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Little box into big box won't go

F

fjk61011

Junior Member
I have a 5 bay sata cage that fits into 3 5.25 inch bays. Or rather should fit. Problem (or challenge): the sides of the sata box are completely smooth, no grooves. The PC case has little ledges in the 5.25 bays to support optical drives. Little box into big box won't go.

Any suggestions?
 
I cut the little ledges out of the first case I did this with. From then on I bought cases that didn't have those stupid little ledges.
 
I already had one of these: http://www.internationaltool.com/Fein-Detail-Profile-Sanding/Fein-FMM250START.aspx

There are now other brands with similar/cheaper models. This is one of the blades that comes with it: http://www.internationaltool.com/Fein-Sawing-Accessories/Fein-63502151020.aspx

The tool vibrates/oscillates the blade quickly through a small arc. The blade itself is offset so that you can press the side of it flush with a surface while the cutting edge trims whatever is sticking out of the surface.

Home Depot/Lowes has competing manuf. blades for ~20... Harbor Freight sells the super cheap model and blades as well.

Modding cases is not something to get into without expecting to spend way more on tools than on cases. There are other ways to do it that are cheaper, but they will end up being far more labor intensive.
 
yep, buying a case would be less expensive than the tool. i have not seen any cases without the little ledges for awhile. any brands you found?
 
what i have is a five bay sata hot swap cage which would go in 3 x 5.25" bays. it has smooth sides, no grooves. want to build a windows home server 2011.

i'm in ireland and envy the prices over there. sometimes it's less expensive to buy from the US even with shipping added.
 
I meant above and beyond the 5bay you were talking about. I just remembered another case I had worked on for a friend (Xion Stacker) and I just hammered the things flat since it was pretty soft metal to begin with and everything else was flat.
 
cd/dvd drive for installing OS. I have some motherboards that i would use. none have built in graphics so i would need a video card. not 100% sure exact specs for everything. at the thinking stage.
 
Well, if the cage is mostly flat just try hammering it out. Something heavy to rest the inside of the cage on and bang away. I have a steel brick for that sort of thing, but if you have a flat/straight 2x4 and a couple clamps to hold it to a table that should be adequate.

If the only thing protruding into the cage is those fingers you could try cutting them off with a bare hacksaw blade.
 
Ok, I have an Antec case but the steel is very thick, 1mm maybe more and the ledge in this is maybe two, three inches long. The Coolermaster has much thinner metal and shorter ledges, 0.5 inch. I tried bending the ledge with a long nosed pliers and it bends easy enough. So I'll prob switch cases.

thanks for ur time and help
 
You take all the panels off the case, but something solid inside the cage and beat on the outside. Sticking a hammer inside the cage is not going to work.
 
heymrdj said:
Worked for me. It was a tiny ball pein hammer. More than enough oomph to bend the sides.

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Ball-Pei.../dp/B002RMFSGA
Click to expand...

A ball pein hammer! I have not heard about one, in years. My father and uncles used to laugh whenever they talked about one. Was never let in on the joke. There was eight boys in their family, all gone now. All their memories, where do they go?

It's an Akasa case. The other one is a Coolermaster with thinner metal, i'll prob swap cases.

Edit: Still trying to decode your signature 🙂
 
fjk61011 said:
A ball pein hammer! I have not heard about one, in years. My father and uncles used to laugh whenever they talked about one. Was never let in on the joke. There was eight boys in their family, all gone now. All their memories, where do they go?

It's an Akasa case. The other one is a Coolermaster with thinner metal, i'll prob swap cases.

Edit: Still trying to decode your signature 🙂
Click to expand...

You know I have a similar upbringing. My grandfather and my uncles would always make fun of those things when they'd use them. But they are darn useful tools. Sometimes finesse is required when you pound things :sneaky:.

As for the signature, just google Legend of the Mall Ninja. It's about a fanatical story written by a mall security guard as he defends all these way out claims of the stuff he does with his squad in protecting the mall. (including but not limited to driving electric golf carts armed with Shrike missiles (the air to ground missiles that would be far larger than the golf cart and weigh several hundred pounds a piece that attack aircraft fire))
 
heymrdj said:
You know I have a similar upbringing. My grandfather and my uncles would always make fun of those things when they'd use them. But they are darn useful tools. Sometimes finesse is required when you pound things :sneaky:.

As for the signature, just google Legend of the Mall Ninja. It's about a fanatical story written by a mall security guard as he defends all these way out claims of the stuff he does with his squad in protecting the mall. (including but not limited to driving electric golf carts armed with Shrike missiles (the air to ground missiles that would be far larger than the golf cart and weigh several hundred pounds a piece that attack aircraft fire))
Click to expand...

I'll Google. Mr Google, he the Man.

Another of the phrases that used to cause merriment was " a tincture of iodine"
 
Last edited:
Mission accomplished. I bent the little ledges with a long nosed pliers and then tapped the rest of the way with the ball-pein hammer. 🙂
 
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