Case Mod How-To for the Alix Single Board Computer

Article Index:

Unless you are a Dremel whiz, you should probably practice this case mod on a piece of scrap aluminum. If you don’t have any scrap aluminum, you can get a piece of aluminum stock from your local Home Depot for just a few bucks.

Start by marking out your cut with a sharpie and a straight edge (Fig. 12). Measure the front of the compact flash card to get the dimensions for the cut. Don’t fuss too much about accuracy here. That said, if you’re going to make a mistake, it’s better to make the cut too small rather than too big because you can always fine tune later with a precision file.

Next, mount the aluminum in your Dremel multi-vise (Fig. 13).

Fig. 12: Measure out the cut on a piece of scrap aluminum

Fig. 13: Scrap Aluminum Mounted in the Multi-Vise

Now it’s time to make the first cut, right? WHOA COWBOY! NOT SO FAST! Put away that cutting wheel and think about this for a second. Look at the diameter of the wheel (especially a brand new one), then look at the height of the slot you are about to cut; the wheel is wide and the slot is short. It’s nearly impossible to make that short axis cut with a cutting wheel.

There are a few ways to deal with that short axis problem but what worked for me was to drill a hole at both ends of the slot with a Dremel 150 1/8″ drill bit (Fig. 14-16). Don’t worry that the holes are round. We’ll square them off later with a precision file.

Fig. 14: Drill one side

Fig. 15: Then drill the other side

Fig. 16: Both Holes

Okay Cowboy, put on the cutting wheel now. Here comes the fun part. Holding the Dremel (or optional Flex Shaft) steady with both hands, cut the top of the slot, then the bottom. I can’t say this enough: go slowly and don’t press hard. Let the speed of the Dremel do all the work. When you have finished the top and the bottom cut, the chunk of aluminum in the middle of the slot should pop out.

The initial cut will be kind of rough (Fig. 17). At this point, you should realize that when you do the actual cut on the Alix case, you should do it on the inside of the case. That way, if you (when you!) briefly lose control of the Dremel and it runs off course, no one will see the scratch.

Now grab your precision file and get busy (Fig. 18). Gradually file away the rough bits until you get a nice rectangle shape, checking for size every now and then by attempting to insert the compact flash card (Fig. 19).

Fig. 17: Rough cut, before fine tuning with a file

Fig. 18: File away the rough bits

Fig. 19: Measure twice, cut once!

You should be feeling a bit cocky now after finishing the practice cut (Fig. 20). Just don’t get too excited! Respect that Dremel and you won’t get hurt. Ready to go primetime? Let’s go!

Fig. 20: Looking good...for a practice cut

Article Index: