Keyboard & Mouse Painting

I thought it would be cool to have some customized hardware to go with the CPU window from the previous post, so I grabbed some automotive primer and paint for a fun, shiny look.

First, everything was sanded down and taped off.


Several coats later, everything looks shiny.

 

A clear protective coat will stop the paint from rubbing off, which is especially important on the mouse as it will rub against hands frequently.

The keyboard and mouse are reassembled to make a nice, matching pair. The keyboard's LEDs have been swapped for blue to match the CPU case.

CPU Case Window Mod

Many high-end CPU cases come with cool windows through which you can see the guts of the computer. Mine is a low-end case, which gave me an opportunity to make my own.

I taped off the cover and used a dremel tool to cut out the shape I wanted.


Even after sanding, the edges are still rough and sharp, so I added plastic u-channel around the frame.

The plexiglass is cut to the rough shape of the opening. It's okay if the plexiglass is too large for the opening, as long as it rests flat. In my case, I had to cut around the handle indentation for it to fit.

Without extra lighting, there won't be much to look at once it's reassembled. I've built an LED array controlled by a little microcontroller circuit. The whole thing is powered by the PC's power supply and will slowly fade in and out in a cool electric blue. After this step, the plexiglass protective sheet can be peeled off and everything reassembled.


Reassembled, it looks pretty good. It's fun to watch the blue fade in and out.