Projekt :: Webserver

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rainman

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Mar 9, 2000
Messages
1,171
This is my webserver. All images are thumbnails to larger images.

Flash on:


Flash off:


Specs:
P4 1.5GHz
Gateway P4 motherboard
768MB RAM (RIMMs...eeeevil)
Gateway 17" CRT monitor, kb, mouse
Gateway CD-RW drive
Gateway DVD drive
Gateway case
----------------------------------
$300

Four 30GB Maxtor IDE drives
RAID 1+0 (Adaptec RAID controller)
----------------------------------
$200

Antec Super Lanboy
80mm LED fans (two)
60-80mm adapter for P4 cooling
rounded IDE cables



The rest of the upgrades:


AC Ryan MORF kit -- UV Blue
Extra UV Blue Molex
AC Ryan DIY Chain-Your-Drive -- UV Blue

The DIY Chain-Your-Drive is for the RAID. The rest is to clean up the wire mess inside.
The awesome thing about the AC Ryan MORF kit is that it comes with Molex tools for all
types of Molex.
.
.
.
.
.
.
 
Oh, I forgot to mention. The DIY kit came with 6 UV LEDs (5V). I don't plan on using them
in the DIY cable, but elsewhere in the case to supplement the 2 UV cold cathodes.
 
UPDATE:

I added a GeForce3 Ti200 that I had in my closet. It should work pretty well,
considering the only reason I've got it in there is so I can run 1600x1200. I
replaced the TNT2 from Gateway.

But I know the only thing that matters is pictures. So, here's the rest of
the update. I've been working on the wire sleeving and routing. First
is the planned cleanup of the front panel wiring.

I had to modify the standard three pin power LED plug by moving the green
wire from the #1 pin to the #2 pin. Gateway only has a two pin connector.


Since this is a webserver, I'm not going to use the front panel audio. The
front USB ports, LEDs, and power/reset buttons will still be used.


The power supply. I modified it with a LED fan that I could run to a fanbus.
It will be further modified with UV sleeving and conectors.




The wire sleeving is in progress. The Molex remover for 4-pin connectors
is great. It is very easy to use and quickly removes pins. Just slide the
correct sized end over the pin and pull it out.


DISASTER! The ATX/P4-12V pin remover is not so user friendly.
Supposedly these little pins are pretty tough. They snapped right off. I
was using it to the best of my knowledge as there is no instruction on how
it is used on the AC Ryan website. They simply say: "It's tough! :)"


Oh well, I've got the P4-12V connector removed. Time to sleeve and change
the connector. I still have to figure out how to take apart the ATX plug
without a pin removal tool. Also, the Gateway motherboard uses the 6-pin
"AUX" connector, so I have to remove it and sleeve. Luckily, AC Ryan thought
ahead and included a UV 6-pin AUX connector in the kit.

Overall, I give the MORF kit a hearty thumbs up. I just wish they had explained
how to use the ATX pin remover better.

How to use it: The two prongs go on the left and right of the pin, in between the pin
and the plastic. Push it in until the U shape in the remover is inside the plastic. Pull
the wire out from the other side. Like they say, it takes a while to get the first one
but then you can do it very easily. Just be careful about breaking the FlexTips.
 
Question: What good is a modder who can't improvise?

Answer: Not anything good that I can think of...


So, a little help from my good friend Leatherman, a jeweller's
screwdriver that I had to superglue back together, and a straight
pin from my clothing repair kit.


The Leatherman and pin were used to remove the ATX pins. The
screwdriver for the 6 pin AUX connector. I'm back in business.
 
Thanks! Yeah, I like the way the blue and the silver go together.


UPDATE:

The PSU is sleeved and put back together. I decided not to sleeve
the clear fan cable. I'm thinking I can hide it better this way.


I'm running the CPU fan and case fan cables behind the PSU to hide
them from view.


The wires run behind the motherboard tray and into the drive cage
where my fanbus is located. This shows the CPU fan, rear fan, and
front fan wires. Also visible is the back of the RAID where I was
marking the DIY power cable for connectors and sleeving.


Back to work I go.
 
UPDATE:

Another sleeve completed. This is the power cable for the fanbus.


I started working on how to place my cold cathode on/off switch.
I decided to use the unused serial port opening on the back of
the computer. I think it's nicer looking than the PCI slot mount
it came with. It will also let me hide the wires better I think.

INJURY! Well, it's not a complete case mod without the required
finger injury. I sliced about 1/8" into my finger tip on the back
I/O panel.


After some quick rinsing and bandaging, I got back to work. This
is the result. I think it will work out great.




I had to bend the prongs to get it to fit. But the wires will get
tucked nicely away and hidden. More pictures and info later.
 
UPDATE:

A look at how the cold cathode switch is wired.


Everything tucked away as much as possible. I'm debating whether
or not I want to lengthen the red wire so it can run under the
board like the others. I'll probably cut it near the Molex and
add some length...yeah, I've convinced myself to do it.


Looking at this picture of the PSU mounted, that single red wire
really sticks out. I have to add to it to hide it behind the board.


All three motherboard power connectors are plugged in. Now you
can see why I sleeved the 20-pin ATX and 6-pin AUX connectors
together. They're right next to each other on the board.


A quick look at the back. I'm not sure what I want to do with
those empty 1/8" jack and game port holes. The Gateway
motherboard doesn't have connectors to go in them.


A view of the backside of the motherboard tray. You can see
where the wires come through and how short the cold cathode
wires are. You can also see the power connector for the
fanbus poking through.


More pictures in a bit.
 
UPDATE:

Here is the front panel with the unused wires tucked away and the
USB/front LEDs/button wires sleeved. I'll get it put back on as
soon as I figure out how I want to route the fan wires.


I'm building the Conductx DIY power cable. I like this kit. There
are no instructions (except for the LEDs that came with it), but
it is very straight forward to assemble. Measure and mark where
you want Molex plugs then press the wires into the pinch holder.
I found the best way was with a large flat blade screwdriver. It
took about five minutes to assemble the whole thing. Since my
Molex connectors were so close I just used the included heatshrink
between the connectors.




Here is the DIY kit installed. You can also see the sleeved bundle
of cables from the front panel pass between drive one and two. I'm
pleased with how simple and clean this looks.


Closeup:


This is the view from the window as it is at this stage. You can see
the P4-12V connector barely, the sleeved ATX+AUX connectors,
and the front panel sleeved bundle.


I extended the power leads for the cold cathode inverter. It is tucked
against the PSU outside of the picture. I plan on one tube down the
back of the case and one tube across the top. I still have to decide
where to put my six UV LEDs that came with the Conductx DIY kit.

I still have one fan to hook up (the PSU fan). I ran the wires behind
the PSU, and now I need to make the extension cable to get the
wires to the fanbus. For the front case fan, I ran the wires between
the plastic case front and the metal of the case.
 
Well, it's time to call it a night. Early flight tomorrow.

Here is the backside of the motherboard tray. It is close
to finished, I may get some extension cables to extend the
two fan cords and tuck them up in the top of the case with
the other cords.





Teasers:

Room lights on
UV CCFLs off


UV CCFLs on




Room lights off
UV CCFLs off


UV CCFLs on






I'll post more tomorrow after work.
 
UPDATE:

Today was a long day at work. A six hour flight and then some
desk work for me to complete before going home. Up at 4am, to
bed around midnight. Yum. So, you'll have to excuse the light
update, due to work (fun), a new episode of 24, and time spent
with my girlfriend.

This is the shaved down CCFL end. I had to size it to fit
between the drive cage and the case rail.


I also had to modify the case by removing this rivet and
flattening the part behind it. I used the sharp wedge shaped
tool on my Leatherman to dig out the rivet, similar to drilling
it out, but with less metal shavings.


This is a view of the CCFL tucked into place at the top of
the case. Hey! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!


The second CCFL in the back of the case. Also seen is
the inverter in the upper corner. Again, wires tucked away
and hidden as best I can figure.


The comeplete back side of the case internals.


Assembled case front. Again, everything was from a Gateway
so I have the Gateway DVD and CD-RW drives. I looked at
stealthing them but I didn't like the results I got. So,
I'm working on one of two ideas...better stealthing or the
nice looking CoolerMaster drive covers.


Case internals, straight on view. Everything is in place but
data cables. I'm still working out the details of what kind of
cables I want to run and where I want to run them.


Case internals, looking up. Just to detail the power chain
for the DVD/CD/floppy.


I'm taking pictures with the sides on the case to show how
it will look. I'll post them in a few minutes. I think I am
going to see about working the UV LEDs into the window,
something in the front of the case, or both.
 
Case closed:


Room lights on
UV CCFLs off


UV CCFLs on


Room lights off
UV CCFLs off


UV CCFLs on


Sweet.


That's it for tonight.
 
In terms of stealthing the drives, consider using a silver paint pen (or spray paint/vinyl dye if you want) to color the front of the drives. That way you don't have to deal wiht actually stealthing them, and they will still fit in with the rest of your case. You should be able to find a pen that will work at Target or OfficeMax, or someplace similar. I'll post a pic of mine when I have a chance, if you're interested.

 
rainman said:
INJURY! Well, it's not a complete case mod without the required
finger injury. I sliced about 1/8" into my finger tip on the back
I/O panel.
Click to expand...

Hehe, I did the same thing on mine. Didn't even realize it so now there's like blood stains on my I/O shield and on my mothebroard in that area.
 
With regards to stealthing the drive cables, would it be feasable to swap the RAID controller down to the bottom PCI slot and cut holes in the motherboard tray to pass the data cables through?
 
IndyJoe: Thanks!

uzor: This could be a great way to take care of the drives.
I'll have to see that picture.

DarkMonkey: I was lucky that it's my left hand. Sure, that's
the hand I write with and it makes typing real interesting (I
make many more typos than normal now)...but at least it isn't
my flying hand. Who needs a finger-tip for throttles anyway?

Atragon: That is something I hadn't thought of and I think it
could work out great. I can extend and heatshrink the LED
connector if I need to...or I could even hide it somewhere
too. Great idea.


More to come...
 
So far it is incredibly clean. Is it just dumb luck that your PSU managed to come with just the right amount of cables? Or did you get rid of some?
 
KrakenGuy: Either I'm lucky or I'm good. I'm not telling which!

Just kidding. It just worked out that the power supply had the
right number of cables and plugs. It has the ATX, P4-12V, AUX,
each on seperate cables, and two other cables -- one has two
Molex connectors and a floppy connector and the other has just
two Molex connectors. Also, instead of using a bunch of
splitters I used the DIY cable for the hard drives.

Thanks for the compliment.
 
UPDATE:

Here's a test fit with my nice rounded cables. They are
too bulky with the thick plastic covering. I didn't want
to chop them up if I didn't have to and I remembered
that my main rig has old rounded cables.




So I grabbed one and began surgery on this. I wound up
removing the three plastic coating pieces between the
two drive connectors.


DISASTER! I accidentally sliced through one of the tiny
wires inside.


Out came the low-watt soldering wand and I repaired the
cut and taped it up. Hopefully it works.


Here are two pictures of the test install. There is a
small channel in the case I can tuck the wires into.
Also, I can tuck them in between the metal case and
front panel. I'll look at how I want to do it after I
trim up the second cable. I'm also not sure if I want
to remove the one flat piece of plastic covering that
can be seen in the picture.


Almost invisible cables from this side. I will tweak
the install of the cables to hide them even more when
I've got everything ready.
 
This will be the stopping point for the night.

A look at the back of the drives. A few zip ties should
clean this area up. Even though it's not a visible area
when the case is closed, I want it to still look good. I
only have one UV reactive zip tie left, so I'll get some
more and clean it up.


Here's the computer running, lights on in the room, UV
CCFLs off, and a flash from the camera. The side panels
are off as well. This shows how the rounded IDE cables
run flat on the bottom of the case to get to the drives.


Here's the system all together with the room lights on
and the UV CCFLs on. I'm diggin' it.


Room lights off, UV CCFLs on.


I moved the RAID card to the bottom of the case per
Atragon's suggestion. I removed the SBLive! that came
from the Gateway. I don't even really know why I moved
it from the old case to the new one in the first place.

I have some more work left to do, but it's time to call
it a night. Also, I need to figure out what I want to
buy/use/modify to finish this off.




Thoughts:

1. I need to tweak the area behind the drives because
just a tiny bit of the cabling is visible.

2. I'm thinking of building a false bottom out of thin
aluminum to completely hide the IDE cables.

3. I still need to figure out what I'm going to do with
my six UV LEDs.

4. I think I may try to do something about the light
leaking around the few places on the side panel I can
see it.

5. I still have the DVD/CD-RW drives to deal with.
I'll do something on them when I see how uzor's drives
look.
 
6. Oh, yes. I still need to figure out how to hook up
the DVD, CD-RW, and floppy.
 
Here's how mine came out:

tower_silver.jpg


Hope this helps!

 
Looking good.

I actually was suggesting cutting a hole in the motherboard tray at the bottom matching up with where the cables run from the RAID card, and then passing the cables behind the tray entirely...

Though the way you did it also works nicely in this situation (though in some other cases, it would look a lot worse)
 
zapperfish: Thanks.

uzor: I like that. I decided to go down the street to get
some silver paint.



Atragon: I did what you suggested. I was just looking at
simple/elegant possibilities. I think I like the new way
better (see pictures below).

Holes cut in case. I didn't get a picture of the lower
hole for the HD cables. You can see it in a later picture.


Holes cut in PSU for wire management:


Mounting the UV CCFL inverter:


The "new and improved" PSU:


The case with even fewer visible cables:


The HD cable routing:


The cleaner top of the case:


The back of the case:


Everything mostly back in:


The back of the case with everything:



More to come tomorrow and Saturday as I finish painting
the first drive and start on the second. Also, I'll be
routing the power cables for the CD-RW and DVD drives
and the data cables.
 
Oh man, seeing your case makes me feel really depressed about my case, lol.

I thought I had a cleaned up super lanboy, then you started this worklog, lol. Seeing that RAID configuration makes me want to get a RAID configuration as well so that I can hide my cables just like you, lol.

I myself have considered making a false bottom to hide stupid cables. I need to buy sleeving so that I can sleeve those USB wires, power switch and LED lights and such in the front of my case. That was smart of you, lol.

Man, keep up this excellent work. So far I am positively loving the things your doing to this case, its beautiful.
 
KrakenGuy:Thanks!

UPDATE:

CD-RW and DVD power cable:


Picture of all the holes:


Cables poking through holes:


Cables in holes with motherboard in:


Motherboard in, wires hidden:


Drives in:


System together:






I still need to do a little work, but after I get
back from the Pacific.
 
Hmmm, I am just curious as to know as to what you still have left to do, lol. It looks perfect in my opinion.
 
looks great man, very good work! very clean. I hope at least 1 of those drives is dedicated to pron. ;)
 
I'm not quite happy with the optical drive IDE connectors:



I think I'll remove the sleeving and zip tie the wire bundle
behind the power cable or something like that.
 
FINISHED

I've tucked all the wires away as best I think I can.

Time for rate my cables...

casemod81.jpg


casemod82.jpg


casemod83.jpg


casemod84.jpg


casemod85.jpg


casemod86.jpg
 
Very very nice! I like what you done with the harddrives.

I never had time to read the whole thing, and I must go soon but could you tell me what case that is? I like it alot!

I'm thinking of doing what you've done when I get money for my water cooling and another 200gb sata harddrive :cool:

You have inspired! :D
 
Just a simple and inexpensive Antec Super Lanboy. I bought it because it was the smallest case I found that would hold all my drives.
 
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