Krikkit's Cheap cardboard box mod! - UPDATE 13/06/07! Now with added extras! - bit-tech.net Forums

Krikkit · 13th Jan 2007, 20:29

Right, I recently bought an Intel I815-E integrated board, in a tiny form-factor (credit to -H-

), and needed something to put it in.
Having looked at mini-itx.com and various other websites for a small case, I decided to make my own.

Not being G69T, I haven't decided to employ my multi-million pound computer CNC machine, and not being G-nome, I haven't decided to fashion things using aluminum and bent, treated and fiddled-with plexi. No no.

This is a ghetto mod. All I'm using are things I've got lying around my room in various boxes.

First, the components:

On the left, the mobo, equipped with a 1GHz P3 and 512MB PC133 SD-RAM, in Socket 370 form.
Then we've got an old 40GB Seagate HD (which will probably get replaced at some point for a more quiet one), a Samsung CD-RW, and an 430W Enermax, with braided cables (mega overkill for this, but it was the only one I had lying around).

So, down to work. I'll be using a 6-bottle wine box for this, as they're about a s wide as a PSU, and everything fits nicely.

After cutting out a hole for the backplate in the bottom;

I set to work attatching the mobo to its home in the bottom of the box.
No fancy mobo trays or anything here, just some nuts and bolts:

And here we have a couple of pics with the mobo mounted:
Top down:

View of back panel:

It looks like the mobo sticks out from the back, but rest assured that it's pretty flush.

Next came the tricky part - mounting everything else.
The idea is, if you look at this picture;

To have the PSU just above the mobo, with the exhaust fan a couple of inches above the mobo itself, the HD right behind all this (in the 1-inch or so space between the back of the mobo and the box edge) in a vertical position; and then, finally, the optical drive mounted on top of the PSU.

"But Krikkit!" I hear you cry, "Won't the PSU just bend the box where you screw it to the cardboard, because it only has holes at the front?"
Aha, this is why we have the Optical drive above the PSU.
The optical drive is almost exactly as wide as the box, meaning I can use all 8 screw-holes to suspend it into the 2 side-panels. Then all we need to do is attatch the PSU to the Optical drive with some kind of cradle to stop it falling down, and the job's a good 'un, so to speak.

Well, continuing in our theme of not using anything that isn't in the room already, I decided to use a PCI blanking plate, cunningly holed, to hold it up. Let me show you what I mean;

Once the hole was made (with a hammer and a screwdriver, no pussy-whipped dremelling going on here), we had a perfect solution:

The next job is shortening the PSU cables, followed by mounting, then sealing the puppy up. More soon.

Thoughts? Comments?

ElThomsono · 13th Jan 2007, 20:36

Ha, brilliant!

My only suggestion would be that you consider getting duck tape involved somewhere

Edit: or coat it with tinfoil for that "aluminium" feel.

Krikkit · 13th Jan 2007, 20:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElThomsono

Ha, brilliant!

My only suggestion would be that you consider getting duck tape involved somewhere

Edit: or coat it with tinfoil for that "aluminium" feel.

Hush, young padawan, the mighty tape will be coming soon, I promise. (I'm not known as "Mr Duct-tape" to my housemates for nothing

)
I like the foil idea too - I'll have to get some in there.

Mankz · 13th Jan 2007, 20:48

you need some more fans around for some ventilaton...

otherwise its good!

zhangmaster12 · 13th Jan 2007, 21:18

omg i did this kind of thing with a 6800 and a pentium d 805. didnt last long, though. i didnt want my comp to fry so i took them out. gpu was nearing 80c!!!!!!!!

Mod_God · 13th Jan 2007, 21:22

lol are you serious this is a, well......interesting mod

Spaceraver · 13th Jan 2007, 23:51

rofl mod... and so retro...

Aman · 14th Jan 2007, 00:28

omg this might just beat the famous orc

sui_winbolo · 14th Jan 2007, 00:37

Whoa, I want that motherboard, what brand of motherboard is that?

r4tch3t · 14th Jan 2007, 00:48

Noice

CasteR · 14th Jan 2007, 01:19

this is not even a project......

without duck tape!!!!!!

haha i've done one of these myself except inside a big speaker, worked pretty well it was a head turner!

nice ghetto work though, we all have the secret mcguyver skills inside us!

looks cool though lets see it finished!

Krikkit · 14th Jan 2007, 02:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by sui_winbolo

Whoa, I want that motherboard, what brand of motherboard is that?

Apparently it's an SBC "MicroPCI CompactPCI Embedded Board Industrial Motherboard".
There's a shedload of information here

KayinBlack · 14th Jan 2007, 02:24

Me likes it. I had a cardboard pc once, or twice... or twenty-eleven times.

Very well executed, in finding the right size box.

specofdust · 14th Jan 2007, 02:26

Cant wait to see this finished. Nice idea dude

davidbacsik · 14th Jan 2007, 02:53

Love the mod. My style in deed. Just as a question, what's it for?

greensabbath · 14th Jan 2007, 03:08

Well it seems cheap, and looks like ass, so you're doing a great job.

Seriously though, we should have a cardboard mod contest

Yutani · 14th Jan 2007, 03:40

Great idea I must admit. Just to show all those people out there how multi-functional some of the boxes can really be!

I for one thing are excited and will start my own custom cardboard mod some time in the near future.

Lets get that contest on tracks!

Raziekiel · 14th Jan 2007, 05:06

You sir may be on your way to Mod of the Year '07!

Techno-Dann · 14th Jan 2007, 05:29

A cardboard mod contest would rock.

On a more relevant note, this mod rocks too. Needs duct tape, though.

samkiller42 · 14th Jan 2007, 14:41

6 wine bottle box...dam, why didnt i think of this when i bought my new rig

It does look like its a mad mad mod, is this "Gaming rig" up to anything like lan parties? heh, looking good, waiting for the next update.

Sam

13th Jan 2007, 20:29	#1
Krikkit Don't panic! Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Lancs, UK Posts: 15,177	Krikkit's Cheap cardboard box mod! - UPDATE 13/06/07! Now with added extras! Right, I recently bought an Intel I815-E integrated board, in a tiny form-factor (credit to -H- ), and needed something to put it in. Having looked at mini-itx.com and various other websites for a small case, I decided to make my own. Not being G69T, I haven't decided to employ my multi-million pound computer CNC machine, and not being G-nome, I haven't decided to fashion things using aluminum and bent, treated and fiddled-with plexi. No no. This is a ghetto mod. All I'm using are things I've got lying around my room in various boxes. First, the components: On the left, the mobo, equipped with a 1GHz P3 and 512MB PC133 SD-RAM, in Socket 370 form. Then we've got an old 40GB Seagate HD (which will probably get replaced at some point for a more quiet one), a Samsung CD-RW, and an 430W Enermax, with braided cables (mega overkill for this, but it was the only one I had lying around). So, down to work. I'll be using a 6-bottle wine box for this, as they're about a s wide as a PSU, and everything fits nicely. After cutting out a hole for the backplate in the bottom; I set to work attatching the mobo to its home in the bottom of the box. No fancy mobo trays or anything here, just some nuts and bolts: And here we have a couple of pics with the mobo mounted: Top down: View of back panel: It looks like the mobo sticks out from the back, but rest assured that it's pretty flush. Next came the tricky part - mounting everything else. The idea is, if you look at this picture; To have the PSU just above the mobo, with the exhaust fan a couple of inches above the mobo itself, the HD right behind all this (in the 1-inch or so space between the back of the mobo and the box edge) in a vertical position; and then, finally, the optical drive mounted on top of the PSU. "But Krikkit!" I hear you cry, "Won't the PSU just bend the box where you screw it to the cardboard, because it only has holes at the front?" Aha, this is why we have the Optical drive above the PSU. The optical drive is almost exactly as wide as the box, meaning I can use all 8 screw-holes to suspend it into the 2 side-panels. Then all we need to do is attatch the PSU to the Optical drive with some kind of cradle to stop it falling down, and the job's a good 'un, so to speak. Well, continuing in our theme of not using anything that isn't in the room already, I decided to use a PCI blanking plate, cunningly holed, to hold it up. Let me show you what I mean; Once the hole was made (with a hammer and a screwdriver, no pussy-whipped dremelling going on here), we had a perfect solution: The next job is shortening the PSU cables, followed by mounting, then sealing the puppy up. More soon. Thoughts? Comments? __________________ \|E8400 @ 4.4GHz\|WC: 2120.1 GT's, MCP350, Storm G5\|4GB Dominators\|DFI LT X48-T2R\|8800GT\|74GB Raptor\|Chieftec BA01\|OCZ ModXStream 600W\|Dell 2208WFP\| The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, The LOL!!1!!1!, The Zlad!, The Kempness, The Braaaaaains... Last edited by Krikkit; 4th Jul 2007 at 13:35.*

13th Jan 2007, 20:36	#2
ElThomsono Mod Master Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Dorset Posts: 2,254	Ha, brilliant! My only suggestion would be that you consider getting duck tape involved somewhere Edit: or coat it with tinfoil for that "aluminium" feel. __________________ If it's broken, I can fix it. But that's ******.

13th Jan 2007, 21:18	#5
zhangmaster12 Hypermodder Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 870	omg i did this kind of thing with a 6800 and a pentium d 805. didnt last long, though. i didnt want my comp to fry so i took them out. gpu was nearing 80c!!!!!!!! __________________ Project Dimension 2400

13th Jan 2007, 21:22	#6
Mod_God Multimodder Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: United States, Maryland Posts: 74	lol are you serious this is a, well......interesting mod __________________ If all else fails send it back DOA Project Nexus: HERE

13th Jan 2007, 23:51	#7
Spaceraver Weekend Junkie Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kolding, Denmark Posts: 1,307	rofl mod... and so retro... __________________ "Faith: not wanting to know what is true." - Friedrich Nietzsche. "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." - Seneca Last thing I remember, I was drinking this glowing green sht out of a test tube and dancing like a bstard.

14th Jan 2007, 00:28	#8
Aman Multimodder Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 189	omg this might just beat the famous orc

14th Jan 2007, 00:37	#9
sui_winbolo Network Engineer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bottineau, ND Posts: 1,306	Whoa, I want that motherboard, what brand of motherboard is that? __________________ :: XBOX 360 / / SPARTAN sui ::

14th Jan 2007, 00:48	#10
r4tch3t hmmmm.... Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: New Zealand Posts: 2,885	Noice __________________ Fight my Brute The quantum limit of reality might be scaled up because we're all holograms. Obviously. Once more we see that sufficiently advanced physics is indistinguishable from getting really stoned. From here

14th Jan 2007, 01:19	#11
CasteR Minimodder Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 25	this is not even a project...... without duck tape!!!!!! haha i've done one of these myself except inside a big speaker, worked pretty well it was a head turner! nice ghetto work though, we all have the secret mcguyver skills inside us! looks cool though lets see it finished!

14th Jan 2007, 02:24	#13
KayinBlack I am the Pumpkin King! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tuscaloosa, AL Posts: 2,022	Me likes it. I had a cardboard pc once, or twice... or twenty-eleven times. Very well executed, in finding the right size box. __________________ Mithril, ongoing... Sponsored by Petra's Tech Shop And Sidewinder Computers FFVII: Fatal Optimization Sponsored by Koolance Found cat. Anyone know how to CONTROL cats?

14th Jan 2007, 02:26	#14
specofdust Banned Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Aberdeen, UK, EU Posts: 7,614	Cant wait to see this finished. Nice idea dude __________________ Like marmite, only no-one hates it Mmm bop!

14th Jan 2007, 02:53	#15
davidbacsik Multimodder Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 150	Love the mod. My style in deed. Just as a question, what's it for?

14th Jan 2007, 03:08	#16
greensabbath Got Wood? Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Alameda, CA, USA Posts: 758	Well it seems cheap, and looks like ass, so you're doing a great job. Seriously though, we should have a cardboard mod contest __________________ Completed:Sangaku http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=89638 Completed:Yuugou http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=109996 My case mod website www.nickfalzonedesign.com

14th Jan 2007, 03:40	#17
Yutani What's a Dremel? Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 10	Great idea I must admit. Just to show all those people out there how multi-functional some of the boxes can really be! I for one thing are excited and will start my own custom cardboard mod some time in the near future. Lets get that contest on tracks!

14th Jan 2007, 05:06	#18
Raziekiel Modder Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Missouri, Rolla Soon Posts: 65	You sir may be on your way to Mod of the Year '07!

14th Jan 2007, 05:29	#19
Techno-Dann Disgruntled kumquat Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Pullman WA, USA Posts: 1,572	A cardboard mod contest would rock. On a more relevant note, this mod rocks too. Needs duct tape, though. __________________ The intellitxt demon fell dead, Sir Tim's lance embedded in its heart. The fair land of Bit-Tech was free from its influence once more. And there was much rejoicing.

14th Jan 2007, 14:41	#20
samkiller42 KEEP IT CLEAN! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Havant, Hampshire, England Posts: 3,185	6 wine bottle box...dam, why didnt i think of this when i bought my new rig It does look like its a mad mad mod, is this "Gaming rig" up to anything like lan parties? heh, looking good, waiting for the next update. Sam __________________ The Rig: i7 920 D0, Gigabyte EX58-UD5, 12GB DDR3 1600mhz, BFG GTX295, Samsung 64gb SSD, WD 640gb Black, Samsung F2 Eco 1TB, Dell 3007WFP, Windows 7 RC. The Netbook: Samsung NC10 Black, Intel Atom, 2gb DDR2 Xbox Live: samkiller42¦PSN: samkiller42¦Bungie: samkiller42

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