Invisible media server for the living room.

[hiddenmedia]

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7110/2721/320/Media%20Center%20%2827%29.jpg


I built a media server that was actually approved by my wife for placement in the living room. I started with some furniture from Target and put a computer in it. I say media server instead of media center because it's only for music and pictures. No PVR or fancy stuff on a 500 MHz AMD.
Check it out at my blog. (http://hiddenmedia.blogspot.com)

edit: Combined multiple threads from Worklogs, Galleries and the Chatterbox into this single thread, as they all had basically identical original posts.

[legoman786]

I think that wood panel is a little heavy for the DVD tray. Don't you think? Overall, it's great!! Welcome to the boards!!

[hiddenmedia]

It hasn't caused any problems so far. It is kind of heavy but it doesn't sag much when it opens. I beveled the bottom edge of the drawer front to it guides back into position. I don't plan on using the drive much except for backups and ripping CD's.

[RangerDanger]

wow very creative..though i didnt see any fans...or vents...does it breath ok?

[hiddenmedia]

There is the fan on the power supply and of course the one on the processor. I also have a 120mm fan I was going to install on the back but I have not done it yet. It hasn't had any problems with running and has good airflow with the holes in the sheet metal bottom. You gotta remember this thing is not a waffle iron like the modern day processors. I think it's probably a 200 watt PS running it.

[jdbnsn]

Thats pretty clever, you should post the worklog.

[The Great Destroyer]

wow, thats awesome. one question on the TV though, how good is the pixelation, because ive noticed that its not that good with non-LCD tvs. is it about the same as a normal LCD monitor since its an LCD tv?

[xmastree]

Nice. I like the shims on the top drawer... Isn't that a lolly stick? :)

[The Modfather]

Saw this on CMG, that's a sweet idea! I like that a lot. I've done a couple of wood machines myself, wood is a lot easier to work with than metal in most cases.

[dgrmkrp]

very cool looking.. this is one of the best "stealth" project i've seen :) i bet noone notices the case unless they search for wires or you tell them .. great job!

[Cevinzol]

bah! its just hidden not "invisible" I was going to ask where you got your cloaking device.

\disapointed. (j/k)
Nice job though.

[therealjoe]

i was going to make a wooden computer case but i thought it would get realy hot inside

[OvRiDe]

Wow.. This mod made it to Gizmodo (http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/pcs/wifefriendly-furniture-hides-slow-pc-167679.php).. Pretty kewl until they started bagging on ya.. ouch!! But never mind them, I still think it was a great idea.

EDIT: I read your remarks back to the editors of Gizmodo.. RIGHT ON! Hang in there. I wouldn't call that begging.. In fact it took me a little bit to find where the request was even placed on the website. Its not like you spammed 3 million people saying your going to die if they don't send you a dollar, or are selling 1X1 pixels on big block of nothing for a buck...
I say if you collect enough money to get a new PC.. MORE POWER TO YA!!! Ok Im done. Carry on.. nothing left to see in this post ... move along .. :)

[The Modfather]

Actually a wood case runs cooler than a metal one, or mine have. Metal conducts heat a lot more than wood does so while you could say that you can use the metal to draw the heat away from the components, the case itself isn't helping in that way really at all.

[Cevinzol]

Actually a wood case runs cooler than a metal one, or mine have. Metal conducts heat a lot more than wood does so while you could say that you can use the metal to draw the heat away from the components, the case itself isn't helping in that way really at all.
Umm... huh?
Maybe the outside of your wood case is cooler but thats only because wood is a better insulator than metal. All things being equal... a metal case will bleed more heat than a wood one. The main reason cases are made of metal is to provide a Faraday Cage around the components to meet FCC (et al) RF shielding specifications.

The bigger problem with wood is that it expands more than metal due too humidity and heat. Especialy humidity. the wood has to be really dry cabinet grade stuff (Kiln dried to 6-8% moisture) not air dried pine lumber yard 2x4s. It also has to be sealed, on all surfaces to keep moisture out it. If not the board will warp or cup. As the case heats up any moisture in the wood will expand and crack the finish so the drier/denser the wood the better.

That's the only big problem with a wood case. If done right they can be very beautiful. Bird's eye or tiger maple would make a stunning case. inlay a little ebony, cocobola, osage orange or tagua nut (vegetable ivory) and you would have an heirloom piece of furniture.

[The Modfather]

I know all that, my wood cases have been made out of basswood (a very dense, dry wood) and sealed using Envirotex Lite resin clear coat. I don't know where you get that a metal case for a PC is in any way related to a Faraday cage, a Faraday cage is designed to keep out (or in) electromagnetic fields, which most PC cases do not do. In fact many cases are made of plastic and most are made of aluminum, which doesn't do anything to sheild from EMF. As for the thermal conductivity of wood... Here, have a read...

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr09.pdf

Yes, metal conducts heat better, but, that isn't always a good thing, you want to conduct heat AWAY from the components, metal can have the opposite effect by keeping heat in under certain conditions. If your case can be brought to a temperature that's stable, wood will maintain that temperature a bit better. So unless you keep your PC in a very cold location it'll actually transfer heat from the outside in as much as it does from the inside out.

Here's some info on heat conductivity from wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_conductivity

So it really has a lot to do on the design of the case, how you maintain the temperatures and so forth.

[Cevinzol]

Bad science is one of my pet peeves so lets clear up a few things.

From your post its pretty obvious you just grabbed data out of thin air.

most [cases] are made of aluminum, which doesn't do anything to sheild from EMF Wrong. Any conductive metal works as a faraday cage therefore aluminum will be very good at it.


If your case can be brought to a temperature that's stable, wood will maintain that temperature a bit better. So unless you keep your PC in a very cold location it'll actually transfer heat from the outside in as much as it does from the inside out.
Your reasoning is flawed. Unless you are using active cooling (peltier or phase change cooling - not just water) you will not drop your CPU temp below ambient. Given that condition your Case will always be above room tempurature. Even on the hottest summer day your CPU at 50c will be warmer than ambient. So unless you are using your machine in a blast furnace the heat will be leaving the case not tranfsering it in. The higher ambient temp will slow the cooling rate but its still cooling.


Your info about wood refutes your claims.

First a little back ground.
- I live in Madison, Wisconsin.
- majored in biology at the University here.
- That first link is to an article published by Forrest Products labratories (http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/aboutus/aboutus.html) (A branch of the US Dept. of Agriculture).
- The lab is in Madison. I've driven by the place many times. Its over near the UW hospital off University ave.
- I know what they do there because my Mother worked there in the early 1960's

Second some specifics from the article
- Did you notice that the article was written in 1977 - 29 years ago?
- They are not dealing with lumber they are dealing with trees.
- Their sample moisture contents range up to 130% (kinda soggy for furniture)

Did you even look at the article?
The 1st part of the article deals with Thermal conductivity
they list the thermal conductivity of wood at 40 C as:
0.4-0.5 Kcals/KG of wood @ 10% MC (moisture content)
Thats 500 calories per 2.2 pound block of wood. Thats not food calories either (which are actually Kcals).

This number is tiny!
Hell it takes more energy to melt 7 grams of ice into 7 grams of 0 degree water and your spreading it out over an entire Kilo of wood!

That means wood doesn't conduct heat!

The second half - Thermal Difusion

Did you even look at the units?
Thermal diffusion on the order of 0.0006 /square meter/hour.
I'll admit I can't decipher the units for the 0.0006 (its probably calories or Kcals). Even if it was as big as a BTU, your still talking about 6/10,000ths of that unit! And your spereading this teeny tiny number over a square meter over an entire hour! THATS SLOW!

Again That means wood doesn't dissipate heat!

Finaly
Basswood is one of the least dense woods. Its like Balsa wood and pine.

And Your link to that wiki article on heat conductivity also refutes your position.

Some typical thermal conductivities (k values)
Steel= 14watts/meter
Oak= 0.16 Watts/meter
That means steel transmits heat 87 times better than oak!

"when you find your self in a hole the first thing you should do is stop digging"

[CanaBalistic]

Ouch... all i have to add is this. if your temps are fine then your case is good. On a 500mhz cpu i wouldnt even worry. if it was a 3ghz dual core stuffed with peripherials it might be a diffrent story.



"when you find your self in a hole the first thing you should do is stop digging"
you can allways dig up... :)

[The Modfather]

I don't want to get into an arguement about this, that's just silly. All I can tell you is that the wood case I have tends to run cooler than the aluminum ones I have, I'm not interested in trading credentials here.

[guitar.child]

Dang someone has learned a thing or two. I understand some of it. and maybe your wood case is in a cool place. maybe its not. It's easy to make assumtions based on experimintation. but when it comes down i guess he just knows the facts. but its cool. i admire you both. peace/