Wolfenstein casemod
Benheck's PC Mod Pick of the Day - Wolfenstein PC! (via Wonderland)
Besides the side-mounted telephone one of the most striking features on this case are the dual electric gauges. One measures amperage, the other core voltages. This can be implementing by simply buying some cheap multimeters that use a needle, mounting them into the case and attaching their leads to the system's power inputs.As with many of the case mods I've covered the modder has once again taken the time to "distress" the paint job and give it a used look. This can be done simply by sanding the existing finish on a case, but for a great look you can apply a couple coats of slightly different colored spray paint (say, dark gray and light gray) and then sand certain areas to reveal the layers. The bullet holes are a great addition, it really lends to the feel of the unit.
I realize the "distressed paint" theme has shown up in several of my Best PC Mod picks... I guess it's because Make asked me to pick out the mods I personally found interesting, not necessarily the most complex or fancy. In my online journeys I've seen plenty of awesome mods, many award-winning, but to be honest if I didn't find them visually appealing I passed them over for this series.
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I've done old analog meters like that on computers for disk activity - it's pretty cool to watch them twitch.
The key I found is to find a DC milliamp meter that goes from about 0 to 20 mAmps. Take the leads that go to the drive activity LED and clip them, then attach them to the meter. Instant disk meter.
I'd love to do the same with network activity next. I've sort of fantasized about making Steampunkish monitor widgets with meters that extended out and off of my screen's frame with these. Think like desktop widgets, but as actual eletcro-mechanical devices that physically are around your monitor. Same could be done with a keyboard that had a few meters coming out of it on standoffs.
You can find the right type on eBay if you look around by searching for "dc milliamp meter". Here is one on there right now. The more old and retro and Bakelite black they are the better (IMO). You can usually find the basic squareish case types, but sometimes find smaller round ones. I've picked up probably 10 or so for future projects.
If the milliamp range is too big, then you won't get much needle action, but if it's too far, the needle is going to completely peg on each activation. Putting a resistor in there though can help. To really identify the right milliamp range you need, hook a multimeter up to the leads that would drive an LED and measure how many milliamps it registers when the light is on. Take that number, and aim for a meter that is at least somewhat above that number to prevent the needle from pegging.
Gasp! I'll admit I never played that much Wolfenstein back in the day but that case is drool-worthy. I take it the phone actually works so you can use it for Skype, etc?
I hate folk who are that creative... :p
Damn, this makes me laugh after another long, hard day staring my iMac monitor and typing' away. I long for knobs and dials, cool designs with hidden and past meanings. Love it.
I start and end my day at boingboing.net, and several times in between. Watching Bogey and Bacall in "The Big Sleep" on TCM, it's almost 2:30 am. Life doesn't get much better: boingboing, Bogey and Bacall, and cool computer cases. "Sob sob sister," lol! Gabba gabba hey!
"Wolfensteinpunk"?
Here's another little mod to add to this case: put a marble or two inside a small hard plastic box/case and attach it inside the case.
If the the case is moved, you could hear the 'bullets' still rattling inside. A hardware easter egg.
I'm a Wolfenstein and Enemy Territory fan! I'd buy that case if I had enough money! :D
I hope that thing is EM hardened. I mean if you're going to design something with that much metal you might as well include a dead layer.
The problem with this is that my first instinct is to punch it until it explodes.
Floppy drive?
This a fairly old case mod I think - I seem to recall it (or another similar themed one) a few years back.
A cool mod would be to have an open mesh on the front with vacuum tubes inside. If one could drive the tube's elements via the PC powersupply you'd get that great glow and warmup look when you turn on the computer.
It strikes me though that the life of tubes isn't infinite, and if you're like me and leave them on all the time it might not last forever.
So an alternate might be to find dead tubes, open them up discretely from the bottom, and insert an amber LED. It would kick ass to have a little "warmup and flicker" circuit to make it look good.
This trailer for the game Fallout 3 shows the look you'd want perfectly (minus the sparks).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPt08UYmyMo
Oh FuG.
Thanks for the good suggestions Holtt!!
Yes...this is quite old.
About as old as the game is.
@#10 HOLTT
Perhaps better than trying to mess with the bottoms of dead tubes, you can shape acrylic tubing with just a heat gun. It can be done using the same techniques shown by the gentleman in the french-language video documenting his handmade tubes (with a little creative substituting).
A little more work, but definitely less fragile. And, admittedly, a bit less authentic-looking up close.