JeffB

I have one of the blue fan grills here, they look good lit up, but the ears in a visible spot just kind of kills the look I think. If you could mount the ears behind so you just have a glowing blue ring sticking through it might look better.

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My Water Cooled 343B Mod Worklog - Updated May 15th

pjlietz

I'd try the top window full length of the case with about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch as the border. If your not diggen it then maybe just over the 5 1/4 inch bay's so you can see the top of the res. I see your reasoning behind the fill port though. Bay res's kinda make me nervous as well, I've over filled mine and had it leak a bit in the case , no harm though.

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Dezixn

I think it looks better without the fillport and drain thingy.
But it seems way more practical to have a fillport and drain thingy. But i wouldn't know how useful those are, ive never water cooled : /

I think the fillport and drain version would look good with maybe UV reactive liquid and a UV cold cathode in there somewhere. But then again i like UV way to much and you might be going for a more subtle look.

If it's subtle you want keep the clean one without the fillport and drain.

Btw what do you use to keep your random cables in place, like for example the pump's power cable that ran along the entire side of the case. Glue? Tape?

CyberDruid

The same thing happened to me and ruined a DVD drive...I like the look--but the filling is a bit of a PITA. Going to prolly compromise and try and hide the tee line for a single FilPOrt on the top in that cavity behind the PSU.

RE the top window--full length? Hmmm I hadn't thought about that...Maybe I should hack open the PC Power 510 I have laying in a bin and make a window on the top...lol.

Well off to hack away at a couple of panels..


Exactly! I had made the oversized hole to do just that--but the front panel is not thick enough--I would have to cut away the front of the case and support the rad some over way--there's only a fat 1/16 " between the elbow and the mobo so even if I pushed back that last smidge I might still have trouble getting the front panel to close without bulging.

But I am on the same page about that look--that was the plan...I just could not get it to work.

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prosser13

For the top window, I'm planning on having mine going right the way done the middle of the roof, from front to back - about half the top will be acrylic.

For yours, how about a circular hole in the middle, with a fill port on either side? That way you'd see down into the middle of the case

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JeffB

Could you hack the ears off and press fit it and glue it into that rubber/plastic ring that looks to be there?

EDIT: Looks,more like blank area around it so maybe add a some kind of rubber molding with the back flap cut off to glue/press it into? ) L shaped molding instead o U so it doesn't take up any more space behind the faceplate.)

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DesertRat

If ur gonna have a windown, ur gonna need UV

a full-legnth top window would be cool(as others have said).

when b3ar posted a pic of that symbol, it reminded me of the trinity symbol as well.

as for paint I thought maybe dark gun-metal/gun-metal black, or something along those lines... might contrast a silver inside quite nicely.

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pjlietz

I like that idea! Maybe go one further and do the visible side as well?

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CyberDruid

You guys are giving me great ideers. I spent the past several hours adding a window to the top that easily slips through the hole in the top panel so the top comes off leaving the plumbing intact...and it is full length pretty much and it is about 3/4" from the sides as suggested...but not exactly a shape you see everyday...

The question about the wire--I actually just put it there--using a little Druid magnetism maybe...

UV--always gots to have UV....I got the UV thing in the rad shroud and I have UV reactive molding on the side panel window and the juic in the lines will be UV blue so fer sure gonn have UV tubes...

Take a hard look at the front panel now and tell me if it looks better this way or should I glue the blue filter ring in there as suggested.

I'm starting to like this case a lot. The plastic I used fro the windows flouresces and intense pruple blue from the edge under regular light...lots of fun to look at--I wonder what will happen when I fire off the UV?

Here's some shots of the stuff I been up to.


This is the latest version of the loop--I kept the drain and eliminated the tee off the rad.


Clean with nice straight runs and good access to the cards and little restriction to the airflow.


You can see I pruned a little tubing off the loop. I also made a few adjustments to make it look a little nicer.


This is the latest version of the front panel--I reninserted the blanks so you can see what it ships like from Antec--that's the mesh filter I made this afternoon. I am thinking it would be beter to hot glue that to the back of the panel and have no screwholes. And easy fix with a little filler and paint. I like how the grill is larger than the fan and then tapers to the size of the fan...but it's a personal taste. How do you guys think it looks compared tothe last version?


And with the fan running.


A closeup--I hate those screws--definitely need to glue that fliter in from behind.


Here's ablurry shot of my hatchet work with the Fein saw--it's a threee part front panel--I have taken off one part--the black part snaps to the silver part trapping the filter--so I could definitely use adhesive there and stealth it in--the fan would be mounted to the shroud.


That's where the fan could mount.


I then made a pattern cut it out of the top. I rarely use a Dremel ofr anything--but just for heck of it I did that cut in two passes with a reinforced cutoff wheel--it was starting to get dark and I was really enjoying the shower of sparks--much more entertaining than a jigsaw...


Then I cut out a slightly larger vesica pisces with the same radius--for a lid effect.


I bored a hole for the Filport and peeled off the paper--I could see the edge was flourescing strongly.


I brought it inside and the effect was the same--it has a light blue tint but the edge glow a strong deep blue...


I dressed out the edge with some C molding from MNPCtech.com--it's great stuff.


Part of the reason for this shape top panel is that it easily slips through the opening--making the top panel removable without disturbing the plumbing.


the flash shows all....but kills the glow.


Here's the final shape I came up with for the window--it frames the gfx cards and mobo and gives a good angle shot of the rad without showing the Optical Bays or any of the upper bay.


This is the UV window molding. Putting this stuff ona window is like wrestling with a limp...eh But it looks really wierd and glows blue under UV


Even getting this wonderful silcon feeling molding over the metal is a challenge...


The molding is almost exactly the same slightly purple hue as the primoflex--and the primo looks really blue through the light blue plastic. Definitely going to paint the Swiftech pump...a LIght Silver Blue would be nice... I am liking silver for the case interior...still working on an exterior color. I think dark is working...not sure on hue.


Nice shot of the GFX cards and the Gigantic Rad. I am thinking about hitting up the Rad with some invisible UV paint...


I am liking the light blue window...when that LED fan is on and the UV molding is glowing and the tubes are all juicing I think it will be a sight to behold in a darkened room...


Without the flash the glow is apparent and the faceplate looks silver not white. That mirror finish Ultra is Sweet! and the little wedge of res will be popping when the UV juice is percolating.


The rear view include the little red drain plug--which will be a real handy thing when it's time to service the rig. The two screws above that are how the pump is dismounted--easing assembly of the rig without having to drain the lines. Once the back is painted it will look a lot more trick.

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DesertRat

am i the only one who thinks the top wondow looks kinda like
an eye ball, and looks really cool too!

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