AMD Case Mod Project

[Gronk]

This is my project slated for AMD's display at ceBIT show in Hannover, Germany. 3/4/2008 - 3/9/2008. The case is a Thermaltake SwordM. I wanted to make something that reminded you of a space ship hull door. Reinforced Triangular Patterns with a rotary "airlock" latch. The shell I designed was milled from 1/2" aircraft aluminum on a 2 axis cnc mill. Everything is being chrome plated. I just posted a video segment of it's current progression on YouTube. Please share your comments and feedback.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytp1_uwRCfk

 

[WoodButcher]

OMG, nuts! insanity! It's a beautiful thing. Your work is gorgeous. I think I've just depleted my limited vocabulary of superlatives, I'll watch this thread to learn more as I'm sure you'll get them.
I love doing the mods myself also, spending more time and money than I should so I guess that is the definition of a hobby,,,, NUTS!!!

 

[Gronk]

Originally posted by: WoodButcher
OMG, nuts! insanity! It's a beautiful thing. Your work is gorgeous. I think I've just depleted my limited vocabulary of superlatives, I'll watch this thread to learn more as I'm sure you'll get them.
I love doing the mods myself also, spending more time and money than I should so I guess that is the definition of a hobby,,,, NUTS!!!

Thanks WoodButcher! it's been a pleasure to transform this thermaltake swordm case.

I've done a lot of aluminum polishing with an electric buffer and by hand. Until you've done your own polishing, I can only describe it as extremely tedious work. It numbs your brain, but not in a good way. It takes a lot of patience! Last year I polished the these 26" tall machined 6061 aircraft aluminum side panels and motherboard tray on this tower by hand. It took me 2.5 weeks of work, on/off otherwise the task drove me out of my mind. If you don't have the proper buffing equip, you can wetsand out any imperfections first before buffing out the finish. I don't have all the pro equip, so the problem with 6061 alum, is it can scratch real easy. Any speck of dirt caught under a sanding block will create havoc in the finish, just like wetsanding a paint finish. Of course, this did happen a few times and you started over. I vowed I'd never do this again and seek a professsional next time I wanted this type of finish. "Project Phenom" presented this challenge again so I made some phone calls and found AAA Metal Finishing.

I picked up the first pieces from AAA. On a saturday no less! I've always wanted to learn about chrome, copper, and bronze platting. AAA's owner, Raul gave my son and I a tour of the facility. The building is city block long! He showed us the steps involved in plating metal parts. I noticed one of Raul's clients was BigDog Motorcycles I recognized their logo on handlebars and frame brackets in different stages throughout the building. Before any part can be plated, it must first be Bead blasted and then polished, otherwise you will see any surface imperfections in the final chrome coating. Raul was kind enough to allow me to record some of the steps with my camera. I plan share this footage in the next video update for this project

The first parts to return are the new top panel and factory front bezel trim from the Thermaltake SwordM Case. The factory finish on the bezel was originally anodized silver.

Chrome Plated Bezel 4

Chrome Plated Bezel 4

Chrome Plated Bezel 1

Chrome Plated Bezel 2

Chrome Plated Bezel 3

Chrome Plated Bezel 4

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I now feel incomplete

 

[aigomorla]

welcome to the forum.

ahhh very nice case indeed.

Love it when people show off hand crafted masterpieces like this.

 

[QueBert]

NICE work man I hate you though... please don't take offense at that.

I'm about to start working on my first big mod project and seeing work like yours only reminds me how my finished product will fail lol. When you talk about polishing stuff for weeks at a time, I don't have the patients! and the whole style/design is just something I don't possess either. My finished rig will probably turn a few heads and get a "neat" or 2 comment. Yours is a masterpiece, damn show off!

Maybe I'll put a fan controller on it and spend AN HOUR polishing a a few dime sized knobs lol.

seriously though, you're work is bad ass and I hope in a couple of years I can be half as skilled and creative as you. You definitely give me something to work towards.

 

[Nemesis 1]

Ya you guys live pretty close to me . I have been to your shop . Would you mind telling us the man hours in that case. and the cost of it, I posted to your site here on the forums in another thread. Someone wanted a custom case so I knew you guys do great work.

Keep it up .

I have a question for ya. I could come to shop and ask but its better to ask it here. So all can view ans.

Can I buy from you Anodized Aluminium sheet cut to size. with out any other coatings or process after Anodizing. Reason for this as I am sure your aware but others may not is that anodizing is great for custom paint , If it hasn't been sealed.

Also at yourshop can you make radius bends, Rather than the sharp 90 degree bends were all a custom to .

 

[BlueAcolyte]

So very shiny... It makes my CM 690 feel very small now. Maybe if I put in another 120mm LED fan, the feelings of inadequacy will go away...

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Just watched the video this morning when I got home from work and wow, the CNC work on the aluminum is nice. I like the double fold door. I gotta say a swordm is an interesting choice for a starting point but, with the hydralic top and the such it makes for anice base. Given you're rplacing all the pannels it'll overcome it's thermaltakeness in the looks department. Wish I had time to do more stuff like this. Last big prject I was involved in was orac3 and it was a comparitively easy one as far as case mods go. You can tell pretty easy that it was an electrical engineer and optical engineer doing that one.

 

[Gronk]

@ thecoolnessrune, thank you!

@ aigomorla, Thanks for the kind welcome!

@ QueBert, Thank you, always happy to inspire more Modders. I've been modding for 8 years.

@ Nemesis 1, Thanks for the referal! Several hundred hours in this one. Sorry, we don't sell any anodized sheets or capable of doing custom bends.. You may try a metal fabricating shop?

@ BlueAcolyte, have you ever modded a case? I started out with used beige boxes I found and practiced my skills.

@ DerwenArtos12, I was the first to receive a swordm in the states. Thermaltake is sponsering the build. I wouldn;t doubt if they copy some features from my design. g-gnome is very talented. One of my all time favorite projects to watch!

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: Gronk
@ DerwenArtos12, I was the first to receive a swordm in the states. Thermaltake is sponsering the build. I wouldn;t doubt if they copy some features from my design. g-gnome is very talented. One of my all time favorite projects to watch!

He is a pretty talented guy, I wish I could have been involved more than conceptually and helping out with some of the odd supplies. Given that it's getting a couple years old I'm surprised someone recognizes the project so quickly. It's a little un-fortunate about some of the guys leaving Bit-Tech the way they did a while back but, it seems to be doing alright though.

I take it this is being built off the LBNA?

 

[Zap]

Looks pretty sweet!

Originally posted by: Gronk
Last year I polished the these 26" tall machined 6061 aircraft aluminum side panels and motherboard tray on this tower by hand.

Hey I think I've seen that case before... was it at ShowdownLAN in Indianapolis last September?

 

[BlueAcolyte]

I've never modded a case... But if I had a dremel or something, I could probably do something like install a side panel or something...

 

[Gronk]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: Gronk
@ DerwenArtos12, I was the first to receive a swordm in the states. Thermaltake is sponsering the build. I wouldn;t doubt if they copy some features from my design. g-gnome is very talented. One of my all time favorite projects to watch!

He is a pretty talented guy, I wish I could have been involved more than conceptually and helping out with some of the odd supplies. Given that it's getting a couple years old I'm surprised someone recognizes the project so quickly. It's a little un-fortunate about some of the guys leaving Bit-Tech the way they did a while back but, it seems to be doing alright though.

I take it this is being built off the LBNA?

I never knew Peter had outside help with Orac3. Kudos to you!
Guys leaving bit-tech.. whats this about? offlist explanation may be more appropriate. No idea what you mean by LBNA

Originally posted by: Zap
Looks pretty sweet!

Originally posted by: Gronk
Last year I polished the these 26" tall machined 6061 aircraft aluminum side panels and motherboard tray on this tower by hand.

Hey I think I've seen that case before... was it at ShowdownLAN in Indianapolis last September?

Yes, that was also my build. Thanks!

Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte
I've never modded a case... But if I had a dremel or something, I could probably do something like install a side panel or something...

Jigsaws are better for cutting windows Blue, video guide to making your own window
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpZoE-zj0-k

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: Gronk

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: Gronk
@ DerwenArtos12, I was the first to receive a swordm in the states. Thermaltake is sponsering the build. I wouldn;t doubt if they copy some features from my design. g-gnome is very talented. One of my all time favorite projects to watch!

He is a pretty talented guy, I wish I could have been involved more than conceptually and helping out with some of the odd supplies. Given that it's getting a couple years old I'm surprised someone recognizes the project so quickly. It's a little un-fortunate about some of the guys leaving Bit-Tech the way they did a while back but, it seems to be doing alright though.

I take it this is being built off the LBNA?

I never knew Peter had outside help with Orac3. Kudos to you!
Guys leaving bit-tech.. whats this about? offlist explanation may be more appropriate. No idea what you mean by LBNA

Originally posted by: Zap
Looks pretty sweet!

Originally posted by: Gronk
Last year I polished the these 26" tall machined 6061 aircraft aluminum side panels and motherboard tray on this tower by hand.

Hey I think I've seen that case before... was it at ShowdownLAN in Indianapolis last September?

Yes, that was also my build. Thanks!

Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte
I've never modded a case... But if I had a dremel or something, I could probably do something like install a side panel or something...

Jigsaws are better for cutting windows Blue, video guide to making your own window
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpZoE-zj0-k

It's been more than a year since 2 of the guys left, it was nothing spectacular, just wanted to do something different, took some really cool ideas for PWM fan controllers and LED integration with them though. Do you know peter(only ever knew him by his screen name)? He's a good guy. Never met him in person sadly, last time I talked to him he had just started WMD. He did all the actual work himself, I won't even attempt to detract any credit from him, I was only in on brainstorming, some wire diagrams and component selection for the mods, gotta love radio shack, I think i spent 6 hours in there one day trying to figure out what would match his layout the best and then he had even better stuff for a couple of the things, radioshack tends to really like gold plating anything thats not plastic. I love the shower head stainless tubing for the 4 pin molex, I would have never come up with that. HE actually ended up scrapping most of what I had helped on. There was origially going to be an LED control module with 32 LEDs throughout the case but, he thought it would have been too gaudy looking so he scrapped it, can't say I blame him.

As for cutting windows with a jigsaw, you have to be super careful if you have a less expensive case using a jigsaw can tend to bend the sidepannel.

Oh, and there are two models of the swordm last I checked, I remember the LBNA being the top tier model with watercooling from the factory and the other being just a bare case.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Wait, you're with MNPCtech, didn't you guys sponsor him and help him with WMD?

 

[BlueAcolyte]

hmm... might try that later. So far all the modding I've down is cut out a fan grill and route all my wires.

 

[Gronk]

Thanks for the explanation DerwenArtos12. Yes, I sponsered Peter and talked with him several times offlist. I know a lot of Aussie Modders. Best Modders in the World if you ask me!

Guys, Regarding the jigsaw, I've been using the method from the video for nearly 8 years. To avoid the panel warping, place the box over an open box while you cut it. The TT VA3000 alum panel from video was extremely thin & flimsy.

We just painted the SwordM's rear door with Black "Self Etching" base coat first, then HoK Black Chrome, then HoK Kosmic Krome and will be airbrushing circuit board trails over it that play off the recessed portions of the panels or not. I just wanted something to break up all of this crazy bling. Heres the SwordM's rear door before paint. fyi: HoK Kosmic Krome is very fickle in how it's applied. Best to practice first, it's a bit expensive paint to practice with tho, $68 for 1/2 pint!!!

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...tech_BlackChrome1a.JPG

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...tech_BlackChrome1c.JPG

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...pctech_BlackChrome.JPG

 

[BlueAcolyte]

how's it going?

 

[Gronk]

We're keeping busy.. I've got a load of other commitments...always.

Heres the latest update on the rear door progress. The theme behind the Project Phenom's rear door design is futuristic.. Perhaps some strange type of space exploration equipment. Not neccessarily from Earth.

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...tech_BlackChrome9a.jpg

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...tech_BlackChrome9b.jpg

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...tech_BlackChrome9c.jpg

 

[BlueAcolyte]

It's awesome... Although, wouldn't an AMD-themed case mod be red? Silver is fine, but why?

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte
It's awesome... Although, wouldn't an AMD-themed case mod be red? Silver is fine, but why?

AMD were actually the green guys, ATi were red. Nvidia was always green too but, AMD was more of a forest green and nVidia was a neon green. Intel have been blue for too long now.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Yea, but the theme for the Spider platform seems to be red.

 

[Gronk]

Thanks guys! Green would have been predictable. Never allow your creatvity to be predictable.

More progress photos. Custom Paint & Airbrushing by Mnpctech.com

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...tech_BlackChrome9f.jpg

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...tech_BlackChrome9h.jpg

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...tech_BlackChrome9i.jpg

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...tech_BlackChrome9k.jpg

 

[Gronk]

I'll be mounting modders mesh on the back side of the openings in the milled side panel doors.

The small steel plates were spot welded onto the mesh, these will serve as AMD badges.

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...ctech.moddersmesh1.jpg

These triangular pieces were spot welded together. They mount inside the large side vents

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet...ctech.moddersmesh2.jpg