P180 - cutting into side panel without dremel?

Teaf

Teaf

Teaf

Soldato
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17 Dec 2006
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Wanting to mod my side panel to be able to attach 2 fans to the case. The reason is that with the case shut and the graphics card I use being that long, it basically cuts the inner case in half and the top half is nice around 30c, but the bottom half raises to 50c idle and way higher under load. I took the side case off and tested by putting a fan standing upright balanced in the case where a side case fan would be and it knocks about 15 - 20c of the temperatures (will be less when side case is on even with a case mod, but still an excellent jump down).

Problem I have though is I don't have a dremel to cut the circular holes in the case where the air would come in. Asked around with mates and none of them own a dremel that can cut the holes, so I'm wondering if anyone knows any alternatives to cutting a circular hole in the P180 panel without cracking it? I was thinking that maybe I could drill small holes in a circular shape around the circle area that needs cutting out, then pop it out and sand down the inner ring afterwards but not sure if it would work.

Any suggestions?
 
Dremel wouldn't be my first choice anyway, you want a 114mm hole saw for a nice, clean cut. They cost £10-15 and fit on the end of a drill.
 
sorry this has nothing to do with fans but more drilling of holes.

if i wanted to drill a 19mm hole, should i buy a 19mm metal drill bit or a small hole saw?
this is to cut steel.
 
V|per said:
Fill port me thinks?
Click to expand...

*nods*

dscf3234copyfj7.jpg




benji182 said:
sorry this has nothing to do with fans but more drilling of holes.

if i wanted to drill a 19mm hole, should i buy a 19mm metal drill bit or a small hole saw?
this is to cut steel.
Click to expand...

I'd get the hole saw personally, they seem to leave a cleaner edge on the back.
 
Finished my mod, went great for my first ever case mod \o/

Couldn't get ahold of a 114mm hole saw, and to buy they are about 14 quid. Instead I used a 8mm drill piece and drilled in in a circle where I wanted my two fans placed. Used a chisel and hammer the chisel around in between the holes to dislodge the small piece that was connecting the circle between the drill holes. That went great although now the inside of the hole looks like a cog because I couldn't get the inside of the holes sanded, but no worries as it's not that bad :)

Used a 4mm drill piece for the fan's screw holes, which was a perfect size as t let me get the screw in and also enough to make my own threads into the side panel as I screwed it even and to my amazement I managed to line up all the screw holes as I was sure they wouldn't line up. Two fans held on nicely, just going to purchase 2x 120mm fan grills for the outside to cover the fan holes and that'll be that.

Before
-------------
Mobo - 51c
Graphics - 70c
Cpu - 40c
Hdd - 29c / 29c / 29c

After
---------------
Mobo - 29c (-22c)
Graphics - 59c (-11c)
Cpu - 35c (-5c)
Hdd - 29c / 30c / 29c (no change)

Noise has increased slightly, but nothing massive, only a couple of db and is easily bearable.

Overall very happy! Don't have any pics but will get some soon to show what it looks like afterwards. Thanks again for the help !
 
holy pants man, thats quite a reduction on the old mobo temp there. well done :) if only i could stick 120mm fan in my shuttle ^^
 
Yeah, go for the hole saw, coz to try and put a 19mm drill through thin steel would probably break your wrist when it snags up (Which it will).
 
definitely buy the hole saw. you dont want to be using a drill bit for a hole that big (19mm) in a panel so thin as a case panel, it'll rip your panel to bits and probably hurt you as described above.

The OP's mod is an ok idea(good, in the absence of the required tooling to do the job properly) but better would be to drill some guide holes, then cut it out with a jigsaw w/steel blade - certainly quicker. puts less torsional stress on the case's panels and joints too if done right

dremels are crap for cutting large holes in cases, you need a new cutting wheel every 3 or 4 inches - they're great for removing stamped grills, and the finer bits you cant get a jig or holesaw in, tidying up cuts done by such tools but thats about all - a tool to use if its all you have, other than that.
 
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i used my hole saw, then to tidy up the edges, pair of tin snips, but i have a lot of practice at this cus i do a lot of cladding work :D
 
Some pics of the finished result, bare in mind it's my first time and I never had a hole saw :P The only thing I think I might do is file down the jaggies on the inside one day for a more finished look.

fans_far.jpg


fans_close.jpg


fans_inner.jpg
 
Looks good, but yeah definitely use a rounded file to smooth the edges, it'll go suprisingly quickly and will look much neater.
 
Pulse said:
so does matching fans :o
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Heh. Waiting for Antec to delivery my brand spanking new TriCool's from an RMA replacement, so I've got a spare Hiper fan and an Antec TriCool that has broken bearing and makes loud whirring noises :P
 
Cool, nothing more that i love than a modded shuttle :D

though there are a few things i would like to ask you about if you add me on msn. email in trust


ps. sorry if we're ruining your thread :(
 
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