ZapWizard's LAN PC -Custom Ammo PC -Completed Jan 18 '04

Cool carrying cases

 

Power Lamp Wiring

Hey Zap I hate to sound like a retard but I don't understand how you wired the large 12v lamp into the system. Did you cut off a molex and use the red and black wire on each side or what? I have one of those same lamps and I can't get a glow.

 

Zap, that's awesome "Lan Pack"...
I think you shoud mod TFT srceen also some case like that

 

Very interesting computer modification. It would be interesting to see what people will do with your idea?

 

One thing i did notice since im familar with the case is that your tore off the side clamps.. haha how do you keep your case snug, did you add some hidden brakets?..

 

Just seen your case in PC Upgrade and I must say that I don't think the pictures do it justice. I can only imagine what this must look like in real life...



...oh and BTW.....still looking slick as Agent Zap

 

Red + Black = 5v
Yellow + Black = 12v

Corg8d

 

Great work ! It looks great with green theme! (Green lights )

 

If you are refering to the red power light, it actualy runs off 120volts, and is wired directly to the power plug.

Read above, and my next post, that is exactly what was planned all along.

The clamps that hold the doors shut are still there.
The large case has 8 clamps, the ammo case has two

PC Upgrade magazine? Hmm, I guess I should go find a copy, as I didn't know about it.

Update coming in just seconds...

 

Ok folks the upgrade is 99.9% complete.
All that is left is a matching custom jacks for the LCD..but I am busy with my new project, so I am posting the upgrade now.

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Upgrading the Ammo PC

This project was built to both play, and look like it belonged in Halflife2. One problem though is that the PC has a Radeon 9200SE installed. This is a DirectX 8.0 capable card, and would not show all the effects that HL2 will be able to dish out.
So the PC has been upgraded to be DirectX 9.0 capable, and even faster.

I was also able to improve much of the mounting and airflow inside the case.

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AMD XP 3200+
This is the fastest Athlon XP available, with a 400Mhz FSB it will be more then enough for any game.

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Radeon 9600SE
A 128MB, AGP8X, DirectX 9.0 graphics card, and it is less then 3 inches tall.

I added a fan to ensure things stay cool.

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A Zalman heatsink was installed.
This heatsink allows for a more secure four-hole mounting.

It's design also allows for use of a blower fan.

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This allows me to vent the CPU directly out of the back of the case, keeping things inside cooler

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A new slightly more powerfull (250-watt) PSU was modified for use in this PC.



It pulls it's air from vents on top of the PC.


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There was a heavy amount of soldering and de-soldering on this project.
The audio, USB, and network connectors were all totally removed, and re-wired to allow for the custom jacks at the front of the PC.



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Once installed the PC is very hard to get out. So the BIOS jumper was wired directly to a switch accessible by opening the back door of the PC.
This allows for easy resetting of the BIOS.


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The memory did not get an upgrade as it is already top of the line Corsair XMS CAS2 400Mhz DDR.
But it does get an extra boost in speed, as the upgraded motherboard runs dual DDR.


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The PSU, heasink, DVD, and motherboard were installed.


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Then the harddrive is installed next to the heatsink.
This new installation is much better then the cramped and angled install before the upgrade.


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With everything installed the system is back together.
Only now it is a top end gaming machine capable of running any game needed.


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I acquired a used LCD screen that is used for monitoring servers.
It is only 800x600 and 14", but it was also free.

The nice part is it has a heavy duty metal mounting plate that is perfect for this project.



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This case was the original case planned for the Ammo PC, it is exactly as long and wide, but much thicker.


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The bottom half of the case is used to transport my cables and other parts.


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That leaves the entire top-half unused. Prefect for fitting a LCD screen.


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I had to trim about 1/2" off each edge of the LCD screen to make it fit.
The casing for it is very industrial as it is all 1/16" thick steel.



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To hold it into the lid without drilling holes, the best option is Velcro.


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The same is applied to the LCD's back panel.
This was almost too much, and made it very hard to remove the LCD after test fitting.

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With the LCD installed, and all the metal casing, the effect is a rugged looking screen.


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An external power connector is installed.

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The LCD is tested before installing the custom connector.

Tonight I am making a stand for the LCD to sit on, and, another custom connector (for VGA) is on it's way, then the PC will be complete.

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I was trying to find a way to make a stand to hold the LCD upright, and figured out that an aluminum l-bracket wedges perfectly into the latch hooks. (Or between the hooks and case.)


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I used Aluminum U shaped material to make a stand. It is very simply made with two screws, dome nuts, spacers, and a steel cable


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The steel cable creates a tension hold around the LCD, creating a slim, but effective stand for the LCD.

 

Seeing a few red "X"s

The rest looks sweet as, that is some presiscion modding...

 

nah, the pics are there - and the modding is schweeet! "i'm lovin' it" (sorry)

 

That all looks great Zap! How large is the hard drive? I'm guessing it's a 7200rpm, did you do any custom modification to make sure it stays cool? I love the Proc...I'm guessing you don't have it overclocked (already at 3200+....wouldn't want a need for it probably), but I heard blowers have worse airflow by almost half than regular fans. I've seen some of your ducting work, is that still applied to the CPU? What are your temps like (both CPU and system)?

Is there a reason for the clear acrylic on the power supply? Is 250watt really enough?

It looks like you've added quite a few more fans than on your site, how many do you have total (both blowers and regular fans)? Is there a reason why you prefer blowers to regular fans?

I heard a while ago that you kept the faceplate on by Neobdynm (probably misspelled, I know it's the infamous "rare earth magnet") magnets, is this true? You don't worry about it falling off or anything?

Sorry for all the questions, Zap, I just find this all so interesting


EDIT: Also, I looked again at your pictures, and how the heck did you get the plastic mesh on your ammo case? It doesn't look like it's held up by anything, what did you do to attach it? Hmmm...I shall look some more

EDIT EDIT: I don't remember you posting much about how exactly you mounted the motherboard...I'm sure you didn't drill holes in your case, but is it just laying in there? I know I certainly would be scared ****less of ESD, seeing as the case is all plastic, possible it could build up and fry components? Also, what is the motherboard you upgraded to? Thanks again zap!

EDIT EDIT EDIT: Your fan holes look near perfect...did you use your dremel, or a hole saw? Are the majority of your fans sucking or blowing? You don't seem to have many fan filters, do you experience any dust issues inside your case? Thanks!

 

how do you do it zap !!!????

 

Simple: He's a modding god.


Looks good there Zap I'm guessing the lid for the larger case just slips off once opened, or is there a simple latch on the hinges that allows it to come off?

 

Awesome.

I love how Zap continues to make his projects better even after they where basically done. Shows how much of a true modder he is.

 

It is a 20GB Western Digital 7200 RPM harddrive.
Not the largest, but it only needs to hold windows, and the couple games I play an LAN parties (BF1942, Counterstrike, and others)

The harddrive is mounted near the old CPU fan hole, and will get air flow across it from air pulled into the vent next to it.

I love blower fans, their CFM rating are not as high as other larger fans, but they push a lot of air over a localized area, or in 1 direction, where the output of normals fans seems to spread in a large area behind the fan.

No, the CPU now pulls air from around the base of the heatsink, and up and out of the back of the PC.

It is fairly warmer then a normal PC. The CPU runs at around 67c, and the motherboard around 36c.

The power supply originaly had a 80mm fan, the plexi is just patching the hole.

If the right power supply is choosen yes.
Meaning it has enough amps on the 12 volt and 3.3 volt rails.
So far neither the original power supply, or this new one has run hot or had out of range voltages.
(The original was scrapped because of a shorted wire to the case, which was my fault)

Actualy there are less fans, originaly there was 9 fans, now there are 7 fans.
Two of them are blower fans.

A blower was choosen for one of the front panel fans because of the limited space I had one the face plate.
The CPU has a blower fan, as it allows direct venting of the CPU heat out the back of the case. And the zalman originaly had an upwards flowing fan.

Yes

The faceplate won't fall off alone, or with cables attached, but it can be pulled off when removing a cable. So it is augmented with some push pins at each corner. (further back in the project log)

It is simply super glued on.
(And comes from www.allelectronics.com btw)

Basicly, yes. Once the PSU, harddrive and other parts are installed the fit is just tight enough to not allow any of the parts to more around.
(Even when turned upside down)
So far it has survived shipping to Califonia and back, QuakeCon, and quite a few local lans with no problems.

It is humid here in Austin, TX, and ESD is not much of a problem at all, as the air conducts pretty readily. It is rare to get a shock from my car, or a door knob.
I also work with boards that are not sheilded at my job, and have not had a problem yet, so I am not worried about the PC either.

I changed from a LeadTek nForce2 400, to a ChainTech 7NIL1 nForce2 Ultra 400. (Actualy it was the original board choosen for the PC, but had fried on me before a LAN)

I used a dremel. The fan holes on the front came out bad though, and I used trim to fix it.

There are two at the PSU sucking, and the CPU and two front fans are blowing. There is also a fan on the northbridge, and graphics card.

So far I have not had a problem. A little normal dust, but not any clumps or build up in any area.

Yes, the lid is attached by 8 identical latches, so it totaly comes off once un-clipped.

The latches are actualy very loud when unhooked.
They snap open like a mouse trap, and can hurt if you get your finger in the way. The metal case is also waterproof, and airtight. The ammo PC was, but is not now of course.

 

That is so freakin sweet. I'm trying to make something like that, but need cash, just like the ammo can pc.

 

just one thing to say: nice work

 

Probably one of the best mods ive seen, now even better.

Zap, Is the TFT alright for gaming lag wise?
What is the response time?
Any plans to upgrade to a faster one with DVI?

Nice one.