Intro:

    I had a case design lost in my head when I found out that 2cooltek was having a case mod contest. This seems as good a reason as any, right! The idea is simple: take a standard ATX case, take a golf ball returner, and meld them together.
 

Materials:

  2 - golf ball returners (acquired from Goodwill for $2 each)
  1 - Astroturf (10’X9’ from Home Depot for $10)
  1 - Black Magic case from Koolcases
  1 - 2” PVC($1)
  3 - golf tees
  2 - glowing golf balls from Gloparty
  1 - DPST or DPDT switch
  1 - momentary switch
  1 - tube of epoxy gel (the gel version isn’t necessary, but it is so much nicer to work with).
 

The Mod:

    First off, my case came in the mail. The Black Magic case was double boxed. It came with mounting hardware, up-front USB and sound, and a case fan. This case’s product sheet can be found on the case page here. This case came with HD/floppy trays that slide in and out of the frame. Schweet!
 

1. Pic for you box fetishers	2. Side view

3. Back dat case up	4. 8 Internal bays	5. Full frontal

    I then dismantled the case. I took the grey vents off the sides. I took apart the switches and lights and removed the up-front equipment.
 

6. Side vent removed	7. Up front USB/sound/Switches/LED's	8. Front LED's and such

    This is when it begins to get phun. I do a little test fitting here and there, just to get an idea of what I’m working with.
 

59. Dry fitting

    I then turned the case upside down and marked where I wanted to cut. I love the smell of dremel in the morning! Cutting the bottom plate and the front of the steel took me a good 20 minutes. I was slashin' it like OJ! Look at that fit…well, look at it! I haven’t seen a squeeze that tight since (insert your own joke here)…hehehe.
 

9. Trace around returner	10. Ain't that perdy?	11. Carnage	12. Tiznight fiznit

 

13. After/before cutting wheel	24. Front fit	33. Back fit

    Cutting the front of the case was a snap…a little free hand here…there…and we’re done. I used the piece I cut from the case front as a pattern to cut the plastic front.
 

14. Deburring	15. Tracing the cut	16. Test fit - bottom

 

17. Cutting front plastic	18. Test fit - all together	19. 3 LED light bar

    I had an inspirational moment. “What can I do with this extra returner?…” Of course it would be something evil! “How about some sort of cannon.” I picket up some 2” PCV and made me a “T”. I glued the pieces together with the epoxy. I angled it slightly to the back to keep the balls from running out. I then gutted the returner and mounted it inside my T. I drilled two holes on either side of the returner and secured it down with a zip tie. I then put some metal strapping over the back of the pipe to prevent the returner’s metal rod from flying off and decapitating my processor! There’s nothing like good old guesstimation. I held a section of pipe on the top of the case and traced its outline.
 

20. Eyeballing the placement	21. Eyeballing the size	22. No power tools in the house :(	23. Test fit /w duct tape

 

25. Strapping keeps the whacker in	26. Wired for testing	27. Traced pipe	28. Get your Dremel on

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