[Cat-F] Case Mod: Lunar Serenity - (Completed)

[asgneto]

Introduction

This project is related with the celebrations of 40 years of the arrival of man on the Moon and tries to recreate some ideas used in my winning project Solar Storm.
The opposition of the Sun to the Moon is clearly demonstrated in the name of the project ( SOLAR x LUNAR / STORM x SERENITY), and its purpose in summary form, is reflected in the search of the meaning of the word SERENITY.

“Synonyms: calmness, composure, cool, patience, peace, peace of mind, placidity, quietness, quietude, stillness, tranquility”

To achieve this objective, the project has the following characteristics:
- Light colors;
- Soft lighting;
- Low noise;
- Modern and clean look;
- Simplicity and ease of use.


Project

The basis of this project is the CoolerMaster Stacker STC-01 chassis, that’s one of the best and most robust of its category. A true Full Tower.
Very large and with high air flow structure, this model is almost perfect, needing some “mods” to get a modern and more aggressive look.
Seeking a low noise level, will use a watercooling system with silent fans of 120mm.
The colors used in case’s interior and exterior will be white and silver, with some details in blue.
As in most of my projects, their outcome should be a casemod capable to be placed over the desktop without "irritate the eyes" of the user. Therefore, will not be used unnecessary accessories and ideas that, for most incredible and innovative they may appear in the eyes of the common user, does not represent increased functionality or improvement to original design.
All structure modifications in this project seeks to improve the cooling, assembly and maintenance of components, adding facilities in the daily use of the computer and increase the overclock performance.
Also, the painting and aesthetic modifications pretends to transform the simple original look into a beautiful and unique case, with a blue soft lighting well appropriate to the issue, resulting in an object of desire, not a technology freak.


Hardware

As some items of hardware are still in negotiations with possible sponsors, are confirmed so far:
- CPU Core 2 Quad Extreme QX6850;
- CoolerMaster RealPower PRO 700W Modular PSU ;
- CoolerMaster Aquagate S1;
- CoolerMaster CoolDrives (models 1 and 6);
- 4 x HDs SATA2 80GB (RAID 0);
- Logitech G15 and G7;
- Samsung SyncMaster 931BW

In case of delay in the negotiations, I have the following items for use as substitutes in the project:
- mainboard with nForce 650 SLI chipset
- 2 8600GTS graphic cards (SLI)
- 4GB DDR2-800 memory
- DVD-RW SATA

. .
click on thumbnails for larger images


Project’s Phases

The project, like the Moon, was divided into 4 phases:
- Phase 1 - New Moon: development of ideas, study the application of ideas to the project, negotiating with sponsors, purchase of parts and design of models.
- Phase 2 - First Quarter: disassemble the chassis, cutting, production of acrylic parts, changes and adjustments in the project. Stage in progress.
- Phase 3 - Full Moon: painting, finishing, assembling the chassis, mounting of the electrical and cooling systems and hardware setup.
- Phase 4 - Last Quarter: installation of software, system tune-up and tests.

[asgneto]

PHASE 1 - New Moon
Status:COMPLETED

- All sketches were tested and approved.
- Negotiating with sponsors to supply the project with new VGAs, Mainboard, memos and HD's.
- All necessary stuff purchased or ordered.

[asgneto]

Phase 2 - First Quarter
Status: in progess

- disassemble the chassis - 100%


- production of acrylic parts - 50%

backlight layer for the connections panel

The main idea behind this mod is to put some lighting in Firewire and USB connectors to make easy the connection of peripherals.
Who have tried connecting a pendrive on the computer in a dark room knows how difficult it is to find the correct position of the connector.
Still missing the assembly and installation of blue LEDs that will give the desired light effect to complete this mod.

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Frontal details in acrylic

A little detail to enrich the front of the case.
The mounting of a piece of acrylic with blue backlight between the lower frame and chassis.
The piece was cut in the exact measure and then sanded to follow the contour of the frame.
As the previous step, still missing the assembly and installation of blue LEDs (only in Phase 3).[/size]

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Frontal Logo display

The etched logo "Stacker" which is almost invisible in the top frame will be replaced by a blue backlight panel showing my logo "ASGNETO.
Initially, the part of the frame with the logo was cut off with a Dremel and then filed and sanded to get a smooth finish.
A piece of acrylic was cut and manually sanded to fit perfectly in the cut space. After that, it was molded with hot air gun to follow the curvature of the top frame.
Very soon, the piece will be masked with my logo to be painted and then be installed blue LEDs (only in Phase 3).

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On/Off switches on front column

The on/off switches for the illumination system will be mounted in the side column of the case front.
Initially, as seen in the photos, would be 6 switches, 3 in each column, but after a review of the project, I came to conclusion that it would necessary only 3.
In the aluminum piece were cut openings of 2x3cm, where will be placed buttons made of acrylic crystal 10mm thick.
In the back of the piece, was cut a larger opening to allow the mounting of switches, wires, etc.
By now, remains a doubt... The switches should be placed at the bottom or top of the case ?
So far, I decided on the bottom.

. . .
. . .
. . .

[asgneto]

Phase 2 - First Quarter
Status: in progess

- production of acrylic parts - 60%

Finishing for top cover

The top cover of the case does not allow big changes because the installation of the radiator for the water cooling system.
But I could not leave her without any kind of mod.
So, I created an acrylic finish with more modern design in contrast with the "classic" rounded finish of the case.
First of all, I made a sketch of the piece on cardboard. I tested 3 different designs to choose the best of them.
The final piece was cutted in 3mm blue acrylic. Its will also serve as finish for the fans of 120mm used in the radiator.
The edge of the rounded finish was cut to imbed the acrylic that was cut and sand in its exact contour.
The acrylic piece will be painted in white and illuminated with blue EL string (step 3).

. . . .
. . . .
. .

[asgneto]

I began the assembling of the acrylic parts by the radiator cover ...


First, I did the marking and cutting for the 120mm fans on the top panel.




Then the panel was glued to the side pieces making a box.



The next step was a cut a support for the radiator and spaces to accommodate the connections of the radiator. The support has a large cut showing the entire area occupied by the fins of the radiator.
The support was glued to the box, creating a division in two separate houses. One to accommodate the radiator and another for the fans.




For security, I added the small acrylic cubes to reinforce the structure and avoid problems.





Finally, I added a system for fixing the radiator allowing it to be removed and installed in the box quickly and smoothly.

[asgneto]

Phase 2 - First Quarter
Status: in progess

- production of acrylic parts - 85%

I started this week mounting the front grill.
First of all, I cut all pieces that are part of the grill structure and the 25 strips of acrylic with 2.0 x 47.0 cm and 3mm thick using a "acrylic cutter", square and ruler.






Then, the strips were properly sanded to match all in size and format.





In addition to the 25 strips reserved for the composition of the grill, it was necessary to cut another 5 strips for the manufacturing of spacers. These extra strips were divided into 52 pieces with 4.0 x 2.0 cm.




The spacers, after cut, were united with duct tape in 2 blocks of 26 pieces that were matched using a sanding block and 120 grit sandpaper for metal.





With the acrylic strips and spacers in the correct measure, I passed the next stage: assembling the grill.
Using the support of 90 degrees, the grill pieces were placed one-by-one, strips and spacers.




Once they were all, strips and spacers, perfectly aligned, the acrylic glue was applied (solvent-based one chloroform).



After a few minutes of waiting for the glue dry completely, once again I sand on the parts to ensure they were all perfectly aligned.






Now, its time to test...
Perfect! As desired, the grill fit exact in the case front.




Next step was to make a inside finishing panel with space for 3 of 120mm fans. This finishing panel was bonded into the inside face of the grill.




Right now, it was necessary to adjust the height of the grill and do the thinning of the external borders to follow the curvature of the front of the case.




After almost two hours of boring work with sanding disks, and at the cost of lots of acrylic dust, I finally matched the curvature of the grill with the front of the case.






Finally, I put the acrylic cubes to reinforce the structure and grind the edge of the grill frame to facilitate the mounting in the case front.

[asgneto]

Phase 2 - First Quarter
Status: in progess

- production of acrylic parts - 95%

On last week, it arrived the time of manufacturing the new side panels for the case.

According to the guidelines of the project, I planned an scheme of divided side panels that intend to facilitate the access to the motherboard. Who possesses a case with the dimensions of the Stacker knows how it is difficult to put and remove the huge side panel in the restricted space of a desktop when is necessary to reset the BIOS after a frustrated attempt of overclock.



The side panels will be divided in two parts and to manufacture it , I used 2 pieces of crystal acrylic of 2mm with 55.2 x 52.5 cm and other two with 42.0 x 47.5 cm.

The larger panel, practically fixed to the chassis and will be painted of white, hides all the parts that are not very manipulated and that not should be exhibited and the smaller panel, transparent, that will be easier to remove to give fast access to the hardware and show the hardware installed inside the casemod.

I started bending a small part of the smaller panels using a hot air gun. That fold is essential for the fixation on the chassis. unfortunately, I haven't photos of this step because I didn't realize that the battery of my digital camera was discharged until this moment. :oops:



Afterwards, it was time for preparation of the large panels. First, I covered the panel with duct tape and I made the marks with the necessary measures to draw the outlines. After drawing the lines, the panel was cut with a hacksaw using HSS blade. I did finish the cutting edges using a file and some sheets of metal sandpaper.



The procedure used in smaller panels was similar to that used in large panels, the exception of marking. In this case, the large panels were used as a template for marking outlines allowing the end pieces would have a fitting with minimal gaps between them. To obtain such a result, the panels were cut in a size larger than necessary and then limed and sanded manually until they reach the exact measure.

[asgneto]

I'm proud to present the first official sponsor of the LUNAR SERENITY Project: LC Watercooling from Brasil.

Sponsored by Watercooling.com.br


Today, I received a water pump LC-DP1200 to replace the monstrous Via Aqua 2300 I had been using until now.





Features:
- allows mounting horizontally or vertically;
- vibration dampers in brackets;
- uses 3 Pin Motherboard Header;
- compact and quiet.





Specs:
Voltage(Max/min): 12v/8v
Max. Input Power: 18W
Max Flow Rate: over 230GPH
Dimensions (L x H x W): 75 x 54 x 66 mm

[asgneto]

Phase 2 - First Quarter
Status: in progess

- production of acrylic parts - 98%

The manufacture of acrylic buttons for the front column was the next step of the project.
After covering a piece of acrylic 5mm thick with duct tape, I marked the 3 buttons with a pencil.




Next, cut the buttons leaving a good leftover acrylic on each side.




I mounted the drill with sanding disc on the workmate and used the workbench for sanding edges of the buttons.





After sanding the worst part with the drill, I was pulling out the differences manually, millimeter by millimeter, with a sandpaper until each button had the exact dimensions of the cuts made in the front column.





The next step was to cut pieces of 3mm blue acrylic to make the external finish.
The edges and inside of each one was trimmed to follow the curvature of the front column.
Once sanded, the blue acrylic were glued to the buttons.

[asgneto]

Phase 2 - First Quarter
Status: in progess

- production of acrylic parts - 100%

My current motherboard, a Gigabyte GA-N650SLI-DS4L, has a large, but ineffective, aluminum heatsink and the chipset temperatures are very high. As I have here a AQUAGATE S1 useless, I thought
- "Why not use it on the motherboard?"

Well, the Aquagate S1 for those unfamiliar, is a watercooler system for AMD and Intel processors compatible with virtually all models on the market, but without any kind of support for motherboard chipset.
The water pump is built into the waterblock and its efficiency is very good with totally silent operation.




http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=2539


The only challenge is making a water block base board for use in the chipset, but nothing that a modder with a piece of acrylic can not solve.
To begin, I looked in my junk box for a piece of acrylic 6mm thick.
I covered the piece with duct tape and then, using the original housing cover as a template, I made the marks of holes and center cut.





Using my old drill, I made the holes with a 3mm drill bit and the center cut with a hole-saw of 30mm in diameter.








Then I cut the piece into a more "beautiful" with a hacksaw.





Finally, I gave the finishing the edges with file and sandpaper.

[asgneto]

Its time to correct a small fail on the CM STACKER design...
The lack of an opening in the tray on the motherboard to mount high-performance coolers and waterblocks. Some duct tape, a pen, a ruler and a square ... and ready, the markup for the opening cut is done.





The cut was done with the Dremel and cut-off disks #409. After cutting, the finishing was realized with a file and a sheet of sandpaper for metal 220grit.







Finally, a piece of rubber U to give a finishing with more "professional" look.

[asgneto]

STAGE 3 - Full Moon

This phase includes the following processes:
A - Painting
B - Electrical System
C - Cooling System
D - Mounting the case

These processes, which have started on 25 August, are all happening in parallel.
For example, while the coat of primer dries, I'm soldering some leds.
The planned date for the end of this phase is September 10.

Although I have photos of the progress of all processes, I'll post all the steps of each process in a sequential manner to facilitate the understanding and organization of ideas.


Starting with the painting, the first thing to do is choose the paint color and buy the necessary materials for the process:
- Sheets of sandpaper 280, 360 and 400 grit.
- Universal Primer - Solvent for paint finish
- White Lacquer Paint

Other items that I had stored in the workshop that left over from previous projects:
- Sheets of sandpaper 600 and 1200 grit
- Plastic Sealant
- Industrial solvent for primer dilution and cleaning the equipment and parts





Noobs, attention to the notice of the solvent!
Always wear a mask and goggles. Read the instructions and be careful.

Warning translation: Sale prohibited to minors of 18 years old. Inhalation of this product may cause death.





Using a drill with a 5mm drill bit and a Phillips screwdriver, I removed all the rivets and screws of the chassis. At the end, after lots os rivets drilled, the Stacker chassis was turned into a large pile of pieces.













The smaller parts of the case, were sanded with wet sandpaper while the bigger parts I used industrial solvent and a Stiff-blade knife to remove the heaviest part of the earlier painting before sanding. Once sanded, the pieces were washed with neutral soap and plenty of water.









As the metal parts, plastic parts and acrylic also need to be prepared for painting.
Likewise, they were sanded and well washed.







I decided to use my old 5.25" bay reservoir...
This decision will cause some changes in the initial design, but will reduce the demand of time, save money and allow the reuse of a piece of my junkbox.

[asgneto]

Phase 3 - FULL MOON
- Update

Painting Process

First part…
Paint removal and surface preparation.
More details in previous posts…



Second part...
Application of sealant in plastic and acrylic parts

Note: I did the outline of the side covers with yellow line to allow the location of parts in the picture.







Third part...
Application of primer

Some of the pieces was hung on a wire to allow the application of primer on all their faces while another part, which could not be hung or do not need this feature, was placed on the support bench. Some of these pieces, because they are very light, were glued to bench with adhesive tape to avoid they come out flying in the application of paint.














Fourth Part...
Correction and finish coat of primer

24hrs after the application of the primer, all parts was sanded with sandpaper 360 to correct imperfections and "smoothing" the surface for paint application.
This step is very important to allow a free surface imperfections at the end of the painting process.

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of that step of the process. I decided not to risk my digital camera bringing too close of water and no one was around at this time to help with the pictures.



Fifth part ...
Paint application

At this moment everything goes wrong ...
For my occasional paintings I use a cheap spray gun, with continuos air flow, and the nozzle has clogged with some dirt .
Suddenly, all the air flow was implemented in the cup and began to leak ink by the junction of the cup with the spray gun.

At this point the only thing I thought is:
- I need to turn off the air compressor...
BOOOM!

There was no time ... I turned to run, but the cup exploded first.
One part of the cup got stucked in the spray gun and another part was violently thrown against the floor. This part, full of paint, hit the ground throwing paint everywhere. A big mess...

The worst thing is that some ink hit pieces hanging just above and some pieces that were on the bench. Most of the pieces was damaged with ink dripping or coarse droplets of ink and have to be sanded and painted again.

Again I don't took pictures because I was covered in ink, upset and angry with what happened.
I just did a photo after remove some ink from the hands and clear the mess.

[Jolly-Swagman]

Looking great so far asgneto ,, Dam shame about the Spray cup explosion,
hope you were able to get cleaned up ok!

[DIRTY HABITS]

Looks like your doing a great job, keep up the good work. I hope that 5.25" resorvior is going to be enough for you or atleast using a controlled pump. They are know to cause turbulance problems and get air in the system.

Great work none the less, cant wait to see the finished product

[asgneto]

Looks like your doing a great job, keep up the good work. I hope that 5.25" resorvior is going to be enough for you or atleast using a controlled pump. They are know to cause turbulance problems and get air in the system.
Great work none the less, cant wait to see the finished product

Yes, these reservoirs of 5.25 "cause many problems of air in the system ...
To solve this problem, I made a piece of acrylic bent in V and glued inside the tank to prevent air bubbles from returning to the system. A simple barrier to retain the bubbles inside the reservoir and it worked fine. I can say that the problem was virtually eliminated (99%).

I'm working hard to finish this project until 15 September.
I want to confirm his participation also in the 2009 CM Modding Contest.

Looking great so far asgneto ,, Dam shame about the Spray cup explosion,
hope you were able to get cleaned up ok!

I have been correcting the problems caused by the explosion but today I could not work in painting, because the weather was rainy.
Thanks !