Case Modding "101" - The Cutting...
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Case Modding "101"
Written by: Mack (SPeeD) Littleton
Items from: ZXMods
The Cutting
Before actually cutting, it is recommended that you tape around the edges for obvious reasons. Below, you can see my halfassed job. I should have taped off the entire case side with newspaper or something, but hey, when your anxious, what can ya do? Here is the ugliness that ensues after the full cut has finished.
I tell ya, cutting with a dremel isn't exactly the the best way to do this. I seriously must have went through about 20 to 30 dremel bits. The case door is so thick that I was lucky to get 1 to 2 inches per bit, and the corners were even worse than the straightaways. Patience is certainly a virtue when it comes to this type of work so be prepared to spend a little bit of time doing this.
Afterward, the edges of your cut will have some VERY sharp burs that you will want to sand off. Either a hand file or a sanding dremel bit will do the job well. I just happened to have a sanding bit in my box-0-goodies so I busted that out and went to town. It did a damn fine job too. What your left with is a smooth and burr free window edge that even momma can be proud of. She could probably care less about it, but proud nevertheless.
Now we need to clean off the residue from dremeling. Best thing I could think of was the tub. The ol' lady would have my ass if she knew I washed this thing off in the bathtub, but what else could I do? I quick got some 409 and an old wash rag and went to town. All the gunk came off nicely and I was left with a spiffy looking case side minus the window.
Construction
The molding was pretty impressive stuff. It does it's job and does it well. The thin edge is for the case and the thick edge is for the window. Shall we slip it in?
Finished Window
Getting the window into the molding was NO easy task I tell you. It was honestly my fault though. I really cut the hole slightly too small which made for an EXTREMELY tight fit. Truth be told, I was cursing quite a bit, but there was no way I was about to go back outside and dremel off some more of this window. NO WAY. Eventually I worked it in there and it was a very snug fit and looked nice. So snug in fact that I didn't even need the included locking strip for the molding. Here's a look at the finished product.
Next: The PSU >>
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