PROJECT: (Needs Name) HTPC - remnant.soul I've been wanting to do this for a long time and now I've begun the planning stages. Hopefully I'll be able to take these Images and make them real. The plans are to make my current machine into to something I can use as an htpc and double as a lan/gaming rig. Specs: Processor:AMD XP 2500+ Mobo:ASUS A7N8X X Deluxe Memory:Kingston 512mb Video:Radeon 9800 Pro 256mb Storage:Maxtor 60gb Quantum Fireball 20gb Audio:Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Sennheiser HD280 To buy: -TV tuner Card (please give recommendations) -Shuttle PSU -CD-RW/DVD slot load drive (where to buy?) -All the alu. -3x. 40mm fans -Blue LED's -Blue UV Plexi Plans: -The exterior of the case will be made out of 2mm thick alu. hopefully I can get the metal shop to do all the cutting and bending for me (if alu. is too expensive I'll go with steel and paint it). -The size of the tubing will be 15mm if I cant find anything that size or smaller ill go with 1" alu. or steel square tubing(increasing the size of the case). -This case must be able to support a 21" monitor on top and still have reasonable access to the components. -A 4mm thick piece blue plexi/lexan behind the bezel backlit by blue LED's. -Removable motherboard tray. -Removable HDD and CD-RW/DVD cage. -Backlit CD-RW/DVD slot load drive. -Home made bulgin vandal resistant switch upfront. -I want to design a circuit that will let the single button up front have two functions: 1. When the pc is not running it will function as the power on button. Once the pc is on the switch cannot turn the computer off that must be done through windows. This is where it gets tricky... 2. Once the computer is running the switch would then become the drive eject button. If this is even possible I would really appreciate if someone could help me design the circuit. Dimensions:Metric - 460 mm(W), 460 mm(L), 155 mm(H) ||Dimensions:Standard - 18" (W), 18"(L), 6"(H)
For an htpc i would go with a happauge pvr-250. one of the best tv tuners on the market (in my opinion) About the power/eject button, you might want to talk to someone in the electronic's section, unless someone here can answer it. Like the idea of the case though
As far as the switch is concerned, I would image you could get a momentary DPDT switch, hook up the leads from the power switch to one side and the eject switch to the other. After the lead exits the power switch, have a latch to hold the voltage TTL low or whatever the mobo wants, after the initial TTL high pulse to tell it to turn on.
Im not really an electronics buff so i have no idea what youre talking about. If you could kind of dumb it down that'd be swell.
imo, arent they specs a bit, top end for a htpc. why bother with a 9800pro? you cud get away with a lesser card for a htpc easily.
Shadowfx: the reason the specs are the way they are is because im simply taking my current gaming rig and making so i can use it as an htpc also.
you could use ATi 9800 AIW card for a tv tuner and your video card, or i hear the WinTV-PVR 350 is a very good tv tuner card
I own a PVR 350 and it is far better than the all-in-wonder that I own as well. It does most of the processing on board, saving your processor a ton of work. Its just a solid dedicated card. I don't think you need to do anything special to make your switch work. Wire it to both the mobo header and the drive. When the power is off it will only activate the mobo. When the power is on, you would normally have to hold the switch awhile to turn the system off, so a quick press will only activate the cdrom.
1. When the pc is not running it will function as the power on button. Once the pc is on the switch cannot turn the computer off that must be done through windows. This is where it gets tricky... 2. Once the computer is running the switch would then become the drive eject button. u could just wire them up to the same switch a momentary on switch to short both at the same time and tell windows to do nothing when the button is pressed (goto Control Pannel > Power Options > Advanced and u will see that magic option) Yammosk
