are BLUE and the power is sourced DIRECTLY from the molex connector and also i have not used any registors for this purpose.

You can clearly see the two LEDs glowing directly.

Your White LEDs blew up because of the incorrect power supply to them.

And ya I also wanted to know where from did you buy the TOOLS KIT and what was the price of it. I am also looking forward to buy one so please tell me.

Besides how much do the complete COMPUTER REPAIR KIT cost. Planning to buy this one also. Can you help me. (Working with old KIT right now!)

NOTE: ALL Pictures/ Images were taken from NOKIA 6600 mobile.
ALL Pictures/Images were uploaded to *imageshack.us/img/iss3.png.

 

[theraven]

what tool kit ? what computer repair kit ?
i think u lost me ther .. be a lil more clear plz
yeah the images were quite a lot couldnt edit them all besides was busy with the mod

digit took some pictures but i never got all the originals .. and by the end of it i forgot also .

yes my LED's blew up cuz of INCORRECT AMPERES >. not voltage ...
LED's state 1 is 3.3-5V .. which im sure u know .. so it wasnt eh voltage

HENCE im more shocked how ur LED's are working without fusing .....
Each LED has voltage AND ampere rating thats y ...

how long do u keep those LED's on ??
do they get REALLY heated up ?
check n lemme know ... cuz it would be a shame if they blew up after soo much effort

also if u own a multimeter measure the current and voltage flowign between the LED's and lemem know ..

i failed to notice if the 2 are in series or parallel ...
i guess they must be in parallel to get the same voltage ..in which the current could be divided .. hence ur led's are working fine .. yet the calculations dont match .

i hope u dun mind im concerned only so that u dun have to change the LED's time n again .


blue's are pretty bright and uve kept them facing the window hence the lighting looks nice and bright .. and sicne ur glass is designer and UNCLEAR the light is spread evenly .. so in all the effect is pretty good
nice job there ... tho maybe u may want to think of a more permanent solution liek mountin the LED's somewhere ..

 

[Tech&ME]

what tool kit ? what computer repair kit ?
i think u lost me ther .. be a lil more clear plz
yeah the images were quite a lot couldnt edit them all besides was busy with the mod

digit took some pictures but i never got all the originals .. and by the end of it i forgot also .

yes my LED's blew up cuz of INCORRECT AMPERES >. not voltage ...
LED's state 1 is 3.3-5V .. which im sure u know .. so it wasnt eh voltage

HENCE im more shocked how ur LED's are working without fusing .....
Each LED has voltage AND ampere rating thats y ...

how long do u keep those LED's on ??
do they get REALLY heated up ?
check n lemme know ... cuz it would be a shame if they blew up after soo much effort

also if u own a multimeter measure the current and voltage flowign between the LED's and lemem know ..

i failed to notice if the 2 are in series or parallel ...
i guess they must be in parallel to get the same voltage ..in which the current could be divided .. hence ur led's are working fine .. yet the calculations dont match .

i hope u dun mind im concerned only so that u dun have to change the LED's time n again .


blue's are pretty bright and uve kept them facing the window hence the lighting looks nice and bright .. and sicne ur glass is designer and UNCLEAR the light is spread evenly .. so in all the effect is pretty good
nice job there ... tho maybe u may want to think of a more permanent solution liek mountin the LED's somewhere ..

Hey budy,

I appreciate your concern, but to tell you the truth non of my LED's blew up from day one except 1, and that was my fault.

Theraven, I know you know about the ampere and voltage etc but what you are missing here is the correct current supply to the LEDs.

Blue LEDs consume a little bit more of the energy. Molex cable are designed to carry a predefined amount of current through them. And hence, the LEDs I have are always on as long as my system is on. They never blow up.

If you are interested I will PM you the complete tut on how to make two LEDs work for ever.

And as far as the kit were concerned, I saw in your modding thread in the other forum that you have posted a picture of some kind of a TOOL KIT, and hence, thought you bought it from somewhere and I was wondering if you could tell me the price and where did you get it from. Anyways, forget about the KIT if you don't have any.

 

[Kniwor]

@Tech&ME
just saw ur image..... all's fine..
but take care ur led's dont get into the cpu fan sometime...