- Apr 24, 2001
- 6,021
- 547
- 126
Alright, so here's a step-by-step description of the process, along with the pictures I promised you...
1) It all started with a picture of the proper backplate, posted online:
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/ASUS_large.jpg
2) From here on it was a simple question of taking the picture, readjusting it in Photoshop (to account for the original skewed image) and setting it to the right size (they're all standard). The final step was changing it to black and white, for easier tracing. I printed out a letter-sized page with several outlines, just in case: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_1.jpg
3) I cut out the white outlines with an Exacto knife, to ensure the dimensions are correct and to see if it fits the motherboard ports: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_2.jpg
4) I cut out a spare backplate from an old, dead motherboard, leaving just the rectangular frame, with a bit of spare material on the interior sides. This was the hardest part - it made me realize I don't have metal scissors in the house, and I ended up using regular pliers and a fine metal saw blade... it took a lot of patience (and could have looked better in the end): http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_3.jpg
5) With the hardest part now behind me, I now identified the best candidate piece of plastic for the new backplate... It was a box of Q-tips! The plastic was transparent and thick/strong enough at the same time, and I had enough of it to try again if the first attempt failed: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_4.jpg
6) I attached the paper outline to a suitable piece of clear plastic (the cover of the original box) with painter's tape, to keep them both in place during cutting without making too much of a mess: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_5.jpg
7) Tracing the white outlines with the tip of the Exacto knife was easy, compared to cutting the metal backplate earlier... I didn't make any fatal mistakes: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_6.jpg
8) I attached the plastic to the metal frame using a piece of aluminium foil duct tape... It took two tries, which led me to realize how strong the glue on the tape really is... I have no doubt it will stay in place for as long as the motherboard will be in service. Here's the end result (note that the aluminium will be inside the case, facing the motherboard, and the sticky side is visible through the transparent plastic): http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_7.jpg
9) Voila! All done. With everything in place, I checked one more time that it fits the motherboard properly. I'd say it's not too bad. The HDMI port may be covered a bit too much, but I wouldn't be using it anyway (the final build will have a dedicated videocard): http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_8.jpg
Hope this encourages anyone else crazy enough to tackle such a project in the future. Thanks for reading!
1) It all started with a picture of the proper backplate, posted online:
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/ASUS_large.jpg
2) From here on it was a simple question of taking the picture, readjusting it in Photoshop (to account for the original skewed image) and setting it to the right size (they're all standard). The final step was changing it to black and white, for easier tracing. I printed out a letter-sized page with several outlines, just in case: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_1.jpg
3) I cut out the white outlines with an Exacto knife, to ensure the dimensions are correct and to see if it fits the motherboard ports: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_2.jpg
4) I cut out a spare backplate from an old, dead motherboard, leaving just the rectangular frame, with a bit of spare material on the interior sides. This was the hardest part - it made me realize I don't have metal scissors in the house, and I ended up using regular pliers and a fine metal saw blade... it took a lot of patience (and could have looked better in the end): http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_3.jpg
5) With the hardest part now behind me, I now identified the best candidate piece of plastic for the new backplate... It was a box of Q-tips! The plastic was transparent and thick/strong enough at the same time, and I had enough of it to try again if the first attempt failed: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_4.jpg
6) I attached the paper outline to a suitable piece of clear plastic (the cover of the original box) with painter's tape, to keep them both in place during cutting without making too much of a mess: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_5.jpg
7) Tracing the white outlines with the tip of the Exacto knife was easy, compared to cutting the metal backplate earlier... I didn't make any fatal mistakes: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_6.jpg
8) I attached the plastic to the metal frame using a piece of aluminium foil duct tape... It took two tries, which led me to realize how strong the glue on the tape really is... I have no doubt it will stay in place for as long as the motherboard will be in service. Here's the end result (note that the aluminium will be inside the case, facing the motherboard, and the sticky side is visible through the transparent plastic): http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_7.jpg
9) Voila! All done. With everything in place, I checked one more time that it fits the motherboard properly. I'd say it's not too bad. The HDMI port may be covered a bit too much, but I wouldn't be using it anyway (the final build will have a dedicated videocard): http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/AnitaPeterson/rsz_step_8.jpg
Hope this encourages anyone else crazy enough to tackle such a project in the future. Thanks for reading!
Last edited:
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