Darkness - DIY SFF case for a microATX HTPC - power problems (updated 1/24)

1 word



SEXY

 

Nice. This is the first time I've seen someone do a "chop top" on a pc. Looking good.

I think you should paint the wire grill on the fan black also - make it completely stealthed (until it was lit from inside the case)

 

paint the DVD but other then that it's dead sexy

 

There's quite a few chop tops circulating, one of which is called perforated. Have a look about, it's a spectacular work by bootupbuddah - on par with this mod.

 

From the first pictures i was expecting a horrible mess of a project... how wrong was i!?

Really nice looking finished result!

 

Bit off topic, but bondo, is that like builders / panel beaters bog. I get that it is a 2 part compound, but not sure if its the same stuff. If someone no's what most people use it for thatd be great.
And about the mod, nice job, a few questions,
Are you going to include an lcd screen in it, maybe a 20x4, that would be nice for music.
Is the front behind the door going to get a tidy up, or is the door going to stay mainly shut.
Are you using power and reset switches, and hdd and power leds, in the factory positions.
Are then any heat problems, and are you using any cable managment in the case.
You can probly tell that im looking at eventualy coppying the idea, my mp3 box just died, and i am going to mod a case specialy for it, and this looks like a good way to go.

 

holy wow...this mod is absolutely amazing. from the first post i was afraid, like MrDT, that it was gonna be a sloppy mess. wow, i couldnt have been more wrong. very clean, professional mod. hope to see an update soon, awesome work!

 

Is it also possible if you get a picture of the DVD mounting setup, and explain how you done it

 

Yes. Bondo=bog in this neck of the woods.

Looking good. Can't wait to see the next stage of development.

 

Another question about the DVD, how does it take to being mounted on its side. Is there any thing that has to be done to make that work. Is it a special DVD drive. And thanks for the answer to the bondo / bog constructiono

 

most dvd drives or any drives really can operate on its side. look at the playstation 2. The only thing that the drive might need is the little clips on the drive itself that hold the dvd from being thrown from the drive.

nice mod its been fun to follow.

 

Some answers/remarks:

Who_me_33:

The door is always shut. I put the DVD there for 2 reasons:
1. In case I ever want to watch a DVD from another region.
2. Once in a while I will need a CD drive for software installation purposes.

I do not listen to music on that machine and I do not need any display on it. While I was planning the case I spent time thinking about the power and HD activity LEDs and decided that I do not need them. Even on my main rig they serve no functional purpose (but they are bloo ).
I decided against a reset button (again - how often do you really use it?) and the power button is really ugly - maybe in Ver. 2.0 I will do something about it.
Temps - that is a problem. The case temp is OK but the CPU is a Palomino core so it runs hot as it is but with a 1U heatsink and a ghetto adapter it gets to the high 50s after 15 minutes of Unreal Tournament on 640x480 . Again, in Ver. 2.0 I hope to address this issue.

The DVD is an old Creative DVD (see first post), it does have clips on the disk tray that need to be extended to hold the disc when the drive is installed in a sideways position.
I drilled holes in the bottom of the case that align with the mounting holes on the side of the DVD - that's how it is mounted.

I will post some pics of the DVD screws and the tray clips as soon as I can.

As I mentioned I am already thinking of revising this mod:
1. The front panel will get a facelift (the fan grill, the DVD face and the power switch).
2. Heat - better CPU cooling but still needs to be small and quiet.
3. Remote... I have been using my laptop as a remote (I am running VNC on Darkness and that's how I control it).

Thanks for reading my project log. All of your compliments are making me

 

I'm back with some news - I am going to watercool this sucker!

I was doing research and now I started buying the parts.
Since the mobo doesn't have any overclocking options the cooling system will be tuned for silence and not for performance.

The biggest problem is that there is not much space inside the case and I really want everything to be internal for the wow factor
I was searching for a 92mm radiator to place right behind the intake fan and there simply isn't one that fits - the thermochill is the only 92mm I could find and it's too deep.
I had to go with a 120mm rad, the Black Ice Pro.
I am 95% sure that I am going with a Eheim Compact 600 pump - I need to take more measurements before I buy it.
I got a used DTek block for $25 with an acrylic top and chrome barbs - it's a shame that it's not visible from the outside
The res is my biggest problem now. I am thinking of building one that will double as a HD cooler. Still needs more planning.

 

some thoughts and notes:
perhaps go with an 80mm rad and duct it to the 92mm fan. Also for a pump, consider the C-Systems Ones. Good luck.

 

wow... looking good...

i had a hard enough time trying to fit my w/c kit into a normal mATX case in my project Ignis good luck in fitting one into a modified smaller mATX case... definately will be watching this thread

 

Answers:

Tulatin: I am going with a different pump because of what I read here and here . BTW Pro/Cooling is a good place to talk to people who know a lot about W/C and are happy to share their knowledge.

3N1GM4: I hope that I will have something interesting to show you by the time I'm done . The setup took a lot of research and endless measurements - you'll see...

 

Yes i read about the seal issue too but that's been fixed in the Rev 2s - which are jkust about everywhere on the market.

 

Wrong. Its not been fixed. even the rev.2 pums are falling like flys just read the pc threads^^^.

slater..

 

I promised to show how the DVD is mounted and some other stuff:

DVD mounting screws - through the bottom of the case:



Disc holding clips on the disc tray:



Progress:

I know for sure where I am putting the pump - there is an empty space behind the DVD and right above the PCI cards:



I will have to put 90 degree elbows on the intake and exhaust of the pump in order to fit it in there.

I have already ordered the pump, block and rad. I still need to get the tubing, barbs, hose clamps and build the res.
I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to go with 1/2" tubing - I have no idea how I am going to fit it inside the case

The rad is going to be here on the 17th (according to UPS) and I don't have an ETA on the pump and block. I'll probably pick up the rest of the parts from Home Depot as soon as the pump gets here - it's the first part that needs modding, I have to convert it from a submerged to an inline pump.

 

looking good so far..
would love to something similar - I really want a small black powerful box.