MAIN WORKS LINKS .tk

Case Mod - "April"

    So I was walking around at work a while ago, and was thinking about case moding. What could I put a computer in? And then I saw it: a bright yellow sign reading, "Frames 40% Off".

    Hmmmm.....

    So I walked out with two 11X14 box frames. Here's a list of the other supplies that I used:

  • ATX Motherboard + CPU (Pentium Pro; w00t)
  • Some RAM (4 16MB SIMMS)
  • 2 NICs
  • IDE HD
  • 80mm system fan
  • 12" red cold cathode
  • 2 1½" hinges
  • A bunch of machine screws (for hinges and mounting mobo, HD, fan)
  • Sheet of plastic canvas (for underneath mobo)
  • ATX power supply (sits outside case)

    The only tools I needed were a screwdriver and a rotary tool (I use a Black&Decker RTX) for drilling and cutting.

    My total cost for this project was about $35. I already had all of the computer components; the hardware only ran me a couple of bucks, and the actual case (frames) were discounted from very cheap to dirt cheap. If you don't have old computer components sitting around, check with the Computer Geeks or eBay

    The first thing to do was to cut openings in the acrylic where screws had to go or things had to fit. There were 4 openings to be cut out: fan, PS cables, legacy ports, and NIC jacks. Note to anyone attempting this: melting plastic stinks. Wear a mask or use orange-scented plastic or something. It reeks.

    Also, don't expect a clean cut. The acrylic fibers will melt into lumps along your cut. These can be broken off after they cool a little.

Bottom of case [27KB]
The bottom of the case, shown with opening facing up. The two cuts on the left are for the legacy ports and NIC jacks; the one at the top is for power supply cables. Holes on the right are for hinges; bottom are for motherboard mounting.

Top of case [36KB]
The top of the case, shown with opening facing up. Holes on the left side are for the hinges, left are for the hard drive, and the ones around the circle cutout are for the fan. I use "circle" loosely. Hey, it's tough to cut out a circle using another circle spinning at 15,000 RPM. Doesn't really matter though, since it's going to get covered by the fan anyway.

    The planning, measuring, and fabrication was the hard part. The rest was just a matter of putting in some screws:

April all tagetha
You know, it'd be better if the room was darker...

April, side view in the dark [37KB]
A view from the side...

April, top view in the dark [36KB]
...the top...

April, back view in the dark [38KB]
...and the back. You can see where I etched "April" between the hinges.

    And that's really all there is too it. This is a really inexpensive case mod that anyone can do. And if you do screw it up, just shell out $4 and get another box frame.

    I'll entertain some questions now:

Q: What does it do, if it has no videocard?
A: April can act as a firewall/gateway/file server thing. A video card could be added though.

Q: Does it work?
A: No. The hard drive failed on it's first reboot.

Q: How does the lid stay closed?
A: Gravity.

Q: How do you turn it on?
A: Paper clip.

Q: Where's the hard drive activity light?
A: If you use an old noisy hard drive like I did, you don't need one.

Q: Was that cold cathode light really necessary?
A: No.

Q: Was that fan really necessary?
A: Yes. Since the power supply is located outside the case, there needs to be a fan inside the case to provide some sort of airflow. But I will admit that the fan currently in there is overkill.

Q: Why is it called "April"?
A: I name all of my computers after Ninja Turtles caracters. April the computer, being a gateway from a home LAN to the rest of the Internet, is like the TMNT's caracter April, who is a link for the Turtles to the outside world.


[ Main | Works | Links ]