The project

The title says it all: my project is to build a watercooled Silvertone TJ-07 and I'd like to keep as much as possible everything black and white.
This is my first ever case mod and also my first ever water cooled PC, so it is quite a challenge. But hey, there is always a first time.

My goal is to have a nice and clean system and try to keep the modding at a minimum. I don't like the *bling* and since I have no modding experience, I won't go for extensive modifications (at least for now). This is also the reason why I chose the TJ-07 as it has lots of room and can be used for water cooling with little modifications.

The purpose of this worklog is more to get help and suggestions from more experienced forumers rather than really share my knowledge, since I have pretty much everything to learn. But I hope at the end, this worklog will help inexperienced users and maybe help them to take the jump into building their own project.

The Hardware

For the rig, I am reusing the components I have currently as I have a limited budget and pretty much everything is going for the purchase of the case, the water cooling components, the tools and other bits needed in the project.

SYSTEM
CPU: Intel Quad Core Q6600
Mobo: GA-X48-DQ6
RAM: 2x1GB Ballistix tracers DDR2-800 4-4-4-12
GC: Sapphire HD 4870
HDD: WD Velociraptor 150 GB (system) + WD Green 500GB (data)
PSU: Corsair TX 850W
Case: Silvertone TJ-07 Black with window

I am planning to get a new GC and mobo with black PCB to fit with the theme, but I'll wait for a worthy upgrade, like the ATI 5870 and either the Core i5 or the 32nm Core i7.

Water cooling (ordered)
(1) Heatkiller 3.0 LT LGA775
(1) Heatkiller LGA775 back plate
(1) swiftech MCP655 vario (5 speed control)
(1) Swiftech MCR320-QP Triple 120mm Radiator
(3) Scythe 120x25mm SlipStream SY1225SL12H - 88 CFM
(10) feet of 7/16" ID (5/8" OD) tygoon Tubing
(1) EK-Multioption RES 250 rev.2
(1) Swiftech MCW-60R GPU waterblock
(8) 1/2" DTEK High Flow Chrome barbs

I welcome any comment on the WC stuff, but since it is already ordered, I cannot change it anymore. Having done a lot of search, I think it should perform quite well though.

The Tools

As I said, it's my first case mod, and since I work as a software developer, I have never really had the need to buy tools other than the ones required to build furniture from IKEA. So currently, my tools are quite ... limited



The worst is that most of the junk in that box will be useless for this build. The only really useful tools are the short (worn out) philips screwdriver and the "T" shape (worn out) multi head screwdriver.

It's not easy to actually works with so little tool so I'll probably get some more as the project requires. But meanwhile it is interesting as you have to make your brain work hard to find solutions to problems which would be solved in 1 minute with the right tool. Surely not the fastest way, but it is a lot more fun

The Goals

My main goal is to have fun. I have always been fiddling with my computer, being it on the software side or on the hardware side. I have done some soft and hard mods on it, but never got into the whole case mod project. Same goes for water cooling. I have been reading a lot on the subject but never take the plunge. It seems a lot more fun that air cooling though (just slap the cooler and be done with it), that's why I decided to go water on this project.

In term of end result, I would definitely want to have something which some close to the murderbox (http://www.murderbox.com/gallery.html) and it is when seeing the gorgeous builds of Charles H. that it made me wants to build my own TJ-07. But seeing how awesome are this TJ-07, even if I end up with a build looking half as good as the murderbox, I will be more than satisfied.

Ok, enough talk and let's start with the project.

15 august 2009

I got the case today. Prior to the start of the project, I had a lot of hesitations as to which case I would use. After seeing the TJ-07 from up close, it erased all my doubts. This case is really gorgeous and there is a lot of room for all the WC gears.

click on the pictures for higher resolution



Something I don't really like about the black TJ-07, it is it's shiny aluminum interior. So one thing was clear in my mind from the start, I have to paint the interior, and I decided that a flat back would fit nicely with the black brushed aluminum exterior.

So first thing to do, is to take the case apart.



This case is not only beautiful, but also very practical. Unlike most cases, almost everything is held by screws rather than rivets, which make it very easy to deconstruct for painting. The only thing which is held by rivets are the parts of the motherboard tray and the rails of the motherboard tray.

So now I already encountered my first interrogation in this project: how should I paint the inside of the case ?

1) My first thought was to have it powder coated. It will definitely looks good but the problem is to find a place that can do it for an affordable price.
2) I can have it professionally spray painted, should be easier to find for a better price than the powder coating
3) I can spray paint it myself. The problem is I have never painted anything. But this solution has the advantage of being a lot more fun than having it made by someone else

16 august 2009

So the idea of painting the interior myself grew up on me. After some "painting 101" reading on the Internet, I decided to go to the hardware shop and grab a can of primer, a can of flat back, a can of rubbing alcohol to clean the surfaces before applying the primer and some 2000 grid sand paper.



Oh and while I was there, I also decided to start my collection of "real" tool:



Ok, that's still a bit light
But it will make a big difference for me as I had a hard time with some of the screws yesterday, since my screwdrivers head were all worn out.

Ok, so as I said, I have never painted anything in my life, so rather than go straight for the interior of the case and possibly screw things up, I am going to do some testing first.

My victim will be the hard drive cage (when I told you my painting skills were questionable at best)



I chose the HDD cage for two reason:
1) There are two in the TJ-07 and with the WC gears, I will have at best only place for one of them in the case.
2) I might have to relocate the HDD in the 5.25 bay because of the radiator taking most of the space at the bottom of the case. So I might not use the HDD cage at all and buy some 5.25 to 3.5 adapters. Although after a quick look at it, I might be able to fit the the HDD cage into the 5.25 with some slight modification.

For the result, either my painting skills will suck badely, and I still have the spare HDD cage if I need it. Or the painting will turn half good and the HDD cage being in a spot not really visible, I might still be able to use the painted one. Or the painting turns out good enough to use the painted cage and it will give me confidence to do the rest of the interior.

So first I have to wet sand the HDD cage:



And this what it looks like up close after cleaning:



I just sanded it slightly to ensure the primer and the paint would stick properly to the bare aluminum. I might have been able to just apply the primer without sanding, but from what I read, even if the end result may look okay, chances that it will chip easily and not last over time.

Next was to setup my spray boot (any resemblance with a plastic table cover with newspaper is purely coincidental )



Then I wanted to apply the primer, but realized it was night already. I think it will be better if I spray during day time as I will be less likely to make mistake.

So that's it for now. I'll probably apply the primer and the paint tomorrow and will keep you updated on the result.

Meanwhile, I welcome any comments or suggestions on my project.
I am still not sure whether I will paint the interior myself. I guess I'll have to wait to see the result of the HDD cage. So if anyone knows a place in PJ where I can have the interior powder coated or spray painted, please let me know.

I am already in the process to get a quotation for spray paint, but I would definitely want to have several quotations to have more choice.

17 august 2009

see post no 3: http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=27995884

18 august 2009

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=ST&f...0#entry28030588

21 august 2009

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=28098768

22 august 2009

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=28118838

24 august 2009

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=28169449

25 august 2009

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=28193583

27 august 2009

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=28246423
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=28246780

28-31 august 2009

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=28325470
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=28325502

12 september 2009

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=28593654

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Oct 8 2009, 01:01 AM

wait ur wc setup

17 august 2009

Today, I have painted the HDD cage.

After 3 (thin) layer of primer:



And after 4-5 thin layer of paint:



I'm quite happy with the result. The first layer of primer was not that great as I tried to apply too much paint and from to close. There was 2-3 spots with too much paint. So I waited ~30 min and sanded very lightly these spots to ensure they were flat. After that, I applied very thin layer of primer/paint and waited ~10 min between two applications. I have waited about ~30 min between the last application of primer and the first of paint.

Since the result is quite good, I think I'm going to paint the whole interior myself. So, the rest of the week will be for sanding and painting. It will keep me busy while waiting for the WC stuff to arrive.


This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 17 2009, 06:33 PM

it is a waste to paint the alu parts

murderbox is killing me ...

btw gud luck on ur mod ....waiting for update ..

flat back or fade black?

I personally don't like the shiny aluminum since I am going for a clean "stealth" look. But I guess it all comes down to personal preferences.

Lol. Thanks.

Flat black, that's what written on the can anyways

UPDATE: see post no 3: http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=27995884

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 17 2009, 06:37 PM

bro,after spray alu surface still have those brush effect anot ??

No, the brush effect disappear with the paint. When looking up close, there is actually a slight "orange skin" texture due to the spray painting:



That would be bad if I'd go for a shiny/mirror black finish. But since I am going for a flat black, it actually helps to give the "stealth" effect to the paint (the flatter the paint job is, the shinier it looks).

nice paint job bro...

wow... 1st time already so nice..
see my project... all project also got runied paintjob..

if all flat black will be nice.
compare to uncle's all alu

Thank you.

Yeah, I saw your thread when I was looking for information about case painting. The paint job on the case when you got was so horrible, it is almost impossible to fix it
I think you did a good job when taken that into consideration

I think for the front panel, maybe you applied too much paint. I tried to apply very thin layers. So thin that even after the 2nd layer of primer, I could still see the metal through at some points. Same for the paint, after 2nd application, I still could see the primer through at some spot. The result is generally better when you apply more thin layers versus less thick layers.

Thanks.

But I have only done one (not so important) piece. So I guess I will be able to say the paint job is a success only once I will have painted all the important panels

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 18 2009, 12:12 AM

it is pain for me to see this case open out for modding...

good painting skills u have there...
hope to see it finished soon

good luck bro ! looking forward for ur project ^^,

waiting for ur update

bro bout d defects , at least its waaayyy better result compared to m2n-e >><"

Thanks guys

18 august 2009

I haven't had time to do much yesterday evening as I was busy working, so not a big update for today. However, it's a good news as before to be fully confident to paint the case interior myself, I wanted to some "scratch resistance" testing on the HDD cage. I was worry that the paint would chip easily.

So after 24 hours of drying, I tried to scratch the paint with a screwdriver ...
It kinda hurt my heart to do that, but I had to be sure the paint wouldn't chip easily. I did it on a part of the HDD cage that will not be visible at all (it will be hiddent under the HDD):



First, I tried to scratch the paint with my nail and I can put as much pressure as I want, it won't leave any mark. Then I use the screwdriver.
The long scratch you can see at the bottom is when I applied a "normal" pressure to screwdriver, and as you can see, it does leave a slight mark, but you can't see the bare metal under at all, you can't even see the primer.
As final test I tried to put a "very strong" pressure on the screwdriver (upper mark on the picture) and event then the paint didn't chip nor I can see the bare metal.

It actually looks worse on the picture than it is in reality because of the macro mode.

I am now totally confident that I can handle the paint job and that the paint will last over time, so tonight I'll sand as much as possible. I might have the time to sand everything, but I prefer to take my time anyway

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 18 2009, 07:17 PM

its a good thing though .
i did black interior on mine , but sadly screwing in d nuts tightly will chip off d paint but not in big sizes , juz small2 behind d nut ^^,
so no biggie bro . go for it !!

NICEEE...more pic bro..waiting for the nextt gud luck

gambateh TS !!

do you sand it between 2 aplication?
can you please post the whole process(very detail) of your paint job?
like it very very much

Thanks.

Below is what I do:
1) Sanding with 2000 grid sand paper. I use a piece of wood as sand block, and I finish by hand the part not accessible with the sand block.
2) I use an alcohol based cleaner to remove any sanding dust and oil/grease from the surface
3) I apply 3 thin layers of primer, about 10 min interval between each application (3 layers is what it takes so I don't see at all the bare metal)
4) I wait about 30 min after the third layer of primer
5) I apply 5 thin layers of paint , about 10 min intervals between each application
6) I let it dry at least 24 hours before to manipulate it by hand. But you need to count 48 hours to consider fully dry.

Note:
- I start directly with 2000 grid because I'm painting bare metal. If there was paint, I think you'd need to start with a lower grid (300-400) to remove the paint and then go progressively go higher in the grid to get a smooth surface
- If you go for a shiny mirror finish, I think you would need to sand slightly between the primer and the paint, and also after the paint to remove the slight "orange peel" texture due to the spray painting. You would also need to apply a clear coat at the end.

Concerning the update on my project, I have sanded and painted more parts today.





This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 20 2009, 12:35 AM

haha yeap
but actually juz use like 1000grit on primer to get rough surface .
actually even using 1000grit oso not really can see wan .
den juz spray wif watever color u intend .
make sure its very thin layer and apply 3-4 times to get perfectly nice finishing ^^,

Nice work bro..cant wait for more updates...always love TJ07 but not the time to koyak my pocket..hehehhe...one day

Wahh good job TS!

luve the fade black colour!

its not fade black la .
its matte black or flat black @ hitam mati .

can i know the color code of your paint and also the brand?
how much is the primer?
i saw the primer selling at ACE is very expensive

This post has been edited by yuktsi14: Aug 20 2009, 03:40 PM

Primer: Anchor spray paint no 5" => I was a bit worry at the beginning as it is not written primer on it, the only difference with the gray paint is the code and a "P" next to the code. But it seems to do the trick.
Paint: "Toa spray: flat back (not sure if the code is 29 or 21)"



Each can cost around RM 5-6

Today I did a big mistake though. Yesterday I bought more paint and mistaken the "black" with the "flat black". Result I have to repaint what I did today as I only realized too late, once I started the use the new can I just bought

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 20 2009, 04:38 PM

why dont u just throw to a coating shop n get the coating done in a day or 2 with just only under rm200, saving all the complicated work lol

Because it's a lot more fun to do it by myself

its a thing called fun n experience rite .
wat's d fun of modding if u let others do it for u .

TJ07 ????

You got nothing else to do???

wat's wrong wif modding TJ07 ?
i did mine full black interior + laser cut side panel .
TS if u want laser cut tell me ^^,

Nothing wrong..... Nothing wrong indeed

btw, PM sent

Hehe, when I'm not having a satay-TT session with you and the rest of the MSR crew, No. I don't have anything better to do


May I know how you painted it ? Yourself or in a shop ?

I have painted almost everything I need, except the motherboard tray (I will post pix later). But the motherboard tray is actually chromed, not brushed aluminum. There is another chromed part I have painted which is the PSU bracket, and after checking, the paint chip easily unlike when I paint the brushed aluminum.

So now I'm stuck. From what I've read on the Net, I'd need "self etching primer" which is a special primer that reacts with the metal and grip firmly. The problem is last time when I asked 2 - 3 shops about it, I clearly saw that they didn't have a clue as what it is. I tried to look for it on the Internet but could not find any supplier in Malaysia, except for professional stuff where you need to buy 4-5L and need a spray gun :/

Anyone knows where I can find "(self) etching primer" in spray can ?

I will try to find that tomorrow, if I can't find it, I might have to go to an auto paint shop and ask them to prime the motherboard tray ...

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 21 2009, 12:25 PM

haha im not sure .
i dont spray everything bro .
some of d parts i just use carbon fibre sticker to bring out d details ^^,
mobo tray i use carbon fibre sticker .
its better cause it looks as if d background is carbon fiber .

I see. Not a bad idea indeed. I might steal your idea if I don't find etching primer

21 august 2009

So this is what I have been up to this week:



I have to say I'm quite happy with the result. After my mistake with wrong black yesterday, I just sprayed two coats of "flat black" over the coat of "shiny black" and it did the trick. No need to sand and repaint the middle plate.

So too illustrate my problem with the chromed piece, below are some pictures:



On the left, it is the PSU bracket which was chromed. I tried to scratch the paint with a screwdriver, and it chip very easily as you can see on the picture ... So I am a bit worry for the motherboard tray (picture on the left). The plate where the PCI brackets attached is in brushed aluminum, so no problem. But the motherboard backplate is chromed with a mirror finished. So if I use the same process as PSU bracket, the paint will definitely chip after I slide in/out the tray few time

I will try to find a solution to this problem this WE. If I don't, I might just paint the brushed aluminum part and left the chromed as it is so I can continue the build. Once I'll finish the first revision, it give me time to search and find a better solution for revision 2

send the crucial parts go powder coat... lol...

diy is fun, i also diy mine 1/2 way... but due to daily work and only able to paint it in weekend, i decide give up and sent my stacker to powder coat.. in the end, i just paint the mobo tray parts... but the mechanism dont need slide as the stacker tray is screwed onto the casing instead of pulling and pushing...

ps: powder coat are stronger and harder to chip off... let the decision to TS, either take the challenge or like me, scared of wasted work if chipped of, decide to sent it to powder coat for the parts that need to take on and off constantly.

This post has been edited by lichyetan: Aug 21 2009, 04:31 PM

May I know where you did the powder coating ? How much did it cost ?

EDIT: nvm, I found your thread and read the answers.

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 21 2009, 04:47 PM

y not try my style ? carbon fibre sticker .
its quite nice to see dat its not entirely pure flat black .
at least there's some pattern in d design . ^^,
it kinda bring out d loveliness of mobo when use carbon fibre .

I might try that. I guess you bought the carbon fiber sticker in automotive parts shop / automotive parts department of a supermarket, isn't it ?

yeap .
Brothers to be exact .
its cheap though .
only around RM28 for around 2 meters in length i think .
but its promising ^^,

22 august 2009

Big update today



Got all the WC stuff today. Thanks clawhammer for the very fast delivery

Yesterday I also got this in the mail



I can start on the PSU sleeving: Thanks as well to niclasteoh for the fast sending

I also wants to have fans with white blades and black frame for my build, but couldn't find at a reasonable price, so I bought this:



Tamiya flat white paint. Cheap alternative but it should work as well as original fans

And finally I decided to pass the mobo tray to an auto paint shop so he have it primed and painted. There is just nowhere I can find "self etching primer" and after some thought, I really wants the tray to be painted in the same color as the rest of the interior.

Alright, so I got lot of toy to play with this WE, now I'm not sure what to do first
I think I'm gonna sleeve the PSU, but my first attempts to remove the pin for the ATX plug with staplers where not successful ... It is harder than it looks, so I might finally have to buy some sleeving tools.

haha good stuffs .
is dat mcr320-qp ?
y not go for thermochill PA120.3 instead ?

Yes, it is a mcr320-qp. And I didn't take the thermochill because there is not much difference in performance, but there is a very big difference in price

ow ok ^^,
so its almost similar to mine xcept dat im running on Dtek Fuzion V2 and laing D5 while ur laing D5 .
boy u shud have used Laing DDC-2 + XSPC top + ek res 250 sure u get good Hmax on it >.<"

But know the the D5 got the primochill typhoon III res/top. Check out the flow you are getting with 1 D5 used in a dual loop: http://skinneelabs.com/Pumps/D5/TyphoonIII...chill-TIII.html

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 22 2009, 08:57 PM

ya bro, the difference of performance is not much, but in terms of money they are huge.

you can buy almost 2 mcr320qp with the price of the thermochill... the swiftech radiator are best bang per buck radiator available...

looking forward for ur built, nice wc gadgets u got there...

hahaha .
see dat's d difference between enthusiast and normal user .
enthusiast will count every single degree drop on WC setup bro .
so it doesnt really matter if RM500 gonna drop another 4-5C ^^,

i also hope to get Thermochill or even the new BI RX series... but i dont have the $$$ to burnt...

i guess all wc'er already consider hardcore PC OC'er, since most ppl wont invest 1k in cooling...

Actually in that case it is more like RM 500 for 0.5-1C:



Image taken from here: http://martinsliquidlab.i4memory.com/Swift...320-Review.html

Where the thermochill really shines compares to the MCR, it is when using low RPM fans and quiet oriented system. With mid to high RPM fans, there is very little difference.

At the end, you are probably better off buying two MCSR 320 than one PA 120.3 in terms of performance. Although it will obviously take more space and be more restrictive.

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 23 2009, 12:22 AM

guess ur right >.<"
haha
i think i want make superior loop la after diz .
i want make res>pump>CPU WB>PA120.3>pump>NB WB>MCR320-QP>RES

hahaha
wonder wat's d result of dat .

btw someone showed me the link of d laing D5 top last time .
it is very promising but i donno , i think i'd stick wif laing DDC-2 since its compact and easier to manage ^^,

after all , we dont want to get those bulky look stuffs in casing rite .
even my setting rite now oso quite cramped up at d bottom TJ07 part .

white blade and black framed fans...and u bought tamiya white paint..

errr....

u do realize u could remove the blades from the frame and spray paint them right?

ull get an even better weight balance for the blades and itll most likely look better.

Hmm actually is good you talk about it because my idea completely failed

the tamiya paint is too thick:
1) it leaves paint brush marks clearly visible and give a cheap look (might also be my paint brush skill not that great )
2) as you mentioned, I am a bit worry as the thickness of the paint seems to add quite some weight.

You can remove the fan blades from the frame ? I didn't know actually. I will look into that. thanks for the tip

Ya, those expensive radiators would costs a bomb (including the new SR-1) and temp differences isn't really a lot though. Anyway, that's a really nice work log and I'll look forward to see how the end result would be.

* r4st4m4n is on a killing spree!

might wanna check THIS

have anyone ever tried using different blade and stick on another fan ?
might awnna try use silverstone white color fan and use d fans on other fan .
color combination shud be nice !

Thanks ! I'm going to try it

Not a bad idea. But generally fans are designed for a matching blade and motor. So I am bit worry by mixing two different references it may adverse effects like becoming noiser and/or lowering the CFM ...

its no harm to try bro .
cause i see that those silverstone high CFM fans are using many blades .
who knows it might work even better wif other fans .
heh
juz an opinion though .

24 august 2009

I haven't done much this WE as I didn't have the motherboard tray. I started to put back the case together (without mobo tray), and I can tell you that with the black interior, it looks gorgeous. But I'll post pix only once I get back the mobo tray to manage the suspense

I have also battled for 2 days with my PSU trying to remove the ATX pins. I tried the staple solution thought here and there, but I don't know why, I couldn't make it work. I didn't even remove one single pin using this technique. So I spent some time trying to figure another way to do it and I found a very easy and cheap way to do it. I won't post it here but I have have made a post there: http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=28145278
This way is like 100 times easier than the staple way (at least it is for me )

I have also flushed the radiator after battling to find distilled water (if you follow the WC thread on LYN you'll know what I am talking about).

I also started on the cable sleeving. I started by sleeving and mounting in parallel the fans that I will use for the radiator:



But I am not happy with the result. The sleeving I got is too transparent. As you can see on the picture, we can easily see the wires through.

So after two trips to Jln Pasar yesterday and today, I finally found something much better:



This is 2mm diameter cable sleeving. I found it at melectron shop (40 jalan pasar, one of the shop next to the shopping center). Luckily for me, the only color they had was white.

They also have 2.5 and 3.5mm, but these sizes feel more like plastic tube (a bit like a heatshrink, but without the shrink ). This 2mm however feels more like a cloth, is slightly extensible and it is just perfect for sleeving ATX and PCI-E cables: it fits like a glove.

So I started to sleeve the ATX cables:



As you can see I just made one ... 22 to do

Oh and one more thing, I tried to remove the blades of my fans to spray paint them like mADmAN suggested. However, when I removed the sticker there is no plug hiding any washer/o-ring holding the blade. It means I cannot remove them. I think the silverstone fans are press fitted unlike the one in the tutorials.

But not willing to give up, I decided to use masking tape to mask the frame. It takes a bit of time to do it right, but I think it should work. I have already painted the fan:



It is drying as I type, but I think the result should be okay. The fan I painted is actually my "testing" fan that I cleaned up after trying the Tamiya paint. I didn't want to use the fans that will in the case as I was not sure of the result. I will let it dry 24h and see tomorrow, but the first impression is good.

So to conclude, I'm quite happy as of now. Sunday I didn't have a cable sleeving which was pleasing me and also failed on the tamiya painting of the fans. My mood was quite down are these are the two main elements supposed to bring some contrast in the case with their white color. Without it, I felt like it would just look like a regular case ...

With these two problems solved now, I'm fully motivated to finish this project. The only small let down today was that I called the shop and my mobo tray will only be ready by tomorrow noon, but it is not a big issue as I am busy with the cable sleeving tonight.

Still, I am impatient to get back the mobo tray so I can start on the WC setup

bro how much does d sleeve cost ?
d 2mm wan ?
care to PM me .
been looking for super thick one cause my single sleeving also was like yours
its very transparent .

It is very cheap. The price when buying 1m is RM 1.60 I think. But since I bought 35m, I got it for RM 1.00 / m

Wow Martin, this is neat! I can't wait to see more stuffs coming from you.

DAMN !
which shop isit ?
is it very thick ?
please update fast with a few results plz .
is it very flexible ?
when bend can see through or not ?

melectron, 40 jalan pasar: one of the shop next to the shopping center

No, it isn't thick. Just enough so you can't see through even when bended. And it is fairly flexible. I'll take a pic later once I have done the ATX plug.

badass custom WC set ....argghh!! when can i get those thing ....

btw nice mod bro...still look forward for an update ..

yeah u better do !
we poor ppl been looking for cheap sleeving comparable to murdermod wan >.<"
fast2 do ur 24pin and get back to us !
wanna see d result when d 24pin atx bended and straight .
wanna see if those wires visible or not ^^,

I'm using the cheap sleevings but since I coloured the wires black, I can't see it even after it's bent.

25 august 2009

I have finally finished the 24 pin ATX. I was a bit struggling at the beginning. I tought it would be a good idea to make the sleeving as tight as possible, but then I realised that once I would bend the cable, the sleeving was coming of the heatshrink because there was no room for movement ...

Anyway here it is:



I have started with the 8 pin ATX and now that I have the right technique, it is quite fast. After that I also want to do 2 PCi-E cables. I am also thinking to do the SATA, but I may keep it for revision 2.

I also unmasked the fan I painted yesterday and it looks great:



I just need to be a bit more careful with the masking as there is one or two white spot on the frame. But this fan was just a test so it's no biggy.

Oh and I also got my mobo tray from painting.



Let me know what do you think about the TJ-07 with back interior

Personally, I dig it

y are the rear beams still silver?

should get that done too to make it more uniform. right now it looks like an oddity thats out of place.

its darn good !
will go jalan pasar get d sleeving .
btw u shud spray paint d beam bro .
its odd to have it like dat .
different color suddenly .
heh

I'm still undecided for the beam. I didn't paint them because they take a lot of beating when opening/closing the panels and I am worry that the paint will rapidly be scratched and don't look nice. Besides, once the case is close you don't really see the beams anymore. 90% of the beam is covered by the side and back panels.

This picture was taken before I painted the back panels, but you can see what I mean:



So I think I leave it like that for now and see later if I want to paint or not.

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 25 2009, 09:56 PM

oww ok its up to you .
but i did mine and it was ok not much problem anyway , just small peel off at d screw area dat's it ^^,
will be covered wif screw anyway .

Oh you did. No scratch due to sliding in/out the side panels ? That's what was worry me the most.

sliding wont do effect on d beam wan la .
railing yes , but railing n mobo tray i use carbon sticker ^^,

Wow Martin, you're just unstoppable. Great work there Do you help people sleeve their PSU also?

Frankly, it is a PITA

Although now that I have the experience, it is much easier. I sleeved the 8 pin PSU in about 30+ min last night.

Not sure I want to do it again once I've done mine ... although for you, I'm sure we could find some kind of "trading agreement"

dude , end diz fast .
we want to see d result !

The case mod scenario on LYN has vastly improved....no doubt about that
It takes guts to attempt something at this scale
Especially when you have no prior knowledge/experience with it
That much i respect

Kudos on the great job so far
Looking forward to see your progress and overall design
There are a lot of TJ07 out there, so the benchmark is pretty high
Nevertheless, great job there r4st4m4n

I'm also impatient to see the end result. But I don't want to rush things either

Thanks man

gaga quick quick !

man, update man..... hehehehe, want to c WC setup

I'm too very itching to start on WC setup ... but I have to wait to finish everything else. The WC will be one of the last thing to be done as I don't want to hook everything up, and then realize I have to remove everything because I forgot something
The good news is I am almost done with the preparation work and should be starting the WC setup by tomorrow night or the day after

27 august 2009

So today I have, started on the mobo and mobo tray modding.

First the mobo: GA-X48-DQ6



First thing is I need to remove the "Carzycool" backplate so I can attach the CPU block plate. I wanted to take the picture above but when I lifted the mobo after I took the 2nd picture above, I found a capacitor had fallen



I don't know how come it felt. I believe it was already not holding strong previously ... But luckily I have a good soldering iron, so I have soldered the capacitor back.



Well, the soldering join is not pretty, but the connection seems to be okay after I tested with a multimeter. I guess if the mobo doesn't boot later, I'll know why

After this not so good start, I can attack the crazycool. First I had to remove the heatsink:



If you check on Internet, you will find that you need two small screws provided with the mobo to be able to reattach the heatsink at the level of the northbridge without the plate. The thing is I bought this mobo 2nd hand, and of course I don't have the screws

But no problem, the part of the craycool plate that covers the northbridge don't bother me, it is the part covering the back of the GPU that disturb. That's where my cute little metal saw comes handy. Few minutes, some mechanic oil and elbow oil later:



Mobo modding done, nothing will disturb the CPU backplate anymore

* I have more updates but I cannot post pics anymore :/ . Pls someone add a reply so I can continue *

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 27 2009, 08:15 PM

if u need to do multiple posts in a row....

click the button and...

Oh I didn't pay attention to this box. Thanks

27 august 2009 (Cont)

Now the mobo tray turn. I have to pierce some hole for cable management and also two holes for the reservoir holder. I have borrowed a friend's drill and went out to buy a 25mm holesaw and a metal file. Oh and on the way I stopped by modernopc to buy few accessories:



It took some time to mod the mobo tray as I didn't want to make hole where I shouldn't. Like the wise man said "Measure twice, cut once"

Before:



After



I have tested with the mobo and sleeved ATX cables and it looks great ... but I won't show you until I'm done. That would be like seeing the end of a movie in the middle of it, you'd lose all the suspense

Oh and I finally decided the paint the beam in black. After looking at the case, it looks indeed a bit awkward.

Tonight's good news is I have very little to do before to start on the real (re)building of the comp as all the preparation work are almost done.
I just need to sleeve the PCI-E PSU calbes tonight, wait for the beam to dry and it will be okay. I have few others things to do to achieve the overall look of the mod, but I can do it during the leak testing of the WC system.

BTW, anyone would know a good address around PJ to find all kind of nuts/bolts/screws ?

I'd need some 12mm length x 2mm diameter x M3 thread screws to hold the HDD cage and I also want to replace all the M3/M4 screws holding the HDD/DVD ROM by black one, but I'm not sure where to find that. I have already looked around in hardware shops but they have a very limited choice ...

This post has been edited by r4st4m4n: Aug 27 2009, 08:39 PM