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Dell Dimension - BeigeModders Build

4K views 38 replies 5 participants last post by  ReaperN1 
#1 ·
This project started out as adding a few LEDs and a fan until I ran across BeigeModders. I am now a member and I'm going to make this an awesome side project. I will be modding this desktop into something neat. Stay tuned for a sweet build.

I recently added a free Dell 3000 to my mini prototyping lab. I will be using it as a dedicated computer to run one of my 3D printers. This dell has a 3.2 Ghz P4 processor with hyper threading, which is perfect for what it will be used for. Ive upgraded the hard drives to have a removable 2-Terabyte Seagate hard drive to hold all of my CAD designs and files.

Why:

Being an avid case modder, I couldn't stand having a completely stock case sitting there. So I decided to do a couple small upgrades to make it more custom as well as add a little cooling for the Gigabyte PCI GPU.

And So It Begins:


••Fan Mod••

For the fan I will be using an Antec 120mm fan with built in High/Medium/Low switch. The fan was one that was taken out of my Antec Gamer 900 case. Luckily the Dell case already has some holes cut out of the side panel. This served as a great location for the 120mm fan to be mounted as it is right next to the GPU. I laid the fan on the inside of the panel and made a few marks to determine where I would drill the mounting holes.


After that I took a bit that is about 3.31mm and drilled two holes that are diagonal from each other. You could always drill out all four holes but, I've found its not needed for this specific mod. Once it was all mounted it was just a matter of plugging in the 4-pin molex plug into the PSU.



I think this mod came out well, especially for the short amount of time used to complete this mod.

LED Add On & Build:

I decided to use all scavenged materials to do this mod. Parts that were needed include: wiring, 3-LEDs, heat shrink, solder and a few hand tools. The LEDs I chose are green. I used a helping hand holder (clips) to solder each wire to the LEDs after I checked them for polarity.


I then found a resister that worked well with these LEDs. I then soldered the correct resister onto the positive lead. Once they were soldered I tested the wiring using a 12v DC adapter. I then heatshrinked the uncovered portions to protect them from being bumped or pulled.

Once I had all the wiring finished I went about taking off the front clip on the Dell tower. It has four little clips and it came off rather easy. I used adhesive backed zip tie mounts to position the LEDs where I wanted them.





After that it was just a matter of putting the front panel back on and checking everything. Here's the end result:




Once I have some more free time I will probably update this thread with new mods.
 
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#3 ·
Updated Pics Of Milestones: (this spot will be used to show the best of the progress pics)


 
#4 ·
I've decided to use a top piece that I've been working on for another case mod. The plans for the other case changed so I decided to adapt it for this build. Here's the mock ups that were started a few days ago. More updates soon! I will be using my new airbrush kit as this will be a kind of District 9 meets Fallout style case. I'm not using it as a theme but, it will be that kind of styling.



 
#5 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ReaperN1 View Post

I've decided to use a top piece that I've been working on for another case mod. The plans for the other case changed so I decided to adapt it for this build. Here's the mock ups that were started a few days ago. More updates soon! I will be using my new airbrush kit as this will be a kind of District 9 meets Fallout style case. I'm not using it as a theme but, it will be that kind of styling.


]
That looks eerily like an aquarium lamp cover. Is that what that was originally?
 
#6 ·
No. Lol it isn't. I took pieces from some old DJ lights that I had laying around. I hacked a few of them up as well as added some other parts to get this together. It will hold a rad once I'm done. It has a removable panel and it will have more bits once I'm finished. It's all thick metal.
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ReaperN1 View Post

No. Lol it isn't. I took pieces from some old DJ lights that I had laying around. I hacked a few of them up as well as added some other parts to get this together. It will hold a rad once I'm done. It has a removable panel and it will have more bits once I'm finished. It's all thick metal.
So very very cool. That's the kind of thing I love to see.
 
#9 ·
I recently added white (cool) LEDs to the front to give it a better look. Once I have some spare time I will start to put together a couple of sketches to get some direction on this case mod. Here's with the new LEDs. I also upgraded the GPU to a Gigabyte HD 6570 that's OverClocked to 670mhz.

Here's the newly added Gigabyte GPU:


Here's the updated pics with the new LEDs;

 
#10 ·
Sub'd!
biggrin.gif


Those LEDs at the front have a way better effect than I'd expected... *Looks at own front Panel*...
tongue.gif


Keep it up!
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#11 ·
Thanks. I was pleased with how they turned out. Especially for a mod that was free and only took a small amount of time to accomplish.
 
#12 ·
Here's the booth I built for the new airbrush setup that will be used for this mod. It turned out pretty good so far but I still have to add the filtration system. It will fit a large case. I also built a rotating stand which will make painting parts much easier.


 
#14 ·
I was lucky enough to get it donated and I made the booth out of a shelf I saved from the scrap heap.
 
#15 ·
I finally have some time to update the progress that has been made on this build. I just got out of the hospital and one of the first things I wanted to do was post the progress I made before I was carted off. I worked on the top rad mount quite a bit. I added a grill for the front cross flow fan system. I had to make a few cuts on the top side of the grill to get it to fit correctly. Since the added top section gives me so much room I want to play around with different cooling setups for the rad. I don't have any of the water cooling parts yet so I will have to see about maybe some trades or buying used parts. If anybody has any old water cooling parts that they would like to trade/sell/donate, it would be a big help. Due to recent medical bills I will have to do this on a very tight budget.

As mentioned previously this will be a District 9 meets Fallout style case. It's my natural building style and I just got a new airbrush setup that will be used for this build. I started by rough cutting and mocking up parts to get the shape/styling I want. The led on the front will indicate when the cross flow system is active. The switch will activate the cross flow cooling. The slotted metal mounted on the side will serve as a cable pass through to the side mounted fan and add on ports. It will also give the case extra dimension. I will more than likely completely remove the front of the case for a total re-design. I have already removed the hard disk drive and soon I will be removing or relocating the optical drive. This will help to clean up the front of the case.

Here's the progress I've made:





 
#16 ·
I was able to make enouph progress for an update. I designed some Asus ROG gear that I will be 3D printing for this project. I haven't completely decided where the badge will go but the 120mm fan grills are obviously for the fans I will be adding. More than likely I will add four fans that will be mounted on the side of the case or at the bottom if I decide to extend the case.

Here's what I've been working on:




 
#17 ·
Time for some much needed updates:

I cut some aluminum and birch today for the interior of the case. The purpose of these parts is to give the case a much cleaner look inside as well as to have a platform for the cable management setup. Here's what the case looked like before I started with today's mods


I wanted the extruded aluminum to be mounted vertically. The Dell case doesn't offer up much room. I overcame this obstacle by notching out the extruded aluminum so that the optical drive would fit inside part of the aluminum.




After that I took measurements so that I could cut some 5mm thick birch that I have. I'm using the Baltic birch to streamline the looks of the inside of the case. After cutting the birch down to size I needed to take measurements for the front panels tabs that are in the way. Notching out the birch worked great.



I think it looks great so far. I just need to make a few more cuts to make it perfect. I haven't decided if I will paint the wood panel. More than likely I will so that it fits in with the cases intended theme.
 
#18 ·
I decided to upgrade the dell further since this is going to be a dedicated computer to run my 3D printers. It will also be used to design parts and prototypes for case modding. I am going to mount my Asus S2 Pro CPU cooler because the stock one gets hot and I haven't even pushed it or the GPU much. This case is very small so the Asus cooler will look like a monster. I just mocked it up to make sure it would fit and it does (barley)



 
#20 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jhereg10 View Post

Nice.
thumb.gif


Keep em coming!
Thank you sir.

I've made the necessary cuts in order to get the wood panel to slide into the piece of extruded aluminum. It was kind of tricky to cut but, it turned out great. I'm now testing out different colors to paint the piece of birch. Heres a few pics of the progress made.

 
#22 ·



I've been playing around with different colors to get one I like. This one looks pretty promising. I also did some basic cable management in order to clean it up a bit inside.

Here's after the cables inside were cleaned up.
 
#23 ·
Alright I've decided to go crazy on this build. For me this case is going to be therapy. I want to go all out and do the things I love to do as well as my favorite style of mods. Like mentioned before I'm going for a Portal/Bioshock/Half-Life/District 9/ and others theme. It will be designed and built using whatever I have laying around. I've started further mock-ups with a hodgepodge of pieces that I've had laying around. Here's a few pics to show you where I'm headed with it.

Again these are mock-ups and once I decide exactly what I will and won't use I will custom fit/fabricate the parts to fit together correctly.




 
#24 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ReaperN1 View Post

Alright I've decided to go crazy on this build. For me this case is going to be therapy. I want to go all out and do the things I love to do as well as my favorite style of mods. Like mentioned before I'm going for a Portal/Bioshock/Half-Life/District 9/ and others theme. It will be designed and built using whatever I have laying around. I've started further mock-ups with a hodgepodge of pieces that I've had laying around. Here's a few pics to show you where I'm headed with it.

Again these are mock-ups and once I decide exactly what I will and won't use I will custom fit/fabricate the parts to fit together correctly.
Go for it!
thumb.gif
 
#25 ·
Updates: I got the carbon fiber wrap in finally, which allowed me to wrap the vertical divider. It fits seamlessly with the drive bay cover. I will be cutting out a small section of the drive bay cover to fit a logo in. I haven't decided 100% on what the logo will be yet. Once I get it figured out I will notch a spot out and use a piece of acrylic over it which will add some depth to it. I'm kind of just letting this case take shape with no definite plans on design. I've been debating back and fourth between different ideas.

Here's the progress made with the carbon fiber wrap: (Not too bad considering it's my first use of the wrap)




 
#26 ·
I have another update:
I decided to try out a new texturing/paint effect on the shroud that goes over the CPUs heat sink. It will be a little while until I swap out the stock Dell CPU cooler for an Asus one. I took the opportunity to make it look great in the meantime.

I've been testing out different texturing techniques using a custom made epoxy/thickener. If done correctly it gives a sort of leathering effect that can be painted. I painted it with a smoke grey paint and then clear coated it. I had to be carful not to add too much shine on it when completing the clear. There are several tricks to do so.



I am very happy with the results as it mixes together with the other tones well. I am not sure what parts or upgrades I will do next. More than likely I will do a little custom cable management and a few other cosmetic add ons.

 
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