nec mobile pro 780/790 paint mod

im new to the hpc market (i recently picked up a upgraded mpro 780) it looked like allot of these units are very worn down looking and when i got mine it was in the same sort of condition. so yesterday i got inspired and decided to lay a new layer of paint on this great device.

i used this page for dissassembily directions:
http://hpcnec.com/7x0assembly.htm


pix of my mp780/790
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/no-success/mobilepro780011.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/no-success/mobilepro780014.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/no-success/mobilepro780009.jpg

Just thought i would share.

allthough i havnt posted here before you guys have been a great help so far.

Edited by no-success 2005-06-05 11:04 AM

mmm, looks great! Any chance you could let everyone know what paint/materials you used for the job?

By the way, I think one of your photo's (the first one) is corrupt or something because it won't display correctly in my browser

it's OK with my browser (opera 8).

nice job, really, congrats!

i checked the image on my winxp / linux / mac / and hpc and all of them load it fine.

I used dupli-color vinyl & fabric paint (white) and 2000 grit wet/dry automotive sandpaper to take out the nicks on the edges and professional automotive masking tape and an exacto to cover all the stickers and other things i didnt want painted. i also cleaned the entire case with bathroom bleach cleaner to take off all the skin oils and sticker goop before i painted.

if anyone wants more specific instructions on how i did it let me know and ill write something more detailed up.

i would also like to see if anyone can correctly guess what device is off to the left hand side in my 2nd picture. 5 points to the first person to guess it right.

bonus picture:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/no-success/mobilepro780004.jpg

Edited by no-success 2005-06-05 2:07 PM

Looks like it could be a Compaq C120/C140?

By the way, trying to view the images (the first one above and the new one you just posted) using Firefox under Mandrake Linux gives an error:

The image “http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/no-success/mobilepro780004.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

maybe its the host let me check it out again on my ubuntu install.

ok im on firefox right now and both images load fine. i wish i could help out more but maybe one of the many tweaks everyone makes to linux to make it remotely functional borked up your firefox. chances are that you know more about it than i do though.

im on ff: 1.0.2 ill let you know if its any different after the update im making to it right now.

Edited by no-success 2005-06-05 4:24 PM

That's pretty impressive, I wouldn't have thought that anyone could have gotten such a good finish from it.

I assume you used a spray nossel rather than a paint brush?

It's a MobilePro 200

Your right Chris...a MP 200. The C120 has a mild rise where the stylus sits, but it slides into the front of the lower half of the case. The MP slides in from the top when the lid is open. I guessed wrong at first.

Your paint job looks fantastic. Hope the paint holds up okay. I've tried a myriad of paints, most with poor results.

Like you did, prep is everything to the successful outcome and durability of painting these things.

I've heard people say that they have used automotive wheel paints as they are made to be tough successfully.

I've been using Rustoleum Profession High Performance Enamel myself and have been pretty pleased with the results (a little pricey at $8/can), but haven't any long term feedback on how well it has lasted. Most the people who have them say they they still look great, but maybe that is just because they take care of their units. Only problem there are only about 4 or 5 primary color choices.

FYI, I even tried baking on the finish. I found you could heat the shell to about 260F without any problems. I noticed mild warping starting at about 300F. But baking doesn't appear to make any difference on the durability of the finish, though it sure does make the paint dry a lot faster.

Anyway, looks great!

Rich

p.s. All the pics view perfectly on my XP machine with Mozilla FireFox

Edited by Rich Hawley 2005-06-05 4:59 PM

you are both wrong its the mobile pro 400 (possibly the same case as the 200 though)


pix:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/no-success/mobilepro780017.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/no-success/mobilepro780015.jpg


i picked this up at a pawnshop for 20bux cuz i like to collect old comps and gadgets. upon doing research i found this site and discovered these great little machines.

ill keep you posted on weather or not this paint holds up (crosses finger) supposedly it is not paint but instead its a dye mixed with paint thinner. the paint thinner softens the plastics and the plastic absorbs the new color. i was originally going to paint it a neutral grey but since the original color is darker i had to paint it white first and i liked it so much i kept it (though it gets dirty far to easy)

Edited by no-success 2005-06-05 9:08 PM

Wow! Nice job!

Sure beats many units with scuffings and scratchings! ... Very nice white overall eh?

hey, interested in modding your 780 LCD to be more readable in sunlight?

shamelessly garnering modders to join in the LCD mod!

It was one of three. 200, 400 or 450 - all the same chassis.

im interested. i was actually thinking about it when i was taking it apart. thought it might be possible to get better backlighting. if you can pm/email me more info on this id be eager to test it out.

my display get kinda grainy film like appearance to it, anyone else have that too?

Edited by no-success 2005-06-06 7:03 PM

no-success, the thread is here:
http://www.hpcfactor.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1396&posts=21