Final:
Ok, so i just typed a whole damn write up on this computer, and then my comp restarted just before i clicked the post reply button. that pisses me off, im on the edge right now. literally about to explode. oh well, what can you do? i guess ill just have to type the whole essay all over again, that really sucks, i dont know what i said, and it took 45 min to write, so now i have to babble for 45 more minutes, just what i wanted to do. damnit. Whatever. Im done. the case is done, it looks kickass, im happy. it met all the goals i set, that was to have a PC thats silent. performs well, and looks good doing so. i have to thank my dad for all those enginerring discussions we had, this project wouldnt have come out the way it did if it wasnt for him. not to say that i didnt do 100% of the work, as i did. but he helped with alot of the designing and planning stages as far as placement of components, and other things of that nature. Ok, on to the PC itself. the accent pieces came back today (june 29, 2004) from the powder coater, and they look awesome, i got them done in a smoke chrome, with a thick layer of clearcoat over the top, since this rig will be headed for many lans in the future, and believe it or not, it weighs in at a manageable 30 lbs. not bad for a chunk of nearly solid steel, wiring, and components. The paint was a rather complicated process, it had 5 layers, and took over a month to complete. it was as follows: Sand 400, primer, 400, primer, 400, black, 600, black, 600, black, 800, silver gradient, purple, 1000, clear, 1500, clear, 2000, rubbing compound. the accent pieces were all 100% hand cut, using a dremel, i thought i would never touch my dremel after that dragon window i did a while back, boy was i ever wrong. i have never been more wrong in fact. Ok, on to the pics.
Here is a wide perspective shot, note the white server feet :)
Front panel, note the power button, made from an old CMOS battery, and the temperature gauge, connected to the GPU.
Another shot of the front bezel:
Bezel in action:
This shot shows the top panel, in a perspective, notice the texture of the powder coating, it almost seems gently dimpled, but its extremely smooth, thats just the way powder coating appears.
All that painstaking sanding in between coats paid off.
The top panel, notice the gradient from purple to black here.
Closeup views of the accent pieces, against the purple paint.
Mmmm, Shiny!
Backpanel, slightly blurry, my bad, note, the rear power connector, wired internally with an extension to the PSU itself, just to allow easy disconnecting for transport. Also notice, all the connectors have been painted black. The I/O plate, and PCI covers, have been painted black, with purple flake, but its hard to see in the pics, unfortunately.
Transitioning to the sidepanel, we find another accent piece...
This is the only shot showing the true purple color in the paint:
Front bezel in action again, with LED spotlighting shining down on the grills:
CD Tray, painted high gloss white, clearcoated, with the LEDs shining on it:
LED feet in action, thought not very noticable, unless you know they are there :(
Side panel, etched window. Representing silence...
If you remember what this thing looked like before, this is quite a contrast to all that beige, and steel. Overall this project was a learning experience for me, but unfortunately i think it also might be my last case, at least for quite some time....time constraints of flight training, couple with school, doesnt leave much time or money for modding :( But, cheers, and i have definately enjoyed the ride, and i have many of you who read and follow my work, to thank, for your support, and feedback, i really appreciate it.
\-Jason-/
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Flames perhaps?
Send them here:
Monkey46@cox.net (no spam plz)
Original Work log/text post archive, here:
http://members.cox.net/monkey46/com_1.htm
http://members.cox.net/monkey46/com_2.htm