Battle Dragon Bag - Scratch Build

[monkeyfun]

mmm mechanical ergo backlit-gaming keyboard....YES! I ditched my MS Natural Ergo KB for my Logitech G510 because I wanted the backlighting. I miss my MS one, but not when I have any color backlighting I want lol

The keyboard I currently have is a MS ergo keyboard... that I'm thinking of modding for backlighting. I have a couple of theories and now that I have the other one I can screw it up and not worry about it.

[monkeyfun]

Update #6: Mistakes I can’t live with.

It’s been a busy week for me. I started a new job on Monday so I haven’t had as much time to work on the case as I would have liked… and what work I’ve done I am unsatisfied with. I did get the front and back panels cut, drilled and tapped to fit with the frame. As you can see here, I have all the tools necessary to do a great job tapping.

After I attached both front and back panels with a couple of screws, I was able to begin cleaning up the edges around the panels to making sure they fit just right. For the most part, I did a pretty good job. When cutting I tried channeling the attention of detail of Attila. The back panel was perfect.

But apparently my Attila mantra was slightly off. My table saw ended up chewing up a little bit too much edge on the front panel. I was hoping it was something I could correct… but when I placed the top and bottom pieces next to the front panel you can really see how far off it was…

Unfortunately, I’m going to have to buy another 18.5” x 12” piece to replace this panel. It’s just a little too off for me. I did, however cut the two panels for the top/mid/bottom sides. They are nice and straight and I just need to start bending them into place.

A buddy of mine came over to look at the progress. He questioned why I made the frame so sturdy and the side pieces 1/8”thick. I simply flipped the case over and stood on it (I’m 205lbs or 93kg) and said no reason. Next update will have pictures from the perspective of me standing on the case.

Saturday To-Do List:
Buy a new sheet of aluminum to redo Windowed Panel
Look for black ½” 6-32 flat head machine screws (stainless steel or zinc)
Look for black ½” 6-32 pan head machine screws (stainless steel or zinc)
Begin drilling/tapping the top/mid/bottom pieces
Bend the top/mid/bottom pieces

[TheMainMan]

The keyboard I currently have is a MS ergo keyboard... that I'm thinking of modding for backlighting. I have a couple of theories and now that I have the other one I can screw it up and not worry about it.

If you do this, I would love to see the worklog. I have EL wire under my ergo's keys and have always wanted the keys to light up.

The bag looks awesome, really excited to see how this turns out!

[monkeyfun]

If you do this, I would love to see the worklog. I have EL wire under my ergo's keys and have always wanted the keys to light up.

I will most definitely keep a log on the KB mod! I think there are quite a few people that want to see what they can do with their old KBs.

[monkeyfun]

Update #7: The Correction and Bending.

I'm still getting the hang of my new job but it is a lot of fun and very interesting. But enough of that, here's a couple of the pictures of the progress. I've actually got more done than I'm posting but only so much time in my days.

Replacing that front/side panel was the right thing to do. I am much happier with the results. Here is a comparison of the panels so you can see what the difference was with the mistake:

And here are two pictures of the frame with the front and back panels:

As you can see, I'm building to be tougher than it probably needs to be... but why not?

The top and side pieces will be two continuous pieces that run the perimeter of the case. In order to do this, I have a bit of bending to do.

I was incredibly careful, if not gentle with my bending. AFter cutting a line, I gently bent an angle. Then I'd reattach the piece and check. I'd take the piece off and bend it slightly again. Little by little, I got my bends just right.
All I can say is my Attila mantra is starting to pay off. When you take your time and be extra careful, aluminum is easier to work than wood!

Tomorrow, I go to the printer to pick up some carbon paper and print a large version of the dragon to use as a pattern for the etching.

I'm also waiting for my package of screws to arrive. McMasters-Carr ended up having the Black Oxide screws I need.
I'm still looking for the perfect scroll work to etch into the plastic cover panels for inside the case...

Thank you for reading!

[monkeyfun]

Update #8: The Outsides.

Here’s some of the catch-up work-log.
I finished getting the left and right front-top panels and bottom panel done. I also decided that I need more dragons in my basement for focus. The only poster I had from PAX with a dragon on it was a Dungeons and Dragons poster. But that’s ok, the red and black are right in line with this case.

The McMaster-Carr package arrived. So the screws you see holding the case together are only temporary. I want to have the real screws recessed so they’re not sticking out.

Next, I started fitting the Overkill "Honeycomb" 120mm Fan Grill to the front of the case.

Overkill "Honeycomb" 120mm Fan Grill

Here’s the planning for the dragon etching on the side-front-facing panel.

The next set will be for some of the inside fabrication and the etching. Thanks for reading!!

[monkeyfun]

Update #9: Placement.
Sorry I haven’t had a post in a week but this new job has me very busy and I am planning a 200 seat LAN party in Seattle, WA, USA (with a casemod contest hopefully) with several of my associates. It doesn’t mean I’m not modding, just means I’ve been a little latent with my posts.

First things first, I’d like to introduce my latest addition to my project log. Gigabyte has been gracious enough to allow me to put one of their fine boards in my case: the GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3

This little MicroATX beauty is the perfect fit for this case. It’s form fitting, great on-board audio, 4 slots for RAM with a 32Gb max, SATA 6Gb connections, USB 3.0 ports, and the option for an SLI or Crossfire configuration. Now I just need to find two nice video cards to go into the case, otherwise I’ll just have to make do with my single XFX Radeon 5750.

I can’t wait to try the Cloud OC and see how it works as an Overclocking tool.

Now, on to the modding…
I finally got the insides of the frame machined so that I could slip the fan in between the bars.

I’ve tried the placement of the radiator so that the intake is in a couple of different spots. I like this placement. But I think I’m going to have to mod the intake port so that it points toward the CPU rather than the 90 degree bend towards the bottom.

Here’s a view with the intake on the other side and the pump and reservoir placed for review.

Once more but with the PSU put in to measure spacing and review placement:

And now with the motherboard:

And finally with a single stunt video card (since the 5750 is in my current computer):

After seeing all of these things in place I’m confident this is going to be a killer case. It’s just going to take a little bit of finesse to get it all to fit together.
To do list:
- Mod the radiator intake to work with the case.
- Fabricate a new reservoir that will have a downspout at the bottom for draining
- Flip the fan guard on the PSU so it’s right side up.
- Decide if I’m going to go dual or single GPU. Right now, cost is saying only one but who knows… maybe some mystery Christmas angel will help me find a way to get two cards in there.

Finally I’ll leave you with the start of my next post, the etching. Here’s the placement of the to-be etched dragon in the frame. Another update will be out soon!

[monkeyfun]

Update #10: A little bit of LAN and Etching.

And on tenth update he said,”Let there be pictures.” Lots and lots of pictures.

First off, I got a chance to try out my new keyboard, headset and mouse at a LAN. My cohort Big Red throws small LAN parties on a semi-regular basis. There’s usually only about 20-25 people but they’re immensely fun and always filled with the best of people. I’m not going to show you the pathetic case I brought to this LAN. I’m too ashamed of it. The pathetic case is one of the many reasons I have to work on this Battle Dragon Bag Case. I appreciate TTeSports for giving me the opportunity to work on it.

Here 4 quick pictures of the LAN and then it’s back to the modding! First picture has all the things I need for a LAN:

I got seating next two parts of awesome: Beta_Angel and LordMoon (seen in this picture). LordMoon will be featuring some of our gaming antics for the local news. If you get a chance check out some of his review at http://www.nwcn.com/entertainment/game-reviews

The next two pictures were on the Friday night so it wasn’t as packed as it gets but you can see the setup:

Now, on to the modding:

First I had to get set the pattern onto the polycarbonate. This is where I noticed that the dragon was missing a leg… huh… I put the pattern and some carbon paper on the polycarbonate and traced away.

After I got done tracing the pattern, I added the missing leg and then used a black marker to make sure I didn’t wipe off the pattern.

Then I had to double checking the polycarbonate is big enough to be the window. I didn’t want to waste all of the time etching something that wasn’t going to fit.

I gathered up all of my needed supplies: A foam backing so I didn’t scratch up the opposite side, my dremel with a tip I like, blackberry-pear cider, and my Smith & Wesson “Elite” Safety Glasses courtesy of MNPCTech.

Then I got nervous. I had never etched before on polycarbonate… so I made a practice piece.

Tried my hand with a couple of different tips and tried some shading. I’m going to need a lot of practice with the shading. Cross-hatching is a little trickier with dremel.

But I felt fairly confident about my line work so I dove right in…

Here’s the view after I finished the initial line work:

And here’s the back view. I still have to peel off some of the plastic coating so it looks a bit more filled in than it actually is.

I’ll probably spend some more time touching up the line work and maybe get brave enough to fill in some of the scales.

That’s it for now. Thank you for reading!

[monkeyfun]

Update #11: Frame work and the beginning of the assembly.

First off, I've finished the etching!!

I have to admit, I really like etching. I'm half way tempted to try the back TTeSport dragon as an etching as well. Aesthetically, I think I could make it look good and have fun doing it. Although... it might detract from the whole traditional front/back design, so I'm taking it into consideration.

For now, I began working on making the framework for the parts. At first I tried basic bars:

Then I had to factor in the reservoir and the pump and well two bars just wasn't cool enough.

I still have to do a bunch of filing and cleaning up but I like that shape over two plain bars. I also did work on the radiator. The intake pipe was at a 90 degree angle pointed down.

That wasn't good for my design so... I chopped it off.

I lucked out when I looked inside the pipe. I can simply drill and tap the pipe to work with a fitting.

Next I had to widen the screw mounts for the radiator it could be connected to the Overkill "Honeycomb" 120mm Fan Grill. Another stroke of luck, the existing hole was big enough that all i had to do was widen it with a tap.

Next, I started fitting the Overkill "Honeycomb" 120mm Fan Grill to the front of the case.

Overkill "Honeycomb" 120mm Fan Grill

First shot, without the modder's mesh:

Second shot, with the modder's mesh:

Here's a side view:

Thanks for reading!!

[billygoat333]

etching turned out really well! good job.