Project: Whisper

[Technochicken]

I present to you my first scratch build:


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/2953/projectheader.jpg

As the title implies, this build is going to be quiet- a key feature of any HTPC.
To start off, here is the hardware I will be using:

Ultra XVS 500 watt modular power supply:
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9035/pc300090.jpg
There are two reasons I am using this power supply. One, it is very quiet. Two, and more importantly, I did not have to pay anything for it. I got a PC Power and Cooling Silencer 500 for free, and switched it into my main system, so I had this one left over.

Sparkle GeForce 8400gs 512mb, passively cooled:
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/8863/pc300091.jpg

Hitachi Travelstar 60gb:
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9900/pc300092.jpg
I got this for free also.

Slot loading DVD drive:
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/3783/pc300096.jpg
I pulled this from a dead Ibook, and soldered an eject button onto it.

Commell LV-670, courtesy of d_stilgar, 1gb DDR266, Celeron 2.6
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2932/pc300098.jpg


That's it for the core hardware. Now onto the building.

My first obstacle was the CPU cooler. I did not have a spare low profile socket 478 cooler, so I had to make my own. I pulled a generic aluminum cooler out of a computer to be recycled. Then I cut off the two outermost fins on each side, and drilled a hole in each corner. To mount it, I just put a bolt through each hole, and put the nuts on the bottom of the board.

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/4205/pc300099.jpg
http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/5193/pc300100.jpg


Next part is the motherboard tray. I cut a piece of metal out of the enclosure from an old VCR, glued standoffs to it, and cut a hole for the backpanel. The video card screws into the top like it would in a case.

The original piece of metal:
http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/2587/pc300102.jpg

standoffs:
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/8739/pc300105.jpg
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/1688/pc300108.jpg
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/9960/pc300104.jpg

Back panel cut:
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/483/pc300109.jpg

Hardware mounted:
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3747/pc300110.jpg
http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/2959/pc300111.jpg

The fan comes to within a millimeter of the height of the video card:
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3116/pc300114.jpg
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/9144/pc300115.jpg

I know what the internal layout is going to be, but as of now, I have no idea what it is going to look like on the outside. I spent two hours on onlinemetals.com, looking at aluminum mesh and other metal, got everything perfectly measured, only to find out that shipping would cost nearly 3 times as much as the actual material would.

So that's all for now. I hope to finish this within the week, as I go back to school on Monday, so there should be lots of updates relatively soon.

Thanks for looking!

[msmrx57]

Nice start. +rep for going scratch built. You'll have to let us know what you think of that vid card, it's one of the ones I'm looking at to replace the one in my wifes computer.

[Technochicken]

Small update:

I got the CD drive mounted. I canabalized part of the CD drive bay from a laptop, lined the inside with felt to eliminate vibrations, and screwed it onto the bottom of the motherboard tray.

felt on the tray:
http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/8272/pc310117.jpg

CD drive shown with motherboard installed:
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/654/pc310120.jpg

Also, I got 6 feet of 3/4" aluminum right angle to build a frame with.

[Technochicken]

I've been working on building the frame, using the aluminum angle. I have already gone through nearly 6 feet of this stuff, and I am going to get 12 more feet of it today. All the joints are bolted together with hex screws.

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/6289/p1010121l.jpg
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/4586/p1020125.jpg
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/2393/p1010122y.jpg
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/381/p1020126p.jpg
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/6092/p1020127v.jpg

Thanks for looking!

[msmrx57]

Nice progress. Looking good so far.

[Technochicken]

Nice progress. Looking good so far.

Thanks!

I've pretty much finished the frame now. All I have left to do on it is cut some bits out of the back panel, so the ports are not covered.

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/4216/p1030129.jpg
http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/4088/p1030130.jpg
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/973/p1030131a.jpg
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7761/p1030134c.jpg

This is not the CD drive I will be using, it is just for demonstration:

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/5535/p1030132s.jpg
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2315/p1030133w.jpg

Thanks again for looking!

[billygoat333]

good work so far. like the L angle work.

[Technochicken]

Yay, another update! Admittedly it is very small, but I've started school again, so that can not be helped.

I have made the mount for the hard drive, near the bottom of the case, and under the CD drive:

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6900/p1040136.jpg
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/6039/p1040138.jpg

When I was planning this case, I thought about using aluminum modders mesh for most of the outside. So I went to Onlinemetals.com, spent 2 hours getting everything the right size and quantity, and then found out that shipping would be 3 times as much as the actual products. So I thought aluminum mesh was out of the question. Until last Tuesday. During robotics after school, I noticed some of the exact perforated aluminum I had been looking at sticking out from behind a shelf. I asked the teacher where he got it, and he decided to give me some for free!

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/5595/p1070139.jpg

That puts the entire cost of materials (not computer hardware) up to 14$!

[Technochicken]

The inside frame of the case is 95% done now. All that is left to do on it is to cut away the back panel, and mount proper CD and power buttons on it. Then I just have the outside to work on.

Here's the frame with hardware installed in it:
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/4570/p1090143.jpg
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/2509/p1090142.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/2913/p1090144.jpg
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6933/p1090145b.jpg

One of the biggest challenges of this compact design was routing the cables so that they do not interfere with airflow. This was especially difficult since all the connectors on the motherboard are in the middle. I had just enough space to cram the power cables underneath the video card on one side, and the IDE cable on the other. I also cut holes for them in the motherboard tray.

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/875/p1090147l.jpg
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/7403/p1090148s.jpg
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/3594/p1090146.jpg
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/1781/p1090149.jpg

I used the space under the motherboard to cram most of the length of the cables:

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/1061/p1090150m.jpg

[Technochicken]

Well, I spent pretty much all day today working on the outside, so here goes.

It is made of two different kinds of wood. Most is a birch plywood, and the front is marine mahogany. The sides of the plywood are notched to fit the front piece of wood.

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/3084/p1180158.jpg
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/5929/p1180159.jpg
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/4294/p1180162e.jpg

Here's where the frame will go.

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/2814/p1180163.jpg

All screwed together.

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7301/p1180164.jpg


I bent the aluminum mesh to cover the rest of the top and the front. The sides are folded down to give a nice edge and a place to screw it into the wood.

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/2963/p1180165.jpg
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/4540/p1180166.jpg
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8104/p1180167.jpg
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/8121/p1180168.jpg
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/8556/p1180169.jpg


My current idea is to have the internal frame on a sort of track, so I can slide it in and out easily to access parts.

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2170/p1180171.jpg
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/5572/p1180172.jpg

Here's what's coming up within the next week or so:
All the wood will have a gloss coating- by the way, mahogany looks epic when glossed.

A slot will be cut for the CD drive.

Switches will be put in the front panel, for power and CD drive. I do not know exactly what ones yet, but they will almost certainly be big, metal, and shiny.

That's all folks! Once again, thanks for taking a look. :)

[x88x]

Looking good. IDK if you've secured it in place yet, but I think the front panel would look better if you shifted the mesh forward a little so it's flush with the front of the mahogany; it would make for more of a seamless front.

It looks like there is enough space in the ODD area that you could fit in a 5.25" drive; that'll come in handy if you decide to upgrade to blu-ray at any point ;)

[mofo]

there is already several slim bluray drives available, so down the road he shouldn't have a problem with that.
also you can always use a site to back up your blurays you already own directly to your computer :whistler:

[Technochicken]

Looking good. IDK if you've secured it in place yet, but I think the front panel would look better if you shifted the mesh forward a little so it's flush with the front of the mahogany; it would make for more of a seamless front.

That is a good idea. The way it is now, I can not shift if forwards, because the mesh extends beyond the edge of the mahogany, so the edge of the mesh I cut is covered. But I might be able to do that if I bent the mesh at a right angle to fit on top of the mahogany. The only problem with that though, is that you can not really bend the metal in a perfect right angle- there is always a bit of curve, which would ruin the effect.

I'll keep thinking about it and see what I can come up with.

[d_stilgar]

Looks great!

[x88x]

there is already several slim bluray drives available, so down the road he shouldn't have a problem with that.

Yeah, I know, but the cheapest slim blu-ray drive I've seen is ~$300, whereas the cheapest 5.25" blu-ray drive I've seen is ~$60.

[Mark_Hardware]

lookin good man, keep up the good work!

[Technochicken]

I've cut the slot for the CD drive. I am hoping to get switches for the power button and cd drive soon, because once I do that I will be able to put a clear coat over the wood, and screw in the the mesh. I also built a plate to screw the frame into the back, but I don't have a picture of it yet.

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8895/p1230193.jpg
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/4243/p1230194.jpg


*Edit*

Just got these switches:
http://cgi.ebay.com/10-Momentary-Push-Button-N-O-OFF-ON-DIY-Switches-A3_W0QQitemZ180438480344QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Defa ultDomain_0?hash=item2a02f8b5d8#ht_712wt_939

they are not quite as good looking as the vandal resistant ones, but the are 10 for 10$, as opposed to 1 for 10$

[DonT-FeaR]

nice work mate looks good

[Waynio]

Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon :) Had to gooogle it hehe.
Best $16 ever, really like it, ultra compact, great ventalation, adequate air flow, lives up to it's name, looks great too with the 3 different colour tones, sweet little project mate :), have some rep :).

[Technochicken]

Finally another update. I had to cancel the order on the switches, because it did not ship properly, so I ordered some new ones from Allelectronics.com:

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/172/p3020312.jpg

The motherboard only has 2 USB ports on the back panel, which will not do, so the next step was to add a USB header to the case. Also, the computer will be connected to the internet via WiFi, so I am building that into the case as well. Here are the parts for both:

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2430/p2270286.jpg

Wireless card without caseing:

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/3751/p2270287.jpg

Here's the card mounted in the case:

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/8943/p2270295.jpg
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2601/p2270297.jpg

Now, the wireless card is USB, and I do not want cables running out of the case to the back panel, so I decided to mount the USB header internally. This way I can plug in the wireless card and wireless mouse internally, eliminating the need for USB dongles sticking out the back.

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/7195/p2270300.jpg
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/693/p2270301.jpg

I also needed a really short USB cable to fit internally:

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/9563/p2270305.jpg
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/2408/p2270306.jpg

Here's the WiFi and wireless mouse connected:

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9320/p2270309.jpg


One problem I ran into is that the internal USB header has the lone pin on the opposite side as the internal USB cable I have, so I had to pull out the last pin and switch the place it was in. All I had to do was pull out the pin, drill out the blank spot, and replace the pin in the new hole:

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/7539/p2270291.jpg
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/1905/p2270292.jpg
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7427/p2270294.jpg

That's all for now. Hopefully I will be able to finish this off this weekend, as I finally have all the parts I need.

Thanks for all the comments, and for taking a look!

[x88x]

Nice. I always love to see components integrated into the case.

[Technochicken]

It's done!

Here are the final steps towards completion:


If you have paid close attention to the internal layout of the hardware, you might have noticed that the intake fan on the PSU is facing directly into a solid piece of plywood. To fix that problem, I cut slots in the wood using a jigsaw to do the first cut, and then widening each slot with the router bit on my dremel. Here are the results:

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/2766/p3060346.jpg
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/3143/p3060344.jpg

The next step is to cut wholes for the switches:

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7402/p3060343.jpg

...and then mounted:

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/6352/p3060340.jpg
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/46/p3060339.jpg
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/3025/p3060338.jpg
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6322/p3060342.jpg

To attach the switches to the components, I devised this very simple solution:

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/268/p3070351.jpg

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8654/p3070353.jpg


Next to do the finishing work.

I put a clear acrylic coat over the aluminum to protect it from oxidation, and even out the color:

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/6762/p3070356.jpg

Then the wood was varnished:

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/7476/p3070354.jpg
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/9352/p3070358.jpg
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/876/p3070359.jpg
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/7386/p3070360.jpg
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/6474/p3070361.jpg
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/9152/p3070362.jpg


To absorb vibrations and protect the bottom, I added rubber feet:

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6218/p3070363.jpg


Now for the assembly:

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/596/p3070365.jpg
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7545/p3070366e.jpg

It's all working!

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/5401/p3070368.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2163/p3070369.jpg


Final pictures:
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3884/p3090371.jpg
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/13/p3090372.jpg
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8520/p3090373.jpg
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/6038/p3090374.jpg
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/2316/p3090375.jpg
http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/2336/p3090376.jpg
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6753/p3090377.jpg
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/538/p3090378.jpg
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/1655/p3090379.jpg
http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/2870/p3090380.jpg


The DVD drive does not read DVD-R discs, so I installed windows sever 2008 (which is basically vista, and I used it because I got it for free) from a flash drive. I am only having one problem now, and that is getting the internet working. The wireless card is detected, and the drivers are installed, but it does not find wireless networks. Also, I was worried about temps, so I did a few stress tests on it. The video card, which is passively cooled idles at 50 C, and on load reaches about 60 C, which is perfectly okay. The CPU is a little toastier, idling at 55 C, and increasing to 73 under Prime95. This is quite hot for my comfort, but realistically it is perfectly fine, as the CPU will never become that hot during normal use.


So that's all for now. I'll post a few more pictures once I get it hooked up to our TV.

Thanks again everyone!

[msmrx57]

Very nice. Clean and simple look. :up:

[x88x]

Looks nice; I like the finish on the wooden faceplate, it is set off well by the pale aluminum. For the wireless card, check the antenna connection; if the antenna isn't solidly connected, that could explain it not picking up any networks.

[Technochicken]

Thanks guys. I got the wireless working- apparently in server 2008 you have to install this windows feature in order to be able to use Wireless LAN, but now it is working.

[x88x]

Ah, that makes sense....what with servers generally not having wireless cards. ;p

[diluzio91]

looks niice, what will you be using to control the htpc?
the wood work looks awesome! im jealous

[Jake2k]

Looks almost like an old radio or something, I love it! Good job man :up:

[OvRiDe]

Very nice build. Looks great! Not sure how well 2008 will do for your media playback, so let us know how it does.

[silverdemon]

I mostly don't like wooden cases, but you pulled this one off nicely! I think it looks nice and tidy, maybe a bit retro. The alu-mesh really compliments it. Great job!

[TonyAKAMrClean]

I agree with the rest of them. Looks sweet! Count yourself lucky on getting that aluminum mesh... That stuff is often hard to find and expensive when you do find it! Here in my area it is at least. I guess there's the Modders Mesh that MNPCTech sells, but it's pretty pricy. Anyways, awesome job!

[Technochicken]

Thanks again for all the positive feedback everyone! I have been worrying about the temps, so I pulled off the heatsink, and replaced the thermal pad that was on it for some proper paste, and now the temperature peaks at 67 C, which is about 10-12 degrees cooler than before, so now I do not have to worry about it frying itself.

About the mesh, while I got it for free, the person I got if from purchased it from McMaster, which apparently a good place to get it. It is not exactly cheap from there, but it also comes in 3x4 ft sheets, which is a lot of mesh. Also, the problem with the Modders Mesh from MNPCTech is that it is steel, not aluminum, so it would be harder to work with and requires treatment to prevent it from rusting.

Here's the McMaster link, if anyone is interested:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#perforated-metal/=66ws4a

[blueonblack]

I've been planning to permanently install a USB wireless adapter in Clockwork also, but my plan has been to mount it externally. For whatever reason it never even occurred to me to crack the case off of it and mount it internally. HUGE +rep for that! Do you know if you can remove the antenna and replace it with some other conductive device? No idea what they're made of myself.

[Technochicken]

I think it would be pretty easy to remove the plastic from the antenna, strip the wire, and attach it to something else. I actually thought about wiring it to the aluminum frame of the case, but it gets perfectly good reception as it is so there was no point in doing so.

[x88x]

You can just desolder the stock antenna connection from the PCB and solder on whatever your replacement is; most antennas are just some form of copper wire. That being said, be careful what you replace it.

I'm not an expert on the subject by any means, but from what I do know...

The length and shape of an antenna is tied directly to the wavelength of the signal that it is designed to receive. There is a very good reason why companies spend millions of dollars every year designing better antennas instead of just soldering existing antennas to giant lumps of metal. So, actually, Technochicken, you might have actually gotten worse reception if you connected your antenna to your case body. This isn't to say that replacing the stock antenna is a bad idea. Far from it; if done properly, you can get great reception boosts from a better antenna. Just make sure you do your research before making the jump.

[blueonblack]

Well, regardless, thanks again and congratulations on an excellent case. I agree with the others in that the aluminum and the wood are an excellent contrast. Your intake slots look great and the size of the thing is nice too.

Well done.

[Technochicken]

Upgrade time!
The hardware in this was fairly slow, especially when running Vista, so I've bumped up the specs a bit. Unfortunately, my 8400gs seems to have bitten the dust for no apparent reason during the upgrade process, but the motherboard has a built in 4500HD chipset, which should be fine.

Specs:

Celeron e3400 2.6 Ghz
2 Gb DDR3 1066
Western Digital Caviar Blue 160 Gb
Intel BOXDG41AN mini itx motherboard.
Windows 7 32 bit
Macbook DVD drive


I got all the parts at the worst possible time, because I was already simultaneously upgrading my video card and overhauling a "broken" macbook to give to my sister. I also just got some semi-broken imacs which I am working on as well.

Desk atm:
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/4721/p2040492.jpg

old vs. new GPU:
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/6909/p2040490.jpg
http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4440/p2040498.jpg

Parts:
http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/6618/p2040489.jpg

assortment of broken/semi-broken macs:
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/4701/p2040501.jpg
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/619/p2040503.jpg

I am fixing up the black one for my sister. All I need now is to borrow the leopard disk from a friend. Total expenditure so far: 35$ for a battery. The white macbook has horrible liquid damage, which is too bad, since it has a 9400m, but I got 4 gigs of ram and an optical drive out of it.

testing the motherboard:
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6251/p2040493.jpg

I learned that the stock cooler is absolute garbage, so i installed this cooler I had lying around. It runs about forty degrees Celsius cooler.
http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/8655/p2040491.jpg

Going back to the optical drive I pulled out of the macbook: It can read DVD-R's, unlike the previous drive in the HTPC, so I decided to use it. Also, it is SATA instead of IDE, and a sata adapter came with the motherboard. Unfortunately, since it is from a mac, it has no eject button. Unlike most mac drives, it does not even have any eject pins on the outside, to solder a switch to. I figured it must have some sort hardwired eject pin, so I cracked it open:
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/9447/p2060504.jpg

Success! See that tiny little gold dot?
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/3865/p2060506.jpg

In order to make it eject, you ground that pin, which I did using the drive's casing. I soldered a wire to the pin, and clamped another under a screw in the drive:
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/8323/p2060517.jpg

Voila!
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/6607/p2060518.jpg

Parts together. The cpu cooler has only a few mm of clearance:
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5782/p2060521.jpg

Back together:
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/2136/p2060522.jpg

Thanks for looking!

[x88x]

Haha, nice hack on that ODD! :D

[AmEv]

Suggestion for one of the iMacs and the white 'Book:
Stealth mod.

[Technochicken]

Final setup picture:

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/9352/p2190550.jpg