[Project Log] BLACK OPS III

[nez]

Its been 9 years since the BLACK OPS II mod. [Project Log] BLACK OPS II

There was a 2.0 version when i upgraded the hardware. Wanted to change the casing then but front hard disk access is like non-existant

Anyway, a user recommended me a case when asking for recommendation for hard drive hotswap bay accessible from the front of the casing.
3-4 days later, Lazada delivered to my house back in January. The Silverstone CS380
Actually completed transferring the hardware over with basically an upgraded graphic card (there is a reason why the previous one CMI)
Although still waiting for PSU cables to be ready & tidyingup the cables.
So this will just be a log for version III. I am although less ambitious then the previous due to time & other commitments.

So finally we have the BLACK OPS III

The Core ideas will be the same:-

Black
I love this colour. Sent to David for powder coating as usual. He told me he has not done PC case for 10years already.
I am likely the first & only person to powdercoat a NAS casing

Covert
Added some insulation form, hopefully to, help however minimal, minimize noise but actually more to prevent the metal case to be less clanky but ultimatly less noisy overall.

Conceal
Cable management.
The plan is still to route most of the wiring/cables such that it stays hidden from view.
Unlike the P182, this CS380 is 1/4 smaller & much more challenging.
So this time round, I opted to not spent too much time to route the sata/psu cables & fan wires into the nook & cranny of the case.
To make it easier, also ordered custom sleeve cables for the psu to give it a neater, clean & minimalistic look. So this part is a work in progress

Operative
Apart from minimal concealing of the wiring/cables, it need to provide ease & flexibility for upgradability & change of hardware.
Due to not hiding the psu cable & custom sleeve cable, any future psu upgrade should be a breeze.
With front hard disk access, I do not need to take the casing apart. (Unfortunately most casing do not have this feature so I am limited to silverstone CS380)
I have many frustrations previously in this area so really glad for this feature to be available. The P182 is not designed to but partially works but I had to sacrifice 1 front intake fan.
So basically I have to mod/route it efficiently to minimize the effort when removing or upgrading parts.

To be continued......

[nez]

Some minor mods

Read that due to the plastic piece would block the air from the intake fan. So.....



I chisel it off. Tip: Don't use dremel or saw. Fastest & cleanest is to use a chisel


Added insulation mats to the top, both side panels & at the front panel (sandwich between the 2 pieces)



Removed filter from the inside of the side panel for the intake fans.
Reason is it is troublesome to remove it as well as needing to remove side access panel just to clean filter. Currently paste the filter at the ouside with tape.
Need to decide a permanent soloution of fixing the filter

[nez]

The cables finally arrived. Wow! It made the space alot more tidier.
Actually 1 of the power cables seller got the length wrong so waiting for replacement.

[nez]

Reserved

[nez]

Reserved

[nez]

Been running a 250gb intel SSD as a boot drive for around 5 years I think & its been pretty fast except size has been pretty tight. Been procuring a 860 evo 1TB but was unsuccessful. Except for the idiot seller for wasting my time, it did turn out to be better so far. So I got a MX500 for $85 from Qoo10 which is alot cheaper. My initial 1TB plan for the boot drive is way overkill.



Waiting to be slotted into the hot-swapped bay rack
That's the beauty of a hot-swapped bay rack.
Just screw & slot in.
Pang Kang Liao

[nez]

Windows 7 installation was a breeze.
So far so good.

So what did I do for the 250 intel SSD.

During the planning phase, I got a usb sata enclosure.
So initally I wanted to get this 1TB samsung SSD or pehaps a slim backup plus. But with this unused 250gb SSD I might as well put it to good use.

Just slot in


Done


My first portable "hard drive"