pfSense Minicase::CRITICS PLEASE!

[Omnipotentclown]

Being strapped for cash as students tend to be I thought Id try out an idea before investing.

This project is based around pfSense and ipcop. It is going to be a portable firewall/switch for LAN parties and home use. The overall goal is portability, reliability and silence while combining a gamers case with something more ellegant if possible.

Hardware
AMD 754 3400+
Gigabyte Mobo
512 OCZ Value RAM
40gig IDE HDD
Low Profile Intel Gigabit Ethernet
5 Port Netgear Gigabit Switch
Possibly some WIFI

My plan is to use this case

and cut out a chunk of the top for a frosted plexi window. By frosted I mean sanded like on the HP Mega Res3 I believe.

On the underside 7-11" green coldcathode light tubes would be mounted. EDIT: Now that I think about it, leds placed in drilled out holes in the sides of the plexi would save space and be cheaper. Id take the housing off of the inverter boxs (or whatever they are called) and mount them next to the cathodes to make removing the panel easier. Excuse the quality MS Paint handywork...

I could also make a full window and find space for the inverters on second thought, but the partial window seems less stock to me.

I chose this case for its ugliness and price (~$35.00 shipped). The front bezel would be removed and a frosted plexi one would be put in its place. pfSense and ipcop dont need a CD-ROM or floppy drive once they are installed, so Im deciding between turning them into extra hdd space, control panels/switchs, just taking them out entirely for extra space and airflow.

On each end of the case would be a 80mm fan for cross airflow. 80 is only a guess. 90 or 92 would be better in my opinion but Ill have to see.

The 754 3400+ will be cooled with a Scythe Ninja. There will be no fan as there shouldnt be a need for one. I dont mind underclocking the processor if need be. 2400mhz is insane overkill as it is (400 is recommended, but why go buy something new when this is lying around?). The case is rather slim so I think that the Ninja will need to protrude through the top, probably through the plexi. I think a simple 1/4-1/2" gap around it will look ok, but suggestions on implementation please.

Next is the switch. It seems that taking it out of its protective shell is the most appropriate way to handle this. Once its out it will be mounted in the back of the case about the mobo I/O slot.

My problem is how to mount it? Suspend it from the top panel, the back panel, the bottom or some combo???
Another problem is which model. The home version has the power plug in the back, whereas the pro version has the rj-45s in the front and the power in the back. My question is how to go about the powersource. Just connect it to the back with everything else, using the home model, or inside and somehow slice the wall plug into the powersupply (keeping in mind its 170W limitation)

Next comes the bottom. It is meant to be a horizontal pc, but some of its uses may require it to be verticle. So Im thinking that the bottom should be frost plexied to match the theme. Possibly with a sheet metal border to make it match the 'top'. Also to keep with the theme there could be thin cutouts along the sides for frosted plexi. That could make the fans look odd however.

Around every peice of plexi would be the green cathodes of course. They could either be switchable all together or by side.

Lastly is color scheme. Im a fan of black pcs for that sexy strealthy look. I also want the inside to be painted. A combo of flat and gloss black could look nice, but Im having trouble deciding on where to put them. Flat outside with gloss inside, visa versa? Both same? All flat/gloss and then opposite fan grills?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Keep in mind this will be my first mod!

[Omnipotentclown]

PS:
What thickness of plexi is recommended for the windows?
Also is plexi or lexan better for this type of application?

[DaveW]

4 Cathodes is overkill-you can get away with 1, or 2 for even lighting. 4 would produce a glow that would be unpleasant at most, distracting at least.

-Dave

[Omnipotentclown]

Here is a mock up of the idea.
(Google SketchUp is amazing!)

Front

Right

Back

Top

The plexi panel on the left is kinda messed up in SketchUp, lots of fragmentation but you get the idea.

[simon275]

Nice I like the idea of having the heat sink sticking out. What sought of screen are you going to use in the front of it and what are all the switches for?

[b4i7]

heh...that built in switch is like an idea that my next myxt mod is slightly built around.....

[nzcubey]

looks pretty cool, that heatsink reminds me of the huge ass tower heatsinks in the dells, man those things are beasts

[Omnipotentclown]

Actually i need help with a screen. I wouldnt mind a small color lcd on front. It would have to be a package deal, like screen, controller, whateverelse needed kinda thing. Touch would be amazing but from what ive seen that adds bout $100. Also there is a 14" lcd somewhere on Tigerdirect that I found. I was thinking of taking that out of its case and mounting it on the underside and then putting a sheet of plexi over that with some standoffs to raise it. Or box it in, not sure.

The switchs arent an exact number, but they are gonna all look the same. On for power, one for reset, then a slew for lights and fans. Yes i know power needs a momentary switch, but i can just flick it up and down once to turn it on.

Does it seem that the real 60mm fan, the left 80mm and the right 80mm fans will be enough airflow?

And as for the HDD i acquired a 80gig laptop drive, so ill just get that $10 laptop to ide connector ive seen around the web and use that. Save lots of space and heat.

[Omnipotentclown]

Another thought i had was to instead of going for the all frosted, green illuminated plexi was to get a clear, black or frosted top, not sure on direct illumination. But on the sides have a black layer in back, with a clear layer on top of it. On the clear layer etch IPcop and then pfSense on the other. Only etch it backwards so the etched part touchs the black. Then light up the IPcop blue and pfSense red. Give it a stealth look when light are off, but a look that shows off its job when there on.

[chedabob]

instead of puttin the hub over te i/o panel, put it over the pci slots. chop the back out, bondo it up, itll look tight.

or, forget the switch, get a bunch of pci network cards, and run that linux server distro (forgot its name) designed for routing.