Circa's Averatec 3270 Full On Cosmetic MOD

AVERATEC 3270 MOD

Edited for size, full DIY is here.

After modding desktop cases since the mid 90's I have been wanting to do a
serious Cosmetic Mod to a notebook for some time now.
I decided to apply paint, install a backlit logo and add suede to my Averatec.

Here is an Excellent review of the notebook.

Now, lets get on with making this



look like this



First we need to get a few things together:
A nice precision screwdriver (not that $.99 POS from Wal-Mart)
Krylon Fusion paint and clearcoat
A suede Schticker
Small, thin sheet of Plexiglas
Painter's tape
Newspaper/masking material
Dremel - cutting bits and depth guide
A hobby knife
Super glue
Printed transparency with the image you want on the lid
Cleaner - alcohol
A tech manual, assembly guide, or any info on your specific notebook
A digital Camera
Access to another computer
A quarter

Open up your new Lapschticks and trim it to fit on the palm rests or wherever you want it placed. After fitting the Lapschticker, pull it off and stick on the fridge like they suggest.

You will need to take two groups of pictures. One set is for reassembly purposes. The second group of pictures is going to record your system information, serial numbers and product key codes.

Now we start the disassembly. If you have a tech manual you are lucky. If you are flying blind then you will want to take twice as many pictures. All notebooks are different so I will take a generic approach.

If you see a screw then take it out. Place it in a bin or on the bench and take a picture. Order matters but the order will take care of itself during disassembly. Do what appears to be the next easiest thing to take off.



Understand that you are dealing with a delicate piece of electronics. If something is not coming apart easily then double and triple check for more screws. If you don't find any then look again and then apply a slight amount of force. If it does not come apart then look again because you are missing something.



You will probably come across some tiny little screws. Be careful not to lose them.
Now you can grab that quarter. It will work great as an indicator of scale for your tiny screw pictures.

Keep plugging away
and now we have a
nice little pile of parts.



Now is the time to photograph all of the little stickers and codes on your computer. After you have taken pics of everything then you can remove the stickers and clean all the parts to be painted.

Check those batteries in your Dremel and lets continue.

I like to use a Dremel for this kind of work. I urge you to get one if you don't have one, but I suggest you practice on something besides an $800 notebook. The most important thing and the most common mistake is not to hurry. Take your time. Take a break and then go take your time some more.

Now we need to decide on the size and shape of the logo. Once you have decided you will need to cut the hole and a small ledge for the window. Cut the hole first. It should be a little larger than the area you want to be backlit. You will decrease the backlit area with paint. Now take the depth guide for the Dremel and set it to the thickness of the Plexiglas. Use the Dremel to rout a small ledge for the Plexiglas.



Now that the lid is cut you will need to cut the Plexiglas to fit the hole.
Use a grinding drum on the Dremel to get an exact fit.
After the hole looks good and the Plexiglas fits it perfectly
clean the lid with alcohol and let dry.
Once things are clean and dry, super glue the Plexiglas into the lid.

After the super glue sets, it's time to mask everything off for painting. Don't forget to mask the window. You will want to mask slightly smaller than the hole to give you room to attach the transparency inside.

Use a light dusting motion and remember more light coats are better than a couple heavy one.
Read the cans for full instructions.
Apply clear to help protect your new paint.



Let everything set.

Cut the logo out of the transparancy to fit the hole in the lid. Tape the logo in the lid.



Now it's time to put all this



together with all this

http://www.circa69.com/images/averatec/case.jpg

Now just do the opposite of taking it apart. Easy, right?
Don't forget to look at those pictures if you need to and don't force anything.
It should go together just as easily as it came apart.
Take your time and you will be OK.



Now you can smile.

Almost.

I suggest hitting the
power button
before you celebrate too much.

Did it work?? Good. Now smile and do a little dance.

Apply the Lapschticker to the laptop.



Stand Back, Smile. Enjoy.



Good Luck and Happy Modding!!!!

Edited for size, full DIY is here.
​

 

WOW is all I can say. Impressive modding job!

 

Nice work.

 

A great mod Circa
Just wanted to ask something,
Could you add keyboard backlight to the laptop ? (Without much trouble)

 

Would be very difficult on almost every notebook out there. There is a moonlight mod though. Depending on the placement of the backlight for the lcd you can open some windows below the lcd and light the keyb that way. I think there is a link to one in the cosmetic sticky. If you can't find it, let me know, I have a ton of cosmetic mods bookmarked.


here it is....
http://web.archive.org/web/20000520123522/http://www.capital-ideas.com/inside_story.htm

 

Yeah, it was right.
Great ideas !

 

Thanks so much for the DIY guide! It's really a big help.

 

NP, the more there are the easier it is to do things so you don't end up

If you didn't look at the one on my site it has a few more tidbits of info.