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The ALX-Files: Converting Area51 to ALX, ODD Front Panel Motor Install
11.1.14 Edit: I've posted a more substantial how-to here for dropping the motor into standard A-51:
-Original Post -
"Cloning the Alien ALX". My new Area-51 is due for a slight makeover; here in my skunkworks I thought I'd try motorizing the front panel to make it more ALX-ish. This involves disassembling the front panel, installing the odd motor, and installing the correct master i/o daughterboard to power the motor. I'm calling this one: Operation Changeling. The new odd motor & Master I/O board arrived today, & updates will post after successful Alien ***. Motorized front panel or bust...
If your mio board is missing the top left connector (red/blk wires, 4pin) for the odd_motor then you'll need to get an ALX mio board, which does have the odd_motor connector
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Edit 11.25.14
Today my pair of ALX 'parts panels' arrived @ a killer deal: 32 dolla / shipped for both. Part# x504r. No, they were not easy to find, (no they're not for sale either, lol). After seeing what I got to work with, what I have in mind here is to make 'one good one' by simply removing the scratched top panel off the one, & transferring the good top panel of the other, as a solid spare w/out issues for my ALX. Then I'll remove the motor-ribbon-switch etc from the 'bad one', held back as a spare & recycle the damaged shell which isn't worth keeping.
I present the photo & update here as proof they can be found, I ran down three in the past 6 weeks. Basically, carpet bomb anyone who sells A-51 parts w/a message if they have a known-working ALX panel for sale. If they say yes but it's a wee bit beat up - scratches / dents - don't mention you're out for just the motor & could care less what it 'looks like': use whatever cosmetic issues it might have as leverage to get the price down. You might say: 'it don't make much sense for me to replace my ALX panel (lol, as if) w/one that has issues, but @ the right price I'd be willing to give it a go; maybe try to make 'one good one' out of mine & yours' ... ok? Hopefully a stealth maneuver like that helps ya bag one at a great or even crazy price. The 1st one I bagged came from a guy selling just a stock motherboard: I messaged, asked if the case it came out of was there with him, & if so if it might be parted out also, so there ya have it. You'll need a new correct ALX master i/o board also, three different part #'s, any will work in your stndrd A-51
- FWKNT v1.01 / CR1KN V1.01 / 604GC v2.0
Here I've tried to do a master i/o board remove / replace guide at the end of this post:
I know it's seldom, but sometimes you'll see just the motor come up for purchase: if so, you would grab it & solder in your own micro-switch, as a viable option as you'll see. Other times, you'll see the motor + ribbon + switch available: in that scenario you might drop it all in, & if so, take note of how your old stndrd ribbon routes etc. then transfer the alx motor-ribbon-switch over (if your small pieces of 'clear tape' that secure the ribbon junk up in the process, you can buy clear 'nylon-reinforced' sticky packing tape from CVS etc to get new tape back on. If you buy a full panel, perhaps salvage your parts & toss the rest ...
morblore
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January 2nd, 2013 12:00
Great mod Cass
I think it's worth the money because the case is something you can use for years to come. It's top notch and really has no equal out there.
AndrewSi
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October 19th, 2012 10:00
Does it have a small piece of copper attached near the switch, it may be the "limit switch" (the thing that tells the motor to stop)
Cass-Ole
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October 21st, 2012 16:00
That 3rd switch was intended for something else I believe; I didn't need it, the standard panel has the limit switches pre-installed.
Cass-Ole
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October 21st, 2012 16:00
I successfully motorized the front panel in my A51; the patient went under the knife, grudgingly accepted the bionic implant, survived the operating table, walked away without a scratch...and lives to tell about it...
With the discontinuation of the product and an appropriate passing of time we may now note the ubiquitous nature of available parts and their associated price drop. Brand new, new surplus, nice used, and whole parted out front panels...entire parted out systems are available and reasonably affordable...now may be the right time to lay down part of your paycheck and literally give your Area51 an up and down Bionic front face lift.
You've either aquired a complete new or used pre-assembled ALX front bezel, or the bare motor+led alienhead+ribboncable+wiring, so your battle is half over. Your pair of "limit switches" are already installed, so to pull off the bare parts swap you will need the following on hand:
Disassembling the standard A-51 bezel ain't for the faint of heart. I found someone who'd parted out an ALX front panel, so I went that route in the interest of saving a few bucks, money I could put toward the new M I/O board it needed to even work. The only other route is to get a whole alx panel and gut it. Open those bezels up and you will've opened up Pandora's box. Getting all your old parts out and all the new ones in and all put back together is like trying to put a mad Genie back in a bottle. Your standard bezel must be CAREFULLY disassembled into its 4 constituent parts in order to get to the top gear housing ***. See photo
Protect your panel surfaces at ALL times, (3m blue painter's tape etc over every inch) lay a shirt over them in the least, and take added care when using tools. The difficulty of this implant surgery ranks at about an 8 or a 9 & your plate will be plenty full whilst swapping out the m i/o boards anyway. (And while you're at that job, you can undo that messy tangle of wires that the Dell workers left for you).
Lastly, when surgery is complete and your patient is all stitched up, if you didn't use latex gloves, you can use a coat or two of carnauba wax and buff out a high gloss w/a soft terry on that new motorized panel boys and girls, to remove any fingerprints left behind. That goes for your painted doors too. I use Meguiar's Gold action *** liquid wax personally on just about all the exterior panels. To be even more alx-ish I might drop in a 1200watt psu ...
A new work week begins anew tomorrow, I do not have time to type an instruction manual on this menacing job; ...so I will quote Capt. Willard in Apocalypse Now~! and leave you with a few words of caution on disassembling your standard bezel to pull off this parts swap:
"...Never get out of the boat. Absolutely goddarn right. Unless you were goin' all the way..." I can truthfully say that this weekend, I've gone where few have dared tread...ALX-ish or bust...
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{11.01.14 Edit}
ALX Micro-Switches Sourced
While working my other project, I sourced the identical switch used in the ALX front panel alienhead pcb-board. I soldered a pair into a pair of standard A51 {non-ALX} ribbon cable / pcb-boards. If you have or come across an ALX motor & either do not have (or do not want to fool with) an ALX ribbon cable replacement, you can pop your alienhead off & solder one of these switches in if you dare try it. I have a few extra, pm me/friend me up, I'll make sure you get one while they last: $5/mailed
FYI: Nylon reinforced packing/strapping tape
if you transfer an alx ribbon cable over to your panel, you can buy nylon-reinforced packing tape (from CVS etc) in the event you need to reapply that kind of sticky-tape to secure your ribbon, if your old slivers of tape don't co-operate
Cass-Ole
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January 2nd, 2013 00:00
It is common, apparently, for seller's to list the standard A-51 as an ALX. All exterior panels on ALX are a matte black "satin" finish. All standard A-51 panels are "semi-gloss" & "shiny". Therefore, it isn't so simple to just throw on part# X504R motorized ALX front panel & call it a day, since the matte finish will be different. To get a standard A-51 motorized, bionic implant surgery is the cure .... otherwise, to truly convert a standard 51 to ALX requires replacing all of the exterior panels .... whether this is cost-effective, only you can answer
Test #1 Now Begins: drop the panel
I'd need three hands to test & photo, so this pic is taken after Test #1
Test #2: lift the panel
Polarized 5vDC motor: reverse the polarity to motor = motor powers back up in reverse
motor is ok, powers in both directions
Test #3: the Limit Switches
Test #4: ALX motor Alienhead Switch
with voltmeter leads on orange / purple:
A Victor D
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January 3rd, 2013 03:00
Agree Morblore...The case is something special. Hopefully MoBo and CPU can be upgraded over time. Have you tried to put a new generation MoBo in at all??(e.g SandyBridge with an i7 3970)
Razputin45
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May 24th, 2014 20:00
I know this is an old thread, any chance that you have links to these parts?
I had found a website that was selling the motor and sadly when I remembered it they removed the listing. So here is a last chance effort to find the parts necessary for this "bionic surgery".
Thanks in advance if anyone can help!
Cass-Ole
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May 24th, 2014 21:00
the same vendor had an odd motor but I guess they sold it:
You have to check them frequently, they're located close to the Dell Headquarters in Texas & get new surplus parts all the time. Search "Area 51" on their home page, they update it all the time w/new parts:
Txcess also sells through eBay. I saw just the odd motor on eBay recentlyalso from someone else. Search eBay for "Area 51 motor" often, or "Area 51 bezel" ... you'll have to wait til one pops up somewhere. Area 51 odd motor on google/bing too, might get lucky, find a place to buy.
Ummm, if you get a motor, you also need the Alienhead led up/down button (& its wring/ribbon cable) too, or else it won't work. Therefore, your best bet is to get all the parts from a used bezel (part# x504r) take the motor/wiring/button out & swap them in.
If you have a standard Area 51, your master i/o board won't work, you need an ALX mi/o board, found on eBay normally, any of these part#'s work, but you will need one for odd motor to plug into:
Your best bet: keep your eyes out for a used x504r bezel & gut it for the good parts, good luck
Cass-Ole
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May 24th, 2014 21:00
at almost the bottom of this article I did, you will find a write-up on removing old m/io & installing new one; you may find it helpful if you read it before you put the ALX mio in your case. Pan down to about 3/4 down til you see the chapter heading: Remove Replace Master Input Output Board on Area-51
Cass-Ole
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May 24th, 2014 22:00
They list as 200 from Dell, but Dell will take 150 for a new one. The going rate on eBay for used was $80-100 ... 80-100 sounds right ... if possible, try to get a Memorial Day discount, free shipping, something ...
Razputin45
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May 24th, 2014 22:00
I found a website that has the panel.
A bit expensive but I'll see if I can find it cheaper else where if anything, I'll just bite.
Cass-Ole
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May 24th, 2014 23:00
when you do track one down, get some 3M blue or green low-tack "painter's tape" & cover every inch of your panels 1st. By disassembling the ALX panel 1st, you will quickly learn how to best take your current bezel apart, which you'll do later & be better at it too.
The ribbon cable is held to the panel by a clear reinforced tape, which may lose its tack once peeled off. You may find a suitable replacement tape at a store, a close match, one that I used, was a classic clear reinforced (stranded) boxing tape held on a roll w/a cutter. Do you know the kind? Real sticky? You can apply a semi-larger piece of that new tape over the old stuff to help it stick to the plastic.
When you transfer the Alienhead button, the ribbon cable is oversized; it moves w/the panel as it lowers & rises & it has to lay flat inside its channel. When your panel is reassembled, it is ok to manually raise & lower the panel slowly by hand, to look at what the ribbon cables doing in its channel. It can not be allowed to be damaged once the motor gets power later on & moves at full speed. It has to be reinstalled the same way it came out - its delicate, it must stay flat & lay flat after install - be careful with it: it's the one part of the system most frail.
edit: per new post beneath me
I do not have extra front panels for sale, I never did
ALX = X504R Standard A51 = W5585 Lunar Shadow = R841R
Sometimes they are for sale on eBay, if you play the waiting game
ALX Matte Black part#: X504R
Standard Cosmic Black part#: W558R
Lunar Shadow Grey/Silver part#: R841R
Hiroraz85
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September 2nd, 2015 02:00
hey man do you stil have a front bezel of the alienware area 51 if so can you contact me on this email addres <ADMIN NOTE: Email id removed per privacy policy>