4 things have to be done in order to adapt your worrframe to accept e-blade boards:
- increase the panel area for the e-blade LCD screen, also drilling on the right to make an opening for the LCD screen.
- on the inside of the frame, at the back (opposite side of the holes for the buttons), take off 1,5mm of metal from that area, so that the button bases can sit even with the frame body.
- drill 3 holes for the buttons, and make the buttons (you choose how you'll make the holes and the size of the buttons, i suggest small buttons)
- Make a Panel for the LCD screen.
* Re-annodize the frame if you want
Step 1:
First, remove the worrframe and the on-off led button. You'll notice there's a square casing for it, with an opening on the left for the circuits... You'll use the width of this square but you'll have to broaden its height/length to properly glue a LCD cover on the frame, AND to properly be able to SEE the whole LCD screen. You can increase this unleveled area as much as you want, just make sure you drill a hole big enough on the right of the LCD screen or you won't be able to see everything and maybe won't be able to USE the LCD screen to CONFIGURE the board properly (and that's the whole point of this mod).
When you go for the drilling, increase the casing of the LCD screen, starting 1,5cm from the base of the frame, until you get to 4,5cm from the base. Actually those are the measurements i used, you don't have to do exactly like i did, i just found those to be easier since i'm used to the meter scale, and because later on, it was easier to me to make a new LCD screen. To measure it right, just take off any rail or bottomline you might have installed on the frame, then put it standing up on a table of flat surface, then measure those values from the surface up, perpendicularly (do not bend the ruler - it has to form a 90º angle with the surface). Actually in this step of the process, all you have to keep in mind is that you have to maintain the width and depth of the panel opening, and increase its height/length until there's enough space to drill the LCD screen opening (it needs to show out fully), AND to allow gluing the LCD cover on all the borders of the frame opening (bottom, top, left, right).
It will be a big LCD cover, but it will stay glued, and your board will be very safe.
The last thing to do is the frame opening/hole for the LCD screen.. I recommend doing this just after you got the board, since you'll be able to figure out by yourself the amount of space you'll have to open, and where..
Step 2:
Take 1,5mm of metal layer from the back of the frame (inside). This has to be done so that when you put the buttons, its bases won't keep pressing the board buttons.. they need a space to leave the board buttons unpressed. Just take any worrblade or e-blade board on your hands, open it and look inside... you'll see what i mean.
Step 3:
I suggest making the holes and the buttons using the same measurements used on worrblades and e-blade frames. It would be wise to have a worrblade on your side to measure everything up before you drill, just to make sure you're drilling the holes where they should be.
ATTENTION: THE MEASUREMENTS FOR THE HOLES MAY NOT BE VERY ACCURATE.. I REALLY SUGGEST HAVING AN E-BLADE OR AT LEAST AN E-BLADE BOARD IN HANDS TO COMPARE AND DO A BETTER MEASUREMENT FOR THE HOLES... I DO NOT WANT YOU TO DRILL HOLES ON THE WRONG PLACES AND SCREW IT UP... DO EVERYTHING AT YOUR OWN RISK, THIS TUTORIAL IS BEING POSTED JUST IN CASE YOU WANT TO ASSUME THE RISK.
Just remember that the center of the holes have to be right in the middle of the frame (vertically). Horizontally, the holes should start 6cm, 5cm and 4cm from the bottom of the frame mount, as shown in the picture. Each hole should have about 8mm to 8,5mm of diameter, going up. Of course, the holes can't be all open, they have to go through to the other side just in the middle, so the buttons caps don't pop out, in other words, without letting the whole button come off, cause the button bases will be encased in the frame. Make a sphere-like hole When you drill, with an open center to the other side of the frame, and you'll be ok.
You'll see on my pictures i have big cap/large faced buttons... that's actually bad for me, for sometimes i unwantedly push one or more of the buttons in the middle of a game. One of my frames has this problem, because when i took it to the machiner, he told me he didn't have tools to make smaller buttons, thus he had to make the buttons like that. Later on, i did the same modification on another worrframe, this time i got much smaller buttons, but still a little bigger than those on e-blade frames.
Step 4:
Make a transparent LCD cover for the LCD screen, and glue it with silicon.. Don't use anything else to glue... use silicon. If the cover breaks up in some case, you'll be able to easily take it off, take the glue off and reglue another one, no mess, no problems. Besides silicon has proven to be good enough, i've used it on my covers, played many games and it still didn't come off. Besides it seals very well, avoiding infiltrations from there.
Notice there's about 1mm of depth for the cover... I can't measure it now since i would have to take my covers out to do it. There's enough frame to increase the depth for a thicker cover, you'll do what you want, use whatever material you choose... I think i increased the depth a little bit (not sure) and used Compact Disc covers to make these. I took an old CD cover here standing by, cut squares out of it, then sandpapered those squares to the size i needed. Just keep rashing the sides and comparing with the casing from time to time so that you get a very tight cover.
I hope this tutorial helps. After this mod, your black magic or orry will get a new life. Plus i think it's a beautiful frame.
