[Project] Rocks in a Glass House - Page 11 - Overclock.net

nategr8ns · 12-27-08

wow it's been a while...
Please check out this thread and tell me your opinion. I'm not getting as many replies there as I thought I would. I'm ready to start doing something

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jclark5093 · 02-16-09

Watching. And loving it.

nategr8ns · 02-17-09

big thanks!
I still need a better way of mounting my motherboard. I'm fearful that when I mount it, I won't be able to line up the expansion slot holes with the motherboard

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nategr8ns · 02-19-09

bump, decided to actually spend some money on a mobo tray (unless someone can give me a DIY way to do it) because I'm out of ideas on mounting it.
I'm trying to compare some of these options with an ATX template. The cheaper ones don't really look to be of great quality, but most of them come with free motherboards

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nategr8ns · 02-19-09

another bump: Just ordered that dremel flex shaft drive nut Blitz found online for me. For the holidays my aunt gave me a $25 visa gift certificate which I can use to buy online, and then I realized that my flex shaft was still hanging after all this time. It's shipping from Oregon to Maine and is supposed to take 12 days... great.

Quick update I forgot to post here a while back: I'm working on cutting a window in an old CD drive. It looks pretty crappy because I haven't smoothed out the cuts, but I'll try to get a drawing up or just take pics later. I'll most likely paint the drive enclosure black, but it doesn't look too terrible unpainted. I could possibly go for a brushed or polished look though.

curly haired boy · 02-19-09

that should be interesting to see.

nategr8ns · 02-19-09

thank you!
I got the idea from thinking about the windowed raptor drives and figured it would be more interesting with a CD spinning than a boring 'ol platters (am I getting my terminology right?).

blitz6804 · 02-19-09

Yes, the discs in a hard drive are called platters.

Dylan · 02-20-09

Re- Subb'd... I really liked this ones potential.

Warfarin88 · 02-21-09

Heya nate.

Using an old case or a cheap replacement as a template is definitely the way to go to get your mobo standoff holes aligned properly. As far as alignment with the backplane, that takes careful measurement, and I've seen very talented people screw it up.

One thing I've managed to do successfully more than once is mount the entire I/O slot panel into a case correctly in alignment with a separate mother board panel. remember, the side to side (as you're looking at the front or back of the case) isn't nearly as critical as the the front to back and the up and down. The side to side dimension can always be compensated for with taller standoffs/washers/etc. when actually mounting the motherboard.

I don't have a free mobo at the moment, but just eyeballing mine (which is mounted to a tray outside the case right now) I would key off the topmost PCI screw on the left hand side of the board. I would confirm this before I cut anything, but it looks to be pretty well aligned with the top of the topmost PCI slot hole for the backplane.

Be careful taking that optical apart. Pay careful attention to how everything was as positioned as you dismantle it so you can put it back together the same way. I still haven't gotten mine working right again.

(admittedly, I haven't been working much on it either)

One thing I've noticed about modding/scratch building. Hesitation because you're not sure how something is going to turn out accomplishes nothing. Sure, you might screw up, but if you never try, your project is just as useless as if you try and fail. Sometimes you just have to trust yourself (and your measurements)... and take the leap.

		Overclock.net - Overclocking.net > Case Mods & Cases > Case Mod Work Logs
[Project] Rocks in a Glass House

02-21-09	#110 (permalink)
Warfarin88 _______________ Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 843 Rep: 166 Unique Rep: 117 Trader Rating: 0	Heya nate. Using an old case or a cheap replacement as a template is definitely the way to go to get your mobo standoff holes aligned properly. As far as alignment with the backplane, that takes careful measurement, and I've seen very talented people screw it up. One thing I've managed to do successfully more than once is mount the entire I/O slot panel into a case correctly in alignment with a separate mother board panel. remember, the side to side (as you're looking at the front or back of the case) isn't nearly as critical as the the front to back and the up and down. The side to side dimension can always be compensated for with taller standoffs/washers/etc. when actually mounting the motherboard. I don't have a free mobo at the moment, but just eyeballing mine (which is mounted to a tray outside the case right now) I would key off the topmost PCI screw on the left hand side of the board. I would confirm this before I cut anything, but it looks to be pretty well aligned with the top of the topmost PCI slot hole for the backplane. Be careful taking that optical apart. Pay careful attention to how everything was as positioned as you dismantle it so you can put it back together the same way. I still haven't gotten mine working right again. (admittedly, I haven't been working much on it either) One thing I've noticed about modding/scratch building. Hesitation because you're not sure how something is going to turn out accomplishes nothing. Sure, you might screw up, but if you never try, your project is just as useless as if you try and fail. Sometimes you just have to trust yourself (and your measurements)... and take the leap.

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