Case mod suggestions

[evulish]

Right. I'm in the process of building a new server. I'm beginning to gain a tiny bit of sustained traffic on my website and my P133 w/ 16mb RAM can exactly handle Apache, mysqld, proftpd, sshd, oidentd, and my editors and such. I recently decided to upgrade. Since I'm a college kid, I don't have much money, so I'm doing stuff the cheap way (sorta). Now, I want a decent server that'll last for a few years and here's what I've come up with a P3 Dualie system (I just bought an MSI dualie mobo of ebay for $70. pretty nice) This is going to be a pretty massive fileserver and hopefully a LAN party server. Since I'll be dong LAN parties, I want a pretty snazzy machine. I'm buying a $30 plain black Raidmax case with a 350w PSU from newegg.com and here's my ideas for what to do with it:

http://www.mehh.net:8080/case-mod-prop.jpg

This is going to be my first major mod job. My desktop has very simple mods done to it. (Changed LED colors...whew) Other ideas I had for it are this:
Green EL wire across the top side edges and in the front in the air vent thing to glow out of it. Well, this is more than an idea...since I bought the EL wire.
I'd like to put some way to view the inside without making a cheesy window. I was thinking a mesh grill or something with a 1/4" bit. The only problem with that though is I don't have a mill to do any precise work.
For the paint, I'm going to sand it down with fine sandpaper then paint the sides green, mask the flames then paint the black overtop. I'd also like to sand down the plastic front/bezels and apply vinyl dye to make a shinier effect. I figure I can go over the metal with a clearcoat and carwax to get it an ultra-shine.

I figure the mod's shouldn't cost more than $30.

Any ideas?

And of course, the server will be running debian :)

(I know this probably isn't the right forum for this kind of stuff, but hey, there must be some people into modding here :))

[hard candy]

How much would a machine shop charge to do the mesh part?

[evulish]

I don't really know. I have access to a mill and a few other machines so I may be able to do the work myself. There is no way I'm sending a $30 steel case to a machinist :D

[Satanic Atheist]

I remember the guy who turned a toaster into a PC. That was smart.

Depending on what you want, a lump-hammer is good for that "worn" effect.

Could just spray it... the Chieftec case is really popular for modding and if you can get hold of one of them, you're in the biz.

Neon lights, Peltier cooling and a nice sidey windows and you would be laughing. Don't forget the rounded cables, either!

James

[hard candy]

Is this the kind of grill you're talking about or would it be one cut into the side of the case?
Case mod (http://www.voidedwarranty.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=4nAlbum&file=index&do=showpic&pid=84&orderby=dateD)

[evulish]

Yeah. I want a grill a bit like that but actually on the case panel. That'll be a pain to mill :)

And I don't think I want to spent more on Pelts than I'm willing to spend on the processors :P

Any of you know how to properly mask something? I'm looking for smooth edges but I don't know how to get them :/ (Leave the tape on while it dries will harden the edges so it's not a smooth finish).

(Also, that pic is down, I had a run-in with a fark effect...it wiped out my p133 server and I'm temporarily using my 3000+ as a server until bandwidth settles back down to 0bps ;p)

[Satanic Atheist]

Masking tape leaves rough edges?

How about plastic insulation tape? It's certainly a lot better cut than the 3M masking tape I use (but not for spraying purposes).

Have you also perhaps tried some form of thin plastic held in place with tape? If you don't spray the tape, you might get some square edges.

Let us know because I'm due to start construction of a new dual-processor system next year (already got the specs!) with a full Beowulf cluster behind it and I'd love to sex this machine up!

James

[hard candy]

I've been thinking, it seems as if it would be easier to purchase the type of grill material you need and attach it to the side of the case rqather than attempt to cut the mesh in the side of the case.

[evulish]

Yeah, but attaching something won't let me keep a seamless effect. I have some friends that have access to nice machine shops (at colleges, etc.) and think maybe I could get someone to put it on a CNC mill for me :) But right now, the grill is only an idea.

[El_Cu_Guy]

I remember the guy who turned a toaster into a PC. That was smart.

I never could understand why people on tight budgets (like college kids) worry so much and spend so much on modding. Take your cash and buy better components.

Now when you've got more cash, go friggin nuts!

mini-itx.com (http://mini-itx.com)

[evulish]

I am a college kid :) I already have a dremel tool, spray paint, and access to mills and such. All I'm really buying is this:

Cheap-o Raidmax case w/ 350w PSU ($30)
MSI P3 Dualie mobo (ebay) - $70
PC100/133 - dunno. maybe free. (i might have some)
1 or 2 p3's $20-$160
Video card with tv-out: $20-$30
10/100baseT NIC - got like 12 of em
1000baseT NIC - $30.
EL wire - $10.
Already have 300gb hdd space.
Have about 5 soundcards.

Also, I got $70 off ebay for selling two sony lithium batteries and a webcam. I have yet to sell 2 generic lithium batteries with a charger that should bring in yet another $30.

Pretty much, the most expensive setup I could have for that would be $300. I made $100. $200 for a dual pentium 3 doesn't sound all that bad. I'm also hunting for a job that should bring in some cash flow to pay for my food and bills and junk. My parents pay rent and tutition so I figure I can make a year out of $2,000. Since I already have $2,000, getting a job would be just adding spending/saving money.