Case worklog: Cleaning up a wounded warrior

[WalkinTarget]

Follow along as I update and clean up the first case that I actually sunk a couple of $$ into, a Compucase 6919 full mid-tower that is similar to the classic Antec 830.





The case was bought back in 2003 and soon after I got it, I had scratched it while assembling a rig .. blasted nail sticking up from my workbench !!! I retired the case about a year ago, but had gotten tired of seeing it lying dormant and wanted to make a conscientious effort if possible to return it to its former glory. I learned from every case that I've ever put together, and this one was the first that I actually did more than just slap parts into it and call it a day.

I did several things, like dye the molex connectors to match the color scheme:



Sleeve the fan power cables:



And use a vinyl dye to dye the CD drive tray,faceplate:



So it was a nice rig in its day:



but .... it has fallen on hard times.







The above is the result of about 6 hours of sanding, and after two coats of primer, its getting back to where it may just look good again after I add some paint to its exterior:



The plan is to finish it in a flat black, with not a lot of chrome and gloss to the exterior, and then add a ton of chrome fans, silver cabling and plenty of white LED lighting to give it that 'disco ball' effect internally.

Purchased so far are the following items:

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16835129043

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16835129045

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16835129231

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...roducts_id=363

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811994002

http://www.ultraproducts.com/product...&productID=407

Thats three fans, all chrome and white LEDs, 2 CCL tubes to brighten in further, and a fan controller modded to have white LEDs for each of the fan rheostats. I have a chrome PSU with silver cabling, all SATA/IDE cabling is either silver or chrome, and I've cut a side panel in the case to let all that light shine out.

I'll update the thread when anything noteworthy is done, and the plan is to put it together in about 2-3 weeks. I have everything I need except for the fan controller, SATA optical drive and Windows Vista Ultimate, which I should be getting mid-March.

[th3st1ck]

Sweetness!

[Devilguns]

Thats awesome WT. It must be in the air because I just inherited an old Gateway Tower that dwarfs my Thermaltake Shark case. I'm going to turn it into an Ubuntu box. I want to have a little fun with the case though.

I cant wait to see how yours turns out.

[juneau]

Looking great WT. Can't wait to see the finished article.

[CHOPS123]

Nice! Looks like a fun project

[Duke{CLR}]

That looks like a fun project I can't wait to see the final results.

[-IRC-MIKE]

Don't be afraid to pull out the big tools for small jobs. Doing so can dramatically reduce work time and make things a WHOLE lot easier.

I have done several of these and sold them for quite a bit more than what they were originally worth. Nice job bud. Side note: A nice high-speed air tool,

an air compressor,

and a wire wheel
will reduce the sanding time down to about 1 hour or less.
This cup wire wheel has guards on it so that it will block a lot of wire flying loose but you should still always wear safety glasses when using high speed tools and especially wire wheels.

This is the kind of wire wheel I use for doing the tedious work in crevaces and deep penetration cracks, where needed

...but the cup style wheels are better for covering a surface area more quickly. If you are uncomfortable using a wire wheel, you can also use the wheels that look like this one except they are black scotch-brite pads made by 3m and can be found at wal-mart for about 2-5 dollars (depending on which section you look in).

I found some in the hardware section that were 3.99 each, and the same ones were over in automotive section for 1.99.. .. so use your head.
http://www.nextag.com/wire-wheel/search-html

[WalkinTarget]

Hey Mike .. I never used my hands !!!!

This is a project that I brought into work that I've turned over to two Senior High students that are interested in computers, so they are doing the labor stuff and I am going to show them how to build the PC after all the hardware is purchased.

I've invested about $250 in parts so far .. and this is for a PC that has no use to me other than as a training exercise for two young kids. No idea what I'll do with it after that, but I've floated the idea of letting them use it at home for a few weeks for each of them.

Both of them also have access to any extra PC hardware that I come across, so it greatly behooves them to do a good job, as I will help them out with hardware. I feel like this is a golder opportunity to pay it forward and help out kids who were like me 20 years ago ... full of interest but lacking PC 'smarts'.

[-IRC-MIKE]

Excellent idea.

It would be nice if you had spent that 250.00 toward this:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/email/ca/e...?CMP=ILC-FPM04
That price doesn't even show the 25.00 mail in rebate.

Then it would have a LOT of use for you.

[WalkinTarget]

Painting is done ! I gotta say I had hoped that flat black would hide those fingerprints and scuffmarks, but it is actually no better than semi-gloss so far.

Regardless, I am calling it done (patience is a huuuge virtue when we are talking case builds, and I admit to lacking that in spades).

Here's the shot of it as it stands:



So far, I have assembled almost enough to get it going, with a few odds and ends to go yet:



Hardware:
Intel C2D e2180 OEM CPU (2.0, shooting for 3.0 on this chip)
Asrock Dual-775VSTA mainboard
Super Talent 4gb DDR2-800 RAM
Seagate 320gb hard drive (x2)
Nvidia 6800 PCIe 128mb video card (care of Duke via BA - they will spin up their fans yet again, guys !!)
Ultra X-Connect 500w modular PSU
Aerocool fans (a trio for the case-ext 120,int 80,CPU HSF-120

The PSU has been a P.I.T.A, as I've had two different PSU's go out of stock on the day that I was to order each, but I finally got an OK deal on an Ultra unit, that altho not chrome to match my overall plan, is a blackout chrome (?) that, in the below picture, looks as black as night, but it is in fact a cool mirrored black/chrome finish that the camera does not pick up well. It pumps out 28a on the +12 rail, so considering I have another one powering an AMD 5000+ Black Edition, 7950GX2 setup, its absolutely fine for this particular build.



I used a chrome trim kit found at the parts store to line the side window, as bare metal is sooo ghetto, so it turned out OK, but the precision miter cuts on each corner were a tricky thing to achieve. Check it out !!



Remaining parts include an NEC DVD/RW, CCL tube kit and a fan controller to deal with all of the fans and CCL lighting. The plan is to put it together next weekend.

[TheSilentAssassin]

Looks good so far!!

[imlittlev]

where d you get that trim?

[WalkinTarget]

AutoZone, of all places !!! Its known as Auto Trim Molding, part number AT1006 made by a compan called Elegant. Its used as a replacement for door jamb trim or whatnot in cars.
Its actually a perfect fit for PC cases, and has an adhesive on the inner lining to hold it in place. It cuts very easy with a scissors, but it comes in a roll, and the hardest part of the job is making that stuff straighten out !!

Any car parts store should have it in stock:

Found a link for it here:

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...egoryCode=3209

[-IRC-MIKE]

and the hardest part of the job is making that stuff straighten out !!

Had an issue with some stuff similar to this. The heat gun did a nice trick on that stuff and it laid flat like it was nothing.

[juneau]

Great work WT!!!! Can't wait to see it all blinged out.