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Custom Aluminum Case
- Thread starter Aqua_Geek
- Start date
rogue_jedi
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2002
- Messages
- 4,821
ouch... that sucks. you could probably take it to a metal shop and get it re-fastened if you can't do it yourself.
Here's some pics of the motherboard tray:
The motherboard tray, sitting on top of the G5 case. This is basically where the tray will be positioned in the case. Note that there is now only about 1" between the tray and the bottom panel of the case.
The motherboard tray, flipped around and facing the case. The red line is the approximate cutting line at this point.
The motherboard tray sitting on top of the case, again basically where it will be positioned (relative to the top and bottom of the case) in the case.
OK, now on to the newly-created issues.
First: the PSU. With this tray only leaving 1" at the bottom, putting a 1U PSU in there might be a tight squeeze. I suppose I can move it flush with the removable side panel wall. Also notice that the I/O ports go almost to the bottom of the tray, so I'd also have to move it toward the front of the case to allow clearance. Is this the best option?
Second: the cutting of the tray. If you look at the bottom picture, you'll notice that the red line runs right down the left side of the right-hand fan grill. After looking at it, I came up with the idea of moving the line left until it was vertical from the rivet. This would put the cut right down the middle of the two grills. However, because of the AGP/PCI slots I would still have to cut off the right grill. The grills are a separate assembly which is screwed on to the main case, so they can easily be removed from the case. Cutting the right one off the assembly will be difficult but do-able. Even after I did cut it off, I would still need to remove the bottom half of the left one. Actually, I suppose I could just remove the whole assembly altogether and just get a new grill. That would be the easiest route other than the fact that the lower portion of the grill has to go to allow the tray to fit. Right now I'm leaning toward hacking the right one off and the bottom half of the left one.
Suggestions? Insights? Comments?
The motherboard tray, sitting on top of the G5 case. This is basically where the tray will be positioned in the case. Note that there is now only about 1" between the tray and the bottom panel of the case.
The motherboard tray, flipped around and facing the case. The red line is the approximate cutting line at this point.
The motherboard tray sitting on top of the case, again basically where it will be positioned (relative to the top and bottom of the case) in the case.
OK, now on to the newly-created issues.
First: the PSU. With this tray only leaving 1" at the bottom, putting a 1U PSU in there might be a tight squeeze. I suppose I can move it flush with the removable side panel wall. Also notice that the I/O ports go almost to the bottom of the tray, so I'd also have to move it toward the front of the case to allow clearance. Is this the best option?
Second: the cutting of the tray. If you look at the bottom picture, you'll notice that the red line runs right down the left side of the right-hand fan grill. After looking at it, I came up with the idea of moving the line left until it was vertical from the rivet. This would put the cut right down the middle of the two grills. However, because of the AGP/PCI slots I would still have to cut off the right grill. The grills are a separate assembly which is screwed on to the main case, so they can easily be removed from the case. Cutting the right one off the assembly will be difficult but do-able. Even after I did cut it off, I would still need to remove the bottom half of the left one. Actually, I suppose I could just remove the whole assembly altogether and just get a new grill. That would be the easiest route other than the fact that the lower portion of the grill has to go to allow the tray to fit. Right now I'm leaning toward hacking the right one off and the bottom half of the left one.
Suggestions? Insights? Comments?
CrimandEvil
Dick with a heart of gold
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2003
- Messages
- 19,670
Kind of in a hurry here so a quicky post:
It looks like the case lock is going to be in the way alittle, maybe shorten the metal above the PCI risers alittle more?
It looks like the case lock is going to be in the way alittle, maybe shorten the metal above the PCI risers alittle more?
CrimandEvil
Dick with a heart of gold
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2003
- Messages
- 19,670
Okay I had the time to look over it and think that maybe you could either mount the PSU above the I/O area or in the HD space or you could extend the leads and mount it closer to the front.
It looks like you could drill out the rivets and make your own mount using a cut aluminum sheet like how you have it. That way you don't have to worry about the grills.
It looks like you could drill out the rivets and make your own mount using a cut aluminum sheet like how you have it. That way you don't have to worry about the grills.
OK, so you're suggesting I drill out the rivets on the mobo tray and then make a custom back plate out of a sheet of Al? I don't follow how that would solve my problem with the grills. It's not the tray that's the problem - I can cut it to whatever shape I want (provided there's room for the lock); it's the I/O area - its height will cause it to run right through the left grill. Could you clarify what you meant by this for me?
Thanks.
CrimandEvil
Dick with a heart of gold
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- Oct 22, 2003
- Messages
- 19,670
Okay.
What I meant was that it looks like the case is going to get hacked up alittle (half of a fan mount?) so I was thinking that you could do the custom back plate to help "streamline" the look. But now that I'm thinking about it agian I think that since the case would start the look funny from behind so I like the idea of creating a custom backplate that covers a majority of the case and mount a standard PSU right above the I/O area since it looks like you'd have to cut into that area too. Then again some HSF are pretty tall and you probably won't get the clearance for it..Damn now I'm confused by what I said.
Okay I understand what I'm trying to say. Mount a standard PSU above the CPU like how the G4 case is like.
What I meant was that it looks like the case is going to get hacked up alittle (half of a fan mount?) so I was thinking that you could do the custom back plate to help "streamline" the look. But now that I'm thinking about it agian I think that since the case would start the look funny from behind so I like the idea of creating a custom backplate that covers a majority of the case and mount a standard PSU right above the I/O area since it looks like you'd have to cut into that area too. Then again some HSF are pretty tall and you probably won't get the clearance for it..Damn now I'm confused by what I said.
Okay I understand what I'm trying to say. Mount a standard PSU above the CPU like how the G4 case is like.
Zeratul1320
n00b
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2002
- Messages
- 61
do you really need all of the PCI slots? If you dont then why not cut the bottom ones off and slide the whole tray over to clear more room for the PSU
CrimandEvil
Dick with a heart of gold
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2003
- Messages
- 19,670
Yeah, I was think that a 1U or even a 2U would fit nicely like that though. Is it me or does it look like this would fit? It's a 2U and I'm sure that a 1U would fit like that.
That would defeat the whole purpose of buying the tray - if I wanted to do it that way, I could probably just use the slots that are already on the case. The problem is I don't have any room to move the tray up without hacking part of the piece of Al that separates the HDs and DVD drive from the rest of the case - basically cutting a notch out tall enough for the tray and motherboard.
OK, I just wanted to give everyone an update on the situation. Finals are in 2 weeks, so I won't be doing any work on this project until after they are over.
The upsides:
1. I already have a dremel at home, so I don't need to buy one.
2. I don't have a summer job yet, so I have all the time in the world!
Expect to see some serious updates by the 13th or 14th of May.
The upsides:
1. I already have a dremel at home, so I don't need to buy one.
2. I don't have a summer job yet, so I have all the time in the world!
Expect to see some serious updates by the 13th or 14th of May.
Finished! Well, almost. I have cut the hole out of the back of the case. And I've trimmed the mobo tray. The tray is in the case and somewhat secured. All the components are installed.
I still need to do some minor adjustments:
1. Wire up the front power button, headphone jack, and USB/IEEE1394 ports (right now I'm using a hard drive jumper to boot the system)
2. Wire up the fans in the rotating storage portion of the case (my SATA drive gets EXTREMELY hot)
3. Secure the PSU to the case somehow (right now it's just sitting on the bottom of the case)
4. Figure out a way to use the existing power connectors and SATA connectors (the power connectors all connect to some plug at the bottom of the case)
Right now it's just using a HSF to cool the processor. I want to eventually get the rest of the parts for my water cooling system (the radiator, pump, and reservoir), but until then this will do.
Specs:
Abit NF7-S v2.0
AMD Athlon XP 3000 - 400MHz FSB
Atlas 512MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM
ATi Radeon 9600XT
Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache SATA HD
I was having issues with games crashing, but I finally figured out it was because the RAM was in the wrong slot (in the mobo, RAM is supposed to be installed from slot 3 to slot 1 in order and if it's PC3200 it's supposed to be in slots 3 and 2 - I installed it in slot 1).
I'll snap some pics and get them up hopefully later today.
I still need to do some minor adjustments:
1. Wire up the front power button, headphone jack, and USB/IEEE1394 ports (right now I'm using a hard drive jumper to boot the system)
2. Wire up the fans in the rotating storage portion of the case (my SATA drive gets EXTREMELY hot)
3. Secure the PSU to the case somehow (right now it's just sitting on the bottom of the case)
4. Figure out a way to use the existing power connectors and SATA connectors (the power connectors all connect to some plug at the bottom of the case)
Right now it's just using a HSF to cool the processor. I want to eventually get the rest of the parts for my water cooling system (the radiator, pump, and reservoir), but until then this will do.
Specs:
Abit NF7-S v2.0
AMD Athlon XP 3000 - 400MHz FSB
Atlas 512MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM
ATi Radeon 9600XT
Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache SATA HD
I was having issues with games crashing, but I finally figured out it was because the RAM was in the wrong slot (in the mobo, RAM is supposed to be installed from slot 3 to slot 1 in order and if it's PC3200 it's supposed to be in slots 3 and 2 - I installed it in slot 1).
I'll snap some pics and get them up hopefully later today.
Here are some pics:
Back panel after the Dremel got to it:
And at an angle:
With the mobo tray installed:
The pieces that were cut off:
Side view of the almost-finished case:
Side view with the panel off:
Shot of the motherboard:
And the free-floating power supply:
And a view of the back:
The power cable runs in through the hole in the tray where the fan is supposed to go. It then runs along the side of the case and plugs into the front of the PSU.
Any help on getting the front power button and ports wired would be greatly appreciated. Also, any help on wiring up the bundle of built-in power connectors would also be appreciated.
Any thoughts? Comments? Suggestions (other than "Clean up that wiring job!")?
Back panel after the Dremel got to it:
And at an angle:
With the mobo tray installed:
The pieces that were cut off:
Side view of the almost-finished case:
Side view with the panel off:
Shot of the motherboard:
And the free-floating power supply:
And a view of the back:
The power cable runs in through the hole in the tray where the fan is supposed to go. It then runs along the side of the case and plugs into the front of the PSU.
Any help on getting the front power button and ports wired would be greatly appreciated. Also, any help on wiring up the bundle of built-in power connectors would also be appreciated.
Any thoughts? Comments? Suggestions (other than "Clean up that wiring job!"
)?CrimandEvil
Dick with a heart of gold
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2003
- Messages
- 19,670
That looks great man!
rogue_jedi
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2002
- Messages
- 4,821
lessee... for wires: do you care about voiding the psu warranty? it'll be a lot neater if you don't.
here's what you do. first, remove the cover (thus voiding your warranty. but that's only the beginning...) next you take your soldering iron (get a good one, they really are pretty useful) unsolder the wires you aren't going to use. it can help to remove the pcb for this step so you can get at the back as well. make sure solder doesn't drip anywhere on the pcb. then place the removed wires in a place where they won't get lost so you can put them back if you need them later. that's the first part.
this next part is for the power cable. remove the plug for the cable from where it currently resides. then cut the appropriate hole in the side of the psu where the wires come out. you will really want to remove the pcb for this step, and wash the psu casing afterwards. this could be done in another part of the psu case if it was more convienent for you to have it there. then mount the plug there when you reassemble the psu (but don't do it yet, 1 more thing to do to it)
third thing to do for the psu: make a duct for the exhaust fan to the front of the case, so the air is forced outside. ventilation looks to be a problem in this case because you don't have any fans in it other than the psu fans, which are NOT meant to be used as an exhaust. flip the psu over as well, so the intake faces inward. then drill holes through the bottom of the case and the psu casing so it can be mounted to the bottom and secured. it is much easier to transport a system without loose parts in it. then reassemble the psu, and make sure it still works.
i take no responsibility for any injury to yourself, your pets, your friends, or your computer that may result from doing this stuff. (just covering my ass, you know. don't really feel like getting sued)
next thing: remove the little bit of grill that is covering the fan on the mobo tray, and put a fan there. really. the computer begs you.
for the power cord: get a power cord extender (only has to be able to go from the relocated psu plug to the back of the case where you want your power cord to plug in) then cut the appropriate hole in the back of the case, and mount the cord. you should be able to figure out a way to mount it there. if not, ask and i'll try to mspaint you up a diagram or something.
for the ports/switches: put up a picture of the switches and ports you want to use, and also a picture of both sides of the pcb they connect to (if there is one) if there is no pcb and just straight wires from the plugs/switches, it makes it easier. put up a pic of the back of the switches as well if there is no pcb. i'll see what i can tell you after i get to see those.
good job so far, and keep up the good work. looks pretty cool. the psu stuff with the power cord is just personal preference, and it makes the computer easier to move, because there wouldn't be a big cord hanging out the back.
oh, and Clean up that wiring job!
here's what you do. first, remove the cover (thus voiding your warranty. but that's only the beginning...
) next you take your soldering iron (get a good one, they really are pretty useful) unsolder the wires you aren't going to use. it can help to remove the pcb for this step so you can get at the back as well. make sure solder doesn't drip anywhere on the pcb. then place the removed wires in a place where they won't get lost so you can put them back if you need them later. that's the first part.this next part is for the power cable. remove the plug for the cable from where it currently resides. then cut the appropriate hole in the side of the psu where the wires come out. you will really want to remove the pcb for this step, and wash the psu casing afterwards. this could be done in another part of the psu case if it was more convienent for you to have it there. then mount the plug there when you reassemble the psu (but don't do it yet, 1 more thing to do to it)
third thing to do for the psu: make a duct for the exhaust fan to the front of the case, so the air is forced outside. ventilation looks to be a problem in this case because you don't have any fans in it other than the psu fans, which are NOT meant to be used as an exhaust. flip the psu over as well, so the intake faces inward. then drill holes through the bottom of the case and the psu casing so it can be mounted to the bottom and secured. it is much easier to transport a system without loose parts in it. then reassemble the psu, and make sure it still works.
i take no responsibility for any injury to yourself, your pets, your friends, or your computer that may result from doing this stuff. (just covering my ass, you know. don't really feel like getting sued)
next thing: remove the little bit of grill that is covering the fan on the mobo tray, and put a fan there. really. the computer begs you.
for the power cord: get a power cord extender (only has to be able to go from the relocated psu plug to the back of the case where you want your power cord to plug in) then cut the appropriate hole in the back of the case, and mount the cord. you should be able to figure out a way to mount it there. if not, ask and i'll try to mspaint you up a diagram or something.
for the ports/switches: put up a picture of the switches and ports you want to use, and also a picture of both sides of the pcb they connect to (if there is one) if there is no pcb and just straight wires from the plugs/switches, it makes it easier. put up a pic of the back of the switches as well if there is no pcb. i'll see what i can tell you after i get to see those.
good job so far, and keep up the good work. looks pretty cool. the psu stuff with the power cord is just personal preference, and it makes the computer easier to move, because there wouldn't be a big cord hanging out the back.
oh, and Clean up that wiring job!
rouge_jedi: They're connected to a PCB. It's got a cover on it. (You can see it in the pic of the side view of the case - it's just to the left of the PSU). I'll try to remove the metal cover and snap some pics of it tomorrow. The PCB has an 18-pin connector on it (and a cable is attached to that connector - see pic #1: it's the cable hanging horizontally in the background). The PCB connects to the power button, a LED, a FireWire (IEEE1394) port, a USB port, and a headphone jack on the front of the case. I have the pinout for the USB and FireWire ports and the headphone jack, but that's as far as I can get. Worse comes to worse, I think I have a bad FireWire cable somewhere that I can cut, and I can slice the end of the USB cable from a broken mouse. With those, I could just use a multi-tester to see which pins are which. Maybe that would be easier in the first place.
BTW, thanks for the suggestions with the wiring situation!
I am planning on converting this rig to water cooling in about 3 months. So, what I would like to do is mount the PSU underneath the CD drive. Then, the radiator can be mounted in the front of the case, underneath the PSU. The pump and res can then be mounted to the bottom of the case. Any ideas on how to secure the PSU to the rotating storage "shelf?" I might grab 4 thin, long bolts and 2 thin strips of metal, drill 4 holes in each strip (2 for the PSU, 2 for the bolts), and use that to suspend the PSU from the "shelf." Thoughts?
Also, the fans in the rotating storage portion of the case both have 4 pin connectors on them. They look similar to a floppy drive connector. Any ideas on getting these things wired up? My hard drive gets EXTREMELY hot!
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread!
BTW, thanks for the suggestions with the wiring situation!
I am planning on converting this rig to water cooling in about 3 months. So, what I would like to do is mount the PSU underneath the CD drive. Then, the radiator can be mounted in the front of the case, underneath the PSU. The pump and res can then be mounted to the bottom of the case. Any ideas on how to secure the PSU to the rotating storage "shelf?" I might grab 4 thin, long bolts and 2 thin strips of metal, drill 4 holes in each strip (2 for the PSU, 2 for the bolts), and use that to suspend the PSU from the "shelf." Thoughts?
Also, the fans in the rotating storage portion of the case both have 4 pin connectors on them. They look similar to a floppy drive connector. Any ideas on getting these things wired up? My hard drive gets EXTREMELY hot!
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread!
rogue_jedi
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2002
- Messages
- 4,821
the strip idea would work, but i personally would drill holes in it and bolt it directly to the shelf. more straightforward that way, and also more secure.
do you have the original psu that came with it? if you do, get a multimeter and check what voltages are being pushed to the fans, and on what wires. then wire the fans to the appropriate plugs on a molex connector, and plug them in. then cross your fingers and hope it works. if the wires are the standard yellow/black/black/red of a molex, you could try just wiring them to a molex in that order if you don't have the psu. i don't know of a way to check voltage draw of a fan, other than looking up the specs. you should see if the fans have labels on them, and google the part numbers before you connect them to see if you can find anything on them to make sure you have the wires connected properly.
if the fans use a nonstandard voltage, you should be able to find resistors that would net you the proper voltage, but i'm DEFINITELY not the one to ask about that type of thing. the electronics subforum would also be a good place to ask if you can't figure it out (also for the front panel thing, they might know that too)
good luck.
do you have the original psu that came with it? if you do, get a multimeter and check what voltages are being pushed to the fans, and on what wires. then wire the fans to the appropriate plugs on a molex connector, and plug them in. then cross your fingers and hope it works. if the wires are the standard yellow/black/black/red of a molex, you could try just wiring them to a molex in that order if you don't have the psu. i don't know of a way to check voltage draw of a fan, other than looking up the specs. you should see if the fans have labels on them, and google the part numbers before you connect them to see if you can find anything on them to make sure you have the wires connected properly.
if the fans use a nonstandard voltage, you should be able to find resistors that would net you the proper voltage, but i'm DEFINITELY not the one to ask about that type of thing. the electronics subforum would also be a good place to ask if you can't figure it out (also for the front panel thing, they might know that too)
good luck.
The case unfortunately didn't come with a PSU. That cost way too much extra for me to even consider it worth it. Besides, I think those fans connect directly to the motherboard (as their connectors are VERY short). Also, all the wires are black! The fans also are not easily removed. I think the only way to get them out is to remove the optical storage "shelf."
Thanks for pointing me to the electronics subforum, though!
The fans also are not easily removed. I think the only way to get them out is to remove the optical storage "shelf."Thanks for pointing me to the electronics subforum, though!
CrimandEvil
Dick with a heart of gold
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2003
- Messages
- 19,670
Dude your pretty lucky now those cases are going for like $300 from them.
Looking great and very stock
Looking great and very stock
Does anybody know where I can get a couple of sets (like 1 or 2) of the little wires that run from the front buttons of a case to the mobo and have the plastic connectors on the end? I think I've figured out the pinnings, but I don't have any way to test them. I want to see if I can get the power button wired up. Turning the computer on with a HD jumper is really getting old...
Also, does anyone know where/if I can buy SATA couplers? There are SATA wires in the HD area, and I would like to use them instead of running new wires up there (but they're too short to reach the SATA headers so I need to figure out some way of extending them).
Also, does anyone know where/if I can buy SATA couplers? There are SATA wires in the HD area, and I would like to use them instead of running new wires up there (but they're too short to reach the SATA headers so I need to figure out some way of extending them).
http://www.directron.com/atxswitch.html
and this, minus the bracket,
http://www.directron.com/serialslot.html
and this, minus the bracket,
http://www.directron.com/serialslot.html
Aqua_Geek said:
Thank you for that link! You are my hero as well!
I have been looking for something like this for SO long and it didn't cost an arm and a leg either!
Seriously, I have been looking for so long that I almost teared up when I saw that page you linked to! I know that is sad, but I don't care.
Thank you again!
:Okay. So it's been a long while, but I thought I would post an update on the case mod. A while back I finally got around to mounting the PSU. I also cut and rewired the power lines for the hard drives and DVD drive. Here are some pics:
The power connectors:
Let the surgery begin!
The cutout on the bottom for the PSU:
The innards:
And it's finished!
The power connectors:
Let the surgery begin!
The cutout on the bottom for the PSU:
The innards:
And it's finished!