IceBox Mini-ITX mod

[KikBox]

This project is a christmas gift for my daughter. She is going on 4 and loves to play games on the computer so I thought it would be nice for her to have her very own PC to play with. That being said here are the constraints on this project:

Not much time
Not much money
Already have lots of parts I would like to use
Must be small
Must be portable
Must look cool to a 4 year old

With all those considerations in mind I elected to go with a Mini-ITX board. It's small and should have all the horsepower this system will need. I already have some DDR400 sitting around I would like to use so it will have to be a newer ITX to handle that memory. I also have a 60gig hard drive that I am not using so the case must be big enough to handle it.

I had been wandering through Target (of all places) when I saw this little beauty. While most people would be thinking, "How many beers can I fit in that?", I was thinking, "I wonder would it looks like on the inside?". Well, for $29.95 I was not going to pass it up! It took me all of 10 minutes to carefully gut it and the end result was brilliant. It's as if this little frig was crying out to be a computer. Not only did it come apart easily, it was also suprisingly roomy inside. I also found that it had a verticle wall inside making the frame very strong and giving me plenty of wall space to mount components. The kicker is that it even uses a standard 80mm exhaust fan!

What's going in it?
Mobo: Epia sp 13000 ITX (all the onboard bells and whistles you culd want in a tiny 6"x6" package.
Memory: 512 DDDR400
HDD: 60gb WD Caviar
PSU: 200 watt external

Other interesting stuff
80mm blue LED Fireworks fan
Custom laser etched Window
White LEDs

I am looking forward to build this almost as much as giving it to her on Christmas morning!

 

[Riveninside]

i've been debating something like that :Thumbup: looks awesome! i'd just be worried of condensation getting on everything

 

[KikBox]

Condensation will not be a worry as all the refrigeration components have been removed. Essentially it will look like a frig but will actually be a computer with no cooling function whatsoever.

 

[KikBox]

After a closer inspection of the mini frig, I have decided to mount the motherboard in the front compartment and the hard drive in the rear.

My motherboard is about 6"x6" so I cut a piece of 6x6 sheet metal to create the mounting surface. Once that was completed I measured and cut a second piece that will be folded into a hard drive mount for the 60 GB ATA drive. I used my clamps to put 90 degree bends in the sheet metal and then marked and drilled the screw holes. The 2 mounting systems are attached to the inside of the case by 4 bolts that extend through the 2 pieces of sheet metal and are fastened on one side with nuts. I left a small cavity inside the hard drive tray and below the hard drive for bold heads.

The system when together pretty well. Eventually I will have to remove the motherboard mount to attach my stand offs but I will worry about that when I actually receive the EPIA Mobo I am waiting for.

Once the drive mounting system was figured out, I used a hack saw blade to widen the hole connecting the 2 spaced inside the case. The only opening connecting the 2 areas is a square hole directly in front of the exhaust fan. Widening this hole will allow me to run power and data cables up to the Mobo and also promote better air flow.

I also took a few minutes to replace the case fan. Since the frig uses a standard 80mm fan I was able to use the same posts and bolts to mount my blue LED fireworks fan. This fan will provide much of the frosty glow inside the IceBox.

 

[KikBox]

Since I remove the guts of the frig, there is not much to look at when you open the door. I decided to put a case window inside the door so that when the frig is opened you can see into the system. This should be perfect for a kid, she can see all the cools stuff inside her computer without actually messing with the components!

I create a design in PhotoShop that framed the area in snow flakes. This gives it an icy look that should be fun for her. Then I positioned her name on the window so that when the door is closed she will be able to see her name through the small oval window in the frig door.

I had my design laser etched in to the acrylic by a friend and I think it really turned out nice.

The next step was to attach the window. All this took was the careful application of a little JB Weld and instant case window.

It was a bit difficult to get a good picture of the window but I finally found a backgroun that worked. Eventually the laser etching will be back lit which should help!

Once the JB Weld was fully cured that it was a simple task of popping the whole assembly back in place.

 

[BoySetsFire]

is there a missing apostrophe in there? it should be "lilly's" or are there more than one lilly running around your place?

all in good fun, man! looks good. lucky kid!

 

[Double Jesus]

that looks good! any 4 yr old would be proud to own that little thing, hell i'd take it (maybe if it didn't say lilly on it )

 

[Rtstrider]

That's an effin awesome case!!!

 

[KikBox]

Friggen apostrophe! Actually there was one but I switched to the winter font and it vanished...never noticed. That will be something she will not let me live down in my old age.

I was totally amazed at how perfectly this frig was setup for a computer. I took it out of the box at the store and when I saw an 80mm fan on the back already it seemed like a no brainer. The other bonus is that she is very into playing with her kitchen toys so it will match the theme of her room.

 

[Hinokagutsuchi]

I think she's going to love it.

I've got a couple questions, though. For the sheetmetal, how hard was it to cut with those snips? I'm assuming you're also going to make the mobo mount out of the same metal. What size threads do you use for the standoffs?

 

[KikBox]

I think she's going to love it.

I've got a couple questions, though. For the sheetmetal, how hard was it to cut with those snips? I'm assuming you're also going to make the mobo mount out of the same metal. What size threads do you use for the standoffs?

Yeah, I am using the same material for the mobo mount. It was easy to cut with snips and I will let you know about the thread size when I get to that point.

 

[KikBox]

The window assembly creates about a 2" space just inside the door of the case. I would like Lilly to be able to use this space to put some of her little trinkets and things. The frig comes with a small shelf so I cut it off and reused it.

Just enough space for some of her fancy jewelry and the shelf underlines her name perfectly (I didn't plan that but I'll take it).

 

[KikBox]

Typically, this is not the time of year you want to be modding in your garage in Minneapolis. That's why most of the pictures I have posted of this project feature me in an assortment of coats and even my winter gloves.

Outside it's about -9 degrees Fahrenheit so I am guessing the workshop is in the 20 degree range. This little space heater is saving my bacon right now but when the real nasty stuff hits in January I may need more than one! I have another in storage that I will pick up on the 8th of January but until then I have to tough it out! I usually turn on the heater and my spot light an hour or 2 before I start working. That coupled with a hot cup of coffee are usually enough to get me a few productive hours in the garage.

I guess that's the price you pay for living in the Great White North.

Anyway, I finally got my motherboard yesterday. The EPIA Mini-ITX is the latest board made by VIA. All the chips on it are VIA chips and it runs at 1.3Ghz. The main reason I got this specific board is that it will take DDR400 and I have 2 extra sticks sitting around. This is a great board that has gotten good reviews in its class. Onboard audio, video, LAN 2 USB, 2 SATA 2 PATA and one extra PCI slot all packed into a tiny 6"x6" board.

The board mounts on each corner and should attach nicely to the plate I have created. The trick with this board will be cutting the hole for the I/O plate. The I/O plate will be located on the site of the frig next to the power switch and cord.

How will the mounting work?
Using the I/O plate as a template I will cut the hole for the plate taking extra care to make sure everything is nice and straight. When I built the mounting plate for the motherboard I left the extra lengths of bolts in place. The plan is to measure the distance from the back of the case to the bottom edge of the I/O plate cut out and then cut standoffs the correct length so that the Mobo I/O matches up with the hole I have created. I think this strategy gives a lot of room for adjustment and trial and error to make sure I get the board mounted just right.

In this step it's critical to get the hole just right so that the I/O place stays in place and looks clean and professional. There is enough extra length on the bolts that I will be able to adjust my Mobo tray forward and backward 1/2 inch or more.

 

[KikBox]

Installation of the motherboard is probably the most difficult part of this mod. In the end it was accomplish by 50% planning and 50% eye balling. I am pretty please with the results.

First I placed the I/O plate where I wanted it on the outside of the case. I taped it down to hold it in place and then used tape to mark the outside edges of the plate where the cuts would need to be made. I used my Dremel to make the cuts taking one small bite at a time.

After removing the cut area I smoothed out the edges with a flat file and sand paper. It was a little tight on the first fitting but after a bit more filing it popped right into place.

Next I removed the mobo mounting plate I had already created. It was pretty clear it was going to be too small but it provided me with a general idea of how big my motherboard was going to be while I was moding the frig case. I used the old mounting plate to mark the bolt holes on the new mounting plate. The new plate was cut from the same sheet metal stock but this time I made it about an inch and half taller.

Next I inserted the motherboard standoffs in the new mounting plate. I used the motherboard to mark the holes (of which there are only 4 in Mini-ITX) and drilled the holes. I inserted a screw into each of the standoffs and was able to tap the holes using a little elbow grease and a screw driver.

To mount the plate at the right depth for the already positioned I/O plate I trimmed about 1/2 inch off the bolts. I then screwed a nut onto the newly cut bolts. This nut both secured the hard drive mount from the other side and provided the exact size standoff required to position my motherboard tray for the I/O plate. The tray was then secured to the bolts with one more set of nuts.

Because I need to construct a larger motherboard tray I has to cut away more of the plastic wall above the motherboard. I will need this space for air flow, cables and for light from my blue LED fan to spill into the mobo chamber.

The last step was to mount the motherboard. I simply dropped it in place and everything matched up perfectly.

 

[pogeman1000]

You mean 1.2Ghz not 1.2Mhz. Looks great. I wish I could mod like that. Lucky 4 year old lol. FYI, ddr400 will work on older motherboards too, itll just run at the speed of the ram the motherboard needs, like ddr333.

 

[KikBox]

I finally got my power supply today. Installation of the PSU will be a snap but I will need to run the power plug to the outside of the case. I also need to mount the power switch which will require the purchase of a new drill bit.

The final touched will me installation of the OS, lighting and cable management. Once all of this is completed I should be able to put the door back in place and call it done.

There are a few more things I would like to do with this system but they can easily be done after christmas. I am going to use some fine sandpaper to clean up a few spots including the Sunbeam logo and then use some plastic polish to bring back the shine. May also give her monitor a paint job to match the frig.

 

[jort]

Very nice idea for your kid. I really think she'll love it, and i must confess it's a cool mod, if you get what i mean

 

[Mysterae]

Sweet mod, sweet story. Your kid will love it!

There is one problem I see. Once she shows all her friends, they'll all want one!

 

[KikBox]

I know, I know...I missed my Christmas deadline on this project...Bad Father...Bad! Well, things got pretty crazy as Christmas this year and as it turned out, my daughter Lilly has so many other gifts it seemed like too much to give her a new computer on top of it all.

Well, her birthday is this weekend so I am wrapping up this project in honor of her 4th birthday. The extra time has allowed me to get a few other things in order too. Thanks to my buddy Matt, I have a nice little travel size optical mouse that will fit her little hands better than a big one, the color even matches her computer.

I also needed the extra time to sort out some problems I was having with the power supply. Because of the small size of this case I am using an external power supply. The first circuit board I purchased for the PSU was the wrong size so I exchanged it for another that VIA assured me would fit on this Mini-itx mobo. They were wrong. As it turned out the second board was too wide and could not be seated all the way into the ATX connector because of interference with the PS2 plugs. I ended up getting an ATX extension cable to make it work but it added a pile of cable to the inside of my mod. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

I started the evening by getting all the components plugged in and loading the OS. I will not have an optical drive in this system so I want to get windows configured before I install the components.

While windows installed I continued with the case mods. Using my universal drill bit I cut a hole for the power toggle switch. I love the universal bit for plastic! I also wired up my HDD LED and Power LED.

Mounting the power plug was a bit of a trick. I want to keep the plug down toward the bottom of the case but the hard drive takes up a lot of space in the back. After mounting the plug I discovered that the wire extending out of the back of the plug did not allow my hard drive to sit back far enough. I cut the housing for the power plug apart and re-soldiered the wires so that they were pointing down and this took care of that issue.

Putting the cover back on has been something of a problem also. This mini-frig was not designed to be taken apart so out of the box the front door frame was glued to the frame. This is not a good solution for me because I will need to open this case in the future for maintenance and upgrades. My solution to this problem is really quite simple. I purchased some 1/4" acrylic cubes and mount one on each of the 4 inside edges of the case front. After putting the door frame back in place I drilled a hole into the cube from the front and put in another screw to hold the door frame in. Now I can take the front of the case off by removing 3 screws.

Once I had the door frame figured out it was just a matter of installing the components. It was not easy, this is a pretty tight squeeze. If I were going to do it again I would consider buying a laptop hard drive but the whole point was to use stuff I already had. There is enough clearance around the inside of the door frame for me to hide the cathode light under it. This allowed me to wash the inside of the case with blue light but keep the bulb out of site.

Reinstalled the hard drive, my custom mobo tray and the motherboard. Ran all the cable and tried my best to make it look nice. The space is pretty small so there are not too many options! I reattached the case handle and screwed the back plate and door frame into place. The last thing to do was attach the door to the door frame and it's done!

I have a USB wireless solution for this project so the next step is to get it on the home network and she will be surfing Nick Jr. before you know it! Happy Birthday Lilly!

 

[Jason711]

thats a really cool job man. good dad.

 

[so_cal_forever]

Great job man. You're definatly a cool dad and a handy modder!

 

[morpheus6d9]

that was nice gift to your daughter and it was custom

 

[MasterOfTheHat]

schweet! Give her monitor/keyboard a paint job to match now, and she'll have the sweetest little setup in her kindergarten class!

Nice job, man!

Just a thought, but what if you stuck a couple of blue LEDs into the sides of the window? wouldn't that light up the etching and the CCFL would still backlight everything else?

 

[KikBox]

schweet! Give her monitor/keyboard a paint job to match now, and she'll have the sweetest little setup in her kindergarten class!

Nice job, man!

Just a thought, but what if you stuck a couple of blue LEDs into the sides of the window? wouldn't that light up the etching and the CCFL would still backlight everything else?

Yeah, that's the plan. I hope to get her a good keyboard soon and with any luck a flat panel also. I think the paint should be pretty easy to match. A buddy of my gave me a nice little laptop mouse that fits her little hands perfectly and even matches the case.

 

[brasherman]

Suhweet! Good stuff! I like it and will have to keep this in mind if my future children ever decide they are internet bound.