Plexiglass Case Window Mod

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Sure, there are plenty of cases out there with window kits already installed, but many of us already have a perfectly functioning case. And many of us don't like spending five times what it would cost in real materials. But a lot of us tweakers just don't want to miss out on the fun. Whether you just want to save a buck or two, or if you're in for the adventure as well, I'm going to give you the basics on modding your boring old case with a nice pretty new window. ;]

There isn't a lot of preparation necessary as long as you have collected the appropriate materials. Make sure you are in a clean, safe location where you can make plenty of noise and get messy. Sawing a hole through the side of your case tends to get a little bit of both.

Before we get started, let's look at the materials we will need for the window mod:

• Tower/Mid-Tower/Server Case
• Dremel
• Cutoff Wheels
• 4 Case Screws and Nuts
• Drill bit sized to case screws
• Plexiglass sheeting
• Flexible plastic door edge guards
• Razor blade or other plastic cutting tool
• Screwdriver (philips and flathead)

As you can see by looking at the case, there is a slight groove that makes a nice outline for the cut. I'll start my cut along this groove, working on the inside face of the case door. This way you can scuff up the surface and not worry about destroying the paint job. If you are trying this on your own case and there is no outline, now is the time to sketch it out on the inside of the door. Without a guide it will be real tough to make a straight line and all your hard work could come out looking sloppy. Take your time with the shape and make sure everything is even. Now get out your Dremel and we are ready to start cutting :]

To make things go as quickly and smoothly as possible, it's a good idea to work the cutoff wheel about 4-6" ahead of where you are cutting, making a groove you can follow along with. It takes a little time so really patience and a steady hand are your best friends at this point. Looking at the pictures below, you can see how I Dremeled ahead making a groove to follow. The corner may get a little tricky, but a little patience will pay off. I basically applied pressure with the cutoff wheel at incremental points around the corner, and then connected them to obtain a curve.

You want to do this an a clean, well lit and well ventilated area with no flammable materials nearby. The Dremel tends to send sparks flying everywhere, and you probably don't want to burn your house down, now do you? Also try and avoid inhaling any of the metal powder left behind; it helps to use a handheld vacuum or can of air to keep the area clean.

Once this is done, you've got the major work out of the way. At this point I took the grinder that came with my Dremel, and smoothed the edges off so I didn't slice my hand trying to finish up my project. You don't need an absolutely smooth finish because this will be covered eventually anyway.

Now with the case outlined we can measure out an appropriate sized piece of plexiglass for the window. I layed the cut case door on the plexiglass and marked off the opening, then cut a rectangle about 2" wider and 2" taller than the window opening. This way we can mount the window on the backside of the case and not worry about trying to cut the plexi perfectly.

You can use your choice of tools to cut the plexiglass; some may argue but I find my Dremel to do the job a lot faster than a razor would. Since I'm not concerned about a perfectly clean cut, it does the job. Just be careful, as you work the plastic heats up tremendously and liquifies; it can easily bunch up and shatter a cutoff wheel, too, as you can see....

With the window cut out, at this point you may want to cut out a hole for any fans you are mounting. I duplicated the size and location of the 92mm fan mount on my case and cut out the appropriate size for my fan.

And just when you thought you were done Dremeling! We still need to drill out the holes for our screws, so mark off the points and drill with an appropriate sized bit. A diamond tipped drill would really help at this point, too. I used a normal bit and ground it down to practically nothing. Once I drilled through the case, I smoothed of the holes with a smaller grinder, again to spare myself from any injury, and of course to keep things clean where it will be visible.

Now I suggest you check and make sure the holes all line up, and the screws are going to run through okay. If everything looks good we can install the edge guards. The particular guards I found have a couple problems. First of all they are only 24" apiece, so all in all it took about 2 1/8 full strips to cover all the bare edges. This isn't that big of a deal, but if you look closely you can see where the guards segment.

The bigger issue with the guards was that they are thick. The inside surface of the guards is too high, and when the plexiglass is screwed down tight it creates a bow in the plexi. This is obviously not very appealing and certainly not a professional job.

The bowing problem is easily solved though, with some 60 grit sandpaper and a little labor. As you can tell, sanding down the guards helps the plexi get a flush fit on the case door. Once you are sanded down, all you need to do is screw down the plexi, mount the fan if you chose to have one and you're nearly finished.

The only thing left at this point is to clean up the window and case door, make sure no metal powders or plastic gunk is left behind and put that sucker on your computer! Oooohhh... marvel at the beauty of raw hardware, churning out all those FPS before your very eyes!

Well fine tweaker friends, that is all you need to mount a professional looking window in your PC for little to no money. But is this article over? Nooo!! Well this article may be over, but something is missing from this project. Something to maybe, shed a little light on the situation?

So don't just sit there, once you have your nice new window, what could be better than an inexpensive, bright as hell, sound responsive neon light kit? Not much. So check out the Studio 54 Neon Light Mod.

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