Scratch Build – In Progress Project: Tube Radio PC -- 20 October -- Back From The Dead

I want that keyboard haha. and it looks like we had a similar idea for the monitor, i've been thinking about doing something like that for a while. great work.

 

THat awesome and a HALF!!!!!! keep it up!!!

 

Anyone seen my stick? I gave it to some dude and he never returned it.
Squee, man I hope you're OK!

 

subscribed!!!

 

My grandad wrote his memoires on a typewriter like that... Think he would have loved the "Del" button at that time! *LOL*
Love this /Subscribed. And I must say, I'm not into the whole wood-thing, but this is damn nice!

 

Um, I think I saw Tyber with your stick Cheapskate, the nerve of some people.
*whistles innocently*

S_q_u_e_e, we're 'patiently' awaiting news on the progress of your mod, but quickly running out of sticks.
Even a text post to let us know you're not dead would be good.

 

Back from the dead

So, I can't believe that it has been 15 months since I updated this thing. Life got really really strange last summer/fall/winter and I kind of had to fall off the face of the earth and deal with it, then this summer I took a 4 month trip across the US on the Greyhound and hit all the lower 48 states. It was an amazing experience, but I am settlling back down now (in Phoenix AZ this time) and am finally getting back on track with this project.

My intentions with this machine have pretty much completely changed since the last time I worked on it. Last time it was going to be a good looking media machine, but not much more. This time around it is going to be my main computer, which means quite a bit better hardware, and a lot more heat to worry about. At the moment I am looking to go with a watercooled quad core intel on the crossfire DFI micro atx board, dual 4850's or 4870's depending on how I am feeling about it at that stage, a small OS drive and three 1.5Tb drives for media. All that plus the original little LCD screen and slot load DVD player, and again all kept internally inside the case.

One of the things that I originally didn't like about the case was the rear, I just wasn't fond of all the things that scream "this is a computer" (fans, I/O panel, PCI slots) and decided to switch it up a bit. Here is what the current rough idea is for the case.









The idea this time is to cover then entire rear of the computer in a wood shroud, with metal slots angled so that you can't actually see into it (unless you are looking at it from below of course). The cables will route along the lower portion, and then can be brought out thru either side by removing the cap on the end. The slats will allow the air to be exhausted like it needs to be, and at the same time hide everything that a computer needs to have.

I am still getting settled in so it will take me a few days to really start on the project, but I figured I would toss the sketchup files on here and get some feedback =)

 

*Poke* -Oh, sorry. -Habit.
It's good to see you back. I like the idea for the back. Wooden slats would look better, and the splice on the bottom must go. You might even line up everything with the original radio edges.
The trickiest bit will be matching the finish of the front part. You will have to veneer the faces because the edges of the wood will stain much darker.

 

Wooden slats would look good also, and it is something I will definitely try when I start the mock up. I was thinking metal to match the front ring around the LCD in the front, but using wood could drop the cost a lot. I wasnt even thinking of veneer, but that is a great idea I will have to look into. The staining is definitely going to be "interesting" to match up, though I may wrap the spacers in brass as a separator and then go with a slightly lighter/darker look on purpose. Seeing as how I am sitting in an airport at the moment, gives me plenty of time to mess around more in sketchup =)

 

I worked on a mockup of the interior on the plane today, and while it looks like it is going to be tight it will probably work out. On the left is where the 4 storage drives will go, they have to go in that configuration to be able to squeeze in under the cdrom tray. on the right is the PSU with a laptop hard drive above it for the OS. Above the motherboard is the radiator and fan, with just enough room for a crossfire setup. I will know better when the case arrives in Phoenix, I had to mail it to myself and it won't arrive until tomorrow =)

 

This is a very cool mod. Very original and very well executed.

P.S You did a fantastic job with keeping your Antec 900 so tidy.