Nzxt khaos case mod "bio-mechanical"

[Bill Owen]

I've chosen the bio-mechnical theme for my project with the NZXT Khaos case,

Heres their product link






Heres one of my favorite HR GIGER paintings, "Landshaft XIX" Theres so many details!


Heres the entire bay assembly removed from the chassis.




Whats your remedy for a headache?!


This is the housing from a small motor I found. I love the design. The skull will be hosting the system Power & Reset switches (22mm & 16mm lamptron vandal switches, w/orange leds) The mounting plate I made (below) attaches to the upper half of the skull.





NZXT Khaos panels look cool, but the hang out in the wind... Maybe keep them and do BATMAN theme mod...lol

[Bill Owen]

I made these 1-1/4" thick, 6061 aluminum. 6.5" O.D front intakes,







whats this hole for?


Ohhh... it's for the ribbed plastic loom.

[TAKTAK]

..

[Bill Owen]

"Hey, It's Spin Art!"

[Pob255]

looks funky.

[Bill Owen]

Pre-fitting skull and intake covers after paint has cured.. I need to fab a 5.25 cage above the skull, thinking I may salvage a quick release style 5.25 bay from the old chieftec dragon tower.

Imagine if the skull matte black already.. I'm still working on detailing the skull, so it will be awhile before I paint it.

[Flibb]

I sooo want to see the end result, rarely get case mods on here anymore

[TAKTAK]

Oh aye, i was going to email you guys a while back.

Anyway you guys would be able to come up with a mounting mechanism for the TRUE so that it can be rotated 90 degrees for AM2 platforms, as i know quite a few people that want to do it to improve airflow...

[Bill Owen]

email me details about the TRUE, see what i can do

I started with the skull today, adding mechanical aspects, like these vented and screw joints.

I will dremel details in these sculpted parts, 24 hrs after Magic Sculpt has fully cured

Small pan head machine screws




It only takes a few drops of water to smooth the surface of Magic Sculpt


Hex Nut with tooth washer doubles as port for plastic wire loom

[Bill Owen]

Last night I worked on the chassis.



This 1/8" thick aluminum plate will reside underneath the foam/fiberglass top panel, which later will be sculpted with proper ventilation. In this case, a BIX 240 Stealth radiator.



I posted radiator template print-outs you can download. (PDF Files)

Before printing, you must select "None" for page scaling in your print dialogue box!

Download Page for each template

Radiator Templates Download Page









my center punch

[Bill Owen]

Top 240 rad mount, 1/8' thick aluminum plate


low brow art?...lol

[Bill Owen]

Back to the bench for this project today, Black Plastic loom in (1/4" and 1/2" diameter) will be embedded and intertwined throughout the bezel and top panel. The entire skull will be painted matte black

[Fuzzed_out]

looks awsome, cant wait for the finished product

[Bill Owen]

Thank you!

Heres the tools I use to sculpt the insulation foam, but it's always good to experiment on your own.

To cut thick foam, I use a snap-off blade utility knife.



To smooth the pieces, I use a Surfoam Shaver by Stanley Tools


For making intricate details in the foam, I'll use an array of the tungsten carbide cutter bits from Dremel, I mainly use the #9911

[Bill Owen]

I've started sculpting the bezel, I also inserted 2, 1/4" threaded steel rods today in each side of the bezel.

Theres more detailing still to come






The bezel foam will be covered with fiberglass filler.. This is the body filler I use for all of my case mod projects. "Evercoat" fiberglass body filler, short strand reinforced with Kevlar. It dries quick! Less than 30 mins. It's stronger than Bondo, it applies smoother than Bondo and also doesn't shrink as it cures.

Manufacturer's description




I attached 1/8" thick sheet of 6061 aluminum for the base, the foam bezel is epoxied onto the base. I cover the insulation pores with the Evercoat Everglass fiberglass filler, sand the cured filler by hand and use a dremel for carving intricate details. It's time consuming process, but yields a very strong piece that won't crack or chip if dropped. It will also lighted up the overall weight of the Khaos case.

Here I'm working Ghost Rider bezel made from insulation foam and fiberglass


The Ghost Rider bezel cover after being airbrushed

[Fraz]

I like these threads. Keep up the good work - looks freakin awesome!