?!!!!Case Customizing Questions!!!!?

[skypilot]

I am thinking of customizing a mid-tower case for my computer, and I had a few questions I was hoping some of you smart anandtechers could answer

1) How do I safely spray paint the faces of CD-ROM and floppy drives?
2) How do I cut metal so I can insert some plexiglass holes in my case?
3) Is 250 watts good for a power supply?

Thanks!!!!

 

[chiwawa626]

1. Im guessing take ur drives out and un snap the plasitic faces, usualy they can come off without screws and stuff just a couple of tabs. Then paint them, im guessing look for a all purpose paint that will stick on plastic, might wanna try it out on a old floppy drive or somthing.

2.U can use a Dremil or rotozip, even jigsaw im guessing with a metal blade., Theres some tutroials on the net for this kinda thing check Virtualhideout.net...also caseetc.com sells kits for windows

3. 250w? depends on what ur running i guess for p3 thats fine, but thats the minimum for an athlon, it might work on an athlon and it might not. Its good to get a AMD approoved 250w so u know u can depend on it

hope that helped

 

[skypilot]

yep thanks alot! Also a bump for some more info on painting and cutting!

 

[skypilot]

bump.. any more help?

 

[kami]

check my sig for painting

 

[nickburns]

i have one tip for face plate painting.......open any cd rom drives and slide the tray bezel of first , this isnt for all cd roms but it applies to some, if you dont try this, when you pull off the actual drive face plate off, it might damage the tray...i speak from experience, thank god it was only a 4x rom i broke.

 

[skypilot]

thanks all.. bump

 

[Cybordolphin]

Just unplug the cdrom/floppy drives.. and spray them. The paint should not travel too far into the drives.... just don't spray them up close!

Hole saws work well to make nice round holes ... but they can be expensive. Check for some cheapos from Harbor Freight online.

250 watts is generally fine.. but how many fans are you going to run?
For what it sounds like you are doing.... I would say spend a little more for a 300 watt'r. You will usually gain more amps for more fans that way.

 

[ucdnam]

I've sprayed my case and the drives, meaning... I've done the case sides, top, face, and the feet on it. This is the Inwin full tower. I've also done the drives. I've done my floppy, ide zip drive, pioneer slot-loading dvd drive, as well as my plextor 8x4x32 ide cdrw drive.

Things to consider.

To cut your case, you might consider a drill to cut yourself a hole. Then use a saw and cut away. Remember to take your time. Some cases are tougher than others depending on the material and build quality. I also have a Dremel and it takes a lot longer with it. You may want to use a Dremel after you've completed cutting to sand the edges and basically clean up your cuts.

For the plexiglass, I went to Home Depot here in California. They carry plexiglass and Lexan. I went with lexan because it's tougher, has a more solid feel. Given that, it cost about 22 bucks for a piece about the size of my full tower side panel.

For painting your drives, again, take your time. You'll want to paint it in layers, as you should, and let it dry each time. Don't do as someone said above and just paint the drive. You have to remove the plastic face from the drive and paint that. Remember to use tape and cover up whatever you don't want painted. I also applied a glossy finish on my stuff. It depends on what you want.

If you have questions, or want pictures, email or message me via AIM or ICQ.