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Thread: Project - TCMX1000

  1. #1
    SCAN Computers Pete the Painter's Avatar
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    Project - TCMX1000

    Introduction
    As a regular reader of www.hexus.net and the hexus forums along with a desire for case modding, I wanted to put a little something back into the community.

    It's been a while since I have created something a little out of the ordinary.
    I've been modding for quite some time but I wanted something new...something different.

    Well... "If you want an "Ultra" setup and you have a desire for the best, it makes sense to have an "Ultra" mod

    For the finest PC there's only 1 choice - www.ultraproducts.com -

    The Candidate

    So what do I choose to Mod. That's a tough one!!

    After a lot of deliberation I wanted it to be something that gets used everyday. Something that's gonna make your mates shout "I want one of those where do you get it?"

    In the end I came up with a ....well see below.




    Why a mouse? For what I had in mind it makes the perfect candidate.
    I've been using an MX1000 for a while and love it but if I was to mod one I thought I better purchase another as I can't be without it for a few days.

    The mod is going to consist of painting the central area of the mouse, the part that’s already painted in a metallic finish.

    I will go into detail a little later.

    Stripping the mouse

    Below is the MX1000 as is from factory.



    I only wanted to mod the centre section of the mouse (painted area) so I had to strip it down.



    As you can see Logitech do us all a favour by covering up the screw heads so as to tell if it's been tampered with
    All you have to do is feel where the holes are and cut away a small section so that you can fit in a screwdriver. Bang goes your guarantee!!



    Also you have to remove the 2 pads on which the mouse sits at the rear.
    Once you have removed the 5 screws the mouse simply pulls apart.



    There are a few screws left to remove inside.
    The battery - The micro switch on the side button - The buttons on top
    Once stripped down it should look something like this



    This isn't too hard, just gotta remember where the bits go :-)

  2. #2
    SCAN Computers Pete the Painter's Avatar
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    Preparation

    Once we have stripped the painted area off the main body we are left with a piece like so



    As the part had already been painted by Logitech I thought it was gonna be easy to prepare. A light key with a scotchbrite pad and a little bit of flatting where the "Logitech" badge was to smooth the area a little.



    How wrong could I be!

    Painting

    When I started to apply the basecoat I got a little bit of a reaction. A reaction usually looks like mud cracks. This can be caused by incompatibility between paints.

    The reaction occurred where the badge was and the only way to get rid of this permanently is to take the whole painted area back to bare plastic. (Forgot to take pics :-( )

    After I had removed the paint and transfer I then had to apply clear plastic adhesion promoter, and a coat of wet on wet 2K primer.

    After the primer had flashed off it was time to start applying the basecoat.

    Rather than have a single colour, I chose to have a fade of colours. Starting from lime green - to yellow - to orange.

    This is the interesting part,

    On with a coat of yellow



    Followed by a lime green at the back and orange at the front, with a gradual fade in between.

    As my mod came about, around the time of the Hexus "Ultra" competition I decided to give it a little personal touch.
    As the comp was run by Hexus it only seems right to include the Hexus logo somewhere.



    The image above shows all 3 base colours applied and the Hexus logo at the rear. The part looks dull without any sheen as no lacquer has been applied yet.
    The logo has to be applied a number of minutes after the last coat of basecoat has been painted to let the solvents vent off.

    After the logo has been applied and it's vented off, it's time to apply the lacquer. This gives it depth, shine and protects the basecoat.

    Well we usually apply lacquer at this time but this is where it gets a little different.

    As I said I wanted it to be different, something that’s not been done before.
    This mouse is going to be sprayed in Heat Reactive paint.

    The results that can be achieved with this are quite remarkable.
    You put on whatever you desire underneath. The best results are achieved when a bright vibrant colour is applied first.

    Then the heat sensitive paint is applied. The Heat sensitive paint masks whatever is underneath when it is cold then as it warms up it becomes transparent.
    It's a fantastic product to work with but as you may imagine, it's expensive.

    Polishing and final prep
    After the paint has been applied the part is baked in the spraybooth at 170°F.
    This is what the part looks like when cold - Straight from spray gun



    This is what the part looks like when hot - Straight from spray gun



    When you look closely at the cold version, it looks slightly hazy not quite as good as it could be.
    To get a finish like glass we flat the lacquer with some soap and water using very fine wet n' dry paper. This gets the finish totally flat a gets rid of any imperfections that may be in the paint.



    The finished article
    It's been fully machine polished to buff out any wet n' dry rubbing down marks. Below are a selection of images of the finished article.







    As you can see it doesn't take much heat to react.

    Click HERE for slideshow of images.

    If you'd like to watch a video of the TCMX1000 in action feel free to check this out -->TCMX1000 Video It's a 13mb file so if you have a slow connection please be patient.

    EDIT: If you'd like to see any other work, pop on over to www.totallycustomised.co.uk for a couple of other bits and bobs.

    Pete
    Last edited by Pete the Painter; 31-08-2005 at 01:48 AM.

  3. #3
    DR
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    Loving it

  4. #4
    Xcelsion... In Disguise. Xaneden's Avatar
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    Awsome mod, well done
    New Sig on the Way...

  5. #5
    Treasure Hunter extraordinaire herulach's Avatar
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    Wheres the paint from dude? Is it out of a can? Or do you need a proper gun for it?

  6. #6
    SCAN Computers Pete the Painter's Avatar
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    You need a full professional setup.
    It's pretty poisonous stuff
    This is me in action

  7. #7
    iMc
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    That looks very very good.

    Honestly that is good enough to be sold professionally imo. How much do you charge!? hehe. Looks amazing.

    How did you get the Hexus logo on?

    EDIT: Just seen the above post... you ARE a pro! I thought you did it at home. Still doesn't detract from overall finish. Stunning.

    What are ya gonna do next?
    HEXUS|iMc

  8. #8
    SCAN Computers Pete the Painter's Avatar
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    I've got a rather large project going on at the moment.
    Finding time to work on my own gear is the hardest part
    It's gonna include custom water setup, laser cut case panels (Will be using a donor case), touch screen LCD too name but a few.
    When I get more things together I'll post that here too.

  9. #9
    iMc
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    Sounds great! I'm assuming it's got crazy paint on it as well

    Hope it goes well.
    HEXUS|iMc

  10. #10
    Moderator DavidM's Avatar
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    Some good shots Peter

    I rather like this gallery slideshow here


  11. #11
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    This is the coolest mouse I have ever seen, shame Im far too incompetent to attempt anything like this, ever thought about trying to sell the idea to Logitech?

    They'd make a killing in the enthusiast market
    Last edited by TheDarkRealm; 31-08-2005 at 01:12 PM.
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  12. #12
    Prize winning member. rajagra's Avatar
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    You are a God.

    A God of spraying mice, but a God nonetheless.
    DFI LanParty UT NF4 SLI-D; AMD64 3500+ Winchester ;
    2x XFX 6600GT ; Corsair XMS3200XLPRO TWINX 1GB;
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    Senior Members' Member Matt1eD's Avatar
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    That is one awesome mod. Well done.

    The totally customised site X by the web name looks very close to the hexus x!!!!!

  14. #14
    Gordy Gordy's Avatar
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    Nice work.

  15. #15
    0iD
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    Would be interesting to see a case with the thermal reactive paint. You'd be much better placed to see hotspots & ajust cooling accordingly.

    Toptastic work tho Pete. Hats off.
    [
    Quote Originally Posted by Blitzen
    When I say go, both walk in the opposite direction for 10 paces, draw handbags, then bitch-slap each other!

  16. #16
    Treasure Hunter extraordinaire herulach's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 0iD
    Would be interesting to see a case with the thermal reactive paint. You'd be much better placed to see hotspots & ajust cooling accordingly.

    Toptastic work tho Pete. Hats off.
    Scan offer it on the new chameleon, for the bargain price of 400 quid

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