Project: CES '09 LMM (Last Minute Mod)

[SGwillis]

wow, nice set of hardware to be dropped off looks like its going to be an interesting build seeing as you have to highlight certain hardware

[Petra]

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been busy juggling this project, the store, and personal stuff.

Anyway, I leave for CES in two days... and, boy, do I have my work cut out for me

Here's a quick summary of where I'm at and how I got there:


Started by stripping the case (pulling all the cages, covers, and other crap out).


A little blue painter's tape on the PSU as not to scratch it up while test fitting stuff.


Marking up the case to act as a guide for the primary cuts. I'm very much a hands-on, throw stuff in, figure out where to cut, go crazy with Sharpie kind of modder who's projects tend to change as I move through them--it's fun


...and the carnage begins! Before anyone asks, yes, I'm wearing both safety glasses and earplugs (otherwise, I would have become blind and deaf long ago). What the picture can't show you, though, are my poor Logitech Z-2300's blasting away in the background (a mix of Muse, Led Zeppelin, and Audioslave, in case anyone is curious).


By this point, I'm starting to drill the rivets out of the case to take it apart so that I can finish most of the cutting.


Whadda 'ya know... it's back together again. After pulling the case entirely apart and cutting it up some more, I partially reassembled it so that I could test fit some of the components and check for any additional modifications that it needed. All that excess Sharpie really makes the cuts look a lot worse than they actually are...


Looking familiar?


I'm also using the opportunity to mark spots where mounting holes will be needed and figure out the SSD mount (not shown).


Turns out that a few more mm had to be trimmed from the motherboard tray so that I could mount fans up to the radiator on the right... Eh, at least I was close on the first go

Which brings us to today...


Here the case has been disassembled again, each panel deburred, filed, wet sanded, thoroughly cleaned, and hung for priming.


It started getting quite cold, so out came the dish heater to keep the panels warm (paint was stored in the front office, so I didn't have to worry about warming it).


Finished priming and allowing things to dry for an hour before rushing into a color coat. I really don't like rushing paint because it's just one of those things that, if you take the time to do it right, can make the difference between an amazing mod and a mediocre mod... but, with so little time to work with, I obviously can't spend weeks on paint (which is why I'm not even considering external paint).


Applying color coats to the panels... in the dark.... with only the dish to keep the parts warm and cure the paint (probably about 45*F out by this point).


After things cured enough to be carefully handled, I moved all of the panels into the office and programmed the thermostat to hold the temperature at 75*F all night to help the paint cure (by the time I left, the temperature in the warehouse was lingering around 40*F... not a great environment for paint to cure quickly). The sad part is that it takes a full week for this paint to completely cure, so it won't actually be done until after CES is over... but that won't stop me from finishing the case anyway!

So, my 'to do' list for tomorrow (Monday) consists of the following:

- Cut the side panels (window for the left panel and one 'radgrill' hole for each side).
- Deburr, wet sand, clean, prime, and paint the insides of the side panels.
- Pop rivet the chassis back together.
- Start assembling computer.
- Pray all of the parts work (I haven't had time to test any of the components that SuperTalent dropped off).

Tuesday's list should go like this:

- Finish assembling computer.
- Fill water cooling system.
- Install Windows.
- Apply the custom Appliqués which should arrive on Monday (despite a few setbacks, Terry over at Shatteredweb has been great to work with, as always ).
- Box the system up, stuff it into the 328 (since there's no way it's fitting in the roadster), and start the first leg of my drive to Vegas (breaking it into two days because I have to drop by SLO to deliver a TV).

Time for sleep....

[smee]

Heh, Quoc was telling me about your adventures with that system when I was down at your shop monday. xD
I saw all the parts leaning on the floor there, looks like you had some fun.

Looking forward to pics! And BTW, thanks for the stuff Alex, you guys are great.

[mit78]

where is the final rig?

[silverphoenix]

where is the final rig?

Probably at CES

[mit78]

where is the final rig?