Introduction

I guess it's no secret by now that the Chieftec/Antec/Chenming mid tower case is my current favourite case. I think it's the same with Diceman too with the amount of mod projects/reviews that you see around here revolving around the case. It's not only it looks, but the features that attracts me and Dice to the case. Lot's of room, a well-thought out and balanced cooling system is just among the many features of the case that we love. But one thing that is missing from the case is front USB ports. Antec answered that shortcoming with their new line of Performance Plus cases, that was reviewed here by Diceman, but it's just not at the right place. Rather awkward positioning and it kinda interferes with the overall front bezel look. But that's just me I guess. :O) But what if you're like me? Prefering the old Antec/Chieftec look but still want those front USB ports? Mod one into the case! That what! So here is the guide for you "oldskool" Antec/Chieftec lovers. Like all custom mod projects, this one requires some degree of planning and also patience. Heheh! So if you screw things up, don't look at me! Now before you actually do this mod, you gotta make sure that you have those USB Extension Brackets that comes with your mobo. Most new motherboards nowadays comes with at least one. Even is they don't include them, there should still be a USB Header on your motherboard somewhere and you can then pruchase the brackets separately. Not sure about you folks in the States, but here in Singapore, it's widely available. I'm using the bracket from my Gigabyte GA-8IRXP P4 mobo. The package comes with two brackets actually; a bracket with 2 X USB 1.1 ports and another with 4 X USB 2.0 ports. The one I choose for this project is a no brainer guys! :^) OK, in case you haven't seen one of them brackets before, here's how it looks like.

USB 2.0 Extension Bracket

As you can see, these brackets were designed to be installed in one of those expansion slots at the back of your case. No way! This is going in the front!! So, the first thing you need to do here is remove that metal bracket. Usualy, it's connected to the USB ports by screws so that should make light work of it.

Removing the bracket

Bracket removed.....

Once you got the bracket removed, it's time to aligned the USB ports to the where you want to mount it in the case. I chose to mount it on the left side of the Chieftec front bezel (looking from front). There's a considerable amount of FLAT surface area to mount the ports easily and blends it nicely into the overall case look. (I have my case on my right side, so the ports are easily accessible). Next thing to do is to mark out the holes for the ports on the bezel itself. I hope you didn't throw that bracket away! Not only does it makes marking out easier, but it'll also help you in getting the right size hole and cut-outs, as I will show you later.

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Deciding where to mount.....

Did you throw this bracket away? NO!!! :O)

OK, now that you have a rough idea where to mount your USB ports, let's get to the cutting part!! :O)

Marking Out and Cutting

Once you have decided on the location, you'll need to mark out the holes to cut/drill. Using the holes from the bracket itself, marking them out shouldn't take you more than a minute. :O) But confirming the position again and again does! :O) Never hurt to be extra careful and extra sure! You're drilling thru plastic, so a cordless drill should do light work of it.

Marked out.....

New Toy!! 18V of cordless Dewalt goodness!!

Drilling the holes for the screws is simple enough. For the rectangular USB ports, it's a little more involved. First drill a couple of holes at each end of the rectangular markings. I then use a cutter/shear to cut thru the holes and exposed a rather large part of the rectangular ports. This is where the bracket comes into play again.

Screw holes done...

Holes for the rectangular ports...

Secure the bracket into location with a couple of bolts and nuts on the screw holes that you have drilled earlier. And using the rectangular holes in the bracket, file away the plastic according to the size of the bracket. You're sure not to missed or "over-cut" the holes in this manner. This shouldn't take you long. Once you're done, remove the bracket and you'll have yourself some nice USB ports cut-outs! Heheh!

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File and cutter/shear.

Using the bracket as guide.

Finished Mod
Here you go! Now, that didn't take long, does it? I finished off the cut-outs by sanding it down lightly with a 600 grit sandpaper. It's up to you really to do this. Now it's time to test the USB ports to the cutouts you just made. Before that, you'll find that there's a ridge running next to the cooling vents and depending on the type of USB extension port that you got, you'll probably need/need not to cut away part of the ridge so that the extension port sits in nicely. In my case, I had to trim away a small part of the ridge to accommodate the extension ports. Nothing I can't handle though! ;oP

DONE!!!

Close-up of the ports...

Cut away the ridge...

Perfect Fit!

Mod done..

Close-up!

Cutting the Case Structure

Next thing you'll need to do is cut an opening in the case structure itself to allow the cable to be routed to the USB header on your motherboard. Mark the opening out on your case structure as shown below. Then use either a Dremel or Jigsaw to cut thru the metal. Finish off my grinding off the sharp edges and you're done! AS you can see from the pictures, the opening DOES NOT interfere with the front fan ports OR the 3.5" drive cages bracket supports in the case. Also, depending on your USB extension ports, you can have a smaller cut-out for this.

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Mark out the opening

Preliminary cut...

Done!

Cabling
If you think that's the end, man you're wrong! Them extension ports provided with your mobo are usually very short in length. Reason being you're to mount them at the back of your case, not at the front. So what do you do about the cabling? Well, here's how I extended mine so that the connectors are able to reach the header on my motherboard. Here's what you need for this mod. Extra cables (26 AWG USB Cable or old IDE Cable) Heatshrink tubing 10-pin connectors Connector terminals Jumper pins Wire stripper/cutter Long nose pliers

The stuff and tools

AWG26 Ten Wire USB cable

Strip off the protectve layer

First, strip off the main protective layer from the cable and expose about 2 inches of cables inside. Each of the 10 cables will be covered with different coloured protective layer so it's much easier for you to ensure the right connection from your USB extension ports to the headers. Using the same connectors as the one on the USB extension cable, crimp the 10 wires onto the connector terminals. Use the long nose pliers to secure the wires into the terminals and secure them into the connectors. Do the same for the rest of the wires and take note of the alignments of the wires at the other end, connecting to your original USB extension.

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10-pin connector and terminals

Wires with terminals crimped

Done!

Now take the double-sided jumper pins and cut them according to the number of pins on the USB connector. This will be used as a "connecting bridge' between the original USB extension and the extension cable you just made.

Cut to required length/number

Pins connected to original USB extension

The Jumper pins

If you're have difficulty trying to look for the 10-wire USB cable for this mod, you can also use the wires from an old IDE cable that you mght have lying around. Just strip off the required number of wires, like when you're making your own "round cables" and use the same connector and connector terminals. Much cheaper and easier to find! :O)

Wires from old IDE cable

Connected to USB Extension

Connectors on the wires

Assembly and Final Words

Once everything is completed, I installed the extension ports into position and closed up the bezel. Connect the ports to the motherboard headers and boots into Windows. All 4 USB 2.0 ports works fine and no signs of bad connection between the two extension cables. The thing I like most about this mod is that the position of the ports do not present any kind of obstruction and it looks stock, as if it was already there from the factory. I just hope that the Chieftec guys that are looking at this now will consider adding them up! Maybe even adding a couple of Firewire ports to it! *crosses fingers!!*

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Can you spot the ports? Heheh!

Looks stock!

Front Ports in action!!

Those of you with older motherboards without the USB extension, you can still do this mod if the USB header is present somewhere on your mobo. If it's not, then tough luck! A 3.5" hub would be better for ya! :O) I hope this will help you in your own USB port mods for your Chieftec/Antec/Chenming case folks. Give me a holler if you need help with this! I'll try to help ya out! And if any of you know where to get the parts for the cabling extension in the States, lemme know so I can post it here for the overseas folks! Thanks for reading and enjoy!!!

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