Project: MACH X


Worklog subforum up... woot. Opening ceremony.

This project started life with a sleek SilverStone TJ03 case that I reviewed.

My concept idea for it was to mod a casing following the simple and classy look and feel of the TJ03. Sleek and clean, inside and outside. This proved to be tough to design amidst the sea of more complicated and tribal mods without looking too plain. I like the look of silver aluminium therefore I will be maintaining this in this mod (my previous mod was chrome plated).

The mod started way back in June 2005. Lots of delays due to my heavy workload on studies and stuff. But nevertheless the project continued to progress, albeit very slowly.

Click on the pics for larger pictures

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[June 22, 2005]

Conversion from ATX to BTX

Now you see it as ATX, soon you wont. Before:


Everything stripped off 1st:


Drilling out the rivets:


After removing the relevent parts:


Riveting the railings in their new position:


Fortunately the relevant holes are already made in the case which made the job a lot simpler, thanks to SilverStone. But I still needed to make another bracket for the upper railing to mount to because now its in the other side of the PSU cage.


And now you see it, its in BTX except that i've decided not to relocate the PSU to the bottom because then i would have to refabricate both the PSU cage and the rear panel. The upper railing hasn't been riveted yet to make way for making the upper air zone later. I just held it in place by screws for testing purposes.




This post has been edited by MetalZone: Nov 10 2007, 12:51 AM

[June 26, 2005]

Right Side Window

Full scale drawing done on card, cut out, and pasted on the sidepanel which has already been completely covered with masking tape.




Dremelling in progress with my Black & Decker RTX.


Soon enough, bad news. My RTX decided to die on me while I was working on the side panel. Hope to get it RMA'ed soon. Sparks and smoke, and the end result, a slight burnt mark on the floor that can be wiped off.


Meanwhile, I got hold of my colleague's AbleTools so that I could continue work. Pictured below are final touches cutting from the back before removing the pieces.


After everything cut out.




This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:11 AM

[July 2, 2005]

1mm thick Aluminium 'L' poles cut and sanded to shape for reinforcements, taking in account of fitting it into the case of course.


All four poles are permanently fixed to the side panel with clear epoxy resin.


After 8 hours, the end result is stunning strength! Its much more rigid and literally doesn't flex at all unlike the stock unmodded panel. Now I will have no more worries about it being too weak due to a big hole cut out of its bowels.




________________________________________________________________________

[July 14, 2005]

Sanding is always the most time consuming part of modding a side window. Do it patiently and the results will be satisfying.
Sanded with 400 grit, then proceeded with 600 and 800 grit. The sharp angles are acheived with my Unimat 1's tiny but precise jigsaw.


The end result after removing the masking tape at the back. The masking tape in front hasnt been removed yet for now. Pics for that will come when I do so.


Up close.


_____________________________________________________________________

[Dec 8, 2005]

Finally, after a long delay from the last update, I have a decent break from my studies and I can concentrate on the project.

Removed the masking tape of the side panel, touched up with some 1000 grade sandpaper, and cleaned.


This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:20 AM

[Dec 8, 2005]

Top radiator intake

Masked the top panel to make the fan grill for the radiator intake/outake.


Drilled and cut some parts with my rotary tool. Till... my Black & Decker RTX blew... the SECOND time. What bad luck. I let it cool down and cut 6cm at a time, only to have it blow up before i could even finish cutting the last bit. I had it, no more RTX for me. I just bought a second hand Dremel MultiPro 3950 which should arrive by this Friday.


________________________________________________________________________

[Dec 15, 2005]

Got my Dremel MultiPro 395 and work continued immediately. I immediately noticed that my Black & Decker RTX had significantly more torque than the Dremel 395 at lower RPM's. Not sure about the higher speeds because I don't use high speeds for cutting.

After finished "dremeling" the straights, before cutting off the corners.


Finished cutting and sanding up to 800 grade for now.


This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:18 AM

[Jan 15, 2006]

CNC Milled acrylic side panel

Design from AutoCAD printed out with a plotter unto tracing paper to check the accuracy of my dremel cutting. Nothing beats the accuracy of CNC stuff. Some filing needed to perfectly match the accurate drawing.


The finished product from the CNC milling machine. Material used is 10mm thick acrylic.




After doing some filing to make the acrylic panel fit in. Shows how inaccurate my dremel work is, compared to CNC. The Acrylic panel is covered with some shrink wrap at the moment to prevent scratches.




This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:13 AM

[March 27, 2007]

Mid panel

My apologies for the lack of updates and delays. Some work previously done that I haven't updated:

Mid panel section piece cut out of 1mm thick aluminium sheet and sanded. A 'T-square' was made and wrapped with sandpaper; dragged across evenly to create the brushed aluminium effect on both sides. They look better in person actually.


With flash


Without flash


This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:13 AM

[March 28, 2007]

Power pole

The power pole. Cut from a rectangular aluminium profile. They close up to form a square pole.






________________________________________________________________________

Honeycomb grill for top radiator intake

Honeycomb grill cut to size. Then the edges were all manually bent and folded with some pliers; to get it embossed. Pretty tough work to get it right. It is then cleaned with thinner and clearcoated (because it's made of steel).




This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:14 AM

Top radiator intake grill mounting

Pieces for the top radiator and grill mounting being cut out of 1mm thick aluminium sheet.


Done cutting. Not sanded and finished yet.


_____________________________________________________________________

[April 19, 2007]

More updates on the top radiator/grill mounting.

Done with cutting and sanding the edges. Drilled the holes, and countersunk it so that the screws sit flush (not really flush actually, they are abt 0.2-0.3mm higher). Screwed them together for a test fit.


The other side


I was working late night at this time... measurements and markings made and preparing to epoxy it on.


Epoxied it on, and with a crude way of weighting it down. As I mentioned, it was late night(or rather, morning) and my brain wasn't quite working.
The next morning I discovered that I couldn't take the mounting plate off as a little epoxy had leaked unto the joints on a few screws, and the screws was such a perfect fit that it was very hard to take it apart. Somehow I managed to yank it off and realised that the epoxy only ended up gluing only the screw heads FORTUNATELY! I hadn't put enough epoxy considering there was a 0.2-0.3mm gap caused by the screw heads.


Anyway lesson learned. Round two I was smarter... Epoxied it back again, and this time I used more. And a whole lot of clips came into play to hold it firmly in place.


After the epoxy cured.


I then drilled the holes on the mounting plate a little larger so that it wouldn't be such a tight fit to mount it in (yeah. considering the amount of screws and manual drilling isn't as accurate as CNC). All holes were counter drilled as well to give it a smoother edge. Gave it the brushed treatment on both sides as well.


This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:14 AM

Test fit with the fans which will be mounted to the radiator.


Fitting in the grill. Had to dremel some of the sides coz it was protruding a little. Perfect fit now.


________________________________________________________________________


[April 19, 2007]

Finally, screwed the mounting plate on.


How it looks like from the outside. Note that I haven't removed the masking tape yet.


Close up at a corner.


This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:07 AM

[April 24, 2007]

Reservoir for water cooling

The pieces for the reservoir. Tapped 1/4" BSP threads for all the holes.


Testing out the tapped threads for the barbs on an unused piece. It's UV reactive green acrylic by the way.


Now down to the work of sanding all the edges of the pieces. I have to make sure the dimensions are consistent with other pieces by measuring with a Vernier caliper and sanding as necessary. This is to ensure a perfect fit for a leak free joint.


_____________________________________________________________________

[April 26, 2007]

Done sanding yesterday. Test fitting.


_____________________________________________________________________

[April 27, 2007]

Mounting holes drilled. Pieces ready for assembly.


I used a chemical called Chloroform or acrylic cement to fuse the arcylic parts together. It's a liquid that is as clear and as viscous as water. It is different from glue as this actually "melts" or "fuse" the acrylic parts together. Another commercial name for it is "IPS Weld-On" which is more commonly available in some countries. The parts to be joint are held together with masking tape first. Then I used a chinese brush to apply it right at the edges of the parts to be joint. The capilary effect will draw the cement into the joint. Some prefer to use an application bottle but make sure it does not melt down in Chloroform/Acrylic Cement.


Left two pieces to join. The last pieces are much tougher to get it perfect because now you are only left with one side to apply the Chloroform and allow the capilary effect to draw it in. Sounds easy, but no it isn't...


...Previously you could apply to both sides to ensure a perfect weld. Now you have to get sufficiently enough of it joint by the cement with only one side. I didn't fare so well on a few spots and no matter what, no more Chloroform would go in because the edge already has a little and blocks any more to enter. In the pic, you can see the long last piece is on. Left the last top piece for now.


After an hour, a quick leak test. I do suggest however, that you let it fully cure for a day before the final leak test. I gradually filled and marked out the leaks. I sprung two, which was expected, because of the insufficient Chloroform joint on those spots.


This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:15 AM

Reservoir complete.


Close up of the top fill hole and you can see the mounting hole.


Close up of the bottom mounting block. The small block will be screwed to the base and the reservoir can be just fitted on top.


Tapping M3 screw threads on the CoolingWorks CoolRad 22T. Oddly, this rad didn't have any screw threads pre-tapped.


This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:07 AM

[June 8, 2007]

Assembly and construction of internal mods

The original mountings on the PSU cage for the removable motherboard tray which is on the reverse side folded in with pliers (and covered with masking tape to prevent scratches). Originally the case was ATX side remember? Now its on the opposite side.


The mid panel (cut earlier in the previous page) that separates the top section folded with a folding table.


Drilled the mounting holes. Tapping the screw threads.


Riveted the removable motherboard tray railing.


Mounted on the PSU cage.


This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:16 AM

I realised that I would not be able to close the cover of the power pole if it is one single piece coz of the tight space. So I cut it into two sections.
In the pic I'm tapping the M3.5 screw threads the main section which is meant to be removable.


Test assembly of the power pole. Bottom smaller section screwed with M3 allen screws like the other parts shown later. M3.5 thumbscrews used on the longer main section. (I need to use silver ones instead)


Drill and tap the mounting holes for the base of the power pole. L brackets are cut to facilitate mounting.


Screwed in. This is the view from the back of the pole so you can see the inside.


Mounted at the top, also with an L bracket, drilled and M3 screw tapped. (Excuse the dirt left over from the masking tape residue on the mid panel)


Another view from inside facing upwards.


Sorry I forgot to take an overall assembled picture before I disassembled it. But we'll get to that soon!

_____________________________________________________________________


[June 10, 2007]

To allow the mid plate to be removable, I didn't rivet it to the center column bracing of the casing. So I fabricated another piece, tapped with M3 screws.


Fitted into the removable motherboard railing, and screwed in. (when stock, it was riveted.) I'm basically almost done with the interior structural mods.


Thats it for today folks. Will be doing the other side panel exhaust soon.

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 18 2007, 12:26 AM

nice mode bro....it along wait for the update but it worth to wait....
keep up modding bro n show us more pics

dude...stop again...? fast fast upload ur new picts.... make me hungry...

as usual beautiful work from metalzone.... this mod is so long in the making... hopes its finishes fast...haha

Ur cutting work is so nice. OMG. Where u get all the tools from?

Thanks.
The tools, err... buy la. Or are you asking in particular where to find the tools? which?

sorry for the delay... got work to do leh

metalzone... sell me the case leh... hehehe...

nice case,nice mod,nice shot of photos..

Keep it up...

izzit really 2years old log???

i think so..since ts began his modding in 2005..buts belli2 long time la..

i've done sleeving the PSU, changing the connectors, and assembled the internal parts. but havent got round to posting yet. yeah the mod got dragged on pretty long.

i've modded one of my fren's top 3x120mm radiator mount on a TT shark some weeks back. fully internal WC. he hasn't posted pics yet i think. lol my own wan belum finish do other ppl's wan.

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Sep 12 2007, 02:00 AM

Any updates???

Sorry for the lack of updates.

(Click for larger pictures)

Sleeving

Sleeving with UV green A.C.Ryan FlexSleeve and changed the connectors to UV blue.




Side panel exhaust

Here's the other side panel exhaust for the radiator. I didn't take pictures of progress coz I assume you guys would already know my style of working. Epoxy the mounting plate holder with the screws. This time I used the flat head screws which are about 1mm thick so I just drill out the holes and epoxy the screw there. Less strength and less work but you don't need the strength here anyway.


Similar to the top grill and radiator mounting, just fit in perfectly...


Then place the mounting cover and screw on.


View from outside.


Sneak peek at the insides. Almost done. Only left some wiring work, front panels, and of course, lighting.


The specs are nothing to shout about but this is only my daily work rig so it does the job well.

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Oct 10 2007, 03:37 PM

DVD writer faceplate

DVD writer faceplate modding to match the front panels. The front panel isn't flat so I have to file it all down flat and then sand it evenly.


The bay cover. Hard work to sand this down until my fingers ache!


Done. Compared with a stock panel which came with the drive. Lite-On was kind enough to provide 3 different faceplates: black, beige and silver (which is just a beige faceplate painted silver which of course won't cut it).


Aluminium cover tomorrow!

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Oct 10 2007, 01:13 AM

Bro metalzone,whats the green thing standing at the casing..?

And,just wanna ask,where to get a casing like yours and how much does it roughly cost..

the green thing is the reservoir. the casing is a classic silverstone TJ03, can't get already lor. ur best bet is to buy second hand or somewhere online who has old stock.
i'm trying to find the pics of the assembly I took... donno gone where already.

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Oct 10 2007, 12:18 PM

Found the missing pics.

(Click for larger pictures)

This update should be before the sleeving part.

The honeycomb grill looked dull when I clearcoated it, so I sprayed it chrome instead. Fitted in together with the fans and radiator underneath.


Overall shot of the assembled interior. The blue thumbscrews look a little out of place. Will be replacing those with silver ones soon.


Another look at the reservoir+power pole assembly. There is a square block at the bottom of the reservoir which is screwed unto the base (See this picture). Then you just slot in the reservoir and screw in the thumbscrew above to secure it.


Another shot from the back. Test fitting the power cables. This is where all cables from the motherboard disappears to. Then the cover will be placed there and secured via thumbscrews from the side.


This post has been edited by MetalZone: Oct 10 2007, 03:42 PM

Seriously can't wait for the pieces to be assembled together ...

drool to see how it fit in one running machine ..

Masked and pasted with drawings from Autocad on the plastic bezel and original Silverstone drive bay faceplate.


There is no margin for error. Have to be very careful. If I screw up I got no more spares.


Filing out the button hole.


Done. A shot of the back. I made use of the original drive bay faceplate's shape and had a hook like thing at the two ends.


Filed out two notches on the plastic bezel.


Slide it in. The hooks actually hold it in place but I'll be gluing it later.


Test fit. Perfect match!
The reason why I decided to do it this way is because the original Silverstone brushed aluminium faceplate has a different, more defined texture compared to the side panels. So I can't use the brushed aluminium cut out from the side panel if I want it to match perfectly.
(Click for larger pic)


To be continued tomorrow.

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Oct 11 2007, 12:18 AM

very chun , melecun dam those uv arcylic looks dam good + the Rom slot covers

actually it's already a functional PC

Hahaha, really really nice to see your masterpiece coming together. Aesthetically appealing, i'd expect nothing less from the hands that put my rig together.

Bro, i love the the way you made the front bezel,its so damn accurate...

Btw, did you made the resevoir yourself..? its kinda cool..

Very attractive front bezel bro metal

Masked and sprayed the exposed parts silver.


Then I just remembered I had some brushed chrome sticker. So with some careful cutting, on it goes!


Pasted a template for the button, then filed out the excess to make it a square shape (originally was rounded at the ends).


Touched it up with a little sanding and gave it the brushed chrome sticker too.


Glued together.


And wala... fitted into the Lite-On DVD writer. A shot with the tray open.
(Click for larger pic)


Tray closed


Finally fitted into the case. I love how it looks as if it came as a factory option.

Really nice touch dude...

its must be real hard to make the button..

Nice, really nice!!
Everything was a great idea.
Wish I can make anything as nice.

Thanks for the compliments peeps.

actually that was one of the easier parts. making the aluminium faceplate and sanding down the original bezel was harder work.

the lighting for the side panel, will be getting some assistance from Allngap.
still waiting for the Scythe kama meter to do the faceplate mod again.

---

Added on October 12, 2007, 1:11 amYeah, except the cutting. Took the UV acrylic and measurements to the workshop to get them to cut it with the table saw. didn't wanna take any chances with my dremel or jigsaw cuts coz this has to be very accurate (it's gonna hold water!) plus it's a pretty long reservoir. still I had to do some significant sanding to ensure everything is perfectly straight and accurate down to the last 0.1-0.2mm (checked with a caliper) before sticking it together with chloroform.

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Oct 12 2007, 01:17 AM

what can i say... very professional works.

wow....looking for modding my Antec P160...
Wow...it's woww...
what can i say....it's absolutely presision....

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Added on October 23, 2007, 11:43 amMTZ, DVD faceplate ; did u make it new by aluminium or u put aluminium into original cover or u just painted it ?

This post has been edited by maput: Oct 23 2007, 11:43 AM

Small update.

My reservoir sprung a leak so I had to drain the water cooling loop to fix it with a little epoxy. Changed two parts of the tubings to Tygon Silver Antimicrobial Tubing. The rest of the tubing is the same Tygon R3603.

Meanwhile, I swapped the power supply's fan to the same colour A.C.Ryan fan as the others.


While I was assembling it again, I took a picture before the reservoir was mounted so you can see the holding block screwed on at the bottom. Standing beside it is the power pole cover before it is mounted.


This post has been edited by MetalZone: Nov 12 2007, 11:13 PM

good job , your cutting is like pro..

btw , you still busy with you works???

thanks for the compliments

missed out ur question.
I flattened and smoothened out the original bezel, made aluminium covers for it out of the stock silverstone drive bay covers, spray painted the exposed parts silver, and covered what I could with brushed chrome sticker.
The pictures should speak for themselves?


Meanwhile, I'm doing the same brushed aluminium faceplate mod for the Scythe Kama Meter. Lights for the window are coming soon too.

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Nov 12 2007, 11:10 PM

ahh, the ch0osen 1.. next to uncle ian

u learn from him ka?? btw, i like ur mod, really

no he didnt learn from him, its his skill and precise cutting and passions, and practices from olden days till now

swt swt giving me some ideas

This post has been edited by sherren: Nov 12 2007, 11:12 PM

Wah seh thanks.
Actually, I've been modding since 2002 when the modding bug had started to spread.

wah ur change the fan inside PSU also........doesnt that spoiled the warranty ??

btw can show inside ur power column ?? like to see

The PSU is a review sample anyway and I've tinkered with it before, so warranty bantai lah, so I can do whatever I wish. I've sleeved the PSU all the way inside also.

Actually i've posted a number of pics of the power pole already. There are more detailed pics of the construction process of the power pole in the 1st page.
When mounted this is how it looks at the back before the cover is put on:
http://lp.pcmoddingmy.com/albums/userpics/10002/96.jpg

Bottom of power pole mounting, view from the back:
http://lp.pcmoddingmy.com/albums/userpics/10002/78.jpg

Top of power pole mounting, view from the back above the partition:
http://lp.pcmoddingmy.com/albums/userpics/10002/79.jpg

Top of power pole mounting, upwards view:
http://lp.pcmoddingmy.com/albums/userpics/10002/80.jpg

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Nov 13 2007, 01:56 PM

hoho icic......bantai as u like haha.......

thx for the picture....

Scythe Kama Meter Faceplate

Masking taped, and traced from the original faceplate.


Cutting in progress. The curves were cut with the reinforced cutting disc sideways.


Done cutting, drilling, filing and sanding. The drilled holes turned out a little pear shaped but fixed with the file. I need a drill press!


View from the back. The mounting tabs bent following the original faceplate but with so much bending on the aluminium, it became a bit weak, so I added some aluminium L bracings, tapped with M3 threads.


Assembled.


Fitted into casing.

cheh nothing shpeccial also /..j.kj.k ( runs and hide now ) neway nice cutting man..good idea on that...

everything looks neat n tidy. SALUTE!

looks more like LL optional parts.

really nice cutting and filling

very nice cutting skills!!! clean and neat

hmm, the right side of the curve a bit imperfect though.

Cant wait to see the completed works

It will look perfect if look at it only once.

the right side looks inperfect though or is it the meters inside?
The ready cut allu looks good but after fixing with the meter the right side got prob...ure cutting looks perfect..y?

Yes it is an extra Lian Li faceplate I bought. Didn't want to cut another Silverstone one in case I need it as spare.

Actually the only error my work is the top left is not perfectly straight (because of sanding actually). Will fix it with a file later. Was REALLY busy over the weekend.
The right side has nothing to do with my cutting. It is the edge of the LCD behind. Even with the original faceplate, I can faintly see the edge of the LCD behind. But not really obvious in real life la. I'll see if I can adjust the faceplate to the left a little and see if can compensate for that or not.

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Nov 20 2007, 09:43 AM

I'm sure you can bro

Woi, stop spamming here man. I have seen your spamming in more than 10 threads in this worklog section.
Read the rules first before posting.

Hope to see the final product soon..and in full view of the whole rig too...very impressive, look like original from factory (personally I think even factory also cannot do that well... )...keep us update....

Your work is clean and neat dude. Great skill u got there

so long and no updates...how is the project going?

Mr Metalzone, shifu of watercooling
where oh where have you been? been waiting so long to see mods from you

my room banjir with my saliva already

wow
you take so long time for this mod

Off course lo...It's not easy to cut the honeycomb side panel...
Really nice job...

PRO MODDER

Walauwe ... 1 year plus never update thread ... what happen la ?

he has forgotten already i guess..

Sorry guys, lolabunny087 actually PM'ed me hahah.

I've been using Mach X for a long time already. It's all assembled up serving me well.
The only thing that I didn't do to it that i had planned to do is to light up the embossed side panel. I actually have all the lights and controllers made for me already but I didnt get around to making the controller panel.
I haven't really been keeping up to date in the computing scene ever since i started work and then now i'm back to further studies. I'm planning to give Mach X a total hardware overhaul sometime mid this year during my long summer break (coz i can feel it's sluggishness already in the work I'm doing). So when I'm at that I'll do a couple more improvements. I need to remake a new reservoir also. the upper part is leaky! so i only fill half the res. hard to fix the leak also (i tried). Next time I'll probably use epoxy as a bonding agent instead of chloroform (i think it doesn't make a very good waterproof seal. lesson learned!).

I actually posted a pic of my desktop in the samsung netbook thread... doesn't show much but yeah, it's serving me well since you guys were wondering. I don't have any other better picture yet unfortunately.

(on a side note I personally took the desktop wallpaper picture)

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Apr 1 2009, 02:59 AM

waaah .. what about the pictures of the inside la .. take fast fast bro !! wanna see .. baddly .. Unnnggh .. !!!

Nice work. Plan to modify my PC-P60 to BTX too.lol

TS..gv us some close up..love ur job man..

wow.. bro, now already August 5th
haha!..
got any picture which it is operating?

seriously
like your mod very much
best mod from LYN

u made me envy d....i wish i can do tat by myself too...T T

ho ho ho ho.... actually got to see his real rig with my own eye, din reali look toroughly enuff... then now oni saw his post of his rig... amazing!!!! great work!!!! hahaha...

how do u make such clean sharp straight line cuts ?? mine is wavy =(..