[Custom LED | Define Mini w. Window] Project Cassini, Nicifying my Rig: Enceladus.

UselessBread · June 25, 2014

IDEA
This is Project Cassini, named after the space-probe (named after the Italian mathematician) that visited Saturn's moon Enceladus in 2005.
I adopted a naming system based around objects in this solar system, which is why this Rig is called Enceladus.
The goal of this log is to upgrade my rig visually by adding a windowed sidepanel and LEDs.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Update 1: New Sidepanel
Update 2: Pending

CURRENT SPECS

Intel 3570k
Asus Direct CU-II GTX 660Ti
Asrock z77 Extreme 4-M
Samsung 840 250GB
Seagate Barracuda 2TB
Corsair H80i
Corsair HX750
And a Fractal Design Define Mini with windowed sidepanel

THE FUTURE
Current Plans:

LEDs
PWM Controller for LEDs
Noise Dampening Foam
Maybe change the Motherboard

UselessBread · June 25, 2014

Update 1: Windowed Sidepanel

About the Define Mini:

While it is nice and all, I have some complaints about it. For one there is no windowed side panel option, and it only has limited space for water cooling. (a 120 in the back, 140 at the top, that's it)

This update fixes the first problem I have with the thing.

Something like a year ago I asked Fractal if the side panel from an Arc Mini R2 (which has a window option) would fit and they kindly responded with a yes and a link to their spare parts shop where I was able to acquire the panel for ~12€. I only recently ended up buying it.

Today I picked up a mystery box from the post office:

It turned out to be a pizza box:

With a panel of sides:

Some of the nubsies that hold the panel in place were a bit bent, so I had to bend them and use a bit of force to get it on, but I managed to get it on there eventually:

I guess that the spare parts they sell are not the best quality, but have minor flaws like this panel had.
Since the Side panel is from an Arc Mini, the noise dampening foam is missing, maybe I will add some of that as well.

Since I am kind of in the middle of learning for an exam right now I don't have too much time to sink into this, which is why the pics are taken on my bed with bad lighting.
This post is already way too long considering that exam and such.

That's all for this post, next post I will be doing something related to photons and maybe pie. Maybe I will actually make a post about the current state of the rig, who knows?