# das.dude's Poor Man's Mod



## de.das.dude (Sep 12, 2011)

so finally, after an upgrade to the Nokia C6-00 from the Nokia 1100, i now hold the power of taking awesome pics!

You all remember my poor little case that i started modding when i was 17? Well, its time to professionalize it now 

This is what was done before hand:






the aluminium sheet was the only thing done to it physically. lights were added ofcourse but thats no biggie.

here is the original case. i had the 7th bezel from the top.

One more thing. This Mod has been done with VERY little money. So far money spent = Rs 400 ($10)



*Here is what i plan on doing.
1. Cover up the acer logo on the side panel with putty M-Seal
2. Cut a hole in the bottom of the front bezel for better aeration.
3. Remove the paint of the front bezel.
4. Cut out side panel for a window.
5. Beautify front bezel with some snazzy lights.
6. Fill the hole in the front bezel with some meshing or grill.
7. Make or get a fan controller.
8. Make a overall master circuit for all the controllers.*


*So Far:-*

Epoxied the aluminium cut out to the case. Filled and smoothed out the joints. "ace" filled and smoothed out.





Bezel hole completed. Its been masked up to prevent scuffing.





some ideas for the front grill:-




made with 5mm and 3mm slots.


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## Fatal (Sep 12, 2011)

Cool look forward to seeing what magic you conjure up. Nice pics too by they way I take horrible pictures lol.


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## mATrIxLord (Sep 12, 2011)

looks very interesting how you want to "refresh" your old case, subed to see how it goes...


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## de.das.dude (Sep 12, 2011)

UPDATE!

derusting the area before applying the sealing compound





the "e" and "r" of acer covered up and left to dry





now the sanding has begun. a long way to go.





First layer done. time to cover up the "R" again and redo.




you will notice this time i got some slick black M-seal


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## Fuganater (Sep 12, 2011)

Personally I would just make a window or 2 out of this. Filling in that Logo and sanding it down flat is going to be a bit of a pain. But thats just me.


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## de.das.dude (Sep 13, 2011)

Fuganater said:


> Personally I would just make a window or 2 out of this. Filling in that Logo and sanding it down flat is going to be a bit of a pain. But thats just me.



i know thats why i am thinking of painting in the logo. because at just 5x10mm its gonna be a pain in the ass.


in case you are wondering what is this M-Seal im talking about:-









Its a "Fast Curing Epoxy Compound" made by Pidilite Industries and looks something like


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## de.das.dude (Sep 14, 2011)

Fuganater said:


> Personally I would just make a window or 2 out of this. Filling in that Logo and sanding it down flat is going to be a bit of a pain. But thats just me.



aah, i just understood what you meant. but you see the end of the R is mixed up in the support. so i cant do anything other than this


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## de.das.dude (Sep 17, 2011)

bought 4 50mm fans. ball bearing. 4500RPM





finished the converting it into an autoCAD drawing
dimensions are exact, if you need the file, PM me.





design for the mounting of the above fans as exhaust (beta version)





nice FIT!


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## Bo$$ (Sep 17, 2011)

what colour are you going to re-spray the door? red? green? black?


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## de.das.dude (Sep 17, 2011)

black.


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## Bo$$ (Sep 17, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> black.



you should get the entire case resprayed, put a window in the door and you will be all set


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## de.das.dude (Sep 17, 2011)

any suggestions what to make the three fan mounting plate with?


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## adulaamin (Sep 17, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> any suggestions what to make the three fan mounting plate with?



aluminum...


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## de.das.dude (Sep 17, 2011)

adulaamin said:


> aluminum...



i have 1mm aluminium. but theres the issue of painting aluminium. also its hard to cut. i have a dremel to work with. and a round file. thats all.

i wish i had a hole saw 

will it be easier to cut out the chassis itself?


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## Damn_Smooth (Sep 17, 2011)

Subscribed man, I have to see where you're going with this.


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## de.das.dude (Sep 17, 2011)

Damn_Smooth said:


> Subscribed man, I have to see where you're going with this.



apparently nowhere without a jigsaw.

i guess i will drill and file, drill and file


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## Damn_Smooth (Sep 17, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> apparently nowhere without a jigsaw.
> 
> i guess i will drill and file, drill and file



That sucks man, good luck.


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## _JP_ (Sep 17, 2011)

Subscribed. Looking good so far, keep it up.


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## Fuganater (Sep 17, 2011)

Aint 50mm fans gonna be uber loud? 

You could probably go to home depot or something and pick up some 1/16" alum to make the shroud with.


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## _JP_ (Sep 17, 2011)

Fuganater said:


> Aint 50mm fans gonna be uber loud?


I had a fan just like that on my Pentium 3 cooler. It wasn't that loud. At the time, my maxtor HDD was way louder and by the time I got a more modern seagate HDD, the sound was about the same (fan and HDD). So bottom-line, if one can tolerate the sound of a regular 7200rpm HDD, one can tolerate those fans at full speed.


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## BrooksyX (Sep 17, 2011)

love build logs. subscribed


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## de.das.dude (Sep 18, 2011)

the fans are absoloutly silent. thats where the bearings came in i guess. they cost a dollar a piece.
and no home depots in India LOL.


finalized the top exhaust thing.





yes, i probably have to precision drill those 463 holes.


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## MT Alex (Sep 18, 2011)

I recently learned that mesh garbage cans, that come in all different colors, are cheap and a great alternative to modders mesh or drilling.  I bet they even have them there.


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## de.das.dude (Sep 18, 2011)

MT Alex said:


> I recently learned that mesh garbage cans, that come in all different colors, are cheap and a great alternative to modders mesh or drilling.  I bet they even have them there.



again this is INDIA. we no haz garbage canz here


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## Fuganater (Sep 18, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> again this is INDIA. we no haz garbage canz here



QFT!! Nor does Africa


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## Bo$$ (Sep 18, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> the fans are absoloutly silent. thats where the bearings came in i guess. they cost a dollar a piece.
> and no home depots in India LOL.
> 
> 
> ...



is it not possible to buy some mesh and place it over the whole area?


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## MT Alex (Sep 18, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> again this is INDIA. we no haz garbage canz here



Where do you put your garbage, then?


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## de.das.dude (Sep 18, 2011)

MT Alex said:


> Where do you put your garbage, then?



we are too poor. we eat it. LOL j/k.

guy comes and picks it up. hes the garbage man. he goes around with a small cart.


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## de.das.dude (Sep 18, 2011)

Bo$$ said:


> is it not possible to buy some mesh and place it over the whole area?



yes i was thinkin the same. the thing is.... will it look good. i mean, i have to cut this out separately from aluminium and then i have to attach it to the top of the case on a pre cut rectangular hole. im worried if the mesh will cause any alignment problems.


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## MT Alex (Sep 18, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> we are too poor. we eat it. LOL j/k.
> 
> guy comes and picks it up. hes the garbage man. he goes around with a small cart.



Ah.  How about a mesh waste bin?


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## de.das.dude (Sep 18, 2011)

MT Alex said:


> Ah.  How about a mesh waste bin?
> 
> http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pu...Ta2e949qli83iw_HXUnkUDFF7SU0Pw2D_qwFYinCvRyUQ



no thank you. still not available


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## de.das.dude (Sep 19, 2011)

cutting aluminium with a technique designed by me.





this makes cutting real easy and fast and neat!





designed transferred to paper. drawn by hand, i couldnt accurately print it from autoCAD 





template positioned on the case





drilling started, already went through one drill bit. i dont have a jigsaw 





punching out the links with a screw driver, BRUTE STRENGTH 






al these from my clothes and limbs. *note to self:remember to fully cover skin before working with iron* 

took an hr to get them little bits out of my skin. very itchy.





test run! IT WORKS!


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## _JP_ (Sep 19, 2011)

You are a prime example of why determination completely overcomes the lack of tools, to get a job done. (as long as it's not life-threatening)


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## de.das.dude (Sep 19, 2011)

_JP_ said:


> You are a prime example of why determination completely overcomes the lack of tools, to get a job done. (as long as it's not life-threatening)



thanks or the huge compliment. I try my best not to kill/impair myself


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## TheMailMan78 (Sep 19, 2011)

If you paint it black then make damn sure its flat black. Glossy will show every screw up you have made since childhood.


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## Fuganater (Sep 19, 2011)

Looks good so far. You going to file all the extra out or use a hand jigsaw/scroll saw?


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## de.das.dude (Sep 20, 2011)

Fuganater said:


> Looks good so far. You going to file all the extra out or use a hand jigsaw/scroll saw?



i will file i think. whats a scroll saw? whats a scroll saw? ah you mean those hole saw thingys. i will try to find one guy here. i know they are available here.


@ mailman yeah i will paint it as it is. i like this texture. i dont like glossy stuff. i paint it with a brush and roll over with a foam roller.


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## Fuganater (Sep 20, 2011)

This is what I use.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JJD0Y4/?tag=tec06d-20


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## Damn_Smooth (Sep 20, 2011)

Fuganater said:


> This is what I use.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JJD0Y4/?tag=tec06d-20



Non functioning web pages? How does that work?


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## de.das.dude (Sep 20, 2011)

Fuganater said:


> This is what I use.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JJD0Y4/?tag=tec06d-20



@smoothie, it works for me.

andyhoo i asked and that one costs 2500INR now. thats $56


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## Damn_Smooth (Sep 20, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> @smoothie, it works for me.
> 
> andyhoo i asked and that one costs 2500INR now. thats $56



Dammit, I just get a redirect to the home page.


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## de.das.dude (Sep 20, 2011)

Fuganater said:


> http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&ei=Si54TuuRAtGctweK2-X7Cw



i dont think its even that one, they were saying the cheapest one costs 56$ them bitches.


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## Fuganater (Sep 20, 2011)

But if you can borrow one that would be good. Its way better than anything else. Drill, cut then file the last little bit.


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## MT Alex (Sep 20, 2011)

A simple saw drill bit:


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## de.das.dude (Sep 20, 2011)

Fuganater said:


> But if you can borrow one that would be good. Its way better than anything else. Drill, cut then file the last little bit.



i know. i wanted to buy one. but no money. its really expensive. 20$ has a lot of value in india.


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## de.das.dude (Sep 20, 2011)

MT Alex said:


> A simple saw drill bit:
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/110920/untitled.png



yes! i want this, i actually didnt know what this is called. i will try to find one.


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## de.das.dude (Nov 13, 2011)

bumping to show i havent forgotten about this. just that sems are around the corner


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## pantherx12 (Nov 13, 2011)

Subbed : ]


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## scaminatrix (Nov 13, 2011)

Wow! Glad to see you're stepping up your game Das! With the real "Super-Mechanic" feel that you guys are stereotypically famous for!

This pic explains it all:





Bloody good idea!!


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## de.das.dude (Nov 13, 2011)

scaminatrix said:


> Wow! Glad to see you're stepping up your game Das! With the real "Super-Mechanic" feel that you guys are stereotypically famous for!
> 
> This pic explains it all:
> http://photos.cc.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...9583_100000478611462_1186493_1989338228_n.jpg
> ...



aww shucks. thanks man!


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Nov 13, 2011)

like ya thread dude

a small tip, try and get a set of 6inch / small files, their the shiz for finishing up cut outs neatly and they remove more metal, better then you might expect i use em a fair bit


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## de.das.dude (Nov 13, 2011)

theoneandonlymrk said:


> like ya thread dude
> 
> a small tip, try and get a set of 6inch / small files, their the shiz for finishing up cut outs neatly and they remove more metal, better then you might expect i use em a fair bit



i have a 12" one with a round edge, yeah i was wishing i had smaller ones too. but since budget is very very limited so poo for me. the nose pliers u see here are 40yrs old. its my dads. they are 21yrs older than me LOL



also there need to be a slight modification to the top exhaust. my new PSU is 1 cm longer, so what i will do is cut out a rectangle and attach a shroud thingy (there will be 3, one at front, back and middle). the fans will be mounted on the shroud. shroud will be made of aluminum 1mm thick.


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## Cuzza (Nov 15, 2011)

de.das.dude. this is so mongrel, you are my hero.


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## assaulter_99 (Nov 15, 2011)

I'm astonished that you bought new fans, weren't you the fan repair man? Just j/k. Nice thread btw. New pictures would be nice too, just make sure you make it to the end. This is some nice modding you are doing with that case with the tools you have at hand, BRAVO!


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## mediasorcerer (Nov 15, 2011)

Hey Das, could you use perspex for the fan mount? great stuff, thanks for posting love to see what folks are up too.
Good idea to get rid of the acer logo, hahaha.


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## de.das.dude (Nov 15, 2011)

mediasorcerer said:


> Hey Das, could you use perspex for the fan mount? great stuff, thanks for posting love to see what folks are up too.
> Good idea to get rid of the acer logo, hahaha.



hmmm... you mean acrylic right?? yes, but i would have to find them. and they are hard to paint as i cant find adhesioner here in india.


also the fans would simple 50mm black ones. so nothing fancy to see. 
I might, however put some slots in the fan mount and get some LEDs underneath. so far i have done the measurements for the mount only. 50mm x3 is a little bit cramped


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## theJesus (Nov 15, 2011)

Subbed.  Reminds me of when I started modding with even less tools (and hideous, but functional results lol).


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## mdnelson09 (Nov 15, 2011)

http://photos.cc.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...9583_100000478611462_1186493_1989338228_n.jpg

I feel so dumb, but how is this done?


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## de.das.dude (Nov 15, 2011)

mdnelson09 said:


> http://photos.cc.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...9583_100000478611462_1186493_1989338228_n.jpg
> 
> I feel so dumb, but how is this done?



you have a piece of aluminium. say you want to cut along a straight line.

you take a metal ruler, then draw a line with a sharpie knife / pen knife (whatever you like to call it)
the line must be deep enough to be felt by the finger.

then at the edge of the sheet, make a small cut into the line. now with a set of pliers, use this little piece and roll it in the way shown in the pic. result is the sheet will shear along the line.

works with new aluminium.


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## de.das.dude (Nov 28, 2011)

forgot about these updates :O







let there be light!


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## theJesus (Nov 28, 2011)

I think I have that same heatsink sitting in a drawer somewhere.


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## de.das.dude (Nov 28, 2011)

but you have an intel setup. 


edit nvm, you are a tech worker.


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## _JP_ (Nov 28, 2011)

So...much...dust...


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## theJesus (Nov 28, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> but you have an intel setup.
> 
> 
> edit nvm, you are a tech worker.


What, a man's only allowed to have one machine?   I collected all sorts of stuff when I was trying to put together a dirt-cheap rig for the gf a few years ago and kept changing platforms.


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## Luciel (Nov 28, 2011)

Love what you´re doing with the tools you have, finding inventive solutions to stuff you´d normally need the right tools to do, subd! : )


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## assaulter_99 (Nov 28, 2011)

Have you thought about whether you plan to paint it afterwards? A black matte finish would be nice, especially having worked the metal so much. The interior too should be given some paint love, lets not make it a half assed job lol


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## de.das.dude (Nov 28, 2011)

im thinking of brush painting it with some black shiny coat, and finishing it with a sponge roller to get the original paint effect. it will hide any imperfections as well.


the white part of my bezel will be metallic blue. though i am having trouble securing a can of blue metallic spray paint here


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## assaulter_99 (Nov 28, 2011)

Well if you go for shiny paint jobs, just make sure you sand it well and smooth before. It doesn't hide imperfections as you say well, cause of light reflections etc, you get the drill. Matte would have made your job a tad easier. (dunna what you really plan to do with the sponge roller, so I might be out of tune here)


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## de.das.dude (Nov 28, 2011)

no i will get the shiny matt finish. my dad works for berger paints  so that part is covered pretty well.


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## malcolm_cg (Dec 6, 2011)

de.das.dude said:


> you have a piece of aluminium. say you want to cut along a straight line.
> 
> you take a metal ruler, then draw a line with a sharpie knife / pen knife (whatever you like to call it)
> the line must be deep enough to be felt by the finger.
> ...



like openin a tuna can after the indents made with the pen knife


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## de.das.dude (Dec 6, 2011)

yes. something tells me you are from erodov?


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## malcolm_cg (Dec 6, 2011)

yea  am ther aswell


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## de.das.dude (Dec 16, 2011)

update. finally figured out the dimensions i need to cut for the fan shroud.


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## de.das.dude (Dec 27, 2011)

Time. To. Die.
this makes swooshy noise. very snnoying, so i kill eet!!





safety first!





time to bring in the hammer!
note that i left a tab at the lower left corner so that the thing doesnt fly into the case when i hammer it.
not my case is full fo hardware.





filing time. one edge done.





filing complete.





time to pack up for today!
moms nailpolish as rust protection.

PS dont tell her. >.<"





swooshy noise is no more!

note: i will add a net to the front bezel. dust can be a problem here.


thanks for reading!


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## theJesus (Dec 27, 2011)

Yeah, I would have taken everything out of the case before cutting it.  You really don't want metal dust getting all over your components and potentially causing a short somewhere.


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## de.das.dude (Dec 27, 2011)

i brushed the case afterwards before plugging it in.


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## de.das.dude (Dec 27, 2011)




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## t_ski (Dec 27, 2011)

No, seriously.  You need to remove all the stuff from the case before dremelling or hammering on it.  You hammered the case with the hard drive in?  Hope it doesn't die from the excess G's.  And the metal dust can get places you can't even imagine.  If it works after all this, I'll be shocked and amazed.


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## de.das.dude (Dec 27, 2011)

works. im a vry good cleaner.
and i hammered it with my small hammer. see the video!


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## anoobarak (Dec 27, 2011)

Nice work de. I remember when I did something similar to my crappy old case. I cut a hole on the top of the case, and remove the front and back hexagon mesh with an angle grinder.. The result didn't look pretty at all. Though the increased airflow really did help with the temperatures, especially during summer time. Keep up the good work! I'm really interested how this will turn out


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## mATrIxLord (Dec 28, 2011)

oooohhh yes!!!! the best tool in the shed: the hammer, it's the best tool for all IT workers around the world....


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## theJesus (Dec 28, 2011)

mATrIxLord said:


> oooohhh yes!!!! the best tool in the shed: the hammer, it's the best tool for all IT workers around the world....


It honestly is when you're de-installing ancient equipment that's getting trashed anyways


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## Bo$$ (Jan 10, 2012)

nice job


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Jan 10, 2012)

mATrIxLord said:


> oooohhh yes!!!! the best tool in the shed: the hammer, it's the best tool for all IT workers around the world....


Yes a 3lb mini sledge does so many wonders.


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## dorsetknob (Jan 10, 2012)

mATrIxLord said:


> oooohhh yes!!!! the best tool in the shed: the hammer, it's the best tool for all IT workers around the world....



and do you use oxi acetylene to solder ?


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## Norton (Jan 11, 2012)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Yes a 3lb mini sledge does so many wonders.



 Don't go anywhere without one with me 
 You're not really qualified to use it until you can separate every Ball Joint with one swing each on an old GM car's front end


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## Peter1986C (Jan 11, 2012)

subscribed 

But really, take out all components before you start on the case, even I know that and I am not having any modding knowledge nor skill.


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## de.das.dude (Jan 11, 2012)

well people call me eccentric for no reason ;p


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## Rule-R (Jan 11, 2012)

You must have had a lot of practice being able to power file


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Jan 12, 2012)

Oh do i know exactly what your talking about. We got a guy at work that is just starting into general repair (had him r&r transmission for the last 5 yrs) and he was try to seperate a balljoint on some car last week. I heard him just banging away at it with a hammer and a fork. I reached in my box and grabbed ol' faithful, then told him you got to have finese and put the fear of god in it. I hit it 1 time on the side and it popped loose. All he could say was "I hate you"





Norton said:


> Don't go anywhere without one with me
> You're not really qualified to use it until you can separate every Ball Joint with one swing each on an old GM car's front end


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Jan 12, 2012)

dorsetknob said:


> and do you use oxi acetylene to solder ?


I do, is there something wrong with that or a better way to do it?  Nothing like melted parts in the morning


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## de.das.dude (Jan 12, 2012)

Rule-R said:


> You must have had a lot of practice being able to power file



lol that fan hole is the first thing i filed in my life


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## Rule-R (Jan 12, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> lol that fan hole is the first thing i filed in my life



Wasnt referring to the filing, more to the movement (A)


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## de.das.dude (Jan 12, 2012)

Rule-R said:


> Wasnt referring to the filing, more to the movement (A)



 tons of practise then  HAHAHA


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## Rule-R (Jan 12, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> tons of practise then  HAHAHA



You can tell, hehehe!


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## de.das.dude (Jun 2, 2012)

finally after a long time!
got some stuff to work upon!

made this board






got this fan and sleeved it (though this is for my new NZXT guardian case)







images may require log in to facebook to be able to view them.


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## Mindweaver (Jun 2, 2012)

Great work! de.das.dude


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## de.das.dude (Jun 2, 2012)

completed the board!
worked first time! no short circuits 





no loose solders either \m/ (sorry i didnt have 5 of 3-pin fans at that moment)





will cut out the PCB from the whole thing later in daylight.


notice the LED? i chopped off the top and scruffed the sides to make it disperse the light all around. used a dremel for that.


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## MT Alex (Jun 2, 2012)

What's the resistor for?  The LED?  I really like the fact that there isn't a molex plug on it, makes it look much more streamlined with just the power coming in on the black and yellow.


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## de.das.dude (Jun 2, 2012)

yes thats a 1k for the blue led. 600ohms is reqd, but it works with a 1k as i ghetto tested before, so i used it.

unfortunately there is a molex at the end of the yellow black lines 
i used a line to give some amount of flexibility to the location i can mount the board, and also so that i dont need to bring a think molex power line all the way across the chassis to where i mount the board.

i built up the schematic as i was soldering the pieces. lol.


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## MT Alex (Jun 2, 2012)

I figured there was a connection on the end of the wires, but you usually see a female molex connector soldered to the PCB.  It looks better without it.


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## de.das.dude (Jun 2, 2012)

yes. but i used a male, like all other power taking inputs.
infact, only the pins are there. will put on the jack after i sleeve it lol.


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## de.das.dude (Jun 3, 2012)

using a bit of enamel to insulate




filed down the stuff









added the sticky tape in two layers so that i get a flush finish.





in action

for more pictures and details goto Kustom PC mawds!


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## JrRacinFan (Jun 3, 2012)

Where's the fan installation mister?! Must see when completed!!!!


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## de.das.dude (Jun 3, 2012)

yeah i will wait till i get things sorted out.


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## de.das.dude (Jun 7, 2012)

a small update

coloured the foam with a marker to make it look neat.


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## Peter1986C (Jun 7, 2012)

At what voltage will the fans run? The full 12v or does the resistor lower it to, say, 8v?


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## de.das.dude (Jun 8, 2012)

12V, resistor is a 1K for lowering the voltage and driving the 4V LED.
all the fans will be silent fans so why bother with fan control XD


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## de.das.dude (Aug 12, 2012)

update time!
dad got a angle grinder for his construction work. so i bought a metall cutting disk for it and gave it a go.




final touches were done with a grinding disk for the angle grinder 

i like it 

if you have good eyes you will notice the distribution board i showed in the last update 


the aluminium bit on the right seems to have gone off and some of my patchwork on the embossed letters seems to have gone flaky. need to correct those.


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## theJesus (Aug 12, 2012)

What the hell happened to that panel?


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## de.das.dude (Aug 12, 2012)

theJesus said:


> What the hell happened to that panel?



there were holes in the lower left region that hindered me from making clean fan holes, so i had to make a new plate for that portion. i dont have 0.6mm secc, so aluminium it was.

and there were the letters ACER punched into the side panel so i had to cover that up too. then i cut it.
you can hardly see the er of acer. c is visible though 

a bit of the aluminium panel i fit came off due to the epoxy not being used properly.


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## theJesus (Aug 14, 2012)

Oh, I think I remember all that now lol.  You're gonna make sure it's all smoothed out and then paint it when you're done though right?


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Aug 15, 2012)

theJesus said:


> Oh, I think I remember all that now lol.  You're gonna make sure it's all smoothed out and then paint it when you're done though right?



Hell no, it is done now. Remember the title of the thread? Poor man's mods. Poor man can't afford to make it look good.


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## theJesus (Aug 15, 2012)

Well, he doesn't have to powder-coat it lol


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Aug 15, 2012)

Oh he is in India, don't they use like beans or something to dye and paint with?


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## theJesus (Aug 15, 2012)

I know he can at least find a few Sharpies


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Aug 15, 2012)

Dye it with some berries or something. He is going to come back in here and say we done shited up his thread hmm he can dye it with that.


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## de.das.dude (Aug 15, 2012)

theJesus said:


> Oh, I think I remember all that now lol.  You're gonna make sure it's all smoothed out and then paint it when you're done though right?



yes.



ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Hell no, it is done now. Remember the title of the thread? Poor man's mods. Poor man can't afford to make it look good.





theJesus said:


> Well, he doesn't have to powder-coat it lol





ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Oh he is in India, don't they use like beans or something to dye and paint with?





theJesus said:


> I know he can at least find a few Sharpies





ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Dye it with some berries or something. He is going to come back in here and say we done shited up his thread hmm he can dye it with that.



=.="


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## de.das.dude (Mar 26, 2013)

slow progress


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## caleb (Mar 26, 2013)

What program you do those technical drawings? Some AutoCAD ? Do you have any noob documentation for it so I can give it a go?


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## de.das.dude (Mar 26, 2013)

i used sketchup. sketchup is good. its free.

plus its pretty simple to use. you just need to get used to it. plus tons of tutorials online.


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## grunt_408 (Mar 26, 2013)

subbed


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## Peter1986C (Mar 26, 2013)

subscribed as well.


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## de.das.dude (Mar 26, 2013)

i messed up the bottom hole big time 

why didnt i measure twice and cut once 

now i need to find some sheet metal to fix the gap.


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## Peter1986C (Mar 26, 2013)

Or some cardboard.


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## theJesus (Mar 27, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> i messed up the bottom hole big time
> 
> why didnt i measure twice and cut once
> 
> now i need to find some sheet metal to fix the gap.


Make it bigger and use a bigger fan?


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## de.das.dude (Mar 27, 2013)

i cant  the problem is that the hole extends and overlaps over one of the case feet :shadedshu


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## de.das.dude (Mar 27, 2013)

Chevalr1c said:


> Or some cardboard.



no more ghetto 
probably will get it welded.

EDIT:-
Front Bezel done.





Instead of using a separate fan controller, i am thinking of using the plastic covers of the 5.25" drive bays and using them as the back for switches.
thinking of a way to make touch sensitive switches. but i dont think i have the knowledge for that.


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## theJesus (Mar 27, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> i cant  the problem is that the hole extends and overlaps over one of the case feet :shadedshu


How did you manage that?


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## de.das.dude (Mar 27, 2013)

i removed the feet before i measured and cut it


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## theJesus (Mar 27, 2013)

Do the feet have to back in the same exact spot?


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## de.das.dude (Mar 27, 2013)

apparently yes. or else i will need to get new feet.


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## theJesus (Mar 27, 2013)

My suggestion:
-Make the hole larger to cover up the mistake and use a larger fan
-Get new feet that can be placed wherever you need them to be placed


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## de.das.dude (Mar 27, 2013)

instead of getting new feet, i was thinking of drilling through the feet to remove the clips. then i could use a nut and bolt to screw them in everywhere.
oh well, more work for tomorrow... sigh.


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## theJesus (Mar 27, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> instead of getting new feet, i was thinking of drilling through the feet to remove the clips. then i could use a nut and bolt to screw them in everywhere.
> oh well, more work for tomorrow... sigh.


I assumed you had already thought of that when you answered previously, or else I would have suggested it.


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## de.das.dude (Mar 27, 2013)

yeah sure ~


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## de.das.dude (Mar 28, 2013)

did some work tonight. had a previous blunder of cutting a fan hole of incorrect dimensions in the incorrect place. after thinking through the suggestions and trying to figure out a path of the least hassle, i decided to go for a 120mm fan, instead of the 92mm fan i previously had in mind when doing the blunder.




Placing the fan was difficult since there was less than 140mm to work with. add to that the space i needed to leave for the Audio and USB jacks made it even more difficult.


as you can see its very close to the side of the cabinet






with the fan





age old trick, using nail polish to prevent rust forming on the newly cut edges









the scrapped portion. you can see how badly it was cut. to be honest, that was the first time with a rotary tool, and i was 17 years old back then. now i am 20 




i have improved a lot. I did the final cut with the rotary itself. Only used a knife to clean up the edges from burrs.


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## grunt_408 (Mar 28, 2013)

Well done , good to see the hardware has been stripped out of the case.


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## de.das.dude (Mar 28, 2013)

new hardware wont fit in it.  i use an ATX board now


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## theJesus (Mar 28, 2013)

Nice save; I'm glad my suggestion worked out for ya!


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## de.das.dude (May 3, 2013)

finished rendering....

should i paint the interior white or blac


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## theJesus (May 3, 2013)

Wow, that's really detailed.

I vote white.  Everybody and their mother's brother has black interior these days.


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## hckngrtfakt (May 3, 2013)

theJesus said:


> Wow, that's really detailed.
> 
> I vote white.  Everybody and their mother's brother has black interior these days.



^ this 

Black (most other colors) = Boring :shadedshu

White is the way to go


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## m1dg3t (May 3, 2013)

theJesus said:


> Wow, that's really detailed.
> 
> I vote white.  Everybody and their mother's brother has black interior these days.



You know what they say...  

The colour scheme in the rendering looks good, as does the rendering!


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## de.das.dude (May 3, 2013)

i too want to keep it white since the fan blades will be white, also this is a small case, having white interior will mean that the light will reflect well and look a bit more "airy"

now comes the hard part of painting. i have no experience in that matter


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## Anarchy0110 (May 3, 2013)

Yep, white is the color to go, dude 
Nice work overall


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## anoobarak (May 3, 2013)

With the inside of the case in white, all the cabling protruding (assuming there will be some at least), will be seen too well, what cannot be said about a black interior  Have you considered other colors other than white or black?


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## Random Murderer (May 3, 2013)

anoobarak said:


> With the inside of the case in white, all the cabling protruding (assuming there will be some at least), will be seen too well, what cannot be said about a black interior  Have you considered other colors other than white or black?



Not if he uses sleeved cables in either white or another color that wouldmatch the hardware going in the case.


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## theJesus (May 4, 2013)

Random Murderer said:


> Not if he uses sleeved cables in either white or another color that wouldmatch the hardware going in the case.


Plus, if the cables are sleeved and routed neatly, then they can actually look nice and add some accent.


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## d1nky (May 4, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> i too want to keep it white since the fan blades will be white, also this is a small case, having white interior will mean that the light will reflect well and look a bit more "airy"
> 
> now comes the hard part of painting. i have no experience in that matter



if youre spraying, jus aim and squirt fast lol 

practice on a wall or something, it sort of becomes natural and youll know how to spray, distance and speed the more ya try. 

always good to get half decent paint, it doesn't leave splatters and the nozzle doesn't spit.

and don't let the can run empty, I thought id be clever and it went thick in some places on my case (but you cant see because my cameras resolution is poor )


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## de.das.dude (May 4, 2013)

dude, for the love of cabinets, get a better camera, or borrow one like i used to. i still use my phone though.


only one type of paint is available here


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## m1dg3t (May 4, 2013)

C'mon das.dude! Lot's of guides/tutorials how to paint on the Google, in fact i think there is even 1 or 2 posted here, check "Bad boys of case modding" as i think MKmods put up a how to...

"Quick tips" from me: Have lots of sandpaper, various grits if possible. The finer, the better. A good wood block helps too  Some soapy water. Can of primer. Can of paint. Dry weather. Good ventilation. Something to hang parts off so you don't make a mess of the floor/table/bench. 12" distance from work surface, spray in bursts with even speed. Tip can upside down and give a spurt every so often to clear the nozzle...

Scuff the surface first, apply primer. Wet block sand the primer, add another coat if needed. Repeat wet block. Apply paint if surface is nice and even. Wet block sand. Apply another coat of paint. Wet block sand. Apply final coat. Wet sand again if you plan on adding a clear coat. 

Or go the DESI route and just dunk it in a vat of paint


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## de.das.dude (May 4, 2013)

there is a huge difference between reading or watching something and actually doing it.


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## m1dg3t (May 4, 2013)

Well ya! 

What are you scared of now? Your mod is almost done! Just give 'er!


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## de.das.dude (May 4, 2013)

no time atm. exams near. will start after sems.


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## m1dg3t (May 4, 2013)

Oh, yeah? See you when you return then... You're wilkommen


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## de.das.dude (Jul 2, 2013)

its the end sem break anddddd im back to work!

acrylic bought






measured and cut





and it fits.





didnt have a fine file to smooth the edges. or a sandin block so...
slap on some foam tape on a steel rule
and stick a strip 320p sandpaper 









plus the bit of foam helps in smoothing hard edges.


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## theJesus (Jul 3, 2013)

What did you use to cut the acrylic?


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## de.das.dude (Jul 3, 2013)

dremel + cut off wheel. i have a large angle grinder, but this was small so i used the dremel.
btw, the large piece is 4x4 sqft  got it for around 10$, 2mm thick. very hard.


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## d1nky (Jul 3, 2013)

lol i got a normal sizes angle grinder and a massive 10inch blade one.

they both cut case metal and plastic like butter. i should really keep to using the normal one tho, but big is more fun!


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## de.das.dude (Jul 3, 2013)

mines about 6" blades, but i can fit bigger blades as well. anyhoo not needed as the dremel cuts through like butter as well and only cleaning the burrs is reqd, the finish is pretty good. i like it.
and just a bit of polishing and im reaaaady to GOOOOOO.

i think i will make the wire box today. too bad this is acryllic and cant be bent/moulded.


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## de.das.dude (Jul 3, 2013)

cant decide on whether to go with a single bottom 120mm fan or two 120mm fan. the back one has been cut out, but the front one is yet to be done. hmm....


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## d1nky (Jul 3, 2013)

pics would help assess the situation.


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## de.das.dude (Jul 3, 2013)

this one, but with the front bottom one missing. i am thinking i should save the space for
1. water cooling (highly unlikely)
2. some sort of electronic stuff.
3. make space for an SSD.
4. wire management?


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## d1nky (Jul 3, 2013)

meh id move it slighlty closer to the rear one. that would be brilliant gpu cooling!

An ssd can mount literally anywhere, like the side of the drive bay which looks better than a stupid adapter etc

wire management, youre clever enough lol


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## de.das.dude (Jul 3, 2013)

d1nky said:


> meh id move it slighlty closer to the rear one. that would be brilliant gpu cooling!
> 
> An ssd can mount literally anywhere, like the side of the drive bay which looks better than a stupid adapter etc
> 
> wire management, youre clever enough lol



there are two 80mm fan spaces on the side on the window XD 

im scared this will sound like a jet XD


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Jul 3, 2013)

You can always sticky tape your ssd to the bottom of the HDD cage. Wire management can be handles by tucking wires behind and on top of the psu, also in the hdd cage above the drives. Depends on what kind of electronic stuff you are thinking of. 


Also do you have any top fans? I noticed only one exhaust fan besides the psu fan.


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## d1nky (Jul 3, 2013)

i like loud fans, it means my pc is working.

LOL i have all mine at max 24/7.


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## de.das.dude (Jul 3, 2013)

lol. i do the same too. ok, i WILL cut it out. and yes i will have to move it a bit back anyways, I/O port world be in the way.


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Jul 3, 2013)

And with 2 side fans you will have 5 intake fans and basically 1 exhaust fan.


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## d1nky (Jul 3, 2013)

i wouldnt have the side fans as an intake, basically blowing the air back at the card which isnt good depending where they are.

most cards blow hot air from the sides so id have them as exhausts!


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## de.das.dude (Jul 3, 2013)

hmm... interesting.. i was thinkign the same right now. then it will be more balanced. plus there are three 50mm fan sized vent holes at the top to neutralize the presure. im thinking more intakes so, it will basically be acing like an exhaust..


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## theJesus (Jul 4, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> dremel + cut off wheel. i have a large angle grinder, but this was small so i used the dremel.
> btw, the large piece is 4x4 sqft  got it for around 10$, 2mm thick. very hard.


You didn't have any problems with it melting?  Did you use a really low speed?


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## de.das.dude (Jul 4, 2013)

theJesus said:


> You didn't have any problems with it melting?  Did you use a really low speed?



no, the one i used is a heat resistant one. and hence the reason why it cant be moulded.
there was a little but of melting, but very little, it just melt the part in front of the blade, not the sides. and yes, i used the lowest speed. around 10000rpm or so. the guys were cutting it with a high speed table saw.


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## vega22 (Jul 4, 2013)

i would say get some casters instead of feet.

mainly because they tend to be bigger which will give you plenty of room under for airflow and also so its easier to move about.

this is great btw, i love what you have done :thumb:


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## de.das.dude (Jul 4, 2013)

i will make custom feet on the lathe 
hehe

and i got some screws today for the window fixing.
will need to cut them short.


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## de.das.dude (Jul 5, 2013)

Fan holes cut in acrylic sheet







Fan holes match outline on the sidepanel







transparency and scratch resistance test of the acrylic.
left one was exposed from cover and then filed on. the right one wasnt exposed until complete.







mmmm pretty







screws bought for attaching the acrylic to the side panel. i may use sticky tape method too.
but since the over lap area is small, this might be better.






protip: while cutting along the lines. i found it easier to keep the line between the blade and my eyesight in such a way that, the blade is always in the cut out portion.
this way, the line is visible at all times, and there is a small margin for error as well.


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## D007 (Jul 5, 2013)

Nice Das, I dig it.
Keep it up. ^^


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## de.das.dude (Jul 5, 2013)

so, i drilled some holes for the nut bolts and it fits





yay, first times a charm, but hmmm.. bolts are a little too long.






dremel to the rescue!






thats it today.


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Jul 5, 2013)

Hey question for you? Could you have used the screws that hold fans for the window?


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## de.das.dude (Jul 5, 2013)

no. those usually get into tapped holes. this acrylic is hard, so it likes to crack easily.
i couldnt even use a power drill. i had to hand drill the holes.

see... crack!


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## d1nky (Jul 5, 2013)

what drill and bit was you using? 

if you have a metal drill bit or something sharp, and the drill has decent RPM/speed it shouldnt crack.

i can drill holes all day long with my cordless makita or bosch, dont put it on hammer lol


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## de.das.dude (Jul 5, 2013)

i use a rotary tool 
min 10000rpm. was deforming too much during drilling  dad has a heavy duty concrete one, but it those hammer drill types.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Jul 5, 2013)

I used a slow speed to drill acrylic, slow speed less heat/melting, seems to work ok.

Nice work Das, can't wait to see the finished result.


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## de.das.dude (Jul 5, 2013)

yes only painting is left. paint n primer acquired, need some turpine oil for cleaning and stuff. need to dress up the sidepanel a bit with putty. strip other gunk off etc.

i used a hand drill, but its ok, takes a minute to go through 2mm plastic XD


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## de.das.dude (Jul 20, 2013)

painting my nuts....





yes i AM serious


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## de.das.dude (Jul 25, 2013)

tried painting the plasticky bits.
paint was fine, i prepped with fine sanding then with acetone + micro fibre cloth to clean it.

but in the morning i see fine specs of dust have settled on it  i am disappoint. i even made a small overhead newspaper tent to keep the dust off. any suggestions?

originally 





now





front I/O


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## ne6togadno (Jul 25, 2013)

a box with fan with dust filter to push air in box. possitive pressure in box wont let dust to get in. good insulation of box openings will be + (slef-adhesive tape).
before you start drilling clamp wooden block just under the drilling piont. this way acryl wont deform from your pushing force.
other possibility is to use mill instead of drill


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## de.das.dude (Aug 4, 2013)

primed and first coat done and dried. took 4hrs to dry lol





closeup.





second coat done and let to dry


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## Vario (Aug 4, 2013)

Its turning out pretty good.  You should definitely invest in a HVLP gun.  Not sure how pricey an air compressor is in India but the HVLP gun isn't too expensive here (US).  This would get you a much quicker and more consistent result, though the brushed on paint looks pretty good in those photos.


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## de.das.dude (Aug 4, 2013)

i have a compressor plus gun kit, but the motor is crapped (gunked up with roach goo). couldnt get any rattle cans either. plus this paint was really cheap. 30inr for 100ml thats like 50cents 

EDIT: second coat dried.





need to touch up some stuff that i couldnt reach with the 1" brush.





also painted some screws white to go with the black drive cage and black motherboard pcb.


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## de.das.dude (Aug 5, 2013)

i hate the masking tape thats available here, rips the paint apart


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## drdeathx (Aug 5, 2013)

Paint application looks poor IMO


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## de.das.dude (Aug 5, 2013)

its brush paint. and not yet completely painted. the overrun on red u see is primer. red primer.


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## drdeathx (Aug 5, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> its brush paint. and not yet completely painted. the overrun on red u see is primer. red primer.



Brush marks will transfer on final product.


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## de.das.dude (Aug 5, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> Brush marks will transfer on final product.



and hence the result. i dont mind the brush marks. i can get rid of the brush marks. by sanding it with 320grit before applying a thin final layer. but if you look at the mod name you will get my point  plus this is a non funded project. not really bothered 

cant even use the masking tape to get clean lines. the adhesive and paper is soaking up the paint  i just touched up some of the white. may need to do a final layer on the white.

never been good at painting before


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## Vario (Aug 5, 2013)

Try thinning the paint or using a roller or sponge when possible.


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## de.das.dude (Aug 5, 2013)

i used a roller. it made bubbles. same with sponge XD/

the paint is really thin in the last coat!

as you can see, the white has no brush marks 





the black is in its first coat still!


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## de.das.dude (Aug 10, 2013)

still a lot of patch work to be done. apparently my country does not have tack cloth


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## m1dg3t (Aug 11, 2013)

She's coming along das.dude! Can i add some input? To prevent acrylic from cracking, place a piece of sacrificial wood underneath when cutting/drilling. Have you ever gave any thought to dipping the chasis parts inplace of brushing them? You would have to disassemble the case frame though if going with multi colours, but you would'nt have the brush strokes to deal with after  For masking tape, you need to try and find the green stuff

Keep it up bro!


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## t_ski (Aug 11, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/130810/10082013953.jpg
> 
> still a lot of patch work to be done. apparently my country does not have tack cloth



Try using a cloth moistened with mineral spirits


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## Vario (Aug 11, 2013)

t_ski said:


> Try using a cloth moistened with mineral spirits



Yes, this is the way to go.  It removes the sanding and painting dust and it evaporates before you paint the next coat.


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## de.das.dude (Aug 11, 2013)

t_ski said:


> Try using a cloth moistened with mineral spirits





amp281 said:


> Yes, this is the way to go.  It removes the sanding and painting dust and it evaporates before you paint the next coat.



i use a microfiber cloth dipped in turpentine oil. will that do?


its good at cleaning dirt, but kinda fails to "pick-up" theheavier particles like hair etc that have fallen onto it.


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## Norton (Aug 11, 2013)

Can you get an air brush cheap? Would make your painting projects a lot cleaner and easier.

Look around for a starter kit with a single action air brush and a few cans of air for it.


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## de.das.dude (Aug 11, 2013)

Norton said:


> Can you get an air brush cheap? Would make your painting projects a lot cleaner and easier.
> 
> Look around for a starter kit with a single action air brush and a few cans of air for it.



got a whole big ass compressor kit and the works. but the motor is pooed with roach poo.
 told my dad to look for a replacement as i was busy... guess he is busy too.


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## de.das.dude (Aug 11, 2013)

m1dg3t said:


> She's coming along das.dude! Can i add some input? To prevent acrylic from cracking, place a piece of sacrificial wood underneath when cutting/drilling. Have you ever gave any thought to dipping the chasis parts inplace of brushing them? You would have to disassemble the case frame though if going with multi colours, but you would'nt have the brush strokes to deal with after  For masking tape, you need to try and find the green stuff
> 
> Keep it up bro!



i wish i could disassemble it, but i cant afford a rivet gun at the moment. that was my first choice. plus i am using very little paint. all the white work done has consumed less than 80ml paint till now XD. this white color isnt good. its kinda slowly turning a bit reddish afterthe paint is left on and dried. maybe i will add a tiiiiny bit of blue again XD


i have another big work in the talks. hopefully it will come through.

oh and i solved the brush strokes problem. used a brush with finer and softer bristles. plus diluted the paint a bit more.



mixed in some blue and tried i on the plastic bits of the front bezel.

also put in the acrylic insert in the front of the bezel.. the plastic there was too thick, about 5mm, making it impossible to fit switches( the original idea) but now this acrylic looks so pretty i might do some kinky lighting shit with it. like scuff it up, paint a little inverted picture thing. something to symbolize the build with.







these are the blues.

i may apply the blue directly as it is(right) without diluting with the white. 




maybe a little white... like the one on the left


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## t_ski (Aug 11, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> i use a microfiber cloth dipped in turpentine oil. will that do?



Turpentine might strip a little of the paint - isn't that stuff a paint remover?


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## hardcore_gamer (Aug 11, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> One more thing. This Mod has been done with VERY little money. So far money spent = Rs 400 ($10)



What sorcery is this?


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## de.das.dude (Aug 11, 2013)

t_ski said:


> Turpentine might strip a little of the paint - isn't that stuff a paint remover?



diluter yes, but it cant take off paint once completely dry. since i dont let the layers cure completely the turpentine sorta helps with making a surface for the new paint to bond to. eliminating the need to sand everywhere.



hardcore_gamer said:


> What sorcery is this?



"india"


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