ItвЂ™s not easy to erase an incorrect hole! Remember the old adage вЂ“ measure twice, cut once. You can print the template on a self-adhesive label, stick the label on the 5.25вЂќ faceplace and use it as a drilling guide for a drill press.

Do not try to use a laser cutter to cut PVC, the chlorine gas created by burning PVC is poisonous! If you donвЂ™t have access to a laser cutter you can drill the holes by hand. My faceplate had an internal marking that it was ABS plastic which is compatible with the laser cutter. All of my experiments and measurements were done on index cards before I cut the plastic faceplate. IвЂ™ve got access to a laser cutter which made the job a bit easier. I went through a couple of iterations before I made a precise cutout. I measured the distance from the first LED to the last and then divide by the number of LEDs, with the (correct) assumption that the LEDs were evenly spaced. I started by drawing a template in Inkscape. Drilling the holes for my VU meterвЂ™s LEDs was the biggest challenge in this project. TheyвЂ™re pretty ordinary plastic and easy to drill or cut for DIY projects. Faceplates are rarely interchangeable among different computer cases though.

I had a couple of spare 5.25вЂќ faceplates, from when I installed the DVD drive and Media Dashboard as well as the faceplate from bay which I decided to use for this project.

Vu meter pc software