First post, by xjas
- Rank
- l33t
So you’ve put your classy old Baby-AT board in one of those new-fangled ATX cases and you don’t like the resulting giant hole in the back. Maybe you like to keep all your holes neat & tidy, or maybe you don’t want rats/mice/gerbils entering your back hole. Let’s not go there (TOO LATE, BEAVIS), but here’s what you can do.
YOU WILL NEED:
- A piece of card stock. Something stiff and firm, but not too thick. For your rear hole. The jokes just won’t stop writing themselves, so who am I to intervene?
- A roll of metal tape, the type that plumbers or ducting people use. If you live near a construction site you can probably pinch one while nobody’s looking.
- Scissors or a knife or some kind of cutting tool. No, not a meat cleaver. Put that away.
- A pencil, probably. Or your imagination, if it's really really good.
1. Take measurements of the area you have to work with. Note that you’ll want this slightly bigger than a clip-in I/O shield. My case conveniently has screw holes for a screw-in type shield, but it’s not a show stopper if yours doesn’t.
2. This post is going to get too long if I explain Kintergarten-level cardboard crafting in detail. Measure, cut, and make this thing.
3. Cover your cardboard piece with the aluminum tape. Try to keep it smooth or your finished product will look like butt. Fold the extra edges of the tape over the cardboard. This is actually a lot easier to do “cleanly” than it is with plastic tape.
Warning: this stuff sticks to itself AND OTHER METAL viciously. Be sure you have it positioned EXACTLY right before you stick it to anything metallic or you’re going to be in for some aggravation.
4. You could measure where the screw holes go carefully with the ruler, or you could put self-tapping screws in from behind (JESUS CHRIST THE JOKES WON’T STOP) and press your new shield over to put dimples in the right place. Poke the new holes open from the front.
If you don’t have screw holes on your case, skip this step. Obviously.
5. Attach it to the case and you're done! If you can't screw it in, use the metal tape to hold it down on all sides. I did so here on the left side & top, because otherwise it would have just been flapping around. If you do it right, using small pieces (like 5x10mm) you can't even see it.
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