Case Mods Made Easy

by X3N0X

With the advent of flashy new motherboards and fancy looking heat-sinks, modded cases have become a new trend in the computer world.

Fancy, expensive cases can be bought at retail outlets such as CompUSA and many other stores, complete with fluorescent lights and other frills.  The only problem is the exorbitant cost of these pre-modded cases, not to mention the lack of personal expression caused by the limited number of choices available.

Taking this into consideration, and also the hacker community's general propensity for modifying things, there may be those of you out there who would enjoy doing such things to your own computers and not spending large sums of money on a fancy case.  This article addresses some of the methods and tools that can be used for modding cases and sources for things such as lights.

First, I would like to remind you that I am not responsible for damage or injury to your computer or person resulting from following the procedures mentioned herein.  Also, those of you who worry at the thought of soldering some wires or other similar activities should stop reading this article now.

The tools required to mod cases are very simple and easy to find.  I would imagine that if you live at home your father probably has all of them handy and would let you use them if you asked.  For those of you without tools, well, you get the idea.

You will need a good electric jigsaw and some fine tooth metal blades.  The finer the teeth, the easier it will be to cut the metal.  Also, you will need a good electric drill with an assortment of sharp drill bits.  A couple of coarse files, one round and one flat, will be of use as well.  All of these tools are available at your local home improvement store.

Lights can be found at your local Super Target, AutoZone, and virtually any other store that sells things for "customizing" your car.  The type of stores to look for typically cater to the Honda-driving rice-boy types and sell anything from EL-strips to sound activated fluorescent lights of all colors and sizes.  The reason you want the kind for cars is because they typically run on 12 volts which makes them easy to power from your computer's power supply.

After you have decided what you want your finished case to look like, it's time for the fun to begin.

First, figure out how you want the "window" to be cut.  I have seen anything from windows in the top to windows on all sides.  I will use a side window as an example in this case.

The first task is to remove the side so that it can be laid flat to allow cutting.  I recommend buying a cheap case with sides that are separate, as this makes it easy.  After the sides have been removed, you need to draw a sketch of your desired window shape.  Use a pencil as it can easily be erased if you goof up.

Next, drill a hole at least an inch away from the outside edge of your window sketch.  It should be large enough to allow the saw blade to pass easily through the metal.  Aim the saw towards the outer edge of your window and start cutting.  As you approach the edge of your shape, gradually turn the saw to align the blade with the line you drew.  Take your time and make your curves gradual.  This will prevent broken saw blades and injury.  If you want, some wide masking tape can be applied to the outer surface of the case to prevent nicks in the finish while you are cutting.

Now that you have a gaping hole in the side of your case, remember those files I told you about?  Now clean up the edges of the hole you made.  Use the round one for curves and the flat one for flat areas.  (Duh.)  It is also a good idea to take the sharp edges off of the metal.  Do this by filing the edges of the hole at an angle to create a very slight bevel.  This will prevent snags and also make it look more professional.  It is even more of a plus if you are going to repaint the case, but this is the subject of another article so I will not cover details here.  If you were careful when you cut the hole, a couple of passes with a damp rag should take care of any scuffs made on the finish by the saw.

Installing the window is the tricky part.  The plastic you need is available at your local home improvement store, or quite possibly at a craft store or a place that frames pictures.  Don't buy anything thinner than 3/32" as it will crack very easily even at that thickness.  Don't buy anything much thicker than about 1/8" either, as it will be difficult to mount.  The plastic comes with a protective coating on it, usually some kind of plastic film or in some cases paper.  The plastic film is easier to remove but does not provide as much protection as the paper.  Leave this film on the plastic until it is ready to mount.

If you want to use a window rubber type mounting, the plastic should be slightly smaller than the window and needs to be the exact same shape.  This approach is very difficult and should only be attempted by those with the proper expertise.  It looks very neat, but very satisfactory results can be obtained using the screw mounting method described below if it is done carefully.

The plastic should obviously be slightly larger than the window you plan to use it for and does not need to be the same shape.  Try to stick with more rectangular or square shapes for the plastic, as this will make it easier to cut.  The curves on your window will hide the square edges of the plastic.  The plastic can be cut using the same saw and blade you used for cutting your case up.  Just be sure to support the plastic so it will not crack while you are cutting it.

The holes for mounting the plastic should ideally be drilled at the same time in both the plastic and the metal.  This will help to ensure that the holes line up properly.  Many different types of screws and fasteners are available at your local home improvement store for a minimal cost.  All the fasteners I used cost less than $1 total.  Do not use self-tapping screws or the like, as they will make the plastic crack.  It is best to use some sort of screw-washer-washer-nut combination.

Pick some locations for mounting holes.  These should be about half an inch from the edges of your window and should leave enough plastic to prevent breakage.  Use some double-stick tape and mount the plastic to the back of your window hole, aligning it so that it fills the window nicely.  This is a good time to make sure that your screws will not interfere with assembly of the case.  Relocate any if necessary and very carefully drill through the metal and plastic together.  Drill at the lowest RPM possible and take your time to avoid cracking the plastic.  After you have drilled your holes, remove the plastic from the metal and remove the protective film from the plastic.  If you cleaned the rough, sharp edges off of your metal you should have no problem mounting the plastic without scratches.

And finally, the lights can be mounted using a good double stick tape and powered from an unused power connector inside the computer.  Just remember that red is 5V, yellow is 12V, and black is ground.

If you want to make "round" IDE or floppy cables, RadioShack sells some cable ties and cable wrapping supplies.  Take your normal flat cables and a nice sharp razor blade and separate the flat cable into small strips of about five wires each.  These can be easily bundled in electrical tape, cable wrap, or even nylon cable ties.  Just be careful not to cut the wires.  It works best to make a small start cut with the razor and separate the small strips by hand the rest of the length of the cable.

Enjoy modding!

If you have any questions or want some ideas, there are numerous sources online.  A Google search for [case mods] will bring up countless links that may be of use.