Hyperkore Laser-Etched Window Review

Time to Mod – Installing the Custom Laser-Etched Windows

Since you saw the AMD custom laser-etched window first, let’s go ahead and install this into my holiday project – the OsbornAgain. You can see what the OsbornAgain is all about by looking in our forums right here (http://www.velocityreviews.com/forum...utive-mod.html) If you don’t have the time to read through that forum topic, let me just say that I’m rebuilding an old Osborne Executive CP/M computer (circa 1983) into a modern gaming machine, complete with an AMD dual-core CPU and an Nvidia 7800 GT videocard. What better place to use some custom laser-etched windows?

The AMD custom laser-etched window represents a special series available only from Hyperkore; this is the Blackout Series v.1, and it basically has a black coating on the back of the window that blocks light pretty well. Light still comes through the “clear areas”, and I say that with quotes because the clear areas are really translucent. As you can see in figure 5, you don’t have a clear view into the keyboard cavity. In fact, I later installed a hard drive in there, and you can barely make out the hard drive label below the AMD logo.




I am impressed with the quality of the lettering, and the look of the Blackout Series v.1. However, please be aware that the backside coating can be scratched if you press too hard, and I managed to mark it a bit with my handmade clamping brackets. Once I noticed the small marks, I took the brackets off and touched up the blackout area with a black permanent marker. Then I used some soft pads on my clamps to prevent further damage. I don’t blame Hyperkore for my mistake. See the result in figure 6. The window looks great and I don’t notice the spots that I fixed.

This brings us to the topic of mounting kits for the laser-etched windows. Thomas at Hyperkore told me they were thinking about different mounting hardware configurations, but they were not prepared to offer mounting kits at this point. I know it’s going to be difficult to offer a single mounting that will be useful for all buyers. In my situation, I needed some custom designs with my own mounting clamps that could take advantage of the existing keyboard support brackets. I have no problem buying windows without any mounting kit. To be truthful, I prefer to get the bare windows and save money on a mounting kit that I probably wouldn’t use anyway. I suggest that Hyperkore offer a generic mounting kit at a small additional charge (say $5).




Installing my Big Al’s Computers logo custom laser-etched window took a bit more work. There was more surface area to cut out of my Osborne Executive case. And I had to be careful of where I placed the window so I avoided interference with the components below it (CPU cooler, PSU, etc.). I chose the same size for both my windows so I could mount them in either of the two areas that I had in mind when I started this project. I used the whole area of the AMD logo custom laser-etched window in the keyboard tray, but in the OsbornAgain case, I am only using about half of the window area. See figure 7, and you’ll notice the pencil tracing that extends on both sides of the area I’m cutting with a Dremel tool.

The Big Al’s Computers logo doesn’t extend across the whole window, and I have a good use for that extra window area – it’s my mounting surface with the addition of some household cement. This solves two problems I was facing. First, any mounting brackets holding the window down would possibly interfere with the components inside the case. Secondly, I didn’t want to drill any holes into the top of this case. Also, I needed to add two four-inch cold cathode lights, one on each end of the window. I just used the household cement to mount those too. Simple and effective. Only thing is – you can’t remove it later on! I made sure those cold cathode tubes worked before gluing them to the top of the case. You can see how it turned out in figure 8, and this also shows the effect of mounting cold cathode lights along the edge of the custom laser-etched window.