Retro Box

[scar~face]

HELLO!

I got this at a "random crap for sale store", and i intend on putting an extra computer of mine in it

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool001.jpg
it cost me $5.40..lol
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool002.jpg

thoughts?

[m4gnum]

Those 4 knobs at the bottom would be perfect for fan controls, you've got a power button there and a port for headphones. Mount some led's/cathode near the tuning readout or maybe mount a narrow lcd screen behind it. REC Indicator could be hard drive activity light.

just thinking out loud.

[si-skyline]

how ironic if the computer you put in there was a media server or some sort of media storage device :D

or even a media center pc if thats what you are currently lacking in your media setup.

that big knob and switchs would be interesting to incorporate

hope i gave you an idea or too :up:

[scar~face]

ok, im VERY new to this and i have a question..

how do i put LEDs in and have them being power by the main power supply?

and yes, i do feel like a noob asking this

[jdbnsn]

The Tips, Tricks, & Tutorials section has several LED instructional threads under Electronics. Here is one of them...

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7720

[scar~face]

update

JUST TO LET EVERYONE KNOW
this is not my main machine, yes, the parts im putting are kinda old

Power button..
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool003.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool004.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool014.jpg

i decided to make the "rec indicator" the reset button

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool005.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool006.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool013.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool012.jpg

ripped out the back piece of an old tower, but its too big for the box!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool007.jpg

so i had to cut it down

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool009.jpg

like my cutting job on the MoBo tray?

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool010.jpg

so now i can start putting it together

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool011.jpg

because there is NO room for a regular fan, im use 2 old processor fans

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool015.jpg

using what ever i could find around my house i mounted the power supply and the hard drive

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool017.jpg

its getting close...:)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool016.jpg

until we meet again..

[Crimson Sky]

Not a bad Found Object Mod at all!! great job so far.

[Ichbin]

Hey doing pretty good for being new at this. Keep up the work man, starting to look good.

[Eclecticos]

Kewl. Making Great use of the space!

[scar~face]

i am a little concerned about the fact that the case is wood and it is an oldist AMD processor without good ventlation

what are the odds that this could be a problem, like cause the wood to burn

[Luke122]

I'd say pretty low.. the odds of it getting hot enough to burn wood are slim. HOWEVER.. it might get hot enough to damage components if it's not properly ventilated.

Plus, running CPU fans to cool the case will be really noisy.. You'll probably end up being bothered by the little fans... what about some sort of shroud like Dell uses to cool their CPUs? Even if you just put on a monster heat sink with a 120mm fan, and then used the shroud to direct the airflow out the back somehow?

If the fan was pulling air over the cpu and out the case, that would help to cool the whole thing. Plus, I noticed your power supply has a fan which would help remove some case heat also.

[scar~face]

in trying to spend as little money as possible, i dont think im going to get a new heat sink

also, im not too worried about the noise, i kinda like a noisy machine, it makes me feel like its a raving engine..lol

i kinda like the air director shroud thing you mentioned, what whould you suggest i make it out of? (nothing thats going to cost a bunch), i got some plex glass lying around, whould that be good?

the power supply has a fan on the bottom aswell as the back, that'll handle the air for the general area and ill put on the air director to handle the CPU

[intergalacticman]

wow your very resourceful, 2 cpu fans instead of an 80mm fan, thats genius.

[Drum Thumper]

You seem to be pretty damn handy with power tools--you could install some kind of ventilation on the top of the case--I remember seeing (on this site IIRC) someone mod a floor vent cover into the side of their PC. I didn't even realize what it was until someone else pointed it out.

+Rep, this is hella cool. Keep up the good work, and welcome to your new addiction! It's more addicting than getting tattoos, I swear!

[scar~face]

once its all together, im going to run it for a while, and see who the temp is doing

id like to avoid cutting into the sides or the top of the box, just for visual reasons, but if it is REALLY needed, i made put a fan on the top.

oh and thanks DrumThumper, thanks for the ego boost!

[LiTHiUM0XiD3]

lolz i got a few amd K6-2s.... few 500Mhz and a few 440s or something i think... aint neva rly gotten hot... prolly alot older than what u consider old tho :P

[scar~face]

UPDATE

its been slow cause of school and stuff, and this itsn't that big of an update.

so i cut out a funky piece of masonite and bolted on then old cpu fans

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool020.jpg

unfortunatly i only had 7 bolts....oh welll....

still looks pretty good id say.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool019.jpg

aaaaannnndd, she fits good too!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool021.jpg

until we meet again

[scar~face]

screw homework, MODDING IS MORE IMPORTANT

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool022.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool023.jpg


DONE!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool024.jpg

[Bucko]

I like it!

Can you take a couple more pics from different angles of the finished product?
Once that's done I'll add a copy of this thread to the completed worklogs section of the forum.

[Mitternacht]

Very nice! You made that seem easy. +rep

[scar~face]

Thanks for your support guys!, my english essay is going to be late now:eek:, but what the hell, it was worth it!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool026.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool028.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool027.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/sasquatch_alex/oldskool029.jpg


OH! and i could get a pick of this but the tuner number light up green when its on, its REALLY dim so i couldnt get a shot of it, but take m\y word for it, its really cool!

woot

[OvRiDe]

This is probably one of the best Stereo conversions I have seen. Its just so simple and clean, completely stealth. Great Job.

I don't know if you have seen the Griffin Powermate. Basically its a USB knob, that can control different media aspects, volume, etc. It would be pretty kewl to be able to twist the volume knob and actually have it work. Its not really a cheap unit but not outrageous. I am also not sure of its modability but I figured it may be fun for a later addition to the project.

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powermate/

[b4i7]

that powermate knob is very mod-able ovride, i plan on using one in my stereo mod....

stole my idea from pauls book 8)


and that is a nice job! very clean looking

[weazel6265]

Yeah, just noticed the hardware setup now. I guess great minds think alike. But completely different coverage- yours is completely hidden, mines completely open. Any dimensions on yours?