the floppy/card reader taken apart - it's actually 2 devices in one case. the floppy is a laptop floppy drive. the card reader had a regular USB cable that had to be modded for a motherboard header.

i also had to fabricate a cable for the VFD - good thing i stocked up on the 5x1 headers.

first test-fit of the VFD and the floppy/optical drives. the sides of the acrylic that cover the VFD were painted, and it looks completely stock. there is about a 2mm space between the VFD and the acrylic.

it looks completely perfect. much better than i could have ever imagined.

beginning more or less final assembly. some wire management is needed, because there really isn't that much room in that case.

break for wiring - there will be one wiring harness that connects the DVD writer, the floppy, all 3 hard drives, and the fans that cool the PCI slots.

i will be able to disconnect the 3 hard drive in one place, and remove the hard drive caddy very easily.

initial fit being done. you can see the Asus motherboard, the X-Fi sound card still in there, and the stock fans and grills.

the IDE and Floppy cables are nicely tucked in, the cables zip-tied, and the USB cables out of the way. there is practically no wires visible anywhere.