Case Mods - Cutting holes for cable management!

[ryanmission]

Ok, so i used a dremel to cut out some holes in my motherboard tray for cable management. I've scoured the interwebs for information on this...and ive come to 2 conclusions for dealing with sharp edges:

1) Sand/file down rough edges of the holes you cut to protect cables

or

2) Use rubber trim/grommet/molding to line the inner edge of the holes to protect the cables.

I WANT to use option 2.

I have found 2 places so far that sell trim:

http://www.crazypc.com/products/83010.html

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/5096

The problem:

The motherboard tray metal is about 1/32", or 1mm thick....and these moldings are proooobably too wide on their inner edge.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what i can do?

I also cant seem to find any of these at any local hardware stores...which seems weird.

Thanks

 

[tecmo34]

Super-glue... Purchase the trim for $1.50 and if doesn't fit, use super-glue inside the trim to seal it to motherboard tray. IMO

 

[ryanmission]

Is this what you did? I know there's people out there who have done this before...im just curious what they did.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

I do case mods and the channel molding you linked to is exactly what I use. In fact I bought it from those two vendors. The molding is flexible and it will stretch and fit. No problem. Use a small jeweler's screwdriver or thin putty knife to spread open the channel at one end to get it started. Then simply work the rest of it in slowly with your fingers. No need to use glue. The molding will stay put.

 

[ryanmission]

The molding at crazypc says the inner measurement is 1/8", and the metal is 1/32". thats quite a bit thinner than the molding.

However, the molding at frozencpu doesnt mention any measurements, but it does say SLIM.

assuming they're both 1/8", you're positive itll stay on metal 1/32" thick? i guess if worst case i can maybe fill the molding with hot glue and put it on..?

 

[ryanmission]

Well thanks Johnny, you gave me a keyword.

When you said CHANNEL MOLDING i searched for that and got tons of results.

I found:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1877

It's channel width is 3/64" so it should fit niiiice and snug.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Might be a couple of misunderstandings.

The 1/8th inch you mention is the "depth" of the interior space. In other words, starting at the edge of the metal, the molding would cover 1/8th inch of the metal. It's just telling you how much of the metal will be covered up. Also, if you click to enlarge the photos, you'll see that the molding looks like it's closed and you only see a slit on the end. They all come like that. That's why I mentioned using a small screwdriver or putty knife to spread it open to get things started.

Also, the molding at crazypc.com has the inside lined with adhesive to securely fix the trim to the sheet metal:

http://www.crazypc.com/products/83010.html

In fact, now that I think about it I even used that one for one of the case mods I did. That makes three different ones I've used and they all worked well. Some molding is rubber and some molding is flexible plastic. The rubber is flat black and the plastic has a shine to it.

Unfortunately I am growing old disgracefully and I forget stuff.

 

[ulysses35]

if you dont want to spend the extra money then Duct tape over the edges after they have been filed will protect your cables - admittedly not a neat solution

 

[Guest]

*** you bitch

 

[jsc]

I use the frozen-cpu channel molding.
Antec 900 case mods for cable management:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/264112-28-antec

 

[jsc]

I use the frozen-cpu channel molding.
Antec 900 case mods for cable management:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/264112-28-antec

*** you bitch

What a waste of a first post. I suggest banning.

OOPs.

 

[rdkapp]

if you dont want to spend the extra money then Duct tape over the edges after they have been filed will protect your cables - admittedly not a neat solution

Another inexpensive alternative, assuming you have some velcro laying around, is the soft side of the velcro with the adhesive side wrapped around the sharp, but filed edges. This did the trick for me on one of my builds, and imo, looks a little better than duct tape.

 

[Alamosun]

I also use the channel molding from frozen CPU. I add a little gorilla glue to the edge of the hole in the MB tray first. It makes the molding slide a little better for minute adjustments and of course holds it in place once dry. I use a hole saw bit for my drill...drill two holes and then make the cuts between the two with the Dremel. Gives a nice oval shape with minimum Dremel work. File the edges down with a Dremel grinder or a needle file.. Paint, then slap on the molding and it looks great.