EN-7237 Case Mod Part II (for beginners/intermediate)

[techfuzz]

My first case mod I did to my EN-7237 was more of a fan mod. I moved the front 80mm to the back and put a 92mm in the front. Ended up doing a little electrical rewiring as well. I posted that a week or so ago.

This weeks case mod is fairly simple as well. Earlier today I went to Radio Shack and bought 10' Spiral Cable Wrap (AKA spiral loom), 5mm Blue LED, and some wire ties.
Radio Shack Part #
276-0311 - 5mm Blue LED
278-1638 - 10' Spiral Cable Wrap
278-1631 - 30 pack 5.5" Wire Ties

The Blue LED mod is simply to replace the existing Green power LED on the front of the case. Simply pull the Red LED fixture out of the front cage enclosure to access the wire/fixture. Pull the Red LED out and measure the length of the leads, and cut the Blue LED leads to match. Should be 3/8" of leads on both. Replace the Blue LED in fixture and remount the fixture in the case.

Second mod is using the spiral cable wrap to wrap all you internal cables like IDE, SCSI, even power cables. For my case 10' was more than enough to wrap every single cable I planned to wrap. I found it was fairly easy to start wrapping the cables without cutting the spiral cable wrap until you got to the end of the cable and then just snip it. This kept all the cables fairly tightly bound together. They were a little stiff but I like them that way. For not to stiff cables, use a little less spiral cable wrap and space the spirals farther apart from each other and your cables shouldn't be as tight. This is probably more useful for people who have to run their cables under and through tight or wierd angles inside the case.

So far I'm seeing only a 1C drop in temp after doing the spiral wrap on all my cables, but I did it more to clean up in the inside of the case. Looks pretty damn cool. Spent less than $10 on both of these mods and I have a Red LED and about 4' of spiral cable wrap left over. I think I'll go ahead and wrap the cables in my other computer now with the leftover wrap.

PS - The wire ties were used to anchor the cables to the side of the case away from the middle where they might obstruct air flow. I picked up the 30 count bag because these things are useful for lots of applications.

 

[techfuzz]

I'm a beginner when it comes to case mods and I post these for other beginners who want to get involved in case modding but aren't sure how to do it. If you modders out there appreciate this kind of stuff let me know and I'll keep coming up with cheap new case mods for you. I'll try to get one done every one or two weeks. Comments and suggestions are always welcome!

PS - I can't take pictures of my mods cause I don't have a camera. Anyone got a Kodak DC3400 they want to sell me? (My birthday is coming up soon too! hehe)

 

[cdternie]

Actually, putting cheap, easy mods on here is a really good idea. I've never even modded a case before (not much opportunity in my situation) but I may try some things I've been reading about in my spare time.

Thanks for the ideas, techfuzz!

 

[techfuzz]

Case modding should defintely be left for any spare time you have. Great way to pass the time tinkering with one of your life's hobbies.

 

[techfuzz]

bump

Comments and/or suggestions for my next beginner/intermediate case mod?

 

[johneetrash]

<< Case modding should defintely be left for any spare time you have. >>



unfortuantely some of us use all of our work/school time case modding

 

[hito]

Thanks techfuzz. I think i'm going to try and do some of these little mods which you listed. I'm a case mode virgin . BTW, about your first case mod. The one with the 92mm. You said you didn't have to do any mods to attach it to the case whatsoever. How were you able to do so when the plastic casing for the 80mm is used to clip onto the case... Which holes did you use to screw in the screws?

- hito

 

[Dyne3D]

Nice, easy mod. I have another use for those zip ties though. i actually discovered this today, while trying to glue 2 80mm fans together. I found you can use zip ties to attach the fans together, using the screw-holes. Might sound like it would be quit unstable, but i was amazed to find that it is very rugged. Best of all, it is easy to un-do as well, so when you discover that certain fan would perform better in a different place, you can just cut the zip ties off
Keep on modding
-Dean

 

[techfuzz]

hito, remove that plastic case thingy from the front intake fan. It doesn't serve any good purpose. The 92mm fan holes will match up over 3 of the 4 holes/slots left by that plastic case thingy. I was lazy and just screwed the 92mm in using 3 holes/slots, good and tight, no vibration problems, so I'm just going to leave it as is.

 

[hito]

Would the following screws be good enough to hold up a 92mm fan?

Link

I'm planning on installing the panaflo that lan has in stock. It blows more air and has a difference of 5dba. Not sure if that is alot or not, but any decrease in noise is good enough for me. .


Thanks

- hito

 

[max105]

how were u able to find screw holes to mount your 92mm fan up front? I'm looking at it right now and the only places i can think of are the slots that original plastic fan holder used to slide into.

 

[techfuzz]

hito, those screws look fine. I've come to like a particular kind of fastener for installing fans. I'm not sure what they are called but they come in two pieces. One piece is pushed into the other and has four clips on the end that hold the two together. OK bad description, but I hope maybe someone else can elaborate more on what they are. Anyways they are easily removable.

 

[techfuzz]

max105, I anchored a 92mm fan using those 4 slots where the plastic fan guard used to clip into the case. I was only able to anchor the fan in 3 of the 4 slots but it's doing just fine like that.

 

[hito]

techfuzz those push in pins you're talking about, are they like the ones which the Enlight comes with? The ones which they give you to mount a 80mm to the back of the case?

(BTW, did you have to use any force whatsoever to force the screws into the 3out of 4 holes in which you used? As they dont look round...

- hito

 

[GasX]

Another cheap (read: free) case mod you can discuss is drilling the front vent holes. It has been recommended a number of times to me for improving airflow into the case via the front intake fan.

 

[hito]

Yah, i'm trying to get as much fresh air into the case as I can now, without adding additional noise, as I currently have negitive pressure in the case. Drilling the front vent holes sure will help. Those holes are just so small!

- hito

 

[techfuzz]

hito, yeah those are the pins that they case came with for mounting that back fan. I found that if you don't completely fasten the pins together on the front until you have all 3 fasteners started then you should have to use much force on the third fastener. I guess my answer would be yes, a little force (wiggling and jiggling) may be required to get the fastener tightened down.

The slots are of course not round, but the lip on the pins will catch either side of the slots or top bottom enough to hold the fan in with any additional drilling to the actual metal part of the case.

 

[techfuzz]

Mwilding, I'll start another thread on that subject right now. Thanks for the idea.