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Scratch Build – In Progress Onkyo style HTPC

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by _ferry_, 9 Apr 2012.

  1. _ferry_

    _ferry_ What's a Dremel?

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    Well, time for a new project after ages of no modding ;) This time i'll be building a HTPC. So the design will be very clean. No Fance LED FAN's, fluorescent tubing or whatever. No, it should have the same look as my onkyo amplifier & CD player. I think that'll look awesome together. So generally it's all about the front panel which should have the same power button, brushed aluminium, and maybe i can find an extra Onkyo logo?

    During all the years of modding, i collected a lot of parts, fan's, casings, power supply's, aluminium, mesh etc. I want to stay as much as possible with those parts instead of buying new. It's cheaper and helps to clean up my garage ;)

    Let's roll..

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    Part of the stuff i had laying around. If you're wondering what happened to the Praetorian, check this

    [​IMG]
    PSone display, might be usefull :)

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    First thing to do after disassembly was shortening the case. It was 44cm high, my amplifier is 43,5cm wide. Between the motherboard tray and PSU was some space which was unused. I removed that part, and had to move this rail 1CM upwards. This rail holds the motherboard tray.

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    Here it's done. You can see that the PSU hit's the backplate directly. Original here.

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    Tray is held together in the 2 rails.

    After all those years i lost the plate which holds the PSu. Well, lets make a new one. As you can see at the fan on top: I'd also reversed the PSU. The air goes in at the side of the case, instead of the case itself.

    [​IMG]
    Looks good :)

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    Fits like it was stock :)

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    A small part was then cut away to create some space for the sidepanel
    ... ehh... bottom panel which i can bolt into that nut.

    [​IMG]
    Here I've bend the panel, fits perfectly along the motherboard tray.


    [​IMG]
    Then i played a bit with the possible positions of HDD's, optical, pump, radiator, PSone screen etc.
    I think it will be something like this. Preferable with the optical in the middle, like my CD player has.

    That's it for now. I've made some more progress, but done enough for today. Wasn't sure if the 120mm rad. could handle the CPU (E6600) and VGA(simple ATI x1650). I think it can, maybe not with the lowest temperatures and high OC. But i'm aiming at silence, not speed. Anyway, i have some aluminium cooling profiles and copper HDD coolers. I will combine those to some kind of passive radiator.
     
  2. Vetalar

    Vetalar *learning english*

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    I think thick 120mm rad (xspc rx type or similar) would be enough for Your goals with fan under 1000 rpm. IMHO You want to find more apropriate GFX - with HW blueray decoding, native hdmi and 3D support. Like hd6*** series or smth

    Send from ZTE-BLADE via tapatalk
     
  3. ASPHIAX

    ASPHIAX Minimodder

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    Yeah! _ferry_ is back !
    Finally get to see some real life action from our favorite moderator at tweakers !
     
  4. l3p

    l3p www.^.nl

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    Certainly going to follow it here too!
     
  5. Attila

    Attila still thinking....

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    I'm watching too. That chassis was the first I ever modded. :dremel:
     
  6. _ferry_

    _ferry_ What's a Dremel?

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    Well, i have a update of the work i did yesterday evening after doing the topicstart. Spend quite some time on it. Hope i can keep it up that way ;)

    [​IMG]
    A sheet of aluminium. +/-60x200cm. Got 2 of them... for free :) 1 has already been used for various projects

    [​IMG]
    Made the sidepanel of it. Bend the corners, mounted with 2 screws to see how it fits.

    Then... The watercooling, the single 120 radiator might be slightly under dimensioned. Allthough there are all-in-one products based on 120 radiators. I'm used to work with big cases, having space for 360 radiators ;)

    Anyway, a collected some more stuff, witch can be useful...

    [​IMG]
    Had to remove a small part of the motherboard tray...

    [​IMG]
    So i can fit these. The copper blocks are HDD coolers, got them as a leftover from a PC shop. Finally, got a use for them ;)
    The aluminium coolers are from a product i had twice. You can get a virtual cookie by guessing where they came from (brand+product type). I knew i had 2 of them, but it took me 1/4 hour to find the second one ;)
    Anyway, they have the same length, and i can connect the 2 copper blocks with a piece of CCFL housing.

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    First one fits :) Hacking the hole was quite hard, the panel was +/-5mm thick at certain points. The cutter has a hard time getting through it... and it should be straight without scratches ;)

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    Second one fits as well. Note they're not perfectly aligned yet. Just hanging in the opening.
    I think it's awesome looking. Cooling performance? Dunno... But hey, it looks cool! So maybe it cools down the water by 3 degrees just by looking cool. :thumb:

    [​IMG]
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    Mounted with some screws. The standoffs aren't necessary, but they're easier to fit then normal M3 nuts ;)

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    But i'm not allowed to drill holes in it. You'll see the screws on the other side.
    So i came up with this. Pretty simple, very effective.

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    And to push the block against the cooling profile i just tighten this screw.

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    Which adds enough pressure to bend the cooler if i want to.

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    Fits perfectly. This was more like a prototype, i can finish it with some sanding and build another 3 of them. Should i just leave them like that, or maybe some fancy additions like LED, or maybe acrylic or aluminium connection rods between them?
     
  7. KoSoVaR^

    KoSoVaR^ Professional Sleever & Modder

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    waaah this is great dude :D!, bring it on !
     
  8. ASPHIAX

    ASPHIAX Minimodder

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    Nice work Freddy!
    Is there going to be a window in it? If so leds and rods is going to be perfect!
    If there is not going to be a window? It will still rock just by knowing they are there!
     
  9. _ferry_

    _ferry_ What's a Dremel?

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    Well, i think no window, maybe some mesh to help the airflow. In the end he'll end up in a TV rack or shelve, a window would be useless then.

    Meanwhile i spend some time to become familiar with the anodisation procces.

    Here's a picture of the CD player with the old sidepanel on top. As you can see the sidepanel is slightly brighter:

    [​IMG]
    The type of aluminium and the way it has been brushed will affect the end result. I know my product can't be a exact copy of the one onkyo used. But i'll try to get it as good as possible.


    [​IMG]
    This might be the new front panel. I started with k400 sanding paper. But had some problems with getting a equal finish at all points. So went on with a M3 sanding/skotch bright kinda thing.

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    Detail shot.

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    Started anodizing with a sample piece. I was worried about the blueish kind of color on it. But it was gone after a while. I had to go for work (This week a 24/7 standby for emergencies) and left the anodisation procces running. So it might ran a bit too long. Don't know if it can run for too long? I expected the amperage would be lower once finished.


    Meanwhile i went on with some other parts:

    [​IMG]
    Another bracket has been cut. Picture was taken while filling it down to the exact size. Quite funny, I dropped 1 by accident, and it was directly broken. Although it was 8mm thick and +/- 1,5cm wide. Guess it was some kind of weak spot.


    [​IMG]
    Getting the m3 thread into it

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    And finished after polishing

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    The blocks were made of machine-pressed copper, very uneven, so i first tightened the screws and sanded them down a bit. The remaining space will be filled up with cooling paste ;)

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    The connections were made for 13mm OD hose. I always use 10mm hose with 1/4G push-in connections. Quick, cheap, and i have quite some of them in stock. With this addition a can use the connections and hose i always use

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    Meanwhile the anodisation was done for me. The blue color was gone, and a shiny metal color was there.

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    While working i spend some time on the lay-out. It might end up like this, a optical in the center. Like the cd player has. With space for HDD on the left & right side. I think that will be enough. At least there is space for more by making another bracket if i need more capacity.
    I ordered a Nanovision MIMO 720F which hopefully fits beneath the optical drive. The PSone display has a slightly lower resolution, no digital input, and bummmtrssss... no touch screen. I think that's an awesome addition... Opening winamp/WMP/foobar/whatever on the display and controlling it with the touch screen.


    [​IMG]
    Finished the anodisation procces. The small vertical lines are made by me, to see if it has any scratch protection. It was comparable with other brushed aluminium products.

    Need to fine-tune the process a little, anodisation was maybe too long, and the sealing time with boiling water was maybe too short for that.
    After anodisation and flushing it had a thin film of .... on it, felt a bit like oil.
    And after flushing it with boiling water it came out matte-white, like it was painted with thin layer of white paint. After cleaning it with a sponge it was OK :) Looks good, usable for the front panel.
    I think i'll paint the side+top panel, since the top panel is too big to anodize in this set-up. A layer of grey paint with some metallic effect will be fine as well.
     
  10. _ferry_

    _ferry_ What's a Dremel?

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    More work has been done.

    I started with the frame which holds the HDD's and optical.
    The frame will be mounted on the left and right side. But first i need the LCD screen to determinate the exact location for this frame. Something for the following updates.

    [​IMG]
    Cut the panel, drilled the holes, and bend the rear side.

    [​IMG]
    Somewhere like this

    [​IMG]
    Enough space for the connectors. I want to use 90-degree connectors so the cables can run directly beneath the frame.

    [​IMG]
    Time for anodisation :banana:

    [​IMG]
    7 ampere was a bit too much for this bridge rectifier. Although he could handle it, the heat melted the ... jeah, don't know the english word for it.
    Next time a heat sink will be used.

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    Flushing with water.

    [​IMG]
    And finished. I'm really happy with the result. It was like a semi test.. A small failure is OK, since it's inside the case. But i want it to be perfect ;)
    The feeling when you move your fingernail over the surface is terrible... like a blackboard.

    [​IMG]
    Well. The face says it all... How would you feel after being electrocuted and burned in acid?

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    Last steps by adding the meshX and HDD's with noise dampers.

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    Quick peek from behind. In fact there is place for another frame with 2 HDD's if necessary.
     
  11. Lance

    Lance Ender of discussions.

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    I am watching this. Very excited.
     
  12. l3p

    l3p www.^.nl

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    Really like it how you do the brushing/anodising!
     
  13. _ferry_

    _ferry_ What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks! I'm ferry.. uhh very... happy with it as well. Feels good to start experimenting and create something you've never done before :)
     
  14. whyte

    whyte What's a Dremel?

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    Very cool.. giving me ideas for my old praetorian.
     
  15. Juan Carlo

    Juan Carlo What's a Dremel?

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    this is awesome! can't wait to see the end product... subscribed!!
     
  16. _ferry_

    _ferry_ What's a Dremel?

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    Ordered some missing parts... only 2 for now :)

    [​IMG]
    Looks like a tablet,but it's not. A 7" touch screen. Only 1 problem: Which software is good? I was thinking about some kind of "app" to browse files and large buttons for play/pause etc. But the video should be on the TV screen. Windows media center shows it all on the same screen... useless.
    Any suggestions on this?

    [​IMG]
    Works great, image quality is good. wide viewing angle, especially from above, which is the position we'll be watching it.

    [​IMG]
    Ordered this one as well. Looks (and cools???) better then the one in my workstation. Think i'll swap them out.
     
  17. _ferry_

    _ferry_ What's a Dremel?

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    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    Last ting to do for this frame was getting the optical in place. As you can see i can move the optical for a couple of mm, in 2 directions. Want to be sure that it will allign perfectly with the front panel.

    [​IMG]

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    The 7 inch touchscreen will fit nicely, about 1cm left :)

    [​IMG]

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    On the back of the HDD there's enough place left for the powerplug. This build is not planned, just working and designing at the same time. It works faster, but you might points where parts won't fit. Luckily it's all going well.


    [​IMG]
    Next thing is the radiator. I wanted to hide the radiator because they're not very stylish. Especially this one, since it has a couple of dents. Anyway, mesh would restrict the airflow. So i decided to make a bracket. This way i can increase the surface area of the mesh, and use the same design for the PSU intake as well :)

    [​IMG]
    So lets cut it out

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    Filing down to match the exact dimensions.

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    And what to do with the remaining parts?

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    We should clean it up with the aluminium magnet off course! But i have none, otherwise i would have much more then just 1 large cup ;)

    [​IMG]

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    Et voila.

    [​IMG]

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    I wanted to cover up the ugly optical drive. This aluminium sheet will do the trick. Here you can see the difference between pre-and-after anodisation.

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    And after anodisation. Looks much better, right?

    [​IMG]

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    Removed the masking tape, and anodized the bracket.

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    And i can put a sheet of mesh into it. No glue or screws necessary, it's clamped between the sidepanel and bracket. As you can see the blank aluminium behind the mesh is visible. I should paint that side.

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    Overall view.

    The cooling block i bought was better looking than my old one. So i decided to swich them:

    [​IMG]
    Old.

    [​IMG]
    New. Including better cooling paste my stressed temp dropped 10*celcius from 50 to 40. Nice :)

    Next job will be the frontpanel
    [​IMG]
    Probably with the following parts:
    - Power button
    - eject button
    - display on/off button
    - power led
    - dvd drive
    - 7" display
    - 1 USB connector
    - IR receiver. I might combine that one with the power LED.
     
  18. ASPHIAX

    ASPHIAX Minimodder

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    Lookking good man !
     
  19. KidMod-Southpaw

    KidMod-Southpaw Super Spamming Saiyan

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    This is awesome! Keep up the great work, really like the brushed look of this. Very clean. :thumb:
     
    Teelzebub likes this.
  20. Snowcrash

    Snowcrash What's a Dremel?

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    Very impresive work, man!

    can you give details about the mesh? what kind and where from? I've been looking for something like this, but most of them have much bigger holes. Also, how restrictive is it for air flow?
     

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