- Joined
- Jan 5, 2005
Project Silver
Project Silver is my computer upgrade for the summer. Based around a Lian-Li PC-A77FA case, the project uses a color scheme of silver and black with blue LEDs. I'll be assembling the computer and doing a variety of mods to maintain the color scheme and give it a clean look. I'll be posting pictures throughout the process just for fun. The photobucket can be found here.
The Hardware:
- Intel Core i7-980X
- Asus P6X58D Premium
- Corsair Dominator 3x2GB DDR3-1600
- Intel X25-M G2 80GB
- Western Digital Caviar Blue 160GB
- Asus Radeon HD5770 (Existing)
- Corsair HX850 PSU (Existing)
- Asus DVD-RW Drive (Existing)
- Lian-Li PC-A77FA
- Thermalright Venomous X
- 2x Panaflo Medium Speed 120mm Fan in Push-Pull
- IC Diamond 7
- Vantec Nexus 4-Channel Fan Controller (Existing)
Most of the stuff is new, but I'm keeping a few parts from my old rig, and selling the rest to make some money back. The PSU is a recent purchase because I thought I was having power issues with my video card (which I wasn't), and the 5770 was a free upgrade from an Asus 4850 RMA so I'm waiting for the 6000 series to upgrade the video card (6850 anyone?)
The Mods:
- Full System Re-sleeving
I'm debating between silver sleeving/heatshrink with black connectors or black sleeving/shrink with black connectors. (Any thoughts?) I'll be resleeving the PSU and sleeving all of the fan cables and front panel cables. I'm getting black SATA data cables, so I'll probably put some totally unnecessary silver sleeving on them just for prettiness if I choose silver. All of this stuff still needs to be purchased but I'm waiting to put all of the hardware in before I decide what color to go with. - Cable Management
I'm going to do an OCD-style job with the routing. I want to have it super clean so I'll be using black zip-ties to keep the wires hidden and out of the way. This case is gonna be great for cable management. - Custom Fan Extensions
I have four fan controller channels that will be assigned as follows: CPU Fans (2), Front Intake (3), Top Exhaust (2), Rear Exhaust (1). I will be shortening the fans' cables to a minimum length then making custom y-cables so there is only a single wire running from a set of fans to the controller. There's a built-in fan controller with 3 settings (L/M/H) on the case, but that will probably be removed. - Custom Modular PSU Connectors
The HX850 is a modular PSU, but the stock cables are pretty bulky. I'm going to make some custom connectors that are the exact length and have the exact number of connectors I need. These will also be sleeved. - Power/Reset Button Adjustments
The power and reset buttons aren't mounted very securely so they wiggle around a little. I'll probably use some hot glue underneath to reinforce the mounting. I'm also not a fan of the tactile response of the switches. The springs are decent, but they're just a metal rod that presses a tactile momentary switch. I'd prefer to have something with a softer, clicky/springy mechanism so I'll be replacing the switches on the PCB - Stealthed DVD Drive
This will probably be the toughest mod. I don't want a black DVD bezel ruining my silver look. So I'm going to buy an extra front panel bezel from Lian-Li, trim it, and affix it to the DVD tray (after removing the bezel). This way it appears as if there's no drive. The activity LED and eject button are already mounted on my fan controller from a previous mod. I'm going to rewire the DVD drive audio connector to connect the switch and LED from the front panel to the DVD drive. - Keyboard LED Mod
I have a perfectly-colored black/silver/blue keyboard that I modded with blue LEDs around the bottom to give it a back-glow effect. The problem is that it's tied directly to the usb cable so it stays on even when the computer is off. I'm going to clean up the wiring inside (it's horrible), replace a burnt LED, and use a MOSFET tied to the num lock light to control the mod. I'm also going to take off all of the keys and give the keyboard a much needed alcohol bath. - Side Panel Window
I like being able to see the inside of the case, so I want a window (doesn't come with one stock). I'll probably just buy a new side panel because I don't trust myself to do the cutting (nor do I have the tools). I may find a machining shop to do this as an alternative since I'd prefer to have a mesh/honeycomb window as opposed to plexiglass. - Fan Grill Replacement
There are two fan grills on the top of the case, and they are both black. I'd prefer to have them silver, so I'll either spray paint them, anodize them, or buy new ones that are silver. - Overclocking
Speaks for itself.
Project Log:
Pile of Parts:
This is all of my hardware plus some sleeving/connector samples for a color check. And a ton of connector samples from molex (yay freebies!)
And the beautiful case:
Plastic wrap left on it until I actually start building.
Motherboard with everything installed:
Clearance from fan to RAM - less than 1mm:
Everything installed and wired:
And this is why I'm sleeving the cables.
Keyboard Mod:
Here is the original mod:
As you can see, its all held together by electrical tape and looks rather crappy.
Keyboard controller:
The new circuit will be wired to this. The small copper board at the bottom is a PCB I made at work. It has a few constant current regulators (to drive the LEDs) connected to a MOSFET (basically an electronic switch) that will be controlled by the numlock key.
Keyboard taken apart for cleaning:
Well the keyboard is fried (but clean!). Guess the controller couldn't handle the extra LEDs. I bought a used replacement on eBay and I'll swap the logic boards. The new mod will use a comparator to drive the LEDs. Until that arrives, I'll buy the comparator and develop and test the circuit. Sleeving and other parts are still in the mail...
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