By: Dave (Zwolf) Joyslin - February 19, 2002
There are many things that people do to make their cases more efficient and unique. They custom paint them, install windows, neon lights, fan holes, blow holes, handles, the list goes on and on. Hopefully you'll be able to pick up something useful here for yourself, or at least get to watch someone else cut big holes in their cases!!!
We're going to start with the basics; probably the most popular case modifications are fan holes and blowholes. Our good friend, Andrew Smith of Designcomp.com, made a very astute observation one day that people often call any hole cut in a case for a fan a "Blowhole" when in fact they're both quite different. A blowhole is put in a case to exhaust warm air, while a fan hole is added to bring air into the case with less restriction than the case normally provides, or in a place that normally wouldn't accommodate a fan.
With that distinction out of the way, let's start by adding a blowhole to a case. The actual steps involved would be used for either a fan hole or a blowhole, so let's start cutting!!!
**WARNING** Please remember, if you choose to do any of these projects yourself they are done at your own risk. As with any project that requires the use of power tools, especially those cutting metal, always take the necessary precautions and wear safety glasses.
Projects that are electronic in nature require a basic understanding of electricity and electronics. Once again, these projects are done at your own risk. If you are unsure of how to proceed with ANY step outlined here, seek the help of a professional.
The first things we'll need (other than a case to cut some holes in) are some basic tools.
HERE'S THE LIST
- Variable speed drill and metal bits
- Bi-metal hole saw of the appropriate size
- Tape measure or ruler
- Straight edge or square
- Fan and fan grill with screws
- Dremel Tool w/sanding tip
- Pencil
- Safety glasses
Ok, let's get started. Our victim is an Antec SX-830 case. Since the top of the SX series cases cannot be removed without drilling out the rivets, we'll be working on the case with the top still on. ANYTIME YOU DRILL OR CUT HOLES IN YOUR CASE, THE ENTIRE CONTENTS MUST BE REMOVED FIRST!!!! I don't think I can state this any stronger than that, don't be lazy or you'll end up paying for it down the road!!
The next thing we want to do is to determine where we want the blowhole to be located. In this case I've decided to place it in the center of the top of the case. However, it isn't centered from the front to the rear of the case. The reason being that the power supply is mounted at the upper rear of this case, and I need enough clearance inside the front for a CD-ROM drive to fit in the 5.25" bays. I'm using a 80mm fan, because anything much larger would have a hard time fitting in the upper portion of the inside of this case.
Click thumbnail above to view larger sizeI would recommend that you cover the area of the case to be modified with masking tape or contact paper. Pencil markings drawn on a bare case can be extremely hard to remove and possibly leave the case with a smeared look. Another reason to cover the case area is that the use of masking tape or contact paper can help prevent the paint from possibly chipping during the cutting and drilling process. Once the mod is completed the adhesive covering can then be removed leaving a clean unmarred surface. If you choose NOT to cover your case first, then make all your pencil marks very light on the area to be modified.
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At this point we want to mark the center point on the case from side to side for our fan placement. From here we mark a line half the width of the fan on each side of the center point. If we use an 80mm fan, the lines on each side of center are 40mm from the center point. Once these measurements are determined we take a standard fan grill (80mm in this case) and place it over the center point while lining up the edges with the inside of the lines we made earlier, making sure that the center of the grill is as close as possible to the center point we marked on the case. Now just take a pencil and mark inside the holes on the grill for the correct screw positions.
Click thumbnail above to view larger size
Before we attack the case with our hole saw it is necessary to make a small pilot hole in which to start the arbor of the hole saw. The arbor is the drill bit assembly that allows the hole saw to attach to the drill motor and creates a center hole to guide the actual hole saw. The reason we drill the pilot hole is that this will make it much easier to center our hole and that the hole saw and drill have so much torque behind them we want to be able to start our hole slowly. Believe me, when the hole saw hits the metal of the case there are lots of physical laws coming into play.
I don't recommend drilling out the holes for the fan screws at this time, if you happen to cut the hole off center the screw holes will not line up correctly, it's nice to be able to check them after you've cut the blowhole with a fan grill just to be sure. If everything lines up correctly it is time to drill the screw holes.
There, a nice new blowhole ready for a fan and a grill.
Before we install the fan and grill, we'll take this time to clean up any sharp edges with our trusty Dremel and heavy sanding Tip.
Now all we have to do is install the fan and grill. Plug in the fan power connector and reinstall our system components. Once this is done its time to power the system up and enjoy better internal case temperatures!!!
As you can see, these types of modifications are simple in nature to perform but do take a bit of planning and some time to complete successfully. One of the most important aspects of keeping a system cool is proper airflow throughout the case. Installing fan and blowholes give any case the potential to generate better airflow thus decreasing case temps and allowing for a cooler system overall. There are other things that can be done to lessen the natural restriction of air and promote better internal airflow. In Part two of our article we will turn our attention to the inside of the case and explore wiring looms and rounded IDE cables.
