# Project; Mark1



## Mark_Hardware (Jun 18, 2009)

So, I started my idea a long time ago, and now it's finally time to share it.
 This is my first mod, and consequently my first worklog. I will try to keep my story congruent and cohesive, as I don't always work in the most organized fashion. I tend to work on several things at once. 
  The case I'm using is the NZXT Lexa Blackline, with the red lights. It's a very nice looking case even by it's self. 

Here's some of the hardware I will be using;
eVGA 790i ftw digital motherboard,
Intel QX9770,
OCZ 4GB DDR3 1800 PC3 14400 RAM,
Tagan BZ 1100w psu,
eVGA GTX285 ftw graphics card,
Koolance Exos 2.5 watercooling system, with a Swiftech Apogee GTZ cpu block,
Hauppage winTV HVR-2250 TV card,
Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB 10K rpm HDD,
(5) WD 2TB HDDs,
(2) LG GGW-H20L bluray drives,
Antec Multi-Station Premier,
Fan controller, and sound card have not been decided yet. 

Ok, a few generic before shots;




By hardware_mark1 at 2009-06-15




By hardware_mark1 at 2009-06-15




By hardware_mark1 at 2009-06-15


Sorry, I forgot to take the before shots.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 18, 2009)

OK so I have to apologize, the first few steps are not that well documented. You see, this mod came about in steps. 

When I got the case, I didn't even have any plans to mod it! Then I started getting ideas. First was a way to hide 

wires, with some simple sheet metal next to the mobo. Also, I was going to build a rack out of 1/2" square tubing 

for the Koolance to sit on. Then I ran into a bit of a problem. You see, the Imon is a dual bay device, plus two disc 

drives, plus a fan controller... Well that is more than the supplied 5 drive bays. So, the idea changed a little, to add a 

drive bay into the rack. But then I needed a way to cover it. And after days and days of trying to figure something 

out, I came accross a material that I knew would work.




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-18
 About this time, The design changed a little bit. Grew, you could say. I decided to use these panels to encase a 

metal frame, and on top of that would be a smaller case that will house the imon and perhaps a few other things. I 

refer to this as the minicase.
OK, a few hardware shots, goodies that the ups man brought 







By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-15




By Hardware_Mark1 at 2009-06-15




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-15
And the first chops,





I also cut off the metal that was rolled over along the edge of the drive bays.




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-15
First warranty voided .
That'll be all for today, have to go to work. I apologize if things are a bit unclear, I promise it gets better!!!


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## phanbuey (Jun 18, 2009)

that is an awfully long koolance unit... i did not think the Lexa was that long, at least not if you;re fitting it to the top?  I've seen those units on the Lian Li v1200 cases, since they have an extra 1" between the top of the case and the top drive bay.

Ah i see... separate case. gocha.

subscribed to this, interested to see this mod unfold.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 20, 2009)

Hey I did get a little bit of a before shot.




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-18





By hardware_mark1 at 2009-06-19
OK, first, the blue lights have to go. 





By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-19
 Thats better.

Originally, the idea was to use sheet metal, flush with the motherboard, to hide the wires. Well it became evident 

fairly quickly that that wasn't going to work. So I decided to make it stand out more, as well as overhang the mobo 

to hide the power connector and sata connectors. Also, I decided to make it go over the graphics card, instead of 

underneath it. This will hide the power wires to the card. I call this the "wire channel." Sounds confusing, you'll see 

what I mean.
Other ideas I had from the beginning was to use sheet metal to make a psu cover, and drive bay cover. 
Instead of sheet metal I am going to use these panels.




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-14




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-14


This is why I cut the metal off the side of the drive bays. 
This is was the first attempt;




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-14
I don't like it. I recut it, using straighter lines. Also, I wanted to be able to see the lights on the front of the psu, 

without seeing the wires. I came up with the idea of of putting holes in that area, effectively creating a grate, sorta. 




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-14
Then I took a micro file and filed all the holes square, as you see I started there.
Here is the final result of that.




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-19

I also started cutting a piece for the bottom.
Warranties voided so far; 2.


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## MRCL (Jun 20, 2009)

I really do not have a clear picture what exactly you are gonna make out of this case. But I think because of that I'm more than just intrested in the progress and result.



Hardware_Mark1 said:


> So, I don't know why the pictures didn't come up, they were there when I previewed the post before I submitted it....



I thought there had to be a few pics missing.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 20, 2009)

MRCL said:


> I really do not have a clear picture what exactly you are gonna make out of this case. But I think because of that I'm more than just intrested in the progress and result.
> 
> 
> 
> I thought there had to be a few pics missing.



Yeah, I'm sorry, it has not been totally clear so far. But, as it starts to come together, you will see and say "ahhh..."
Call it building suspense 
Sorry too abaout the pics not working in the last post. Idk wth happened there


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## erocker (Jun 20, 2009)

To get pictures to appear you need to use image tags.  *



*


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## Cold Storm (Jun 20, 2009)

but here is a little mishaps on what goes on with pictures now that we've went to live threads.. if you view your post while your in "go Advanced" & hit "preview post" your pictures will then become links once you hit "post". It even happens if you first start as a post, then hit "go advanced" and then "post" after wards. It's a pita some times.. I've done so many Ninja works because of this.. 

BTW, Subscribed! Can't wait to see it all go down.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 20, 2009)

Ah ok I got it now thanks
EDIT fixed! Thanks erocker


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## 1Kurgan1 (Jun 20, 2009)

You should tell us what the plans are  Looks to me like you are trying to fit in the rad, but beyond that, not so sure.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 20, 2009)

1Kurgan1 said:


> You should tell us what the plans are  Looks to me like you are trying to fit in the rad, but beyond that, not so sure.



Lol well, I don't keep a concrete plan, so much as I adapt as I go along. I see something and I say, "That's what I'm looking for," or "I have to use that!"
Basically, though, the radiator will sit on top, the case will have extra drive bays added on, and thourough wire management. I don't want to see any wires at all! I of course will be doing some light effects and such, too.


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## MKmods (Jun 20, 2009)

Its fun watching this. 

Cool idea using different materials.

What about mounting the iMon on the side of the DVD rack (since the panel you are using is so thick the iMon could be mounted flush)


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 20, 2009)

That's actually not a bad idea... But the way the way the computer will sit on my desk, the Imon would be faced away from me, so it wouldn't do me a lot of good.


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## MKmods (Jun 20, 2009)

Put it on the other side, its only about 3/4" thick...


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 21, 2009)

OK, so once again, I started on the side panel. This is the last one of these I am cutting, dangit. Here is the third, and final revision. I am still going to cut something in the panel to let som light through, but I haven't decided what yet. And, until I know for sure, I'm not doing any cutting! I also cut a smaller piece for the 3.5" bays. Here you see those two pieces, plus, you can see where I cut out the material on the backside of the HDD cage.




By hardware_mark1, shot with KODAK Z1285 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-19

Here is a shot of the piece cut to cover the bottom of the case. 



The square hole is for the fan on the bottom. The edge on the top that is uneven will be under the motherboard.
Speaking of the bottom.... I am working on building a 'skirt' to go around the bottom. 
Here are the bolts I am using. I love these bolts! I believe they are called "elevator bolts."




By hardware_mark1, shot with KODAK Z1285 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-19

I started out using 1/2" square tubing. Eventually, I figured that 1" would be much easier to work with. Yeah, it will add some weight, But oh well, this baby is gonna be hefty by the time I'm done anyway.




By hardware_mark1, shot with KODAK Z1285 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-20

I had been trying to figure out something to use to fill up some space, as well as add a little something extra. I have this skull,




By hardware_mark1 at 2009-06-20
 that I want to incorporate into the case.  I thought about several different avenues, then I saw this, and I knew that was it.




By Hardware_Mark1 at 2009-06-19
It's a heatsink, from the same place I got the panels. I am going to cut and file away a lot of the material in between the fins. The idea is to see the skull, but only kinda. I want the reaction not to be, "Oh, another skull," instead, "What's that? Oh wow"


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## MKmods (Jun 21, 2009)

I really like how you are using different textures on this (I am a pretty plain kind of builder) Nice job so far..


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 23, 2009)

OK, update!
Here is another picture of the HDD cage. 




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-20
I did this so I can flip the hard drives around, so the cables will be on the backside, instead of on the window side.
I will have to mod the HD rails so they line up right, but I will do that later.





Also, I am thinking of building some kind of a box onto the back, to hide the hundred or so wires that go to the 

back of the computer. Haven't quite decided exactly how I want that to look. Something like this....




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-18




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-18
 Now you can start to see a little bit of a bigger picture. eh?
In that pic, you can see the rivets I had originally used to mount the panels to the case. I pitched that idea with the 

newer panel, in favor of a method resulting in a cleaner finish.

OK, so some progess on the skirt. Here you will see why I switched to the 1" tube.




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-20
I can screw the bolts right into the bars! And this makes mounting the skirt to the case a snap.




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-21





Also, here is part of that heatsink I showed you earlier. I am so happy with the way it turned out!





 I still haven't decided how I am going to style the front part though. The back, however, is pretty simple. I took the 

back leg, which also held on the curved piece of plastic that goes on the back of the case. Well, the leg won't work 

with the skirt, but I need to hold on the rear piece.













 Easy fix, just cut off the superfluous plastic!




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-18


Here is a couple more pictures showing some progress




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-18




By hardware_mark1, shot with 

KODAK Z1285 ZOOM 

DIGITAL CAMERA at 2009-06-18

I made a psu cover, as well. Nothing too fancy...




The metal tabs will let me screw it onto the back of the case.
Next update, I start building up!


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 26, 2009)

Now I cast my eyes upward.
Originally, the idea was to use the 1/2" square tubing to build a frame. Again, I pitched that in favor of 1" tube. So I 

made these two simple square frames.




JB weld, plus angle irons. Should be sturdy.    I wish they could be welded, but I don't have any means to get that 

done. The piece of panelling on the side is just to get it square.





More of the elevator bolts will mount them to the case. These are especially useful where the rear frame is, since 

it's right above the psu, and there is limited clearance.
I also cut out the fan grill on the top of the case. I am going to put a piece of 3" pvc pipe here, as a "ventilation 

shaft."









This whole area will be enclosed with panelling, with the "vent" on the left side. This will house the skull I showed 

you earlier.
The right side, nothing too complicated.





The back will be a simple panel.
Another simple panel will close off the area where the skull sits. I had a picture of those panels, but they didn't turn 

out very good. 
Speaking of the skull, I gave it some life.
My new hard drive activity lights!


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## mlee49 (Jun 27, 2009)

Holy crap, ventilation shaft and a skull for HDD activity lights!!!!  Props man!


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 27, 2009)

Yay delivery! 





Hmm deja vu....





Now why, oh why would I be showing pictures of a new case now? Because it's Lexa case number 2!!!
I know it doesn't seem to make sense to buy a whole 'nother case, but I have several reasons for doing this. 1, it will save me a lot of work if I use pre-existing drive cage, as opposed to building my own. 2, in an effort to help, my desk was cleaned for me, resulting in most of the screws that came with the case getting lost, or mixed in with all my other similiar hardware, thus becoming hopelessly confused.
  So basically what I am going to do is take this case, and shrink it down to about half size. I need the two drive bays for my Imon controller. I also decided to give myself one more extra 5.25" bay, just in case. I also went ahead and put in a cage for one HDD, just for the heck of it. 
Sooo, some quality time with ye olde power drill, and it's presto, yet another warranty voided. This one within five minutes of taking delivery!!
And here we go, a nice pile o' parts.





Now I'll keep the top and bottom intact, obviously. Also, I am keeping the mobo tray and back panel intact. I won't be using it in this build.


OK, so my big plan for this part; I am calling this the minicase. The idea here is to make it look like the regular case, just, uh, smaller.

So I chopped the the 5.25" cage down to size. I chopped down the corresponding front panel, as well as thee HDD 

cage, for one hard drive. Here are those pieces mocked up together.




Cut the right side panel.





 Made a psuedo rear panel. 









I actually am planning on putting a couple things in there like regular pci slots. One thing will be the video capture 

inputs that came with my Hauppauge TV card.
Of course I will have to lengthen the wires.




 And now I leave you with this (teaser?) shot:


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## kyle2020 (Jun 27, 2009)

/ subscribed for not knowing what the hell's going on


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## m4gicfour (Jun 28, 2009)

MKmods said:


> I really like how you are using different textures on this (I am a pretty plain kind of builder) Nice job so far..



Um... WTH? I might use the words "streamlined" "sleek" "clean" but not plain! That said I agree, the different textures should work nicely.

Is this a Terminatorcase? Kinda looks that way to me so far...


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## A Cheese Danish (Jun 28, 2009)

I'm kinda confused as to what is going on as well. But it looks really sweet!
It's like a computer case zombie mod!


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 28, 2009)

Yeah, sorry guys, I didn't form a concrete plan going in to this. Just sorta building as I go. Um, the skull is just a detail though, just for looksies. I'm not tryin for biomech or anything.


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## A Cheese Danish (Jun 28, 2009)

I like your style mate. Just building what comes to your mind I believe is what you are doing.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 28, 2009)

m4gicfour said:


> Um... WTH? I might use the words "streamlined" "sleek" "clean" but not plain! That said I agree, the different textures should work nicely.
> 
> Is this a Terminatorcase? Kinda looks that way to me so far...



It's not really any theme.... Though I am a huge fan! Uh, pre-Christian Bale Terminator fan.


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## m4gicfour (Jun 28, 2009)

Hardware_Mark1 said:


> It's not really any theme.... Though I am a huge fan! Uh, pre-Christian Bale Terminator fan.



Well said!


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## mav2000 (Jun 29, 2009)

I have absolutely no clue what the end product is going to look like, but I am going to follow this to see what happens.

But I would suggest that you do take the time to sit down and make a plan before moving ahead. I did the same thing for one of my builds and it come out ...well...not so good. The next time I tried the same thing with a definate plan, it was waaaay better.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 29, 2009)

Alright, did some work on the minicase. Like I said, it's supposed to just be a smaller version of the case. 
JB Welded the pieces of the drive bays together. It looks like crap. I'm going to make sure as much of it is hidden as possible. 














Riveted the cage to the front panel.





Cut a new side panel.





Now in the minicase, there are no 3.5" bays, so there is no "step down." So I cut the edge off, and kept the ridges, 

to replicate the edge of the other side panel.


















Also cut a panel to "cover the psu" Obviously there is no psu in here, this is just to keep the look going. 





And we have a problem. The fan is in the way.





 I don't want to put the panel in front of the fan, cause then you wouldn't even be able to see the fan. So, I'm going to redo the rear panel. That will have to wait until I get more sheet metal. I need to get a heavier gauge. I will remake it with fewer pci slots, I'm thinkin just 2. That will let me lower the fan, and I think it will help make it look more to scale.

Cut a bottom panel.








lol I promise the smaller pvc pipe in the back lines up better with the hole. That was just a mockup. And of course the 3" is directly underneath that fan grill.

Installed a length of 1.5" pvc, to act as a conduit to run wires back and forth between the cases.









 I am going to have the Imon in the minicase, as well as the video capture device, one hard drive, and Idk what else. 

I am going to have some servo controlled parts, so I am thinking of mounting the servo controller to the right side, like a simulated motherboard.

Here we go, a couple of progress shots.....
















Maybe this will clear up some confusion


Confusing? I prefer 'Enigmatic'


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## MRCL (Jun 29, 2009)

Holy ?U/%=&)="/(&()/Q"(=ç thats so awesome, yet "wtf-like" I can't find words. And a case thats taller than a kiddo?This is so rediculous its epic.


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## DreamSeller (Jun 29, 2009)

omg


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## A Cheese Danish (Jun 29, 2009)

You sir, have made a true, one of a kind case; out of several cases lol
Very sweet! It's so mind boggling!


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## Mark_Hardware (Jun 30, 2009)

mav2000 said:


> I have absolutely no clue what the end product is going to look like, but I am going to follow this to see what happens.
> 
> But I would suggest that you do take the time to sit down and make a plan before moving ahead. I did the same thing for one of my builds and it come out ...well...not so good. The next time I tried the same thing with a definate plan, it was waaaay better.



  First let me say that I do appreciate the feedback.
Well, it some cases, uh, situations, it is neccessary to form a solid plan. In some instances, it's just not. I don't neccessarily have a 100% exact way I want this to look when it's done. I look around me, and when I see something I like I think, "That will look great!" Like I said, I had originally planned on just using sheet metal, then I came accross this material that I'm using. Even to this day (literally) I am still looking around. I'm not usually looking for anything specific, but I know what it is when I see it. Sure, there is trial and error, to the point of causing extra work (like cutting three bloody side panels) but hey, x-rays have shown that the Mona Lisa was redone more than once.
_However I would say that some renders or animations of what I want beforehand would be fantastic though. I just don't have the skill though. _


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## Mark_Hardware (Jul 1, 2009)

Alright, a couple smaller things...
As I got to looking at the HDD cage, I noticed that when it's full, the bottom hard drive won't really get any air from the fan in front. (yes, it will be full, eventually.) So, I decided to fix this by adding a fan on the bottom. 80mm fan fits right in there.




Drilled holes in the bottom panel of the case. Can you guess which one I did and which one is stock?








Yeah looks like garbage. I'm just gonna take the 3" hole saw and use mesh. Even though that won't get seen, I know it's there....

Also, the door _sans_ hinge is annoying. I'll fix that. I'll start by cutting off the rolled over metal.













Jeezas that was a pain. 
I cut off the corresponding rolled metal on the case. I don't seem to have a picture of that part right now....

I used a solid hinge, mainly because I knew that if I used a few smaller hinges, I wouldn't get them all lined up right and it would just piss me off.




Cut a few areas in the hinge to get around rivets and such.

Good ol' JB Weld to the door. 





Yeah, so the picture isn't all that great, cause I ahem kinda goofed. I used wax paper when I clamped the hinge to the door, to keep the clamps from getting glued to the door. Well, it wasn't wax paper like I thought, so the paper stuck to the door. Nice.
I will sand this all down, and if im not happy with how it looks, I'll just cover it in some bondo. Same with the half that's in the case. I have to figure out some way to cover that up, maybe another piece of that panelling, mebbe just simple sheet metal, idk yet.

I'll do the same for the minicase.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jul 4, 2009)

So I _finally_ decided what I am going to do with the front, or at least the part on 

the bottom. 









It's a large heatsink, this one with the edges and such still intact. I had to cut it down, 

it was a bit too wide. This left it asymmetrical. Dammit. Oh well, I will just cut off one 

fin, and maybe glue it back on in the center.
I cut the plastic so that it runs down into the fins. I will use JB Weld and bondo to make 

a smooth transition, and hopefully get it to look like one solid piece.





















Nah, I'll just leave the middle like it is. I like that body line, and I think I want to keep it.
At the same time, I am having issues with the left side panel. I had it all together once, 

but then I found two things wrong with it, so I broke it apart and am redo-ing it, step 

by step. Here is an ugly picture showing the progress on that.









I am also notching out a space for the front audio header. I cut out the plastic 

surround from the factory location. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








Yeah I screwed up. It got rubbed by the collet on the dremel. I'll have to sand that out.
Here is progress on that notch.
















But my last cut off wheel broke, so I'll have to get more later. Happy 4th, for those it 

applies to!


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## Chicken Patty (Jul 5, 2009)

this shall be fun to see, subscribed.  good job so far


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## MRCL (Jul 5, 2009)

Omfg.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jul 6, 2009)

OK, a quick update today, not too much to report.
Got the front header area cut away. 









Let me tell you friends, that was the exact opposite of fun. No room to move a file, no room for any dremel attachments... Ugh

Still needs some finish filing though...

Next I need to cut down the fins a little bit so the plastic cover will fit and be flush with 

the front of the fins.









Thats all for now, gotta go to work!


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## MRCL (Jul 6, 2009)

MRCL said:


> Omfg.



My statement again.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jul 6, 2009)

lol dang that was a quick I just put that post up!


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## Mark_Hardware (Jul 8, 2009)

OK, another small update. Just been working on this front header more. Got more of the filing done.





 Sits down in there nice now. 










I am going to cut down the pcb a little so it doesn't hang over, 






Been really busy, so haven't had time to do much.
This weekend I will drill a couple holes for wires and start filling in the gaps.


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## Chicken Patty (Jul 8, 2009)

thanks for the update Mark, looking good so far.


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## A Cheese Danish (Jul 9, 2009)

Looks really good! 
Coming along very nicely


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## a_ump (Jul 9, 2009)

DAM, hella nice and very original. I've watched quite a few build threads here at TPU but this one is very unique. keep it up dude, interested in seeing the end results. Oh and you redefine the meaning of computer Tower with how tall that monster is


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## Mark_Hardware (Jul 9, 2009)

Thanks to everyone for their comments and support. Anyone who has done a worklog knows it's always nice to see people leaving comments and feedback!


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## Mark_Hardware (Jul 10, 2009)

Sooo.... Let's take a look at the material I'm using, as well as some of the methodology as it's evolved.





Here is the source of the material.





They are data recorder boxes. "The little black boxes." On the end you'll see where the 
heatsinks come from.





The boxes are made from some kind of aluminum (alloy?) cast, hard as hell 
(hardened?) and a nightmare to work with sometimes. So far I've ruined my (really nice) 
jigsaw, dulled three files, and gone through more jigsaw and sawzall blades than I can 
count.
Speaking of sawzalls... When I started, I didn't have a sawzall. See this lip?





It's not possible to cut with a jigsaw. Solution? Drill a hundred holes then file down all 
the ridges.

















Sweet baby Jesus that did suck. Also it resulted in piles and piles of metal shavings, 
which my wife was just thrilled about.









I don't have a workshop, I live in a crummy little apartment, so I work in my living 
room. (in case you haven't figured that out by the backgrounds in my pictures lol) 
Something else my wife is thrilled about.
Here is the result of the drill/file method









 I am happy to report that I finally made the trip to my friendly neighborhood Harbour 
Freight and got a sawzall and a new jigsaw.









Much better. Still, each cut is a pain, and I have to file and file and file..... Gawd I am 
sick of filing. I don't even want to use my filing cabinet anymore. filing.....


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## MRCL (Jul 11, 2009)

You sure are putting a lot of work into it! Now where exactly did you steal those balck boxes.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jul 11, 2009)

Here we go, nother update. 
Got the front piece glued together. This weekend I will be working on filling all the gaps. I cut down the pcb,





Well crap. I cut it down to the point where I didn't need to cut the groove in the second 
fin. Oh well.
Anyway, I figure I won't be using the plastic piece I cut out. I will just make my own 
cover. Here is a test piece. This is not the final piece, but something to give me an idea 
of what to do. First, I apologize, I had a hard time getting good pictures. 













Here you can kinda see what I am going to be doing to match and blend that bodyline 
of the case.









Here is something that will boggle everybodies minds.






That's right, door. Permanently glued shut.

Made some cuts...









and we have access again.


















Sanded down the edges, to clean it up a bit.













The cover still fits nice.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Jul 11, 2009)

like the way the cover is coming out   nicely done.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jul 11, 2009)

OK, so the next couple of days will be spent switching all my pictures to photobucket, cause I am tired of imageshack. first that crap with the big black boxes filled with some psuedo political crap, now I got the red X of shame and my pictures don't show up on imageshack's own site. Soooo, excuse the lack of progress this weekend


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## MRCL (Jul 11, 2009)

Why not host on http://techpowerup.org ? Easy, and my company filter allwos it


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## Mark_Hardware (Jul 14, 2009)

OK, so it has come to my attention (more than once) that people may feel a lack of 
direction in this build, hence a lack of enthusiasm.
 I admit I did not undertake this project with a concrete plan. I had a general idea, a 
few things I wanted to do, then I let the inspiration come to me. I took an artistic 
approach to this whole project. Da Vinci reworked his ideas many times before 
realizing a final result. And just like Da Vinci, I have a few things I know for sure and 
hold to, and let the rest come to me as the pieces speak to me.
K enough art teacher speak. 
I have a few ideas that I've had from the beginning, and that I know for sure that I am 
going to implement. Namely, Largely, the doors.
Ahh the doors. Something that can make or break a case. Or just plain break and screw 
the whole deal up. This case has a neat looking door. Sharp body line that I love, cool 
lighting....Now how can I make it better. How can I make it, different. 
You saw that I glued part of the door on, then cut part off
Here's the idea, presented in no-talent sketchup.

This is the front piece to the door. 





The whole front of the case has these matching pieces with this beautiful finish.

I am going to cut that in half. I will mount a servo that will open the door as such,





then another servo, mounted on the inside of the door, will "slide" the door back, as so;





this of course will be mimicked on the other side. (and remember, that door will be cut in half)
There are three places this will occur.
On the mini-case, where the Imon holds it's place of honor,
Of course the main drive bay area,
and...

On this bottom section,








Those are some progress shots showing the bondo work coming along.

Think armoire doors,


----------



## MRCL (Jul 14, 2009)

Mark_Hardware said:


> hence a lack of enthusiasm.



Hell no man. I'm literally  when you update your log. Let me ask you a question:

Are you /(%+)="/%= crazy man


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## Mark_Hardware (Jul 14, 2009)

That depends on who you ask I think lol


----------



## MRCL (Jul 14, 2009)

Mark_Hardware said:


> That depends on who you ask I think lol



I ask you  Seriously. Armoire doors? How cool is that!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jul 25, 2009)

OK ladies and germs, here we go....

Not much of an update today, but I promised I'd get something out this week.
  This piece has been kicking my butt all week.













Hopefully you can kinda see where I'm going with this. I have to sand down all the 
bondo in between all the fins, for one. The problem is, it's very difficult to do by hand. 

I used a dremel with this attachment,





But that left a rough finish. Btw I know that's not the designed use for that attachment, 
but it actually worked really great for that. I still use it, but only to take the bondo 
down a little, not all the way.









I have come up with a potential solution to this problem, a simple block of wood, 
sanded to the size to get in between the fins.





Here's the other problem area.









I am trying to get a smooth transition between the plastic cover for the front header, 
and the rest of the cover. This really is the area I am having the most trouble with. I 
can't quite figure out how to attain the look I'm going for. 
I'm thinkin I will just take a break from this part and work on a different area for a 
while....

Here is the front of the minicase. The plastic there is cut off the front bezel from the 
second case. 









Here is the piece I am thinking I will attach here. 













I know it seems a bit odd, or backwards to attach the bottom piece here. My reasoning 
for that is twofold; one, I it will make the plastic level with the front of the Koolance 
unit. Two, it is longer, so it comes down to about where I want it. One other thing (ok 
so it's threefold) is this gap will be a great spot to mount this remote control reciever 
that came with my Hauppauge tv tuner.









One other thing, got a surprise in the mail today, the data cable I ordered. It's a usb to 
serial cable. I have to give a quick shout out to bestlinknetware.com. I searched and 
searched for this cable, and I would find a 12" one for $13, but the wouldn't work. 
Then I would find a 6' cable for $30 plus. That wouldn't work either lol. Plus, they were 
all blue. Yeah, so, anyway..... But this site had this cable, in black, 40" long, and for 8 
bucks. Oh hell yeah. And it got here really quick, I was surprised! [/schelling].









This cable is for my servo controller, when it comes on Monday.

So that's all for today. I was hoping to show some more definitive progress, sorry guys.


----------



## phanbuey (Jul 26, 2009)

Holy frankenputer batman!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jul 30, 2009)

Hello all again just a quick text update today....
So starts the beginning of my weekend today. Gonna run a few errands, including a trip to ye olde Harbour Freight as well the my freindly local neighborhood Home Depot for supplies.
Quick stop by the doctors office (always fun) then it's on to modding! Oh yes I plan on getting some serious work done this weekend. It's on like Donkey Kong.
Gonna do some (more) work to the front piece, as well as an idea I recently came up with, a place to stash my ipod.
I got my servo controller in the mail, and I only got one servo (lame) cause I'm perpetually broke these days.
But I plan on figuring out how to mount one of the servos for the doors, and hopefully get those going in the right direction.
We'll see!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jul 31, 2009)

So just got back from running around... Got cleared for surgery (yay) and a trip to Harbour Freight resulted in a little more than just sawzall blades.













Oh yeah. It's not huge or anything, but hey it's a friggin drill press heck yeah! I'm super excited I've wanted one for a long time. This will definitely come in handy!


----------



## tzitzibp (Jul 31, 2009)

Subscribed!

Some very nice ideas and I 'm glad you have all the right tools 
You 'll probably start drilling everything now! lol

 looking good so far.


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## ste2425 (Jul 31, 2009)

i love waiting a little then reading these logs as you get to see it all in one go an this is mind bogoling it just well errrrrrrrrr crazy man (in a good way) im deffinitally subscribed, an does it look like you doing it in a room in yourhouse? not outdoors in a garage? your misses must love you haha


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jul 31, 2009)

hehe thanks for the comments!




ste2425 said:


> an does it look like you doing it in a room in yourhouse? not outdoors in a garage?





Mark_Hardware said:


> I don't have a workshop, I live in a crummy little apartment, so I work in my living
> room. (in case you haven't figured that out by the backgrounds in my pictures lol)


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## ste2425 (Jul 31, 2009)

haha i missed them man too busy gawping in aww at the pics


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## a_ump (Aug 1, 2009)

as always nice man. i haven't posted ina while cause like ste2425 said, i like to come back to a page or 2 to read and look over stuff all at once instead of waiting to see what you'll do next once at a time i only have to wait and watch once every few days to a week . keep it up dude, tear apart that living room and turn it into a workshop


----------



## ste2425 (Aug 1, 2009)

a_ump said:


> keep it up dude, tear apart that living room and turn it into a workshop



haha +1 on that


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 1, 2009)

This is for you guys;


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 2, 2009)

Update for today, and as usual, I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. But in my defense I had an excuse today. Car drama, and some kid drama too. 
Anyway, Been working on a special place for my ipod. A door, behind the vent, that will open and presto, docking station.
Here is the rough cut hole.





And ipod for perspective.









Filed smoooooth;









This is the backside of the door. I am using 5/8" U channel for the ipod to slide in. Eventually I'll mount the connector in the bottom, too.








(I realize I should have set it on the table, not on top of another panel, to avoid confusion. Oops)

Now, the putting a hinge on here is way trickier than I thought it would be. Hopefully you can get an idea why. Here it is closed;





Here it is open;





It lifts just a little in the back, so a straight hinge won't work. This kicked my butt all day trying to get something worked out. I tried making a hinge with a bar and lines cut in sheet metal, but it wasn't stable. So, I decided to try making an assemblage that would allow the door to slide straight out.

The concept;





mocked up in place;





and trashed;





Sigh. Came up with a different solution. It won't be hidden, like I wanted, but if it works, then it's what I have to do. It's a simple as just flippng the hinge around, and making a notch for the barrel. Here it's done on a scrap piece for testing;









Here it is mocked up, to give you an idea of what it will end up looking like...









Oh, and for anyone interested, I have still been working on that pesky front piece. I don't make it focal point for now though. I work on it when I feel like taking a break.


----------



## Cuzza (Aug 2, 2009)

Pshhhhh... who needs a workbench when you have a lounge suite?


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 3, 2009)

Quick update today, not much work done.
I decided to make a groove where the barrel of the hinge will rest, instead of cutting a notch. This will make it more discrete, cleaner, smoother.

Here is the hinge resting in it's new home,









And getting glued.





That's it. Tomorrow when the glue is dry we'll see how it fits/works.


----------



## Cuzza (Aug 3, 2009)

What sort of glue do you use?


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 3, 2009)

JB Weld my friend! A godsend for those of us who cannot use real weld


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 3, 2009)

Not much progress today, just little work on the ipod door. Good news is, the hinge will work just fine!
Now, one thing I've noticed while parruzing through hundreds of photos in countless worklogs, is the exurberant number of pictures of peoples cats. My wife asked me about it, and I have to admit, I just don't know why there are so many cat pictures.
Now, I don't own a cat. However, I don't want my worklog to be viewed as sub par due to feline deficiency. So, I, ahem, _borrowed_ the neighbours cat for a quick photo shoot.


----------



## MKmods (Aug 3, 2009)

this is an amazing build to watch, very creative use of materials.


(but please use the tin snips to cut the holes for the fans)


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 3, 2009)

what you had some Meowmix ontop of the case? 

I have dogs no cats.. lol 

I need to add the latest one I got... One of them like to sit right next to the case and now I have their hair in my case!!! lol.. 

Looking good man


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 3, 2009)

Lol I bought a hole saw, will be using that to cut holes for fans lol. The "make my own fan grill" was a FAIL lol


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 3, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> what you had some Meowmix ontop of the case?
> 
> I have dogs no cats.. lol
> 
> ...



I'd be afraid a dog woud knock it over lol. 

Thanks man!!


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 3, 2009)

Mark_Hardware said:


> I'd be afraid a dog woud knock it over lol.
> 
> Thanks man!!



lol.. they don't touch a thing.. They sniff everything and anything that comes in for about an hour or so.. Then they don't touch a thing after wards.. Very small dogs.. weight's LESS and A Lot less then the case alone.. 1/3rd the size... lol


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 3, 2009)

They don't try to, uh, "mark their territory," do they?


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 3, 2009)

Mark_Hardware said:


> They don't try to, uh, "mark their territory," do they?



 females so they don't hike it... Their some Prissy type dogs.. So, if they can't squat it's not worth it... lol


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 3, 2009)

haha that's good lol


----------



## crazyeyesreaper (Aug 5, 2009)

cant wait to see this finished get back at it


----------



## MRCL (Aug 6, 2009)

Lol, first time I see someone borrowing a cat for a picture of a computer  Good work my friend. And iPod docking station... and where will the fridge be located? Next to the hairdrier or rather underneath the pool table?


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## ste2425 (Aug 6, 2009)

in all seriousnes with the size of this thing i recon a mini frige should be in it somewhere like mrcl said


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## Mark_Hardware (Aug 6, 2009)

damn damn damn I could have put one of those little one can micro fridges in there instead of an ipod dock! hmmm.....


----------



## ste2425 (Aug 7, 2009)

how about ipod on one side fridge on other?


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 7, 2009)

Lol! Eh it's not wide enough for that


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 7, 2009)

Here we go.
Been working on my ipod dock this week. I've been doing little bits before going to work. Little bits of progress that aren't worth posting about, but are time consuming nonetheless.
Here is the door, with the guide in place and sanded down a bit. 










Made a bracket to mount the servo;








Ha didn't see that one comin, did ya!

Here it is all clamped up









Now the last step, glue on the piece for the armature mount.




I did this last because I wanted to test out the servo first and determine the best postion for the mount.

Now I have to wait till tomorrow for the glue to dry (dammit) then do some sanding, and cult some felt to line that uchannel with, but other than that, the ipod door is done!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 8, 2009)

Here is a short, crummy video of the doors in action; 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amAl-GEv9c0

I know, it's not exactly full of action and suspense, but hey, it's filmed in HD


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## Cuzza (Aug 8, 2009)

that is sooooooooo cool


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 8, 2009)

Thanks! Still got a little bit to do, some sanding, and the felt, and fixing the cable to the bottom. I cant attach the cable until the very and though


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 8, 2009)

Nice little update. I'll have to make sure to come back once I'm off work in order to watch the video!


----------



## steelkane (Aug 11, 2009)

I like the creative build's. have you worked with models before.


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## Mark_Hardware (Aug 11, 2009)

I'm flattered, but nope, this is my first. My first mod, first time doing working with servos, you get the idea lol


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## Cold Storm (Aug 13, 2009)

Even if it is your first time working with this.. It shows that you've done your Homework! More Pictures! I need more of this build! I need homework to learn!!!!

Plus.... More UPDATES!!


oh yea... stars... 4/5 becuase of.... UPDATES


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## Mark_Hardware (Aug 13, 2009)

yeah, I have been slacking a little....


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 13, 2009)

you know what, that is not a cool emticon for me to use right now. I am having surgery next week for a hernia, so I actually feel like the yellow guy all the time right now.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 15, 2009)

Ok, not much today. I have been waiting over a week for this, and it finally came. 
It's a 5" lcd screen for use with various gaming systems





Kind of a cool little deal, too. Also came with a base to attach it to, whatever, as well as a cable for use with xbox or playstations.





But I'm not interested in all that! Here's what I want!





Hmm. Not quite what I was hoping for. 





Here is where the monitor is going.





The backside;





This is going to be a challenge. I'll keep you posted as I make progress on this.


----------



## MKmods (Aug 15, 2009)

good luck. That screen seems like a very good size.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Aug 15, 2009)

good going Mark, I haven't commented here in a while, but i've been following your progress


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## Cold Storm (Aug 15, 2009)

mmmmm screen. Can't wait to see how you mount it man.


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## Cuzza (Aug 15, 2009)

I think it would look good mounted out from the front like a pod. Or maybe retractable. Actually, scratch that. mount it so it rotates 180deg when you want it, and is stealth flush with the case when it goes away.. .... oh man crazy ideas


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 15, 2009)

lmao well the idea is to mount it in that area, then cover it with the same style doors that I showed earlier.

Guess I could have actually said that before... ooopsie


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 15, 2009)

Nooooo tragedy strikes!!
My trusty Dremelike has officially taken a dump on me.
I was working on those god forsaken fins, the damn cutoff wheel jammed, and it broke the flex attachment, and I guess it was just too much for my old rotary tool to handle. Damn you, hard ass aluminum! Damn you.






Idk if I'll be able to get a new one today... Still have to work on my car (again). Can't really put that off much longer or I won't have power steering anymore.
So, after 6 years of trusty service, it's time to give my loyal tool a proper send off....





Good bye old friend.


Some progress,





Cut out the hole. Now, bear in mind, I will have to eventually cut this hole larger, to accomodate the mechanics for the doors that will cover it.

I started grinding down the fins behind the screen, so it will sit down flush.





Eventually I decided to just cut the fins off. The don't serve any purpose, and they won't be seen back there. 




Plus it's a little weight reduction. win-win.



Ohh yeah ps, I set my stuff up on the table while I went to the store, and when I looked at it, that would be a sweetass place for a monitor. Not many 3.5" bay devices to use, for the most part anyway. Just sharing an idea, mebbe someone can use it :up:


----------



## Cuzza (Aug 16, 2009)

RIP dremel. I can see from your trash you are keeping up a healthy diet Mark, lol


----------



## dr emulator (madmax) (Aug 20, 2009)

yikes you threw you dremel type cutter in the trash argh i wish you lived near me as i'd have given it a loving home even covered in pizza


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 21, 2009)

Not gonna be an update this week guys. I had surgery thursday, to fix a hernia. I thought I would still be able to work, but I'm in mondo pain... This is the male equivalent to having a cesarian section. Well, kinda. Anyway as always I'll keep ya posted.


----------



## stanhemi (Aug 21, 2009)

good wishes for your swift recovery Mark


----------



## ste2425 (Aug 21, 2009)

aye same get better soon man.

then get your arse back to work


----------



## Chicken Patty (Aug 21, 2009)

hope you recover quick and well Mark.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 21, 2009)

ste2425 said:


> aye same get better soon man.
> 
> then get your arse back to work



ahh don't make me laugh it hurts

thank you to everybody!


----------



## MKmods (Aug 21, 2009)

Having just come through a surgery like this last Aug. I can verify its gonna suck for a while, take it easy and hope it heals fast for you.


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 21, 2009)

You know me man.. I hope you get healed fast, and back on the work horse!! 

Best wishes and speedy recovery!


----------



## Cuzza (Aug 21, 2009)

ohh dear, health hazards of compulsive modding? I should cut back perhaps... yeah right!

take it easy mate and you will be back to breaking dremels in no time


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 30, 2009)

Well, half assed update. I'm still not feeling all that great, but I wanted to try and get some work done. Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse. 

I decided to go a different route for the screen. I need to have room for the hinge mechanics, so a flush mount won't work. I decided to cut out the whole area and recess it. Basically, it will kinda look like the main drive bay area. After a couple of ill advised, not carefully planned cuts, I have this;





Not what I was going for. At all.

Soooo, I started cutting out what is now the bottom section, since the front piece is now two pieces. Sigh. Then _this_ happened;





Grreeeaaat. Sure that's what I was going for. Here is the line I was cutting along;




The idea, like I said, is to cut out this whole area. It will be covered by doors. 





So that's it. yippee. Sorry, I started out in not that great of a mood, and it sure didn't get any better.


----------



## ste2425 (Aug 30, 2009)

awwwwww man thats quite guttin, at least ur feel better i gues?


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 30, 2009)

Physically, yeah. Still not up to 100%, but hey I can pick up a dremel now. That's all that really matters, isn't it?


----------



## MKmods (Aug 30, 2009)

I know when I get overwhelmed (with poor health or too much on my mind) I screw up pretty good too. Dont worry its fixable, 

just take a step step back and clear ur mind grasshopper


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 30, 2009)

lol yeah its fixable. but damn its a lot more work now. Oh well, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 30, 2009)

Ahhh man.. that's a bummer.. I'm glad your feeling better so you can pick up a dremel. Something good to hear.

Best of luck on the fix man.. Hope it's not to bad of a pain


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 30, 2009)

So, made a little progress today. Turns out, that piece breaking made it easier to cut right. (See the focusing on the positive part there?) Here's those two pieces;





Now, I have been puzzling over what material to use to build the new back and mount the screen. I didn't want to use sheet metal, I would rather use plastic, and a good plastic epoxy. Then it hit me, just use the casing the screen came in! So, trimmed it down a bit, and it will fit as such;





Maybe that will provide a little clearer picture as to where I am going here, too. Now, of course it still needs more trimming, and I will fill the various holes so it looks like a solid piece, but it's perfect cause it's already ready for the screen to be mounted.

All this speak of the screen, I will sequay into bad news. Here is my screen;





Yeah.... and that's all it does. So that sucks. Nothing like some bad news for a change. Hey, could be worse though.
Anyway, came across something the other day that finally struck me for use as mesh. I have been searching and searching, cause I just wasn't crazy about the usual suspects. Walking down the isle at My Friendly Local Neirbourhood Home Depot and my wife said, "Hey what about this?"





It's a screen filter for hood vents that are over stoves. Pull the frame off and the layers apart,





_Voila_ instant modders mesh. Holes are too small to really see through, but light can come through, and the holes aren't round. Yay so that's settled!

Till next time....


----------



## MKmods (Aug 30, 2009)

Thanks for that, HomeDepot to the rescue again...


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 30, 2009)

yeah, I know ppl are always looking for ideas for modders mesh, that's why I put it up lol


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 30, 2009)

Bummer to hear about the screen, but glad to see that you found some good modder mesh! Best part. the wife found it!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 12, 2009)

My lucky stars, an update! Not a huge one, though. I'm gonna keep working through the weekend, so hopefully some real progress will ensue.
Here is one thing I need to do, this part broke. Some jb weld to the rescue there.





What I actually have done so far,
glued the piece for the monitor in place. Here I used a plastic epoxy instead of JB. I thought I would spice it up a bit lol. 





Then I cut it to the right length to match up to the heatsink. As you can see here, the cuts far from match up nicely. Oh well, I'll get it smoothed out, I always do.









Now I have to make more cuts and stuff, and some of the areas I will be cutting away are actually areas that show me how the two pieces line back up. So, I got everything lined up pretty, then drew the outilne on paper, so now I have a template, should anything happen.





Then I started cutting away even more of the heatsink, to acommodate the pcb that's larger than the screen.





That's as far as I got then my dremelike started smoking pretty good. Whoopsie, guess that means I need to take a break. Oh yeah if you havent figured it out, I got a new dremelike. The ol' Black and Decker RTX, as well as a new flexshaft. Here is a pic I took trying to capture the smoke;





I really like it. Smooth, quiet... course my Craftsmen dremelike was older than three of my kids so I guess anything would seem quieter and smoother. My flexshaft is quieter, too. Think my old one was no good to start with maybe.
One more thing, I cut away this section on the side. Gonna put wire mesh there instead, and make it blend into the sides of the heatsink. The other side is cut identically.





Left me with this nifty lookin piece of scrap.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Sep 12, 2009)

good update Mark, keep'em coming


----------



## Cuzza (Sep 12, 2009)

thirsty work?


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 12, 2009)

hehe if you look, you'll see that particular glass in a lot of my pictures


----------



## MRCL (Sep 12, 2009)

Nice one mate, I like the progress!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 12, 2009)

Heyy man where ya been?


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 13, 2009)

Alright, got some more stuff done today.
Finished cutting out the material in the back, to make room for the pcb.













And, just when I was finishing the last bit,





Dammit! This crap is going to fight me every step of the way, I swear. Can be fixed, but more pita....

Now I need to cover and build up the bottom. Recognize this piece?





No? How about now? 





I'm after the bottom of this. It has the angled front, like the rest, so it should match up nice...





Or not.

So, here's the little bit of plastic I cut off the bezel for the monitor to the rescue.





Obviously it's not level, but that will get fixed. All in due time.

If that stupid heatsink hadn't broke in half it would have been an even cut. [/expletives]
Then I'll sand this excess plastic down so its nice and flush....









Also, I got to use my "modders mesh."  Working out pretty nice, I think.









Here's a little sneaky-peeky at what's in store here.













That picture was a nightmare to capture, so I took several, so you can get the idea. It looks sweet.
Got lots and lots of JB Welding to do tonight. Gonna fix the broken part I showed, fill the holes in the bezel by the monitors, and two parts of the front bezel for the mini-case.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 14, 2009)

Yay happy bday to me


----------



## ste2425 (Sep 14, 2009)

happy bday man


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 14, 2009)

Small update today.
Lots of gluin' Filled in the speaker grills;





Added some reinforcement behind the monitor bezel;





Yay for globs of glue!!

Also fixed the broken part;








I will slowly drill out the old useless glue, and refill with new, so it is nice and sturdy.

And, as far as this piece goes. I'm gonna nickname it the hemorroid cause it's such a pain in the arse! But see the difference in height? Thats cause it broke while cutting it. I decided that I am going to wait until I get another tool so I can make a nice straight, level, even cut here. So that's all for today. 




Sorry for the picture quality, light in living room is broke.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Sep 15, 2009)

Happy b-day Mark


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 15, 2009)

Thanks guys!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 20, 2009)

Another not -so-great update. I didn't get to do much to my case, cause I did this-





sure, that part was easy. The part that was time consuming was soldering in extension speaker wirefor some of the speakers, cause the wires weren't long enough. Specifically the rears. Ironic, since my room is tiny.
Also, I had to work on my car. Trying to fix a door lock that isn't working right. Boy I'd like to shake the hand of the engineer who designed...... And next week I get to replace a blower motor. Oh what did I do to deserve this?
Anyway all I really did was sand and file. Woohoo who doesn't like doing that?














Nice and smooooth. I was going to cut out wire mesh for the sides, but I decided to wait until I get the bottom re-attatched so I know it will blend well.


----------



## Cold Storm (Sep 21, 2009)

Looking good man! Your room has to look as good as the mod huh?  You remind me that I gotta do the rca mod to my speakers.. their able to, just never got around to do it.

Hey, family comes first! work, then your stuff.. Or that's how I've all ways seen it to be. I hope you can get that door fixed, and just steal someone's blower motor... Probably work! that way you can do more fixing of your stuff!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 21, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> Your room has to look as good as the mod huh?



thanks man. And heck yeah, it's not just a computer, it's an adventure 
I will probably be building a desk to go along better with the case.


----------



## A Cheese Danish (Sep 21, 2009)

Mark_Hardware said:


> Another not -so-great update. I didn't get to do much to my case, cause I did this-
> http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss312/Mark_Hardware/100_1565.jpg



I have that same lamp  
Coming along really well mate! Tis a shame it keeps fighting you at times.
It will be amazing when it is done though. No lie about that!



And happy belated birthday! XD


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 21, 2009)

hehe yeah... the damn "reading light" never stays in place grrrr


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 30, 2009)

Well, unfortunately I don't have any actual progress right now, but I do have some exciting news; 

parts!
                                                Courtesy of *NZXT*, 









A brand spankin new whole front fascia. The took a look at my work and sent me the part I asked for 

free of charge.
                                           Thanks NZXT, you guys rock!


----------



## Cuzza (Sep 30, 2009)

free stuff! All nicely protective-wrapped too. Little do they know what horrible things you are going to do to it.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Sep 30, 2009)

lmao well they looked at my log before they sent it, so they should know....


----------



## Cuzza (Oct 1, 2009)

I'd ask Sega for some free stuff, but they don't do hardware these days 

Don't let them sucker you Mark, accept too many freebies and you will become a slave to their marketing machine, force you into plugging their products, etc.


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## MRCL (Oct 3, 2009)

Free stuff for teh win! Seems you have a pretty hard time with this mod lol. Keep it coming mate!


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## Cold Storm (Oct 3, 2009)

Man, I guess while I was gone I missed this!!! Great stuff man! glad to see you where able to get some free stuff!!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Oct 4, 2009)

Well, I finally got some appreciable progress done today.
First, I cut a hole in the mobo tray for access to the cpu cooler. Not exactly foward thinking, but it's a nice addition. 





I flared out the sides around the screw mounts, just in case. Ok just for the heck of it.





Speaking of the cpu cooler, I decided to add a layer of plexi to make it a little thicker, and 
hold more pressure against the cpu.





I also cleaned up the edges of the various cuts. I had planned on filing them straight, but I 
decided that sucks so I just used my dremel.





Not too bad, actually. Not perfect, but close enough for government work. The edges are 
not sharp at all, but I probably will give em a little sanding, just for fun. (huh?)

Gots to do me some measurin. I'm taking measurements for the 'wire channel.' I had 
some pieces actually cut for this already, here's an older picture of it;





but I decided to incorporate the ram cooler into it. So, I measured, and I cut and I drilled 
and her we go,













a ram cooler. Or, as the say in France, _ze ram coola_





I will file the holes square, (sound familiar?) and I will put spacers between the fan and 
the panel, so it wont restrict airflow. I may put some mesh in there, to better hide the fans .

Speaking of mesh, (like the seque's here?) I am kinda thinking of using this panelling for 
the right side. Too many times the right side goes neglected, ignored. I am thinking I'll use 
this, with some mesh behind it so you can't see through it.









I had also took the heatsinks off the mobo, to replace the TIM. I had heard it helps.
Here is my 790i digital nekked;









now now boys, it's not polite to stare.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Oct 4, 2009)

A quick add on; my ram cooler-


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Oct 6, 2009)

Woot woot! Free stuffs! Got a box o goodies today from the Fedex man, courtesy of *

NZXT*.





New side panels, (I only asked for the right side but hey)





NZXT shirt. In case you haven't noticed, white isnt really my color, but I am happy to 

have the schwag and will for sure wear it!





case screws and of course,

 the piece de resistance,





a NZXT Sentry LX fan controller! 

Here is a not-so-good picture of it next to my iMon,





and one with flash





sorry, I had a hard time getting a decent pic, but it's a great match!

I am editing my first post to say "sponsored in part by *NZXT*"


----------



## Cuzza (Oct 6, 2009)

[plug]*cough*[/plug] (sorry couldn't help it.)

But awesome dude, can't wait to see all that stuff in your frankenstein case


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Oct 9, 2009)

update for today; I spent today working on the right side panel.
Started with this, and cut it down to the right size.





(that pic came out crummy)

Dammit all.





Size down,





existing panel cut,





fits nice.





Started filing down the edges,





decided that sucks big. Time to call in the backup




oh yeah.

sanded down most of it,









will sand down the rest later.
Here's the plan, brace it with strips from behind. Hold everything together with rivets while 

the JB Weld dries. After JB dries, drill out rivets, fill the holes and the gaps. Result; a 

seamless panel on the outside. Hopefully.





A pic of it on the case so you know what it looks like;




Also I am gonna put mesh in the slats so you can't see through it.

Here's how it sits right now.




cheers


----------



## Cuzza (Oct 9, 2009)

top effort.

man that's a lot of clamps!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Oct 10, 2009)

Little update today, just wanted to show how the side panel is turning out.





Not too bad! I am happy with it. I ground the rivets flat, and sanded down all the JB Weld. 

Next just need to give it a little bondo lovin.









Miniana, I start working on the side panel for the minicase


----------



## Cuzza (Oct 10, 2009)

I reckon this thing's gonna have more bondo in it than my old Datsun


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Oct 18, 2009)

Well, here's my update for this week. Been working on the side panel for the minicase. Meh the steps were identical, with one exception. See, I took one regular side panel, cut out the middle section, then sandwiched the two together. Why? The result;





A nice folded edge on both sides. This will ensure the side is nice and flush, top and bottom. I could not have done that by hand.

Here is the smaller side panel, with the last side all clamped up. 





Slapped a coat of bondo on it,













Here's another side by side so you can see how the line up;





That's it for today. Hmm seems like it would have been more... Sure as hell felt like more....


----------



## Cold Storm (Oct 18, 2009)

Damn man, have enough clamps!? lol... The side panel sure is looking sweet! Well both pieces are!

Dang good job man!


----------



## Cuzza (Oct 18, 2009)

All those vented panels I would swear you were building an air conditioner


----------



## MRCL (Oct 19, 2009)

So when are you gonna fit the Flux Capacitor?


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Oct 19, 2009)

And now, ladies and gentleman, for my next trick, I need a volunteer. Anyone will do, yes you sir, up front, 





come on down!





Now watch, as I turn one ordinary needle file and one ordinary jigsaw, 





Into the Mark Hardware Filing Machine 2000!









http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7d2Zos5FgY
mwahahaha!
you all remember the last time I filed a bunch of holes like that. To heck with that!

*note to self, do not have wife hold camera anymore


----------



## MRCL (Oct 19, 2009)

Brilliant idea!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Oct 23, 2009)

Heyyyy It's a boy! Had my 6th kid today, 5 boys now!!!


----------



## Cold Storm (Oct 23, 2009)

that was a sweet idea. 

not the kid, the last picture. 

As for the kid! At lease the wife has one girl! CONGRATS man!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Oct 26, 2009)

Momma and baby came home yesterday, and everyone is doing well. I got deathly sickly ill, but fortunately I was passed the point of being contagious when they came home. 
And, I kid you not, no sooner than they got home,




oh yeah, that's my boy!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jan 11, 2010)

Heeeya! *cough cough* *blows away the dust* Is anyone alive in here? 

Helloo? 

OMG, its alive!!

That's right suckas, I'm back in action! Took me a little hiatus there. Between work and school and a string of disenheartening FAILures I just had to take a break for a while. But with tax season here, That means new parts are just around the corner! As soon as my employer quits draggin ass and gives me my W-2 that is 

Started out by working on something kinda simple. I call it the wire box, for lack of a better term. See, one goal of this project is to see no wires what-so-ever. The back of the case (where there is usually the most wires) is no exception. This box will serve to hide these cables. I am thinking I may add a hub here, to make everything accessible at this point instead of having to get to the I/O panel.

So this wasn't too complicated, just add some alum channel,
make a frame, 





curse, swear,










My first day back to real modding and it's like I never left. This stoopid piece broke during drilling.
That's ok, I will fix it, make it stronger, make it better.






Anyway, here is that, attached and happy. 










I also started working on the upper front pieces. I cut and sanded the plastic and replaced it with wire mesh. Both sides will be identical. I also started blending this piece of heatsink into the front plastic. It will have a similiar appearence to the bottom.


















Just for funs, I hooked up this key switch. Originally I wasn't going to use it because it's too big, but I have changed my mind, deciding that it's actually perfect _ because_ it's big. So say hello to my new "on" button.






One more note, I have also come to the difficult decision to not use the front fascia, do to the exorbitant amount of problems and ongoing design changes. What I have decided to do instead is use this piece for experimenting on, and once I get everything figured out, I will make a final model. From now on I consider this a prototype. I already have the parts lined up, but I am not making a single cut on them until the prototype is done and I have everything figured out.


----------



## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

well its good to see you back in action been waiting on this build for about as long as ive been waiting for the damned Quadfather build to get finished  at least my hopes are 50% answered at this point..  keep up the amazing work


----------



## MRCL (Jan 11, 2010)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> well its good to see you back in action been waiting on this build for about as long as ive been waiting for the damned Quadfather build to get finished  at least my hopes are 50% answered at this point..  keep up the amazing work



*cough cough* The Quadfather is on hold. I might even have to start all over. Also I needed the mobo for a temporary rig, and the water gear for my current one... Maybe I call this the Quadfather Beta and make a 2.0 with that EVGA dual-1366 board. The Dual-FX board would be out of date anyway by the time I finish that project and would limit overall performace drastically with all those new fancy GPUs. I have good use for it, tho. 

And Mark, I've been wondering where you've been, good to have you back


----------



## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

well if u have no use for that amd quadfather setup ship it all the way across the pond to me i can find a use for it if for nothing else then giant Epeen


----------



## MRCL (Jan 11, 2010)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> well if u have no use for that amd quadfather setup ship it all the way across the pond to me i can find a use for it if for nothing else then giant Epeen



From Taiwan to the States to Switzerland and back to the States, lol


----------



## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

well hey i cant afford to pay for it but if u were willing   lets just say theres alot of tinkering i wanted to do on that platform but never got the chance


----------



## MRCL (Jan 11, 2010)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> well hey i cant afford to pay for it but if u were willing



Yeah as if  That reminds me tho. THe coolers that came with the board were damaged during shipping. I claimed insurance, that was MONTHS ago and still nothing. Those were two Zalman CNPS9700 nvidia editions god damnit. I anticipated bent fins, which wouldn't have been a problem, but even the heatpipes were bent badly, and that requires quite an amount of force.


----------



## crazyeyesreaper (Jan 11, 2010)

lol yea i didnt think u would be up for that  and yea that seems suspect they should have said something by now id be getting on there case asap because your right it takes ALOT of force to bend those heat pipes

and we should probably stop derailing marks thread XD


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jan 11, 2010)

lol I've just been curious how long is was gonna go on lmao


----------



## MKmods (Jan 11, 2010)

glad ur back, congrats (belated) on the new kid. Obviously he is gonna grow up to be a modding genius (because he chose the Black & Decker RTX over the Dremel)


----------



## MRCL (Jan 11, 2010)

Mark_Hardware said:


> lol I've just been curious how long is was gonna go on lmao



HE brought it up


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jan 12, 2010)

Woo hoo more!
Actually some kind of exciting progress for me. Been working on the heatsink for the front. (Gee that sounds familiar)
So I took my Mark Hardware Filing Machine 2000 and put a saw blade back in it.

BAM instant table saw! This was literally exactly what I needed to cut this plastic right. 
(Action shot!)










Also, it worked fantastically to cut some of the unwanted material off this heatsink.






An after shot;






 Now let me say this!  I do not advise doing this. It just doesn't seem like the safest thing. I mean, it may just be my opinion, but it seems like a great way to lose a finger. My wife concurs with me. Everytime I use it. Also, I don't want to get sued by any 9 fingered modders cause I gave them the idea. My wife concurs with me on that, too.

Anyway I'm also have been removing some material to mount the red lcd screen. I'm not too worried about having 

it as a temperature readout, I just like the red screen.










So here is what its looking like.....





Me likey!!!


----------



## Cuzza (Jan 16, 2010)

Mark_Hardware said:


> . Everytime I use it. Also, I don't want to get sued by any 9 fungered modders cause I gave them the idea. My wife concurs with me on that, too.



Lol. Sigged!

Right, so the beast is taking shape! Good stuff Mark. I've just taken a xmas break from the interwebs, it's good to see people have been busy in my absense.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jan 18, 2010)

AH! great, thanks for sig-quoting my typo! dangit


----------



## Cuzza (Jan 21, 2010)

lol, the typo is half the fun


----------



## Cuzza (Dec 8, 2010)

Bumping because: Well geez mark, WTH are you? Quit TPU or .......something more serious? 

Anyone else have any insight?


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 9, 2010)

*cough cough* blows dust away....

Geezas Cuzza, how far back did you have to dig to find this old thread haha
Nah, nothing bad has happened. Just normal life bs lol. Plus a distinct lack of funding has, indeed, stalled progress. I am, however working on something this week, that I'm pretty excited about. I'll be posting that up this weekend.


----------



## MRCL (Dec 9, 2010)

Mark_Hardware said:


> *cough cough* blows dust away....
> 
> Geezas Cuzza, how far back did you have to dig to find this old thread haha
> Nah, nothing bad has happened. Just normal life bs lol. Plus a distinct lack of funding has, indeed, stalled progress. I am, however working on something this week, that I'm pretty excited about. I'll be posting that up this weekend.



I see I'm not the only one with a stalled progress in building a rig. 
I'm excited to see how this continues, especially since I didn't miss anything during my absence lol.


----------



## Cuzza (Dec 10, 2010)

Well Mark, it's been nearly a year since you posted anything at all around here, and I still have you sig-quoted! I was following this log very closely and... well... when people don't post at all for a very long time, I can start to get worried.

Anyway, I have a lack of funding that has stalled my current project too. I'm just glad to know you are still lurking. Mod on!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 13, 2010)

I noticed that about the sig-quote! Still with the typo, too! 
Interesting timing lol. I swear this wasn't planned lol

This is the reservoir for Mark1. It will end up being a standalone deal, sitting on the desk next to the case.

So I am very excited to bring you my latest creation,  an external reservior for Mark1. This idea came to me completely out the blue one day, not long after a water pump died on me. As, usual, I came up with a simple idea, and it exploded lol.
See originally I was just going to build a simple reservior onto the side of the case. Then Eureka! 
I have been dying to find a way to incorporate this vodka bottle, but until now I didn't really have a viable use.... So, onto the pictures! (Who reads all this anyways?)
So after some deliberation on material, I decided on 3/8" rebar. Using the box as a size reference, we cut and bent lengths of rebar into "U's".







Mocked up;










Welded together now;






Using diamond mesh for the the bottom, here's what it looks like so far...










My high-tech aging process;






And here's the stopper,





After a brief introduction to my drill,

and the bottle is now plumbed.






The line going into the bottle;




A ziptie, to act like a hose clamp to help secure the silicone plug.












(awkward, unclear picture. This is the front of the tubing.)

end plugged, side cut. This will make the coolant actually run down the inside front of the bottle, (cool) instead of just running in (boring).


That's all for now. Still to come, a door for the backside, a way of wrapping or covering the joints. Also, a sweet ass idea for for a stand.


----------



## gumpty (Dec 13, 2010)

Subbing to the resurrection thread.

Can't wait to see how that skull turns out.


----------



## Cuzza (Dec 14, 2010)

Crazy ideas indeed, I love it. Is the cage going to hang off the side of the case or what?


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 14, 2010)

Actually, that was the original idea. But, after the cage came to fruition and I realized it must weigh 10lbs, that didn't seem feasable anymore. So Instead, I am going to make a stand for it.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 15, 2010)

Quick update today. Didn't get as much done as I had hoped I would. I know, shocking, right.
Ok, so, got the door built;






am in the process of grinding down all the weld marks. Might get done tomorrow, idk.

Also started wrapping all the joints...









I will twist the backside and cut them off later.

The plumbing to the bottle is also complete;









aaand that's all for now.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 16, 2010)

Another small update....
Almost done grinding. Basically taking the weld marks from this;





to this;




which will rust and fade out nicely.

Also, got done wrapping the joints on the cage. I wrapped them all in a special pattern the mostly covers the actual joint part.





 Then I cramped down with vice-grips,





twist twist twist,






clean break off. Then I just hammer that little part down. Simple, effective.




More tomorrow!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 20, 2010)

Yay! So Stage 1 is like, almost done! This update will flow quick.
Decided to use standard hinges, and just beat them and rust them.
The door is  welded on, and the joints wrapped. TBH, I'm not necessarily 100% on the hinges, but hopefully, with a little work,
and time, they'll grow on me.

ooohhh shiny. That just won't do.





Hey a bubble bath!





Hehe naked metal...




This is what sandpaper wished it could do. Now the hinge is weldable, as well as rust, which in this case is, of course, desirable.
Isn't chemistry cool?

ditto that with a chain.





Also, weld marks just won't do;





ALL weld marks ground off, and also I cut a groove in each link, to simulate the links being hammered
together instead of welded.





Now, smooth steel... Hmm need a highly technical, advanced proccess to utilize, to add a nice, aged and abused appearence...




(12 hours of getting dragged around behind my truck would make anyone look old)
heh

(ignore everything but the chain in this picture!!) seriously.
This is the chain, after a day in the fishtank. I just opened the first and last links for four lengths. 




As you can see, the "special aging proccess" eliminated even the grinding marks from me grinding down the welds.

Pictures!





















Video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlZSfAThXdQ

This is Stage 1, about 98% complete, sans more aging. I have some parts ordered, just waiting for them to come in and we can begin Stage 2.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 21, 2010)

Some extra touches I've been working on...
So, it turns out that it's really damn hard to buy barbed wire. "It's a dangerous item to carry" I was told. 
So, I walked past the axes, saws, torches, acids, and power tools and left the hardware store. 
Typical of true modder style, I decided to make my own.

Baling wire.





Twist twist twist.





Several shorter pieces cut, and wrapped around,




voila!

Now, it's really hard to see what I did here, so I just took a crapload of pictures, both with and without flash. What there is, is four straps down, one around the eyes, and one around the mouth. Sick, huh?






































And one with the pump on.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Dec 21, 2010)

Mark_Hardware said:


> Some extra touches I've been working on...
> So, it turns out that it's really damn hard to buy barbed wire. "It's a dangerous item to carry" I was told.
> So, I walked past the axes, saws, torches, acids, and power tools and left the hardware store.
> Typical of true modder style, I decided to make my own.
> ...



That looks amazing!  Having been in here in a bit bro, loving this project!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 23, 2010)

OK, gonna be a delay for a bit. Ordered supplies, they came in, but because the apt # wasn't on the shipping label, (thanks paypal @sses) it is now being sent back to MI. And, with shipping all f'd up for the holidays it could be a little bit. sigh :facepalm:


----------



## Cold Storm (Dec 23, 2010)

Mark_Hardware said:


> OK, gonna be a delay for a bit. Ordered supplies, they came in, but because the apt # wasn't on the shipping label, (thanks paypal @sses) it is now being sent back to MI. And, with shipping all f'd up for the holidays it could be a little bit. sigh :facepalm:



NOOOOO! Damn Paypal!

Can't wait to see it all come in..


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 24, 2010)

OK, through some strange twist of fate, my package went from "Undeliverable as addressed, return to sender" to "Delivered." Wtf? Anyways I'm not complaining.


OK pplz, here it is. The first piece to stage 2, which is....
The stand! (No, not the Steven King movie.)


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 24, 2010)

So anyways, how about a nice, double post for ya 
I just want to share the work I got done today.
Normal arm, meet normal metal;





First cuts made;





And replacement "bone" insterted;





I hope to get the flat stock bent and cut tonight, then tomorrow drill holes to bolt it all together.


----------



## Cold Storm (Dec 24, 2010)

Man, I can't wait for this to get to shape.. It's is different!


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 28, 2010)

Hoo-ra update time.
Progress is goin somewhat slow, but going nonetheless.

Working on the main frame;

Several angles... 





This update brought to you by the letter "D!"





I wasn't trying to make it symmetrical and even... The odd shape is intentional.

Remember this guy?




Well, he is getting, reassigned...


Section of steel hose, jagged cut. 









These wires don't go to anything. I just found a bunch of different wires and a small section of hose and cut them and pulled them all in different fashions.

Some black convoluted tubing. This does have tube in it, but it's just to keep its shape. It doesn't go to anything, and the othe end will not be exposed.









Here it is mocked up together, maybe you can get a rough idea of where this is going. Probably not, but hey.





 Also I have a support for the arm that I've been working on, but it's still kinda rough, I'll post pics of that tomorrow.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 30, 2010)

OK, not an actual building update, 
I just wanted to show some materials I picked up last night.

I know the color doesn't come through in this picture, but trust me, this sand has a beautiful red color. I got it from the red rock area around Sedona, in northern Arizona. I will sift it, getting rid of everything but the fine sand.





Also snagged a few red rocks.





As well as these, from a local fish store.






Now, I know these would never exist in the same place naturally, so I don't need some would-be geologist telling me that. I dug the red earth myself, so I 

know what was around....





These will all come into play in the final stages.

(For those of you unfamiliar with the natural beauty of Sedona, here his a random pic from the web. Almost kinda looks like Mars or something.)


----------



## blu3flannel (Dec 30, 2010)

I just read this entire thing since it was bumped, and I must say that this is one of the most insane worklogs I have ever seen. Spanning over a year and a half and containing several worklogs within the main worklog, this will most definitely be extremely badass when it's done. Subbed for awesomeness.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Dec 31, 2010)

Another smallish update.
I couldn't really find exactly what I was looking for, so I decided to just make my own....
Smoker unit!
Simple cast aluminum project box, used a dremel to cut the hole for a 40mm fan.









DC powered soldering iron;





Assembled;





The clear tube off to the side goes to the respirator mask the biomech skull will be wearing.

Test run using vegetable oil;









It smokes, but I'm not exactly going to be using this to send out any smoke signals.

To get more contact with the actual heating element, I disconnected the wire,





Then flipped the element around inside the barrel. The holes will allow more contact, and better heat dispersion. Or something. And stuff.






 I'll keep working on this throughout the weekend, as well as work on getting some more welding done. This thing is nearing the end of actual construction, however it might be a couple weeks before I actually get the last few parts I need. I will try and stay otherwise busy in the meantime.


----------



## Cuzza (Jan 1, 2011)

Mark... was this always the plan from the start, the skulls and blood and smoke and everything? Or are your ideas just snowballing at the moment? Either way it's kick-ass


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jan 1, 2011)

Nope- absolutely not. I have always wanted to incorporate the glass skull, but wrote it off as a "in the future" idea. I came up with this one day at work, a couple days after one of my water pumps died. 100% out of the blue. Even at that point there was no stand, the cage was supposed to be mounted to the case. If you remember, the biomech skull was actually put into the pc case, with the eyes being my HDD activity lights. From this exact moment, the original idea was conceived almost exactly 4 weeks ago now, and has also evolved over that same 4 weeks.
I am always looking at objects and thinking how top use them in more creative fashions. I find my muse in some of the most unlikely places, and, in case you haven't noticed, I have a bad habit of starting with a simple idea, and having it grow into something elaborate and over-the-top.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Jan 3, 2011)

Hoora, update!
Got the arm welded to the frame.










Here it is with the real arm in place;





Cage in place;





Also, one leg, prepped for install;











Nice and flush.





(As it turns out, the single flat stock isn't strong enough. Will have to switch to angle iron or something that doesn't flex.)

Here it is all mocked up;





Please note- the water pump will not be right there. It's just holding up the skull right now.


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## blu3flannel (Jan 3, 2011)

That looks awesome! I'm glad you don't have a specific path, I like watching this build evolve into total awesomeness!


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## Mark_Hardware (Jan 3, 2011)

How the hell do you do that? You're so damn fast lol


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## blu3flannel (Jan 3, 2011)

Haha, it shows up in the feed and I comment on it, simple as that.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jan 5, 2011)

Somewhat small update today, I didn't have much time to work.
Got my piece of angle iron;





It's a little smaller, so I'll have to fill in some gap. But, this won't flex, so it'll make a great leg. Haven't cut the frame to acommadate yet, will try and get to that tommorrow. 
Also, I started skinning. Now, all of this will be covered, so physical appearance won't matter. This step is only to develop the shape.









This will consist of cutting, drilling, riveting, hammering, bending, drilling out the rivets, repeat. Over and over.

This piece I started bending, to use as a crossmember of sorts. Actually, the skull will attach to it. I need to track down a torch, though, as I can't get the bend I want cold.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jan 12, 2011)

lol. A big update is coming soon... I have been busy all week, with this and other things. Patience, my good friend.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jan 14, 2011)

OK! I am very excited to bring you today's update!
I've been working on the legs for the base. Now, I kinda wish I had gotten more (better) pictures, cause I'm pretty proud of this work lol.
On both the legs, I made notches;









On the bottom side of the frame, corresponding notches;





This is where the arm is welded to the frame. You can see it is notched out here too;





All these pieces fit together like a big 3D puzzle, it really worked great.
The flat bar welded on here at an angle is for the bio-mech skull.





Here are a few pictures showing the legs, post- assload of grinding;













During which my RTX died. So after some shopping around, I decided on this little number;









Eh I'll read this later.





Got a few other things in the mail as well;

Tools!





Connectors!




Now, I'm not 100% on how to use these, so if anyone has any pointers, it would be appreciated. There are pass-through and end cap connectors there.

And let's not forget;




hehehe

Speaking of "legs"
On the cage side, the femur will rest on the angle iron. (Which has been cut to length now) I will cut away parts of the bone to fit down on the metal snug.





For the other side, I cut the other femur;





Some grinding blah blah





fits in there great.





Eventually I will stick a carriage bolt in there, reminiscent of the arm;






Some gratuitous shots, how it sits now;


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## MRCL (Jan 14, 2011)

Well I am unable to express how unbelievably awesome this is. Not even in my native language. Hell not even smilies could describe. 

I shall build a machine to harvest your skill and ideas.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jan 19, 2011)

Update.
I filled all the weld joints with jb weld. For some areas needing more attention, I switched to Bondo, so that I could actually get this done.
Everything sanded down;









Started painting;













I did some touch up work, then repainted, so some of the rougher spots you see are gone now. Also not pictured, I did a lot of work on the arm. 

Smoothed out the transitions between tube and flat stock really nicely. Then I painted the entire piece with the flat black.

Painted the exposed parts metallic silver;






























Oh and btw, I make no apologies whatsoever about the over spray. Those parts of the frame will never be seen. It's bad enough I spent an entire weekend doing body work to those parts which will, again, never be seen.
Plus, there will be lots of repainting for me in the future. This work was mainly to protect what I have done so far, and give a an idea what some parts will look like. There are touchups to be done, a bit more welding, and sections where the bones attach to the metal. All in good time.


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## Mark_Hardware (Jan 22, 2011)

Update later this weekend... For now, I am very excited to bring you my latest addition;
A gas/gasless MIG welder! 110VAC, it will weld lighter steels, stainless steel, and aluminums. Can be used with Argon, CO2, and combinations of the 2.


















I am so stoked to have this and can't wait to fire it up!


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## Mark_Hardware (Feb 1, 2011)

OK, so not quite the update I wanted to post. I will probably post another in the next few days...
I sanded and drilled holes for feet to be mounted;





Welded nuts on, Feet screwed in.









I also did some more bone grinding;













Will provide a picture of how this fits later. Also, ignore the chips on the counter. wtf.

Took a large gear and cut it down;

Another fine mess I've gotten myself into.





This took about 3 hours with an angle grinder. How much do my neighbours love me?
This is the middle piece;





And after some quality time with ye olde bench grinder;





This will go by a femur, you'll see later.

While cutting the gear, I included my finger in there. The picture of the aftermath got deleted, but maybe that's a good thing. At any rate, you've heard of modders mesh?





Modders bandage 

Gear welded on.









Strong as hell.





Shell almost all the way complete;









Made a "floor"









Couldn't reach here to drill holes for rivets,





So I used the existing holes in the front, for the rivets that hold the shell on.








It looks a little rougher than I would like, but this part will never be seen.

The bottom. This part looks better.






Gratuitous pics;


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## Cuzza (Feb 1, 2011)

finger! *cringe* Also, nice welder. I must learn to weld one day.


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## Mark_Hardware (Feb 3, 2011)

Small update.
Started gluing some of the bones in place. I'm both excited and nervous about this. I'm worried I might end up regretting it. But, This area will need sanding and painting anyways, soo...













Eventually it will get blended together.
Leg being glued tonight.




(That's not hanging, btw.... It's just the zipties)

Also, mounted the first elctronic compenents;
A terminal block, mounted underneath so I can actually get to it lol.





Location for the dimmer switch. No knob, it will be just like that. So I can control the brightness of the led's.





Two pusbutton switches. One for led's, one for smoke.










That's all for now!


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## Mark_Hardware (Feb 28, 2011)

Give me a couple weeks here people. Have hod something going on that's taking up all my time. I will be finishing this project (dammit!) 
There's not that much left for the reservoir part, and I can't wait to get it done.


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## ste2425 (Feb 28, 2011)

remember robot wars? 

looks sick man on the welding front is it a hard thing to do, equipment expensive? im thinking for my car rather then something like this.

but anyway this looks amazing


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## Mark_Hardware (Feb 28, 2011)

Well it can be... I just picked up a welder from Snap-On (I think I posted pics?). And no, it's not a cheap hobby. I don't have a cheap hobby. Damn I wish I had a cheap hobby...
Anyways once you learn the basics it's just a matter of practicing.


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## Cold Storm (Mar 1, 2011)

looking good mark. It's one of a kind. that's for sure!


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