PC Modding

Helou!

So, here I am (if you'll have me) 👋

Here’s the deal...
A little while back, someone sent me this link and that was that.
I decided I wanted one for myself since my standard PC towers were starting to feel pretty boring.
Alright, I'm not looking for a husband—I want a dragon. 😁

Since I'm currently between jobs and have plenty of free time on my hands, I figured I’d dive right into building one myself. 😎
I decided to join this group because I figured you guys might have some bright ideas if I run into any trouble.

Right now, I'm already hitting a few roadblocks:
1. How do I attach the case components to plastic tubing? I actually swung by Home Depot to see if they had anything that could act as a "connector" so I don't end up just tying everything together with string. 😬
2. Is there a material better for heat management than Styrofoam that's still easy to work with? If not, how on earth am I going to keep this computer cool? Will 500 fans even be enough? 😬
3. Good grief... I have a sketch ready, but I'm struggling with the proportions. How big should the neck be compared to the body, or the head compared to the torso, let alone the legs and wings? 😕

I'll definitely upload some photos as soon as I have something worth showing. 🙂
If anyone's interested! 😁

Hand over those sketches right now so we can actually see what you're planning to do.

quietcrane65 said:Should I focus on adding more fans, increasing my case volume, or just do both?

It all boils down to your current setup and how things are laid out inside the chassis.

There’s absolutely no point in having a massive case if you don't have enough fans to actually move the air. It's a waste of space—you might as well have an open-air test bench; you'll have all that extra volume, but zero airflow.

In my experience, you're much better off running two or three high-quality fans in a compact case.

Susan Kelly, I love where you're going with this idea... just don't back down, because we've got your back and will help out however we can, maybe even showing up to help you weld the frame together if things get intense, haha, so go ahead and drop those sketches in here... 😉

Cheers!!

Oh boy... my sketches are currently just a bunch of messy scribbles on paper...
Since I’m really not feeling the vibe of drawing this all out on the computer right now, and I don't have an easy way to digitize them—boom, I'll just try to talk you through it instead.

I uploaded some photos to Flicker for you guys to see...
So, they aren't exactly what I have in mind, but they get the general idea across.
I'm thinking it'll be black with some blue accents, lying down in a horizontal position...

I'd definitely love to add wings, but... honestly, that looks like a massive headache, so maybe "one of these days" when I'm feeling more ambitious.😁

The motherboard will go inside the main body along with everything else attached to it, while the power supply and maybe a fan to exhaust the air will sit in the rear section.
The DVD drive would pop out from the mouth area, though that's probably going to be one of the trickier parts to pull off.
There will be a hollow tube running through the neck to channel air into the structure, where a fan located near the mouth will blow it through so nothing looks too obvious.
The mouth will be slightly open.
I was thinking about tucking the HDD right underneath the DVD drive.

I'm totally open to suggestions regarding how to arrange all the components!🙂

For accessibility, I was planning to make it so you can just pop off half of the dragon from the side—and voilà, easy access. I just need to figure out a mounting method that doesn't make it look like half the dragon is just detachable.

And I absolutely cannot forget to think about how to actually move this thing; I don't want it getting crushed or falling apart when I have to lift it. I was thinking maybe adding a little hidden loop or cord that can be pulled out when needed.

I'm heading out to pick up some tubing tomorrow.😍

Oh, and I totally forgot the most important part 🙂
those influencers 🙂

I don't have a single thing... though I'd love to have a USB drive tucked away somewhere handy...
I'll just hide all that under my wing...

It’s going to end up looking like one massive, chaotic dragon with wires poking out everywhere 🙂

Back at it again.
I’m easily the most active person hanging out in this specific thread. 🙂

I’ve been overthinking things again—can’t help myself—and I was thinking about adding some kind of "roof" over that red fan up top. I’m talking about a Roof Scop style setup; anyone who’s ever touched a single Need for Speed game will know exactly what I'm getting at. I'm debating whether I should cut some slats into it or maybe go with a mesh look... give me some suggestions (check the photos from a few posts back).

Also, I've noticed a massive amount of people lurking in this thread without saying a damn word.

Is it just me, or am I the only one actually hanging out in this thread?

Some new projects to share.
I picked up three lighters with blue LEDs (you know, those super bright ones) and naturally, I gutted the diodes. I ran about two meters of dual-strand cable, did some trimming, and rigged them up so one flashes when the DVD drive is active (replacing the front one), the second triggers during RW activity, and the third kicks in whenever the hard drive is working.

I drilled three small holes in the case right between the RGB fan and the red LED, tucked them in there, and used a bit of silicone at the bottom to keep them from rattling around.

Now, whenever the HDD is spinning, I’ve got this little blue ring blinking on my ceiling—same thing happens with the disc drives.

🙂

Anyway, does anyone need any spare lighters???

Joseph Carter9 said:Am I really the only one hanging out in this thread?

New project.
Picked up three car lighter USB chargers with blue LEDs (the super bright kind) and gutted them. Used about two meters of wire, did some trimming, and rigged them up. Now, one light flashes when the DVD drive is active (replacing the front one), the second for RW, and the third for HDD activity.

Drilled three holes in the case between the RGB fan and the red LED, tucked them in, and used some silicone at the bottom so they don't wiggle.

Now, whenever the hard drive is working, I’ve got a blue ring blinking on the ceiling. Same goes for the optical drives.

🙂

Anyone need some spare lighters?

Where are the pictures?🙂

Nah, not really... I just take a quick peek every now and then just to remind myself that I'm still struggling

Anyway
I went ahead and screwed the feet onto the case panel where the motherboard will sit
And then I was planning on mounting the drive bay for the hard drive and DVD drive
But right as I was about to start screwing things in, it hit me—I hadn't actually checked if the power supply cables would even reach the motherboard, or if they’d get in the way of any expansion cards. So, I just stopped dead in my tracks
Decided to call it a night and go to sleep
Instead of pushing through🙂

I'll get back to it tomorrow
Total rookie move on my part...😬

northerncrane33 said:And what about the pictures????🙂

Tomorrow... I'm currently buried in books studying for my high school finals!!! 😁

Susan Kelly, I’ve realized that your definition of a "short" cable for the motherboard power supply is a bit skewed. If you're struggling with the length, there's an easy fix: just buy an extension. I personally picked up a 2-inch extension to get what I needed. If you actually need an extra half-inch, just buy two of them. 😬

It isn't really short, it's more like...
uh...
I honestly have no clue how long it should actually be. Once I get all the component mounts installed, I really don't want to deal with any awkward surprises—like finding out the power supply cables running to the optical drive are suddenly crowding the graphics card.

But you mentioned extension cables... yeah, that sounds like a solid plan. That way I can just screw everything in wherever it feels right and worry about those little technical details later on.

Joseph Carter9 said:And now that the hard drive is maxed out, I've got this blinking blue light, kind of like how those old disc drives used to act...

So, how did you actually wire that thing up?

Personally, I rigged up a single red LED right where the reset button used to be. I pulled the floppy drive cover off, fished some wires through a gap in the chassis, and managed to hook them up to a USB header...
I've got one blue LED sitting under the CD/DVD drive, and I'll probably stick another one right under the graphics card....

Hey! I noticed this thread hasn't been locked yet, so I’m jumping back in with a pretty wild idea ::: (check out the video on YouTube):::
...take a good look 😲 at that hardware setup. I've been wondering if something like this is actually doable... and more importantly, does anyone here have the skills to actually build one? 🙂

Where on earth can I pick up a chassis like this here in the States?
I have been considering some custom glasswork projects and have already started sketching out a few designs, though I suspect the execution might be more complicated than I initially anticipated. I’ve ruled out using acrylic for this; once you scratch acrylic, there is no going back, whereas glass is far more resilient against surface abrasions.
🙂

That drive is a Western Digital Raptor, and those things come with a super complex factory window. Trying to pull off a DIY version? Honestly, it’s pretty much impossible...

That’s going to be a massive headache; I wouldn't even attempt it. It's way too risky unless you can find a pre-made kit that's already finished... though I have to admit, it looks incredible.

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Regarding the FPS, specifically that little LED that lights up when the hard drive is active—just snip the wire leading to the front case LED, pull out the connector that plugs into the motherboard (it should be labeled HDD LED), extend it with about 30cm of extra wire, and then just crimp a new LED onto the end. It's the exact same deal as those old ROM LEDs; just snip, crimp, attach the LED to the wire, and mount it wherever you want.

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Michael, I honestly wouldn't go with glass. First off, cutting glass is a nightmare, and you won't be able to drill holes for the screws needed to keep the whole thing from falling apart. Besides, I haven't seen anyone successfully drill a hole for a 9cm or 12cm fan through glass; it's just not sturdy enough.
Using plexiglass, however, makes all of this totally doable. It doesn't scratch nearly as easily as you'd think—trust me, I've had some for almost a year now and there are a few scuffs here and there, but you won't even notice unless you're staring right at it.
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Susan Kelly, do us a favor and post some photos so someone can actually give you a decent suggestion.

redmason said:Yo! Looks like this thread isn't dead yet, so I'm dropping a wild idea on you guys :::http://images.google.com/imgres?imgur...%3Dus%26sa%3DN (there's a video on YouTube):::
...take a look 😲 at the hard drive.. wondering if this is even doable ...and if anyone actually has the skills to pull it off🙂

If those guys in the photo actually pulled that off, then yeah, it's doable. 😉

Anthony Brown12 said:If they actually pulled that off in the photo, then anything is possible. 😉

placidcanyon2 says: "That drive is a Western Digital Raptor, which has a complex factory window. Trying a DIY window is almost impossible..."

northerncrane33 said:Matesonik says: "That drive is a Seagate Barracuda, which comes with a complex factory partition. Trying a DIY partition is basically impossible..."

Look, if the manufacturer pulled it off, it can be done. 😉