WORKLOG: GAM'S 'Main' PC - Chieftec BX-01 (56K WARNING!)

[GAM]

G'day modders and other interested parties

Here is the full installment of worklog posts on all the mods I've performed to my main machine ('Main'). There are 57 posts created, each containing 10 linked higher-resolution images. These posts have been created in Word using my Forum Code Converter tool (MS Word Add-in). It took me many hours to go through all the pics I had and insert brief comments. It took only a few minutes to generate the 57 posts (486 images) of marked-up content for posting!

Unfortunately I'm still dealing with some teething problems with little progy. Hmm.

Sorry that the modding is not very extreme, but I'm sure you will all find something of interest in the following posts.

Cheers
GAM.

Mods to Main (Chieftec BX-01) – to-date
Then…
Sorry, can't find the 'before' photos at the moment, but here is an original picture of the BX-01-B-SL that 'Main' once was. Obviously mine is the black and silver version, with silver front bezel and black inserts and main body.

For those that are interested in more details on the original case, have a look at this review, apart from some cosmetics, the case is identical.
And now…


Cable Clutter
These shots were really only taken to remind me exactly how each drive was connected so that I didn't have OS etc when rebuilding and reconnecting everything.

[GAM]

Drives Removed

Empty

Handles were installed previously…


Case fan hole grills drilled out with a hole saw and edge moulding applied

[GAM]

A couple of weeks of use…Yes, we have a dust problem.

Marking up for drilling out CPU HSF mounting access


Front intake fan holes stuffed up because I forgot to change from a 92mm hole saw to an 80mm hole saw. Also, and more importantly, I didn't place a backing board behind the hole and I was trying to cut out the grill. This meant that the pilot drill of the hole saw did not have anything to pilot through. Result, enlarged, irregular hole. Nevermind, most of this metal must be re-cut and removed anyway to accommodate subsequent front panel mods.

[GAM]

To the workshop…

What a pain, drilling out 1.x mm steel with a 120mm hole saw!

Backing board inserted.

Some time later


And now with some cutting oil… not much difference, but it did help.

[GAM]

After some sanding.

Cable Management
Not so obvious, but cable management holes and slots are marked out.

Guide holes drilled.

On to the jigsaw.

Slots…


More slots.

More slots. Notice the brown dust? This is from the Dremel cutting discs.
I couldn't use the jigsaw in these location due to the various obstructions.

[GAM]

After some filing

…and some sanding.

Note clamps to secure the work piece and the rounding of the sandpaper.




Flip and repeat.

Starting to get a little tricky here…

[GAM]

The mess and small, cluttered, space I call my 'workshop'.

Quick clean up.

Edge moulding
On to the moulding.
As the these slots are so fine and the corners have a very small radius, this task gets a little tedious. Note the techniques for getting the moulding into place.

Quick check to ensure designated cables can be inserted through the slots.

Neatly routed fan cable.

Fan controller and main leads in place. There are connectors external to the drive cage to allow for easy reconfiguration.

[GAM]

Front Panel Mods 'A' Begin
The front bezel/panel of the Chieftec BX-01 minus 5.25" day door and cosmetic plastic panel grills. The panels just pull out as they only lightly clipped in. The bay door has a latch at the top that you can bend down while the is open 180° and tilt the door out from the top and then up off the hinge pin at the bottom.
Sorry, I couldn't decide between the flash/non-flash pics.

Previous sleeving job on the front panel wires.

[GAM]

Measuring up to decide what size fans I can get into here and checking to see what obstructions etc I may have to deal with.

38mm thick fans are not an option according to the internal depth.

Front Panel Wiring Cable Management
Now on to the front panel.

Whoops! Well, nearly. I don't recall exactly what happened here, but I believe it fitted without further adjustment.
…or not!. Come to think of it, I do recall now that I removed a connector to feed the wires through and then reconnected it from the other side.

[GAM]

Motherboard

Oooh yeah, that's neat.


Drives installed.

ThermalTake Big Typhoon and the DQ6 – Part 2
Some of you may have seen my guide on how I originally mounted the Big Typhoon to my DQ6. Well, there were several reasons why I felt that method was inappropriate; primarily the nuisance factor and secondly the potential for shorts. I decided to cut an access hole in the motherboard tray, behind the CPU to allow for remounting or changing the HSF without removing the motherboard. Also, finally managed to get hold of some M3 countersunk bolts to sit neatly in the heatsink retention bracket. I originally searched for these to eliminate the shorting potential of the bolt heads between the HSF and the MB tray, which previously sat proud of the bracket. I also purchased some M3 wing nuts, but later found that I could use them.

Here I have fixed the bolts to the bracket with ordinary nuts.

[GAM]

Insert the retention bracket from behind and then fixed into place with hex stand-offs.

Somebody in a forum suggested removing the '6-Quad' and 'Gigabyte' aluminium plates from the motherboard heatsinks. I thought it was a good idea too. There's only a bit of friction holding them on from those little claws between the fins. Very simple to remove.

Uh-oh! Problem number one. It was hard enough getting the original little nuts on there, but the wing nuts were impossible. Just isn't enough room in there.


Uh-hah! Brilliant idea! I decided to mount the HSF from behind the motherboard tray. As I didn't want to be holding the HSF in place while the motherboard was vertical, I decided to hang the case over the edge of the desk so that I could get underneath it while the HSF sat still on the CPU under its weight. I was very careful not to disturb it while I start the nuts from underneath. Note the electrical tape that I pre-applied to help hold the bracket while I got organised and to take the couple of dodgy photos.

This is looking up from the floor. I'm lying on my back. The black vinyl on the right of the picture is the protective vinyl I lay over my desk return. It's hanging down the panel leg of the return. I don't remember exactly, but I think I put a heavy book on top of the case to help counter balance the whole thing on the edge.

Unfortunately I found that I could not use the M3 wing nuts because I hadn't cut a big enough hole for all the wing nuts to do full revolutions without snagging.

[GAM]

Note the socket in between fingers. I don't think I went much beyond finger tight here as you get pretty good leverage with the socket on such a small nut. There's a little forgiving springiness in the bracket too which helps. Notice that I also didn't bother with the plastic spacers that I used in the original mounting mentioned in the guide linked above.

All in, tight and neat.



After some cable tying and general neatening.

My prototype CPU fan duct in place, documented elsewhere.

[GAM]

Because I had already drilled out the CPU HSF fan for a previous motherboard, things were no longer aligned the way they should be… Also, that original hole took out the side panel latch. This is returned to duty later during a subsequent mod.



New Mods v2
Start of subsequent mod 2 or is that 3…? New motherboard and other related hardware – Core 2 Duo!
But first, some MeshX panels for front and…

Table mounted jigsaw (the same Ryobi jigsaw seen previously, only mounted in my Triton Router bench now.

Drilling out the mounting holes for the front panel MeshX.

A little reaming to clean up the holes.
Note, I have since discovered the wonders of the 'Uni-bit'! Refer later on in this mod.

[GAM]

Removing original and unnecessary plastic using my Dremel and cutting ordinary disc.

Can't get the Dremel into this space, so out comes the hacksaw mounted in a whatsayacallit!?!

Sand/file the rough edges.

Note oversight when I used the Dremel. Those three little marks on the front, inside edge of the front bezel were from the collet/chuck of the Dremel. Damn, I hate that!


Trial fit.

Side Panel Window
Note was done once before.

[GAM]

Masked up using duct tape for surface protection.

Hole saw in bench mounted drill press for obtain nice rounded corners. Note clamps to hold work piece firmly.

Cutting oil was used once again to help the cutting process along. This size hole saw (can't remember, maybe 42mm?) is very easy and quick going compared with the 120mm hole saw used on the back of the motherboard tray. Size does matter!
This is a test hole to get the exact diameter that is produced by the hole saw.

Nope, 55mm!

This was a little silly, I was transferring the diameter to a radius.

I realised my mistake and halved the diameter and calibrated my compass to the correct radius.
Note, I could have used the Vernier callipers to get this dimension too. I just didn't think of it at the time.

Pilot drill holes marked, punched and ready for drilling.

Note the test hole for confirm 'actual' diameter before I rushed ahead. If the actual diameter differed from my marked diameter I would have had to file away a lot more metal from the straight edges.

[GAM]

Clamped and ready to go for the real cut.


Four holes done. The greasiness you see on the inside of the panel is from the cutting oil after the excess has been wiped away.

To the jigsaw bench again.



Now for the tinted acrylic window. Triton bench saw (Mk 2000) used this time. Note, ordinary wood saw blade was used here, but I've since purchased an 'aluminium' saw blade that produces lovely clean cuts with less 'breakout' on the bottom and produces much smoother edges (cuts).

[GAM]

Duct-taped in place.

Some crappy, chrome plated Jaycar nuts and bolts that I used to initially.

One bolt top, one bottom, to start with.

Then some more…

Drilling out the CPU HSF direct air intake.


Mmm, nice fit. The photo doesn't do it justice because the it was the photographer that was out of alignment not the hole .

Looking a little 'Borg'ish.

[GAM]

With pants on

Some time later…
It was time now to reinstate the side panel latch. This required some pain in the rectum modifications.
First, cut out the more 'easily modifiable' fan hole panel. I did this so that the side panel window can be easily modified in the future to cater for subsequent motherboard upgrades that may locate the CPU in differently.

Oh the screw ups. This was the time when I decided I really needed to get the right saw blade for cutting acrylic! I was fortunate that this stuff up was located where the panel latch was to be mounted and didn't end up affecting the end result. Basically I was able use this piece and not fashion a new one.
What happened was that I tried a technique that is widely used for cutting internally on timber, drop cuts, where you very carefully lower the work piece onto the spinning saw blade. Acrylic does not like this and after the fright of my life when doing, I decided to never try it again! The saw caught the acrylic and flung it at a hundred miles an hour to where I would usually be standing. Because of the nature of the cutting technique, I was safely standing beside the bench rather than behind it!


The Latch
Now this is another real PITA job, but worth it in the end. Obviously if I had this time around again, I would have left the original steel and cut around the latch as is done conventionally.
Pictures speak a thousand words. Lots of trial and error here.

[GAM]

[GAM]

At this point I finally got some decent countersunk bolds. This was a trial fit.

Time for tap dancing, er tapping.

[GAM]

Drill press with sanding block installed to clean up the rough edges of the acrylic.

Drill press/sanding drum used to clean up the inside edges of the side panel window frame.

Straight edge testing.

[GAM]

Now to the fitting.

Fast but less reliable method for tapping holes. Tap mounted in variable speed drill, driven slowly and trying to stay straight. One of the final threaded holes needed a nut because the tapped thread stripped, obviously a by-product of this method of tapping holes.

It fits!

I'm not sure why I took this shot, but there you go, what once was.

Now to clean up the rest of the latch mounting.

Masking tape applied to allow for marking up.

All cut on the jigsaw bench, with a pilot hole to start of course.

[GAM]

Sanding.


Fitting the duct grills.

[GAM]

With latch to be custom fitted.

Weekend is over, machine put back into use. Note that this is my main machine and never went more than a day or two out of action during it's entire modded career!

Back to the latch. Let's pull this bugger apart. Note, if I had done this originally my life while marking, cutting and fitting the latch would have been much easier.
Screws removed and screw driver used to lever the latching part of the latch apart.

[GAM]

Latch in place ready for tracing.

Traced.


Bench mounted jigsaw again to cut out the grill to fit.

Preparing the foam strips to insulate the connection between latch and grill/window.