Got a New Case!

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Pics or it didn't happen!...

Conversely (or is that perversely? ), until something does happen, there will be no pics (I'm still in the planning and parts acquisition stage). The only actual work I've done so far is to remove unneeded parts (such as the fans) and parts I will be modding (such as the drive cages and the front panel connector assembly).

...Take a look at these filters.

Already have. In fact, I contacted them yesterday to see if the would sell just the filter material only (they won't ). The 650D already has two easily accessed filters, one for the PSU and one for the front fan, that only need a finer filter mesh, such as the one used in the DEMCiflex Filters. Installing new filter mesh on the stock filters is fairly easy. The PSU filter just needs the new mesh stretched over the filter frame on top of the original filter mesh and brush nail glue on the perimeter and the cross pieces. The front filter frame would have to have the metal mesh temporarily removed first (I will take pictures when I actually do it), then the new mesh glued over the old mesh, same as with the PSU filter.

I don't like the appearance of the magnetic filters (looks a bit too Mickey Mouse for my tastes) so I'm going to use a couple of filters like this one, only 140mm instead of 120mm, on the left side panel.



They are almost as easy to remove and easier to replace than the magnetic filters and, I feel, look a lot better and can't be easily dislodged. However, they use a foam filter that stops a lot of dust from getting through but some really fine dust still gets through. I'm going to lose the foam and glue in the DEMCiflex Filter mesh, same as on the two stock filters. Since DEMCiflex Filters won't sell just the mesh only, I'll have to buy some complete filters and cannibalize the mesh from them.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...I found a way to seal the two large round holes on the back of the case that currently have the rubber grommets in them. I just found and ordered some flat polyethylene plugs at McMaster-Carr online that are a perfect fit for those plugs. Had to order a hundred of them (mutter, mutter) but they aren't all that expensive and they are a sanitary way to deal with those holes. And I will never run out of plugs! ...

Well, it just dawned on me what I can do with one of the 98 extra plugs I'm going to have. I can enlarge that stupid square hole in the upper left corner of the back to the same size and shape as the two round holes and pop in another round plug. It seems silly to make a hole larger to hide it but, whatever works, not to mention I'm too cheap to buy another 100 plugs.


Well, I lied. I stumbled on a little square rubber plug that should just pop right into that little square hole. Even though I had to buy 50 of them, I caved and ordered them anyway.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Well, the first of the goodies I ordered for the case just came in. The first mod I did was to get rid of the stupid USB 3.0 front panel pass-through connectors.

Here is the stock 650D front panel connector assembly:



Note how ridiculously long the USB 3.0 cables are and how they end in a pair of male Type A plugs.

This is the front panel connector assembly from a Corsair 350D front panel connector assembly:

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Note the more reasonable length of the USB 3.0 cables and that they lead to a USB 3.0 header connector.

This is the 350D front panel connector assembly opened up showing how the USB 3.0 sockets come out.



This shot shows the 650D's front panel connector assembly opened up and the original USB 3.0 sockets and cables being removed.

 

[Golden]

Well, the first of the goodies I ordered for the case just came in. The first mod I did was to get rid of the stupid USB 3.0 front panel pass-through connectors.

Here is the stock 650D front panel connector assembly:

View attachment 315293

Note how ridiculously long the USB 3.0 cables are and how they end in a pair of male Type A plugs.

This is the front panel connector assembly from a Corsair 350D front panel connector assembly:

View attachment 315294

Note the more reasonable length of the USB 3.0 cables and that they lead to a USB 3.0 header connector.

This is the 350D front panel connector assembly opened up showing how the USB 3.0 sockets come out.

View attachment 315295

This shot shows the 650D's front panel connector assembly opened up and the original USB 3.0 sockets and cables being removed.

View attachment 315296

This shows the 650D front panel connector assembly put back together with the USB cables from the 250D panel.

View attachment 315297

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

That's what I did but something went wonky. I'm fixing it now.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

These shots are of the finished mod. I'm hanging on to the 350D assembly in case a switch or other connector on the 650D assembly goes south.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I originally had planned on using the fan switch for the 200mm front fan I'm going to put in because I didn't know how much current it drew, the MOBO fan header has a 1A limit, and I wasn't sure if I could control a non-PWM fan from a PWM fan header. I've since found out the fan draws way less than 1A and the fan header can control fan speed. Also, many people have had problems with the fan switch burning up, including the new version which was supposed to fix the problem. It probably would have been OK but I preferred using the MOBO fan header so I decided to get rid of the switch. I couldn't just remove the switch would leave a hole dust could use to get in. Leaving the switch in and cutting off the wires would fill the hole but leave a non-functional switch (which would bother this anal old broad) and was a little too redneck for my tastes. Instead, I decided to remove the switch innards.

These shots show where the switch housing is inside the case (upside down) and the switch inside the hot swap bay.





This is the switch assembly removed from the case:



And after the innards have been removed (I'm hanging onto them in case I ever change my mind):

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

There was still the small issue of the tiny hole left by the switch slider itself. I filled that in with a small piece of foam cut from the top of a Mexican food takeout box. Even though it was a snug fit, I used a tiny bit of brush-on nail glue to make sure it stayed put. I should still be able to get it out if I ever need to restore the switch.





The next two shots show the empty switch assembly installed back in the case.

 

[Phone Man]

This is for future information as you have already got your new USB 3 cables.

Amazon.com: 2-Port USB 3.0 A Female to 20 PIN Adapter: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: Silverstone Tek 19 Pin USB3.0 Adapter Cable - External to Internal (CP09): Computers & Accessories

I have a 400R and really like it. No problems with the Front USB headers but Corsair left out the short fan screws with the fat head to fit the rubber mounts and it took a few weeks for them to ship new ones.

Also those DEMCiflex Filters reduce airflow by 15%. I have them on my systems and they do keep it clean.

Jim

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Here are the plugs I got to seal the leaky rear panel grommets. I will have to trim a small bit of the side of one of the plugs to clear the little panel I'm going to use to cover the slots on the back of the case (I should get them and some black blind rivets I ordered on Monday). I wonder what I'll do with the remaining 98 plugs I had to buy just to get the two?

 

[Phone Man]

I have 8 fans on my 400R and use a fan controller and adjusted for positive air pressure so all the little leaks go outward and my intake fans all have filters.


Jim

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Positive pressure is what I am shooting for. This case has a lot of leaks, some of them pretty big; the back panel alone is almost a sieve. The more of those leaks I seal up, the more likely I will be able to get positive pressure without having to run the case fans (there's only six of them; five 140mm and one 200mm) flat out. All the fans will be controlled by the MOBO.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I read a lot of reports that the front grill for the 200mm fan is the source of a lot of noise; most people wind up removing it so I did the same.

This is the fan grill. The tape in the middle is for marking the pivot point for the Dremel circle cutting adapter.



This shows the pivot point and starting hole layout. I was able to use existing holes in the grill.



This shows my attempt to corral the metal particles from the cutting bit. It worked (sorta).



Here is my new Dremel circle cutter attachment (the motor itself was my Daddy's). It worked reasonably well although I had to stop every 1 1/2" to reseat the bit because it was too short and I was too lazy to waddle down to the friendly neighborhood hardware store to get a longer one. I've had that attachment on my Amazon wish list for around a year but was loathe to buy it unless I actually needed it. It certainly beat cutting out the grill with cutoff wheels in the Dremel tool.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I cut the grill out in quarters so the grill would still be supported since I needed it to guide the Dremel tool. Once the entire perimeter was cut out except for four small webs, I started cutting the webs themselves. Once two were cut, I slipped a ruler under the grill to support it when I started on the next web. The final web came off easily enough.

The result was a perfect circle in spite of the raggity edge (something about some holes that get in the way). I'll have to get some rubber edge molding to cover the rough edge.

 

[Layback Bear]

Thank you for the pictures.
Lots of good work done so far.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

This is for future information as you have already got your new USB 3 cables.

Amazon.com: 2-Port USB 3.0 A Female to 20 PIN Adapter: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: Silverstone Tek 19 Pin USB3.0 Adapter Cable - External to Internal (CP09): Computers & Accessories

I have a 400R and really like it. No problems with the Front USB headers but Corsair left out the short fan screws with the fat head to fit the rubber mounts and it took a few weeks for them to ship new ones.

Also those DEMCiflex Filters reduce airflow by 15%. I have them on my systems and they do keep it clean.

Jim

Thanks, Jim. I actually already have one of those adapters knocking about but, besides being bulky and a bit redneck looking, the stock pass through cables are just way too long (roughly twice as long as needed) and finding a place to tuck the extra length would be a bit of a chore. The swap I will be a bit more sanitary looking.

The DEMCIflex filters (actually, the filter material itself since I won't use the magnetic frames) will block a whole lot more than 15% airflow if I don't keep them clean. One reason I was attracted to this case is the ease of getting to the stock filters. The front filter pops off and on with just a gentle push on the top of it and the PSU filter is almost as easy (it just slides in and out although I will have to pull the case away from the wall to get to it). The filters for the side fans I'm going to add are a bit harder to pop off but I will clean them the same way I clean the one on the side of my present machine: just pull the whole side off and blow through the fan with a high power blower (and yes, I do keep the fan from spinning). Pulling the side panel off this new case is umpteen times easier than the old one. With more and more powerful fans I should be able to maintain positive pressure by running the intake fans faster than the exhaust fans and I'll be able to have more flexibility on how fast I can run the intakes vs. the exhaust fans and still keep them slow enough to keep noise down. Using the DEMCIflex filter material should dramatically reduce the number of times I will have to move and open up the case to give the innards a thorough cleaning; I'm getting to old for that nonsense!

 

[matts6887]

sounds like a pretty nice setup you are putting together. Good luck in getting it together once you get all the parts for it etc.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

sounds like a pretty nice setup you are putting together. Good luck in getting it together once you get all the parts for it etc.

Thanks. The worst part is prepping the case, including making up new cables, (if anyone ever makes a case that meets all my needs perfectly without modification, I will probably die of a heart attack). Once that's done, the hard part will be behind me since I'm going to move the innards of my current machine to the new case.

I was going to do a bit more work on it today but the wind is blowing something fierce and, even inside, my allergies are driving me insane(r).

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

We had a lot of wind today and my allergies were driving me nutz so I couldn't do any work outside today but, this afternoon, I did do some modding on the 200mm Cooler Master Megaflow fan that is replacing the stock front fan. The stock 200mm fan is only 20mm thick and is mounted behind the front panel between it and the two front HDD cages. There is room for a 25mm in there but not a 30mm fan. Unless one removes the front grill (which I have already done; more on that in a bit) and mount the fan on the front of the front panel with the body of the fan sticking through the hole where the grill used to be; this is a somewhat favorite mod with 650D owners.

Here is the fan before doing surgery on it.



I was going to use the saw in the picture to remove the back mounting ears because I didn't want to wreck a Dremel cutoff wheel but it was taking too long so I went ahead an used the cutoff wheel (and wrecked it with melted plastic even though I used a low speed and a light feed).

Here is the fan after cutting off the rear ears. Obviously, I still need to sleeve the cable and replace that hideous white connector body with a black one.





Even though this fan didn't have LEDs, it still had the little housings for them so those also had to be cut off. I couldn't see well enough to use the cutoff wheel so I resorted to the little saw to cut off the housings (there were four of them). All that's left of them is a small hole in the side of the fan body.



Now, about that aforementioned grill I removed. I goofed. I forgot to leave enough room for the body of the fan to go into. The fan just misses going into the hole by a silly little millimeter or two. I'll have to get a large diameter grinding or sanding drum to remove enough metal to allow the fan to slip in without touching the sides. Oh well.

 

[NoN]

Great job modding your case LadyFitzgerald!

I cut the grill out in quarters so the grill would still be supported since I needed it to guide the Dremel tool. Once the entire perimeter was cut out except for four small webs, I started cutting the webs themselves. Once two were cut, I slipped a ruler under the grill to support it when I started on the next web. The final web came off easily enough.

The result was a perfect circle in spite of the raggity edge (something about some holes that get in the way). I'll have to get some rubber edge molding to cover the rough edge.

for protecting the 200mm fan touching the case after, this rubber edge molding are very tough and well made. It can be found in builders shops. Could get one more thin either!