Case Mod - In Progress Project: Firewall, 19th February (Part one of Vinyl Dye)

Well I was really meaning to start a log for this way back when i started on the idea about a year go. It started out with my home router being a little low on its abilities so i decided to go down the PC based firewall route...

Initially I had made up a metal biscuit tin case but i wasn't really happy with the space and layout - and it wasn't a very clean looking build up. About 3-4 weeks ago i had 50mb broadband fitted and this was the kick up the backside to start about making the firewall i initially set out to create. I started with a trip to the local Maplins to find a project box which was of a suitable size and it started from there.

Now i'm afraid i've been a little naughty with the initial stages as i've not really taken any photos of the cutting and prep'ing so the first installment isn't all that meaty in terms of 'build' pictures.

Heres how she looks now:




Very plain and standard looking - now in this case is exactly what i was going for. This will be shelf bound just doing its duties so i didn't want anything that will stand out too much. In the end i'm looking at black vinyl dye or similar to bring it the same as my other PC base hardware.

Basic Specs:

1Ghz ITX system based around a VIA EPIA-PD10000 - Great little board and having the all important 2 LAN interfaces.
1GB Ram - Might as well go for a 1GB stick since i have one already
4GB IDE Disk on module - Keep temp down and there are very small so perfect in a small case



Here is the inside as it stands, I've mounted some regular stand offs into the plastic base. Drilling a small pilot hole, then making the top 0.5mm or so slightly larger i've been able to wind the stand off's in with a socket set without the need to pre-tap the holes. The rear IO face plate was cut out by hand - took ages but i thought it was the best way to get a close fit. Then the power LED and switch we're mounted on the front.



This is two standard NB heatsink taken from plain P4 boards, then cut out to match the capacitor which sits in the middle of the board (take note board designers!! - this is a no no).



I want to run passive as much as possible so i've taken a big of P4 heatsink and cut it to size, then mounted via screws/nuts to the board. Hoping this will give me a bit better cooling that the stock solution.



The IDE disk on module. This one is actually a 32mb but the 4GB i have coming is the same size so its good to get an idea for fit.



Added bonus with the project box i decided on was the sides are removable so should i need to ever add more buttons or change anything i can always just make another set of sides and drop in.



Power button and LED. Decided against a reset switch so i'm going to make something which is pushed via a pin hole for safety against accidental resets.



Here you can see the 4 holes where the stand offs are set, also added 4 rubber feed to raise it so the stand off doesn't scratch the desk.

Thats all I have for now. Main thing next is waiting on the 4GB DOM and PicoPSU to arrive so i can power it up, put some load on it and decide what to do about cooling as until i know its heat output i want to see what i can get away with... ideally totally passive but i will give in to a temp controlled fan if i must

 

Good luck! Your cooling solution is good.

 

Thats really good looking....

Like not aesthetically (i hope that was'nt the target) but it would be perfect size for sliding in a small nook or cranny in a desk or side unit very simple and effective

I like it alot

 

Nice and neat, just how I like it.

As you are going, or at least trying to go passive, have you thought about cutting some venting to let the heat escape. Maybe just cut a neat square and cover it with mesh underneath, once you have vinyl dyed or painted it would look swish.

Though from the look of the pics, you have enough space to whack a big 12cm fan right over the motherboard. Or one of those scythe slim 10cm if the space is tighter. Just running at a very very low speed, purely to stop hot air being trapped inside.

 

Well plan is to set it up and run with a temp probe and artificially give it 100% or close. From there I can guess how much cooling is required.

You are spot on tho, my design catered for holes in the base with venting on the top - or like you say slow 120mm. That's why the two smaller heatsinks are so small so I've gives me the option.

I didn't notice how plain it was until seeing it in photos but like you say its really function over form on this one

 

Brilliant project, and I like how you use DOM instead of a HDD. I do think a fan would be a good idea, a low-rpm like Matticus suggested should be optimal.

How many computers will this firewall serve, and what distro will you use?

 

Its only for home use so it will cover 4 laptops and 4 pcs... I'm not 100% sold on the software yet. I've used pfsense in the past so i think thats the first i'll run with and i'll see how i get on with it. I'm an IT tech work wise so i'm normally not too bad at these type of things

What would you recommend as far as a low noise 120mm fan?? I'm a little out the loop these days, back when i started watercooling Yate Loon fans were the fan of the moment so have things moved on at all?

 

Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1150 RPM ( 37.1 CFM, 16 dB)

 

How is the firewall working for you and what distro have you installed?

 

Its not doing anything yet

I took delivery of the 4GB drives last week so i've been waiting for friday (pay day) so i could order a PicoPSU to get it up and running...

 

Still waiting for PicoPSU to arrive

Hopefully sometime next week I'll get it in the post and testing can start...

 

I reccomend enermax tb silence- 11dba and push 46cfm of air, they're about 600rpm.

 

enermax tb silence do look nice. When I've a little more time i'll take a look a a few reviews.

Still no sign of my PicoPSU arriving - Think i'm gonna start more work on my silent server I think (more on that another time tho)

 

This is a really cool project, thanks for sharing it with us.

I'm constantly amazed at how much power we can put into such small form factors!

Can't wait to hear more about the software setup you'll be going with.

Hopefully that CPU comes in soon!!

 

WooHoo!! PicoPSU has landed



So over this weekend so far i've hooked it all up and confirmed it all works together. Bad news it after only running a stress test for 10min its very obvious now i'm gonna need to bring a fan into the equation. The CPU heatsink was very hot and although i didn't take any temps i'm not happy with it being that hot all the time.

I've got some pictures of the box as 'test' mode with a fan dropped on top...



And it all up and running - with memtest just so its got something to do



Next up i think it some holes for venting.. I'm not sure so i work on the fan expelling hot air and pulling in cool from below - or fan pushing cool air on the heatsinks and push it out via some side venting??

Whats your thoughts?

 

I would be inclined to say a filtered top fan blowing down, with vents in the side to allow the air to escape.

If nothing else it will allow very little dust in so will require little cleaning and maintenance. Exhausting hot air via a fan may or may not be better for cooling, but then you have filter all the intake vents, which is a lot more difficult as dust can be pulled in through the smallest gaps, things like the IO shield etc.

 

very good thinking... didn't really think too much on that side of things at the time.

I'm thinking maybe 4-5 10mm holes on each side of the casing, then a top hole around 115mm covered with mesh/filter.

Going to look around for some kind of plastic dye next week as i've a few days off work so might be able to get a bit more done.

On another note, I've decided to go down the Smoothwall route over my original pfsense decision for firewall software. Basically pfsense didn't much like the DOM i'm using so i tried a smoothwall install and it went in first time. Due to how basic the needs are on this project smoothwall will do me just fine.

 

+1

 

I've been running a smoothwall system for years. I've tried most of the other roll your own firewall distros, but come back to smoothwall.

 

So, in my typical slow modding style i've done a little more work. Haven't had much in the way of free time this week so i had a quick 30min last night cutting out what will be the top fan hole for a 120mm intake.

Went to take a few photos to find my battery flat so i'm charging up ready to take a few tonight.

Been looking at option for covering the hole. I'm in two minds to go with black mesh or to mount a regular fan grill (the silver often stock type) and spray it black. I think i'm going to look at epoxying some bolts to the inner case top so the fan slides over the bolts and fixes down with a nut - that way no visible screws on the outside of the top