Open 3.5" Bay - Opinions Wanted

[drx9175l]

I just ordered this case from Bestbyte.net. As you can see it has two external 3.5" bays covered with blank panels made to look like floppy drives. I'm mounting a working floppy in one of the bays but don't know what to put in the other. I don't want to leave the false face plate in. The disk slot is open, allowing someone to drop a diskette into the case if they aren't paying attention. I know I could just cover it up with a normal cover plate, but I'm looking for something more creative. I have a four port USB hub in my other PC's extra 3.5" bay. And I've seen system coolers that fit. It there anything else? Temp monitor? Audio in/out? Gameport? Anyone got any ideas of a mod? Fan switches? Baybus? I'm handy with power tools and a soldering iron, so make a wild suggestion. Thanks.

 

[feralkid]

hey, i have this case also! have you received it yet? contrary to the picture, mine has a cover for the extra 3.5" bay made of the same blue ribbed plastic, so it's not as much an issue for me. there is a 3.5 front usb panel made by j d research (perhaps this is what you have in your other pc as you mentioned?) most everything else i've seen is for 5.75 slots (removeable hard drive boxes, key locks, even cheesy stereo speakers) but i'll keep my eyes open. i'm also going to keep an eye on this post to see what others suggest. good luck!

 

[CStroman]

In my empty 3.5" bay, I have a plate with a cmos clear switch installed.

 

[toshiba3020]

If i saw someone at a lan party with a cmos kill switch on their case, I would go flip it.

 

[ShinSa]

<< If i saw someone at a lan party with a cmos kill switch on their case, I would go flip it. >>



HAHAHA, LOL I would too. Seriously put on some switch or something to cover that up.

 

[CStroman]

It's pretty low profile. Someone can't just walk by and flick it.

 

[drx9175l]

If the cover plate isn't a false floppy drive then I might just leave it alone.......... Naw, gotta trick it out somehow. I'll make a run to Radio Shack tomorrow and get some supplies to put switches for the fans and Neon light (I ordered a window kit at the same time as the case). I'll also extend out the audio out and mic input jacks. Everything should be here Thursday at the latest. When I'm done with all the mods I'll post pics here. The cmos reset switch would be easy to do, but why. Other than initial installation and the occasional Bios update when would you ever need to reset?

 

[jcmkk]

If I were you, I would put an LCD in there. If you are a wuss, you could go for a serial display, but if you want a real mans LCD, then wire up your own parrallel LCD. It doesn't get much cooler than that.

 

[drx9175l]

Thanks for all the advice, but I went with my own idea. Check it out: pic1 pic2 pic3. The red button on the left is for the neon, the three switches are for the case fans and the headphone jack & mic in are on the right. You can also see the four molex plugs for quick disconnect and the 3' long extensions to reach the sound card on the back of the case. Spent about $15 at Radio Shack and three hours of my time.

My next thread is going to be about using 24v Panaflos at 12v instead of the 7v mod on 12v fans....

 

[Egrimm]

<< If I were you, I would put an LCD in there. If you are a wuss, you could go for a serial display, but if you want a real mans LCD, then wire up your own parrallel LCD. It doesn't get much cooler than that. >>



I thought of doin something like that with a 3,5" in my case, but I don't know how to do it. Any advice like what type / model of lcd to look for, how to wire it, etc.