Project:"Big Blue" Media Centre Server.

[spuddly2003]

A project I started nearly 4 years ago...that got put on the backburner...his name is "Big Blue" (for obvious reasons!!!)...and has now got the perfect donor motherboard to be set up as a Media Centre PC. Will be a slow build unfortunately...as computer hardware is not cheap...but will certainly prove to be something unique when complete.
To start...I bought 2 Flexiglow blue-clear plexi cases...and joined them...to make one bigger server case. I did this quite some time ago...and before I had access to a digital camera...so therefore there is no early progress pics from the original cases as they were...or the process of joining them and preparing them for modding.
But anyway...my starting point...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC01384.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC01382.jpg

And my Intel Server board SDS2, scored for the bargain-basement price of $39.95...off ebay!

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/b8b5_1.jpg

Have started to do some trial-fitting of components into the case...to establish what needs to be modified to suit...here the server motherboard has been temporarily screwed into the motherboard tray...only to discover that EATX motherboards were never designed to fit into Midi ATX cases. This caused the top right hand corner of the motherboard to foul on the bottom 2 5 1/4" drive bays...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04282.jpg

So with a little crafty cutting, sanding and polishing...the drive bays were modified to allow the board to clear...and fit somewhere near properly. Modified area shown inside red oval, with white arrow pointing to it...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04284.jpg

And a close up (inside red circle) of the finished modification. There are other motherboard headers (IDE header, a couple of fan headers, etc.) that are still not quite clear of the 3 1/2" hard drive bays below...but with some careful cable-routing from these headers...they should still just clear...and therefore not require major modification...note the cuts and clearance almost look factory...like the drive-bays were designed for this board...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04283.jpg

[DonT-FeaR]

thats a big frigan case!

[Eclecticos]

One clean alteration. Interested in progress.

[spuddly2003]

thats a big frigan case!

Well considering the couple of room-demanding plans...it's gonna need every bit of it....lol!!!

[DonT-FeaR]

yeah,,, doesnt matter how big the case is .. its always full lol..

[SXRguyinMA]

:stupid: I bought a Thermaltake Armor because I figured it wouldnt be as full...yea I was wrong lol

[pcclan]

love the case and the idea

[spuddly2003]

Another very small update...
Bought an FSP power Supply off ebay today. Not hugely powerful...especially for my intended use/power demands...but that's ok...there is method in my madness.
First...some pics...and then I will go on to explain...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/FSPPowerSupply01.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/FSPPowerSupply03.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/FSPPowerSupply02.jpg

Note it has the +12V 8 pin plug for CPU voltage, which is more commonly a Server board thing...and is only starting to be seen on late model boards.
Now to explain.
I figure since I also bought the Server board as an unknown quantity on ebay...then rather than rushing out spending big dollars on hardware and mods straight up...it might be an idea to get this board to fire in it's most basic trim first. This power supply will do that job just fine (already checked the demands for the board), and will answer once and for all if this board is a goer...or whether I am going to have to source another.
Either way...I figure this power supply will easily cope with the board, PCI video card, boot drive...and DVD burner, and I will then use a second (and maybe even a third) more powerful power supply to run stuff like fans, watercooling, lighting and RAID drives.
I came across a natty little power-bus device from www.frozencpu.com in the USA, that allows you to use up to 4 power supplies...and bridge them to fire up independently from the board...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/bus-155.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/bus-155_2.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/bus-128_4.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/bus-142_3.jpg

So I think that one of these...along with say 2 800W power supplies, in addition to the FSP one powering the basic setup...should be more than enough to power everything else...and in true server form...it is not unusual to power the whole system with 2-3 power cords anyway...
So until next time...

[DonT-FeaR]

very cool i look forward to it

[x88x]

Looks interesting. Depending on how comfortable you are ripping up your PSUs, all that board really does is bridge two of the pins on each 24-pin plug. It should be pin 15 and 16 (black and green) and shown about half-way down here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX So you could just cut off all the 24-pin cables inside the PSU case except for those two (and obviously, those on the PSU that will actually drive the MBB) and either solder them onto the corresponding lines on the PSU power the MBB, or solder up a plug for them to connect to. It would let you have a lot less wire mess in your case, but would completely and utterly destroy any warranties you might have on the PSUs. All really depends how comfortable you are ripping apart your PSUs.

[spuddly2003]

My FSP server power supply arrived in the mail today...so I have decided (maybe a little prematurely!) to start modding it. I briefly put it in my case to size things up and get an approximate as to where to run cables/shorten cables to get a neat and tidy but functional look...

Exploded view?
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04292.jpg

The SATA line is going to be removed altogether (I will rely on the other power supplies to take care of SATA power needs).
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04295.jpg

The ATX 24 pin plug and the 8 pin cpu power lines have been cable-tied off at about the length I intend to cut/shorten them, as determined by a trial fit in the case...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04296.jpg

And the standard Molex plugs have been "loomed off" in about the way I want them to lay under the motherboard...as these will be providing power for an IDE boot drive, IDE DVD burner, Media Centre bay device, and maybe temporarily a floppy drive, in case I need to do a BIOS update (don't yet know).
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04297.jpg

Stay tuned...as I start to do things like cable reorganising/removal/sleeving, etc. and eventually replace the fan with a purple (UV) one...and possibly paint the case either a dark purple...or maybe black...

[spuddly2003]

Have started doing some PSU modding....beginning with chopping out the SATA line as previously mentioned...

SATA line removed...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04298.jpg

And if you look real close...you can see really skinny bits of heatshrink where I cut the SATA lines...and insulated them...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04299.jpg

Meanwhile...I also set about shortening the 12V cpu power line...have taken about 4 inches out of it's length...halfway through (+12V)...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04300.jpg

Completed...ready to be sleeved...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04301.jpg

I was thinking of starting on the 24 pin ATX plug...but considering it is now 2:20am in the morning...I think I will leave it till I am a little more coherent...lol!!! :eek:

[x88x]

Looking good. I guess you don't have any qualms about ripping up your PSUs :twisted:

[spuddly2003]

Looking good. I guess you don't have any qualms about ripping up your PSUs :twisted:

Umm...no...not at all!
I have actually been giving some thought to what was said about wiring up the other 2. I am thinking of maybe trying to switch the other 2 with a relay? Would it work? Anyone got any thoughts as to a suitable circuit to do the job?

[x88x]

Well, the way that ATX PSUs work is that if line 16 ('power-on') gets crossed to ground, the PSU turns on. With that in mind, if you want them all to turn on at the same time the easiest thing to do (imo) would be to splice line 16 from the other PSUs onto line 16 on the PSU that is powering the MBB. I think that just splicing line 16 would work, because theoretically 'ground' should be the same for all the PSU's, but you might want to splice line 15 (a ground line) similarly. Alternatively, if you want the different PSUs to turn on at different times, one thing you could do is just wire up a dedicated switch (just make sure it's not a momentary switch lol) for each of the other PSUs, that would cross lines 15 and 16 when the switch is closed.

EDIT:
a thought; if you wire them up each individually, you could also wire the main power switch up so that it won't do anything unless all the other PSU switches are turned on. That would save you from potentially powering on the system before all the HDDs are powered on.

[DonT-FeaR]

looks great man good work

[spuddly2003]

Small update...
I decided to remove all stickers and sand off the original factory finish on the power supply...and paint it in purple auto acrylic...so at this point...I have it "roughed up" and masked...ready to accept a coat or two of "etch primer"...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04381.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04382.jpg

Hopefully I will actually be able to get it done some time this week...it is winter at the moment...and it won't stop bloody raining!

Meanwhile...I have ordered a replacement fan from a USA ebay store...to substitute the original black fan...hopefully it's arrival should coincide with the completion of the case painting...so I can get this power supply back together, continue with shortening the 24 pin plug leads, and sleeving.
I am wanting to use a chrome/stainless steel braided cable sleeving...so if anyone has any suggestions where I can order some...

Replacement purple LED fan...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/UPURPLE12001.jpg

I had my cousin turn up with her POS HP desktop...wanting me to fix it for her...right in the middle of masking and prepping my power supply...and since HP machines are notorious for running hot...and I had no intention of using the original black fan for anything else...I suggested to her why don't we bung it in her side panel...to help keep the cpu cooler...and in anticipation of an eventual video card upgrade...

Aforementioned POS HP desktop...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04383.jpg
(Please excuse the dust and dirt...my cousin is in no way a modder...and I will be cleaning it out before returning it to her...)

Intended fan and grill...along with marked-up fan mod hole ready to be cut out...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04384.jpg

Just for the sheer hell of it...I will probably post this finished fan mod (just because I can...and just because I hate HP's with a passion!)...and no doubt progress pics on the P/S mod...so until next time...

[DonT-FeaR]

lol.. wack a fan inn there itll be good..

starting to sound like me :)

[spuddly2003]

Update on that POS HP fan mod...boring...I know...but let's just get it over with...shall we?....lol!!

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04385.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04386.jpg

Needless to say...my cousin is now happy as a pig in ****...and I'm just glad to have it out my door!

Have also gone and bought the intended auto paint for the power supply mod...just some acrylic grey primer, acrylic clears...and a nice little shade of purple...called "Lobelia/Indigo" It seems to have a mild "metalflake" through it...but until this damned rain lets up...I'm not going to get to find out!

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04443.jpg

Hopefully next update will finally contain some paint progress...or maybe some cable sleeving/mods...so until next time...

[DonT-FeaR]

cool :) looking forward to it

[spuddly2003]

Another small update...not exciting...I know...but progress....nonetheless...
It was still a ****house, overcast day...and still not really ideal conditions for painting...but not raining for a change at least....woohoo!!!

So I hit my two power supply half-cases with epoxy "etch" primer...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04453.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04454.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04455.jpg

The next primer stage is acrylic primer/surfacer...so I probably won't do an update on it (it's grey too...so it won't look any different)...but I will probably "capture the moment" when it comes time to put the pretty purple coats on...
Until then...

[DonT-FeaR]

lookin good!

[x88x]

Looking good. One note of caution (and something I learned the hard way this past month), be careful with painting those interlocking portions; if they fit too tight they might end up scraping paint off when you put them back together.

[spuddly2003]

Well...after a bit of a break (changing ISP's), I am finally back with an update!Finally got the power supply painted purple and clearcoated...as well as got my purple fan from the USA...but I'll let the pics do the talking!!!

Purple topcoat and unmasked...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/019FSPPowerSupply-Purpletopcoatandu.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/020FSPPowerSupply-Purpletopcoatandu.jpg

A definite lesson learned here....sometimes it pays to unmask and remask between coats...most of the hexagonal holes got blocked up! Needless to say...I fixed this problem...as shown in a later photo...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/021FSPPowerSupply-Purpletopcoatandu.jpg

Both half-cases clearcoated...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/022FSPPowerSupply-Bothhalf-casescle.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/023FSPPowerSupply-Bothhalf-casescle.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/024FSPPowerSupply-Bothhalf-casescle.jpg
...not perfect...but hey...it's only a power supply!!!

Clearcoated and temporarily fitted together...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/025FSPPowerSupply-Clearcoatedandtem.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/026FSPPowerSupply-Clearcoatedandtem.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/027FSPPowerSupply-Clearcoatedandtem.jpg

Next....we move onto the replacement fan...modified...tested and fitted...

12cm Purple replacement fan, as bought off ebay,delivered...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/028FSPPowerSupply-12cmPurplereplace.jpg

12cm Purple replacement fan, front label removed...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/029FSPPowerSupply-12cmPurplereplace.jpg

12cm Purple replacement fan, rear label removed...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/030FSPPowerSupply-12cmPurplereplace.jpg

12cm Purple replacement fan, speed monitoring wire removed...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/031FSPPowerSupply-12cmPurplereplace.jpg

12cm Purple replacement fan, power supply plug beside standard fan plug, just prior to cutting and soldering...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/032FSPPowerSupply-12cmPurplereplace.jpg

12cm Purple replacement fan, power supply plug being cut and soldered...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/033FSPPowerSupply-12cmPurplereplace.jpg

12cm Purple replacement fan, power supply plug soldered, covered in heatshrink and finished...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/034FSPPowerSupply-12cmPurplereplace.jpg

12cm Purple replacement fan, reinstalled into bottom half-case, and powered up (with flash)...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/035FSPPowerSupply-12cmPurplereplace.jpg

12cm Purple replacement fan, reinstalled into bottom half-case, and powered up (no flash)...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/036FSPPowerSupply-12cmPurplereplace.jpg

That's it for now...it may be a little while before there is any more progress/updates...as I am about to move house....so I will have packing to do/other places to direct my resources...so until next time...play nice...kiddies...lol!!!

[DonT-FeaR]

ok thats a wicked shade of what looks purple.

[spuddly2003]

...almost forgot to add...modcat (Bella) approves.....lol!!!

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04456.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04457.jpg
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk39/spuddly2003/DSC04458.jpg

Since I see here most modders seem to have their cats making cameo appearances...why would I miss such an opportunity....lol!!!

[slaveofconvention]

Looking sharp - you're going to end up with a media centre about the same size as my server - Lian Li PC343B on the left hand edge of this pic - 18 5.25 bays of stupidly overpriced goodness....

http://slaveofconvention.com/imagestore/Moddin/k9/workspace6.jpg

Love that shade of purple...