Antec 300 Illusion Case Mod for Cable Management

Frank Castle

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Jun 28, 2011

• Jul 1, 2011

• #1

So, I'm kindof a noob when it comes to this kind of stuff, but I'm sort of following this template:
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=191862

I'm using the following tools: Dremel 300 Series, extra aluminum oxide cutting wheels for the Dremel, Craftsman 5.2A Corded Drill, 1" bi-metal hole-saw with appropriate mandrel, Scotch painter's tape, WD-40, and of course safety glasses​

I took all of the fans out of the case because I didn't want to get metal shavings all up in them, plus there are alot of extra wires hangin' around with them in. I fitted my new PSU - an Antec HCG-620 620W Power Supply - following applying some painter's tape to the approximate area where I'll be fabricating a hole. From this, I got an idea where to start drillin'.​

I used an old Newegg box to place the case on - it catches all the metal shavings, scraps, and oil. I then marked off with a pen where the first hole, closest to the PSU, would go. I didn't have a center punch - instead, I took a phillips screwdriver and a hammer to it to create the initial dent so the drill won't go crazy when I started drilling. I sprayed some WD-40 on the tape to lubricate the drill saw-bit and case sheet metal. I was surprised how easily the drill went through the metal. I repeated the process to create three holes.​

I then hooked up an aluminum oxide cutting wheel to my Dremel tool and proceeded to cut some excess metal off, periodically spraying a little bit of WD-40 to lubricate. Was my first time using a Dremel, and it took a few minutes to get the feel, but cutting got easier as I went along. I'm so freakin' glad I bought safety glasses....​

I attached the grinding wheel to the Dremel and got rid of all the jagged and sharp edges. I was thinking before I started this project that I needed a handheld metal-file, but the grinding wheel does a pretty good job I thought. You can sort of make rounded edges with it - just make sure you have a good grip on the Dremel, I slipped a few times and marked up the sheet metal a few times, but I figure they will be covered up when I put in some rubber beading.​

Here's the test fit.​

This is the first stage. My motherboard arrives in 5 days, and when it does, I'll be cutting more holes. I've also got some C-Strip rubber molding, cable tie mounts, and cable ties coming. Stay tuned!

 

shant

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Nov 9, 2010

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Lebanon

• Jul 1, 2011

• #2

nice! i love it! been thinking to do this to my case too! hope would be as easy when i do it someday as the maelstrom is thick

 

deadlysyn

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Stealing your megahurtz at night

• Jul 2, 2011

• #3

I did something very similar with my 900, but because I didn't have a hole saw, I drilled a pilot hole, then used a step drill, like this to get the 1" holes. I also did the same at the top behind the mobo for the 4 pin mobo cable. I just need to mod the HDD cage to flip the drives around and extend the front panel connectors, a couple more holes, and I should have gorgeous wire management. I just can't get the motivation to pull everything out of the case again.

 

Robert17

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Feb 1, 2011

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Republic of Texas

• Jul 2, 2011

• #4

Nice. Now you've got the bug.

 

OP

Frank Castle

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Jun 28, 2011

• Jul 3, 2011

• Thread Starter
• #5

deadlysyn said:

I did something very similar with my 900, but because I didn't have a hole saw, I drilled a pilot hole, then used a step drill, like this to get the 1" holes. I also did the same at the top behind the mobo for the 4 pin mobo cable. I just need to mod the HDD cage to flip the drives around and extend the front panel connectors, a couple more holes, and I should have gorgeous wire management. I just can't get the motivation to pull everything out of the case again.

Click to expand...

Oh dang! I must get some bits like those!

 

OP

Frank Castle

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Jun 28, 2011

• Jul 3, 2011

• Thread Starter
• #6

The GTX 570 I'm looking to get is 11.5" long, and I just measured the space between the slots on the back to the hdd cage... 11". I'm willing to cut notches in the hdd cage to fit this card and sacrafice the hdd slots, but I feel like it's going to be a ***** to cut with a dremel.



Anyone have any suggestions?

 

Daemonkin

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Aug 12, 2010

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Ringgold, Ga

• Jul 3, 2011

• #7

How brave are you? My suggestion starts with saw and ends with zall. :-D

 

deadlysyn

Folding Team Content Editor, Who Dolk'd my stars S

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Stealing your megahurtz at night

• Jul 3, 2011

• #8

Daemonkin said:

How brave are you? My suggestion starts with saw and ends with zall. :-D

Click to expand...

Just more proof that there is no such thing as overkill at OCF. A jigsaw with a bi-metal blade would do it, but so would a Dremel with a steady hand.

 

OP

Frank Castle

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Jun 28, 2011

• Jul 3, 2011

• Thread Starter
• #9

Hmm, I can't really spend any more money on tools as I've dumped most of my money on them and computer components - the last part I need is the video card which I'm saving up for still.

I think I'm actually going to try using what I have: the bi-metal hole saw bit for my drill. I think it will work if I drill a pilot hole first before the mandrel, then actual saw...

 

OP

Frank Castle

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• Jul 5, 2011

• Thread Starter
• #10

So...... note to self and everyone else... do not use a bi-metal holesaw to do what I planned to do in the previous post.

The metal twisted and sheared back quite a bit... use a dremel.

I'll post pictures when I clean it up a little more...

 

OP

Frank Castle

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Jun 28, 2011

• Jul 5, 2011

• Thread Starter
• #11

Well damn, I butchered these cuts - but i smoothed them out as best as I could with the hand file. I should have dremeled like the smaller cut below, oh well. Hopefully it will look okay when i put the c-strips on...

 

W

woboy

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Apr 14, 2011

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Waterbury, CT

• Jul 6, 2011

• #12

Wiss Aviation Snips should work (no off brand ones) where there is room. Do not know about the edge roll.

 

OP

Frank Castle

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Jun 28, 2011

• Jul 6, 2011

• Thread Starter
• #13

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. This noob appreciates your advice!

I think I'm just going to take out the whole hdd cage and rig up one of these to the bottom of the case...

http://www.sundialmicro.com/silverstone_hard-drive-cage-cfp53b_2138_1799.html

Think it'll work?

 

W

woboy

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Apr 14, 2011

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Waterbury, CT

• Jul 6, 2011

• #14

The question for me isn't can you do it Taking rivets out is not a problem.
How dependent the case structure is on the cage support is something other.
Only one way to find out.

 

L

Larrybear

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May 5, 2014

• May 5, 2014

• #15

I have this case and I removed the HDD tower and there was no structural change
because the Motherboard tray is riveted all the way around.
I mounted my HDD to the under side of the drive bays with a S3 dual HDD mount from Case labs.
http://www.caselabs-store.com/s3-dual-hdd-mount-kit/

 

chrisjames61

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Jul 14, 2013

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Holed up in Branford, CT

• May 18, 2014

• #16

I did some very similar mods to my Antec 300 and 900. I know when these cases came out that cable management was in its infancy. A few well placed holes isn't rocket science. But for some reason modders were and still are way ahead of the case manufacturers.