Scratch Build – Complete ⭐ An Actual Toaster - Mini ITX build

Update:
This build is finished. For now. More photos on page 2.



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Hi all!
I thought I could share my ongoing project. But I am pretty far already, so I will try to catch up with some posts.

I had a bunch of Mini-ITX components running with a cardboard box for a case in my kitchen:


I have really been using it like that for a while. My son told me: "Your pc really is a toaster." That's what he and his friends call a crappy computer. That got me thinking. I really use that pc in my kitchen. And had this old toaster, that did not toast very well any more. But it is absurdly large for a toaster. Large enough for a mini ITX build:
[IMGhttps://sslsites.de/fluxing.de/extern/001b.jpg[/IMG]

So I designed a rig that would fit inside the toaster:

The red box is the power supply. Apart from that, the colours are just to distinguish between the individual parts to be 3d printed.
The toaster is not wide enough for the mainboard with the graphics car mounted directly to it, so the idea is to use a short riser to move the GPU upward and inward.

So much for now, more tomorrow.

 

And here are the first prints.
The green stuff ist just for testing purposes.

 

Fun idea, looking forward to see how it's going

 

This is the idea (not the final part) for the top part that is visible through the slots of the toaster. I want it to be black when turned off, but "glowing" when turned on, so it is printed in translucent material and spray painted black. The slots are going to house slot loading optical drives.


And this is the whole thing populated:


In the front I have the original magnet and spring from the toaster. The magnet works quite well with the 12V from the power supply. By pressing down the power "lever", the micro switch turns on the computer and the magnet holds the bolt and stops the lever from going back up.

The bolt has enough wiggle room that the moving part can go back up just enough to depress the micro switch.

 

I follow with interest...

 

Good stuff, I have a stainless steel toaster shell awaiting the right PC innards, but haven't found it yet. The inner frame is an inspiration, I shall be watching with interest too!

 

What a toaster really needs is two slot loading optical drives at the top, right?
Of course I want them both to eject when you press the button at the front of the toaster, because that's what that button does.
There is no easy way to give the drives a signal to eject (or does anyone know better?), so I soldered thin cables to the pcb that carries the eject button.

They will both be triggered with a relay.

 

Brilliant! That's a kinda dicey spot for an electromagnet, but it's such a well designed switch. The glowing top bit is great too.
Oh, and welcome to Bit!

 

Thanks a lot!
Dicey? Why?

 

An unshielded magnetic force near an electronic component=weird behavior. It may not be as problematic as it used to be in the IDE cable era, but it used to really screw with systems.
I REALLY like that switch, so I hope it's OK.

 

Ah, ok. I believe be more of a problem if it was running on AC, but since it is running on the 12V DC from the PSU, it is more like a natural magnet. I had it running for quite a while without problems, also to find out how it behaves in terms of temperature. It gets pretty warm, but not too warm to touch. I think it will be ok.

 

It get's a bit "toasty" ...... there's my "dad" joke out of the way for the week! Really cool project !

 

You could always shield the magnet from the rest of the case. Not as easy as electromagnetic shielding, and requires a metal with specific properties. The best material is an alloy called mu-metal, but I not sure of cost or availability. That said a piece of sheet steel probably would work just fine in your application, just make sure it is earthed. As for the heat of the magnet you could check and see if you can power it with 5V or even 7V to reduce the power consumption and thus the heat of the magnet.

No its a hot project. That's a dad joke.

I like your use of Wago wire connectors.

 

I honestly believe there is no need for shielding. It is a static magnetic field, not a moving one. Also, I don't think it is very strong, That's why it is off-center: It really only catches the bolt, when it connects both the center pole and one of the side poles. The magnet is formed like a W. Or rather like UU, with the coil around the middle. Er, was that understandable?

 

Sorry. I derailed the thread.
...It became a hot topic.

 

I won't roast you for that.

 

Lol! Really fun, i like these projects! I see today in the trash an old vintage vaccum....i have the idea to put inside a PC....

 

I want the toaster to emanate that toasty glow, so I bought a orange LED strips:


But the glow of a toaster does not just flick on and off, I wanted it to fade in and out. And I wanted to be able to adjust the brightness with the knob on the front of the toaster. My knowledge of analogue electronics is limited, but by trial and error I came up with this circuit:

I kept the trim pots to adjust the fade in speed and the adjustment range of the knob:

the fade out is mostly determined by the large condenser.
I mounted the circuit on the inside of the housing:

 

Hi, welcome on Bit tech forum !
Love itx and you project looks fun !

 

Thank you!