Foehammer

[alphastryk]

I'm working on a new project - how small of an area can I fit a full powered system into? A friend challenged me to put a computer in a small army surplus ammo can, telling me I couldn't without sacrificing performance.

Trust me... he was wrong. I am going to fit a Quad core, multi-GPU system with 8GB of ram and a 750GB hard drive in there...

Intel Q6600 @ 3GHz
9800GX2 at 750/1875/2210MHz
4 x 2 GB A-Data DDR2-800
Samsung SPinpoint F1 750GB SATA HDD

Only annoying thing is no internal optical drive...

So... enought talking... heres how this goes:

I started out with a Shuttle SX38P2 Barebones kit and started chopping it down. My internal frame is made of 2 parts - the motherboard tray and part of the rear from the shuttle is one side and the rear of my new case. The other main portion of the internal frame is an L-shaped portion cut from the shuttle's exterior casing.

Part 1 (with components, it may be hard to see what is going on):

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251644_2415.jpg

http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251645_2778.jpg

part 2 of the internal frame:

the whole thing, with its 2x80mm fans which are main system exhaust - right off the graphics card:

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251646_3059.jpg

both power connectors go through a series of adaptors to amke them run of the FAN4 header on the motherboard - the only way I have of powering 3pin fans (The 2 molex power connectors both go the the video card.):

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251647_3389.jpg

I still have some more work to do on this portion, as I have to enlarge the opening for the graphics card to draw air in from the bottom:

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251648_3729.jpg

On the PC side of things, I had to mod the motherboard to get the 4pin CPU power connector to fit - the graphics card block it, so I had to solder extensions on the back of the motherboard and use another plug...

Here is the modded cpu power connector:

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251656_6159.jpg

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251657_6451.jpg

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251658_6749.jpg

I know its hard to see, but there are 2 red and 2 black wires leading up from where I soldered them on the bottom of the board to the modded shuttle PCI Express 6pin splitter, which has the unused pins filled with extra heat shrink.

The system will be placed int this ammo can, which has already been cut up to accept all of my ventilation, etc.

main bottom part:

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251650_4336.jpg

lid, top view:

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251652_4954.jpg

lid, bottom view:

http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251653_5273.jpg

Here is the whole can put together:

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251655_5862.jpg

Unfortunately, because of all the holes I had to cut in the top to make sure my CPU cooler (reversed Shuttle ICE cooler) can draw in air messed some stuff up.

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251654_5560.jpg

This appears to be fixable - I will get it when I put the mesh in the case to protect the system at the holes.

I put some rubber feet that came with a serve case I bought a while back on the bottom to stabilize it and make sure the graphics card can draw in enough air:

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251659_7043.jpg

This is the mesh I plan to use - Its normally a gutter cover, and I got it for less than 2 bucks for 4 feet!

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251651_4656.jpg

(the brown is plastic, the screen is metal.)

So thats where I am now.

Before I can go much further, I have to re-cut the interior frame for the video card fan, and make these changes to the ammo can itself:

I need to cut the back out a bit more - I mis-measured before and I can't plug in my headphones when I put it together right now... Whoops!

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251649_4026.jpg

I also need to put some holes in the front to mount my switches:

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v241/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30251660_7351.jpg

I just started posting this as I was in a rush to finish this system before a LAN party... I didn't make my deadline. :(

I will be posting all of my work going forward on this project on this forum.

P.S. free rep for the first person who can tell me where the name came from!

[alphastryk]

its named after the dropship from the first halo (Pelican Echo 419, callsign Foehammer)... anyways, moving on:

I forgot to take pictures when I glued the mesh in or attached the military switch covers to the can, but it has been done...

here is a lot of my other work to date...

first try to put that insides in the can with the front switches installed:
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259286_1436.jpg
didn't fit, and I broke my motherboard mod (extended cpu power connector off the back of the board so my 9800gx2 would fit) trying to make it o in the ammo box... :(

ok, time to disassemble and fix the motherboard hax ;P
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259287_1771.jpg

... diassambled...

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259288_2066.jpg

... ready for work...

heres where my cpu power replacement plug broke:
http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259289_2397.jpg

all fixed:
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259296_4796.jpg

next step - zip-tie the vga card power cables into place, as they kept coming loose forcing me to open up the case and redo them...
http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259293_3789.jpg

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259294_4123.jpg

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259295_4482.jpg

putting it back together...
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259298_5380.jpg

inner case cutout to fit past the switches now, and taped up to insulate from shorting the switches...
http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259299_5927.jpg

but that didn't work so hot... I ended up having to redo it and tape some heatshrink ther to prvent shorts, as the switches ripped through the tape:
http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259301_6730.jpg

and... mostly done, vista installed, up and running!!!

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259302_7057.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259304_7726.jpg
whole desk setup (for size reference, both monitors are 19 inchers... one wide, one standard):
http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259305_8053.jpg

[alphastryk]

performance... (windows vista buisness x64)

system specs:

Intel Q6600 @ 3GHz
9800GX2 at 700/1750/2150MHz
4 x 2 GB A-Data DDR2-800
Samsung SPinpoint F1 750GB SATA HDD

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v258/67/116/1120500347/n1120500347_30259342_6090.jpg

3dmark06 (free, 1280x1024) score: 15,883.



Link To Original Worklog (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14264)