In my never-ending quest to pimp my AEKII, I've been thinking of a project to create new AEKII top cases, that could be 3D printed and custom sanded/painted/whatever however one wished. This would allow for things like:
* An all aluminium AEKII top case!
* Fancy silver or gold-plated top cases
* Printing in any colour plastic one wants
Creating a 3D model of the AEKII to case would also allow for additional customisation such as:
1) The long-since-unnecessary nubs for anchoring of Function key overlays could be removed, for a sleeker look.
2) The depression for the rainbow Apple logo could be replaced with a simpler etched Apple logo depression, a raised Apple logo, or removed entirely.
3) Additional tabs could be added along the edges to reduce looseness and create a firmer fit with the bottom case (see
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=113072.0)
4) The top case could be produced thicker than the original, reducing case flex
5) The num/caps/scroll lock LED windows, which mostly don't function right with ADB to USB converters, could be eliminated entirely if wanted.
I believe the reasonable first step would be getting a high quality 3D scan of the top case plastic, at which point 3D modelers could clean up the scan and, when it's ready, proceed to a test print and further refinements. I'm aware that this process could get expensive, so after the modeling is done, I'll probably set up a group buy for higher-end cases (like metal prints) to recoup (at least some of) costs.
I may even try to hire the person who made this model, as its attention to detail is quite high:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2740927Any thoughts? Is this a hopeless pipe-dream, or should it be feasible? Would anyone be interested in the finished product (i.e. a customisable AEKII top case)?
