Building Kevin's new machine - Final Touches

Here we are on my cheesy workbench after everything's all done and Windows is installed.  This is the whole ensemble, complete with matching CPU, Monitor, keyboard, and mouse. 

 

Here's a couple of shots showing how the CD-ROM fits into it all.  Kevin shouldn't have any problems loading or removing CDs with this configuration.
 

The power/reset switch bulkhead was one of the things I had to come up with to make it easier for Kevin to turn the machine on and off when he has to.  Rusty's switches were in different locations on the chassis and I pretty much have to raise the body to turn it off and on.  With this set up, the body stays put, which is better for everybody.

The order (from left to right) is: HDD LED, reset switch, power switch, power LED.


 

This is the 'not-so-pretty' side, which is why the machine is designed to sit on a shelf or the top of a desk, with the driver's side facing the viewer.  Despite the room in the chassis, I went with this layout for simplicity and ease of construction.


 

Daytona 500 Race Watch Party - Firehouse Pub 'n' Grill - 20 Feb 2005

On the day we went to present the machine to Kevin, we set it up on a table towards the back of the room.  We also kinda got the pub manager mad at us since we unplugged their dart boards so we could have the machine running when we gave it to him.

Here's what the table looked like after we got things set up and ready to go.






This was taken right after Ron pulled the cover off and presented the machine to Kevin.  He was thrilled when he saw it and was a little surprised to see that it looked like Jeff Gordon's car.  He was expecting a computer, but not a completely custom system.
 

The Miller Lite Girls were on-hand during the party and had some fun with Kevin, since he was the Guest of Honor.

And finally, here's a shot with Kevin playing on his new machine once we got it back to his home and plugged in the Force Feedback Steering Wheel.  He was running fast laps at Daytona in no time and his Mom now has to chase him off the machine when it's time for bed.



 

I just want to wish Kevin the best and hope that he will beat the cancer and be with us for a long time to come.  I also want to thank the people at 4peeps.com for this opportunity to build the machine for Kevin and represent the site - I'm honored they entrusted me with such a huge task that could've gone all sorts of wrong.
 

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