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The ROG Battle Station by Chas Burkhart

ChasBurkhart
Level 7
The ROG Battle Station
By Chas Burkhart


Welcome to my concept and build log of the ROG Battle Station. This setup was created with around 100 hours of modding and building including the ROG Air 240. The design and theme of both were inspired by the Republic of Gamers. I enjoyed the look of my ROG Air 240 build with the Maximus IV Gene-Z at its center and wanted the rest of my setup to match as well.

Below is the original pic from the ROG Global Facebook post of my ROG Battle Station. I never believed it would lead to what it has and have ASUS ROG to thank for everything. What a great company and team, I can't thank them enough. A great group of people that are Gamers, Builders, Modders, Overclockers and Enthusiast. This is what connects us all and I will always be a Loyal ROG Fan. I have chosen to Join the Republic
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I originally wanted to replace my old beaten oak desk with a new one but couldn’t find any with the same storage capabilities on the cheap. The desk and hutch are approximately 60 inches wide X 62 inches tall X 26 inches deep not counting the keyboard tray. It has a bunch or storage options between the drawers, cabinets and hutch so replacing it with another desk that offered as much was well over $600. So I decided to keep and remodel the desk then customize it to match the ROG Theme. Below is a detailed description of the ROG Battle Station build log and Specs. Sorry I do not have the actual pictures for stage 1 of the project.
Build log


I started by heading to my local Sherwin-Williams paint shop and purchasing the materials to remodel the desk. I chose a 1” angled brush for cutting in corners and a mini roller set with black foam rollers for an ultra-smooth finish. For the paint prep I purchased paint thinner, Simple Green Surface Prep, rags and 600 grain sanding blocks. In order for the paint to adhere to the wood I would need a good bonding primer and started with All Surface Enamel Latex Primer.
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For paint selection I used two types, three finishes and two colors. The paint was All Surface Enamel Latex in red with a gloss finish for the trim and All Surface Enamel Latex black in a satin finish for the surfaces. The main desk body I used Exterior Latex in black with a flat finish. The All Surface Enamel Latex has a long cure time but is great for surfaces where you will be sliding monitors, keyboards and other peripherals like the G27 Racing Wheel that tend to bite into the surface. The ASEL is a sturdy paint and worth the $20 a quart when used with the ASEL Primer.
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To prep the desk I removed all of the desk hardware then used Simple Green Surface Prep to wash the entire desk down several times until I was sure all wax and dirt were removed. Using the paint thinner I also wiped down the entire desk to remove any remaining residue. Meticulously went through all of the divots and dents in the desk and filled them with standard wood filler and small plastic scrapper. Then using the 600 grain sanding blocks sanded the entire desk from top to bottom until I had a perfectly smooth surface. One last cleaning with the paint thinner and I then left the desk to dry overnight.
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With the 1” brush and mini roller setup I applied the first coat of primer and let it dry thoroughly. Used the 1” brush to cut in all of the corners and edges with a thin layer of primer then follow through with the sponge mini roller with even slow passes until you have covered the area. Note make sure not to apply too much pressure to the roller since this will cause roller tracks in the paint.
After that I repeated the sanding process removing any blemishes from the brush or paint passes. Repeated the process with primer and sanding until I had two smooth coats of primer sealing the oak and creating a good base for the paint to adhere. After which I wiped it down again with a dry cloth to remove any dust. The black foam rollers applied a very smooth coat and required much less sanding than expected.
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For the plastic and metal desk hardware I used Krylon Supermaxx Gloss Banner, Red. Wiped the items down thoroughly with paint thinner and made sure they were completely clean. I then applied the spray paint which requires no primer with several light coats giving each about a 2 hour dry time before the next. Even dry the hardware appeared wet with the gloss finish.

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Once the primer had cured I again wiped the desk down removing any dust or debris from overnight. I applied 3 coats of each paint type to all of the surfaces waiting for each paint type and color to dry before applying the next. I spent the total of 3 days painting the desk until it was complete due to the dry times between the coats. The finish turned out perfect and the desk almost seemed to absorb any light giving it that menacing look. The desk hardware was installed back to the desk and it became evident that the red stood out and really matched the ROG theme but it still wasn’t enough.

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When building the ROG Air 240 I wanted some ROG logos in red and black to finish the looks of the build and stumbled across this ROG themed desk that I loved on a ROG decal in an eBay auction. The desk had these circuit board decals that I decided I wanted for the desk in red. Turned out he also made custom vinyl decals so he created my red circuit boards and various ROG decals for the full setup except for a couple ROG logos I cut by hand. Below is a link to Darrin’s build logs and also to his vinyl webpage which he does custom decals to your specs and does excellent work.

http://customvinyldesign.tictail.com/

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/220283-custom-triple-monitor-computer-asus-rog-table-build-log-...


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I separated the circuit board layout decals into sections then cut and fit them to the hutch and hutch cabinets with painters tape until I had them exactly where I wanted them. I centered the decals using blue painters tape so it wouldn’t leave a residue on the new paint finish. Once the backing is removed from large decals always make sure to align them exactly before applying them. Then place one edge while working your way outward using a driver’s license or credit card and holding the tail outward. Once applied patiently work all of the wrinkles and air bubbles out of the vinyl. Remove the top layer slowly while pulling as close to the decal as possible.

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With all vinyl decals in place I decided that I also needed larger ROG logos on the desk to make it match the ROG Air 240 even further. I had previously purchased a couple sections of vinyl in red and black from eBay for $10 and used these for the large ROG decals. I printed out the ROG eye off of my inkjet print in the size I wanted on card stock. I then cut the image out using an X-acto knife, painters tape and patients creating a ROG stencil. Then I taped the vinyl securely in place to a cardboard box and taped the stencil over the vinyl. Then with about 10 minutes of slow cuts I had a 4” ROG logo. Repeated this until I had the 3 ROG logos and applied them the same as I had for the circuit board decals and previous ROG decals.

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With the decorations complete I reinstalled all of my cabling and peripherals and added a single RED LED light behind the monitor. This gave it the perfect slight glow and wasn’t distracting or overwhelming. Since the Air 240 has not optical bay I also added an ASUS external DVD burner and an additional USB 3.0 hub. I decided to hide this under the right cabinet door leaving enough room for disks and USB drives. This also marked the completion of the ROG Battle Station. With the planning and hard work on the ROG Battle Station the finished results were well worth the $200 total for supplies.

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The ROG Battle Station and my passion have led me all the way to Taiwan, Computex, ASUS Headquarters and great friendships. The memories of everyone and being a part of something bigger will always be with me and never forgotten. Sometimes it pays to be a Loyal Fan ... Join the Republic, Game on! Chas Burkhart
8,228 Views
6 REPLIES 6

adiath
Level 7
Yeah Chas, that Build very popular & awesome.
One of best ROG build that i ever seen. Hope someday can go to US and visit you so i can directly see some of your builds.

adiath wrote:
Yeah Chas, that Build very popular & awesome.
One of best ROG build that i ever seen. Hope someday can go to US and visit you so i can directly see some of your builds.

Thanks adiath I really appreciate that! Would love to have you over for a week long lan party on some of my builds!

Bahz
Level 13
It's great to learn all the details behind this awesome build, thanks for sharing this with us 🙂

Bahz wrote:
It's great to learn all the details behind this awesome build, thanks for sharing this with us 🙂

Very welcome .. I wanted people to realize it doesn't take a bunch of money to great battle stations 🙂

brkkab123
Level 7
Looks awesome.
I have a question for you. Could you make me a ROG badge for my NZXT Phantom 820's magnetic door that cobers my optical drives. I'll pay for it.

brkkab123 wrote:
Looks awesome.
I have a question for you. Could you make me a ROG badge for my NZXT Phantom 820's magnetic door that cobers my optical drives. I'll pay for it.

My friend Darrin will be more than glad to hook you up. He is great with vinyl trust me.. does great work! http://customvinyldesign.tictail.com/