Wood case SFF, my first custom case.

S

Silversierra

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 20, 2005
Messages
263
Ok, I decided to try and build a case, 100% from scratch. It's going to be wood (hardwood laminate abou 3/8"), it's going to be a micro tower ,and it's going to be my first linux box.

I thought and drew for several days trying to get the design down. I finally decided to make a 12" high, 15" deep, 6" wide micro tower. I has a matx board, a full atx psu, and a vertical dvd drive.

Here's a pic of my progress so far. I would have started earlier, but my camera wouldn't work, windows says "unrecognized usb device". I guess it died.
mycase.jpg

So far it's working ok.
I still need to sand it, stain it, gloss coat it, and mount the stuff, but it's in rough form now.
 
Ok, I've sanded, and stained twice, and now I've got one gloss coat on, and it's drying. I think it's looking nice, sorry no pics for update yet.

More about the case. It will have the dvd/cdrw combo vertical mounted, it's a black bezel, and mounts close to flush with the wood. The small hole in the front of the case is for 2 usb and a mic port on a black plastic bracket. The bottom opening is a vent intake, I will put an aluminum mesh vent screen in when finished. The psu is mounted below the dvd drive, in fron of the mobo. The hd will be beside the psu and dvd drive on the inside side of the case, vertically mounted. It will have one blue led fan in the back panel. The cutout in the back fits a i/o shield so it doesn't look bad.

The side door mounts with dowels that slide into sockets in blocks of wood. The door is held on by a latch on the back.
 
I'm planning on building a custom woodie case (for an HTPC), and have a few questions about yours:
1) What are you using to secure the motherboard? It looks like you have 1/8" bolts in there, but it's hard to make out.
2) What are the two screws sticking in on the back panel for?
3) How do you plan to secure the top of the PCI/AGP/PCIe cards?
4) What are the square-ish wood blocks for?

Please post pics as soon as you can! It's looking nice!
 
Thanks for the complements guys. Ok, I drilled holes in the side for the mobo to mount to. I used machine screws(6/32"x 1" IIRC), and I have 1/2" thick rubber blocks with holes drilled in as "standoffs". It seems to work.

The screws on the back are for my latch that holds the door shut.

The blocks have a dowel glued into them, and the door has blocks with holes in them. They go together to hold the door on.

I made the hole for the pci cards the right height so that the metal L part just barely fits under the wood, thus holding them in. The cards are tricky to get in though. I have to take them in from the back of the case at an angle and then rock them into place, but they seem secure.

My psu being at the front of the case means I have a power wire running through the case and out a hole in the back.

The only thing I don't like so far is the wood "filler" I used. It's too dark(it stained darker than the wood). So it's noticable where I used it, oh well, it doesn't look horrible. Good enough I guess.

The gloss coat it taking forever to dry, it says "fast dry" but then the can says 4hrs to recoat, 24hrs to handle. 24hrs is "fast dry", lol.
 
The first gloss coat dried, so now I've put on the second coat. It seems really glossy.

The hardware going in the case is a old p4 skt. 478 400fsb mobo(intel 845gl), a p4 1.8a ghz, 512mb pc133 ram, lite on dvd-rom/cdrw, (hard drive not selected), old 200w psu(It's fortron or sparkle IIRC).
 
looks great to me. b/c it is wood you could get a router and make a kick ass window :)
 
Ok, It's painted now. I put the parts in and took some pics. I still need to make a power switch, make a front grille, mount the back fan, make feet for it, make some kind of pci slot cover for pci's not in use, and make a hd mount and mount the hd.
So still a lot of work, but it's coming together.

Here are the pics, click for a larger pic.







Oh, btw, I need to figure out which two fp pins on the board are for the power switch, it's the green and black wire, but I can't remember which pins they go on, anyone have a dell 2300? The board is pulled from a dimension 2300 desktop, so if you have one, (or maybe a 2350/2400?) can you tell me what pins the green and black wire are on so I can wire up the power button?
 
Silversierra said:
Oh, btw, I need to figure out which two fp pins on the board are for the power switch, it's the green and black wire, but I can't remember which pins they go on, anyone have a dell 2300? The board is pulled from a dimension 2300 desktop, so if you have one, (or maybe a 2350/2400?) can you tell me what pins the green and black wire are on so I can wire up the power button?
Click to expand...
If it's a momentary switch like on a standard ATX system then it doesn't matter which wire goes to which pin as it's not like switches are polarized or anything :)
 
If you don't know which 2 pins to use, just start shorting out random ones until you start up the machine. If it's off to begin with, you won't hurt anything. I wouldn't suggest doing the same if it's already running.

This is REALLY inspiring me to make my HTPC case. Yours looks great! I like the idea of putting the PSU in front, although it'll be pushing hot air into the case. Man, I wish I didn't have so many other higher-priority projects on my honey-do list...
 
I know that they aren't "polarized", but I don't know which two to try out of the about 20 choices. Oh, I got a door bell switch to turn it on, will that work ok, it's one of the momentary push button ones. It says for up to 23v, so I'm guessing it's ok.

My first problem, the p4 connector wire is just the tiniest bit too short, but there's no way it'll reach, so should I splice the wires and extend them or is that a bad idea? I could get a new psu if need be(it does have very short wires), but I'd rather not.

Oh, one more possible issue, the board originally had two fp pins jumpered together(again, I don't know which(it was a brown wire loop in the fp connector), do you think it needs that? I guess they wouldn't put it there for nothing. Is there any manual for dell mobos, so I can figure out what the pins are?
 
Oh nice. I should share my wood box but mine is of ugly plywood.

I am amazed that you were able to get the back ATX plate and PCI slots to match with the box. I attempted that and decided that since that part was a miserable failure, I just tossed everything into the box and routed the wires out... it even has a cleaner look like that :D

One last thing.. perhaps consider a duct for that PSU.
 
Hmm., interesting idea for a duct, not sure how to implement it though, especially since it's already painted. If I had thought of it before, I could have designed around the idea.
 
just take a screw driver and run down the row of contacts till you get something
 
Silversierra said:
My first problem, the p4 connector wire is just the tiniest bit too short, but there's no way it'll reach, so should I splice the wires and extend them or is that a bad idea? I could get a new psu if need be(it does have very short wires), but I'd rather not.
Click to expand...
that'll work fine, just use heavy enough gauge wire. i ran into that problem putting a computer into a radio... but it was the main atx cable that was too short. 20 wires=lots of soldering...

worked fine until i shorted it or something (i don't remember exactly what happened, but i'm pretty sure it involved a bang, and that was a different PSU at that time anyways)

mwhahaha
 
Nice. In my wooden case the PCI/AGP cards also need to be inserted from the outside/rear of the case, or I have to remove the shield that is on them and put it back on after the card is seated. It definately isn't easy to make that indentation/lip that they use in metal cases to seat cards easily...


I also went for the PSU in the front approach. But yours is much cleaner than my project. (For the time being I haven't posted pictures with the PSU inside of it because it is *messy*)

I recommend you make an internal wire route so the PSU plug extends just to the rear of the case.

(Example)
dualliewoodie_05072275.jpg


Just find an old/crappy/broken PSU (say one that came with a $15 case) and open it up, and with a soldering iron pull out the power plug where you normally put power to. Then make a hole in the case somewhere so it'll fit and allow you to just plug a regular PSU power cable to it. Then take an old power cable, and cut it to length so it'll connect the old plug to the PSU inside the case, and solder the thing together. (you'll need a voltmeter/continuity meter to get the correct wires lined up). The end result is a power cable to the rear of the case that brings power to the PSU in the front so each time you power it up you just put power to the rear. Much nicer (and if the computer is moved around, easier) than bringing power through the nearest avaliable hole in the case :)



And good luck finding the correct pins to short. I'm sure they're next to each other on the rows of 10 (ie doesn't cut across). Probably on the "right" side, but about 2-4 pins from the right edge, on the "bottom" row of 10. If not just try each one with a dime or something. Cheers :)
 
Silversierra said:
I know that they aren't "polarized", but I don't know which two to try out of the about 20 choices. [..] Is there any manual for dell mobos, so I can figure out what the pins are?
Click to expand...
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=902472&page=1&pp=40

Do you still have this case? If so you can check the front io connector. Otherwise shorting out random pins would be an option.
Oh, I got a door bell switch to turn it on, will that work ok, it's one of the momentary push button ones. It says for up to 23v, so I'm guessing it's ok.
Click to expand...
The powerswitch pins are 5V, and while the pins are shorted, no more than a few mA runs through it.
 
you mean they actually make diagrams for those things?

run a screwdriver along the pins. you could even just put a hole in the case to stick the screwdriver into when you want to turn it on :p

if you move the screwdriver slowly, you can tell when it turns on, and that's the power switch.
mwhahaha
 
Very Nice!
I used to do this back in the old 486/pentium days, but definately not as nice as this one!
:cool:
 
Hey thanks guys, you've been a great help, it's much more friendly here than on some other forums.

Ok, some more pics.




Ok, I just put the psu out of the box for now, until I stretch the wires on the p4. Can I use a crimp connector instead of soldering it? I don't have a soldering gun(I know, I'm not a true geek without one :)).

I booted it(with only a dvd drive, no hd, just basic to boot to bios). I got to the bios, and it worked fine. I then booted into "puppy linux", which runs off the cd. It seemed to work ok, woot! I figured out which pins to short by trial and error, then riged up the switch. I used an old molex splitter for the power wire, yeah I know really ghetto, but it works, and blends in with the other power wires :).
In puppy.


Hmm. I put in the blue led fan, and the front mesh grille, I think it's looking nice. I now need to extend the p4 connector, make a hd mount, and buy a hd for it still.
Pic.


I still have my dell mod, this is build using the "reject" parts from my old dell(mobo, psu, ram, etc).

Tim_axe: how do I do a connector like the pic you showed? Do you buy it or mod the psu itself?
 
The connector in the picture was pulled from a spare/cheap PSU. On the back there are 3 tabs for wires to connect to (it was soldered to wires in the PSU), and I just pulled a power wire appart and connected it to make something like what is pictured in P160 - Violation. I'm not sure where you can buy one, but making is pretty easy if you can find an old and un-needed PSU around.


As for the P4 connector, you could probably just splice it and put more wire in there for the extra length. It'll add some resistance, but I doubt it'll have much impact when you can power it off of the 200 watt PSU...the current though that connector should be fairly low. Nothing like the high currents (and low voltages) run through a toaster's heating elements :p

I don't have much electrical expirence to say if crimping or soldering is better, but from what I've seen soldering holds up very well so you should consider picking up a cheap soldering iron and some solder for it. (I borrowed my dad's ancient soldering iron -- works a charm) At the least it'll help you get all of the little wire ends where you want them (ie, on the doorbell button's tabs/whatever) and could be useful for other misc projects.

Cheers.
 
Ok, too bad I don't have any junk psus, I'd use them.

How hard is it to solder before I get one? Is it kind of like glueing something? Would a soldering gun or iron be best?
 
Soldering is easy. Just remember that solder is "pulled" into hotter spots. The technique in soldering is something like heating the object up with the tip, and then appling solder. It'll then melt and get sucked into the hot wire/etc you are soldering and you can remove the iron and it'll eventually cool and harden. Also remember that solder contains lead, so wash your hands after working with it :)

This website can probably be more helpful than I am: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/solder.htm

I think a soldering iron would be more useful than the soldering gun (I've only used the iron). Anyways 30 watts should be enough and it should cost around/less than ~$10. I'm not sure about the wattage of my iron, but I think it is pretty small. Cheers.
 
Tim_axe said:
Soldering is easy. Just remember that solder is "pulled" into hotter spots. The technique in soldering is something like heating the object up with the tip, and then appling solder. It'll then melt and get sucked into the hot wire/etc you are soldering and you can remove the iron and it'll eventually cool and harden. Also remember that solder contains lead, so wash your hands after working with it :)

This website can probably be more helpful than I am: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/solder.htm

I think a soldering iron would be more useful than the soldering gun (I've only used the iron). Anyways 30 watts should be enough and it should cost around/less than ~$10. I'm not sure about the wattage of my iron, but I think it is pretty small. Cheers.
Click to expand...
i got a 15/30 adjustable iron at radioshack for around $10, and it works fine. MUCH easier to use than a gun - you hold it like a pen instead of like a drill.

of course, my opinion may be biased by the fact that my soldering gun is dying on me (or something - maybe i just can't get good wire to use the for the tip - in any case, it doesn't work too well)

when you solder something, you do not want the solder to be shiny. that means a bad joint, and it won't conduct as well and is weaker. (please correct me if i'm wrong, i always forget which way you want it and have to ask someone, but i think this is right)

try to avoid moving the wires you are soldering together. that leads to bad joints.

i'd recommend picking up some heatshrink to cover the joints you make. to use (if you haven't) slide it on before making the joint, move it out of the way, and solder away. when you are satisfied with the joint, slide the heatshrink over the joint and evenly heat it with something (a match works fine, a lighter should be fine too)

if you have 2 joints on each wire, use 2 pieces of heatshrink. heatshrink is pretty stiff, so you don't want the whole section you added to be really stiff.
mwhahaha
 
I may just get a soldering gun, but for now I crimped the wires, I know it's a fire hazard as is, but I'm thinking of electrical taping it.


And after crimping, I press the power button to see if it still works. It DIDN'T, drat! I figured my crimp job must have been crappy, but everything seemed tight. I checked the connections, and nothing helped, so I figured I ruined the p4 cable on the psu. I tried a psu out of my dell mod pc, but it still didn't work. At this point my head was spinning, what could be wrong. Well, my power switch is dodgey as I now found out. It would start with the screw driver, but not with the switch. Stupid doorbell anyway. I think the connectors keep getting loose, which a soldering gun will help a lot, I guess I'll get one sometime.
 
So I'm coming up with this idea after the fact, but...

Why not cut/drill a hole on the side of the PSU that will allow the P4 connector to reach all the way to the motherboard? I've done that in the past to make routing the ATX power connector easier (in a normal case, it doesn't make sense to me to have the bundle of wires come out of the front of the PSU and have to double back and weave among all the various things on the motherboard just to make it to the MB connector).
 
I bought a soldering iron, and *attempted* to solder the wires instead of crimp them. They're staying together but don't look pretty. I touched the tip of the iron to the wire, and then rubbed the solder around until it melted, is that right, it melted and looks shiny(good or bad?). I have another psu ordered, since I figure this psu is toast(after my soldering and crimping skills). I got a thermaltake 420w ordered(only $37), it should be plenty to replace a 200w. If I don't need it it can be a spare, or I can save it until my next build.
 
It definately isn't easy to make that indentation/lip that they use in metal cases to seat cards easily...
Click to expand...

They're doing that now? It's always been a PIA to seat cards in my metal cases.
 
Ok some pics.




I fixed the power button issue, at least it's been working so far now.
I removed the ends off the power switch wires and put a "proper" end on it so it fits right and makes better contact. It seemed to resolve the power on issue.
 
Wow. Those sure don't look pretty. But they should do well enough. In the future, you may want to twist the wires together thoroughly before applying the solder. It'll make a cleaner, lower-resistance joint.

Keep the pictures coming! It's looking good.
 
Teancum said:
Wow. Those sure don't look pretty. But they should do well enough. In the future, you may want to twist the wires together thoroughly before applying the solder. It'll make a cleaner, lower-resistance joint.

Keep the pictures coming! It's looking good.
Click to expand...
I did twist them together, but they kind of frayed apart when I pressed the iron against them.

I got the hd mount made, so now all I need is a hard drive and my ubuntu cd to arrive(could be 4-6weeks).

So it may be a while till I can do anything since I'm waiting on ubuntu. (I would dl it but it'd take days on dialup).
 
Ok, finally, an update. I still haven't got ubuntu, but I have made some progress. I decided to do the power plug idea tim axe suggested. It worked well. I was able to do it since a power supply died(sparkle 250w, smoke, lots of smoke). I thought sparkles were "bullet proof". Oh, well, now I have a remote power plug and I think it looks great. I still need to drill the attachment holes though. I also "modded" my power supply, and relocated the wires so they come out the same side the power plug is supposed to go in. I hope I can get the outlet soldered into the psu well.

Here's a pic.

Click for better view.

A few questions. Should I put feet on it? I got some plastic nail on feet, but I think it might be a bad idea, the wood isn't that strong, and if I make it rest on only 4 points the weight of the psu might make it collapse. Maybe I should get about 4 more feet and distribute them.

I'm also considering putting a dowel rod on the door side vertically up the center, to support it more/give it strength. The psu is really too much weight for the wood, I need something.

I need a way to make the door fit flush with the front of the case, it has a little gap(between the side of the front panel and the side of the door.) when it's on the way it is, I need some kind of latch/attachment for it.

I need some kind of cover for the extra pci slots, probably wood, metal or mesh, I'm unsure.

I'm still waiting for a good deal on a hd(ide), I'm hoping to get one for less than $40 w/o having to do a rebate. I've seen such sales before, but never when I actually need a hd
:rolleyes:

I might need to get some heatshrink tubing to make my wire splice look better.

Ok, that's all I can think of. Any comments/suggestions are welcome. I don't want to change anything major though.(as it's already painted). Thanks to all for the previous suggestions, the power plug worked great, and the idea to mod the psu was good, too bad I didn't think of it before I cut the cpu +12v cable.



:)
 
Ok, I connected my "remote" power plug and put heatshrink tube on the solder. Here's a pic.



I turned it on, and it still worked, even after modding the psu! Wow, I half expected the psu to be dead.
Here's a pic in puppy linux.


Man, it seems no one like wood cases, or something. Nobody's commenting.
 
I am watching.

I have my own case in the plans right now, so your thread is of great intrest to me.

I am watching.
 
Tiny said:
I am watching.

I have my own case in the plans right now, so your thread is of great intrest to me.

I am watching.
Click to expand...

That doesn't make you uncomfortable at all, Silversierra?
 
I think im gonna wait for another one of those newegg 15 fan $15 deals and make a case made out of fans pretty much. Its gonna be hotness.

I love the case BTW
 
OP, why did you choose the laminate over, say, hardwood ply or just plain wood? It seems to me like those others would provide better strength. Was it a matter of price?

I'm not sure you're going to have much luck finding a decent-sized HD for <$40 w/o a rebate. Shouldn't be hard if you're willing to go for a rebate.

I like the way it looks. Kinda makes me want to make one myself. Hmmm.

/me starts scribbling notes and starts sketching
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top