While thinking about the new fallout game, and recently upgrading my video editing computer, I was left with a spare motherboard, and video card. I decided to build a separate computer for gaming and hook it to the tv. I was stuck between steampunk or fallout for a case theme. i decided that i wanted a fallout theme.

Step 1: Planning and 3d Printing.

i started the project using an old antec tower case. i measured at and made a digital mock up on tinkercad.com

i added curved front pieces and later decided to add vacuum tubes i had lying around, to the design.

the pieces were almost too big for my 3d printer, and a few took a day each with the setting i was using.

Step 2: Tubes

i looked through my box of tubes for the prettiest ones. first i tried powering them with 6volts dc to see how they glowed, only one was nice and bright but i pushed it too hard and it was very old so i burned it out.

i decided i should externally light the tubes, and use LEDs inside to light them, orange would be realistic but purple and blue were really pretty so i took some artistic license with them.

Step 3: Other LEDs

i wanted the center panel to be an LED matrix. i'm not that advanced with arduino programming, i decided to make a custom led grid for the front. i printed the first few layers in silver, then switched to clear on the last layer before the lenses. its all one piece on the printer.

Step 4: Wiring

I found a wire that brings 3.3 volts to the motherboard. it also lights the 4 tubes, i used a molex connector to power the 5 volt LED matrix and an arduino to generate the patterns.

The patterns look a lot like tetris blocks. i ran all the cathodes together and any random group of anodes to one of 8 pins on an arduino to control the lights.

here is the code i made

int delayTime = 150;//off time

void setup() {

pinMode(4, OUTPUT); // POWER FOR RANDOM LIGHTS

pinMode(5, OUTPUT);

pinMode(6, OUTPUT);

pinMode(7, OUTPUT);

pinMode(8, OUTPUT);

pinMode(9, OUTPUT);

pinMode(10, OUTPUT);

pinMode(11, OUTPUT);

}