Project Logs update 6

Hour Before Dawn

Created by: HourBeforeDawn
Worklog link

This is a pretty interesting not-quite-scratch build. HourBeforeDawn joined the bit-tech forums after seeing the sublime Dark Blade by G69T, and this inspired him to get modding.

The base case is the Mountain Mods U2-UFO Optimax - customised by the guys there with a few tweaks to the layout.

The stock case comes in a plain aluminium, so obviously it requires a bit of tarting it up. However, you can see that the base design is solid - it's a double-width cube, with plenty of room for all the plumbing that enthusiasts require. The first mod to go to the cutting bench is a WTX conversion, flipping the ATX mainboard on its head with a bit of jigsawing.

However, even with the Mountain Mods custom tweaks, there are still a few bits left for HBD to pull off. Some extra hard drive racks are on order, and this is easily sorted with some aluminium, some mesh and a steady cutting hand.

Taking the windows out of the panels means that they are reading for priming and spraying in a nice black - the overall theme is going to be rather gothic, so the black is a must. Getting the windows out required drilling through the rivets that hold the plexi in place and then throwing the plexi in the bin - to be replaced by custom etched onces, later.

The painting required about six coats to get a nice, even finish. Any small defect in the painting shows up terribly in black, so getting it right is crucial.

You can see a test fitting of the case as the different coloured panels are put together for the first time. The gothic theme is obviously kicking in, and the overall presentation is looking pretty slick.

HBD has been forward-thinking enough to get videos of the modding in progress, and he has hosted them on Google Video for everyone to see - a great example of multimedia modding! Check out the worklog link for the details.