# EnergyFX's Thermaltake Soprano RS build



## EnergyFX (Dec 28, 2008)

If your not familiar with the Thermaltake Soprano you aren't really missing much.  It's one of Thermaltake's numerous mid tower cases loosely geared towards gaming rigs.  The RS version falls into the cheaper bracket of the Soprano models, but even so it isn't exactly cheap when compared to most other 'budget' cases out there.  

In any case (pun! )... I can't make up my mind on what the permanent case is going to be for n.audBl 2.0 and I would really like to get these new guts installed into a real case instead of the DIY setup I've got sitting next to me right now.

Enter the Soprano RS.  I picked it up overpriced from Best Buy... but it was a small price for an instant mod project.  Here is what we are starting with:


----------



## Castiel (Dec 28, 2008)

I would like to see what you are going to do with the case. 
And on that DIY setup, what kinda of video card is that?


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 28, 2008)

*STEP 1: Cat Mod*

Remove shell from frame and insert cat:


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 28, 2008)

Castiel said:


> I would like to see what you are going to do with the case.
> And on that DIY setup, what kinda of video card is that?



Its an 8800 GTX.  It's not the final video solution... it's just what I had available to get the new MB/RAM/CPU and HDDs up and running.  The video card and power supply are leftovers from previous setups.


----------



## Binge (Dec 28, 2008)

EnergyFX said:


> Remove shell from frame and insert cat:



BEST MOD EVAR!!! Subscribed


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 28, 2008)

Unacceptable!!!







More gooder:


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 28, 2008)

Binge said:


> BEST MOD EVAR!!! Subscribed


----------



## steelkane (Dec 28, 2008)

Looking good,, I'll be watching.


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 28, 2008)

This has got to be one of the ugliest side windows I have ever seen.  Nice job Thermaltake :shadedshu









Cool all your life???   WTF!!!!!! 








I mean... the fan mounts, GPU ventilation slots, and CPU shroud are all useful features... but DAMN!  They made it look like straight up crap!!


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 28, 2008)

*New window in the works*

Believe it or not, this will be my first time working Plexiglas.







Here is the result of the first attempt.  I may end up doing this over again.  My plan is to also cover the entire window with a sheet of Hexx Meshx.  If it turns out how I am hoping then this cut will do fine.  If I end up not liking the way it looks with the Meshx then I will likely do this cut over again with a thicker piece of plexi.


----------



## steelkane (Dec 28, 2008)

EnergyFX said:


> Believe it or not, this will be my first time working Plexiglas.



Plexi is fun to work with,, if your drilling a hole in plexi, try to have another scrap plexi under the one you cutting,, but it looks like your kicking ass with it.


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 28, 2008)

steelkane said:


> Plexi is fun to work with,, if your drilling a hole in plexi, try to have another scrap plexi under the one you cutting,, but it looks like your kicking ass with it.



Thanks for the tip.  I'm guessing it helps keep the exit side of the holes clean when the bit punches through?


----------



## TheCrow (Dec 29, 2008)

Looking good so far! You have convinced me to do something with my soprano!

Although i've allready modded my ugly side window with my fist!


----------



## steelkane (Dec 29, 2008)

EnergyFX said:


> Thanks for the tip.  I'm guessing it helps keep the exit side of the holes clean when the bit punches through?



you 100% right,, did you use that rubber coating on the whole case,, it looks great.


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 29, 2008)

TheCrow said:


> Looking good so far! You have convinced me to do something with my soprano!
> 
> Although i've allready modded my ugly side window with my fist!


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 29, 2008)

steelkane said:


> ... did you use that rubber coating on the whole case,, it looks great.



If it wasn't already black then it is now or will be soon.


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 31, 2008)

*Cat Mod 90% installed*

Moose is displeased with the floor of the case.


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 31, 2008)

I'll be carving out a massive opening in the bottom to allow the bottom GPU to breathe easy and allow for more air to flow through the case.


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 31, 2008)

Cutting the second segment was a real PIA!  The center bit of the hole saw fell out and the whole damn drill wobbled and shot off into my leg.  God bless denim jeans!















Let the filing begin.  Lot of clean up work to do here.





Much gooder!










That's all for now.  Next is to vacuum the hell out of the whole case to get all the shavings and cat hair off of it so I can hit it with a couple more coats of rubber paint.  Then I can line the edge with molding and when my Hexx MeshX gets here I'll make the grill for it.


----------



## TheCrow (Dec 31, 2008)

Looking good so far!


----------



## steelkane (Dec 31, 2008)

Clean modding, I have to try some of that rubber spray.


----------



## spearman914 (Dec 31, 2008)

EnergyFX said:


> Unacceptable!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Nice mod! Gooder.... lol


----------



## kenkickr (Dec 31, 2008)

Something that helps me out so I don't get those little dremel nicks when cutting a circle is to use Painters Tape.  I just put on a couple layers of it were I'm cutting, draw what I'm going to do, and cut away.  

Anyways, your case is looking sweet


----------



## WarEagleAU (Dec 31, 2008)

Wow that does look awesome. Ya'll make it look easier than it probably is. Good work so far EFX.


----------



## EnergyFX (Dec 31, 2008)

kenkickr said:


> Something that helps me out so I don't get those little dremel nicks when cutting a circle is to use Painters Tape.  I just put on a couple layers of it were I'm cutting, draw what I'm going to do, and cut away.
> 
> Anyways, your case is looking sweet



Those scratches are from when I lost control of the hole saw.  The center bit fell out while cutting.  I'm good with tools, but damn... the drill and saw took off right into my leg.


----------



## kenkickr (Dec 31, 2008)

That sucks!!  Today I've been working on my friends system and I love it when drill bits decide to go were they want to go


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 3, 2009)

Hey I ordered a couple of Noctua fans for this build and I will need to paint them.  Reddish brown and flesh tan just don't really match the theme here.

I wouldn't mind some advice and tips on painting fans.  I'm plenty experienced with spray painting, but I've yet to paint a PC fan .


----------



## steelkane (Jan 3, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Hey I ordered a couple of Noctua fans for this build and I will need to paint them.  Reddish brown and flesh tan just don't really match the theme here.
> 
> I wouldn't mind some advice and tips on painting fans.  I'm plenty experienced with spray painting, but I've yet to paint a PC fan .



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-pYehiy85U


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 3, 2009)

steelkane said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-pYehiy85U



That's what I needed to know.  Thanks.

I just tried it with the cheap Thermaltake fan that came with the case.  Worked perfectly, but I lost the little retaining ring :shadedshu  

Lesson learned... I'll have to be more careful with the Noctuas.


----------



## steelkane (Jan 3, 2009)

N/P anytime, you going to post the fans painted here, I'd like to see what you do with them.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 3, 2009)

steelkane said:


> N/P anytime, you going to post the fans painted here, I'd like to see what you do with them.



Of course!


----------



## MKmods (Jan 3, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> That's what I needed to know.  Thanks.
> 
> I just tried it with the cheap Thermaltake fan that came with the case.  Worked perfectly, but I lost the little retaining ring :shadedshu
> 
> Lesson learned... I'll have to be more careful with the Noctuas.



Dont worry about the retaining clips...I never re use them(allows easy re-modding of the fans)

As for painting, try to keep the coat of paint as thin as possible. Heavy coats, multiple coats, primer/Paint coating makes the fan blade too heavy and it slows down the fan.

So far excellent job.

EDIT: one other tip, I clean the fan and motor Assembly of all its grease/oil and when I re install the blade I put just a bit of Car brake grease on the shaft. I use brake grease because it is resistant to higher temps and wont go all over like light weight oil does.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 4, 2009)

Thanks Mark.  I was actually wondering just how necessary the clip is on low-mid CFM fans.  Nice tip on the grease too.


----------



## MKmods (Jan 4, 2009)

LOL, I raised the voltage to about 19V before the windings fried to see If I could get the blade to fly off but it stayed put.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 4, 2009)

MKmods said:


> LOL, I raised the voltage to about 19V before the windings fried to see If I could get the blade to fly off but it stayed put.



Heh, I wonder how one of those ultra high speed 100+CFM fans would do.


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 4, 2009)

Grab a Delta EFB1312VH fan! 185cfms... lol

The mod looks good so far man! Going to add a kitty window!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 4, 2009)

Here are a couple of SketchUps of what I have been considering on the lower back panel next to the expansion slots.  The idea is to use four 40x40x10 mm red led fans mounted to exhaust hot air from the video cards.












I'll have to wait until the fans come in before I'll know whether mounting them the way they are pictured will be feasible or not.  I'm pretty sure the LEDs are going to make it a bit more complicated than pictured. I may end up deciding to go with black ones instead of the LEDs too.  I'm kind of on the fence about it.


----------



## MKmods (Jan 4, 2009)

very nice.


----------



## steelkane (Jan 4, 2009)

I know PerformancePCs has some nice 40mm fans http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...th=372&zenid=3f3c7cbd30f81a631c78cc9f01f4364a 
I use them instead of the stock fans on the corsair Dominator cooler, they work great, & the Leds are on the back side motor,


----------



## Snipermonkey2 (Jan 4, 2009)

kudos on the mods looks really good.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 4, 2009)

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6109/fan-319/Red_LED_40X40X10mm_Fan_-_3_Pin.html?tl=g36c15s664

I went with these, which look identical to the 10mm thick Performance-PCs version.  This is all experimental but I went with the 10mm thick version in hopes that they will create minimal interference with installing/removing expansion cards.  Plus I think the lower profile design will look pretty slick.  If I can mount them on the outside of the case with the inner housing intruding into the case (as pictured in the SketchUp drawings above) then there should only be about 6-7mm of intrusion, which (in theory) will allow plenty of room to navigate expansion cards into and out of position.  

Worst case scenario... the fans will have to be unbolted each time the expansion cards need to be removed or a new one installed.  If that ends up being the case then I might as well go with higher performance 25 or 28mm thick fans.


----------



## steelkane (Jan 5, 2009)

First off, I should or want to learn how to use sketchup. Second, fans in back will look & work nice, what were you thinking about doing for all the wires, maybe connect them into one harness.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 5, 2009)

SketchUp is stupid easy to get started on basics.  It's free from Google.  Just dl it and start playing.  It has decent tutorial tips for each tool to help you get started.  Also, when you build a model you can publish it to Google so others can import and use it.  For example,  I drew the panels in the pictures above, but the fans are somebody elses work that I simply imported, resized, and manipulated to work with my intentions.  The whole process took about an hour and a half... mainly because I had to keep grabbing the case and measuring this and that to make the drawing accurate.

As for the wiring.  I'll harness all four fans into a single cable.  I prefer a minimalistic approach to cabling.


----------



## TheCrow (Jan 5, 2009)

Excellent thread EnergyFX.

You inspired me to get some modding done on my soprano at the weekend. It's not as nice a job as yours but i'll get there. I'm still waiting for some perspec to arrive for my window. And some rubber trim and a dremel to tidy up my cuts.











I had the same idea about a fan blowing onto the GPU, but i went for just what i had lying around the house!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 5, 2009)

Hey Crow, what are the two odd looking slots above the small fan in that last picture?  The ones that have a bit of red light shining through.


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 5, 2009)

Hmm, that fan design does look good. It beats what Cooler Master tried to do with their Cosmos RC 1000 cases... I have two OCZ fans from my cooler that I can't use anymore... Might just try it out!


----------



## steelkane (Jan 5, 2009)

Thanks, I didn't know about Importing other use files, going to give that a try


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 5, 2009)

Oh, BTW... to answer what a few of you have probably wondered but been polite enough not to ask... I painted the frame because I honestly thought I was done with it.  I do this quite often actually... assume that step X is complete and eagerly move on to step Y.  The problem is when I have to wait for parts to come in.  That is wasted time that does nothing but breed new ideas.  Not to mention that the time waiting ends up becoming the perfect time to spend endless hours tinkering with menial details that I would have otherwise left alone.

Please tell me I'm not the only one afflicted with this!


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 5, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Oh, BTW... to answer what a few of you have probably wondered but been polite enough not to ask... I painted the frame because I honestly thought I was done with it.  I do this quite often actually... assume that step X is complete and eagerly move on to step Y.  The problem is when I have to wait for parts to come it.  That is wasted time that does nothing but breed new ideas.  Not to mention that the time waiting ends up becomming the perfect time to spend tinkering endlessly with menial details that I would have otherwise left alone.
> 
> Please tell me I'm not the only one afflicted with this!



Dude, waiting on parts are bad! I'm constantly thinking up things and ways to work on the cosmos.. Ask Steel! lol... But, with more stuff coming in, and so forth, It's slowing down and getting a hand on things!


----------



## MKmods (Jan 5, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Please tell me I'm not the only one afflicted with this!


 I am sooo guilty of that.


----------



## TheCrow (Jan 5, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Hey Crow, what are the two odd looking slots above the small fan in that last picture?  The ones that have a bit of red light shining through.



I'm not quite sure. They are cut so they can be punched out to feed wires through i presume?

I'm not sure why tho? 

I think i must have an early soprano to yours as mine has a differant side window as well.


----------



## ascstinger (Jan 6, 2009)

old parallel and serial port punchouts if I'm seeing right. cool mod so far


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 6, 2009)

ascstinger said:


> old parallel and serial port punchouts if I'm seeing right. cool mod so far



I'll go for that.


----------



## TheCrow (Jan 6, 2009)

Ah never thought of that! Shame my board has no headers for them as i use a parralel device often.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 6, 2009)

Woo!!  Just talked to the wife and she says a box of goodies showed up today.  I get to play tonight!!!


----------



## TheCrow (Jan 6, 2009)

Spill the beans!

What was in the box!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 6, 2009)

Fans, Hexx Mesh, EL glow tape, fan controller, and some other stuff too I think.  I don't remember it all.  I'll have to see when I get home!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

HDD silencers and edge molding... those were what I had forgot about.  

Here are a couple of 'brainstorming' pictures of what I had in mind for the side window:


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

I did some fooling around with making mesh expansion slot covers.  This is the very first one.  The next ones will be a little bit better.  And yes... they will get another coat of paint to cover the cuts and flake-offs.


----------



## steelkane (Jan 7, 2009)

That's what I like to see, Ingenuity, And it looks awesome


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 7, 2009)

EnergyFx! WOW, damn the update looks sweet!! Very good stuff man! Very good stuff!


----------



## TheCrow (Jan 7, 2009)

They look sweet!


----------



## Castiel (Jan 7, 2009)

That looks sweet! Love to see more!


----------



## deutscher Scharfschü (Jan 7, 2009)

you truly can take any boring old thermaltake case and make it amazing. good luck man.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

Boy do I need a shop/garage!!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

deutscher Scharfschü said:


> you truly can take any boring old thermaltake case and make it amazing. good luck man.



I honestly never would have given boring old cases a second thought if it hadn't been for TechPowerUp and the group of modding enthusiasts here (I'm not going to mention any names... you dremel geeks know who you are )


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

*Alright, last pictures for the night:*

I got the rear fan grill cut and shaped.  What is it about honeycomb patterns that looks so damn high tech??












I'm off to bed.  I'll be working on it some more tomorrow.  I'm off work and it looks like it's going to probably be the crappiest day of the year... or week... take your pick.


----------



## p_o_s_pc (Jan 7, 2009)

you should paint your mobo too like me and D did.  its looking sweet


----------



## steelkane (Jan 7, 2009)

This needed a re-Post, It looks that clean, Awesome work


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> you should paint your mobo too like me and D did.  its looking sweet



Um, yeah... about that...


----------



## TheCrow (Jan 7, 2009)

Nice job of that grill!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

Today I'll be working on putting a grill on the bottom opening I cut.  This will be a bit challenging since there is no fan, plate, or other panel to sandwich the mesh into.  There is, however, a slight depression along the length of the bottom panel.  Perhaps I can use that and work in into the final solution.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

Sort of like this:


----------



## TheCrow (Jan 7, 2009)

That looks nice and tidy. I thought about mounting a fan in the bottom of mine to cool the graphics card. But decided against it in the end as i'm aiming for quitness.


----------



## farlex85 (Jan 7, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Boy do I need a shop/garage!!



 What is that dell doing there? Blasphemy!  Great mod though energy, I've thought about this case before but there's just too many things I don't like about it, you are correcting all of them though and then much more, wish I had dem skills.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

farlex85 said:


> What is that dell doing there? Blasphemy!  Great mod though energy, I've thought about this case before but there's just too many things I don't like about it, you are correcting all of them though and then much more, wish I had dem skills.



  The Dell is an XPS420 being used as my media center HTPC.  I wanted cable card HDTV capability so I was forced to go with a factory built system.  Unfortunately the ATI Digital Cable Tuner will not work with any motherboard a normal PC enthusiast would use.  SUCKS!!!

As for this case... the big challenge is going to be deciding what in the hell to do about the front panel.  I have a couple of ideas, but I'm not sure what I will do just yet.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

TheCrow said:


> That looks nice and tidy. I thought about mounting a fan in the bottom of mine to cool the graphics card. But decided against it in the end as i'm aiming for quitness.



The thought has crossed my mind, but I think with the 2 120mm fans in the window and the vent on the bottom there will be plenty of fresh cool air available for the vid cards.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

Since this bottom piece of mesh is going to be 'exposed' I wanted to get all the sharp burrs off the edges.  I have a set of hobby files that will be perfect for this (you can also just use an emery board).







So... I just spent the last hour painstakingly filing each and every corner of the mesh piece I cut earlier.  Major PIA..






Once I get this piece attached to the bottom of the case it will eventually get a coat or two of paint to cover the file marks.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

So now I have the bottom piece shaped the way I want it to give it that 3D look.











And this is what it will look like installed. (hopefully)


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

Now... off to Home Depot for some epoxy and Micheal's for some felt tape.


----------



## Silverel (Jan 7, 2009)

Your mod of sexy has made me feel strong humping urges.


----------



## MKmods (Jan 7, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> So now I have the bottom piece shaped the way I want it to give it that 3D look.



Nicely done


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

Silverel said:


> Your mod of sexy has made me feel strong humping urges.



um... thank you??


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 7, 2009)

Energy...If I'm not mistaken, which I might be, your married... If so... SHE LETS YOU DO IT ON THAT CARPET....   If your not... YOU DO IT ON THAT CARPET! 

now, all comedy aside... 
The extra stuff your doing is pretty good! I like how the mess is sitting pretty nice in the case


----------



## p_o_s_pc (Jan 7, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Um, yeah... about that...



but it looks nice and didn't cause any problems for me or D 

My thread 
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=80058&highlight=painting+mobo

D's 
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=80058&highlight=painting+mobo


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> but it looks nice and didn't cause any problems for me or D
> 
> My thread
> http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=80058&highlight=painting+mobo
> ...



I think it is really cool that you and D did it.  It's a cool 'proof of concept'.  I think yours turned out better than D's did (mainly because I would have avoided the gloss white) but it still really isn't to my taste.  I think a motherboard looks best with its parts showing.  Now... if I was working with a fugly brownish MB, then that might be a different story.  But so long as the board looks cool naked I don't think I will ever paint it.

I'm trying to avoid sounding rude here.  I would never tell you that you screwed it up, or that you shouldn't have done it, or anything crappy like that.  What matters is what you think.  I'm really glad you and D are happy with how it turned out.  That is what is most important... it's just not my kind of mod.


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 7, 2009)

oh, POS...  Yours and D's did come out good! But, some boards just don't need that extra stuff! Gigabyte boards are one board you should ALL WAYS paint!! lol..

Energy, can't wait for more! But I gotta say.. Your week CAN"T be bad! The case is turning out GREAT!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 7, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> Energy...If I'm not mistaken, which I might be, your married... If so... SHE LETS YOU DO IT ON THAT CARPET....   If your not... YOU DO IT ON THAT CARPET!
> 
> now, all comedy aside...
> The extra stuff your doing is pretty good! I like how the mess is sitting pretty nice in the case




Lol... I 'get away' with using the spare bedroom (which is really the office) for this stuff.  There is no way in hell she would let me use the kitchen.  I do try to keep the mess under control.  If it gets too wild in here then I get 

Besides, she knows when we get a place with a garage/shop/basement I'll happily set up shop there, so it's kind of a compromise thing for now.  Compromise... making marriages work for eternity!


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 7, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Lol... I 'get away' with using the spare bedroom (which is really the office) for this stuff.  There is no way in hell she would let me use the kitchen.  I do try to keep the mess under control.  If it gets too wild in here then I get



 I suggest that you go and get a 4 big teflon style mats, and then 2 plastic curtains... throw the mats in a big square area of the kitchen and curtains on both sides... There, you got a area that you can't destroy! if you do... Just roll up the mat and your all good!

You edited on me! SO I do the same! lol... I hope the house you get is great for the two of you! Marriage is hard from what I've seen with my parents... But, no matter what, Gotta have a middle to it...


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 8, 2009)

*Glueing the mesh to the bottom of the case:*

EDIT: FYI... This didn't work.

So I got a temporary pass to use the dining room table for a couple of hours.  

I'm using typical 2 part Epoxy to attach the bottom mesh.  The piece is already formed to the shape I want it, but all that forming has caused some springy waviness to the mesh panes, so I will have to glue it in segments.  I'll be applying a bit of the quick set epoxy, then applying some weight for about 10-15 mins, and then moving on to the next segment.









I used a paperclip to apply the epoxy in tiny dabs where the mesh meets the case bottom.













And I applied weight in whatever creative way I could come up with from the... er, pantry!


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 8, 2009)

Ginger Beer... It looks pretty nice! Can't believe that you did it on the "Kitchen Table" pun intended!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 8, 2009)

Ginger Beer... it's for mixing with Gosling's Rum to make what's called a 'Dark & Stormy'.  My wife and I got quasi addicted to them when we started sailing a couple of years ago.


----------



## steelkane (Jan 8, 2009)

Nice job once again, I always like the un-modded look, that tells me it was done right, After all that typing I could go for one of them cokes.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 8, 2009)

Ok, so I'm back at it again today.  My 40mm fans came in so I'll be drilling the holes on the back of the case for them.  But first, I got to thinking about how I am mounting the hard drives using the Skythe Hard Disk Stabilizer II.  The problem with this is that there will be no air flow over the hard drives.  So here is what I came up with:





























So lets do something with this blank cover:













A 1.5" hole saw cuts the perfect size hole for 40mm fans












Of course I'll add some mesh and voila!!  Perfect 5.25 hard drive cooler:








It turned out much better than I had expected.  I honestly figured that trying to cut the holes would destroy the piano finish of the blank plate, but to my surprise the hole saw cut very clean holes.  So that will be an additional six 40mm fans for the hard drives.  I'll keep these at a fairly low speed setting so there really shouldn't be any discernible noise from them. Jeez, I'm well into the double digits on number of fans for this project.


----------



## Castiel (Jan 8, 2009)

Very nice!


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 8, 2009)

DAMN! That many fans!  That mod does look pretty sweet! Glad to see it up and running with the fans!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 8, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> DAMN! That many fans!  That mod does look pretty sweet! Glad to see it up and running with the fans!



I know, but it was either that or move the HDDs back down to the 3.5 bays so the 120mm intake fan could blow over them.  Odd thing is... that would probably be louder than using the Scythe Stabilizers and six 40mm fans.


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 8, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> I know, but it was either that or move the HDDs back down to the 3.5 bays so the 120mm intake fan could blow over them.  Odd thing is... that would probably be louder than using the Scythe Stabilizers and six 40mm fans.





Yeah, it would probably be even more sounding... Just glad to see it worked out sweet for ya!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

I need a break from filing so I'll post up some more photos of the progress.

Here are the fans lined up how I initially planned





But I decided three fans spaced out will look nicer and is probably just as effective.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

Cutting the holes:


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

Now to get to work on grinding/filing/shaping the fans.

Start:






Step 1, Dremel:





Step 2, Filing:








And that's all I got for now.  Back to the grindstone...


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 9, 2009)

I say, it does look good to have 3 fans instead of four! Have enough tools!?


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

There's no such thing as 'enough' tools.


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 9, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> There's no such thing as 'enough' tools.



True!!! Very True!!!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)




----------



## TheCrow (Jan 9, 2009)

That is looking proper nice!

A much nicer effect than i managed with my 1 fan lol!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

TheCrow said:


> That is looking proper nice!
> 
> A much nicer effect than i managed with my 1 fan lol!


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 9, 2009)

IT looks pretty good with one fan in it! Swweeeett! Can't wait to see more!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

So what do you guys think??  Stick with the red LED fan or should I go with non-LED black fans?  The wife likes the LED but I'm still undecided.

Let me know before I start filing away on another one... cause DAMN that is a pain.


----------



## p_o_s_pc (Jan 9, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> So what do you guys think??  Stick with the red LED fan or should I go with non-LED black fans?  The wife likes the LED but I'm still undecided.
> 
> Let me know before I start filing away on another one... cause DAMN that is a pain.



i think LED


----------



## TheCrow (Jan 9, 2009)

I like the coloured ones. Plus with the side window you'll be able to see them nice and pretty!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

Whoa, I just took some measurements of the MB with the Cooler Master V8 CPU cooler.  Once installed the face of the V8 is going to be within millimeters of the surface of the window.  It'll be like "Hello, I'm a Cooler Master V8.  What's your name?".


----------



## Castiel (Jan 9, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Whoa, I just took some measurements of the MB with the Cooler Master V8 CPU cooler.  Once installed the face of the V8 is going to be within millimeters of the surface of the window.  It'll be like "Hello, I'm a Cooler Master V8.  What's your name?".



One thing I had to make a decision on my case for my PII build, but I still went with the HAF.


----------



## mlee49 (Jan 9, 2009)

I like this whole mod it's crazy good!  Nice touch filing the fans down, I'm not surprised to see the braided wires.  Thats a must for easier wire management. 

Great mod all together. Love to see the finished product.


----------



## steelkane (Jan 9, 2009)

Clean modding, your doing a great job with this case, I think I'm going to use your fan mod on the back of the case for my next build, If you don't mind.


----------



## Silverel (Jan 9, 2009)

Never though of using 40mm fans. Kinda figured they'd be too loud and do too little compared to a nice 120mm. We might need some you-tubage when ya get everything fired up and running. 

Everything looks great though. All the details make it a beautiful thing. Very nice job getting those fans ground down, it really does look a lot better than I thought it would. That front bay is awesome too.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

steelkane said:


> Clean modding, your doing a great job with this case, I think I'm going to use your fan mod on the back of the case for my next build, If you don't mind.



Of course I don't mind.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

Just got the Noctuas in today.  Removing the fan from the housing isn't the same simple process as we thought.  See:






That's a magnet stuck to the sticker.


----------



## Silverel (Jan 9, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Just got the Noctuas in today.  Removing the fan from the housing isn't the same simple process as we thought.  See:
> 
> 
> 
> ...





That's all that holds it on?
 Simplicity ftw.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

Silverel said:


> That's all that holds it on?
> Simplicity ftw.



No, I think you misread my post.  The fan is still very attached.  Pulling the sticker and magnet did nothing to remove the fan.

simplicity = NO


----------



## Silverel (Jan 9, 2009)

I did... gah. lol, must not be enough coffee in the system just yet. Gonna have to order up another IV.

Ah, so you can't just pull the fan off the housing eh? Kinda wish I had something here that I wouldn't care about breaking. I imagine those fans being attached like a dial dimmer switch.

wth is the magnet for anyways?


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

Silverel said:


> Never though of using 40mm fans. Kinda figured they'd be too loud and do too little compared to a nice 120mm. We might need some you-tubage when ya get everything fired up and running.
> 
> Everything looks great though. All the details make it a beautiful thing. Very nice job getting those fans ground down, it really does look a lot better than I thought it would. That front bay is awesome too.



The 40mm fans I got are 'advertised' as only 14dB @ ~5cfm.  They have a noticeable hiss at full speed, but I plan on spinning them a bit slower.

Actually, the ones for the HDDs will be set to 'quiet' speeds all the time via a MB fan header.  The ones mounted on the back panel will be connected to a fan controller so that I can speed them up during gaming and quiet them down during normal computer usage.  

The ones on the back don't really need to move a massive amount of air.  I just want them to exhaust that little pocket of warm air that builds up at the video card bracket area.  

I'll do some temperature testing once the whole system is done to see how well it works at various speeds... or for that matter, if it does anything at all.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

Silverel said:


> I did... gah. lol, must not be enough coffee in the system just yet. Gonna have to order up another IV.
> 
> Ah, so you can't just pull the fan off the housing eh? Kinda wish I had something here that I wouldn't care about breaking. I imagine those fans being attached like a dial dimmer switch.
> 
> wth is the magnet for anyways?



Nope, I pulled pretty damn hard.  If it was supposed to come off it would have.  Noctua stuck these on permanently.


----------



## Silverel (Jan 9, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> The 40mm fans I got are 'advertised' as only 14dB @ ~5cfm.  They have a noticeable hiss at full speed, but I plan on spinning them a bit slower.
> 
> Actually, the ones for the HDDs will be set to 'quiet' speeds all the time via a MB fan header.  The ones mounted on the back panel will be connected to a fan controller so that I can speed them up during gaming and quiet them down during normal computer usage.
> 
> ...



At any rate they look pretty damn slick, even if they're useless I'd keep em for aesthetic value 



EnergyFX said:


> Nope, I pulled pretty damn hard.  If it was supposed to come off it would have.  Noctua stuck these on permanently.



I had the same problem with the knobs on my sunbeamtech fan controller. Tis in one of my case work logs. Half of em came off just fine, and the other half were retardo glued into place, at which I broke the shit outta them. The knobs were really hard plastic though, I'd imagine those fans are quite a bit softer material. I've heard recommendations to freeze the suckers to make the glue more brittle and easier to break loose. Also heard recommendations of various chemicals to break apart the glue via full immersion...:shadedshu
I wouldn't really want to do that with a fan though, especially the nice ones ya got there.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

It's only a couple of degrees above freezing today so I won't be attempting any painting.  It's just as well anyways I guess... I need to get these other two 40mm fans filed down.


----------



## steelkane (Jan 9, 2009)

I'm going to do a little research, There still might be hope yet,, plus I wanted to look also to see why they have the fan blades notched.


----------



## Silverel (Jan 9, 2009)

steelkane said:


> I'm going to do a little research, There still might be hope yet,, plus I wanted to look also to see why they have the fan blades notched.



Some vortex effect I remember reading about. Essentially it breaks up the tunnel of air and makes it able to push higher CFM while lowering the decibels. Gives it a different sound than normal fans too.

I'm more than certain there's more technical descriptions though.


----------



## steelkane (Jan 9, 2009)

These notches split the normal air vortexes into several smaller ones and spread the noise over a wider range of frequencies. Simply put, these notches reduce wind noise off the rear of the fan blades and make the fan much more quieter than a standard fan.
still looking for a way to remove the blade,, I'm sure someone knows how to


----------



## steelkane (Jan 9, 2009)

http://prodmod.wordpress.com/2007/02/12/take-apart-that-pc-fan-see-whats-inside-brushless-dc-motor/


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

steelkane said:


> http://prodmod.wordpress.com/2007/02/12/take-apart-that-pc-fan-see-whats-inside-brushless-dc-motor/



Nice post, but doesn't work for the Noctua.  Look closely at the photo again, there is no accessible retaining clip.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 9, 2009)

So I figured before I get started grinding on another fan I should at least finish the first one.  Here it is with all the filing and buffing finished.

















The last of the scuffs and scratches are of no concern.  The outer surfaces of the fan will be painted.


----------



## TheCrow (Jan 9, 2009)

You should copyright it! They look sweet!


----------



## MKmods (Jan 9, 2009)

steelkane said:


> I'm sure someone knows how to


you have to drill out the center to expose the bearing retaining clip. Carefully use a 3/8 (or close) drill bit.
The 25mm Silenx fans are similar.



TheCrow said:


> You should copyright it! They look sweet!


lol

PS: Nicely done FX. Excellent skills


----------



## steelkane (Jan 9, 2009)

There were A few different fans on that site,, I thought I seen your style further down the page, but then it might need the drilling like MK said. good luck


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 10, 2009)

Sweet!  My felt tape showed up a few mins ago.  Holy crap FindTape.com ships fast!!












This is just a teaser.  You'll have to wait until the end of the project to see what I do with this.  It's nothing uber fancy... but I'm pretty sure it'll make you smile and nod in agreement.

$6 for a 75ft roll.


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 10, 2009)

that much for that much!!!!  very goo stuff man! I know what your, who your, warping up!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 10, 2009)

75ft should last me many many mods.


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 10, 2009)

I bet a can tell you one good one, that you and your lady can do! 

BTW... Thinking of my "doctor" lady while typing it!


----------



## Castiel (Jan 16, 2009)

So any new pics coming soon?


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 17, 2009)

Not much to update as far as pics go.  I did get quite a few parts in.  A bunch of fans (mostly 40mm for the front bay HDD cooling panels), some non-fray sleeving, 3:1 heatshrink, a 3.5" rocker switch panel, DVD burner drive, and a few other odds and ends.

I went to True Value and spent about $15 on stupid little tiny nuts and bolts to mount the 40mm fans on the front and rear panels.

I also got a DIY fan controller (that is acutally a Sunbeam fan controller) since I'm not too keen on the Scythe one I was planning to use.  The Scythe's blue/light-blue display just isn't really going to go too well with the red lighted theme of the case.  I dunno... it might end up looking better than I am expecting, but we'll see.

I bought a 120mm SilentX Red LED fan for the front area as well as a pair of 92mm SilentX Red LED fans for the top blow hole.  The Noctua fans have been shelved for this project.  I am really liking these SilentX fans, except for the relatively dim LEDs.  They move an impressive amount of air and are surprisingly quiet. The main reason for going with them was to accent the blowhole and front panel with a bit of a red glow.  One thing though, it is apparent that I will have to use the rubber isolators since they put off a noticeable vibration noise when touching something. 

I drilled out all the rivets and completely dismantled the frame so I can go sandblast and repaint it.  I'm loosely considering powder coating all of it, but there is some discussion to be had about that (future post... I'm going to have you guys help me decide).  

Oh, also, I got the remaining two 40mm fans filed down to match the first one for the back panel.  I'm glad that is done.  That took quite a while. 

Other than that, I really haven't had too much time to commit to it lately.  I'll be working some very long hours over the next few days due to Obama's Inauguration.  I'll be back at it later this month.  I really want to have this project done by April before I leave for Mississippi for 6 weeks.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 30, 2009)

Ok, now that innauguration is over and things have slowed back down to normal pace around here I can get back to work on this.

I'll be punching out the last fan holes tomorrow.  I am installing two 92mm fans on the top panel.  Once I get those holes cut out I should be ready to repaint everything.  I'm going to check with the hobby shops at Andrews and Bolling AFB to see if they have a sandblasting booth I can use.  If not then I guess I will just have to pay to get it done.

I would like to hear some of your opinions on the following ideas:

- Powder coating glossy black (inside and out for a piano black style finish)
- Chrome plating a couple of pieces, like the back I/O panel and/or perhaps the drive bay support brackets
- Perhaps instead of chrome, powder coating a couple of pieces glossy red.
- No powder coating, just paint all innards flat or semi-flat black.


----------



## Castiel (Jan 30, 2009)

My opinion is to paint/power coat it black inside and out, soft glossy black. And the power coat a couple pieces glossy red.


----------



## Silverel (Jan 31, 2009)

Flat black inside, and semi-gloss black on the outside, red mesh and fans. 

imho


----------



## p_o_s_pc (Jan 31, 2009)

Silverel said:


> Flat black inside, and semi-gloss black on the outside, red mesh and fans.
> 
> imho



+1 that is what i was going to do with my old case. it looks vary nice... I love black and red


----------



## EnergyFX (Jan 31, 2009)

Red fans are already in the plan.  I'm not too sure about painting the mesh red.  I'm using quite a bit of mesh and I think it might be a bit too much if I make it red.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 2, 2009)

I got the blow hole on the top piece cut out today.  Sorry, no photos of it.  I was trying to get it done before I had to leave for work.  

I think I'm going to go with satin black with a couple of red accents on the inside.  Thanks for the suggestions.  It should turn out nice.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 6, 2009)

Just ordered 1050w version of this:


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 7, 2009)

Here are a couple of pics of the top blow hole:





















I plan to use a different mounting method for the fans that will help to reduce the bending at the screw holes.


----------



## Cold Storm (Feb 7, 2009)

That looks pretty sweet man! I was thinking of that psu myself. I love my Cooler master, but I don't want to have it longer then 2 years...

Yhpm


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 9, 2009)

Here are a few pics of the "round two" painting progress.  The rear I/O panel, upper support brace, and drive/accessory bay cages are the only parts that will be painted red.  Everything else will be satin black.

Also, you can see what I had planned for the felt tape.  I trimmed strips of tape and applied them to surfaces that will experience metal to metal contact during assembly.  I will also be applying felt tape to the area where the power supply sits in the case to prevent the paint from getting all scratched up during assembly.


----------



## Castiel (Feb 9, 2009)

looking great!


----------



## p_o_s_pc (Feb 9, 2009)

nice idea with that tape. I think i may try that if i paint my antec case but i think i will use foam instead of painting it


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 9, 2009)

Hopefully tomorrow's weather will still be warm enough to paint.  If so then I should be able to get most, if not all of the remaining pieces painted satin black.  It would be nice to start reassembling the frame by next weekend.


----------



## p_o_s_pc (Feb 9, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Hopefully tomorrow's weather will still be warm enough to paint.  If so then I should be able to get most, if not all of the remaining pieces painted satin black.  It would be nice to start reassembling the frame by next weekend.



its never too cold to paint. I have painted in my garage when it was bellow 0f but i also did have a heater in there going for about an hour or 2 before i started and kept it going till everything was done.


----------



## Exavier (Feb 9, 2009)

the only Tt case I like is the Mozart TX, but I have to agree here that this is looking mighty fine  keep us informed!


----------



## ste2425 (Feb 9, 2009)

those little red fans where di you pick them up mate? whats the airflow like im after a few for my CD interhcanger


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 9, 2009)

ste2425 said:


> those little red fans where di you pick them up mate? whats the airflow like im after a few for my CD interhcanger



http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=36_372

They are 40mm fans.  Quite a few suppliers carry them, including Newegg.


----------



## ste2425 (Feb 10, 2009)

thanks mate, whats the airflow like coz ive tried a few and all the others have been crap


----------



## red268 (Feb 10, 2009)

Fantastic stuff!!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 10, 2009)

ste2425 said:


> thanks mate, whats the airflow like coz ive tried a few and all the others have been crap



The ones I'm using are only a few CFM each.  There are some out there are something like 15-20 CFM, but I would imagine the noise level is higher for them.



red268 said:


> Fantastic stuff!!



Thanks!  You just like it cause I'm using RED.


----------



## mrw1986 (Feb 10, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Moose is displeased with the floor of the case.



Off topic, but is that a Himalayan? That's a gorgeous cat and I really want one...lol...oh and Moose is the BEST name ever for a cat.


----------



## cdawall (Feb 10, 2009)

wow is all i have to say very nice build thread and to think i ignored that case


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

mrw1986 said:


> Off topic, but is that a Himalayan? That's a gorgeous cat and I really want one...lol...oh and Moose is the BEST name ever for a cat.



He is a Rag Doll.  Himalayan is in the roots of the breed though, so good eye!  He is actually named after pajama pants.  True story.  A couple years back I bought some pajama pants from Target that had a bunch of moose on them.  When my wife (fiance at the time) saw me wearing them later she somehow decided that when we got a cat his name would be Moose.

I'll never understand what happens in a woman's brain.


----------



## smee (Feb 11, 2009)

Wow man this is looking really nice!
Will keep an eye on this one, sub'd.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

Rear panel painted and riveted back together.


----------



## smee (Feb 11, 2009)

holy snap.... thats secksy!!!!! * drools *


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

So... as ridiculous as this is going to sound, I will be putting a very small liquid loop in this system for the motherboard.  The Cooler Master V8 is so massive that I cannot use the supplemental ASUS fans that clip onto the mosfet fins.  I spent a lot of time trying to decide how to move sufficient air across the motherboard heatsink fins but the only ideas I could come up with involved installing more fans in imposing and unattractive locations.  

I had already purchased Bitspower's water blocks for the Striker II Extreme since this was initially intended to be a replacement system for n.audBl (rig in sig), but was planning on just using the stock MB heatsink for now. Even with this sitting on my desk in full open air configuration the MB was getting way too hot.  I actually had to prop a fan on the MB blowing across the NB area just to keep it cool.  So... with no elegant solution to cooling the motherboard with air in sight I decided to simply go ahead and watercool it.  It'll look trick in the end... but even I have to give myself a funny look for aircooling the CPU and GPUs but putting the MB on liquid.  Oh well... I'd rather go with a slick water loop than stick a fan in a location that doesn't look cool.

Here are some pics of the loop component:

The reservoir is the 3.5" bay version.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

ugh, I'm literally watching paint dry!


----------



## deutscher Scharfschü (Feb 11, 2009)

i don't know if you've seen this yet, but it could be very useful.

http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=791

certaintly would have been nice for your last build.


----------



## Cold Storm (Feb 11, 2009)

Damn man!!! That water set up for your board is Crazy!!! Looking good man! You'll be done before the second week of March!!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

deutscher Scharfschü said:


> i don't know if you've seen this yet, but it could be very useful.
> 
> http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=791
> 
> certaintly would have been nice for your last build.



Yeah, I've see that.  I really want to use it in a future build.  It is one of those cool items that I would actually create a reason to need it.  

But yeah, you're right... if it was available two years ago you would have definitely seen a couple of them mounted on the door of n.audBl.


----------



## mrw1986 (Feb 11, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> So... as ridiculous as this is going to sound, I will be putting a very small liquid loop in this system for the motherboard.  The Cooler Master V8 is so massive that I cannot use the supplemental ASUS fans that clip onto the mosfet fins.  I spent a lot of time trying to decide how to move sufficient air across the motherboard heatsink fins but the only ideas I could come up with involved installing more fans in imposing and unattractive locations.
> 
> I had already purchased Bitspower's water blocks for the Striker II Extreme since this was initially intended to be a replacement system for n.audBl (rig in sig), but was planning on just using the stock MB heatsink for now. Even with this sitting on my desk in full open air configuration the MB was getting way too hot.  I actually had to prop a fan on the MB blowing across the NB area just to keep it cool.  So... with no elegant solution to cooling the motherboard with air in sight I decided to simply go ahead and watercool it.  It'll look trick in the end... but even I have to give myself a funny look for aircooling the CPU and GPUs but putting the MB on liquid.  Oh well... I'd rather go with a slick water loop than stick a fan in a location that doesn't look cool.
> 
> ...



Looking VERY good!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

Still waiting for the paint to dry on this last piece of the frame.  So while I'm waiting I guess I'll burn up some more of TPU's image hosting space with these:
















WOOT!!

There will be a third one in the near future.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 11, 2009)

hey dude, I just came across this thread.  I must say i'm impressed 

Im sure I missed a lot since I didnt look at every page.  But so far the board and the case are looking great.  Love the fully water cooled board.  Can't wait to see how this turns out .


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

Damn Performance-PCs.com sent me the ATI Crossfire version!!! I shot Enermax an e-mail to see if there is any real difference in the Crossfire version versus the SLI version.  They were very quick with a response:



> From: tom@enermaxusadotcom
> To: EnergyFX
> Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 6:00:25 PM
> Subject: RE: Sales
> ...



So I guess the only difference is a sticker on the box and a 'certification' for the part number.  I can live with that.

I have to say that if the quality of the inside of this PSU comes even close to matching the quality of the outside then this is one HELL of a power supply.  THIS THING IS 

My only regret is that it isn't fully modular so that I could just build all my cables from scratch to exact length.  It sucks that I am going to have to void the warranty to make this conform to my cable management standards.  This is going to be one hell of a sleeving project!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 11, 2009)

well thank god there was no difference.

Anyhow, good luck with the sleeving, I might get into sleeving myself.
I have a cheap PSU laying around I can attemp it on  

BTW, that Enermax looks great bro!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

Chicken Patty said:


> hey dude, I just came across this thread.  I must say i'm impressed
> 
> Im sure I missed a lot since I didnt look at every page.  But so far the board and the case are looking great.  Love the fully water cooled board.  Can't wait to see how this turns out .



There are actually some decent progress pictures on each page.  You can get the picture story pretty quick.  The rest is just normal chatter.

Post 39 on page 2 has a sketch up drawing of what I envisioned for the back panel.  I'm proud of it so look at it dang you!!

Thanks for stopping by!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 11, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> There are actually some decent progress pictures on each page.  You can get the picture story pretty quick.  The rest is just normal chatter.
> 
> Thanks for stopping by!



i'll look into it tomorrow.   If I start seen some nice pics i start getting tempted to buy stuff and I need to go to sleep!

I'll be following your progress!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

Well the paint isn't fully cured but I suppose it's dry enough that I can start riveting this thing back together.

Finally I get to start putting stuff back together!!!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 11, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Well the paint isn't fully cured but I suppose it's dry enough that I can start riveting this thing back together.
> 
> Finally I get to start putting stuff back together!!!



Hmm, putting back together is always fun.  But hey, tearing things apart is not far behind


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

He thinks he is helping.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 11, 2009)

^^^ love the color theme 

the paint job came out great as well.


----------



## ste2425 (Feb 11, 2009)

looking very nice mate crn't wait to see the finished product


----------



## deutscher Scharfschü (Feb 11, 2009)

that case would look insane with a EVGA X58 Classified, Corssair Dominator GT s and your 285s

(colored theme.)


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 11, 2009)

deutscher Scharfschü said:


> that case would look insane with a EVGA X58 Classified, Corssair Dominator GT s and your 285s
> 
> (colored theme.)



i just jizzed my pants!


----------



## Cold Storm (Feb 11, 2009)

There is something that places that sell the PSU should tell people. That it's just a badge on the box.. Not that it's cert. for one or the other... It's a pain. You get some sites that have the Nvidia badge, then you have other sites that have the ATI badge. Most have the ATI. I've only seen a few sites that have the Nvidia. Then, for the fact they forgot to say. Only way to get the box with the Nvidia one, is to buy it from them yourself.. You'll never know from buying it, what badge you'll get on the box because of that problem..  
I'm just glad that most cases they show on the product page that is supports ATI/Nvidia. 

As for Popriviting the case back... total Jizz in the Pants!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

Well I just hit a major snag.  When I took all the measurements for the top blowhole I used the dimensions of my Thermaltake 850W PSU.  I never took into consideration that this Enermax is one inch longer than the TT.  Turns out I cut the blowhole about a quarter of an inch too far back for the fans to fit with the Enermax PSU.  CRAP!!!!  

My options are:
- Reduce the rig down to one GTX285 and just use the Thermaltake 850W PSU.  Not really desireable.

- Contact Thermaltake and try to purchase a new top panel that I can re-cut with the correct measurements.  (Cleanest final product)

- Purchase a Lian Li PSU extension bracket and modify it and the case to work together.  This would mount the PSU about 2 inches further back.  (complicated but the most versatile end result.

What sucks about this was that I remember thinking to myself that it wouldn't hurt anything if I cut the blowhole about a  half inch further forward than my measurements... but decided to just cut it where I marked it.  :shadedshu


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 11, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Well I just hit a major snag.  When I took all the measurements for the top blowhole I used the dimensions of my Thermaltake 850W PSU.  I never took into consideration that this Enermax is one inch longer than the TT.  Turns out I cut the blowhole about a quarter of an inch too far back for the fans to fit with the Enermax PSU.  CRAP!!!!
> 
> My options are:
> - Reduce the rig down to one GTX285 and just use the Thermaltake 850W PSU.  Not really desireable.
> ...



the way this project is going and how clean it is looking, I would order a new top bro


----------



## Cold Storm (Feb 11, 2009)

I second it, I bet you can order one. If not, hunt one down.


----------



## Silverel (Feb 11, 2009)

Or go Topless!

hehe... topless... mmm


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 11, 2009)

^^


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks for the inputs.  I'll see if I can get ahold of TT.




Silverel said:


> Or go Topless!
> 
> hehe... topless... mmm


:shadedshu


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

Just got off the phone with TT.  They said nope, no top panels available for this case.  So I guess I'll go with the Lian Li PSU extension bracket.  I think it will work out fine and will give a little bit of extra space in the case.  I was already considering using it when I was planning on using an Ultra X3 1600 PSU is this build so I have already done a lot of brainstorming on the idea.


----------



## Cold Storm (Feb 11, 2009)

Well, that's a bummer... But, I all ways look at it like this... If you never check on your ideas.. One will come back and make you upset about it.. 

Glad the added cord will be a good thing!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 11, 2009)

Well I have to get ready for work but before I leave I will at least post a couple of pics for the night.  I probably won't be making much progress over the next couple of days.


----------



## Silverel (Feb 11, 2009)

Gonna have a fun time dealing with all that cable managment... o.o

You could fab up your own top as well. A couple 90deg angle brackets, moar mesh, or sheet steel/aluminum. You're handy with a pop-rivet gun. It'd just take a bit of planning, and handiness with a drill. From what I've seen so far, your attention to detail is more than adequate, ya just slipped up a little bit is all.  shit happens!


----------



## Castiel (Feb 11, 2009)

Nice^^^ Looking great!


----------



## ste2425 (Feb 11, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Well I have to get ready for work but before I leave I will at least post a couple of pics for the night.  I probably won't be making much progress over the next couple of days.



are u running that with no cpu heatsink????


----------



## FilipM (Feb 11, 2009)

His mobo inst even connected he just runs the fans on.


BTW, this will come out AMAZING!


----------



## ste2425 (Feb 11, 2009)

crap oh yea haha oops


----------



## kyle2020 (Feb 11, 2009)

/subscribed. Im liking what I see.


----------



## steelkane (Feb 11, 2009)

EnergyFX, This build is looking really good, & your modding skill's Along with genus creativity & Detailed execution, Is a joy to read. As for the PSU issue, I had a though, If you cut out the whole top inside, leaving about a .25" space all around & use some black transparent plexiglass for the new top, then make your holes.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 12, 2009)

steelkane said:


> EnergyFX, This build is looking really good, & your modding skill's Along with genus creativity & Detailed execution, Is a joy to read. As for the PSU issue, I had a though, If you cut out the whole top inside, leaving about a .25" space all around & use some black transparent plexiglass for the new top, then make your holes.



Hmm... You know what, I guess I could just turn this into a top window with fans.  I would just go with clear plexi lined with MeshX to match the side window.

Thanks for the brain kick Steel!


----------



## steelkane (Feb 12, 2009)

Glad to help, I know you'll make it look awesome.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 12, 2009)

Currently having it out with PPCS.  The radiator they sent me is crossthreaded on one of the fitting mounts.  It was like that straight out of the box but they are trying to say I did it.  I understand their skepticism as I'm sure they have to put up with people trying to take advantage of them on a regular basis.  

Jeez, I don't even download illegal music anymore... I can afford to pay for it so I do.  I can afford to buy a new radiator if I screw one up too... but trying to convince them of that is a PIA.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 12, 2009)

those pics proved how awesome this project is coming along


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 12, 2009)

Silverel said:


> Gonna have a fun time dealing with all that cable managment... o.o
> 
> You could fab up your own top as well. A couple 90deg angle brackets, moar mesh, or sheet steel/aluminum. You're handy with a pop-rivet gun. It'd just take a bit of planning, and handiness with a drill. From what I've seen so far, your attention to detail is more than adequate, ya just slipped up a little bit is all.  shit happens!



Hey Silverel, I somehow looked over this post earlier.  

This isn't a bad idea, but it is a bit more than I can accomplish in a spare bedroom on a futon. 

Someday I will move up to fabbing my own cases.  

I'll make Mark my mentor


----------



## freaksavior (Feb 12, 2009)

kept an eye on your build just didn't post in it. but i have to say i like this pic
http://img.techpowerup.org/090211/DSC00928.jpg

p.s

Im not happy with the way my wiring looks on my rig, you seem to do a really good job on it so i'll post some picks and want some advice tomorrow afternoon


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 13, 2009)

Woot!!  Just picked up 50' of 8/11mm Tygon for $20 on ebay!!


----------



## woppypaws (Feb 13, 2009)

everyone can relax, i'm here now. just calm down!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 13, 2009)

Say hello the the wife everyone.

Now for the truth... this build is for her, has been the whole time.  It was a secret until now and since she sometimes reads my posts/threads I had to keep the secret under wraps here.

So, that's one of the main reasons I'm being so anal and also one of the reasons for going with RED.


----------



## kyle2020 (Feb 13, 2009)

woppypaws said:


> everyone can relax, i'm here now. just calm down!





*edit*

this is your wife whom your building for? very nice of you


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 13, 2009)

hello energy's wife!!!!


----------



## Cold Storm (Feb 13, 2009)

Woot! The wife.. Dude, Tomorrow is Valentines Day... Should of told her tomorrow!  

But, I bet you have a better gift then that in the night stand drawer!!! 

Sorry to spoil where the gift was man!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 14, 2009)

^^haha


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 14, 2009)

Here are a few pics of the roughed in water loop.  I still have to put the flow meter and fill/drain ports in there somewhere.  I will also be using quick disconnects on the two lines coming from the MB.  I want to be able to remove the motherboard without having to tear the entire water loop apart.  That's one thing I hate about my main rig, getting any componant out of that system is a complete pain in the ass!


----------



## TheCrow (Feb 14, 2009)

Pure sex!

Love what you are doing with this!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 14, 2009)

dude, that is absolutely gorgeous!!! WOW, a rig hasn't drawn my attention it a while like this one has.  10/10 already!!


----------



## Castiel (Feb 14, 2009)

Just amazing man.

I love this!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 14, 2009)

black tubing or black coolant makes a rig look so elegant.  A black case would just make people wack off to it!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 14, 2009)

TheCrow said:


> Pure sex!
> 
> Love what you are doing with this!





Chicken Patty said:


> black tubing or black coolant makes a rig look so elegant.  A black case would just make people wack off to it!




Easy fellas.


----------



## FilipM (Feb 15, 2009)

Ooh, it's making me paint the inside of my Tsunami black and put an acrylic side panel on...nice, can't wait to see what will this look like


----------



## Cold Storm (Feb 15, 2009)

So.... I know you went and changed the hiding place of the gift... The drawer in the kitchen, was a better place. .... 

I hope you had a good one man! 

Now, that is one... Man.... Everyone came up with the better stuff to say... Or you can look at this and know how I feel..


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 15, 2009)

So this evening I worked on building the power cable for the HDD and DVD drives.

Still tons of cables to cut/build to custon lengths, but it's at least a start!


----------



## mav2000 (Feb 15, 2009)

this is one hell of a build. Are you giving classes in this kind of stuff? Wow is all I got to say.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 15, 2009)

mav2000 said:


> this is one hell of a build. Are you giving classes in this kind of stuff? Wow is all I got to say.



Heh, thanks.  

I'm just a knucklehead with tools and an excessive dose of patience.  What I need is a shop.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 15, 2009)

damn dude, that sleeving looks sick!!  Thats very nice dude


----------



## deutscher Scharfschü (Feb 15, 2009)

that sleeving is probably one of the best i've every seen.

since the PSU isn't entirely modular, what else are you planning?


----------



## kyle2020 (Feb 15, 2009)

that sleeving looks epic. Your making me want to rip my rig apart and finish all my sleeving 

The simplest of things make a build look tight. take the braiding as an example


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 15, 2009)

deutscher Scharfschü said:


> that sleeving is probably one of the best i've every seen.
> 
> since the PSU isn't entirely modular, what else are you planning?



I plan to cut the non-modular cables and re-pin them to exact length and sleeve then in the same way.

Not going to be fun!


----------



## steelkane (Feb 15, 2009)

EnergyFX, Kick-Ass Project, Looking awesome, I'm a fan of your work, Quality modding & Building


----------



## Castiel (Feb 15, 2009)

I have to say, it is really awesome! 

I was wondering, if I payed you would you mod a case for me?


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 15, 2009)

steelkane said:


> EnergyFX, Kick-Ass Project, Looking awesome, I'm a fan of your work, Quality modding & Building



Thanks Steel, that means a lot coming from you!



Castiel said:


> I have to say, it is really awesome!
> 
> I was wondering, if I payed you would you mod a case for me?



Heh, that's flattering!  I'm not opposed to the idea, but I wouldn't even know how to begin charging.  I'd end up doing it mostly for the fun of it and not so much for the money.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 15, 2009)

Well tonight is my last night off for a few days so my goal is to get as much sleeving done as I can on the PSU.  It would be nice to get the PSU done tonight, but we'll see.

Here we go...


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 15, 2009)

seems like a lot


----------



## freaksavior (Feb 15, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> So this evening I worked on building the power cable for the HDD and DVD drives.
> 
> Still tons of cables to cut/build to custon lengths, but it's at least a start!
> 
> ...



dude that looks nice


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 15, 2009)

Well there's no turning back now!!!  Full steam ahead Captain Nemo!! 












Technically I didn't break it... but I suspect my warranty is gone like a fart in the wind at this point... if not it will be within a few minutes!















Ok, so let me explain myself here real quick... This PSU came with four modular plugs for video cards.  Why the fcuk did Enermax deem it necessary to also provide a hard wired PCI-E wire cluster??  Screw it... it's outta here!!  I would prefer to use the modular plugs for the video cards so I am doing away with the hard wired cluster.  It wasn't necessary for it to be there in the first place.  










I felt the only correct way to do this was to remove the cluster from the PSU board itself.  No nubs or half-gone clusters to deal with.  Cleanest possible solution.










I also have no need for dual EATX12V power plugs.  I don't ever plan to use this PSU with a server or skulltrail style board, so I removed one of the wire sets entirely from the PSU.  Again, I see this as a superflous feature from Enermax that would have been better served as a modular plug.  Now there is only one EATX12V wire set hard wired to the PSU.

For terminals that I only removed a wire from the solder cluster I slipped a piece of 3:1 heatshrink over the snipped wire nub to insulate it and prevent the chance of any shorts ever occuring.  Notice the larger bulge at the bottom of the two vertical Yellow/Black wires, there used to be two wires at each solder point, now there is only one.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 16, 2009)

holy crap you got guts!   Good luck


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 16, 2009)

And here is what we are left with.

Doesn't get much more minimalistic than that.  The fan lead will get cut and sleeved as well, but right now I am out of fan plugs and pins so I have to wait until my next order gets here.






We've come a long way since:


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 16, 2009)

I originally wanted to do the whole 'sleeve each wire individually' thing since I think it looks really nice.  I started to do it with this PSU but it became apparent that the cluster of wires was going to take up about 5 times more space than one single sleeved cluster.  Considering that I am working with minimal space as it is in this case, I had to accept that it wasn't going to work.  Perhaps in a future build... in a MountainMods case or something.

I like the minimalistic appearance of this end result.  I kind of wish I had left myself an additional inch or two on the main plug, but it worked out ok and it's too damn late now so...


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 16, 2009)

Something I've been working on for the side panel of the 5.25 bays.  WoppyPaws complained that there was no 'artistic' flare (she's a girl ) so maybe she'll like this.  She plays the flute and is teaching herself to play guitar so I thought this theme seemed cool.  If she likes it then I am thinking of naming this rig 'SymphonE', or maybe 'SymphonyFX'.

I dunno... just brainstorming here.  Ideas breed ideas.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 16, 2009)

And we're off to bed.  Working the next couple of days so no more progress till off again.

Thanks for all the enthusiasm, feedback, and compliments everyone.  You guys are making this project way more fun than it would be if I were just doing it alone.


----------



## mrw1986 (Feb 16, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Something I've been working on for the side panel of the 5.25 bays.  WoppyPaws complained that there was no 'artistic' flare (she's a girl ) so maybe she'll like this.  She plays the flute and is teaching herself to play guitar so I thought this theme seemed cool.  If she likes it then I am thinking of naming this rig 'SymphonE', or maybe 'SymphonyFX'.
> 
> I dunno... just brainstorming here.  Ideas breed ideas.



I like that way that looks!


----------



## steelkane (Feb 16, 2009)

nice brainstorm, I like the name, it fits perfect. as far as pricing a case to mod for someone,, break it down,, fan holes $25 each, window installs $45, paint $100 to $200 depending. Look around & set prices that your willing to do for that job. you have skills & great creativity, I think you'll do well.


----------



## freaksavior (Feb 16, 2009)

dude your crazy 

there is now way i would have opened that psu lols. but good work anyway


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 16, 2009)

energy it does not get better than that dude 

I rather the sleeving how you did it than each wire seperately bro.  I know it looks very nicely each wire seperate, but it does indeed take up alot of space.  Top notch work buddy, Chicken Patty approved!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 19, 2009)

Working on trying to save the top panel screw up.  Coming along nice... still some work to do though.











Almost makes me not want to put a blowhole up top at all.


----------



## Cold Storm (Feb 19, 2009)

It doesn't look bad like that EFX! Yeah, the psu is a little bigger then you thought, but with the drive bay showing like that too... I think it's a keeper personally!


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 20, 2009)

Damnit, I am so close to being done with the water loop.  I'm one stupid fitting short.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 20, 2009)

Yet another order placed.

I should change my name to "UPS/USPS Bailout Plan". :shadedshu


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 20, 2009)

I've kind of been all over the place today.  


Installed a fill and drain port for the liquid system.  Ugh if only I had one more straight fitting I could be done with that whole part.
Finally found a good place to mount the pump controller
Put the third 285 in (not that it matters much, everything will have to come out before final install... but it's cool to look at for now)
Finished shaping the top plexiglas piece
Cut the blow hole (again), but still have a bit of touch up work to do on it... mainly rounding the edge out and polishing the inner lip of the hole.

Here are some update pics:



























The little black knob sandwiched between the two silver screws is the pump controller speed adjustment.  It is pretty well hidden from normal viewing angles.


----------



## fenurch (Feb 20, 2009)

Very nice work, you certainly got skills.
Personally I don't like the case (stock) as it's an ugly piece of shit  But you made it a whole lot better.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 20, 2009)

ATZ said:


> Very nice work, you certainly got skills.
> Personally I don't like the case (stock) as it's an ugly piece of shit  But you made it a whole lot better.




Thanks.  I still have yet to decide on what to do about the front panel.  It may still look like a turd in the end if I don't figure something out.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 20, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Yet another order placed.
> 
> I should change my name to "UPS/USPS Bailout Plan". :shadedshu





Bro the top is coming out amazing dude   This case is a work of art!


----------



## fenurch (Feb 21, 2009)

ROFLmaoed at your sentence - "It may still look like a turd in the end" DDDDDDDDD
Generally speaking, that must be one of the ugliest cases you can get (imo) but with some of the modding done, the back, top, and insides look fucking great, really, really nice.


I'm quite certain I just repeated myself ;D


----------



## steelkane (Feb 21, 2009)

Quality modding once again. sweet


----------



## Cold Storm (Feb 21, 2009)

EFX.. Man, that looks Amazing! Aren't you glad now that you kept the look of it all and did what you did to the top cover? 
WOW... Craftsmanship!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 21, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> EFX.. Man, that looks Amazing! Aren't you glad now that you kept the look of it all and did what you did to the top cover?
> WOW... Craftsmanship!



we told him it would have paid off in the long run, guess it is paying off already!


----------



## Cold Storm (Feb 21, 2009)

Chicken Patty said:


> we told him it would have paid off in the long run, guess it is paying off already!



Yeah, I know.. Just happy that he kept it!


----------



## Castiel (Feb 21, 2009)

Wow that build is looking great!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 21, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> Yeah, I know.. Just happy that he kept it!



I think we all are


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 21, 2009)

lol...

It was good advice.  I like suggestions.


----------



## ascstinger (Feb 22, 2009)

for the front.. how about something like the coolermaster mystique?






It has the same basic shape as the soprano, but looks hella clean. Though I dont know how the door would lend itself to being flipped around


----------



## AsRock (Feb 22, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Here are a couple of SketchUps of what I have been considering on the lower back panel next to the expansion slots.  The idea is to use four 40x40x10 mm red led fans mounted to exhaust hot air from the video cards.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Nice,  in the later posts were you get your 40mm fans from ?..  Here's mine i did a while back.  All though there's 7 HDDs and the 2900XT has a different cooler but the idea with the fans did help with he hot spot i had there before.

Reading this thread again making me want to do some more to my case lol.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 22, 2009)

ascstinger said:


> for the front.. how about something like the coolermaster mystique?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Ooh, that's sharp.  Dunno if I can pull off a complete fab job though.


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 22, 2009)

AsRock said:


> Nice,  in the later posts were you get your 40mm fans from ?..  Here's mine i did a while back.  All though there's 7 HDDs and the 2900XT has a different cooler but the idea with the fans did help with he hot spot i had there before.
> 
> Reading this thread again making me want to do some more to my case lol.
> 
> ...



Damn, and I thought I had something original going here.  

I got my fans from two different places.  A few of them came from either Sidewinder or FrozenCPU (I can't remember which) and the rest came from Performance-PCs.  All in all I will be using a total of 9 of these little fans, 3 for the exhausting the Vid area and 6 for the HDD coolers.

Do you have yours set up for intake or exhaust?


----------



## EnergyFX (Feb 22, 2009)

No more updates for a while.  I will be out of town off and on for the next 3 weeks so I won't be getting much done.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Feb 22, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> No more updates for a while.  I will be out of town off and on for the next 3 weeks so I won't be getting much done.



damn dude 

Good luck at whatever it is you are doing bro


----------



## Silverel (Feb 22, 2009)

ascstinger said:


> for the front.. how about something like the coolermaster mystique?
> 
> It has the same basic shape as the soprano, but looks hella clean. Though I dont know how the door would lend itself to being flipped around



Them doors are designed to be flipped. Instructions in the box to use em either way. Just depends which side of your desk the tower sits on. I prefer the offset look of it stock personally.


----------



## Castiel (Feb 27, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> No more updates for a while.  I will be out of town off and on for the next 3 weeks so I won't be getting much done.





Well have fun! 

Can't wait to see what is coming up next with this build!


----------



## Snipermonkey2 (Feb 28, 2009)

Silverel said:


> Them doors are designed to be flipped. Instructions in the box to use em either way. Just depends which side of your desk the tower sits on. I prefer the offset look of it stock personally.



The SopranoRS case doors can not be flipped around. I have the same case minus the mods.


----------



## Castiel (Mar 13, 2009)

So I was wondering, are you coming back soon? 

Can't wait to see this build finished.


----------



## Silverel (Mar 13, 2009)

Snipermonkey2 said:


> The SopranoRS case doors can not be flipped around. I have the same case minus the mods.



I was talking about the coolermaster mystique.


----------



## Castiel (Mar 28, 2009)

Are you back man? Or any updates?


----------



## EnergyFX (Mar 30, 2009)

I'm back, but only for a couple of weeks before I have to leave again for 6 weeks.  I hate to put this off but I would rather wait until I don't have to be rushed and take shortcuts.


----------



## Hayder_Master (Mar 30, 2009)

wow , what a hell great modding i see here , excellent work my friend


----------



## Chicken Patty (Mar 30, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> I'm back, but only for a couple of weeks before I have to leave again for 6 weeks.  I hate to put this off but I would rather wait until I don't have to be rushed and take shortcuts.



damn bro, sucks we have to wait that long.  But dont worry I'm sure you want to finish it as much as we want to see it finished.  We'll be around buddy, be safe while you're gone


----------



## EnergyFX (Jun 17, 2009)

Well I'm back home and staring at this mothballed project trying to figure where to get some momentum started again.  It has actually been being used the whole time I have been gone.  I got it running and propped it up on top of its unmounted casters so the wife could use it.  Now she is addicted to it and is not too keen on the idea of shutting it down to finish the mods.

Sigh... what to do.


----------



## tzitzibp (Jun 17, 2009)

Quality modding & Building.....what 's the plan, now?


----------



## mav2000 (Jun 17, 2009)

Hey loved the idea of the 40 mm fans...so just a question, do you have them connected to one another and then to the molex? I dont have a clue on these things, so would putting the positives all together and the negatives all together and then connecting it to a molex work?


----------



## Cold Storm (Jun 17, 2009)

Energy, give the wife your system (swap out the hdds) and say, we're switching for "10" days... lol... so it won't be "her" system that your working on! Gets you time to do your thing an so on.. All the best Man, All the best!


----------



## EnergyFX (Jun 17, 2009)

tzitzibp said:


> Quality modding & Building.....what 's the plan, now?



Mostly finishing work.  You know, all the little crap that takes forever to get done.



mav2000 said:


> Hey loved the idea of the 40 mm fans...so just a question, do you have them connected to one another and then to the molex? I dont have a clue on these things, so would putting the positives all together and the negatives all together and then connecting it to a molex work?



They will be daisy chained together with solder and the last fan will have a 3-pin fan connector on it.  Basically, yes... all the positives go together and all the negs go together.



Cold Storm said:


> Energy, give the wife your system (swap out the hdds) and say, we're switching for "10" days... lol... so it won't be "her" system that your working on! Gets you time to do your thing an so on.. All the best Man, All the best!



That's actually not a bad idea.  Plus we have an HTPC that I can just tell her to use for a little while... or I could just connect her laptop to the big monitor.


----------



## tzitzibp (Jun 17, 2009)

I 'd love to have a look at all these details.... pics please!

I know what you mean.... I usually end up just letting them be as they are...lol always getting lazy right at the end.


----------



## MKmods (Jun 17, 2009)

Is there any way to use 60mm fans instead of the 40s? (I tried the 40s and hey move so little air)

I like the look of the black tubing and fittings on the water cooling part.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jun 18, 2009)

MKmods said:


> Is there any way to use 60mm fans instead of the 40s? (I tried the 40s and hey move so little air)
> 
> I like the look of the black tubing and fittings on the water cooling part.



Depends on the case I guess.  The limiting factor is whether or not there is enough clearance to install video cards and such.  If you simply mount the fans on the outside of the case (instead of... I don't know... whatever you would call the method I did... simi-flush, intruding, something like that) then you are only limited by how much mounting area you have.

As for the fans moving too little air, they really don't need to.  All I wanted them to do was help eject the small pocket of hot air that builds up at the back of the video cards.  The recent series of NVIDIA cards discharge some of their hot exhaust inside the case right where I installed the fans.  The bulk of case exhaust ventilation is handled by the PSU, rear 120mm, and 80mm blow hole.


----------



## Cold Storm (Jun 18, 2009)

yeah, i found that my two 280's need that extra 120mm fan to be used as a exhaust on the sides just to keep them idle at 34-36c my 8800gt was fine w/out it


----------



## MKmods (Jun 18, 2009)

Oops sorry.. I saw the shetchup picts and missed the fans you actually mounted... I went back and saw all the picts and the back panel you did is beautiful (well done).

 To fix the fans so close to the PS could you have reversed the top? (dosent matter now as I like the square hole in the top way better than the 2 circles before) just wondering.

Also nice job cleaning up the PS wiring.


----------



## AsRock (Jun 18, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Damn, and I thought I had something original going here.
> 
> I got my fans from two different places.  A few of them came from either Sidewinder or FrozenCPU (I can't remember which) and the rest came from Performance-PCs.  All in all I will be using a total of 9 of these little fans, 3 for the exhausting the Vid area and 6 for the HDD coolers.
> 
> Do you have yours set up for intake or exhaust?



Sorry for the real late  reply i forgot about this thread ^^. but anyways there exhaust.  BTW sweet job on the plexiglass .

Been thinking lately to make a air input for the PSU too so it has it's own airflow.  With it being summer getting that twitch again lol...


----------



## EnergyFX (Jun 18, 2009)

MKmods said:


> Oops sorry.. I saw the shetchup picts and missed the fans you actually mounted... I went back and saw all the picts and the back panel you did is beautiful (well done).
> 
> To fix the fans so close to the PS could you have reversed the top? (dosent matter now as I like the square hole in the top way better than the 2 circles before) just wondering.
> 
> Also nice job cleaning up the PS wiring.



lol, that was one of the first things I tried before 

It wouldn't clear the PSU either way.  It's fine though, I'm with everyone else on liking it better as a window.


----------



## steelkane (Jun 18, 2009)

good to see ya back to this mod.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jun 19, 2009)

Get the f#@$ outta here!!  Look what Thermaltake did with their new Element G chassis.  They made little fans next to expansion slots a factory feature!  I love it!!  (not necessarily the case... just that they used my mod)


----------



## MKmods (Jun 19, 2009)

well at least they are paying attention...Now if they would put the PS back on top where is belongs...


----------



## mrw1986 (Jun 19, 2009)

MKmods said:


> well at least they are paying attention...Now if they would put the PS back on top where is belongs...



I've always preferred my PSU on the bottom...don't know why.


----------



## AsRock (Jun 19, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Get the f#@$ outta here!!  Look what Thermaltake did with their new Element G chassis.
> 
> http://www.techpowerup.com/img/09-06-17/20094611551030195.jpg



WTF is that sorry thats gotta be on my list of DO NOT BUY lol. air flow at the front is crippled.  PSU's at the bottom so thats going be fun.



MKmods said:


> well at least they are paying attention...Now if they would put the PS back on top where is belongs...



Yeah, there a hell load of cases i will not buy due to that it makes no sence unless the area is sectioned of so the heat from the v card and PSU don't makes heat issue's worse.


----------



## freaksavior (Jun 19, 2009)

mrw1986 said:


> I've always preferred my PSU on the bottom...don't know why.



The case design has 75% of my decision on the psu on bottom or top. the other 25% is the psu


----------



## MKmods (Jun 19, 2009)

mrw1986 said:


> I've always preferred my PSU on the bottom...don't know why.



my reason for always blabbing about the PS on the bottom is mostly because the fan is wasted (its not like there are a lot of exhaust fans in cases so wasting one is silly)

Not to mention the wiring is more of a pain (a lot of times lengthener's are needed)

Someone once mentioned that on the bottom the center of gravity is reduced (good point, however I have never tipped a comp over)

The sideways Hdd mounts look better than other companies mounts (looks like air is able to pass a bit better) I just dont know how many comp builders need room/mounts for 7 Hdds...


----------



## BumbleBee (Jun 19, 2009)

I like it. hard drive rack can be turned around, can change the front 200mm for 2x 120mm, rather have 2x 60mm fans on the pci bracket than a standard grill even if they are noisy and if you don't mount them i'm sure the grills offer the same if not more ventilation than a standard pci grill, cable clips on the rear are nice too. I like the paint and they didn't go overboard with the plastic.


----------



## MKmods (Jun 19, 2009)

BumbleBee said:


> I like it. hard drive rack can be turned around, can change the front 200mm for 2x 120mm, rather have 2x 60mm fans on the pci bracket than a standard grill even if they are noisy and if you don't mount them i'm sure the grills offer the same if not more ventilation than a standard pci grill, cable clips on the rear are nice too. I like the paint and they didn't go overboard with the plastic.


the reason for the 2 fans is they are 60mm ones. (if there was 3 they would have used 40s) I had some of the 60mm TT fans and they were actually good fans. I just didnt like the orange blades

That case looks like its 8" wide (most are 7")


----------



## BumbleBee (Jun 19, 2009)

someone told me it's better to mount the power supply on the top bracket because electricity flows down hill which is true but I don't think it makes a difference using shorter cables is a plus but a lot of top brackets don't have any ventilation on the top panel, have to mod it which isn't hard on the other hand new bottom brackets have a 120mm grill sometimes they come with a filter (like this case)


----------



## MKmods (Jun 19, 2009)

BumbleBee said:


> someone told me it's better to mount it in the top because electricity flows down hill



 Thanks for that.


----------



## Castiel (Jun 30, 2009)

Any new pics coming? Or more mods?


----------



## EnergyFX (Jul 1, 2009)

I'm getting around to it.  I've been gone for quite a while so I've got a lot of other stuff piled up as well.

Hopefully I'll get some work done on it here in a couple of days.


----------



## EnergyFX (Jul 5, 2009)

I went by Home Depot to pick up some hex bolts to mount the casters and the pump bracket.  I wish there were an ace hardware closer to me, they have such a better selection.  I ended up getting four wrong size nuts and didn't notice until too late in the evening after HD was closed.  Crap.

So instead of mounting the casters I decided to work on sleeving/splicing/connecting the 40mm expansion slot fans.  My dumb ass got too careless with the heatgun while trying to heatshrink the sleeving at the fan end and melted the damn fan.  With them filed down so thin it didn't take much for the plastic to warp.  Crap crap!

So... my attempt to make progress only took me backwards.

It's hard getting momentum going again on this project.


----------



## MKmods (Jul 5, 2009)

I was sleeving a wire on my 35mm fan and didnt notice the fan bubbling away....I feel ur pain.


----------



## BumbleBee (Jul 5, 2009)

really thats never happened to me. I use a BBQ Lighter it has a flame setting I put it on the lowest and hold it a inch and a half on the bottom than flip it over to do the other side. maybe you put the heatshrink too close to the fan end if you cover all the wire up I could see problems burning the fan housing there should be a quarter inch of visible wire.


----------



## Yukikaze (Jul 5, 2009)

*** Jaw Drops ***

<17.785 Minutes Pass>

*** Jaw Rises Slowly *** 

Holy Mother of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

You, sir, are a genius (with some balls, too, I'd be afraid to do half the stuff you've done here). This is easily among the most beautiful cases I've ever seen.

I'm absolutely in awe.


----------



## ste2425 (Jul 5, 2009)

on page 6 u shopwd pics of where you added felt to ur hdd an dvd drive trays, does that actually help with noise and vibrations?


----------



## EnergyFX (Jul 5, 2009)

ste2425 said:


> on page 6 u shopwd pics of where you added felt to ur hdd an dvd drive trays, does that actually help with noise and vibrations?



It was more to keep the paint job from getting scratched, but as for vibration and noise... I'm sure it doesn't hurt.


----------



## ste2425 (Jul 5, 2009)

well its a nice touch my friend, good work with this


----------



## EnergyFX (Jul 6, 2009)

Yukikaze said:


> *** Jaw Drops ***
> 
> <17.785 Minutes Pass>
> 
> ...



lol, thanks for the compliment... but I am a bit humbled to say there are far far more amazing projects on this site.  This is a conglomeration (sp?) of concepts and ideas I have seen on TPU... with a couple of my own ideas thrown in 

I just hope I actually finish it one of these days.


----------



## Castiel (Jul 11, 2009)

You will finish it and it will be epic! It is a really awesome system man!


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 1, 2009)

Alright, so I spent most of the day redoing the side panel.  I know I supposedly already did the side panel, but I was still never quite happy with it.  Initially I used very thin plexi and edge molding and it just didn't have the clean factory appearance I was going for.  I also initially left the 'wings' on the opening.  This not only looked a bit shoddy to me but I also later discovered that the wings made it impossible to put the GPU intake fans in the optimal location... so without further adieu... I present my better side panel:

Used my dremel to nix the wings from the opening.  A bit of filing and some touch up with black paint later made it look like they were never there.  Drilled a few holes to match up with the remaining ones and the metal portion was done.






Once again I had to run all over town to find enough of the right size screws.  I decided to simply cut threads in the plexi instead of using a washer and nut on the back side.  This method made for a cleaner look since the nut and washer would have been visible to keen eyes.  I've always appreciated the rugged industrial look of the hex nuts.





I didn't get any pictures of cutting the fan holes this time.  That part was pretty much the same as any other process of cutting holes.  I used a 4.5" hole saw and drained my dewalt battery.  Getting the nice rounded inner edges to the fan holes was accomplished by using a sanding drum on my dremel to get rid of most of the coarseness the hole saw left.  Then I used the dremel and sanding drum at about a 45 degree angle to get a rough shape established.  After that it was a few hours with a Revlon 6 step nail file to get the final product.  The first two steps of the nail file are fairly rough and do a great job of shaping the edge and getting it nice an smooth.  Steps 3-6 are polishing grits that progressively bring out a glassy shine.  For shaping and polishing plexy edges like this I think it works better than sandpaper.  The nail file is soft and flexible and forms itself around the edge quite nicely.  Sandpaper just creases causes more trouble than it's worth.















Sleeving these will be quick and simple.  I twisted them opposite without realizing it.  Whatever.  Also... in this pic you can see the nail file I was referring to above.










Tah dah!






bleh!  this hobby makes me have to do chores.  I made a helluba mess today!!


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 1, 2009)

EFX, your suppose to brush everything under teh carpet! Remember the old cartoons?



It looks pretty good man. Sleeving looks   and the cut on the side doesn't even look like someone did it..


----------



## steelkane (Aug 1, 2009)

Let's just say,, It took Energy to do that.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 1, 2009)

steelkane said:


> Let's just say,, It took Energy to do that.



How long have you been waiting to use that one?

lol


----------



## steelkane (Aug 1, 2009)

you subliminally made me say that, with your mad skills. Looking really nice


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 6, 2009)

Sone images of what I have been working on for the front panel.  The plan is to get this drawn up and sent off to a laser cutting shop.  I tried making it myself but it is simply too many cuts for me to do by hand.  I did alright for a prototype, but I want a laser cut item for the final product.














Here is a pic of the hand cut prototype I've been tinkering around with.


----------



## Assassin48 (Aug 6, 2009)

was it a local shop that did the cutting ?


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 6, 2009)

Assassin48 said:


> was it a local shop that did the cutting ?



I haven't ordered the laser cut piece yet.  The one in the picture is the hand cut piece I have been working on.  Notice two of the smaller circles aren't fully cut out yet.

I plan to use a shop in Las Vegas for the laser cut piece.  It looks like it will cost me around $30-$40 or so.  Now I just need to get this Google Sketchup image converted into a CAD file.


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 7, 2009)

I am new to pc building and i will be putting together an i7 920 build next week with this case : ) . It's great to see such an awesome mod being done from a basic case. So far I have plans to mod 3 of my unused 5.25 bays into a 120 mm fan/intake  . That hex mesh is pretty cool . By the way what can i use to cut case aluminum cleanly?  I like the idea of adding window/fans for airflow as i want to overclock and i will run 2 ati 4890's or 2 nvidia 275's , so cooling is good.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 7, 2009)

kickbass4777 said:


> I am new to pc building and i will be putting together an i7 920 build next week with this case : ) . It's great to see such an awesome mod being done from a basic case. So far I have plans to mod 3 of my unused 5.25 bays into a 120 mm fan/intake  . That hex mesh is pretty cool . By the way what can i use to cut case aluminum cleanly?  I like the idea of adding window/fans for airflow as i want to overclock and i will run 2 ati 4890's or 2 nvidia 275's , so cooling is good.



Welcome to the forum kickbass!

There are several methods for cutting.  Some here on the board have become experts at using snips to do much of their cutting... me not so much.  My preferred method is a dremel with quality cutting discs.  I use various other dremel bits for intricate details.  Another method is to use a jig saw, which I have also had good results with.  There is also the simple hack saw, coping saw, and finally a nibbling tool.  Personally I've never used a nibbling tool, but supposedly they work great once you get the hang of it.


----------



## mav2000 (Aug 7, 2009)

Superb stuff...I would be more than happy with the hand cut front plate, but then I am no where close to what you can do ..


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 7, 2009)

Love the look of the front man! Looking good!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Aug 7, 2009)

holy batman!!!   The case looks sick!!!  Great job energyfx


----------



## MKmods (Aug 7, 2009)

This reminds me of ColdStorms mod, I really enjoy watching mods be refined, Well done.


----------



## steelkane (Aug 7, 2009)

Nice design on the front bezel, the one your going to have lazer cut will it be thicker & will it sit flush to the case or be spaced out some, also will the front stay clear or will it be painted.
I ask because I'm going to do a similar mod with a front bezel using 3/4 cell cast & might have some left over.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 8, 2009)

MKmods said:


> This reminds me of ColdStorms mod, I really enjoy watching mods be refined, Well done.


I had to laugh at a comment ColdStorm made in his build log... something along the lines of making a really long build log for a project that never gets finished.  That's pretty much what happened here too.  I keep getting bit by the "hey, you know what would be cool" ideas.



steelkane said:


> Nice design on the front bezel, the one your going to have lazer cut will it be thicker & will it sit flush to the case or be spaced out some, also will the front stay clear or will it be painted.
> I ask because I'm going to do a similar mod with a front bezel using 3/4 cell cast & might have some left over.



The plan (for the moment anyways ) is to have a thicker piece but still have a bit of a gap.  I also "plan" to use hex mesh behind the acrylic piece to keep the general theme of the case tied together.  I don't plan to paint it at the moment, but there are quite a few options churning around in my head so that may change.


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 8, 2009)

Gee, thanks! lol..

 I see it two ways.. There is a project log that you know what your doing, and it's all ready done, just showing everyone else how it was done. While there are others, like yours and mine, where you take word from everyone on what to do, and come up with a game plan that best suits you.

Plus, what can I say, I love to DRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRawwwww things out.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Aug 8, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> Gee, thanks! lol..
> 
> I see it two ways.. There is a project log that you know what your doing, and it's all ready done, just showing everyone else how it was done. While there are others, like yours and mine, where you take word from everyone on what to do, and come up with a game plan that best suits you.
> 
> Plus, what can I say, I love to DRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRawwwww things out.



Draw or mock'em?


----------



## steelkane (Aug 8, 2009)

I was going to fiberglass the raw front of the case, then cut holes for switches & wires, then put my cell cast front on. but without making a mess maybe you could use some Noise dampening material, then your mesh & acrylic front.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 8, 2009)

steelkane said:


> I was going to fiberglass the raw front of the case, then cut holes for switches & wires, then put my cell cast front on. but without making a mess maybe you could use some Noise dampening material, then your mesh & acrylic front.



Hmm... foam might be interesting.  Good idea steel.  I kinda want to see how it turns out with the gap... but in the end I may very well decide that I want it filled in. A foam spacer might just do the trick nicely.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 11, 2009)

WOOT!  The laser cutting shop called me today and said they already got it cut and shipped out.  They charge more for expedited service so I wasn't really expecting them to do the work until Wednesday.  I guess business is slow.


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 11, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> WOOT!  The laser cutting shop called me today and said they already got it cut and shipped out.  They charge more for expedited service so I wasn't really expecting them to do the work until Wednesday.  I guess business is slow.



would you consider zip ties a good solution to attach fans in leu of screws? ive actually got 3 80mm fans i got dirt cheap from work on my side window blowing hot air our using zip ties instead of screws ( where screws wouldnt work). I had to mount one of this fans on the outside because of my scythe mugen 2 cooler : / its ugly but im more worried about having my case ready for build day ( last batch of parts come in thursday ) than cosmetics : ) Ima dress up the build more when i get it up and running .


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 11, 2009)

kickbass4777 said:


> would you consider zip ties a good solution to attach fans in leu of screws? ive actually got 3 80mm fans i got dirt cheap from work on my side window blowing hot air our using zip ties instead of screws ( where screws wouldnt work). I had to mount one of this fans on the outside because of my scythe mugen 2 cooler : / its ugly but im more worried about having my case ready for build day ( last batch of parts come in thursday ) than cosmetics : ) Ima dress up the build more when i get it up and running .



Zip ties will hold things together for a very very long time... so sure, if it works for you and aesthetics aren't an issue then go for it.  Sometimes there is no better solution than a zip tie.


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 11, 2009)

im new to this business , dya think the case will fit a 15 in cold cathode . i got a free one from intel coming in the mail .


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 11, 2009)

kickbass4777 said:


> im new to this business , dya think the case will fit a 15 in cold cathode . i got a free one from intel coming in the mail .



15" cold cathodes will fit quite nicely in a TT Soprano.  I know because I have a couple of 15" cold cathodes sitting right here next to me.  I haven't decided if I am going to use them in this build or not.  I probably won't.


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 11, 2009)

one though i had that would look cool is a small intel logo cut out in the case , the cold cathode and blue led's would make it glow blue through . Im also thinking of swapping my intel dx58so board for something with a more robust feature set.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 11, 2009)

kickbass4777 said:


> one though i had that would look cool is a small intel logo cut out in the case , the cold cathode and blue led's would make it glow blue through . Im also thinking of swapping my intel dx58so board for something with a more robust feature set.



http://www.crazypc.com/products/PC8490.html


----------



## Papahyooie (Aug 11, 2009)

Just wanted to give my shout out, this looks awesome enough for me to have just spent the last 30 minutes reading the entire thread lol. Makes me want to get working seriously on my case mod.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 11, 2009)

Papahyooie said:


> Just wanted to give my shout out, this looks awesome enough for me to have just spent the last 30 minutes reading the entire thread lol. Makes me want to get working seriously on my case mod.



DO IT!!


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 12, 2009)

Here is a crappy picture of the crappy plexi prototype painted black.  Just wanted to get an idea of how it would look although it isn't what I plan to do in the end.

Ignore the protruding bay devices... they would be flush in final assembly.  Visualize all six 40mm holes cut out for HDD fans, and visualize hex mesh behind all the fan holes.


----------



## steelkane (Aug 12, 2009)

What if you used your hex mesh as a spacer going all the way around the front plexi bezel, just another thought


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 12, 2009)

steelkane said:


> What if you used your hex mesh as a spacer going all the way around the front plexi bezel, just another thought



You just don't like that gap do you 

I've been drawing up an idea all night.  Hopefully I'll have some SketchUp shots to post shortly.  I'm thinking I might be doing some sheet metal fabbing later today.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 12, 2009)

Designing a metal rim to the plexi front panel.


----------



## Mark_Hardware (Aug 12, 2009)

nice sketchup man


----------



## Madrid.dem (Aug 12, 2009)

ARGENTINA

Dios santo nunca vi nada igual, sos el mejor ojala algun dia pueda hacer lo que estas haciendo vos suerte tu trabajo es exelente




Jesus Christ I've never seen anything like it, sos ojala algun dia best able to do what you're doing your work is excellent luck


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 12, 2009)

Well, I tried a few different methods and it looks like 1"x.5" angle offset aluminum is going to do the trick quite nicely.

Here is a concept photo.  This is going to turn out great!  Don't worry... I'll take my time with the final version... this was just a quick hack job to see how it will work.


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 12, 2009)

Looks good man! Looking very good!


----------



## steelkane (Aug 12, 2009)

I like the polished edges of the plexi, have you seen what your spaced looks like behind the plexi.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 12, 2009)

steelkane said:


> I like the polished edges of the plexi, have you seen what your spaced looks like behind the plexi.


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 12, 2009)

heres what have so far with my case mod : ) front bay covers removed and replaced with cheap plastic grille material.






side view of clear window and fan placement , 2 inside over gpu , 1 over cpu on outside with grille mounted. 






lastly a peek inside , through the power supply hole. The top fan is behind the front grille covering three 5.25 bays.


----------



## steelkane (Aug 12, 2009)

your plexi resting on top of the space you made instead of inside it. that way it looks seamless with your nicely polished edge


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 13, 2009)

steelkane said:


> your plexi resting on top of the space you made instead of inside it. that way it looks seamless with your nicely polished edge



Oh, on the top piece... now I follow you.  I see what you're getting at.  You're right that would help tie the design of the front and top together, but I think I am going to go with the frame around the front plexi.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 13, 2009)

kickbass4777 said:


> http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/99/l_b5df15533b6d4875bad7fa2e11fd7c63.jpg
> 
> heres what have so far with my case mod : ) front bay covers removed and replaced with cheap plastic grille material.
> 
> ...



If in the future you want me mod your side window like I did mine, let me know.


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 13, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> If in the future you want me mod your side window like I did mine, let me know.



i probably will actually , the thermaltake window out of the box looks pretty cheesy , the "cool all your life " slogan doesnt even make sense to me .


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 13, 2009)

kickbass4777 said:


> i probably will actually , the thermaltake window out of the box looks pretty cheesy , the "cool all your life " slogan doesnt even make sense to me .



I know, right!!  Uber lame.

If you just want a plexi piece then that would be easy.  If you want the curved tabs removed then you would have to mail me your side panel unless you want to cut them off yourself.  Just let me know, we can work the details out when you're ready.


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 13, 2009)

i was thinking a plain window with good clean fan ports and a back lit black and blue intel logo : )


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 13, 2009)

i would probably leave the curved parts on there i guess they look ok tho


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 13, 2009)

oh , i had another question actually. is hot glue a good adhesive to use for grilles and things? not any parts that get hot enough to melt , i was just wondering how well those front grilles will hold up over time . I put them in with a copious amount of hot glue to stick them into the front plastic piece of the case .  Another thing i'd like to try is to mod a small bright LED inside of my video cards cooling plastic shroud ( ati xfx 4890 ) to make the whole card glow red . it would look so cool.... but im afraid of damaging my card.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 13, 2009)

Hey, kickbass... you should start your own worklog for your build.  You sound like you've got lots of ideas and questions.  Having your own log will get you more visibility and solicit advice from other members here on the forum.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 13, 2009)

Did some more drawing.  I wish my parts would get here so I can build instead of draw.

The red surfaces on the inside are just to differentiate from the outside.


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 13, 2009)

That's going to look sweet once your able to build it! I wish your parts got here too!


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 13, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> That's going to look sweet once your able to build it! I wish your parts got here too!



The next couple of weeks should be fun!


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 14, 2009)

Typical!  Two boxes of goodies showed up today... now that I am back on shift for three days.  I was actually a few minutes late to today's meeting 'cause I was playing. :shadedshu


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 14, 2009)

that's nice man!! Playing with your toys to much!!

Can't wait for the next few weeks!


----------



## MKmods (Aug 14, 2009)

kickbass4777 said:


> oh , i had another question actually. is hot glue a good adhesive to use for grilles and things?



what makes it exceptionally good for modders is the glue in hot glue dosent rely only on solvent to bond so its removable if needed (and there is that whole dry in a few seconds too, sweet and cheap)


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 14, 2009)

My 16+ hour workdays don't leave much time to play, but I at least got a picture to share.  Here is the laser cut front panel.  BEAUTIFUL!

Just to give you an idea of how intricate this is cut, the inside corners of the drive bay openings are ever so slightly rounded to help prevent stress crack vulnerability.  I drew the image file up with the inside corners rounded at about 1/64th of an inch radius.  The laser was able to meet that radius.


----------



## MKmods (Aug 14, 2009)

Beautiful, just imagine all the hours saved in cutting , sanding, polishing...

By the way how much was that to get done?..


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 14, 2009)

Yeah, I'm with you MK.. It's a great piece of art! Very good!

Now, how much!?!? lol..


----------



## steelkane (Aug 14, 2009)

Oh ya,, I bet you were happy to see that opening the box.


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 14, 2009)

your computer > mine


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 15, 2009)

MKmods said:


> Beautiful, just imagine all the hours saved in cutting , sanding, polishing...
> 
> By the way how much was that to get done?..





Cold Storm said:


> Yeah, I'm with you MK.. It's a great piece of art! Very good!
> 
> Now, how much!?!? lol..



More than I want to admit 

Cutting fee: $30
Material: $20 (rape)
Shipping: ~$12

Total ~$62

If I do something like this in the future I will check around with local sign shops.  I might be able to get it a bit cheaper that way.





steelkane said:


> Oh ya,, I bet you were happy to see that opening the box.



I was quite giddy 



kickbass4777 said:


> your computer > mine


lol


----------



## MKmods (Aug 15, 2009)

actually that was quite good...I tried once to get a piece cut at my local shop and I think they wanted like $50-75 just for the cutting. And it was no where near as detailed as yours.

Those are very good prices....

PS- do you have a room I can rent? Im moving over there
(fancy schmancy stuff like that is very high over here in Reno, I tried to get a small panel powdercoated and it was like $100-125 minimum)


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 15, 2009)

MKmods said:


> actually that was quite good...I tried once to get a piece cut at my local shop and I think they wanted like $50-75 just for the cutting. And it was no where near as detailed as yours.
> 
> Those are very good prices....
> 
> ...




Reno??  Hell, the place that cut this is in Vegas.  Pololu Robotics.  I drew up my idea in Google SketchUp (because it is so stupid simple to use). I then used a demo version of Corel Draw to redraw it (using all my dimensions from SketchUp) as a .svg file Pololu to use.

As for powdercoating... you can save a lot of money if you aren't in a hurry.  Powdercoat shops will often give you a big break if you tell them that you can wait for them to put your part in the oven with a bigger order.  For example, a shop here quoted me about $150 to powder coat this case on a deadline, but they could do it for about $50 if they could combine it with a larger order (read "no deadline").


----------



## MKmods (Aug 15, 2009)

LOL, that was with me waiting for them to get a black order to throw my stuff in with.. Vegas would be sweet as there is a ton of business competition but its way too dam hot for me there...

Thats how I know how to do so much stuff, Im just too dam cheap to pay anyone else to do it for me

Thanks for showing this, its gonna help a lot of people..


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 15, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Reno??  Hell, the place that cut this is in Vegas.  Pololu Robotics.  I drew up my idea in Google SketchUp (because it is so stupid simple to use). I then used a demo version of Corel Draw to redraw it (using all my dimensions from SketchUp) as a .svg file Pololu to use.
> 
> As for powdercoating... you can save a lot of money if you aren't in a hurry.  Powdercoat shops will often give you a big break if you tell them that you can wait for them to put your part in the oven with a bigger order.  For example, a shop here quoted me about $150 to powder coat this case on a deadline, but they could do it for about $50 if they could combine it with a larger order (read "no deadline").





MKmods said:


> LOL, that was with me waiting for them to get a black order to throw my stuff in with.. Vegas would be sweet as there is a ton of business competition but its way too dam hot for me there...
> 
> Thats how I know how to do so much stuff, Im just too dam cheap to pay anyone else to do it for me
> 
> Thanks for showing this, its gonna help a lot of people..




Yep, going to help me!  

Thanks EFX! MK, lets just have a full condo rented there.. a few bed rooms!?


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 17, 2009)

So I spent tonight working on the trim for the front panel.  I wanted a total thickness of 1 inch for the front panel but I only want 1/2 an inch of overlap on the acrylic.  Unfortunately Home Depot doesn't stock 1x1/2 angle aluminum so I had to go with 1x1 and trim half an inch off one side.  MK, you'll be proud to know I used snips to accomplish this.  Cutting 1/16" thick aluminum along a 4 foot line 'bout killed my forearm!  But, with patience, concentration, and focus I was able to cut an impressively straight line with very little distortion of the trim piece.  I dare say the cut was tremendously straighter than it would have been had I used my normal method with a dremel.

After that it was a lot of time spent taking measurements and making marks on the trim piece where I would need to make the cuts.  I used a quality adjustable straightedge (that also had a 45 degree surface) to ensure my marks were at precisely 45 degrees.  I drilled a 1/8" hole at the apex of the marks and then again used the snips to cut out the notches.






After a little bit of filing to clean up the notches I used a hand held seamer to help control the trim as I made the bends.  This took a bit of finesse since I didn't want definite creases at the corners.  The Soprano top panel has slightly rounded edges so I want the front panel to follow that design.





I folded the trim over until my notch cuts touched each other.  For every corner this occurred slightly shy of a true 90 degree bend.  Why I'm not quite sure but I suspect is had something to do with the thickness of the material and the fact that I bent the corners slightly rounded.  I just happen to have a set of hobby files with a very thin straight file in it. I used the thin file to open the corner up a little more.  Each session open the gap between the notch cuts by about 3/64". This allowed me to tighten the bend a bit more each time until I achieved a perfect 90 degree corner.




















Two top bends complete.





And after another round of measuring, marking, cutting notches, bending, filing, bending, filing, bending, filing, etc.........  here is the piece with all four corners bent.  I haven't quite figured out what to do with the gap at the bottom.  I knew from the beginning that this gap would exist since the aluminum was only 4 feet long to start with.  The case is 17" tall by 7 7/8" wide so a four foot trim piece comes up a couple of inches short.  The obvious solution is to simply cut a 2 inch piece to fill the gap, but I'm kicking around a few ideas to maybe incorporate some sort of a name plate for that area... perhaps a case badge mounting surface or something like that.  





Overall I was able to achieve exactly 17" height, but I overshot the width by about 1/16".  I haven't quite decided if this is acceptable to me yet.  It's a lot of work to do over for a mere 1/16"... and what's to say I won't miss the mark again.

I haven't quite decided if I want to have the corners welded or just do it myself with JB weld.  Either way, the gap at the corners and the joints on whatever I decide to do with the bottom gap will eventually be filled in, filed, and sanded smooth.  The plan for now is to have the trim piece texture powder coated to match the rest of the case.  Paint would be simple, but considering it is the front panel it will be very exposed to getting bumped.  Since it is made of aluminum I just see a lot of chips showing up.

Here are some more shots of the trim piece with the acrylic in place.  I had to do a bit of sanding on the edges of the acrylic.  I originally designed the acrylic without yet intending to use a trim piece around it so the thickness of the trim piece had to be sanded off the edge.










Here are a couple of shots to show how perfectly the acrylic fits into the trim piece.










And finally, here is the image I have been working on for the past two weeks!  I'm just so pleased at how this is turning out.  When I started this project I never would have imagined I would end up fabricating a custom front panel like this.


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 17, 2009)

That looks REALLY good Energy. Now, is this build still for the wife? Or, have you taken it over?


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 17, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> That looks REALLY good Energy. Now, is this build still for the wife? Or, have you taken it over?



It is still very much hers.  Look at it this way... I'm just developing my skills for MY next case


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 17, 2009)

ahhh, even sweeter!! Another build!


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 17, 2009)

Alright, well it's off to bed for me.  

I'll probably do some detail filing/sanding on the trim piece tonight.  Maybe I'll SketchUp some ideas for what to do with the bottom gap.  If anyone has any suggestions or cool ideas please speak up.

Before I go I wanna say thanks to everyone that is following this build.  Sharing my work with the forum is definitely holding me to a higher standard. 

As for my fellow modders... you all have some tremendous talent and each of you has your own very unique style.  I can only hope that I am contributing an idea or two to repay the volumes of ideas you all have given me.

Notable shoutout to:
Steelkane, ColdStorm, MKmods, and Castiel  (edit: oh yeah, ChickenPattie too... I'm hungry lol, that reminded me)


----------



## ste2425 (Aug 17, 2009)

very nice work my friend im very jelous of your skills, maybe some sort of light projector at the bottom shining an image or words on the floor just below your case. It will fill the gap, look great and im shore that if you do everything else youve done it wouldnt be to hard for you  to make such a device


----------



## Ryo129 (Aug 17, 2009)

if you turn the trim peice upside down you coul add a logo or embellish it


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 17, 2009)

ste2425 said:


> ... maybe some sort of light projector at the bottom shining an image or words on the floor just below your case. It will fill the gap, look great and im shore that if you do everything else youve done it wouldnt be to hard for you  to make such a device


Interesting idea... I'll have to consider that... especially since the case will be elevated a couple of inches when I get the casters mounted.



Ryo129 said:


> if you turn the trim peice upside down you coul add a logo or embellish it


Hadn't thought of that.  There isn't exactly a whole lot of room up top though.  On the bottom there is that large gap between the trim and the bottom part of the fan.


----------



## MKmods (Aug 17, 2009)

Thanks a lot for that post EFX 

Its really cool to see people paying attention when I babble...One other thing, looking at the pict of the tools I had to smile as we seen to be using the same tools...





Excellent job on the angle frame


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 18, 2009)

MKmods said:


> Thanks a lot for that post EFX
> 
> Its really cool to see people paying attention when I babble...One other thing, looking at the pict of the tools I had to smile as we seen to be using the same tools...
> http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo142/Partspicts/Picture529.jpg
> ...



Heh heh.  The seamer is a new addition to my tool family.  The snips I have had for a while... just never use them.

Malco makes a nice handheld nothcer I want to get.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 18, 2009)

Alright... the mess and clutter is getting out of control.  Time to clean shop.

8/17/2009 -- The day EnergyFX kicks his addiction of saving boxes for every piece of hardware.


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 18, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Alright... the mess and clutter is getting out of control.  Time to clean shop.
> 
> 8/17/2009 -- The day EnergyFX kicks his addiction of saving boxes for every piece of hardware.



Bro, you gotta see behind my couch! It looks like world war 3 box wise! With everything going on like it is!!


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 18, 2009)

By the way, if anyone has had their eye on one of the new Aerocool Touch series fan controllers... let me just say that they are VERY nice.

I got a Touch 2000 for this rig and I've been drooling over it ever since I opened the box.  Aerocool stepped their game WAY up on these.  The front fascia is a 3/64" thick brushed aluminum plate.  The screen is gorgeous and the touch sensitivity is perfect, not too sensitive, not too numb... just right.

If I had any complaint it would be that the controller doesn't back the fan speed off quite enough at min setting... but this is only if you are using high RPM fans.  The viewing angle of the screen could be a bit wider as well.  Too bad Aerocool didn't incorporate a contrast adjustment.

On the Touch 2000 the audio, USB, and E-SATA connection ports only add to the sweetness... especially in my case where I modded the front connections out of my case.

Here's some pics:


----------



## mav2000 (Aug 18, 2009)

Nice I like that...I like the use of the black flat wires as well..


----------



## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 18, 2009)

Thats a sexy addon for the drive bays, I might have to keep that in mind for my case.


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 21, 2009)

cool fan controller


----------



## kickbass4777 (Aug 21, 2009)

the whole thing looks great. what did you have in mind for that top panel im going to send you ? out of curiousity


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 21, 2009)

Quick update (sorry, no pics this time).

So I got the rig all taken apart (again).  Hopefully this will be the last time.  I started to mount the casters on the bottom but didn't like how flimsy the floor of the case felt.  So I am working on reinforcing the floor with a sheet of acrylic.  This will not only beef up the floor and provide a much strudier mount for the casters, but will also clean and dress up the floor quite a bit. I will baint the back side of the acrylic with the same red that is seen elsewhere in the build.

I have also been working on a different reservoir setup that I think will be much nicer and more practical. 

I've had lots of deliveries of little things like allen head bolts of various sizes (made the mistake of ordering 2-56 threaded screws... holy crap they are tiny!), aluminum standoffs for mounting the new front panel, and some led strips for accent lighting.

Grainger ended up pissing me off and making me happy all at the same time.  I placed an online order with them and they sent me an e-mail the next day saying they are a wholesale operation and they would need a copy of my business liscense before they can sell to me.  This sucked since they had the standoffs I really wanted.  The nuts and bolts I ordered through them weren't an issue since I can find them elsewhere, but the standoffs aren't that easy to find.  So anyways, I spent half of the next day (when I should have been asleep) scouring the interwebnet for more 8-32 dual female standoffs at 5/8" length.  After being told no by several places (since I am not a business) I finally came across one place that sympathized with me.  Initially the sales consultant told me "no" but was nice enough to make the sale after I whined to her for a few seconds about having such a hell of a time getting service as a simple hobbiest.  So she sold me the standoffs, but not the size I really wanted since I was limited to what they had in stock.  Ok... I know this is getting long, but stay with me cause here comes the best part... THE NEXT FRIGGIN DAY A GRAINGER BOX SHOWS UP ON MY DOORSTEP WITH EVERYTHING I ORDERED FROM THEM!!!  Oh well, at least I got the stuff I really wanted, but ended up wasting money and a bunch of time on standoffs I won't use now.

So, that's where I am now.  I'm still getting stuff done, just don't have any pictures to show for it right now.


----------



## MKmods (Aug 21, 2009)

will 8-32 screws work?


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 21, 2009)

I'm using 8-32 for mounting most everything, but 8-32 is far too big for the 40mm fans.  Even 6-32 is too big for the 40mms.


----------



## MKmods (Aug 21, 2009)

I have had good luck (so far) drilling out mobos and video card PCBs to accept larger screws (normal size is 6-32)
I know one day I will be pushing my luck though...

Congrats on getting ur hardware..


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 21, 2009)

I'm kind of considering using socket head shoulder screws on some of the MB mounts and then using the shoulder section as a tie post for cable managment.  There is no room to work with  behind the MB tray for cable managment so all cabling will have to be visible.


----------



## MKmods (Aug 21, 2009)

sounds like a really nice detail.


----------



## SLO247 (Aug 24, 2009)

It all looks great, and I love that fan controller too.


----------



## Castiel (Aug 26, 2009)

Looking great man! Love the front panel!

And a nice fan controller to!


----------



## Cuzza (Aug 26, 2009)

tough time finding screws huh. i needed some standoffs last week, went down to the local computer shop, the guy just gave me some out of his box-of-bits. now that's service.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 26, 2009)

Castiel said:


> Looking great man! Love the front panel!
> 
> And a nice fan controller to!



Hey look who showed up 



Cuzza said:


> tough time finding screws huh. i needed some standoffs last week, went down to the local computer shop, the guy just gave me some out of his box-of-bits. now that's service.



What I needed was standoffs 5/8" long at 8-32 thread.  Not your standard 1/4" size.  Later on when I get to the part where I mount the front panel on you will see where the odd sized standoffs come into play.  I think I came up with a very trick solution that will allow for easy removal of the front panel when needed.


----------



## Cuzza (Aug 26, 2009)

I hope so, wouldn't want to go through all that crap for nothing!


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 26, 2009)

Some pictures of the continuing progress on the front panel.










































I decided to just paint it myself instead of powder coating.  If it gets scratched up I can always powder coat it later.  I figured I would give the cheap route a go first.

A bit more sanding and some spot filing and I think this baby will be ready for the topcoat.

My wife likes the idea of painting this piece red to match the red accents found elsewhere in the build, but I think it will clash a bit too much.  Personally I think textured black is the way to go.  What to you all think?

Red or textured black???


----------



## Cuzza (Aug 26, 2009)

black


----------



## steelkane (Aug 26, 2009)

how about the edge red & the front black or the other way around.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 26, 2009)

steelkane said:


> how about the edge red & the front black or the other way around.



Bah, too late.  I already sprayed the black.  Not a bad idea though... at this point I don't think I would have been willing to undertake the additional work a two tone paint job would require.  I'm trying to keep the momentum moving forward here.  I want this front panel finished so I can set it aside and move on to the chassis.


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 26, 2009)

MKmods said:


> I have had good luck (so far) drilling out mobos and video card PCBs to accept larger screws (normal size is 6-32)
> I know one day I will be pushing my luck though... ...



I'm going to steal this idea from you if Grainger sends me the second order I put in with them.  8-32 shoulder bolts on the MB will be nice.


----------



## steelkane (Aug 26, 2009)

Great factory look


----------



## MKmods (Aug 26, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> I'm going to steal this idea from you if Grainger sends me the second order I put in with them.  8-32 shoulder bolts on the MB will be nice.



Beautiful work on those corners, im gonna steal that from you so we are even


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 27, 2009)

MKmods said:


> Beautiful work on those corners, im gonna steal that from you so we are even



Might I suggest:
http://durafix.com/

I found this the other night but I was already 2 corners deep into using the epoxy method.  If this durafix stuff works as advertised then it would be a much stronger bond at the corners and an alltogether better solution.

The epoxy works fine, but since it is filed down to essentially just filler it really doesn't offer a whole lot of strenght at the corners.  It's not really a problem for the trim piece I made since it is mostly a cosmetic piece and won't have much of a stress load on it.  Then again, the corners might crack as soon as I torque the mounting screws down.  I guess we'll see.  If that happens then I'll have a good enough excuse to remake it (and maybe hit my target dimensions perfect).


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 28, 2009)

sneak peek at the new floor panel

EDIT:  I should clarify that this will supplement the existing chassis floor panel, not replace it.  This piece will be bolted onto the thin flimsy sheetmetal floor panel that came with the sorpano.


----------



## MKmods (Aug 28, 2009)




----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 28, 2009)

I'm with you Mk! 

 

Looking good EFX. Looking good!


----------



## MKmods (Aug 28, 2009)

LOL, I didnt have my keyboard so I couldnt type words..Thanks TPU for the smilies...

And EnergyFX, that pict makes me want to work even harder on my mods


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 28, 2009)

MKmods said:


> LOL, I didnt have my keyboard so I couldnt type words..Thanks TPU for the smilies...
> 
> And EnergyFX, that pict makes me want to work even harder on my mods





Heh, good!

I need a smiley with a whip.


Raking aside though, Mark, you're tooling around with carbon fiber... I envy you for that!


----------



## EnergyFX (Aug 31, 2009)

Just in case anyone has ever wondered... yes, a hacksaw can cut into the meaty part of a human thumbtip quite easily.

I choose to not post pics of my new thumb mod.


----------



## Cold Storm (Aug 31, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Just in case anyone has ever wondered... yes, a hacksaw can cut into the meaty part of a human thumbtip quite easily.
> 
> I choose to not post pics of my new thumb mod.



ouch... I hope its not to bad.. have the wife kiss it.. It'll be ALL better after that!


----------



## Castiel (Sep 11, 2009)

Hope you get better.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Sep 11, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Just in case anyone has ever wondered... yes, a hacksaw can cut into the meaty part of a human thumbtip quite easily.
> 
> I choose to not post pics of my new thumb mod.



damn dude, your finger is ok though, just cut?  Hope you are ok man


----------



## mav2000 (Sep 11, 2009)

Wooooh that bottom panel is the most awesome piece of work ever....if I ever come to the states I am going to come over and take a look at that case....


----------



## freaksavior (Sep 11, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> sneak peek at the new floor panel
> 
> EDIT:  I should clarify that this will supplement the existing chassis floor panel, not replace it.  This piece will be bolted onto the thin flimsy sheetmetal floor panel that came with the sorpano.
> 
> ...


----------



## EnergyFX (Sep 11, 2009)

Yeah, the thumb is fine.  I just squirted a bunch of super-glue in the cut for a few days so I wouldn't have to bandage it up.  Still hurts like hell though.

I'll get back to work on the Soprano soon.  I got a sort-of-promotion at work... you know, the kind where you get more responsibility but not more pay.  So my schedule is a bit abnormal for now while I adjust to my new role.


----------



## Cold Storm (Sep 11, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Yeah, the thumb is fine.  I just squirted a bunch of super-glue in the cut for a few days so I wouldn't have to bandage it up.  Still hurts like hell though.
> 
> I'll get back to work on the Soprano soon.  I got a sort-of-promotion at work... you know, the kind where you get more responsibility but not more pay.  So my schedule is a bit abnormal for now while I adjust to my new role.



hey, super-gel is the best thing to cover up cuts in seconds! Gorilla Glue is king! 

We all know those types of things with work... Just getting over that sort of thing after 6 months.. The worklog kept me going to work.. lol..

Best of luck man, and can't wait to see adds to the thread.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Sep 11, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Yeah, the thumb is fine.  I just squirted a bunch of super-glue in the cut for a few days so I wouldn't have to bandage it up.  Still hurts like hell though.
> 
> I'll get back to work on the Soprano soon.  I got a sort-of-promotion at work... you know, the kind where you get more responsibility but not more pay.  So my schedule is a bit abnormal for now while I adjust to my new role.



thansk for the update on your finger, and yeah those promotions suck man


----------



## wei00007 (Oct 5, 2009)

Hey, any news on the project?
I have a soprano rs100 (the full tower version of this case) and you're inspired me to mod mine as well : D
I don't have any money at the moment so mine will be VERY slow in the building but with any luck I will get there.
This will be my first mod ever (probably going to copy a few ideas from you )
Thanks for inspiring me.


----------



## EnergyFX (Oct 5, 2009)

Consider this the quiet before the storm!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Oct 5, 2009)

The quiet before the storm?


----------



## Cold Storm (Oct 5, 2009)

Chicken Patty said:


> The quiet before the storm?



Don't ask me! I wasn't invited! So it's not this Storm!


----------



## Chicken Patty (Oct 5, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> Don't ask me! I wasn't invited! So it's not this Storm!



  that was a good one


----------



## wei00007 (Oct 5, 2009)

Here you go, mine's JUST like yours! but with TWICE the ugly : D
Everything is tool less.
HDD rack is rotated to the front.
removable motherboard tray.
not sure if yours has 2 support rails up the top but mine does. 
I have a huge clearance up the top (above the PSU)

I really hope you don't mind me copying some (most) of your ideas.


----------



## MKmods (Oct 6, 2009)

That reminds me of a steel version of the Ultra Aluminus


----------



## wei00007 (Oct 6, 2009)

MKmods said:


> That reminds me of a steel version of the Ultra Aluminus



Does that weigh 20kgs? cause this does 
I go to lans. 
First system I built, I regret it.


----------



## MKmods (Oct 6, 2009)

lol, its like 1kgs, its a feather weight.


----------



## wei00007 (Oct 6, 2009)

MKmods said:


> lol, its like 1kgs, its a feather weight.



Yeah, was just looking at it, I want to cry.
It's just like mine, but better, and lighter.
damn it.

ANYWAY  I managed to get some photos of my tower at the moment (bad camera phone sorry)




and where I work, we just got an HIS 5870




just thought I'd include the work pc, cause it looks sexy and has a few mods HAF case. I don't know the model number


----------



## EnergyFX (Oct 6, 2009)

Of course I don't mind if you use some of my ideas.  A lot of what I have done wasn't my original ideas to begin with.  Modding is quite a bit seeing what others are doing/have done and applying your own personal touch to the concept.

Besides... imitation is the highest form of flattery


----------



## EnergyFX (Oct 6, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> Don't ask me! I wasn't invited! So it's not this Storm!



I knew as I was typing that you wouldn't be able to resist chiming in.

 I expected nothing less!


----------



## MKmods (Oct 6, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Of course I don't mind if you use some of my ideas.  A lot of what I have done wasn't my original ideas to begin with.  Modding is quite a bit seeing what others are doing/have done and applying your own personal touch to the concept.
> 
> Besides... imitation is the highest form of flattery



+1...


----------



## EnergyFX (Oct 6, 2009)

wei00007 said:


> http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/206/picture010x640he3.jpg
> Here you go, mine's JUST like yours! but with TWICE the ugly : D
> Everything is tool less.
> HDD rack is rotated to the front.
> ...




You're right... that is a bigger version of mine.  Weird.  Your's actually looks to be better built.


----------



## Cold Storm (Oct 6, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> I knew as I was typing that you wouldn't be able to resist chiming in.
> 
> I expected nothing less!



Ouch, my balls are now on the ground.. way on the ground.. Any doctors in the forums? Besides Bta? I can't wait for him to come and fix me! 

Can't wait for updates!!! 


wei00007, can't wait to see more from ya! Love to see hardware pron!


----------



## MoonPig (Oct 6, 2009)

Energy, Get some work done!

I want updates


----------



## wei00007 (Oct 7, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> wei00007, can't wait to see more from ya! Love to see hardware pron!



Yeah I ordered some of the same scythe hard drive stabilisers (they look good)
I'm waiting on my next youth allowance payment so I can order another 1.5TB drive.
Ill be replacing the old IDE HDD's
Tool less hard drive racks are a pointless idea. in fact, tool less in general is pointless.

As soon as i get those hard drives and stabilisers I'll be backing up and begining my painting.

Energy - any tips on getting a nice finish?
I just figured a layer with the colour then one or two with clear.

EDIT:

Just figured I'd clear up the youth allowance thing, I dont want to seem like a bum
I DO work, Its just volunteer I need the step up into the I.T. industry.
Believe me, if I could get paid I would.


----------



## kuroikenshi (Oct 7, 2009)

I've been reading this whole project log and I am just as impressed and awe inspired by all the attention to detail and general beauty of this project as everyone else has EnergyFX 

I just had a couple of questions.

1. For your paint job's, I take it you used primer? With all the painting done, how long did it take for everything to dry and be considered finish?

2. I take it you cut the existing rivet's off and re-did it yourself correct? Was it a pretty painless job to do?

3. Was the mesh easy to form to your holes that you cut? Was it just simply pressing it against the holes?


----------



## EnergyFX (Oct 7, 2009)

wei00007 said:


> ... any tips on getting a nice finish?
> I just figured a layer with the colour then one or two with clear....





kuroikenshi said:


> I've been reading this whole project log and I am just as impressed and awe inspired by all the attention to detail and general beauty of this project as everyone else has EnergyFX
> 
> I just had a couple of questions.
> 
> ...



Funny both of you bring up painting.  That is one of the things that is holding this project up.  I've put all this work into mods and I keep looking at the little flaws in the paint job and I just can't accept it.  I don't have a proper area to paint in so I am pretty set at this point on going ahead with powder coating like I mentioned in some of the earlier posts.

But to answer your question... sanding is key.  Surface preparation sets the tone for any paint job.  You need to either hand sand or sand blast the parts before you paint them to get the best finish.  This also ensures the paint has a proper "tooth" to adhere to.  Steel cases actually have a clear finish of some sort on them to keep corrosion down.  Paint does not like to adhere well to this coating.  Not sanding will result in a finish that is stupidly prone to chipping and scratching.

As for the rivets, they are fairly simple to drill out.  Do a search for a how-to on drilling out rivets.  Popping in new rivets only requires a rivet gun (~$10 at a hardware store) and some rivets.

The formed mesh you see in this build log was formed by hand only.  No special tools needed.  In fact, I destroyed some mesh in a couple of attempts using tools.


----------



## kuroikenshi (Oct 7, 2009)

Thank you kindly sir for the reply! Just a little nagging though, you never mentioned how long it took time wise to finish a segment when you painted it.


----------



## EnergyFX (Oct 8, 2009)

Only an hour or so for the paint to set, 24 hours to be completely dry.


----------



## Chicken Patty (Oct 8, 2009)

looking forward to the results


----------



## EnergyFX (Oct 14, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> Only an hour or so for the paint to set, 24 hours to be completely dry.




It's been a while since I quoted myself.  I want to add that there is a time limit for adding coats.  If you are going to add another coat to your finish you should do so within 15-20 mins of applying the previous coat.  If you miss this window then you should wait the full 24 hours before re-coating.

I believe enamel is more sensitive to this time window, but I could be wrong.

In other news, I got moved into my new place and still hae yet to get everything unpacked.  But it is looking like my weekends will finally start to free up by November... so updates will be comming soon.


----------



## wei00007 (Oct 15, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> It's been a while since I quoted myself.  I want to add that there is a time limit for adding coats.  If you are going to add another coat to your finish you should do so within 15-20 mins of applying the previous coat.  If you miss this window then you should wait the full 24 hours before re-coating.
> 
> I believe enamel is more sensitive to this time window, but I could be wrong.
> 
> In other news, I got moved into my new place and still hae yet to get everything unpacked.  But it is looking like my weekends will finally start to free up by November... so updates will be comming soon.



New place eh?
Nice, can't wait to see some updates 
Yeah, I just got a few of my parts in as well, the HDD stabilisers.
I'm waiting on a replacement case while I mod mine, I'm still asking around.


----------

