Vapor Locked (CM690) Updated September 2 *see second post*

Table of Contents

June 14 - Some misc parts I have so far
June 15 (1) - Cutting out the window
June 15 (2) - Removing the HDD rack and fixing the front mesh
June 15 (3) - More case cutting, fan holes, cable management etc
June 15 (4) - Case cutting continued
June 16 - Cable management and wiener dogs!
June 16 (2) - Modding/painting the Accelero GTX 280 GPU cooler
June 17 - Weathering/rusting the GPU cooler and testing the "Sophisticated Finishes" metal paint
June 20 - Painting the case frame!
June 20 (2) - Second coat of primer
June 25 - Interior is painted!
July 4 - The frame gets its rust treatment. As well as the CPU and GPU coolers! (and underdog makes a guest appearence)
July 4 (2) - The final rust shots for the case frame and coolers!
July 7 - Making the copper nails into ramsinks for the GPU memory
July 26 - Bending copper tubing to run the fan wires!
August 4 - Still working on the tubing. Also fabricating the front 140mm fan mount.
August 23 - Cutting the acrylic window and installing it!
August 29 - Bending the front and rear fan tubing and finishing the front 140mm mount
August 29 (2) - Modding continued.
September 1 - The tubing gets plumbed into the controller box!
September 9 - Moar plumbing parts and the fan controller still coming together
October 29 - Still working on the fan controller->optical drive piece and the copper tubing AND (in a RL update) I GOT ENGAGED!
December 19 - WATERCOOLING and hardware finally going BACK INTO the case! Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
March 14 (2011) - GPU goes underwater. Spring returns, Repo gets settled and plans to start modding more frequently.
March 18 (2011) - Fan controller mod - Biggest hurdle is over. The wiring can begin!
September 2 (2011) - RUST IS HERE

Teaser Pics! Please see above update links for all work!

More teaser pics.

So, as vaguely mentioned in the above posts, this is a log for my CM 690. It will follow a factory/machinery and steampunk style. The exterior will be metal effects bronze paint with a weathered look. Intricate gears comprise the inner workings. I also plan to route copper tubing along the inside for cable management. These lines will simulate watercooling but will only be for cable management, which is where this project gets its name - vapor locked, which is when a water system gets air in the lines and stops the flow.

This was my Mod of the Year entry but I just can't finish it in time. And I would much rather give everyone here a wonderful, completed mod than a rushed finished one. I'll upload the pics I have so far tonight. I just had to make an OP now or I wouldn't get around to it later.

Some shots of misc parts I have so far.

These are some copper nails I picked up the local hardware store. I've since let them sit outside for around 3 weeks till they've oxidized. I'll be using these as copper heatsinks/ramsinks on misc hardware parts.




Some schythe HDD silencer mounts I got from underdog!




This is a clock I tore apart for gears. Not sure where these will all go but I do know a can opener will take care of a clock.




This + this



Equals this!


















Overall a nice assortment. I've also been taking apart dead wristwatches for small misc gears.

I don't have time to type up a detailed update but I did upload 133 photos tonight so I should have you guys caught up on this project hopefully by Friday. Thanks for watching!

thedark every time i read one of your posts i loose the game

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Thanks guys.

Finally have time to hotlink some more pics. I hate having to catch up, lol.

----Update----


I started tracing out the cut for the window and drilled out some pilot holes for the jigsaw.






Mmmm, more power!


I used a 2" (iirc) holesaw to make the outer turns. I usually do the corners with a jigsaw but I wanted a tighter radius cut here than my jigsaw could muster. So the holesaw did its work and then the jigsaw got some face time.




Tadah!

This case will have 4x 140mm Yate Loon high speed fans. 2 in the top mounts, 1 in the floor mount, and the fourth one will be in the front. This required me to cut the hole up front though, as it is a 120mm hole from the factory. I had decided to use the HDD mounts to move the HDD up. This allowed me to cut out the HDD rack/cage and improve airflow directly into the case.


At this point I was using a (very) cheap PSU to just let me have internet while my Corsair was being RMA'd (long story). Here you can see the stock layout of the case.


This is going bye bye.




A few rivets later and viola!


MUCH better airflow now.

At this point I figured I needed to fix something that had bothered since I first got the case - the slant on the front mesh. The mesh isn't uniformly gapped all the way down and it was driving me crazy!






You see what I mean? I just wanted it flat all the way down, like my A300. So I whipped out a flathead and some glue and fixed it!




Just bend these tabs back and the front mesh will push forward.


Then I simply put some glue on the front edge of the mesh and pressed it flush to the front. The glue holds it tight. I also bent back any of the tabs that still have excess (there are a few, but the glue holds it mostly).




That's so much better, it was driving me NUTS!


Ohhh, also, my PSU got back at this point! NO MORE STOCK PSU! WOOT!


Cable management holes are going to be a MUST.

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Sweet, I'm going to keep my eye on this thread.