I got bored of having a standard rectangular square sat in the corner of my office running my server at home - so I started looking around, and found something called the Blair Witch Mod. Unfortunately the original site has now disappeared - but there is a copy of the page on a Russian site for those who are interested here: http://mobbit.info/item/2006/04/03/modding-ved-ma-iz-bler
My wife, however, was unwilling to play along with the project, so I used a mannequin bought from eBay as the base ;)
My wife, however, was unwilling to play along with the project, so I used a mannequin bought from eBay as the base ;)
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Signing UpStep 1: Dismantling original PC
So, first things first - need to take apart a working PC, ready for fitting into the new, far more interesting, case... It's a recycled one from work that's been replaced with a new version, so it's just a P4 2.8, with 512Mb RAM - a long way from being anything special.
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That said you did a great job. I really like it. I always wanted to make a cool custom case out of an old military radio.
Note to self: Do NOT fall asleep around fychan. He steals nipples.
The reasoning for this was that I wanted a PC case that was as different from the normal right angles, sharp corners and square expanses of sheet steel as it was possible to get. This meant (to me) lots of flowing curves and lines - and the first thing I thought of was the female form.
When the mannequin arrived, the nipples were *very* prominent - and completely distracted from the idea of long flowing curves and lines. It also turned the mannequin into far more of a sexual object - which would have been accentuated by adding buttons, dials, sockets and other such things to the erogenous zones.
I also wanted to make use of the chainmail bikini which I bought the missus as a joke present for our steel wedding anniversary - which would also help to hold the two sides of the mannequin together. The chainmail would have chipped and damaged the paintwork and ruined the look further.
So - the reason for removing the nipples was almost exclusively aesthetic - and not for any deep psychological reason... I happen to quite like nipples of the pink variety ;)
Before you make a similar investment however, I must warn you that "hitting the roof" would not be an adequate description of the response from my wife upon presentation. In fact, NATO thought we were under nuclear attack for 20 minutes or so...
Any advice on buying a mannequin?
Other than that, I guess just go for the biggest one you can get to make life simple. Obviously you can do things like use an old Eee-PC for the parts, that would require much less room than a desktop motherboard, so allow you to buy a smaller mannequin... Or if you want to think about putting liquid cooling systems and DVD drives and things in it might be worth looking at the "plus sized" mannequins, or perhaps even full body ones with more room in the arms and legs to be fitting components...
Generally speaking, it'll probably be easier to find a mannequin you like & want to use, and then start hunting for components that will fit nicely inside it, rather than the other way around :D
That said, the original Blair Witch Mod that inspired me was water(or liquid at any rate) cooled - you may be able to get some ideas from that one...
By the way, I guess using smaller computer designs _assuming you're ready to put some money in this_ would help lots, allowing to add some cool features. Maybe a water cooling system would also improve the design, making it more silent and less prone to overheating, and also removing the pretty disgracious fan in the neck.
Also, how did you insure the stability of the mod ? I'd be afraid of it falling.
Other idea I made up right now, instead of completely splitting the mannequin... Why not cutting out a "door" in the back, maybe having to remove some other parts of the back for the original mount, and then sealing them back with epoxy, leaving a single smaller door for small changes and maintenance _ hdds, access to usb, change of components other than the motherboard, basically. This would reduce the "scars" on the body and give a rather "professional"/"industrial"/"commercial" finish.
All ideas I will try later on.
Thanks for the original idea, if my own try works out, I will post a responsive instructable !
A smaller fan in the neck would be good. I kicked myself when I found another smaller fan kicking around the shed about 2 months after finishing the build - but I'll know for "next time" :D
As for stability - as a mannequin it was designed to be fairly stable in busy shops, with potentially heavy clothing high up on it anyway - so there was a good centre of balance already. Putting the PSU in the middle helped, and having the cabling exit down very low also has the effect of pulling it back slightly. I did salvage some lead flashing from a friends roof refit (you can see it in the background of step 3 photo) with the intention of placing it in the bottom of the legs for stability. It was entirely unnecessary however, which is why I didn't mention it in the instructable :P
Understand your points about the seaming and the scarring. That said - I am happy enough with the finished product, it's got a good blend of easy access and minimal visible issues... At least for my requirements - its location means that it's pretty much only ever seen front on. Would love to see whatever projects this provides inspiration for - do keep me updated...
I was quite concerned where you were putting the DVD slot!
I was disappointed as well. I wonder why so embarrassed of nipples...
Sorry, just seems strange to me. Must be a conservative America view of the human body.
So no, it had no effect on my choice to remove the nipples - except adding incentive (the paint would've chipped horribly very quickly on them!)
This is a non-PC (non Politically Correct) PC. How perfect. Actually Windows folks who don't like Linux might also claim it's a non-PC non-PC. Their loss.
Thanks for the search tips (full torso etc). I'll have to try this out - though probably not for just a pc. I expect to be "in trouble" with girlfriend soon. sigh.
I would be a little concerned about air circulation though...
Have you had any trouble with overheating?
Perhaps if you cut another hole in the back of the other leg as an air intake and reversed the fan in the neck to pull air out of the case...