Project :: Watercooled Chieftec Mod

I knew that I wanted a watercooled Chieftec case ever since I first became involved in building and modding computers then I decided to undergo the challenge.

Over the past year or so, I’ve found it increasingly harder to order Chieftec cases, then one night last week, while searching on Froogle, I found a fairly cheap stockist, Specialtech. I quickly order it, and it arrived this morning-

The Main Hardware / Water-cooling Parts are all from my Wavemaster Project (with 2 Pumps and an Extra 120mm radiator, but I’ve put that in hold for now. The First few stages are much like Leeum’s Case, removing various parts and fan covers, but eventually, I hope it will look very nice- The main colour schemes are black, very dark grey and bark Blue, and there will be lots of acrylic (Custom Laser Cut with a CAD Machine).

Now…back to the Case...

http://www.antionline.com/images/ieimages/2007/01/1.jpg

Nice Box, and the instructions are on the side.

http://www.antionline.com/images/ieimages/2007/01/2.jpg

Rather wonky photo of front- Notice small flip up USB cover- to be replaced with small temperature read-out.

http://www.antionline.com/images/ieimages/2007/01/3.jpg



Side panel with fan mounts- these will go in due-course and will be replaced with an acrylic window

http://www.antionline.com/images/ieimages/2007/01/4.jpg

Suprisingly roomy case for really quite small dimensions.

http://www.antionline.com/images/ieimages/2007/01/5.jpg

Yay!!! – 120mm Fan mount- meant to be 2 x 80mm , but a 120 is better!



----------

Right- Now time to go Downstairs and start with some modding !!!

http://www.antionline.com/images/ieimages/2007/01/6.jpg

Good music never hurts…..

http://www.antionline.com/images/ieimages/2007/01/7.jpg

First off, Taking out the HDD racks pop-rivets with a 4mm Drill bit-

http://www.antionline.com/images/ieimages/2007/01/8.jpg

Nicely done.

http://www.antionline.com/images/ieimages/2007/01/9.jpg

Quick blast with some sharp things-

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/10.jpg

Todays work bench (my Trunk)

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/11.jpg

After some Dremeling and filing

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/12.jpg

After yet more filing-

Now, all it needs is some blow-hole trim and a fan / fan guard.

I will try to convert this Mod into PDF format if I have time... and more picceys to come...!


alakhiyar

I would LOVE to see more threads like this on AO in the future :) (even though we aren't a modding forum :p). I often find myself at xoxide.com's forums looking at their mods, quite interesting...

Keep us updated!

Nice pyjamas................. who signed the cricket bat?

You are being moderated by professionals here mate! :p:D

I loved xoxide. I used to mod their forums. Here is a project i had back in the day. The LEGO computer. Lego switches and every thing. There was no metal shell. It needed a lot of work to be show quality. But for a cool case it was neat. It feel pray to teenage drinking. Some one feel on it. The components from it now make up my file server. Keep up the good work on the WC project man. I have a water cooled Antech lanboy its a great rig.

This is semi-related... This link:

http://www.hackaday.com/2006/09/10/xbox-360-laptop/

goes to an XBox 360 converted to a water cooled laptop!

Enjoy, m2

Quote:

---

This is semi-related... This link:

http://www.hackaday.com/2006/09/10/xbox-360-laptop/

goes to an XBox 360 converted to a water cooled laptop!

---

Wow! That is some very impressive modding.

Cheers,
cgkanchi

Today - Sanding frount bezel.
Marking out Were to make cuts for Rad.
Contacting painters (you cant see photos of that).
Another cut on my bl**dy finger



Right- Photobucket is being gay and has deleted some of my picceys, but im too lazy to re-load them so..here goes

Today, i started with a little sanding and filling on the bezel-

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/13.jpg

You probably cant see much anyway- then the Painters told me that they would fully sand it all down, so i stopped.

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/14.jpg

Naked case Porn!!!

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/15.jpg

Got board an took the bottom off-

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/16.jpg

I then tried to mount the first fan-

but some bits of the fan guard got in my way so....

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/17.jpg

From this-

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/18.jpg

To this

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/19.jpg

and finally this.

alakhiyar

Right, Photoucket is now semi-working-

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/20.jpg

Moment of truth!!! It Fits !!! (looks wonky cos the back of the fan is broken (ie. not straight)

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/21.jpg

It fits here too!!!

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/22.jpg

Looking good with frount bezel!!

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/23.jpg

Still needs Jig-sawing out thought!!!

- now time for my favorite past-time-.....

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/24.jpg

Cleaning up!!!


Good Night People..........


alakhiyar

Hey!

Don't mess about.............. get a peltier.

OK dealing with icicles forming on an AMD processor is a bit unusual, but you get used to it :D

Should finish the Radiator mount today!

Today i decided i would make everything in this case Black, or as dark as possible...

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/25.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/26.jpg

I started off stripping the Fan Controller, so that its ready for painting...

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/27.jpg

The Metal bracket after painting ( 2 coats of Matt with 800 grit between)

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/28.jpg

With the Daughterboards in...

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/29.jpg

And with the aluminium fascia and platic bits...

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/30.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/31.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/32.jpg

I'm uploading the rest of the picceys for the other bits done.



alakhiyar

am back...

DVD Drive... and Insides of Case

I also took apart the DVD drive, and gave it 2 coats off Matt.

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/33.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/34.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/35.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/36.jpg

The finish doesn't need to be amazing, just black so that it blends into the theme of the case

Speaking of the insides of the case.....:

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/37.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/38.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/39.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/40.jpg


This is only one coat, with a very thin layer of Primer. I'll eventually apply another coat, but only near the end of the project...

Hope you enjoy...


alakhiyar

Today, i finally found the drive-rails for the case, and when it came to test fitting the drives, i was very suprised how good they were, all it needed was a quick squeeze on the metal progs, and out they came.. to be honest, i love this case, and would reccomend it to anyone. It has no fans, removable mobo-tray and is made of steel, but its the perfect size and has features....

well, i decided in a moment of madness that i needed to use a second FC, so i whipped out my Zalman FC from its box and shoved it in...

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/41.jpg

The 4 dials will be for the push / pull fans and i will try and get the 5V / OFF / 12 V switches for the Cold Cathode power things... ( i hope!¬!!)

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/42.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/43.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/44.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/45.jpg

the driverails still need painting, but im not sure f it would look better..


opinions?


well, after some 200 grit quickly and one layer of primer and a bit more 600 Grit this is were we are upto..

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/46.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/47.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/48.jpg

please dont take the rip out of my fake leopard skin cushion, my mum made it for me...

now, back to my current life...

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/49.jpg

(ooohh love my viewsonic monitor....)

i've put the first layer of black on the frount and it looks suprisingly good... and no, steel cases arn't bad, just heavy compaired to the new light aluminium cases.

Its a Viewsonic VX924 and its about 6 months old.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by alakhiyar

please dont take the rip out of my fake leopard skin cushion, my mum made it for me...

---

Would we ever do such a thing?..............by the way do you have a matching pair of shorts? :p:D

Quote:

---

by the way do you have a matching pair of shorts? :p:D

---

actually i have... with embroidered flower in the middle hehehe:D

Frount Bezel Update......

her it is after the first layer of primer as above, then one layer of paint and some 1200 grit paper, then another layer, its alot nicer and more shiney than it looks, and im realy pleased as this is my first go with painting a case....

welll, i'll let the picceys talk....:

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/50.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/51.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/52.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/53.jpg


and now for all you people who like to take the p*ss, here is another object from my room...

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/54.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/55.jpg

Its a long coushin (i think thats how to spell it..) that looks like a cat..:D

Little update, im now in the middle of planning how i can mount all of my watercooling system in my case....

here is a stone-age mock-up done in Paint with an old photo...

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/56.jpg

the problem is that the outlet of the DDC is flat, not at 90* , so i'll eitther have to mount the rad so thats its impossible to bleed, or i will have to go and get a little box so that i can put the DDC in and it still looks black, with some small holes for the barbs, so it'l look like an aquacomputer FMJ sort-a-thing..

Otherwise, ive been hunting around for some blow-hole trim, and no-one has any... awwww...

And ive been planing the cutting area and holes to mount the rad and fans to the case..


well havn't done much.....

i decided to take off the PCI back panel of my X1800 to get it ready for painting..

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/57.jpg

before

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/58.jpg

After...

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/59.jpg

and the back panel and tools i used-

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/60.jpg

And my little toolkit i use for my PC's


































http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/61.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/62.jpg

http://www.antionline.com/images/iei...2007/01/63.jpg

(the reason its not fully painted is cos. i ran out of primer...) and these fans will be on the otherside of the metal, its just easier to work out how to mount it this way,,,

Hmmm, that cushion sure is a funny looking cat:D

Look at the second picture and the position of the "tail"................. my guess that is actually a sting, and the creature is supposed to be a hornet ;)

Hornets dont have ears.;)

I'm excited to see the final result of this project! I can't wait to see how the colors and acrylic look together with the water cooling system. Best of luck!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Benjamin Wills

I'm excited to see the final result of this project! I can't wait to see how the colors and acrylic look together with the water cooling system. Best of luck!

---

Tip: This thread is well over 16 years old (2007). And the OP hasn't been back since 2008.