| I recently completed
my first modification to my computer and it was a true learning experience.
I hope to share that experience with others so that they might get a feel
for what to expect. The modifications that I made was to add a window
to the side of my case and added internal lights, decrative cables and
blowhole with a lighted fan. Each mod will be addressed individually
and step by step instructions provided. As I mentioned, this was my
first mod so this article isn't ment to be an all exclusive instruction
manual, rather, I hope to offer information and give some insites to someone
that might be considering the same mods. This page will address the
window installation. Step 1:
The first step I'd advise is to do your research.
There are a number of sites out there that deal with mod issues and believe
me, there are a ton of ideas and concepts that you can take. Start out
with a theme. What is something that is of interest to you? Are
you a fan of Star Wars? Perhaps your a "Matrix" fan. Do you like
to hunt, fish or the outdoors? Come up with a theme to center on and
then begin your search for items that could contribute to this theme.
Example: I am a huge University of Louisville Cardinals fan. I
found an image on the internet of the Cardinals Logo. I printed it out
in the size that I thought would fit the side of my case. I then cut
out the picture and made a template that I could use to trace the image onto
my case side. It would have been awsome, EXCEPT I realized that the
cuts that would have needed to be made were very intricate and would have
required a power tool such as a dremel cutting tool or something to that
effect. I wanted to keep the cost of my first mod to a minimum and
wasn't ready to shell out the $30 for a power tool so I opted to keep with a
simple theme. Thus, I began my search for ideas and products that I
might be able to use. Now, I'm familiar with my capabilities and my
mechanical abilities so I knew I didn't want to get to difficult.
Step 2:
I found a kit that came with several of the items that I
wanted to impliment into my mod. This kit came complete with the
following items:
- a plexiglass window
- the rubber molding that holds the window in place
- a cold cathode light in the color that I wanted (in
this case it was red)
- a fan that lit up with the same
color
- a laser cut fan cover with a really cool design
- a nibbler cutting tool
- a switch for wiring up the light
- a round 18" silver IDE cable and a round 18" floppy
drive cable
- all the wires and connections needed to connect
everything
I also purchased an additional set of led lights just to
add more lighting. I was ready to begin my modding.
Step 3:
I began by determining where I wanted to place my window.
The size of the plexiglass played the biggest factor in making this decision
so keep in mind that there are several sizes out there of pre-cut plexiglass
or you can buy your own and cut the size that you need. For this case,
I decided to go with a pre-cut piece. The kit that I bought came with
a small washer and by placing the washer against the edge of the plexiglass
and placing a pencil in the hole in the washer, I traced the shape of the
plexiglass on the side of my case housing. The instructions that came
with the kit I purchased stated that, the size of the washer was the perfect
size for the gap needed between the size of the plexiglass, the whole that I
would be cutting and the rubber molding that would hold the plexiglass.
I must admit, it was a perfect fit.
Step 4:
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