Alucryl - Cnc - 3DFX - heatpipes - Retro PC

[al_bundy]

Hi,
So sorry in advance of my aboriginal really bad english hehe. I come from the banana republic of Germany.

Now i will present my build of my life. I hope u have much antention bcoz u will see over 100 pix. Iam 36years old, and i start with pc things at 1996. In this time i had a 486. But the most nice games didnt worked well at this time bcoz the pc was too weak. My best time was the millennium with Win XP in the time that Sockel A starts . Later i get a new hobby -> Hifi. And much later i open a company. I build watercoolers...

Now i had the possibilities to build a nice retro pc with my cnc machines. Custommade quiet coolingsystem, custommade casecon, custommade pc speakers and Hardware for 3DFX games like Quake, Carmageddon and other games they dont works in D3D. But also Hardware toplay GTA 3 and Co in a high resolution. One of the targets r also Midisound.
All combined in a good design. Material: Copper for the cooler, clear and black Acrylglas and eloxal aluminium. Ok lets start. Version 1.

Asus A7N266-VM
Geforce 2MX
Diamond Monster 3D PCI 4MB
32GB SSD Flashmodul (Kingspec)
Athlon XP 1800+ AXDA 1800 DLT3C
2x 256MB DDR 400 CL3 (Micron 5BG)
DVD UJDA765 Ultraslim DVD Combo
150W Pico PSU
Risercard PCI

Software/Treiber
Windows 98SE
hotfix Q242937.exe
Detenator 56,64
nforce 241
USB driver

uplo...4mft31soqv.jpg

The PC works fine. But i dont have MIDI sound. And sometimes i have some freezes. So i treat the cooling unit and use one more heatpipe. The temperatures r better. But i still have freezes sometimes. And some other issues does exist. But i cant remember. This is why i replaced the Asus A7N-266 VM. Now i use a Biostar M7NCG 400. It have all what i need. But it has a bug. The nforce 2 chipset. Soundlaster emulated dont works. But i didnt know it in this time.

Version 2 Starts. Treated the case that i can use a second PCI Risercard ( the first is for using the Voodoo 1) for a soundcard. I placed the soundcard in the buttom of the case. I select the Soundblaster Live CT 4670. I tried to get Midi with it. But i failed.

1.JPG

Version 3. I still have the freezes, no midisound, and i would like to get more videopower.
So i milled some pockets at the buttom of the tray to being more flexible for soundcards.
Now I can place the soundcard in the buttom of the case in 2 directions. At first I tried the Terratec ESS Solo1. But I failed again.

I bought a Radeon 6800Pro and replace the cooler. I destroy 4pieces of 1mm cuttingtools to mill the passivcooler and the backplate. Actually i try to install the Auriel Vortex 2, and settle the problem with the videocard. I have to use an AGP Risercard for it bcoz i dont have enough space for a videocard. I tried a standard Risercard but it didn’t detect my videocard. I insulate the risercard and finally the pc detect my Radeon 6800Pro. But I have freezes in 3dmark 2001. I will try a factory insulated risercard later and pray that it will works.

And i updated the cooling. Now in this project works 4 heatpipes and i includet the northbridge/IGP. The temperatures r ok.
But i still have freezes. I detect that the picopsu make problems. I changed the pic psu but i still have the same problems. I have less problems if the case is open. So i guess the temperatur in the case is too high for the pico psu. The system works stable with a standard ATX powersuppy. So its strange. I guess i have to install a fan. One fan more to cool the powersupply. The heatsings have a temperatur of 41°C. CPU Temp 49°C.
dT 8K. Its pretty good. The Heatsink have 41°C, so in the case it have almost the same temperatur. I guess its to hot for the pico psu.

This project is really challanging bcoz Software and Hardware have to fits. Actually i invest ~ 400h for CAD and milling the parts and also 400h for Software and drivers... I hope i can finish the project soon. I will try the Auriel Vortex 2, try a new AGP Risercard
and place a fan over the powersupply. I hope i dont get disappointed …. I can work without midisound and without a new videocard. Bcoz i praying for Dosbox to get Midisound hehe. And the games works also fine without high resolution. The IGP Geforce 4MX is not that bad for old games. But the Picopsu have to work... Actually the 2500+ works with 1Ghz. Its stable actually. ... Its so hard to get my dream... ... I hope someone can help me to fix the bugs. … I hope my English is not so ultra bad hehe

Some more Pix... ... Hifi later

 

[al_bundy]

Update:
I had no rest last night and once installed the potentiometer and milled the button. I also placed a 40mm fan over the power supply, which meant that the PC no longer just turned off. Currently at standard clock 1833MHZ 54 ° C CPU temp in the closed case and all fans at full load.

I am fully satisfied. The days will come with a few more cables so that I can control all the fans. If all the fans are running at their lowest speed and the box is stable, I'm more than satisfied. Then next year I only have to install the riser card with the new graphics card on the hardware side. That will be another number because the case temperature will rise again quite a bit due to the graphics card.

The milling of the button was again a bad number. The used Alucast was pretty much smeared. Already after 3 seconds there was built-up edges. So I had to sacrifice a single tooth cutter with a polished flute, which offered suboptimal cutting quality despite the finishing pass. But it doesn't matter. When it is anodized, you can hardly see it. The anodizing takes place in January.

I am currently testing the stability with one of two low-speed fans. So far no problems with 1500MHZ.

The riser card was still in the States Wednesday noon and was here Friday noon.

Kp how they did that .... Anyway. Riser card is built in and the Radeon 6800Pro runs like clockwork.

Currently I am doing more benches because of the fan and the potentiometer. The 40mm power supply fan must turn to 100%.

Otherwise the box will go out again

Currently I'm at 50 ° C @ 1Ghz with Graka. At 1.8Ghz I will probably scratch the 60 ° C mark. Doesn't interfere with the graphics card and CPU.

I hope that both case fans can still turn to 50%. They are then in an inaudible area.

I'm really happy that the riser card works and that the system is now stable. The 40mm fan makes a bit of noise, but ok.

You have to accept a smear. The rotary knob will be anodized in January.

Project Dosbox then later. This is a new big thing for me. I have to have a clear head for that.

So, the 1GB patch for Windows 98SE is now running.

Since I was successful in terms of sound technology with the P4MAM-V, and mobile CPUs with TDP are an option, I bought a P4M with 2.4 GHz. Unfortunately it only ran at 1.2Ghz. The fault is a fixed multi on 10. The Celerons don't have that. So I bought a Celeron that also ran at 2Ghz. However, I can't set Vcore in the bios. So I had to use a soldering iron.

I had to unsolder an SMD resistor (R22), which didn't seem that easy at first because the component is only about 1x2mm in size. But in practice it wasn't a problem. In addition, the IC (Hip6302) that is responsible for the Vcore must be modified. To be precise, a pin needs to be removed. VID 4. This gives us a fixed Vcore of 1.2V

In practice, with a standard 1.6V core, I have a power consumption of 85W under load. After the Vcoremod I am now at a very good 60W under load. That means around 25W less TDP, which helps me extremely. Because of the high housing temperature, cooling is an extremely important factor so that the power supply does not break down. At 60W I am even slightly below the value of a Mobile Bartons 1800+ without any major loss of performance. (previous configuration)

In the meantime I have dismantled everything again and am now waiting until I can measure the board. The heat pipe cooler and a new IOShild for the case/board are then constructed. Finally, the recording for the Msata module must be constructed as a new hard drive as well as the sound card.

This would mean that my retro dream PC would be finished and fully functional, which after 9 years is about time. lol
Big thanks to TZK who told me that I should unsolder the R22 and raise pin 1 on the HIP6302.

 

[al_bundy]

Things aren't looking bad for project completion. I would like to complete the project by the end of the year. I did some tests with the MSI P4MAM-V, especially with a V-mod where you have to unsolder an IC pin from the mainboard in order to reduce the Vcore in the BIOS. The Mobile Celeron 2.5Ghz is fast enough for all applications.



So I measured the board and inserted it into the case in CAD. Furthermore, there should now also be FrontUSB, the ENSonic SB128 PCI was installed and the cooling was updated. I will have to mill new radiator bodies for the CPU and chipset and I will use 2 pieces. Continue to use the 5mm heat pipes that are currently in there. I still have to order a 6mm pipe.



It looks like a new window needs to be put in because the power supply has moved to a different location. The fan must be placed directly above the power supply. Unfortunately. It is too hot in the case for the power supply. Allegedly. By changing the platform I save about 20W TDP. In addition, normal ram modules can no longer be installed because they collide with the graphics card. So I had to organize low profile RAM that I found at Electromyne. Currently there are 2 pieces. PC3200 512MB modules in it. Unfortunately they are no longer available on the market. However, I found 256MB modules at Elektromyne. That's enough for everything I want to do. The highest requirement is GTA Vice City.



The Msata 256GB still gives me a bit of a headache. The system lags a bit every now and then. I'll have to see if it's actually the disk and if so, whether it can be patched somehow. There are now 2 spare parts for each component. If something breaks, I can easily replace it. The exception is a PCI riser card of which I only have a replacement card and the AGP riser card from the States which is completely overpriced at 100 USD. But I hope that everything will last for the next 20 years.



Definitely no advantage if you're stuck in the early 2000s. You waste a lot of money and time on electronic waste. But at least we got there soon. Dos works, 3DFX support and games up to 2005 can be played smoothly with the highest compatibility. Incl. Midisound/FMSynth. It's probably one of the longest PC projects ever but whatever. Looks good, is quiet and fun.



I'll try to mill the 3 aluminum parts next month. Then I can send them to the Nickler and have the parts anodized straight away. Among other things, the rotary knob of the pot.

 

[A I]

Amazing work, I love some good CNC action, thanks.

 

[michalrz]

Absolutely beautiful.
So simple and yet so cute looking. I never thought a k7 era system could look so modern.

I watched the photos with my mouth wide open. And when I saw that you almost started over after the first two unstable boards... wow. Very nice details on the copper.

Hi,
So sorry in advance of my aboriginal really bad english hehe. I come from the banana republic of Germany.

I died after reading this and had to be revived by the paramedics.

Detenator 56,64

TOTAL RECALL

But i still have freezes sometimes. And some other issues does exist. But i cant remember. This is why i replaced the Asus A7N-266 VM. Now i use a Biostar M7NCG 400.

I realize you ultimately went with that Celeron board, but you sound like a man who knows how to replace electrolytic capacitors on a board.
It is VERY possible that your stability problems could have disappeared if you did that.

I detect that the picopsu make problems. I changed the pic psu but i still have the same problems.

Can you check the available Amperage on that PSU's "rails"? During the Socket A days, there was a gradual shift from using mainly the 5V rail to using the 12V rail more in newer releases. You might have found yourself on the "wrong" side of things with that PicoPSU.

As for the "shielding" for the Riser, may I suggest a roll of adhesive copper tape? It comes in many widths and would look much cleaner while still retaining the same functionality (or even improving upon it).

 

[Westwood]

dude.

wow.

 

[al_bundy]

Hello, I'm actually an electronics noob. But I can soldering

The Socket A system works well with the Picopsu.
Unfortunately, the system froze very often after changing the heat pipe (I did this to get better temperatures), but I didn't think about the psu. The temperatures at the cpu was lower, but in the case the temperature increased. The picu psu don't like it.

When I installed the 6800Pro, the case continued to heat up bcoz i got 20w more TDP. And there were even more freezes. I knew then that I had to take care of the PSU. Even with a 150W PSU I had the same problems. However, the system only draws around 85W from the socket. So no problem with the psu. Then I checked the temperature of the psu and the fans switched to 100%. Strange, the system works stable if I don't use the top. We still talk about Socket A. So I was sure its a temperature problem. This is why I placed a small fan in top of the psu. And congrats. It works stable.

The problem with Socket A, especially the nforce chipset, doesn't support Midisound/Fmsynth. This is why I replaced the socket A system to an Intel system. And with the via p4m266a chipset I got midi sound. Finally.

The biggest problem at this project was finding the right hardware and the right drivers. I checked more than 7 pci soundcards, also the expensive Auriel Vortex 2 (150-200USD). And it have to work with the Vortex 2. But it didn't. The problem was the nforce chipset.

The 3DFX card was also not that easy. I tried first the Voodoo 3 3000. Nice for games from 1998-2002 but it didn't work fine with older games -> Shadow Warrior, GLQuake, GTA ect. pp. So i tried a Voodoo 2. The Voodoo 2 has driver issues in Windows 98SE. So I tried the Voodoo Banchee. Really bad 3DFX card. Very bad compatibility. In the end I had just one choice. Voodoo 1 with 4MB. I wasn't happy about that, but I'm satisfied now bcoz the old games support the videocard and the performance is still good enough. No problem at all with Windows 98SE. Newer Games i play with the 6800Pro. And the mierda driver... each Card, videocard and also soundcard I have to try 4-5 different drivers on Windows 98Se and Windows 95. And this in a time who this hardware is died already since 20 years. Windows 95 is also really bad compared to Windows 98SE. The 6800Pro was also strange. I want to use an X300SE. I bought that card and checked that no drivers for Windows 98SE does exist. So I checked the internet for another card. The 6800Pro was good. Good performance, Windows 98SE support, enough performance and less power consumption. The last one is important bcoz i have a small pico psu.

Board also, I tried the Asus A7N 266VM. I can't remember why I changed. I replaced it to another board (I can't remember what) and later to a Biostar M7NCG400. And it works fine except the midi sound. I guess i changed the A7N266VM bcoz the ssd flash module was not supported or the board didnt support mobile Socket A CPU's. Anyway. I changed to Socket 478. I tried also 3 boards, but in the end I choose the Msi P4MAM-V bcoz everything works fine at this board and I can undervolt the cpu. It helps by the thermal management and my pico psu.

It was horrible a lot of work. Just the drivers, I guess I spend more than 150-200h. Find new ones, looking for patches, benchmarking etc. pp. It was more work behind the scenes than just building the case. So the research what kind of hardware i need. No one can tell u if a SSD flash module works on these boards at Windows 95/98SE. The same with the MSATA modul and most of the peoples didnt understand why the Vortex 2 didnt works. Just one or two people at Vogons told me that's impossible. This is really the build of my life. I started 10years ago. Every several years an update and now it seems like iam almost finish

The AGP riser card is finished. It looks silver yes, but I have to bear it It doesn't bother me. I should buy a second one, but iam poor. Peoples should buy more waterblocks from me lol.

The next project is an Watercoolingproject with some new and amazing features. aRGB, special distroplate a just one Fullcoverwaterblock for Mainbaord CPU and GPU. I need a lot of Acetal, Acrylglass, Polycarbonate and Aluminium for the casecon.
And i will try that noone see some ugly cables. The System based on an I5 13600KF, 32GB PC6000 and an Vega RX56 ( really good performance for 90€) and 2pieces of M2 SSD with 2TB.

Give me a minute to Upload pix of the Soundsystem.

 

[al_bundy]

Ok, lets start to present the fullactive 2way speakers. The speakers called CT227MK II.
The developer use a 3inch bass/midrange driver with an aluminiummembrane ( I don’t like Aluminiummembrane. It sounds to fat…). The bass for realmusic is almost enough. But for electronic u need a subwoofer. Later more… And he use a 18mm titancoated tweeter ( I don’t like aluminium, and titan coated tweeter. They sounds to aggressive). I don’t change the speaker housing for this project but I build it a little bit bigger, but in separate cell to place the china amplifier. Its just a small one for small speakers. The material is MDF und walnut veneer and black leather + nickel plated copper and 2 small polished black acrylparts. At the buttons its still not finish yet even iam almost finish since 8 years. Hehe. Iam too busy But later I will print some covers for it. Ok lets see the pictures.

The Subwoofer. Now I have more skills in hifi, I know what I like, have more experience then 2013 so i can build better laudspeakers. I select an Omnes Audio SW5.01. I simulate the subwoofer in Winisd. The result is a 7l vented housing. Port: 150 x 30mm. The simulation said I will get 37hz @ -3db. Its pretty good for a small 5 Inch subwoofer. It fits perfect to my CT 227MKII.

I use a lot of material, the cover and the base r 35mm thick. I use also Walnut and black leather. This subwoofer I build few month before. I and my neighbours really have fun with the Subwoofer hehe. I use also a small Chinaactivemodul. I tested it before @ my SW6.01 ( it’s a 6inch Subwoofer in a 14l vented housing. For a normal use is a 6 Inch subwoofer sufficient. Since I have the SW601 I never use my 12inch Subwoofer in a 70l vented housing hehe). The 5 Inch subwoofer is a little bit limited in level. Buts its fine. Its just for a pc.

Now iam done

Btw.
Wanna see the project of the ESX QXE6D2 in a bandpass? chi*** tu madre i waste so many time and money to follow my longings :-(

 

[al_bundy]

Hi,

almost done with milling. Everything what i could check, i checked already and it fits.

Update to a new board, CPU, MSata SSD and new cooling unit + an external soundcard and front USB.

 

[wra18th]

This is just amazing!! I'm nerding out here, damn

 

[al_bundy]

Hi, finally iam done. Naja almost. 3things r at my todolist.

The pc cant have a restart. If I restart the pc, the pc will shutdown and then I get a blackscreen. Need to mill a new Window bcoz I don’t need a fan at the top of the powersupply. Some driverissues with the Voodoo1. Tomb Raider 2 and Redident Evil works. Older Games like Carmageddon or Shadow Warrior don’t works L



But iam satisfied so far. And the next update will follow in a couple of years. The system works and looking good and I don’t have coolingproblems even I expect some.



The start of the marriage was not easy. Some Blackscreens or some other issues. Voltmod is suddenly impossible. Pc don’t starts and turn off right away L So I choose my replacementboard No. 2. I ordered some SMD resistors and will solder the resistor at the board I removed it last year. Then the board should be work again. Even not, don’t worry. I ordered one of the last boards at the market last night from romania. Then I have 3 boards again if something will broken.



The temps r pretty good. Chipset 57°C under load and CPU max 60°C under load.

Powerconsumption should be more less than the Sockel A system bcoz the powersupply don’t need a fan. It makes me easier to replace the Casewindow in a couple of years.



After the benchmarks I tested the Midisound in Blood with the SB128 PCI. And it works fine without any problem. So its an improvement compared to the last update J And of course I love the front USB especially for different kind of gamepads and USB stick.



The Msata SSD 256GB is also a big advantages compared to the 32gb SSDflashmodul. I guess I will not get problems with diskspace anymore. Overall, the update was completely successful and iam totally satisfied with the result. And no needs to suffer in future of still working at this project. The driverproblem with the 3DFX card is not a big deal. Also the dont working restart… I don’t care… And the new window is just a cosmetic problem. No needs to be in rush for the next improvement.



Attached the last pix for the moment:

 

[DogsofJune]

That's pretty nice work sir. I appreciate you sharing the pics and info.

I look forward to seeing more

 

[travm]

How did I miss this! Sign me up

 

[al_bundy]

Hi, the first P4MAM works again. Some years ago I removed Pin 1 from an IC and a small SMD resistor from the board. In this time I had used a moble Celerons and can adjust the voltage. Some month ago, I tested the system again and I had a blackscreen. Then I took an original P4MAM and everything works fine. So my task was repairing the first P4MAM.



Soldering the pin 1 at the IC was not the problem with my tools. But for the SMD resistor, my tools was too big. I asked in an other forum what I need to buy. One question and 200 useless answers. So I made my 2mm solderingtip smaller. Around 0.5mm. Now it should works to solder the resistor at the board. And it did. It looks not nice, coz I used too much solder, but at least it works. The blackscreen turned into a normal screen and I can go into the bios.



I didn’t made a burn in test. But it will follow after my 3 other boards died.

I soldered a smd resister already at a cpu last year. With this tip, I had need 4h. I told to me: Never again with such kind of tip. This is why I grinding the original Tip to smaller dimensions. And it works absolutely fine. After 10min I was done. 10 miniutes later I was happy coz the action was successful.



The new window is still on the waitinglist. I guess minimum the next 2-3 years. The driverissues does still exist by the 3DFX Voodoo1. The inofficial 3DFX support of Germany said that a Voodoo 2 is a better choice. But I had just problems with this card. Lets see whats up. May be I will order a new Voodoo 2 if I cant solve the problem with the driver of the Voodoo1.