Project Log: Hybrid Twist

**magnethead** · 01-08-2008, 07:44 PM

I have an old computer case, and if i wanted to absolutely waste money, would it be insane for me to hack the motherboard tray and PCI slots out of one of them (in one piece) and build a larger case around it that was 8 inches wide, 21 inches tall, and 24 inches deep?

2 hard drive bays side by side which are covered by 1 of the 200 mm fans then ducted to a passive vent on the removable side panel, with wiring done through a hide-a-way wiring panel behind the motherboard tray.

250mm intake fan on the side panel to cool the graphics cards, even in SLI or tri-SLI orientation.

A 120mm exhaust fan in the traditional spot next to the I/O connections.

A 200mm exhaust fan on the top and rear of the case (similar to placement on A. 900)

120mm intake fan on front above HDD bays, below 5.25 drive bays for general intake

2 1394 6 pin
2 USB 2.0
front mic/headphone
power button
6 channel fan controller

**magnethead** · 01-08-2008, 08:25 PM

all 5.25 bays can be swapped, room for 3 CD/DVD drives plus the 5.25 I/O/power/controller row

1 g0t 0wn3d · 01-08-2008, 09:23 PM

make the inside uv reactive?

forcifer · 01-09-2008, 05:00 AM

ive thought about doing the exact same thing. it really is hard though. will you have someone else be doing the metal bending?

to make the insides UV reactive, i have used http://www.xoxide.com/paint.html and it works very well. also sandpapers off, so you dont have to worry about mistakes.

**magnethead** · 01-09-2008, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magnethead

I have an old computer case, and if i wanted to absolutely waste money,

key sentence. I have an antec 900- no need for another custom case YET. But basically the design is mocking a 900 with bigger fans and more inside space..much more (and better wiring, like a few have used on the 900).

But we have a workshop here and a press if the ONLY thing we don't have. But i could cut and weld the base ATX chassis to put the PSU on bottom rather easily, use dzeus fasteners for the sides, and roll the edges of the sides fairly easy, with a static mount front (no removable bezel). Not sure how I'd combine the 250mm fan and the plexiglass and side panel unless i put the plexi physically over the sheet metal and do liek the 90 and go around 2/3 of the fan.

forcifer · 01-09-2008, 03:02 PM

ah sweet. i was actually thinking about doing the same thing with parts of my old case :)

**magnethead** · 01-09-2008, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forcifer

ah sweet. i was actually thinking about doing the same thing with parts of my old case :)

the fab part would be fairly easy- MAYBE 30 bucks in sheet metal and whatever 8 dzeus fasteners would cost. It's the fans at 20 bucks a pop that would be costly.

**magnethead** · 01-19-2008, 11:17 AM

I drew the lines out and completely gutted the case, just gotta start hacking it up with the die grinder. PRobably merge Forcifer's idea, use quarter inch plywood all around and make the doors on both sides slide out forward on rails to have inside access. Take the motherboard tray and set it out 1" from the vertical riser supports to snake the wiring through to the periphrials. Put sheet metal strips on either side of the 120 mm intake fan, one side will have the power button, power/HDD LED's, and audio lines, other will have the USB and 1394 I/O's, with a 5.25 fan controller at the bottom of the case.

**magnethead** · 01-19-2008, 08:51 PM

Here's the updated CAD

**magnethead** · 01-19-2008, 09:14 PM

and my fabtabulously great lighting for the images....

basically, there'll be some 1-by running vertically in the case, which the tray will be attached to, then the motherboard will be attached to the tray using standard stand-offs. The door and plexy will be at least an inch away from the back of the motherboard to prevent static transfer. The areas within the lines and circles will be cut out so that those portions of the motherboard will be revealed through the plexi.

**TheMatt** · 01-19-2008, 09:26 PM

Add one of those PCI slot coolers and you will be all set. Make the 250mm side fan very low RPM since it doesn't need to move more than 50CFM to do a good job.

**magnethead** · 01-19-2008, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMatt

Add one of those PCI slot coolers and you will be all set. Make the 250mm side fan very low RPM since it doesn't need to move more than 50CFM to do a good job.

250 mm fan- performance PC blue

200 mm fans- big boy 200 antecs

120 mm fan (I already have 1 high-flow unit for exhaust side) (intake side side)- Antec Tri-cool blue

All 4 fans will be on a controller mounted in the green slot between the front fans. Also, the PCI slot mounts will be 1 piece with the MB tray.

**magnethead** · 01-19-2008, 10:56 PM

And so i recieved honorable mention on my website-

http://www.magnethead794.com/custcomp.php

**TheMatt** · 01-20-2008, 09:09 AM

Also remember that the computer will have to be quite wide to accommodate the 200mm fans on the front and back.

**magnethead** · 01-20-2008, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMatt

Also remember that the computer will have to be quite wide to accommodate the 200mm fans on the front and back.

what's wider- 200 mm fans, or 2 hard drives SIDE BY SIDE horizontally?

**magnethead** · 01-20-2008, 12:28 PM

2 x 21"x22" panels (sides) .25" ply
2 x 8"x21" (front/back) .25" ply
3 x 8"x22" (top and 2 layer bottom) .25" ply
4 x 8 ft 1-by, 5 x 6 ft 1-by, or 2 x 6ft 1"x4" (side guides)
250 mm fan 24.99
200 mm fans59.98
120 mm front fan14.99 (ebay?)

That's right at $100 in fans!

01-08-2008, 07:44 PM	#1 (permalink)
magnethead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: TX Posts: 820 OS: XPH, 2K My System Blog Entries: 2	Project Log: Hybrid Twist I have an old computer case, and if i wanted to absolutely waste money, would it be insane for me to hack the motherboard tray and PCI slots out of one of them (in one piece) and build a larger case around it that was 8 inches wide, 21 inches tall, and 24 inches deep? 2 hard drive bays side by side which are covered by 1 of the 200 mm fans then ducted to a passive vent on the removable side panel, with wiring done through a hide-a-way wiring panel behind the motherboard tray. 250mm intake fan on the side panel to cool the graphics cards, even in SLI or tri-SLI orientation. A 120mm exhaust fan in the traditional spot next to the I/O connections. A 200mm exhaust fan on the top and rear of the case (similar to placement on A. 900) 120mm intake fan on front above HDD bays, below 5.25 drive bays for general intake 2 1394 6 pin 2 USB 2.0 front mic/headphone power button 6 channel fan controller __________________ I'm not the world's greatest speller. Deal with it. Last edited by magnethead : 01-08-2008 at 07:57 PM.

01-08-2008, 08:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
magnethead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: TX Posts: 820 OS: XPH, 2K My System Blog Entries: 2	Re: call me crazy? all 5.25 bays can be swapped, room for 3 CD/DVD drives plus the 5.25 I/O/power/controller row __________________ I'm not the world's greatest speller. Deal with it.

01-08-2008, 09:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
1 g0t 0wn3d Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Sedona, az Posts: 6,078 OS: Vista basic 32bit My System	Re: call me crazy? make the inside uv reactive? __________________ Bench Test \| PC Wizard \| System specs \| PSU info \| PSU calculator \| Memtest86+ \| Speedfan

01-09-2008, 05:00 AM	#4 (permalink)
forcifer good bye and good luck Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kansas City kansas Posts: 3,464 OS: Vista Premium 32 My System Blog Entries: 1	Re: call me crazy? ive thought about doing the exact same thing. it really is hard though. will you have someone else be doing the metal bending? to make the insides UV reactive, i have used http://www.xoxide.com/paint.html and it works very well. also sandpapers off, so you dont have to worry about mistakes.

01-09-2008, 03:02 PM	#6 (permalink)
forcifer good bye and good luck Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kansas City kansas Posts: 3,464 OS: Vista Premium 32 My System Blog Entries: 1	Re: call me crazy? ah sweet. i was actually thinking about doing the same thing with parts of my old case :)

01-19-2008, 11:17 AM	#8 (permalink)
magnethead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: TX Posts: 820 OS: XPH, 2K My System Blog Entries: 2	Re: call me crazy? I drew the lines out and completely gutted the case, just gotta start hacking it up with the die grinder. PRobably merge Forcifer's idea, use quarter inch plywood all around and make the doors on both sides slide out forward on rails to have inside access. Take the motherboard tray and set it out 1" from the vertical riser supports to snake the wiring through to the periphrials. Put sheet metal strips on either side of the 120 mm intake fan, one side will have the power button, power/HDD LED's, and audio lines, other will have the USB and 1394 I/O's, with a 5.25 fan controller at the bottom of the case. __________________ I'm not the world's greatest speller. Deal with it.

01-19-2008, 08:51 PM	#9 (permalink)
magnethead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: TX Posts: 820 OS: XPH, 2K My System Blog Entries: 2	Re: call me crazy? Here's the updated CAD __________________ I'm not the world's greatest speller. Deal with it.

01-19-2008, 09:14 PM	#10 (permalink)
magnethead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: TX Posts: 820 OS: XPH, 2K My System Blog Entries: 2	Re: call me crazy? and my fabtabulously great lighting for the images.... basically, there'll be some 1-by running vertically in the case, which the tray will be attached to, then the motherboard will be attached to the tray using standard stand-offs. The door and plexy will be at least an inch away from the back of the motherboard to prevent static transfer. The areas within the lines and circles will be cut out so that those portions of the motherboard will be revealed through the plexi. __________________ I'm not the world's greatest speller. Deal with it. Last edited by magnethead : 01-19-2008 at 09:22 PM.

01-19-2008, 09:26 PM	#11 (permalink)
TheMatt Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,583 OS: Windows 3.1, 98, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: call me crazy? Add one of those PCI slot coolers and you will be all set. Make the 250mm side fan very low RPM since it doesn't need to move more than 50CFM to do a good job. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

01-19-2008, 10:56 PM	#13 (permalink)
magnethead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: TX Posts: 820 OS: XPH, 2K My System Blog Entries: 2	Re: call me crazy? And so i recieved honorable mention on my website- http://www.magnethead794.com/custcomp.php __________________ I'm not the world's greatest speller. Deal with it.

01-20-2008, 09:09 AM	#14 (permalink)
TheMatt Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,583 OS: Windows 3.1, 98, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: call me crazy? Also remember that the computer will have to be quite wide to accommodate the 200mm fans on the front and back. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

01-20-2008, 12:28 PM	#16 (permalink)
magnethead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: TX Posts: 820 OS: XPH, 2K My System Blog Entries: 2	Re: call me crazy? 2 x 21"x22" panels (sides) .25" ply 2 x 8"x21" (front/back) .25" ply 3 x 8"x22" (top and 2 layer bottom) .25" ply 4 x 8 ft 1-by, 5 x 6 ft 1-by, or 2 x 6ft 1"x4" (side guides) 250 mm fan 24.99 200 mm fans59.98 120 mm front fan14.99 (ebay?) That's right at $100 in fans!