Rookie Case Mod
Parts By: HighspeedPC &
UmaxPC
By: Jack Kolesar 02-17-02
Introduction
Case mods...case mods...everywhere case mods! I have been looking at the same
boring, beige case I have had since the beginning of time and started thinking...
"Why not try one of them spiffy case modifications that seem to be all the
rage lately". So, I sent off a couple of emails to my good friends at
HighspeedPC and UmaxPC for some
round cables, a window kit, and a UV Cold Cathode Tube. I then bought some
paint from the local Home Depot and got to work.
Cutting The Hole
The first step was to cut the hole for the blue UmaxPC window kit. The instructions
said to use the supplied washer to trace around the window with a pencil.
I don't know why, but for some reason, I was looking for a rubber washer
that was about the size of the window. When I couldn't find it, I decided
to trace the window and freehand an outer circle around the mark. Two days
later, I found the washer. It is just an ordinary metal washer that you roll
around the window with a pencil in the middle hole. Oh well... After I marked
the cut, I used a hole saw to give a starting point for the tin snips. I
intended on painting the case when all was finished, so I didn't bother to
tape it off. If you plan on keeping the existing finish, it would be a good
idea to tape the areas that aren't going to be cut so the surface isn't scratched.
When I had the starter hole cut, I used the tin snips to cut the rest of
the window hole. The snips worked very well and cut through the sidewall
like butter.
Painting
I didn't want to have ugly beige drives in a black case. To paint the drives,
I just removed the front bezels, painted and reinstalled them. I used flat
black Rustoleum on the front of the case and glossy black on the body. The
paint has held up much better than I thought it would. I have had the case
painted for over two months and the drives haven't scratched. I would highly
recommend using primer on the body before painting it with a glossy paint.
I didn't do so and the finish came out a bit rough on the side panels.
Next Page - Installing
The Window --->
