OK, as you may have already worked out, I am a preparation freak.

Plan everything in advance and think through your actions before you start cutting into your Pride & Joy!

Any metal that is going to be left behind needs to be protected from inevitable scratches and burns from the hot metal filings that are soon going to be flying all over the place – the same goes for your eyes … wear some safety glasses, unless you plan on fragging for the Cyclops Clan J

Step 1 is the most important of all – check out the space that you are working on. Especially behind / under the planned project.

Sounds simple enough, but plenty of experienced modders know that horrible feeling of “Oh, hell …” when reality replaces enthusiasm!

The main thing is plan ahead, and measure everything twice. Make allowance for all of the hardware that has to go back in when you are finished, and give yourself some room for slight errors.

The next step is to draw up the concept on the case. What I have done here is stuck an adhesive A4 sheet of paper onto the case, and covered around that with masking tape, and then transferred all of my measurements onto the paper. Check again for obstructions behind the area you are cutting eg. brackets, wires, PSU’s J. Robbie had an horrific experience along these lines with the SDM, but fortunately he had the experience and ability to turn a tragedy into a feature – beware, it may not always turn out so well.

And remember, any sort of window requires enough room to allow for the perspex to be glued to the case … 0.75” / 20mm at least.

Cutting is always the best part!

Dremel, jigsaw or hole-saw,  there is one thing to make sure of … the sharper the cutting edge the better the result **.

You can justify a few  dollars / pence on a new blade or disc if your case is on the line!

Work slowly, and turn the project as you progress – if you are cutting in an area that is relatively constant to your body then the natural curve of your movement will keep the shape of the cut regular, too.

And please note the safety glasses in the background!

** Except on perspex, where blunt is better!

As I mentioned in the Side Window article, the most important part of a neat finish comes with the time you spend finishing off the cutaway with grinding discs and sandpaper.

With a round hole, you can stop it becoming oval by using something with a similar radius as a sanding block – in this example I used a large coffee jar!

Wet & Dry sandpaper is the best when it comes to working with metal … it lasts longer and keeps a better cutting action. Added ‘slip’ means that it is smoother on the project, too J

The finished article.

Yes, there is clear stuff in there!

Glass!

I love using glass wherever possible … it is static free, doesn’t scratch easily and it has more torsional rigidity than perspex. The best all round thickness is 3mm for most applications, 4mm for a larger side window.

The idea for a top window is obviously to show something off, or to let some light out.

In this case it is both. You can now see ‘down’ into the DVD player – which has its own porthole – and once I have added a couple of LaserLeds there will be a red glow pouring out as well.

How did I do the DVD you ask?

Well, they say a picture paints a thousand word – especially at the rate that I type! – so use the above methodology as a model, and follow the pictures below!!!