Anyone Still Mod their cases??

[ComputerWizKid]

I was recently given a bunch of computer Junk (My uncle is a computer fiend like me and he passes on the old to me)
Anyway I got a bunch of Generic Mid Towers that I would like to mod for better cooling (I have a Athlon II x4 in there with two optical Disc Drives and one WD 1TB Black )
Anyway the case I want to mod is really solid built not flimsy like most of the Generic "Computer Show" Special cases
I want to add two 120MM fans to the side panel and two 92MM or 80 MM fans to the top of the case
So my questions are what are the best ways to go about cutting the holes and then mounting the fans?
My tool arsenal is as follows:
Black & Decker RTX (Dremel Clone) with a boatload of cutting discs (From the days when I modded my Inwin Q-500A I miss that case:'()
Black & Decker Jig-Saw
Black & Decker Drill (Really old with no reverse setting but it works great much better then today's MICC)

If I was to buy new tools (Hole-Saw Kit) Which is the appropriate sizes for 120MM , 92MM & 80MM fans (Yes I know how convert MM to "inches") I just don't want to buy a 120MM hole saw and have the fans go right through the hole because I made it too big (That's What She Said)

Thanks

 

[alaricljs]

You don't necessarily want to go for a hole-saw kit for metal, they'll be awfully expensive.

Generally you use something to draw the hole shape you want and use a 3/8" or 1/2" drill bit to punch a hole inside it near one edge. Then use a sheet-metal nibbler to get it as close to good as you can and the dremel to clean up the edge.

Nibblers are available in manual, electric, air, drill attachment (PitA) and possibly other forms as well.

 

[RavenSEAL]

I was recently given a bunch of computer Junk (My uncle is a computer fiend like me and he passes on the old to me)
Anyway I got a bunch of Generic Mid Towers that I would like to mod for better cooling (I have a Athlon II x4 in there with two optical Disc Drives and one WD 1TB Black )
Anyway the case I want to mod is really solid built not flimsy like most of the Generic "Computer Show" Special cases
I want to add two 120MM fans to the side panel and two 92MM or 80 MM fans to the top of the case
So my questions are what are the best ways to go about cutting the holes and then mounting the fans?
My tool arsenal is as follows:
Black & Decker RTX (Dremel Clone) with a boatload of cutting discs (From the days when I modded my Inwin Q-500A I miss that case:'()
Black & Decker Jig-Saw
Black & Decker Drill (Really old with no reverse setting but it works great much better then today's MICC)

If I was to buy new tools (Hole-Saw Kit) Which is the appropriate sizes for 120MM , 92MM & 80MM fans (Yes I know how convert MM to "inches") I just don't want to buy a 120MM hole saw and have the fans go right through the hole because I made it too big (That's What She Said)

Thanks

You're better off putting the fan against the case, marking where the edges are and the fan hole starts, mark where the screws go in and then chop away.

So pretty much, get a spare fan of each so you can take out the blades and sketch the frame into the case.

 

[Athadeus]

I took off the front panel of my CM Storm Scout , removed the dust filter, and sawed out a decent sized piece of plastic that holds the dust filter in place. The red LED fan shows through much better and airflow is better. The regular mesh catches most of the dust anyways which is easier to brush off with my hand, and with no carpet in this room, it only requires cleaning bi-yearly at most. I took out the PSU fan filter as well.

I hope you can make those cases real nice instead of just looking like a hack job. Have fun!

 

[ComputerWizKid]

OK thanks I will probably do the second suggestion as that sounds cheaper and easier and my hands hate the nibbler tool

but the case is so well put together that the Top and right side panel are riveted on :'( OK now prepare for a dumb question:
are rivets threaded. or do I have to drill them out and to reattach can I just use self tapping screws?

Thanks

I will probably do this project on Saturday when I have free time
My Athlon II x4 is at 150C @ Idle so I hope my modding will decrease that by at least 10-15 Degress

 

[alaricljs]

You would have to drill out rivets. Do it right and you can just replace the rivet with another rivet. Sheet metal screws are more along the lines of what you're looking for, but they warp the material that they are binding to some extent (sometimes a lot).

 

[dawp]

you can use the jigsaw to cut the holes, before you mark and cut, lay a layer of tape on the surface to be cut, mark it, drill a hole big enough for the blade to go through in the area to be removed and cut away. just get yourself several metal cutting blades in case you push too hard and the blade breaks.

 

[ComputerWizKid]

OK so I finally cut the hole and it came out horrible (Stupid me for trying a New Tool)
Anyway it looks horrible and I don't care as my computer is happy, I have an ATI/AMD HD5450 and the card was 175F at full load and 135-145F at idle Now the card idles at 100F 115F is the maximum I have seen so far

Anyway here is a pic of my horible job

PS I did not use the dremel 678-01 I started the hole with it and I (As you can see in the upper right corner of the hole) And the cutting bit broke so I finished it with my B&D RTX

 

[Soulkeeper]

I think fan holes are better done with an 8 sided approach, which can be easily cut out with a dremel cutoff disk, or a jigsaw.

ie: a square with corners like triangles ...
just trace it out so none of the fan airflow is obstructed

You can also clean up your rough cuts with a dremel grinding peice, or a file if you're real patient

 

[zagood]

Clean it up a little with the dremel grinder bit as suggested, and grab some of this:
http://www.mnpctech.com/UChannel.html

 

[aigomorla]

mmmmm....

ive moded cases.. and if i see the need to, i will still bust out the dremel and sheet metal clips and start hacking away at the case.


OP, if its a fan hole, get a 4 3/4 hole saw bit for a drill.
Hands down its the easiest way to tap a fan hole.

If you need to do a larger hole for rad mounting.... layout masking tape on the case, and then etch your design on the masking tape.

If u decide to use a dremel, wear glasses is a first... if that bit breaks off, u dont want it flying to your eye.

Metal snips are also doable, but they leave a recessed edge, so unless u have something to cover it, like molding or even a rad grill, i wouldnt recommend snips.

 

[toysareforboys]

Figured I'd add to this thread some of Panasonic's cut out diagrams! I was building a new side panel for my computer (to keep my i7, 560 Ti and hard drives cool) and needed the exact dimensions. Here is what I was able to dig up, and what I used it for!

I had a bunch of people ask me how to print those diagrams to scale, so I made some new ones (to scale)!

Remember to turn off "Page Scaling" when printing!!

"Fancy" holes: 120mm, 92mm and 80mm
"Fancy" holes: DUAL 120MM
"Fancy" holes: Single or Dual or Triple or Quad 140mm!!
"Simple" holes: 120mm, 92mm and 80mm
"Simple" holes: DUAL 120MM

You can use any of the "dual" templates to make triple, quad's, etc.

Panasonic seems to have changed the location (or took down) their PDF's which show all the amazing diagrams for case fans (and their cut out templates):
80mm:

90mm/92mm:

120mm:

(also available HERE, HERE and HERE in case my webserver ever goes down).

I was able to track down cached copies of Panasonic's spec PDF's and they were super useful in my design!

Here are a copy of the PDF's for 120mm, 92mm and 80mm from my web server.

My design (sorry for the crappy autocad work, I'm not very good with the program):

I had a local shop (near Toronto, Ontario, Canada) WaterJet cut a piece of optical quality abrasion resistant 1/4" Lexan for $25 (plus $25 for the Lexan). Came out absolutely amazing (available in half scale PDF as well )

LICK FOR HIGH RES!

Fans are installed. I used #8 x 1.5" Taper Head Machine Screws. This leaves enough room for me to put grills on once they arrive.

LICK FOR HIGH RES!

The fan's purposes are:
Top left = CPU HOT AIR OUT, middle top = CPU COOL AIR IN, top right = HDD RACK COOL AIR IN
Bottom left = GPU COOL AIR IN, middle bottom = GPU COOL AIR IN, bottom right = GPU + HDD HOT AIR OUT.

There's still a rear 92mm exhaust fan as well as the power supply (140mm fan iirc).

Installed on the computer:

LICK FOR HIGH RES!


LICK FOR HIGH RES!

Can't get my CPU to go over 53 degrees no matter how long I let her burn in!!! My video card is also running super cool, and my hard drives at 31 degrees!!! WOOT!

-Jamie M.

 

[truckerCLOCK]

So how fast can that thing fly ???? Im sorry but thats kinda ridiculous....

 

[stargazr]

@toysareforboys - wow you really like fans!

Here's a good video for some dremel tips on cutting a circle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iMiH8wYTDY

 

[truckerCLOCK]

The best way to cut a circle with a dremel is to treat it like a mini router (the actual power tool) and make a circle cutting gig. I just took a piece of flat aluminum and drilled a hole on one end for a bolt and attached the other end to the dremel. Then drill a hole in the center of the circle you wanna cut, place the bolt in the hole and you got a perfect circle. So for different size circles drill more holes into the end of the aluminum. Like this but substitute the router for the dremel.....

 

[rarebear]

http://wizkidz.home.comcast.net/computer/

I did a custom mod

 

[WoodButcher]

Hey toys, welcome to the forum and thanks for posting the diagrams. I'm sure they will be downloaded by many. I think you may want to reverse that oddball fan because last I checked PSUs exhaust out the back. I'm sure with all the other fans it won't starve for air but I've always had better results rowing the same way as the guy in the front seat of the canoe.

@ wizkid, don't get discouraged, practice. Every time you get better. If it's important to you there are many easy fixes for that and just as many different ways to cut those holes. Keep it up, I love to read build threads where folks build and heavily modify their cases.

It has been a while since I posted pics but if you look at the first page of the gallery you'll find a few of mine. I was looking for my build thread I posted back then but somebody ate it
Probably lost when the forums changed over.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Last time I modded a case, it was a CodeGen that I bought, that had a factory blowhole (kind of a new idea at the time). I drilled a lot of holes in the lower-front, for air intakes, and I drilled new HD mounting holes further back along the metal, so that I could fit an 80mm fan in front of the HDs to cool them.

I still have that case, I still like it. Originally, I had my Athlon XP 1800+ CPU+MSI KT4V-L mobo in it, if that dates it for you.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=1526585

 

[toysareforboys]

So how fast can that thing fly ???? Im sorry but thats kinda ridiculous....

It can't fly anywhere, all of the fans run on idle almost all the time, and idle means as slow as they'll possibly go without stopping. Ridiculous is my middle name!

@toysareforboys - wow you really like fans!

The more fans you have, the slower they can go and still provide adequate cooling!! I REALLY love PWM fans, especially those Arctic Cooling ones (poo on Cooler Master, their PWM fan's can't stack for some reason, daisy chain more than one of them and they all run at 100%!! wtf?!?).

Hey toys, welcome to the forum and thanks for posting the diagrams. I'm sure they will be downloaded by many. I think you may want to reverse that oddball fan because last I checked PSUs exhaust out the back.

Thanks for the welcome, unfortunately I wasn't getting e-mail notification of replies, which I've fixed now

The reversed 120mm fan is exhaust for the CPU heatsink (it's vertical, air in from the right, out to the left, AC Freezer Pro 13). I didn't want that 120 blowing in and competing with the CPU fan trying to push air through the heatsink, so basically that reversed 120 is pulling the hot air from exhaust of the CPU heatsink, as well as the 92mm rear as well as the 140mm power supply I don't really care if the power supply is sucking the warm CPU air, lol!

To stop small animals and children from getting hurt I installed my new grill today

They tried to cut it on the waterjet machine, but sometimes the "waste" i.e. the middle part of the hexagons, would pop out and lay on top of the uncut part, and when the machine went to cut the next one the force would just blow the waste part through the mesh and make a big mess.

So, they had to cut it on the laser! It doesn't make as clean/nice of cuts as the waterjet machine (check out the 2nd pic below), but it came out great anyway!

They lasered me one out of 22 gauge "mirror finish" 304 stainless but the heat from the laser warped the whole sheet a bit, so some of the bolt holes are off by about 1/32" (I could just drill the holes a little larger, no biggie) but they weren't happy with it, so they cut me another one out of 18 gauge (a little thicker) brushed 304 stainless and it looks freaking amazing!!! I like the 18 gauge better, much stronger, better protection, and the brushed finish hides all imperfections, etc.

The 18 gauge brushed stainless one is installed:


LICK FOR HIGH RES!


LICK FOR HIGH RES!

The 22 gauge "mirror finish" stainless one on the floor, and they aren't joking when they say mirror finish! lol.


LICK FOR HIGH RES!

On an un-related note I had a bunch of people ask me how to print those diagrams to scale, so I made some new ones (to scale)!

Remember to turn off "Page Scaling" when printing!!

"Fancy" holes: 120mm, 92mm and 80mm
"Fancy" holes: DUAL 120MM
"Fancy" holes: Single or Dual or Triple or Quad 140mm!!
"Simple" holes: 120mm, 92mm and 80mm
"Simple" holes: DUAL 120MM

You can use any of the "dual" templates to make triple, quad's, etc.

-Jamie M.