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Loading ...Panel Prep
archerxtreme
Now we have everything our first port of call is to prep the panels we got from A.C.Ryan, this involved a ruler, pen, masking tape, jigsaw and a dremel.
Preparing Acrylic for cutting is a pretty easy job (I wish the cutting was too) and the best way to start of is to cover the whole panel in masking tape, this will help with keeping the panel scratch free.
For the front panel the marking was done using a ruler and placing the fan and grill in place to mark up the holes.
Next we done the outline of the Grill, we had a template but found it easier just to trace around the grill then use a ruler to connect it all up.
As the panel was 5mm thick we were able to go with a jigsaw to cut the panel and it was not an easy task, but we managed to do it without any problems. The next panels that needed covering were the motherboard side and the black tint that was going over the top of it.
Both panels needed the grill and fan location in the same place so it was a bit tricky. The black tinted sheet had to be cut with a dremel as it is so thin the acrylic would just wobble or snap if we attempted to cut it with the jigsaw.
Once both the motherboard side panels were cut it was just a simple task of lining up the grills and drilling through, at all times we used the dremel with a small screw bit to get the screw holes started, next up was the roof panel, this was a bit more complex as we were re routing the power, reset switch and lights up to this, so the old front of the case was used to line up the holes.
This was then cut, we had a few trial and errors why making this panel, including the power a reset switch holes, even though we went up one stage at a time with the drill sizes this ended up cracking the panel, so we redone the layout on a fresh piece and this time it was successful and we eventually ended up with this.
The last panel to be prepped was the inner HDD mounting column this had to have a hole cut out to allow the second radiator to catch some air from the motherboard panels side fan.
Although the radiator would not line up with the fan on the HDD column we decided to cut this shape out of the column, the reason was simple and that was to keep the rigidity of the panel, that helps to keep the case strong.
Now we have all the panels done it is time to get etching, don’t you think?
Next Part – Mobo panel Etch
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