I have always been fascinated with computer case mods. I have played around with various things in the past but have never actually done a true case mod. Originally a computer case that had a window and some lights in it was considered a “case mod” and they have always looked cool. When done right that is. After a while, everyone had window cases and people started looking for the next eye catcher. Then came UV. UV items in PC cases really stand out, especially at lan parties. Instead of blinding you with light like traditional LED fans and cold cathode tubes, the UV items simply glow. It makes for a very stunning look.

Eventually people decided to branch out and do some really eye catching things. These are the best kind of case mods because they are generally the most creative. There is a mentality that whenever you look at an object you think “I bet I could fit a computer in that.” After years of going to lan parties and larger events such as Quakecon, I have seen some pretty neat case mods. I have seen Pizza Box PC’s,  Humidor PC’s, a Transformer PC that could actually transform into a table, the NES pc, the Grill PC, a computer inside a refrigerator full of Bawls soda, a Mannequin PC, and many many more very creative case mods.

The one thing I have never seen however, was a computer in a remote controlled tank. I decided that this sounded like something fun to do so I started doing some research to see if anyone had done one before. To my amazement I could find nothing. So I decided to take a stab at it. This was going to be my first real case mod that actually involved some real modifications instead of just sticking some lights in the case, so it was going to be pretty challenging with no experience.

I started digging around the hobby sites and ebay looking for a remote controlled tank that would be big enough to hold all of the components that would need to be crammed into it. Eventually I found this.

It was huge, (it is over 2 1/2 feet long) but the important question was would it be big enough on the inside to hold everything it needed to and still fully function? Since I could not find any dimensions of the internal of the tank it was a gamble, but it was also the largest one I could find, so I ordered one. The tank finally came in and it looked fantastic.

After driving it around for a bit and putting some dents in the wall (it shoots bbs!) I decided to take apart and see what the inside looked like. After removing the battery it was as simple as removing 4 screws from the bottom and lifting the top part up. The top part (including the turret) was connected to the drive portion by quite a few wires. They were there to power the headlights and control the turret. The turret functionality I wanted to keep but the headlights I could do without, so I removed them to have some more working space. Overall the internal were kind of a disappointment. You would think that with something as big as this tank, there would be some pretty complex internals, but no. Once simple controller board in the middle of the tank and two motors in the back. The controller board was mounted right in the middle of an otherwise empty area that would be perfect to mount the motherboard, so it was dismounted and its mounting pegs removed.

After getting the inside cleaned up a little bit, I took a few measurements and started doing some component shopping. When I first opened the tank I figured that the internal space was more than enough to hold what I needed so I did not worry about it. Unfortunately, it was exactly 1 centimeter too narrow to hold a mini itx board. After a very short debate on whether I could do what I wanted to do, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on all the parts I would need to build it. I figured I would make it fit somehow.

When the parts came in, I immediately started trying to get the motherboard to fit in the space allotted. Unfortunately, no matter what I tried it just wouldn’t fit with the top on. Originally, all of the I/O cables were going to be routed through to the back of the tank. The only way I could come up with to get the board to fit though was to cut a port open on one side of the tank to let part of the motherboard stick out. This ended up working perfectly as it would save me quite a bit of work. So I got out the dremel and went to work cutting all the port holes I was going to need. Once the holes were cut I started mounting components. It was a lot like playing with legos! I even mounted a couple of green cold cathodes in the tread wells for a nice green under glow. Very cool looking in the dark.

Once all of the components were mounted I started thinking about how I wanted to be able to turn the computer on. A simple button just wouldn’t do. So I found this. This panel was just a basic multifunction panel with analog readouts on the front, but it’s major selling point was that it had a keyfob remote control that acted as a power button. Now I could turn the computer on remotely! The front panel and frame had to be removed as well as the analog gauges. Once it was trimmed down to size, the board was mounted behind the power supply and the antenna for the keyfob was laid in the bottom corner of the right side of the tank.

Now that I had a way to turn it on, it was time to try it out. I hooked up the power supply and hit the power button on the keyfob. There was a satisfying series of clicks from the remote power board and then the hum of the cpu fan. And then finally, the post beep. It posted successfully!

Now all that was left was to load the software. It is running standard Windows XP and was loaded with a lot of older games.

Once all the software was loaded, it was just a matter of getting everything buttoned up!

After getting everything installed and configured, all of the original functionality of the tank still works! Hook the original battery up like normal, and it can drive around, the turret rotates and the main gun fires. Here is a shot of the final product in action:

Overall this was a really fun project to work on. If you have any questions about any thing specific shoot me an email at sirskippy@skipstation.com. Don’t forget to check out the full Image Gallery for many more detailed images from the entire work process!