A n00b Sonic the Hedgehog case mod.

Hi there. First of all, I would like to complement this community on how amazingly skilled you all are. I would like to present to you the ideas for my new chassis modification.

Item list:
Case: X-Discovery (blue)

Liquid Cooling: Thermaltake Bigwater SE
Case Monitor: 3.5" LCD Screen

Extras: Sega Genesis (Model 3 version), Blue Point Digital Sound Board Pro, and possibly a MOP Character LCD shown here:

Idea:
Basically, I'm going to take the X-Discovery, and turn it into a %100 Sonic style case. On the front of the case, I will have the 3.5" LCD monitor hooked up to a Sega Genesis inside a homemade base to the case (not dissimilar to the one used in the Doom 3 mod). The base will be made to look like the base for the TV monitors used in the classic Sonic games, and on the side of the case which is blank, I will paint (or perhaps use stickers for a much easier method) a 1-UP Life monitor. Seen here:

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On the side of the case which shows the innards of the computer, I will put something like a Green Hill Zone layout, here's a rough mock-up of what I had in mind:

For this, it almost seems like it would be impossible to paint, so I would print the layout onto several sheets of stickers and cut them out.

As for the innards of the computer, I will insert the components from my current PC inside it.

The only problem I can foresee is the use of the Blue Point soundboard. I saw this used in the Doom 3 mod, however, it was not explained how the unit was powered and how the unit's quick wire terminal connector was hooked up. I would like to have the unit play "SEGA!" when the computer powers on and play the Sonic ring sound when the door to the case is opened. I'm thinking of a magnetic switch for that. Has anyone had experience with the soundboard? I'm pretty sure I could get it working with switches and such, but this is the unit I would have no idea how to power using the computer's PSU and not an external one.

Let's see, anything else I need to add... hmmm... I'm planning to make the base out of Styrofoam first, to carve out places for the genesis and extention and power cables needed to power the genesis itself and the 3.5" LCD screen. I also plan on putting a mini-usb hub there with converters to use a veriety of video game console controllers as joysticks. I currently have adapters for Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, and X-Box. A Sega Genesis controller will also be there and will be directly connected to the inside genesis.

So, I think that's pretty much it. What do you guys think, any suggestions or help?

Thanks!

Original, and cool. I love sonic.

Can't wait to see some work.

Nice, that is very cool my friend! Sonic rules all. Have you seen the more mature movies? They are usually in japanese, but still, very cool.

Have you thought about getting a custom laser etched sonic the hedgehog window? There is a website that does custom etching for computer windows, but I can't seem to remember it. They weren't too bad on price either.

Oh and it wouldn't be impossible at all for someone to paint. You will need to be at least semi familiar with painting though to do it. But stickers are just fine! Maybe you can put something over it to make the stickers more permanent?

-SnowFire

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SnowFire

Nice, that is very cool my friend! Sonic rules all. Have you seen the more mature movies? They are usually in japanese, but still, very cool.

Have you thought about getting a custom laser etched sonic the hedgehog window? There is a website that does custom etching for computer windows, but I can't seem to remember it. They weren't too bad on price either.

Oh and it wouldn't be impossible at all for someone to paint. You will need to be at least semi familiar with painting though to do it. But stickers are just fine! Maybe you can put something over it to make the stickers more permanent?

-SnowFire

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Mature movies? I know there was a Sonic OVA, but I've never seen anything "mature". Anyway...

Hmm, an etched window might be a great idea. If I created a full green hill zone layout on the case, I could use the stickers, and they would merge in with the image on the window to create the full scene. It sounds awesome, but then again, it could just be too much. I won't really know what to do until my case arrives. Also, when I use the stickers, I could always use some clear acrylic coats over them, I'm sure that would help.

Thanks a lot SnowFire!

I meant for your older age group. Swearing, violence, the things that aren't suited for your younger crowds. ^^

I was thinking clear coats too, does anyone else know how well that will work or if it will at all?

You could also have Sonic giving the classic thumbs up pose on your LCD on boot up. I'm not sure how to do that though.

-SnowFire

once you lay down the sticker just clear over it and youll be good to go!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SnowFire

I meant for your older age group. Swearing, violence, the things that aren't suited for your younger crowds. ^^

I was thinking clear coats too, does anyone else know how well that will work or if it will at all?

You could also have Sonic giving the classic thumbs up pose on your LCD on boot up. I'm not sure how to do that though.

-SnowFire

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Snowfire:

Ah, I get what you are saying. Yes, the Sonic X series was more violent in Japanese, and was toned way down for the USA 4Kids release.

As for the the Sonic thumbs up (You mean the pose Sonic does after the credits when you beat the first Sonic game, correct?), I'm not too familiar with video controller boards, and believe it would be too complex and advanced for my level of electronics, however, I'm not a complete n00b in the area of electronic components, and believe with some assistance, I could do it. However, that also might make the case too over-the-top for this simplistic mod I am attempting to accomplish. The LCD screen, however, will double as an extension of my desktop, and I could assign it it's own little wallpaper of Sonic giving the thumbs up when I am not using the genesis. Thanks for the wallpaper idea! Also, thank you for caring!

b4i7:

Thanks a lot for the clarification about the clear-coat! I really appreciate it!

Welcome to the forums! That is a great plan you have, love the colors and the theme. I used to play SHH until my eyes bled. I really think that it would not be too difficult to paint that landscape rather than stickers, especially because there are not that many colors and no gradients. The stickers might not look as nice on the finished product and you may see lines where they meet. If you lay down a nice bright blue background and just take you time painting the rest it would make for a more surreal final product. Why not try a sample on a scrap to see how it looks? That definately has the potential to be a great mod either way though, can't wait to see you get started!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jdbnsn

Welcome to the forums! That is a great plan you have, love the colors and the theme. I used to play SHH until my eyes bled. I really think that it would not be too difficult to paint that landscape rather than stickers, especially because there are not that many colors and no gradients. The stickers might not look as nice on the finished product and you may see lines where they meet. If you lay down a nice bright blue background and just take you time painting the rest it would make for a more surreal final product. Why not try a sample on a scrap to see how it looks? That definately has the potential to be a great mod either way though, can't wait to see you get started!

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jdbnsn:

Thank you very much for the advice! Although, yes, I too would also love to see this thing painted instead of stickers, but a few things I have seen about paint-job mods irk me. First of all, it seems that cases take months to dry. I live in a dust bowl in California, with a dirty and cluttered garage. I also have quite a few curious cats. Letting something dry that long and keeping safe almost seems harder than the task of painting the unit itself. Second, I have very little painting skill. Yes, I suppose I could print templates and decide which layers would need to go on first to get that nice finish, however, I would need to be using a lot of different paints, and waiting for each layer/coat to dry, it'd almost take a year or so just to have a finished project. Another thing to factor in here is the cost of materials. I don't really have much money to burn, else I would be filling this case with all kinds of goodies rather than just transferring components I am already using. There is the cost of the paints and whatever is used to apply them. I'm a college student with another semester headed my way, and I need to pay for classes and books, so, gathering all of the paints and materials necessary would just be a crunch to the wallet. Heh, I wish I had the resources to make something as extravagant as the Doom 3 mod, but I just want this to be a simple mod to be a homage to the classic genesis game! However, despite my pessimistic view on painting the case, I will take your advice and attempt to try it on some scrap. Thank you very much for your input, much appreciated!

Alright, I have just officially received specs for my LCD monitor conversion:

The specs for the LCD screen are as follows:

Screen Size : 3.5"
Brightness : 250 NIT
Input Signal : NTSC
Power Source : 12VDC@375mA
Resolution : 480x234
Dimensions (H/W/D) : 3 3/8" x 4" x 15/16"

My CoolerMaster Real Power 550 power supply has these specs:

I'm not sure what all the different 12Vs are, but I called CoolerMaster and confirmed that the amperage coming from the 4-pin peripheral connectors was 18 Amps.

Now, the LCD company told me that the normal LCD power supply is a 110V to 12V 4A PSU, and a google search of http://www.google.com/search?q=%2212V+4A%22 revealed that most LCD screens use this power input, regardless of their size. So now, my question is this:

Can I down step 12V 18A to 12V 4A easily, or would it be best to create a power connection and plug in the monitor seprately?

Thanks!

EDIT: Now that I have done a bit more research, I don't believe you even need to step down amperage. If I attach the LCD monitor to the power supply, it should draw the correct amount of amperage it needs from the maximum 18A. Else, computer chassis fans which are also rated for 12VDC draw something like 0.3A would blow out in the cases. The fans only need to draw the amperage from the given power source!