bit-tech.net

Go Back   bit-tech.net Forums > Modding > Project Logs
Reload this Page Case Mod HP Blackbird 002
Register FAQ / Rules Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
Page 1 of 13 1 2345611 > Last »
 
Thread Tools View Mode
Old 28th Sep 2008, 06:47   #1
MrBean
Supermodder
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 544
MrBean has yet to learn the way of the DremelMrBean has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
HP Blackbird 002


For a while now I've been eyeing the recently released HP Blackbird 002. No, not the system, just the case.

But, as you all know, they're notoriously difficult to come by, at least as an empty case - and, in the Land Down Under, you cannot even buy a complete Blackbird system.

With the help of a fellow modder, Alex at Computer Choppers, who recently did the Dream Machine mod on one of these, I managed to secure a Blackbird case.

All the cabling, SATA backplane, internal plastics were there, but it is short the unique outer sidepanels, and a decent front panel assembly for the buttons.

I have very good hardware particularly suited to this mod - for now I am putting on hold Dark Apple, and using the Asus Z7s motherboard, 2x Xeon 5430 cpus, 8gigs of ram, and the SAS harddrive cage.

Please see next post for some pics.
Last edited by MrBean; 28th Sep 2008 at 07:23.
MrBean is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 07:00   #2
MrBean
Supermodder
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 544
MrBean has yet to learn the way of the DremelMrBean has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
Well, I basically put the base system together to test all the hardware, and make sure everything works as it should. Loaded Win Vista Ultimate 64bit as the preferred OS.

Here's a shot of the case, note the missing outer side-covers:



And here's a shot of the front-panel electronics, minus the rather nice HP frontpanel assembly:



The original assembly was modified, but it did not come out well, and will not fit this mod particularly well - I need a new bit here, and would prefer the original plastic - otherwise I need to have one CNC'ed, same as the sidepanels.



and the backside:

Last edited by MrBean; 28th Sep 2008 at 10:33.
MrBean is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 07:04   #3
bigsharn
Officially demotivated
 
bigsharn's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: bit-tech forums... usually
Posts: 2,603
bigsharn can run Crysisbigsharn can run Crysisbigsharn can run Crysisbigsharn can run Crysisbigsharn can run Crysisbigsharn can run Crysisbigsharn can run Crysisbigsharn can run Crysisbigsharn can run Crysis
You actually got hold of a Blackbird shell?


SUBSCRIBED!!!
__________________
{Rolling on a 1990s Dawes Galaxy}
{Nikon D80, 18-55 f/3.5-5.6G and 50mm f/1.8}{Lomo Smena 8M}{Olympus OM10, 50mm f/1.8, 28mm f/2 and 135mm f/3.5}
bigsharn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 07:04   #4
MrBean
Supermodder
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 544
MrBean has yet to learn the way of the DremelMrBean has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
Here's a couple of internal shots, please don't mind the cabling/wiring for now, it will all be fixed proper when I'm done - in the following shots, the internal windage trays are not in place, I will mount them once the watercooling is complete.

Showing the Asus Z7S mobo, with 8-gigs FB-Dimms, and Xeon 5430's mounted - just 2 test coolers on for now - the system will be watercooled, replacing air for the 2x Fuzion v2's out of the Apple mod.



and another one:



In the next shot you can see the Dell Perc 5i mounted, with it's dual 4-channel SAS cables connected:
MrBean is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 07:14   #5
MrBean
Supermodder
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 544
MrBean has yet to learn the way of the DremelMrBean has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigsharn
You actually got hold of a shell?
I guess I was very lucky, right time and place, and a crapload of money - the case, with shipping to Australia was around USD $1,200 - ouch, but worth it

Ok, back to the setup - the only real gripe I had with a very well designed case was a few minor things:

1) The harddrive slide in trays are hiddeous, cheap plastic things - they could have done a better job here.
2) Mounting any decent aftermarket radiator is going to be a pain (but I have it covered)
3) the clips keeping PCI cards in place is also crap quality, and prone to cracking/breaking - Voodoo/HP need to focus on the aspect.

Other than that, a very well-designed and engineered case.

Well, fixing the problem in point 1, I decided to remove the stock SATA backplane that came with the Blackbird:



With that done, I fitted the SAS (8x) 2.5" harddrive cage from a HP ML370 T05 server, similar to the one I am using in the Apple CaseMod. the advantage is, well, SAS drives, fast, enterprise reliability, battery-backed wb-cache, etc....plus, I can fit 8, where the original HP design allowed for 5 drives in the Blackbird.

And, I think it looks much neater than the original design - this is something Voodoo/HP should have done too - the cost of designing a new backplane from scratch vs using the SAS one would not have made a difference to the final pricing.

Well, here's some pics, please tell me what you think:

Angled shot:



another one....



and a close-up of the caddy and mounting - the aluminium plate will get the same color as the interior plastics, some or other glossy black....
MrBean is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 07:19   #6
MrBean
Supermodder
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 544
MrBean has yet to learn the way of the DremelMrBean has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
What's on the agenda next:

1) Mounting the Feser 240mm X-changer Radiator - busy with a very finicky custom mount for this unit, originally the watercooled Blackbirds makes use of an Asetek unit, custom manufactured for HP by them, and not available for sale to the general public.

I don't want the crappy stock cooling anyway.

Have the rad, Tygon 3/8" tubing, pumps, waterblocks, etc....

2) finalize cabling.

3) Buy 2x HD 4750 X2's for this rig.

I am currently using my old, trustworthy 8800Ultra.

Looking for a sponsor for the gfx cards

Comments welcome.

@ Cyprio and Angel OD: You guys thought I dropped everything...hehe

MrBean.
MrBean is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 07:25   #7
modsquad
Grease Monkey Undergraduate..
 
modsquad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SlaughterHouse 5
Posts: 2,279
modsquad has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
Blackbird singing in the dead of night.. Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Last edited by modsquad; 28th Sep 2008 at 07:30.
modsquad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 07:36   #8
MrBean
Supermodder
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 544
MrBean has yet to learn the way of the DremelMrBean has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
Ah, wise words there....

For those that may want to know, this is a pic of the HP SAS cage I used....in case original Blackbird owners want to do something similar...cough-cough Voodoo/HP....



Here's the motherboard I used:



and then, the memory:



and populating the board - 8-gigs of FB-Dimm goodness.....

Last edited by MrBean; 28th Sep 2008 at 07:42.
MrBean is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 07:52   #9
HaoKi
Lleno de anguilas!
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Finland
Posts: 168
HaoKi has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
As I loved the G5 Mod, I'm really looking forward to seeing this one...
__________________
MetkuMods Because you love your hardware.
AllTheMods Modded your house, bike, computer?! Show-off it here.

Eutanasia: Q6600 g0 @ 3,6Ghz, DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2RS, 4Gb G.Skill @ 912mhz 5-4-4-4, HD4870 CrossfireX, 200gb WD... Article: Metku.net
HaoKi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 10:43   #10
Burnout21
Is the daddy!
 
Burnout21's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Bindi's cupboard
Posts: 8,101
Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.
i miss the G5 mod..
__________________
Project log Mocha70
Workstation: Q6600, DFI P45-T2RS Plus, 8GB Reaper HPC, Quadro FX3450, 60Gb Vertex 2
Game: i7 930, GA-X58-USB3, 12GB Kingston, GTX280, 1Tb Seagate, WC
Burnout21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 11:20   #11
wgy
Supermodder
 
wgy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 303
wgy has yet to learn the way of the Dremelwgy has yet to learn the way of the Dremelwgy has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
wise 'lyrics' to be correct, blackbird by the beatles.

looking forward to this. the HD rack looks good.
wgy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 15:41   #12
The boy 4rm oz
Project: Elegant-Li
 
The boy 4rm oz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Balhannah, South Australia
Posts: 5,286
The boy 4rm oz has yet to learn the way of the DremelThe boy 4rm oz has yet to learn the way of the DremelThe boy 4rm oz has yet to learn the way of the DremelThe boy 4rm oz has yet to learn the way of the DremelThe boy 4rm oz has yet to learn the way of the DremelThe boy 4rm oz has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
Now let me see. this would have to be the SECOND Blackbird to ever be modded, do that case proud my friend.

What are you gonna do with your G5 mod?
__________________
Project: Elegant-Li *NEW*
Project: Alpha FINISHED
Project: LEXA Revival FINISHED
Project: LEXA FINISHED MOTM Nominee October 08
The boy 4rm oz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 16:59   #13
wbdog206
Supermodder
 
wbdog206's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: In the middle of nowhere
Posts: 436
wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.wbdog206 is a hoopy frood who really knows where their towel is.
i like that h\d rack very efficient.
__________________
Of all the things I have lost,
I miss my mind the most.
wbdog206 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 17:19   #14
Cheapskate
↓ Don't trust that face!
 
Cheapskate's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Texas
Posts: 6,983
Cheapskate should be considered for presidentCheapskate should be considered for presidentCheapskate should be considered for presidentCheapskate should be considered for presidentCheapskate should be considered for presidentCheapskate should be considered for presidentCheapskate should be considered for presidentCheapskate should be considered for presidentCheapskate should be considered for presidentCheapskate should be considered for presidentCheapskate should be considered for president
Cool! something to look forward to.
Cheapskate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 17:23   #15
modgodtanvir
Prepare - for Mortal Bumbat!
 
modgodtanvir's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Up a tree, Lincolnshire
Posts: 1,963
modgodtanvir has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
A Blackbird!?! This is going to be awesome! Keeping my eyes peeled
__________________
Nexxo: Oh, and Relix is god, and ComputerKing is his prophet.
Mankz: Meh. So what am I?
dragon2309: Weak wristed...?
modgodtanvir is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 20:27   #16
_-..zKiLLA..-_
Multimodder
 
_-..zKiLLA..-_'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 95
_-..zKiLLA..-_ has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
nvm
__________________
~ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570~
~AMD AM2 64X2 5600+ 3.25GHz~
~4gb G.Skill 4-4-4-12~
~nVidia 9800GTX+~
Last edited by _-..zKiLLA..-_; 29th Sep 2008 at 03:46.
_-..zKiLLA..-_ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th Sep 2008, 20:46   #17
x06jsp
da ginger monkey!!!!
 
x06jsp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,651
x06jsp has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
sorry to say but ridiculously over priced case (i.e roughly £500!) but i look forward to seeing what you get done...

Josh
x06jsp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th Sep 2008, 00:37   #18
tominated
Supermodder
 
tominated's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 504
tominated has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
i was wanting to get my hands on a blackbird case for soooo long. looks like it's going to be another top notch project though MrBean
tominated is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th Sep 2008, 10:40   #19
MrBean
Supermodder
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 544
MrBean has yet to learn the way of the DremelMrBean has yet to learn the way of the Dremel
Heya Guys,
Thanx for the feedback, appreciated.

I agree on the comment that these cases are ridiculously expensive, if you can find one, but, us modders are a crazy bunch

Nice to have something that will only get mainstream a couple of years from now - something similar to the Apple G5/Pro series cases - when someone tackles one, everyone takes notice.

I guess it will be the same with the Blackbirds 2-3 years from now.
MrBean is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th Sep 2008, 12:29   #20
Burnout21
Is the daddy!
 
Burnout21's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Bindi's cupboard
Posts: 8,101
Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.Burnout21 is the Cheesecake. Relix smiles down upon them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBean View Post
Heya Guys,
Thanx for the feedback, appreciated.

I agree on the comment that these cases are ridiculously expensive, if you can find one, but, us modders are a crazy bunch

Nice to have something that will only get mainstream a couple of years from now - something similar to the Apple G5/Pro series cases - when someone tackles one, everyone takes notice.

I guess it will be the same with the Blackbirds 2-3 years from now.
You might be right there chap, i loved the G5 logs so much but couldn't find a G5 case for love or money so ended up with a Lian li V1000b. I think the reason G5 projects are so loved is because you cant just slap hardware in them, they need modding well!
__________________
Project log Mocha70
Workstation: Q6600, DFI P45-T2RS Plus, 8GB Reaper HPC, Quadro FX3450, 60Gb Vertex 2
Game: i7 930, GA-X58-USB3, 12GB Kingston, GTX280, 1Tb Seagate, WC
Burnout21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 1 of 13 1 2345611 > Last »

Tags
case mod

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »
Thread Tools
View Mode

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 16:24.
Powered by: vBulletin Version 3
Copyright ©2000 - 2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

bit-tech.net - Top