Case Rebirth: Completed: Heracles VIDEOS ADDED, Just waiting on OCZ Vendetta! - Overclock.net

superk · 10-16-09

Ok so here it is. Completed. Videos coming tonight.

System specs so far:

Athlon 64 X4 620 @ 2.6ghz (OC coming soon)
4gb ddr2 2x2gb
ECS A780GM-A Motherboard 780g 700sb
320gb SATA2 16mb cache 7200rpm 2.5 inch laptop drive
500w PSU Dual 12v Rail
Integrated Radeon 3200 GPU
3 x 120mm fan, two intake 1 exhaust, 1 80mm exhaust.
Stock CPU Cooling

Proposed Changes in system specs

Overclock CPU to 3.6 if possible
Add in a 3000 series radeon to hybrid crossfire with
Upgrade hdd to a 500gb 3.5inch drive
Add aftermarket CPU Cooling

PICS

Before

After

YouTube - MVI 2721

YouTube - MVI 2724

YouTube - MVI 2723

superk · 10-16-09

Since the old thread kinda sorta got timed out cuz of my immensely weird life, I decided to start a new one, with the pics of whats been done so far all in one neat and tidy place, easy to follow

I will also copy over all my posts with updates, so that their context is at least preserved.

Also, I have the system specs for what this system will be, in terms of components:

Athlon II X4 620

2gb DDR-800 Generic

ECS A780GM-A ATX AM2+/AM3 AMD780G SB700

80gb IDE HDD to start, 500gb sata soon ($$$)

Onboard Radeon 3200

Stock CPU and Board cooling (for now)

Here goes:

Ok, so the first case went downhill right from the word go. The last of my patience left when the case was continuously bending under the slightest of pressure because of the low quality metals.. SO when I went out looking for a better case, I found one that was steel, not aluminium.

The result, THIS

Its not bad, and functionally speaking has a few features, and a decent amount of room, which I plan to occupy.

So I took it apart (duh).

Traced some cut lines

Preserved the hdd cage from the old case, because its just plain wicked and has potential. Added rivets for structural integrity (since its still cheap aluminium and likes to bed)

Even the sides from the old case were kept... for parts

Those little 'burrs' I will be removing and riveting to the bottom of this case to make my hdd tray (which I plan to install into this case) removeable.

Also the 120/100/80 mm fan slot on the side from the old case will be removed and added to the new case, not sure if I am going to put it on top of the window, or put the window around it like the last case plan. Due time.

Thats all for now, hoping to have the holes cut by the end of today, but who knows :s

Update #1

THE POWER OF BONDO STRIKES AGAIN... and again, and again, and again lol

For now though, just one again, as the power of bondo is powerless until I buy more :\

For the few of you who were (un)fortunate enough to grab a look at the previous Heracles mod candidate, this is all thats left of it

Its scrap metal now lol.

And this is the 'channel' I had to cut for my atx connector. Reason being is that the 'cable management' side is so close to the motherboard tray, that there would have been no way to close it without denting the case. If I do it this way, the added space by the motherboard standoffs etc will be perfect. Still a few more holes to cut, and one to fix.. Kinda got carried away with the grinder

Update #2

NEED OPINIONS

This will be my hdd led (obviously it will be cleaned up and made all pretty and stuff first)

I will be inserting two red wide angle LEDs, one per side, and having them illuminate the OCN flame. My problem here? Which etching pattern should I use?

Etch ONLY the outline of the flame
Etch the outer flame and fill, leaving the inner flame unetched
Etch the outline of the outer flame and fill the inner flame
Etch the whole flame, ignoring the inner flame (it would disappear)

The 'window' will be set against a black piece of metal, which will completely hide any see through possibilities. Just FYI. This is just for show, some eye candy, there will be no actual 'window' here.

And if you have other options which you think would look wicked, please do post! I would LOVE to make this thing look wicked, so help me out!

Update #3

Well I went with Option 5

And this is the start of what it began to look like

again, ignore the rough edges, they will be covered in bondo, or something, eventually. The bezel still has LOADS of work left.

The finished plate, illuminated.

Remember, this is to be my hdd led, so I think it will have a neat effect.

Here is the plate installed into the bezel, secure for temp with hot glue, and wires secured also with hot glue.

BEFORE THE FLAMES START

Yes I noticed its backwards, I chose to put it that way because of how the light reflects off the plate interior. The light shines MUCH brighter on this side, than the other side. Had I have known that, I would have mirrored it to begin with, however after all the work that went into this one, I just want it to be over with and move onto the rest of the bezel

Thats it for this update. Between hospitalization, pending surgery, vehicle breakdowns, and now its my bday today, ive had enough excitement.

Update #4

JULY 16 UPDATE. 12:41AM

ok, so here is the latest.

First, I made up my mind on what i wanted to do about my little acrylic rough edge issue. I had hoped to find something flat, and use it to make a lip and gently taper it off, however I came across something even better.

So then, after it was all glued together (used like 3 entire sticks of hot glue omg it didnt wanna stay!) it was time to BONDO! Yey Bondo!

Thats the jist of it, along with the parts I ordered from the above post. I especially love the black acrylic laser cut half naked female holding an axe.. for some reason I think its sexy

Oh and umm, just ignore the scuffs and such. Most of them are actually just undried hotglue or fingerprints. Any actual scratches I find in the acrylic will result in the edges being frosted to cover it up.

Update #5

OK. So a month later (life has been hell lately), I finally get the time to resume this project!!

I modified the back of the chassis to allow for 1x120mm fan rather than two 80mm fans. I like this method better, and since I dont have two LED fans, 1 x 120mm is a better solution for me anyways

As you can see, I now have a problem to solve. Cutting the hole has left the partial hole for the other 120mm fan exposed and rather nasty. This must be fixed.

Yet another piece of scrap metal from the previous case candidate

Cut to proper shape, will be riveted in (since I had to drill out some rivets to get it in) along with the motherboard tray to the back of the chassis. The fan, once installed, will further help to secure it in place.

The front bezel had to be half re-done as there was a small complication. I had to cut a hole in it for the 120mm fan to be installed, and well.. the bondo layer separated from the bezel (bezel is flimsy, the bending motion dislodged the bondo)

So half of it has been redone, and minor patchwork to the other half. Updates to follow later today hopefully.

superk · 10-16-09

Mine Too

meticadpa · 10-16-09

Looks good so far, bro.

+

superk · 10-16-09

Update #6

Ok so another update!

This is the bezel after a major rework of the front (had to re-bondo half of the bezel)

The blue round thingy is to keep a shape for my 120mm front intake. Lots of sanding to do as a result, but in the end well worth it if it turns out right.

And a pic of the back.. just figured I would throw this in here somewhere...

Update #7

Thats a good idea, for my next project I will indeed use that!

This time around, I kinda got the shaft though, as I did this about 4 hours ago and didnt have/think of the fiber bondo

So the back patch plate is installed, and has bondo covering the other side. The back-plate is riveted in, to reapply the structural integrity which was lost when I drilled out the rivets in the first place.

Cant forget that I patched up that nice mess I made when I cut the cable management hole with the grinder, patched teh overcut with bondo, and the PC speaker port above it too.

I also took the liberty of sanding down the first layer of bondo from my front plate, and removed the bowl to reveal the VERY nice bondo circle below...

The dark red areas in the pic above are what need filling in with bondo, the rest is actually pretty nice...

Update #7

Au. 26 update #1 (of a few hopefully)

sanded down the bondo on the
case.

Added bondo, cured it, and allowed it to dry on the front bezel. Sanded down after.

Dring one part of sning, I chiped a small part of teh circle hole thingy.. crappy

Oh welllll at leaste its not a big job to fix.

Update #8

Another update!

Today was a heck of a day.

First of all, I decided what I was going to use for my Front Panel Switches/Leds, and where I was going to put them.

Next, I prepped my Bezel for priming

Had a coffee... Really good coffee too, i want another one now just thinking about it.. Addicted.. no! Never!

Whipped out the holesaw and made a hole for something. NO not that sicko!!!

The hole is for the wiring for this. My front/top panel I/O.

While all this was going on, I was priming.. coat after coat.. tryin to get rid of a few tiny friggen holes which I am too stubborn to bondo over lol

Then I took my son to the water park where we all enjoyed a nice relaxing free public shower lol.

Update #9

To be honest, I never noticed that the cups didnt have french until now.. Im actually in a very french town in northern ontario, kinda surprised they can get away with that here.

With regards to the IO Panel, its more so because I didnt like the one that was stock with the case, and I wanted to go one step further and relocate it to the top. By the time I am finished, I am 'hoping' to have the case look like a distant cousin of the antec 900.

Havent confirmed with myself yet, but I might put an 80mm fan on top too lol.

UPDATE TIME!

A few pics of the IO Panel

Here is the first coat of paint...

And for now, thats all folks

Update #10

SEP 03 UPDATE!!

Ok so pls dont flame me, but I decided to steal someones idea, or rather copy it

FLORISTS FOAM!!!

Instead of making a giant bondo brick, that would be easier

Although its not very sturdy, so I needed to make a shell for my turtle. The irony of florists foam being green...

And I kinda angled off the corners. I like the effect it makes and after another coat of shelling material will look wicked

Oh, and the bezel looks really nice now that the paint is dry, and I think I will indeed buff out those pinholes using the method suggested to me, wont take long and will add gazillions of points to the visual aesthetics..

crashdummy35 · 10-16-09

Coming along nicely.

superk · 10-16-09

Update #11

Thanks repo!

Sept 07 UPDATE!!!

Despite having massive network failure, I decided to take a break from life and spend an hour or so on the case. Mostly sanding down the old bondo to see how much new stuff I needed, and I wasnt very impressed with what I saw. Rather than attempt to fill holes here and there, I just coated the whole bloody thing. It looks slightly bulky now, and ugly, but once sanded and the nice clean lines show up I am certain it will look wicked.

the front

you can see how it is really coming together here. the front blends really nice (ignore the fresh bondo, as most of it is going to be sanded off. I just put a ton of it to mass-coat all the tiny holes everywhere.

And as if my day/week wasnt bad enough, I had to lose the keys to my toolshop. Was I ever pissed when I couldnt find them. I was SO pissed that I took a grinder to the lock to get in, I wanted to work on my tower, and NOTHING was stopping me

But I feel much better now

Update #12

Thanks again for all the tips repo, I used your suggestion where I could use it, and had to improvise for the rest

SEPT 10 Update!!

Just a quick note, this will be my last update for roughly a week or so.. Going to have surgery of my own tomorrow, for the same incident that landed me in the hospital a while back.. finally done on the waiting list

Anyways, enough crappy stuff, heres the good news

I got the panel taped up

I used repo's suggestion over the headphone jacks, but couldnt really get the tape to play nice with the switches, so I had to tape over then and use a utility knife to cut the edges of the circle. When it comes time for painting I will just hold down the tape to make sure I have a good seal and paint as I hold it (using some sorta bar or extender).

And just a couple pics of how the sides and back look now

I had a bit of trouble with the bondo getting thin and wearing down into the foam. So to solve that I have been cutting out the foam where it protruded and filling it with bondo. This should also help to secure the foam/bondo "iCap" in place.. (thats right Jobbs, SUE ME!)

Aside from that, the only work I will be able to do at home is minor sanding of the bezel to eliminate those pinholes. At least being 'grounded' will leave me enough time and the ability/inability to do that.

Oh well, ta ta for now.

Update #13

Ok, after some much deserved resting, I got a little work done on this bad-thing. Since its -38 outside (this morning, with wind-chill) I obviously cant bondo outside, and cant bondo inside either as long as my family is here.

Some pics!

First off, I noticed there was an off-side.. one side in which the top protruded slightly (1/8th inch), which left an ugly sight in the front which I had to take care of. Out came the palm sander and utility knife!

Unfortunately, it cracked almost all the way around, and ill need to fix that before I can continue. Hopefully its not a big deal once I bondo it over again. Still lots of minor holes to patch here and there before priming/painting. Also have a few more holes to cut, but nothing major at this point.. mostly the side panel.

What do you guys think of the smaller glass with the wire mesh and 120mm intake for a window? Its somewhat small, but is already fabricated, has the mounting material already, and I have one spare! My 1200 came in with a scratched window and Antec shipped me a replacement. The small window is still perfect, but the larger window has some scuffing/scratching going on... who cares tho right, as long as the small one is fine

Update #14

Great! Recently, we had a few days of nice weather so I took it upon myself to do a bit of work to this project!

Before

After

Before

After

The top seemingly needed some work, as the bondo was spread somewhat thin. During my strengthening process, I noticed:

As you can see, the right side needs to be sanded down more to allow for a match, its way easier than trying to actually raise the left some.

So yeah, after having a few holes cut in the side of the bondo, I think this is a nice facelift, and it only took a few hours of bondo-ing and sanding, and repeating a few times. I am left with a dire need for sanding and yet again more touchup bondo, but hopefully, time draws near for me to move on to finalizing the framework and cable management cuts.

Next Priority For Good Day

MOAR BONDO!!
MOAR Sanding
MOAR Coffee
Om nom nom.. Coffee

Next Priority For Rainy/Bad Day

Design Side Window
Cut Side Window
Sand/Paint/Prime Side Panel
Re-Sand Front Bezel
Prime/Paint Front Bezel
Mount Sexy-Lady-Axe-Murderer-Fan-Grill (Say that 10 times fast!)

Update #15

Well then get ready for more, because here it comes

More sanding today too!

The last pic looks kind of deceiving, but after completing a thorough set of measurements, the entire top-modification is completely even and identical on both sides right down to angles, spacing, and measurements.

Today, I will need to continue sanding the top, and pitch patch one last spot and then its onto final sanding and paint FINALLY!

I also still have the side panel to do, which I hope to at least get the layout done today.

superk · 10-16-09

Update #16

Ok so ive nailed down the design for the side panel, but now.. I need some tips on cutting this one. The last side panel I did, the cut wasnt exactly straight, so I need some assistance with that.. All I have for tools is a dremel, and a hand-held jigsaw. I have metal cutting utilities for both tools, but not sure exactly how many TPI my metal bits are off hand, I know the teeth are pretty dense. Its a horrible jigsaw and despite having an alignment bar, the cuts are never straight and I find myself repairing crooked cuts. Practice doesnt make decent, let alone perfect in this case. Here is my plans.

The window I will be using is from an Antec 1200 replacement panel, I happened to have spare. I have the metal grill, fanmount, acrylic window, dust screen, and nippled retention bracket thingies.

Using this information as a reference, what tips has OCN for me?

Update #17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syrillian

First, I would inspect that jig-saw to determine why it is not cutting straight. Then, attempt to repair or at least get the ol' nag to cut straight for about 10-minutes.

Ironically, most older tools are much more sturdy and reliable than newer, comparable tools.... the older ones just need some TLC to get them operating smoothly again.

Good luck.

Thanks for the tips! I tried what you had to say, had some success! Details below in bold!

An 8 tpi jigsaw blade will do the trick (like This one). Taking in to account that the side panel is aluminum I had 24 and 14 tpi metal bits, I used 14tpi
For the rounded corners, I would use a metal/alloy drill bit that was has the same radius that you desire for the opening. I would drill these 3 corners first. I had nothing on hand, and strapped for cash, so I used a circular dremel sanding stone, appears to have done the job well! After wards, it made a nice little groove in the stone, which I used to de-burr the entire window. Worked out well!
Connect the outer edges using the jigsaw and a level that is clamped to the panel as a guide. note that you can either: 1) c-clamp the guide to the panel, and then the panel to a sturdy work-surface, or 2) Clamp the level and the panel to the work-surface using only 1 set of clamps. No level, I used a piece of 1 x 6 wood hoping it would do a similar job
Use the Dremel and a metal-grinding bit to remove the largest burrs, then sandpaper to remove the finer burrs. Leftovers from rounding the corners proved useful for this very task!

PIX!

Cuts appear to be very straight. When getting in close, there are a few oh so tiny deviations, but those will be covered up by the C-Channel anyways.

The glass, and mesh are two different pieces. Its very hard to align them. Until I am prepared to fasten them in place, the pics will look a bit off, its very very difficult to get them to stay together properly

Update #18

Ok, so here come the pics... sorry its been a while, life really turned to heck lately.. again. :|

Hoping to have this project COMPLETED in the next few days, its looking good so far

Side panel with window cut-out and painted... only missing the clearcoat.

Front bezel after some sanding to get rid of the hideous painting errors I did..

Rear panel awaiting clearcoat.

Top IO Panel after a minor bondo job to cover up a hole.

The previous pic is already outdated. I have since sanded it down and applied yet another patch-job of bondo (spots here and there) to cover up MISC bubbles and such.

Front bezel 90 percent completed, only missing out on a bondo patch at the top in the rear of the bezel.. something I overlooked

This is the something I overlooked

And finally, an estimation shot of what the computer would look like when completed. Imagine a nice side panel though, and all glossed black outside, flat black inside.

Also, I have to update my parts list for this rig, since its completely out of date as well. I ordered new parts, they should be here Friday/Monday

Athlon II X4 620 (versus e8400)
2gb Kingston Ram PC2-6400 (versus the G.Skills)
ECS A780GM-A ATX AM2+/AM3 AMD780G SB700

Pic of board

This board will make a nice linux machine. I also plan to SMP fold on it natively in linux and have GPU folding run on the radeon 3200 integrated. Any idea of the PPD I should get out of the cpu? How about GPU? I know the 3200 isnt high end so I dont expect much.

superk · 10-16-09

Update #19

Ok so here is the drill. The last two days have been non-stop on this project, it has begun to consume me. I have been living and breating bondo and paint fumes to the point that my nose hairs are a combination of hair and spraypaint glue. Its intense. Every time I breath I get this nice paint buzz that encourages me to continue. Ok so no buzz but it does make breathing difficult.

I WANT THIS DONE!

On to the pics.

Here is the pic of the rear top of the bezel which I have decided to bondo down to make it nice and flush

Window panel cutout painted glossy and with the C-Channel installed.

Window installed, and screwed into place. DAYAM thats HAWT.

Just a few more touchups before paint!

SURPRISE. Purolator came a-knockin today. GOODIES MMMM!!

Just prior to priming and painting

Power Supply Fun!!

HDD Cage Ready to go!

Chassis painted, ready to go!

So thats where I am at now. There are more items that havent been snapped up in pics yet, gonna wait til they are done :P

TO DO:

Finish PSU Paint
Paint rear of bezel
give it a final go-over
IF YOU BUILD IT, IT WILL RUN (I hope )

nategr8ns · 10-17-09

I hope it runs too

. Have you tested the components yet though?

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Case Rebirth: Completed: Heracles VIDEOS ADDED, Just waiting on OCZ Vendetta!

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