You know how it is...  You've got some spare time, a case that gets slightly too hot, a fan ripped from an old power supply unit...  You begin to wonder if you can't do a little modification...  Blowholes are cool (pun intended), but if you haven't already got a drill press and arbour hanging around can cost more than a new case.
It all started when I spotted a rather nice Black & Decker Wizard rotary tool in my local hardware store for a measly £29.  Needless to say I snapped it up, and only after getting home with my purchase did I stop to think what I could use it for...
With only one fan in the case, my server had been getting a little hot, and so I decided to do something about that.  Grabbing my new Wizard and several heavy-duty cutoff discs, I set about hacking the case to bits...

The first thing to do was to draw a circle the same size as the fan (92mm).  This was achieved by drawing around the inside of a fan grill that I had lying around (thanks OCS!).  I also drew through the screw holes so I'd know where to drill.

On with my protective gear (gloves, breathing mask due to aluminium dust, safety goggles) and out with the Wizard!  With the heavy-duty cutoff disc attached, and the speed set to six (around 30,000RPM) it soon made light work of the hole (although the sparks were a bit worrying at first!).  Attatching a grinding block allowed me to neaten up the hole (reducing the speed to 4 in the process), which I then finished by hand using a 'bastard' needle file (no, I'm not being vulgar - that's the technical name) and some Wet 'n Dry paper (600 grain).  The screw holes were drilled using an attatchment designed for engraving glass, but I find that it works quite well on metal!

I attached the fan using some screws from Overclockers UK.  To be frank, they're cack, and I soon replaced them with a fan mounting kit from The Overclocking Store.  Wired up to a spare MOLEX connector, the fan feeds cool air directly to the CPU and motherboard, and has reduced temperatures enormously.  You can see the fan attached to the side panel in the picture.  Sorry, no piccies of the mod in progress, but next time I fit a blowhole I'll be sure to take some action shots for you all!

-BLACKLAW
Back To Top