Clearance Issues: HELP!

[Ubermouser]

I'm completely stumped, and need your help.. I would like to know how to get the plugs for THIS device

To fit under THIS radiator. The Motherboard is currently on a sliding tray, and needs to slide in about an inch more for it to be fully mounted.

Any help would be vastly appreciated, since this is the only problem stopping me from using the QPACK that plays like a fullsize.. Thanks in advance!

 

[Qtip42]

It's hard to see the full problem here so take some shots a little further away and try to make them a bit sharper or with more light.

 

[Ubermouser]

How do I fit this row of connectors ( a speaker connector is shown for size comparison) under the large black radiator?

Another good view below. That, and I Really love my camera.

**EDIT**
Showing the same problem on the other side of the case, where the Floppy connector is simply too tall to fit under the radiator. Is there anything that can be done?

 

[sn3ak3rp1mp]

I don't see modding all of those connectors as an option (so far I have front panel header pins, SATA connectors, floppy connector) so you'll need to move the radiator out of the way of the motherboard. Can you get the radiator any higher? It looks like you used a fan shroud to get it up in the air in the first place...

 

[Darkala]

the answer is simple, desolder the connectors and solder the wires directly to the board. easy fix!

 

[sn3ak3rp1mp]

the answer is simple, desolder the connectors and solder the wires directly to the board. easy fix!

So the SATA cables would be soldered to the mobo? I don't see that working as a solution for this person...

 

[Ubermouser]

Sata isnt a problem, its the Floppy cable and the power on / speaker / led switches.

Is there a Floppy cable around that has an incredibly small top clearance?

 

[jackofalltrades]

Can you raise the radiator higher?

 

[RavenD]

Is the floppy even necessary? Only thing its still used for is BIOS flashes. Hook up a floppy drive if you need to flash the bios. As for the other, it might be possible to cut the connectors to shorten them, and have them still fit on the pins, but I cant tell from the photo.

 

[Ubermouser]

Can you raise the radiator higher?

the floppy drive is NOT necessary, and is my fallback plan to simply ditch it if I cannot find a solution. the I/O pins, however, ARE necessary, and require a solution. Tonight I'm going to see if them floppy drives really need the top half of the connector enclosure.. hopefully thats not where the connectors are actually... *ahem* connected.

That, and i'm going to see if I can bend the I/O pins without ruining them.

EDIT*** Preliminary testing.

It seems there are some major problems - shorts. I could easily see all of these wires shorting out, and I dont have a solution yet. Perhaps wrapping them in something extremely flexible.. but even then it may be a problem. It seems I may just get this computer running tonight

 

[Sanction]

You can also get a 90 deg angle pin header and replace the one on your mobo. You could use the same thing to tilt the floppy connector, though you'd lose the plastic surround.

 

[uzor]

Well, replace your floppy with something like this that plugs into one of your USB headers instead of your floppy connector. For the IDE connector, do something similar, like using one of these to connect your IDE device to another free SATA port (assuming you have one) elsewhere on the motherboard. As for the mobo header pins, I think if you're careful, you should be able to bend the pins so that the cables slide on at an angle relative to the board (instead of perpendicular) and can slide under the rad.

Or raise the rad some more like others have suggested.

::edit::
but when you bend the header pins, keep the plastic shroud on the cables instead of removing the individual pins like you have...you should be able to plug the cable in and then bend the entire thing over a bit...carefully.

 

[Ubermouser]

Well, replace your floppy with something like this that plugs into one of your USB headers instead of your floppy connector. For the IDE connector, do something similar, like using one of these to connect your IDE device to another free SATA port (assuming you have one) elsewhere on the motherboard. As for the mobo header pins, I think if you're careful, you should be able to bend the pins so that the cables slide on at an angle relative to the board (instead of perpendicular) and can slide under the rad.

Or raise the rad some more like others have suggested.

::edit::
but when you bend the header pins, keep the plastic shroud on the cables instead of removing the individual pins like you have...you should be able to plug the cable in and then bend the entire thing over a bit...carefully.

Interestingly enough, I have that Mitsumi Drive, and it still requires a Floppy Drive. The Card reader is the only part of that equipment which actually uses the USB drive. Stupid, I know.

I now have all the IDE, I/O and Floppy cables plugged in to the best of their ability, but for the life of me I cant seem to get the cpu heatsink in! It simply wont lie flat; its always at a ~15 degree angle, such that only a small section of the heatsink actually touches the processor. Quite annoying.

 

[croquet hustler]

It seems there are some major problems - shorts. I could easily see all of these wires shorting out, and I dont have a solution yet. Perhaps wrapping them in something extremely flexible.. but even then it may be a problem.

you might try wrapping them with heat shrink tubing after you bend them,
its flexible and thin enough that it should work, allow for a nice fit, as well as leave the end open to put on the prongs.

 

[uzor]

Interestingly enough, I have that Mitsumi Drive, and it still requires a Floppy Drive. The Card reader is the only part of that equipment which actually uses the USB drive. Stupid, I know.

I now have all the IDE, I/O and Floppy cables plugged in to the best of their ability, but for the life of me I cant seem to get the cpu heatsink in! It simply wont lie flat; its always at a ~15 degree angle, such that only a small section of the heatsink actually touches the processor. Quite annoying.

Well, then I linked poorly. I know that they make units like that that have the floppy drive part running from the USB header as well, and I was intending to link one such as that. In any event, an internally USB connected floppy device should fit that part of the bill nicely.

 

[Darkala]

yeah i didnt think SATA was a problem, use a USB floppy and solder those wires straight to the board. or if you can cut out the mobo tray on the back desolder the header and solder it to the back of the board....