What can I do?

[Ross932c]

I am new to modding. I have a old computer case I am going to play with. What should I do to it. I have a Dremel tool just so you know.

[Ross932c]

I also have a soldering gun if I need it. I have two spare fans also. I have heard about a window, changing LED's and case painting. What else is there?

[n0strax]

build a bay bus or a rheobus, mod your PSU, add handles, glow wire, stealth your drives...

[Ross932c]

What do you do when you stelth your drive? Can you still use that drive after you stealth it? How to you put a cd in it?

[n0strax]

yeah, i haven't done it myself but i'm hoping to soon. From what i hear it's when you the take the old drive cover that was in your bay before you put in the cd rom and somehow put it over it, so when you press it the tray comes out but when it's closed you can't tell there is a cd rom there. I had a good tutorial on it but i lost it :( if anyone has one please post it, i need it again.

[imported_Yoshi]

When you say 'stealth" the drive do you mean making it quiter? If that is what you are talking about, there is a lot you can do. Most of the time, you would be using materials such as foam that are used in sound labs to baffle the noise. You would still be able to use the drive it would just need to have a door that covered it. It all depends on how quiet you intend to make it. One of the easiest ways to quiet things down is to add dynamat to the inside of the case. Your case acts like a big speaker box enclosure. The metal being like a membrane that transmits the sound inside, out. Using the dynamat or something similiar will reduce the noise from inside the comp a great deal. You want to make sure you leave enough ventilation though.

[Lem6687]

Yoshi, when people say there going to stealth there drive, they mean they are going to mod it so the original bay covers fit on the front of the drives...and u can still press the button and it looks like nothing is there....lemme find a site that has a tutorial....ahh heres one, http://www.hexus.net/article.php?review=272

[imported_Yoshi]

Oh cool... Yeah that should be no prob. Its a nice clean mod to do. Pretty simple also. I am so used to motorcycle or automotive circles referring to "stealth" as quiet.

[Lem6687]

Stealth in a way does mean quiet....if your using it in a military type of way.... :D

[n0strax]

thanks alot lemm! now i'm gonna stealth my lian-li case, cause beige doens't work well with it

[Lem6687]

yea i know what you mean....i have a blue case, with beige drives, lol

[n0strax]

Ok, I was sitting at dinner and notice I had nothing to do so I checked the house for some double sided sticky tape and found some, so I gave a go at stealthing my cd-rom drive. No real problems whatsoever!

now i did this whole thing in under 20 minutes (considering 15 of that was kicking the crap out of my cd-rom so i could get the faceplate off)

I DEFINITELY reccomend this to anybody as their first mod!

[apeter]

too bad i already ruined all of my drive covers trying to make other mods out of them :mrgreen: oh, to be good with a dremel :!:

[Zealot]

Stealthing your drives is a good beginning, aswell as a simple window and possibley a blowhole on top. However I really don't suggest modding a PSU for anyone new to modding, if you like modded PSU's save yourself some time and maybe pain and just buy one. I know a lot of people don't like buying pre-modded things, but I don't like messing with powersupplies.

[n0strax]

What is the danger with modding them?

[Lem6687]

killing them? Not to mention the huge amount of voltage and electricity they hold that can cause some serious damage :(

[n0strax]

if i planned on doing it, i would unplug everything from it and let it sit for like an hour so it can discharge and then clip my anti-static wrist strap to some other object

[apeter]

you'd have to short the caps, not just wait for them to die

[bm98master]

seriously, caps can store a charge for years, and using an anti-static wrist strap is just going to make a better circuit between you and 10,000+volts of DC electricity (ouch!). I actually just read in my A+ review book that when you discharge your caps, you should use a resistor with a resistance of 100 ohms per volt (if the cap stores 300v, use a 3000 ohm resistor).

some people say a screwdriver is just as good (but if you get shocked, don't blame me. i told you to use the resistors).

[apeter]

if you want to use a screw driver, :!: wear gloves :!:

[n0strax]

ok, here are some pics of my case with the the stealthed drive.
The pictures sucked cause it was nighttime and i only had a little lamp and I know, I need to start doing something to it.

EDIT: Somehow the pictures got deleted while reformating the server.

[Hurrishane]

I always did like the Stealth look on the CD/DVD drives, it reminds me of Mac's G4. When I was having an interview for this screenprinting place acouple years back, they asked if I ever used a Mac and when I told them no but always wanted to check out the G4. The guy took me to the design room and was showing me the case and I asked where the CD-ROM drive was, he ejected the tray I was like woah that is sneaky. :)

I have an ATX case I thought about Modding but have zero tools and low funds so I may just paint it and find someone to cut a window out for me and gradually Mod it a step at a time.

[apeter]

stealth your drives...
Dawg! Yer suggestion is goin' on the show tomorrow! 8)
props to n0strax!!!

[n0strax]

That's sweet, I just saw about it on the website...but I doubt it was my suggestion that gave him the idea. That would be awesome though.

[imported_Yoshi]

It was the suggestion from this forum that made me decide to put it on the show. I figured it would be a good easy project for people that have never modded anything and it wont cost much if anything. I have been trying to put more complex mods on but have not taken into account those that need the basics also. I want the mods to appeal to non modders as well. Make people see that you can start off easy its all about being creative. It doesnt have to be difficult.

[n0strax]

I am really a basic modder. Besides throwing in the LED fans and the cold cathode and then window, the only real mods i've done are the stealthing of my cd-rw/cd-rom drive and yesterday I measured and cut a hole in the center of a drive cover and mounted the switch for my cold cathode, so now the dial and switch is easier to access. But I am glad I was able to suggest something, I hope it turns out well.

[n0strax]

I really liked how you did it, lot faster and cleaner than mine. I did mine different in a few ways...

-I left the sides of the cover on and only snipped off the tabs. If I didn't have it perfectly flush I didn't want to be able to see the sides of the cover

-I took off the front facia of the drive and I also took off the facia for the tray, cause they were both sort of rounded and I wanted it to sit flat.

-I popped the "open" button off of the facia and I put a piece of double-sided sticky tape and fastened it to the cover so when I pushed the corner it pressed the button better.

Hey Yoshi, do you think there is any way I could get a TSS shirt for suggestion it? lol


p.s. Sorry for one post after another. I just thought if people saw it on the show and thought about doing it I would give them another opinion to think about.

[Dirty Sheets]

:? Im new to moddin' so I want to start with a new case, you know, more drive slots and stuff. My com is stalk, boring, so where can I get hooked up with a nice case? All suggestions welcome> thx.

[msharpe351]

you can also take off your drive covers (carefully) and paint them like I did. easy and dirt cheap ( total cost $.87 for paint @ Walmart). Mind you not as cheap as using your old doors to stealth the drive, but just as effective. plus I don't know what kind of case i have, so mabye someone can help me out. see my post for the illustrated specs. see if you can ID it for me so I can get bay covers for it (I need 1). :?