The decision to mod the hull has been made. The question arises: how?

Everyone liked the idea of ​​the stove, because nowadays there are quite a few stoves. It was decided to age it with rust.

So, the old stove. How should she look? Bolted door, hood, old hinges, etc. Ideas emerged one after another. But there is one big "but". Window, tell me, what kind of window can be in an old stove? Except from the explosion.

Most of the improvements took place during the implementation, so I will describe them along the way.

Note: The mod was the first, and we immediately rushed to implement it, instead of drawing and calculating everything first. For which they paid. We had to deal with problems as they arose. This is how this corpus was created, from problem to problem.

Search for materials. First metamorphoses

It all started with a search for the hull, whether it was long or short, the hull was found and delivered to its destination.

That's how he was. White highlights a section that will be mercilessly cut off in the future. Highlighted in black are the protruding parts of the body, which will also be removed. And here we are faced with the first problem. Window…

We understood that it was impossible to leave the side wall without ventilation, but we couldn’t cut out what we had planned. The solution was found: we simply swapped the walls. Now we had a wall with which you can do whatever you want. But what to do with the grid, why is it on the other side? One of the options suggested placing an LED behind the grid, but later they decided to simply cut this piece (marked in black in the picture) and apply a patch. But how to fix it? Glue? Welding? Maybe rivets? That's how rivets became part of this mod.

After the patch, we decided to rivet the hull itself. To do this, it was necessary to drill holes in it. It didn't work to make it a breeze. The base drills were of the wrong diameter, and the purchased drill moved a lot and, in general, behaved “badly”, so they drilled with a drill (the diameter of large rivets is 4.8 mm, small rivets are 3.2 mm).

On the left sidewall, a hole was drawn and then cut out (after which its edges were bent) and a hole for ventilation. It was later covered with a standard grill painted black.

Rivets were installed with a regular riveter, which can be found at any hardware store.

And so new problem- The door won't close. To eliminate this shortcoming, I had to shorten the rivets with a dremel. We got about the following.

On the right is a regular riveting, on the left is a shortened one.

Well, one sidewall is ready (the grill is also riveted)

Note: In some cases, and in particular in ours, it may be necessary to make rivets with a hole. To everyone's relief, I can report that you don't have to drill. Everything is very simple: after “shortening” the rivet, it is enough to push its core “inside”.

The second side is prepared for the installation of hinges, all unnecessary parts have been removed from the front panel.

This was followed by an hour-long wandering around a large building materials store in search of suitable hinges, plex and metal.

Note: Plex and aluminum are usually sold in sheets of 1x2 m. Therefore, it is better to clarify in advance and think about whether you can cut it and how you will manage it. In our case, the plex had to be cut with a hacksaw for 40 minutes right in the store.) It was easier with aluminum - they folded it several times.

When finally all the parts were bought, we realized the need for preliminary drawing. Therefore, the front panel first appeared on whatman paper.

front panel

Why did I separate it into a separate section? Because it is a separate mod for us. Its development took as much time as the rest of the case.

When creating the front panel, we proceeded from the fact that we have:

• Upper part for CD drive. They decided to turn it into a stove damper and put it on hinges.
• Center. There, as a rule, indicators and switches are located. We decided not to change anything, only to replace the indicator work hard disk on a voltmeter, which in the general concept should be a temperature sensor. It was also decided to replace power with a non-latching toggle switch, and reset with a button.

For buttons made a special overlay.

The first toggle switch was cruder and was abandoned as it required considerable effort to turn it on. And as a result, it would be necessary to strengthen the front panel.

Note: I will not talk about the HDD indicator, there is a separate article on this topic. But what caused complications was that there were quite a few contacts on the toggle switch, but there was no circuit. And this is what we did, remembering school physics lessons: we assembled a circuit from a toggle switch, batteries from a flashlight and a voltmeter. So we found the pair of contacts we needed.

• Bottom part. We went by analogy. In cases, the bottom is often used to accommodate a cooler or just for ventilation. In ovens, a special door is also provided for this. We made it by cutting into two parts (one should be slightly larger than the other, for bending) an ordinary exhaust damper.

We bend the upper part from the side of the cut.

The latch is made of two strips of aluminum and is “riveted” to the damper and body. Thus, the handle can rotate.

Here we have the parts, but no front panel. The choice is small. We take measurements and cut out the overlay and the upper door (the latter was bent around the perimeter), we clean everything.

Note: Cutting parts from a single sheet of metal is a personal matter for everyone. But we did it this way: first you need to draw a part on thick paper or cardboard, cut it out, glue it around the perimeter with masking tape, mark the cut line with a pencil and start the cutting process.

After all the above operations, we got the following (then we just drill holes for rivets, rivet. That's it - the body is ready for painting).

Painting

So paint. It began with the search for a way to paint under rust. We know two. The first is the application of several layers of different paints with their subsequent “rubbing” (a very costly method in terms of material). The second one, namely the one we have chosen, I will now describe.

Color selection

Painful topic. We just went outside, found the first rusty piece of iron that came across, and looked at it for about 20 minutes, trying to determine the colors. I'll be honest: it didn't work right away, but the main desire.

External painting

Step one is the background.

Note: on the example we paint a piece of plex (on the back it is orange, sorry, there was nothing more to paint).

The first thing to do is apply the texture gel. We've gone through several options. And yes, it's a matter of taste.

But we apply it for a reason, but after mixing it with paint, in our case - with brown. (Ferrario apa Color "16" Burnt Sienna).

Note: Metallic black can also be used as a base (we use Ferrario apa Color "46" Wrougt Iron grey). The end result does not change.

Note: If you apply just the gel first, let it dry, and then peel it off in places with sandpaper, you can achieve an interesting effect.

Our brown was very light so we added some black (Louvre).

Note: You need to add black very carefully, plus or minus a few drops and the shade changes a lot. If you overdo it, you can easily get a lot of black.

Now we take the foam rubber, “dip” it into the paint ...

... and with jerky movements we cover the surface.

It is advisable to apply several layers in this way. (Paint applied this way dries quickly, but you can speed up the process with a hair dryer.)

The next step. We apply a color that should resemble a dull red (we have a Ferrario apa Color "15" Raw Sienna)

In order to get not large spots, but a small scattering, you need to “dip” the foam rubber several times on something hard before applying it to the “working” surface. After that, you need to apply another 3 to 5-6 different shades. It all depends on what kind of rust you want to get. More dark tones and you get cast iron, more red - and now you have copper. If you have the opportunity, then it is better to purchase all the necessary shades, if not, you can mix different colors, you just need to mix so much at once that it is enough for the entire surface. Re-mixing in the same proportions is very difficult.

After applying all the layers, lightly overwrite the surface and cover it with varnish.

Note: A little about varnishes, or don't repeat our mistakes. Glossy lacquer is very shiny. Matte is what you need. The paint changes color a few hours after application (if the layer is “thick” enough, it can take up to 10-11 hours). Lacquer (and especially glossy) refreshes it (the effect of wet stones). Therefore, consider this fact when painting.

We got the right color from about the 8th time. This is where our "greenness" comes into play. But in the end we were satisfied with the result:

Interior painting

There were many ideas: from a simple monochromatic painting to a gradient one, with the expectation of different degrees of light reflection. But we ended up with this one:

To obtain this effect, you need: red (poisonous) paint (we have Ferrario apa Color "05" Vermilion) and a special spray.

It is necessary to apply from 2 to 4 layers of paint on the surface. The paint should not dry out too much, and the last coat should be completely fresh. Layers must be applied carefully - crosswise, otherwise the result may be something terrible (believe me, I know). After application, the surface must be treated with a spray (we have Ferrario Effetti Decorativi 304 Crackle Nero)

Greetings! Today I will have an article for you that is rather unusual for my blog, but I hope many of my readers will be interested in it. This post is recommended for reading, first of all, by "computer maniacs" who like to mess with their PC in order to improve its appearance and functionality. So, below you will get acquainted with the project called "Black and White" - this is modding system block with your own hands. This miracle was created by my friend Anatoly Vasilenko and asked me to publish this review on my blog, which I do with pleasure. Below, its text without edits and changes.

Hi all! I recently purchased new computer and everything seemed to be cool, he suited me, everything seemed to be on top, but still something was missing ... After much thought, I came to the conclusion that I was not satisfied with his appearance! :)) Frame CoolerMaster K280. The design will do, but only for the first time, I decided, and a couple of days later I took up its modernization ... otherwise the case looked painfully cheap, not serious, boring and like an ordinary "stamping".

And so, in order for the body to have a more or less neat and balanced look, I decided to do the whole thing in black and white. Skip the design stage and go straight to the practical part!

Here is such a boring, default look the system manager has now:

Replacing the factory front panel

Unfortunately, not all the photos that I took in the process of work have been preserved, and I didn’t always think of taking pictures of some stages.

In a nutshell: for the front panel I used 2 sheets of clear plexiglass, which melted during the process of improper drilling, which led them to a rough, unusable appearance ... But fools, as they say, learn from their own mistakes and had to cut the panel from scratch, but already using sheet getinac With. Lord, why didn't I immediately think about it?.. =) Unlike plexiglass, getinax is much more refractory, durable and not so brittle!

We drill a sheet with such a drill, the seller called it: "ballerina")), using a sheet getinaks 5 mm thick:

The drill is like a crown, only crowns come in fixed sizes, and the diameter of this drill can be adjusted by yourself from 30 to 125 mm! A very good buy in my opinion.

The drill did its job perfectly, I was pleasantly surprised by the result:

Further clean and degrease the inside of the panel, for gluing cooler fasteners (I didn’t film the gluing, but the fasteners will be visible at the painting stage), and, accordingly, we glue it with flexible glue: TYTAN professional Classic FIX. Next, painting the panel black matt NEWTON enamel. I applied 5-6 layers for greater confidence:

In the photo you can see a "lock" for fixing the panel in the frame of the case:

While I was painting, the long-awaited parcel with a braid arrived MDPC-X. Guess what colors? Correctly! Black(30 m) and white(10 m):

The enamel is dry, you can install the valves. Solder them to a 12 volt molex, we wrap the wires with a black braid, otherwise we don’t need incomprehensible multi-colored wiring in the case:

The factory-quality panel is out, and the case already looks pretty good:

Let's get braiding

Done with the front panel! But we still have almost 30m of black braid, and the white one is not touched at all! It's time to put them into action ... So, I arrived new block nutrition Aero Cool 650W, disassemble it and start braiding each wire separately:

One day was enough for me to wrap ONLY a 24 pin cable!! The lesson is incredibly routine, but interesting at first:

The peculiarity of this power supply is that the video card power cables are doubled, so we had to split them so that there was only one wire in one braid, if there are 2 or more, then the braid will be thicker compared to the others, but we don’t need this:

In total, I had the patience to wrap only those wires that I will use, and we will fix the unused ones behind the motherboard out of sight:

Trial run. We made sure that we did not confuse anything and that all nodes are working:

To avoid unnecessary bending of the 24 pin cable, we it is necessary to slightly extend the factory hole in the case down under this cable, and paint over the cut:

We stuff the remaining small wires into the braid:

We mount a new braided power supply and arrange the cables in their places:

(Click on the picture to enlarge)

Let's see what happened:

Enjoyed, rested, now let's move on to the acrylic window!

Acrylic window installation

We go to the building materials store and buy everything you need:

• transparent acrylic sheet - 300x300mm,
• molding tape - 1 meter,
• cutting engraver,
• led strip,
• dimmer to adjust the backlight.

Taped the case cover paper tape, this will protect the paint from scratches and any damage during cutting:

We turn on the engraver and cut out our window with a cutting wheel. And do not forget to give the engraver a rest! In the meantime, the engraver is resting, we cut the acrylic in parallel. We carry out a fine grinding of the cut, round off the bends and remove the already unnecessary protective tape. The adhesive tape did not come off completely, but it does not matter if there is a wet cloth:

As you can see, it turned out very neatly, without scratches and bumps:

We remove the protective layer on one side of the acrylic and glue it on the inside of the case wall and leave the whole thing to dry properly. After lying down overnight, the glue dried up and voila - we have a decent-looking acrylic window:

Setting the LED backlight

So we have: female 4pin, soldered cable molex - male 4pin (needed to connect to the power supply), dimmer with remote control, a piece of white led strip and a dumb wire to connect it all.

We solder all the elements together and get something like a backlit cord. We fasten the "cord with illumination" to the wall and connect the power:

New metal legs

A good friend of mine, who works at the same factory, machined new legs for me from a solid bar of stainless steel. The visible part of the leg is polished, and I glued a layer of rubber on the bottom, you know why. Attached with screws.

Good day! I wanted to tell you a little about the personal computer, or rather about my hobby, modding.

Currently, the computer is used in all industries such as manufacturing, trade, healthcare, education and many others. If the first computers could be afforded by reputable organizations and wealthy people, now this miracle of technology can be seen in every apartment. It is impossible to imagine human activity without a PC, but many specialists working on a computer do not even imagine what is in the system unit.

I will write for those who do not know yet or are just beginning to learn computer equipment, summary. The personal computer consists of:

1. The system unit (the heart of the computer or the brain)
2. Monitor (eyes)
3. Keyboard and computer mouse(arms)
4. Headphones and speakers (ears)
5. And many, many more peripherals.

The PC system unit is responsible for the full functioning of the entire computer. It contains the main components:

1. Motherboard (platform for other components)
2. Processor with cooler (Main Computing Center)
3. Video card (video processing board)
4. RAM
5. Power supply unit (power unit of the system unit)
6. Case with fans (hangar in which the above components are located)
7. Optical drive (media installation)

The PC case is usually a nondescript iron rectangular box, mostly white or black. The main functions of the case, protection of components from external influences, mechanical damage, maintaining the temperature regime by ventilation. Many are satisfied with the appearance of the case, the main thing is that everything works. But there is a category of people who want to change the system unit, make it more beautiful, fit into the interior of the desktop as something unusual and original. Thus, such a direction as modding was born.

Modding by itself means changing the configuration and appearance personal computer, more of a system case. Most often, modding is done by enthusiasts, bringing their PC to perfection. If we make an analytical comparison, then a car can be called a similar occupation.

You will be interested:

Case manufacturers (giants in their field) try to highlight some of their lines, giving them all sorts of shapes, decorating them with all kinds of inserts, transparent windows in the side walls, filling with neon light.

But there are still modding studios where you can order one hundred percent exclusive computer case. Which will not only be one of a kind, but also fully meet your requirements. Such cases are usually much more expensive than factory ones. Because they are made to order.

But I want to tell you what is possible from an ordinary factory case, if you turn on your imagination and put your hands on it. Create a work of art in the world of modding.

On this I finish the scientific theory and move on to practice, my practice.

I did not immediately become interested in modding, my first system unit was a black box under the table. Having accidentally heard about such art, I got into the Internet and was simply delighted with what I saw. After a little thought, armed with a grinder, I sawed a window in the side wall, covered it with plexiglass and tightly riveted it. Then I bought a vinyl film and pasted over with an intricate ornament. In addition to everything pasted branded stickers. And so I got a simple, a little rough, but still pleasing to the eye modding.

After a while, my PC went through a complete upgrade. The new hardware was placed in the SilverStone case, the case was just super and did not require any modifications. But thoughts do not give rest to the hands, it seems that they say so. And I went down another line water cooling. I will not paint all the delights of dropsy, you can find a lot of information on the Internet yourself. But for myself, I decided to promote this direction. I will say right away that pleasure is expensive, and therefore I purchased some used components. The first water cooling system turned out to be modular. Separately for the processor (Corsair) and for video cards (thermaltake). The thermaltake module is three in one: a heatsink, a pump, and a tank. And all this is compactly located on the frame, which should be installed in two 5.25 compartments. Since thermaltake is designed to cool one processor (central or graphics), and I had SLI installed, for effective liquid cooling, I had to buy a second radiator. The SilverStone case is not designed to be water cooled, so I had to be smart to fit all the components. Decorated with tubes for one style, and that's it. It turned out original, but still not perfect.

When funds became available, the water cooling modules were changed to individual components. In this regard, the interior of the system unit has changed a lot.

But then a system unit with an acrylic case fell into my hands and my imagination began to play with renewed vigor.

Nondescript wires in a completely transparent case looked terrible, so I put them in tubes from water cooling and added neon lights. It got much better.

But I didn't stop there. After thinking and estimating what was happening, I decided to transfer the motherboard with dropsy from SilverStone to acrylic. The picture was not entirely rosy. Firstly, the limited space did not allow to place all the elements of water cooling (VO radiator) in the case and a large number of wires spoiled the overall range. At the beginning I top cover case cut out holes for hoses and the passage of air flow from the case through the radiator. Three 120 fans with blue illumination, colored wires were installed on the radiator, and the optical drive was wrapped with black electrical tape.

A 120-watt PSU was taken, since two vidyuhi require more unit power. Modified by replacing the braid of all wires.

If any of you decide to bind the BP, I warn you. You need to purchase new terminals, possibly connectors, braid. Special tool for removing the terminals from the connector, crimping pliers, terma insulating tubes. And most importantly, be patient and set yourself the goal of completing your plan to the end.

Well, the PSU is finished, you can collect everything else. Due to the limited space in the case, I had to be a little smarter. But I was pleased with the result.

Computer modding is gaining more and more popularity every year. We live in an age computer technology, so it is not surprising that many creative personalities doing this hobby. Some people benefit from this exciting activity. Computer modding can also be part of your interior design.

What is computer modding and why is it needed

The word "modding" comes from the word "modify" and is translated as "modify" and "change". As you can already guess, modding is the process of modifying an item, moreover, changes can relate to both appearance, and design and even technical characteristics. We are talking about computer modding, so the main subject of modification is system case computer. All parts of a computer installation can be changed - keyboard, acoustics, mouse and monitor. Even the "insides" of the system unit.

What exactly is modding used for? It is clear that many do it as a hobby. Many people, and especially gamers, just like their computer to look stylish, modern and unusual. Masters who devote all their free time to this business earn decent money on this. But there is also a third side - computer modding is a great thing to develop the theme of your interior. For example, if your living room is designed in, then a regular computer is unlikely to fit well into it. Therefore, you can modify it and make a nice system unit that will look perfect in the environment and be in harmony with it.

Modding appeared in America and Western Europe a long time ago - in 1999. In Russia, this movement began to develop in 2001, i.e. in general, it is quite young, which did not prevent it from making a sharp jump in popularity in 2004. Various modding contests are regularly held all over the world in various cities, and in large cities you can already find modding workshops and modding studios.

Directions and styles for computer modding

There are many different styles in which you can endure the design of the computer. In fact, there are an unlimited number of them, because each room where a PC will be placed is unique and requires an individual approach to the design of such things. However, there are special styles that are typical only for computer modding.

For example, computers in the post-apocalyptic style are becoming popular. Computers are some incomprehensible objects that seem to have survived a nuclear war or another apocalypse and a global catastrophe. Since gamers are mostly involved in modding, you can often come across the theme of S.T.A.L.K.E.R game universes. and Fallout. Characteristics- visual wear and application of signs of radioactivity.

It is worth remembering that diagrams and drawings are one of the essential components of modding. It’s not enough to make the system block simply attractive, because after processing it, you still have to fill the “box” with content - motherboard, power supply, cooling system and other "insides". If you do not first make a calculation, then it may turn out that some things will no longer fit into your own computer, into which so much effort and labor has been poured. It often happens that after an upgrade, the covers stop closing or ventilation worsens, so everything must be calculated in advance.

You can use absolutely any materials that have relatively good thermal resistance (after all, it is quite warm and even hot inside the system unit), use wood, stone, marble, iron and plastic, marble and fabric - use your imagination to the maximum.

In general, all work boils down to such a simple scheme:

1. Idea selection,
2. development of a drawing and calculation of everything necessary,
3. purchase of materials
4. preparation of the system unit or other part - all internal parts are pulled out,
5. modding work,
6. testing and debugging,
7. content installation and final tests.

Modding by professionals

Professionals do a lot beautiful computers, which can be shown in museums and collect good money for it. Each of their works is a masterpiece and is worth a lot of money. For example, it is quite difficult to completely sheathe all the details of a computer with wood, and if you still need to apply some drawings, then the price becomes not much less than a new computer. But the result is worth it.

Most often, professionals are contacted for advertising on the system unit. For example, if a presentation of a new computer game, then a computer designed in her style can become a real exclusive.

Work on one project can last more than one month. At the request of the customer, it can be inlaid with precious metals, gold and stones - there would be money and opportunities. Up art - to make a system unit of an unusual miniature shape, for example, a pyramid-shaped case. As soon as they manage to shove all the components of the computer there - it is impossible to imagine.

Often, modding stylists work together with, resulting in very beautiful things. By the way, if you don’t want to bother with modding, then the easiest way to “fit it into the interior” is to paint it.

Commonly used modding techniques

Exists great amount a variety of techniques that will help to make an unusual computer of the original form. We list only a few of them, perhaps they will push you to interesting ideas and inspire you to work.

1. Window cutout. You can take this technique both literally and figuratively. You can make a cozy and delicate system unit with a cut out window. We made holes of a suitable shape and size, glued the rails, and the original "system unit" is ready. "Windows" can be made in an unusual shape, for example, to present them in the form of a hole from a projectile explosion.
2. Engraving. It's over reliable way drawing images, as the engraving is not erased, unlike paint, does not fade and does not lose its properties. In addition, the engraving looks more voluminous and interesting.
3. Connection of additional regulators and indicators. This is more of an engineering job. By screwing on various counters and indicators, you can create a wonderful steampunk computer.
4. The "endless corridor" technique is a popular and rather simple and beautiful modding, which is great for beginners. It consists in the following - inside the system unit (usually in the door) two mirrors are fixed - one simple, the other translucent. Diodes (light sources) are installed between them. As a result, it creates optical illusion endless light corridor.

DIY modding video called "Reactor":

Colored wires stand out against the general background and inside the case, adding bright accents to it. This is a creative and inexpensive solution that even a novice modder can handle. You can purchase ready-made cables in our online store in contrasting or solid color combinations, including those with RGB backlighting, which takes system customization to an even more advanced, futuristic level. For professionals, the necessary expendable materials, connectors, cable holders, connectors to create a complete, working connecting element. A separate direction of modding is the braiding of wires - in addition to the aesthetic function, it serves additional protection, increasing the reliability of electronics. This becomes especially critical when working with liquid cooling systems, because water is a rather aggressive environment for a processor, video card, and motherboard.

Lighting as the main direction of modding

Using an LED strip has become perhaps the most popular way to make a computer more attractive and stylish. With its help, you can focus on any detail: place it on a frame or fan blades, lay around the edges of the case or run along the tank. The multi-colored RGB LEDs are flexible and glow independently, and software synchronization gives you even more ideas for creating your own lighting modes.