u/Home_theater_dad

any suggestions?

my custom case mod project for the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 (Ryzen AI Max+ 395). I’m adapting it to work natively with a magnetic keyboard case stand, but the stock kickstand geometry makes standard mounting a pain.

To solve the airflow restrictions and clear the ports, I flipped the Z13 180 degrees (upside down, camera facing down). It keeps the top thermal exhaust completely unblocked by the stand, and the OEM keyboard can still fold over cleanly for transport.

For my initial test, I used thin Gorilla double-sided tape to attach the actual steel backing plate and rubber trim that I salvaged directly out of a Dexnor case (tore down the original backing and sanded it flush). It holds perfectly, but tape isn't a permanent solution.

Next step: I'm designing a 3D-printed snap-on clip sleeve on my Flashforge printer to slide over the stock Z13 kickstand panel. It will feature an internal recess pocket to trap the salvaged Dexnor steel plate completely inside a thin 0.4mm layer of plastic, creating a completely flush, clean mechanical interface without any messy glues or tape.

Has anyone designed custom structural slip-sleeves or tension clips for the Z13 kickstand? Would love to hear your thoughts on tolerances or wall thickness to keep the hinge tension smooth.

I have another photo of the backplate that I will be duplicating but I need to adjust the height so the kickstand can be used without the need to remove the plate.

I’m about to grab my Forge batteries and fire the modified stick vac up. Might not be a piece of crap after all.

I bypassed my ISP’s BGW320-500 gateway entirely with a $108 WAS-110 XGS-PON ONU stick plugged straight into a TP-Link BE33000 mesh system — and it made a real difference: 15–20% more consistent speed test results and slightly lower latency (now pulling 5.09 Gbps down / 4.89 Gbps up).

Lesson learned: no amount of tweaking NIC settings, MTU, IP passthrough, or DMZ on the gateway ever really helps. I wasted plenty of time and money swapping mesh systems and flipping between router/AP modes, and any gains were coincidental.

In the end, cutting the ISP gateway out of the path completely was the fix — and for once I didn’t waste money.

The BE95 is a beast — APs 60 feet apart in separate rooms and the wireless backhaul still pushes 4 Gbps. Makes you wonder why anyone bothers with wired backhaul. (I’m obviously still going to run it.)

Maybe it’s time for Us Americans to create our own version.

One of the guys pulling network and fiber runs to a wiring closet in our new building asked why I use different‑colored keystones in the patch panels—he’d never seen anyone do that in a rack before. I started doing this while cleaning up a previous contractor’s installation and replaced Meracki/ubiquiti with Omada ecosystem to keep the closets from getting out of control. I standardized everything with a color‑coded scheme and a legend so vendors can follow it during installs. Honestly, it would be great if omada switches had an extra RGB LED per port that lit up according to the VLAN color.

I’m rearranging the rack in the photo next week. Since more equipment is being added, I’m moving everything into a deeper rack. I’m also restacking the layout so each group follows the same pattern: 24‑port patch panel → 24 cables → switch, then repeat.

Anyone have suggestion’s. I’m always open to methods that can help keep these closets under control.

Anyone still reading — the only reason I used the ER605 instead of the other gateway models I have (i have all of them on hand) is because I wanted to use the 3D‑printed ER605/OC220 rack‑mount enclosure that I couldn’t bring myself to toss out. less

I finally got tired of dealing with the contractor’s messy network setup—a mix of Meraki and UniFi access points—so I’m moving the entire ecosystem across all locations to Omada. Sorting out the cable runs has been anything but simple. And yes… that is a can of RedBull on top the rack.

Broke a shoelace today and found a replacement.
Today the network kept me on my toes.