[Project]: Big Bro' Prodigy (BitFenix Prodigy E-ATX mod)

The latest update is 24/05 2013.
Please find it, thanks!



Hello and welcome to my project and my build/project log named " Big Bro 'Prodigy ."

In this project, a well-planned and excecute modification of computer chassis named "BitFenix ​​Prodigy" will be performed.
The modification will be performed in a manner so that the end result is something I've never seen before.
I hope you readers will find my project interesting, both the arrangement, modification, the idea and the final product.

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I would like to say a very big Thank you to my collaboration partners that made this project possible. Without them I wouldn't be able to pull this off so thanks to them everyone are able to enjoy this project!


Gigabyte has provided me with the following product:

• Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP7

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BitFenix​​ has provided me with the following products:

• Prodigy
• Recon
• Spectre Pro
• Alchemy LED Strips
• Alchemy Cables

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Dustin Home has provided me with the following product:

• Intel Core i7 3770k

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BeQuiet! has provided me with the following product:

• Dark Power Pro 750W

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Mountain Mods has provided me with the following product:

• Mountain Mods Modular Removable Motherboard Tray

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"To Do" list:

• [X] Writing the introduction and presentation of the project. - 9/12 2012
• [X] Remove chassis parts and remove some metal pieces. - 12/12 2012
• [X] Show prototypes and the chassis. - BitFenix ​​ products wil be used here. - 16/12 2012
• [X] Cut holes and mount a plexiglass window on the side panel. - 05/01 2013
• [X] Modify the motherboard tray - MountainMods products will be used here. - 03/2 2013
• [X] Fix the new place for the power supply. - BeQuiet! products wil be used here. - 03/2 2013 + 20/4 2013.
• [X] Unboxing of GIGABYTE z77x-UP7 and test-mounting in the case - 12/03 -2013
• [X] Attaching new motherboard plate and its I / O & PCI-E ports. - - 08/04 -2013
• [X] Replacing the old I / O & PCI-E back on the chassis with aluminum "mesh". - - 30/04 -2013
• [X] Modification of the front panel - 24/05 -2013
• [ ] Paint some parts of the chassis. Mountain Mods products will be used there. [/I]
• [ ] Test, review and show products. Gigabyte products will be used here.
• [ ] Fix aesthetic interior (sleeved cables, LEDs, etc.) - BitFenix​​ products will be used here.

More things to do may be added.
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Introduction - What and why? - 9/12 2012
Welcome to my introduction to my project " Big Bro 'Prodigy "!

I will now present my project and tell you what it will be about.

The idea:
What kind of project will I do?
What kind of modification will I make to the BitFenix ​​Prodigy?
Why?

The reason I wanted to do a project and a modification of this particular chassis is because I, when it was announced, was very interested in this chassis. In my last project I modified one of the prettiest chassis available in my opinion, the PowerMac G5.
When I saw BitFenix ​​Prodigy, it felt like a "little brother" to the PowerMac G5 because of how the front and handles on the top and bottom looked.
I felt that this is a chassis I want to deal with.

I looked at acquiring myself a m-ITX motherboard but I found nothing that suited me. I am in need of 4x RAM slots (m-ITX has only 2x) and I love overclocking and general stuff with computers, so m-ITX unfortunately was no choice for me.
Many have wished that this chassis would be released as at least m-ATX chassis and I also wished for that because I've got a mATX board.
That's when I figured I should take matters into my own hands and fix me a Prodigy that fits my needs.

But no, I will not modify the chassis to fit a mATX motherboard, sorry guys. Many have guessed at it, and I'll admit, it was actually my first idea for a while. Then, however, Isaw that there is already a guy out on the wide internet that has done this.
I felt I want to be unique and do something that nobody else has done, so I decided to not make a m-ATX chassis by Prodigy.
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What am I going to do?

Thanks for asking
My modification will become something even greater, something even more extreme and something even more unique.
I'm going in my project and in this log modify a BitFenix ​​Prodigy so much so that it fits with a ..

Wait for it ...

m-ATX ...

and ...

ATX ...

and even ...

E-ATX!

You read that right. I'll modify my BitFenix ​​Prodigy so it keeps an almost complete E-ATX motherboards. This is a form factor greater than ATX (which is the motherboard "noramal" size). An m-ITX chassis that will swallow a E-ATX motherboard! >
However, the "standard" for E-ATX is 30.5cm x 33cm, and this will unfortunately not fit physically. I will fit motherboard up to 30.5cm x 28cm, which is larger than the standard "ATX". Many E-ATX motherboards are 30.5cm x 27cm, for example the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP7.
I can, with even more modification, fit a motherboard that is a full size E-ATX, which is 30.5cm x 33cm. I will however not do this, but it is possible with some extending of the case (I wan't to keep the exterior original).

The reason I will perform this modification is because I want to make room for larger motherboards than the intended m-ITX (17cm x 17cm). This is an aesthetically attractive chassis that is very capable of doing much. With the help of my modification, I will be able to get the motherboard that is almost four times as large as intended. Not bad!
The chassis is very popular among enthusiasts and making a modification as extreme like this of this chassis I will be extremely exciting! My goal is to show what the Prodigy can actually go for and what it is capable of.
Hope you do as well and are eager to follow my project log.

Any form of constructive criticism are welcome! Positive and negative.
Thanks in advance
Hope you like it here in my little project log
Best Regards
Nikkop

The Prodigy and emptying it - 13/12 2012

The Prodigy and emptying it - 13/12 2012


Plot:
Here I come with an update that will involve:

• A look at the chassis - BitFenix ​​Prodigy.
• Emptying the chassis on its content.

BitFenix ​​Prodigy

Let's take a look at the chassis!











Now that we have seen how the chassis looks like, let's empty it!
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Emptying the chassis

Let's get down to business!

This is how the chassis looks without the side panels and everything else default.


I begin by removing the upper HDD cage. Very easy to do because of the "clips", small handles are pressed together and then goes on to pull out. Very easy and takes a few seconds, no need for screws and the like. Even cradles where the hard drive are placed are made in the same way, nice!


To remove the lower hard drive cage it is required that we turn the chassis over and remove a couple of screws from the bottom. Not too difficult either.


After two hard drive cages are removed I pick off the front panel of the chassis. This is easily done with a pair of "clips" on the inside of the chassis in the front. Poke at them in the right direction and release it. There are a total of 4 pieces.


I also want to remove the 5.25" mount because I do not use an optical drive (I'm a USB-man!) I also need to remove it because of the modification. Simple done with a number of screws on the outside in the front and a few on the inside. (I'm sure you can fix an optical drive mount in another way if you want to follow this project).
The chassis looks pretty stupid and ridiculous without the front panel, so we'll make sure not to lose it!



I then pick out the two included fans. I guess they are 120mm Spectre.


On top of the chassis there is a "fan grill" where you can attach 2x 120mm fans, or an entire 240 radiator for water cooling. We get rid of this one aswell


There, now is the chassis relatively empty! What remains is the motherboard plate for m-ITX motherboard that sits inside the chassis in a rather unique way. This is a rather massive piece of metal. Let's remove this one too!




This motherboard tray is stuck with quite a few rivets. Rivets can be removed easier by drilling them apart, right through it. Then loosens the "head" and pop rivet releases. This is done as said most easily with a drill, but then I do not have such a tool at the moment so I solve using a dremel/multifunction tools and a drill.
Sometimes it happens that the drill stuck, so a real drill is recommended.



This is what the metal piece when it is removed from the chassis and laid on the desk looks likes. Getting it off was a pain, partly because I had the wrong tools, but also my dog ​​got really angry and barked a lot because of the sound of the tool.


Now the case, BitFenix ​​Prodigy, is completely empty of content, and the "body" and the feet are what is left. This gives me the opportunity to start my modification that will happen.




The chassis felt a lot much easier on the weight after it was emptied, which is quite understandable. As we can see in the picture below, pretty much was taken out, everything from the motherboard plate to hard drive cages, fans, front panel, side panels, etc.

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That was my update which was about the chassis and the emptying of the chassis. Henceforth modification start and I hope you look forward to it as much as I do!

I'm going tomorrow to record a video and hopefully make an soon. Here, I will show prototype images of how I thought that this project will look like, while I'm in the video will show it "live" and how I'm going to do. I'll embed the video in this projectlog, of course.
We can then using prototype images imagine how it will look like, and thus know how it will be with the finished product!

I'm extremely psyched and looking forward to this project a lot!

If you have questions or concerns, or just criticism, please write in this thread!
Thank you for reading.

See you soon,
Best Regards
Nikkop

Prototype images and Video - 24/12

Here's an update for all of you!

Prototype images and Video - 16/12

Hi! Hope you're all good.
Please enjoy my update and comment!

Thanks
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To be able to visualize my ideas and how this modification is going to end up like I've decided to make a couple of prototype images and a video clip where I explain what I will do.
I've done these so I can show you what I'm going to do in this project log, but at the same time for myself to be able to see what I want the final product to look like.
As you probably know by now my modification will consist of putting an ATX/E-ATX motherboard into a m-ITX case.
Please have a look at my video and my images and you'll find out how I've planned this modification.

PS! A few things will be performed in another way than described in the video! This I found out after I made the video. The placement of the PSU is one those things and the look at the top of the case will be slightly different, but the final product will be the same!

Video:
Please have a look at my video describing the modification!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG-RNH_3m_A

Images:

First I'll show you the orignal pictures for each part and then my prototypes

Front
Original:


Modified:
Let's start by looking at how the case will look from the front.
I will paint the front panel yellow to match my computer speakers (KRK Rokit G2 5").
At the same picture we see the window on the side that will be fixed as well.


Side
Original:


Modified:
Here's a picture of what the case will look like with the side panel removed.
It's also this motherboard, the GA-Z77X-UP7, that I will use in this project.
We see that the motherboard has been angled 90 degress (compared to "standard). This is a must to fit a ATX/E-ATX motherboard.
I'll have a few centimeters/an inch free of the sides.
This also means that the back of the motherboard (I/O, PCI) will be on top of the case.


With the side panel in spot with a modified window a lot of the computer content will be visible from the outside.


Top
Original:


Modified:
As I mentioned the motherboard tray and all it's I/O and PCI-slots must be on top of the case.
This means I must remove the 120x2 fan spots to be able to fit this tray.
The tray will let me use all seven PCI-slots, which is many more than one PCI-slot that m-ITX motherboards offer.
This is seen from above.


Back
Original:


Modified:
Last but not least we have the backside where the I/O, PCI-ports and PSU are placed.
I will remove this part and replace it with an aluminum mesh with a thickness of 1mm, which I will paint dark gray/black.
The mesh will also allow for good airflow and fans will be attached.


Other
Doing this extreme modification with fitting an ATX/E-ATX motherboard into this case brings a few negative stuff.
I will not be able to use as many hard drives as the un-modified Prodigy can hold. This is because of all space the hard drive cages take.
However, I will be able to fit a few and that's more than enough for me. If you have ten hard drives maybe you have to think it over tho.

These were my prototypes of what the final product will look like.
What do you think about it?

Thanks for reading
Best Regards
Nikkop

If you can pull this of, then i will say "O my lord" - And it will be a new way to see a BitFenix Prodigy

- Will keep my eyes on this build and hope to see some update very soon

Cannot wait to see what you do with this. I love the prodigy case I think it looks fantastic. Thanks for such detailed posts as well!

Awesome, if this works it will be epic

This is going to be interesting

I can't wait to see some progress!

Etlar said:

If you can pull this of, then i will say "O my lord" - And it will be a new way to see a BitFenix Prodigy

- Will keep my eyes on this build and hope to see some update very soon

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WillSK said:

Cannot wait to see what you do with this. I love the prodigy case I think it looks fantastic. Thanks for such detailed posts as well!

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dalewakelin said:

Awesome, if this works it will be epic

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Roooker said:

This is going to be interesting

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specgaming said:

I can't wait to see some progress!

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Thanks a lot for your kind words everyone!
Things like this is what makes me motivated and wanting to do the mod and project even more!

I'm currently visiting my family over the holidays so the case itself is left at my own apartment (an almost 4 hour drive from where I'm currently). However, I've brought a few parts that will be modified, such as painting the front panel and painting/modifying other parts.
I'll actually hopefully going to do something tomorrow. In that case an update will be done during this week!

I'm just as thrilled as you are!

Merry Christmas! (It's celebrated the 24th here in Sweden, but I wish you the day before you celebrate :lol:

Best Regards
Nikkop

Merry Christmas! Im am very much looking forward to see how this turns out. Cant wait for some updates man!

I am lovin this nikkop very nice build
look forward to the updates.

very nice build, i am looking forward to the next update.

This could be incredible

All the best pal, I really hope this turns out great!

Plans look lovely, and the idea has a lot of potential.

ok I got the popcorn popping and in my chair waiting for more. If this comes out half as good as planned I may change up my plans on getting the Haf XB

I may have to say this is the best mod so far, if it works as planned. Can't wait to see this thing come together.

Reily234 said:

Merry Christmas! Im am very much looking forward to see how this turns out. Cant wait for some updates man!

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kaney said:

I am lovin this nikkop very nice build
look forward to the updates.

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Watsyerproblem said:

very nice build, i am looking forward to the next update.

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seumasbeathan said:

This could be incredible

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MrAnthony said:

All the best pal, I really hope this turns out great!

Plans look lovely, and the idea has a lot of potential.

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S_I_N said:

ok I got the popcorn popping and in my chair waiting for more. If this comes out half as good as planned I may change up my plans on getting the Haf XB

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Bullmecha said:

I may have to say this is the best mod so far, if it works as planned. Can't wait to see this thing come together.

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Hi guys! Thanks a lot for the kind words! Really nice of you and it motivates me

I hope you've all had a nice Christmas (In case you celebrate it) and a happy New Year!

I have today arrived at my own home (I was at my parents for two weeks during the holidays) and school starts tomorrow.
However, I have an update that will be published very soon, I've already made the modification to the side panel and what I have left to attach the plexi/acryllic glass and to take a few pictures and then write the whole update.

So I will get the update soon enough!
All I can say about the the side panel is that I'm very satisfied with it! ))

Hope you're somewhat thrilled to see the next update and enjoy it and further updates!
Soon, soon enough!

Thanks again for your words
Best Regards
Nikkop

UPDAAAAAAATE! : D

Modification and creation of side panel with a window. - 05/01 -2013

UPDATE 05/1 - 2013

Hello dear friends and companions!
Hope you all had a nice and enjoyable Christmas and a great New Year!

I myself have been down in my former city where I visited my family and friends for Christmas and New Year.
This does not mean that I had a vacation from project, oh no!
Instead, I took some time and worked with the side panel to get it done just the way I want it.

Eager to result?

Let's begin!
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Here we see the first picture in this update. Nothing fancy, it's one of the side plate with holes (when motherboard position is in original condition) will be able to take in air through the holes for the graphics card.
I chose this site because it is the one we will look through to see into the chassis. In any case, you can put the side panel on the side of the chassis you want, which is good if you want it on the other side.


Since I will have a plexiglass window in the side panel I must saw a hole where I want the glass to be.
I tape across the front so that the jigsaw tool won’t hurt and leave mark on the plate.


I'm testing with a drill to see how hard the plate is to drill through, and trust me when I say that this plate is thick and stable!
This is thin crap, it’s quite thick and solid.


I measure how far I'm going to cut the hole.
One side on the back of the side plate, this piece that helps the plate to attach to the chassis, which means I can not cut the hole farther than what this piece is, so therefore I use this piece for measures when I decide how large the hole will be.


I turn the plate over and draw on the tape which works well, attaches great.
I also have rounded corners and I do this with the help of a lid of the appropriate size


Now I have drawn out the dimensions and what remains is to cut out the hole.
I start by drilling a hole near the edge. I must have somewhere to stick my saw and begin cutting.


Once the hole is drilled, just run down the jigsaw and start cutting!
Since the side plate is pretty thick it takes some time to get through, and turns in the corners requires a steady hand.


Finally the piece got off! Now we can see how big the hole will be and how much space the glass will take.
Removing the tape to see how it looks without and actually surprisingly good! Edges, lengths and such are not 100% straight but I fix it afterwards using a dremel with grinding nozzle.


I test tried to attach the glass after I had sanded the edges, but I did not like it. I thought something was missing and felt that it needed something to fill out, something pretty.


So I went and looked at different types of edging lists and it ended up I bought one of these, 9mm edge strip of rubber.


Mounting the edging and the results are really nice! Even if a rim is mainly used to disguise / hide the edges, for me it was a really nice feature that I liked very much. It fits in terms of design and I like it quite a lot!


So, now that the side panel has been sawn and got a nice edging, so I want to see how it looks when the side plate is in place on the chassis!
It may look like crap, who knows?
I must say I like it!
I was really pleased with size of the hole, the rounded edges and the rim.


What is missing then? Well, plexiglass course!
I test fit the plexiglass to see how it will look. I have another piece of plexiglass coming up because this was a little too short to be attached the way I wanted, it is now temporarily attached with double-stapled tape just to see how it looks.
But yes, I am satisfied and happy with the outcome! What do you say?


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I was very pleased with the result. If I manage to keep the same quality the rest of the modification, I think this modification will turn out to be brutally good, hopefully! >

What did you think of this step , when I modified the side plate?
I’ll be more than happy to read your comments and thoughts!

We'll see what the next step will be, the school has begun to pick up again and it will take some time. But tension remains stronger than ever and it itches in my fingers every day when I look at the case

Have a nice day!
Thanks in advance
Best Regards
Nikkop

That's a smart looking window you've got there! Nice job, I like it!

I've loving the idea behind this, this is going to attract a fair amount of people, speaking of which, you got ADHD or something? lol