Proj formally known as Sunsail - Sept 05

You could try pitching out for a 1.8mm 40GB hard drive that toshiba just released..it's got to be pretty expensive though..maybe you can contact them and try to get them to sponsor you. I'm sure if you let them advertise with it..it'd let them show off really how small their hard drive is.

It's an idea if you want to try that route.

Regards,

 

small update

Small update (pics later):
I looked into various power options and although the daughter board idea looked very good, i've decided to go with something a little different. I need power for the drives and stuff so I just ordered a micro atx PSU which at 6.5cm wide is too big for the case, but not too big for the base. So i'll hollow out the sail like bit of the base and fit it there with extension wires to take power up to the board. Just finished hacking out the side window. Oh how i wish i had a dremel

 

goodplan can't wait to see how it turns out. one thing i should mention is that the dc-dc converters all com with cables to power drives. some of those boards ar capable of supplying 200W which will power a small P4 northwood system drives and all.

 

small update: dremel? We don't need no stinkin dremel

Only a little one to get two pics up.
One day I'll get a dremel, but until then, drilling and filing is the name of the game!




This is the start of the window. I want to keep the other side with the perforations and this side have a clear, shaped window to see all the goodies.

The big question I am struggling with now is: What colour to make the case. I am definately needing something that will work with the purple base and at the moment am just thinking Black, cause it's the new black you know>
Any suggestions?

 

Or maybe some 5GB USB drives?

They only provide about 8MB/s transfer rate, but they are a hell lot cheaper then the CF/mini HD's...

 

http://www.viaembedded.com/product/epia_sp_spec.jsp?motherboardId=261 - ITX mobo with sata

add into the pot http://www.fujitsu.com/global/services/computing/storage/hdd/mhdd/mhv2xxxbh-catalog.html

I think you might be onto a winner there.

 

drilling, over it, so over it

Well small update; the window drilling is done. And i am sooo going to buy a dremel. That drilling was painful, also considering I don't have a drill press. So many things I need

So the window drill is finished and now it's coming out. Seeing that this shell is one piece i'm starting to wonder how i'm going to clean up the holes. I may actually have to break this thing in half considering it's pretty fiddly. More later....

 

Get a Dremel and this might, maybe, go far.

Good luck!

 

Looking good. go with the black paint job it will look nice.

 

i 2nd that, just get a dremel clone and use a cut-off wheel to finish that!

this could be interesting

 

Finally fell to pressure and laziness

Small update:

I just got back from the shops with my coffee and got ready to settle into some modding. Found a parcel note in the box, cool, that'll be my motherboard from my sponsor. He didn't have the original one I wanted in the end and this board he's sent is heaps faster but doesn't have TV out onboard. That's OK because I have a thumping PCI graphics card with TV out I bought for another computer and didn't use so that'll do nicely. I'll have to get a USB TV device but that's OK.



Opps. Guess what else is in the pic. I succumbed to the pressure (and my aching wrists from drilling) and bought a Rotary Tool Kit. The budget didn't stretch to a Dremel but this thing is the same sort of thing. And all the dremel acc's fit it and my local hardware store has like 4000 dremel tools so that's cool.



I'll have to work on my technique but OK for a first ever cut. Thought I'd stick in this pics as well to show why I need a HTPC.



Carnage. I hate wires.


Right; back to dremelling, rotarying or something like that.

 

Glad to here you got a dremel it will make your life a lot easier, your cuts don't look to bad tho.

Which M/B did you get?

Your wiring is nowhere near as bad as mine.

 

Man your wiring must suck . I hate mine. So much hassle!

It was my board at the post office and turns out he sent a different board after all, so it does have an s-video and RCA video out onboard. Which is cool because I can now use a PCI TV card. It's a EPIA V8000 with the C3 EBGA processor from www.jamespc.com.au

And it looks like it's a nice fit in my case. I'll have to make some rails but that's pretty easy.


Scary thing is now i see it in there is how little room there will be for anything else

 

I'll take a snap of my home ents setup for you to see the carnage that is my wiring.

I know what you mean about the amount of space i had an ssf athlon until the m/b let go. I am starting to mod the case to fit my mini-itx puter in and there is loads of room for it compared to the athlon.

glad to hear that you have the TV out tho.

edit: heres the snap as promised.

 

OK. That's pretty ouuta control. Wouldn't it be great to only have one box? Mind you we still need the PS2 and Cube in the setup but being able to combine the digital TV, the video, the dvd, the music setup, etc is going to be awesome. Now if there was only some way to incorporate the games machines.....maybe my next mod, take a slimline PS2 and mod the gamecube, hmmmm

 

thoughts

OK,
been having thoughts (2nd you might say) about whether I can actually fit everything.

I mocked up the hard drive, MBD and basically it isn't going to go. Then I pulled apart the purple base and I can definately get the hard drive into it, and also the small power supply just by cutting out some of the bracing. But then there's the drive issue. Now I could always run the thing without a drive as the Via boards can run from a server running linux. But I had another idea. I am thinking about obtaining another Sunray and joing them together. Then in one of the sails I could put the Motherboard in one and the Drives in the other.
This is a realy rough concept pic:



Then it would be the twin suns! Thoughts? Comments? Is it cheating? is it better? Arrr.

 

I like the idea, and the mock up looks sweet.

 

I just cleaned up my own wires... two computers, two monitors, both have their own mouses and keyboards, audiowires worth 5 channels (few separate amplifiers) and so on. I really know why you want to get rid of all that.

 

I'm going to do it. While laying awake last night agonizing over it I came to a decision. Two Sunrays. And they'll be joined by some very cool piping and acrylic. It mean I can use some cool alum rod and run the wires for the drives through to the main box. Inspiration from the Petronas towers in KL:

 

Can't beieve the world supply of sunrays just dried up! Sheesh. Oh well, i'll completely build Sail 1 and wait unitl I get another one later. I probably will not finish before i even need it anyway.

I went shopping today and got myself some things, upadte later after I void a warranty.