hello. this is my first post so please go easy on me.

i've modded a lot of cases in my time but i am yet to find "the perfect" case for me, where parts go where i want them to, like the psu here and the hdd there...

so i decided to make a case from scratch. since i've enough tools and materials to experiment with, i thought i should give it a go.

the main material would be acrylic plastic. my plan was to make a case that's as small as possible but without sacrificing "thermodynamic effectiveness" (if there is ever such a word).

but before i could start the project, and since i was thinking of upgrading from a 17"crt to a 19"lcd, i thought i might as well redesign my old home-made desk. i was amazed how much space i am able to save with the lcd upgrade and decided to make use of the space and plan my desk/work area as efficient as possible.

as so "project desktop" was born.

here's what i've done so far... its a mobo tray with a twist... its the umm... the whole pc tray.

thats it for now. more pix in a few days as the build continues. (estimated time of production: a week or two, tops)

thanks.
-madhaw

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Quote: Originally Posted by madhaw hello. this is my first post so please go easy on me. thanks. -madhaw

If you don't already know about this little thing called Folding@Home here is some info about it.


OUR GOAL
Understanding how proteins self-assemble ("protein folding") is a holy grail of modern molecular biophysics. What makes it such a great challenge is its complexity, which renders simulations of folding extremely computationally demanding, and difficult to understand. The Stanford group has developed a new way to simulate protein folding. However, this method is extremely computationally demanding and they need our help.
For more info about it stop by F@H's home page here.

With that in mind you should read up on our team Team PCApex linkage. It is a great way to help humanity and PCApec alike.

If you are the competitive type you might want to join up in one of PCApex's sub teams for more info on them check these links.

T2's Folding Army
Team Ups
Team Ator

WELCOME TO PC APEX!!!

Great place for a first post! that's what we like to see
Can't wait to see more of this - keep up the good work dude

i ordered some jointed boards last monday and finally got them today. they're better than plywood but is more expensive. i'm going to use them for my pc case, err... pc table i mean

i also finished making the legs for the table. i recycled some 2" aluminum square pipes which used to be the door for my shop.

and i painted the pc tray black.

sorry for being concise. i'm not used to making a project log.

later!

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Welcome to pcApex.

I like your idea.
You can't find what you want? Don't cry about it make it!
That's what modding is all about.

Looking good. Like the home made case, Keep up the good work.

oh boy... what a week it has been.
i wasnt able to update my project cuz my mom got sick, real sick, and we have to take care of her.
but she's ok now and so... back to "project desktop".

i was using a thermaltake volcano 11+ hsf and with the fan's maximum speed, it sounded like a vacuum cleaner. so to tone the sound a bit (which is an important part of this project) i used a 120mm variable speed enermax fan. i made an 80mm to 120mm adaptor out of vacuum formed acrylic and was pretty impressed how it turned out.

ah... the heart of this project. my 3 year old athlon xp 1800+ running at 2.2ghz @ 1.55volts.
sweet!!!
for 2 years, i've been having the 64bit itch. but i am able to hold it this long. i'll wait for the release and maturation of windows vista and official driver support to maximize 64bit processing before i finally give in.

...another sweet part of this system. my 1gb ddr400 corsair xms memory @ 2-3-2-5
will add another stick to run dual channel later this year.

and with the continuing quest to make a quite pc, i removed the noisy msi k7n2 delta2 platinum's stock chipset fan and replaced it with the cooler which came with my processor. i just had to trim the sides to make it fit and made a custom brace to hold it down. the southbridge tends to get hot so i added a heatsink as well.

many of you guys are probably wondering what this project is all about or how it will look when finished or what kind of case/mod was it. i'm trying to keep you all guessing until the last possible minute.

i'll work on the desk tomorrow.

later!
-madhaw

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Keep up the work on your homemade case.Great idea and respectable too,Jo

the desk is almost finished, just a few minor things like the air intake, drawers, buttons, miles of wiring and cable management.

and! a paint job too. i'm gonna paint it "metalic dark gray" to match the rest of my shop.
oh and the glass cover as well.

..i guess there's still a lot to do.

anybody got what this pc mod is all about yet?

later!
-madhaw

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i'll be using 2 120mm papst 4382 fans, at 420mA each... man it was loud as a vacuum cleaner, and to use two of these.. thank god i'll be running them at 5v or maybe use a dc adaptor and run them at 7.2 or 9v. i bought these at a local electronics shop. they are cheap. too cheap in fact that i 've bought 3 of these at just the cost of 1 120mm enermax varaible speed fan, which i'll be using as an exhaust.

i had my logitech mx510 mouse painted "carbon-fiber". the cost? less $3 in US equivalent. what a deal!

my pc tray was finished and so i've mounted all the stuff in it. i have reinforced the sides with 1" aluminum angle bars to support the weight.

the case ...err, the desk is almost done. i installed some of the gear to see if it fits.
Barely! with VERY little room for the wires.

and when i fired it up, i found out that my cpu temps are high. i know my rig is hot but this time.. its hotter.
a close inspection revealed that my heatsink fan is too close to the glass door thus limiting the air being sucked in. so i removed the 120mm fan and home-made adaptor and then reinstalled the smart fan that came with my volcano 11. this time the temps are back to normal. still high but normal for clock speed that i am running it with.

next, everything will be painted black and the glass doors will be tinted.

i guess by this time, you guys must have figured what this modd is all about.

later.
-madhaw

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Oh you have GOT to be kidding me... You sir are now in my bad books for TOTALLY ripping my idea! lol (only kidding dude!)

ive been planning a 'computer in a desk' mod now for about 2 months lol... ive got about 200Mb of CAD models and everything... ive got to wait until i move into my new place to measure up where its actually going to go.

Looks like our plans are slightly different there though so hopefully mine will still be fresh enough to keep a few people interested is the actual PC located behind the monitor??

Seems your wood work skills are pretty good! im impressed. Mine is prob going to be MDF as its all ive worked with before. But thats all still to come.

Ok... so my grumpyness aside (hehe) this looks like an awsome project and i cant wait to see how it turn out! (May even get a tip or two eh? )

Good luck mate and WELCOME TO PC APEX


Mark


P.S. Please note all grumpy comments are meant totally in good spirit! no bad feeling at all!

mark, you are so funny. i guess great minds think alike. so you've been planning your "project CIAD" for 2 months now with 200mb of CAD files eh? i've thought of mine for a week with only one vector file design. hehe.. i guess yours will turn out better.

mine is almost done. i've finished the desk and about to move it to my shop to finally assemble everything, and yes, the actual pc is located behind the lcd.

"hopefully mine will still be fresh enough to keep a few people interested "
...are you kidding me? have you seen the replies on this thread? hehe..

ok, here's a tip. make sure you have plenty of space for the actual pc. mine is pretty tight. since my shop is very limited in space, i have to maximize the space left for my desk, which is not very much. hence the very tight "pc space", everything barely fits.

btw, your "project offspring" is awesome. i've also thought of attaching a different "hdd lighting doo-hickey" similar to yours, but i have very little electronic skills and so i ditched the idea.
again, like i've said.. great minds think alike.

later!

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Nothing like a good ole build-modding contest to gain the interest,Jo

Quote: Originally Posted by markwalker84 Oh you have GOT to be kidding me... You sir are now in my bad books for TOTALLY ripping my idea! lol (only kidding dude!) ive been planning a 'computer in a desk' mod now for about 2 months lol... ive got about 200Mb of CAD models and everything... ive got to wait until i move into my new place to measure up where its actually going to go. Looks like our plans are slightly different there though so hopefully mine will still be fresh enough to keep a few people interested is the actual PC located behind the monitor?? Seems your wood work skills are pretty good! im impressed. Mine is prob going to be MDF as its all ive worked with before. But thats all still to come. Ok... so my grumpyness aside (hehe) this looks like an awsome project and i cant wait to see how it turn out! (May even get a tip or two eh? ) Good luck mate and WELCOME TO PC APEX Mark P.S. Please note all grumpy comments are meant totally in good spirit! no bad feeling at all!

Your are too kind

That is looking awsome there my friend! I love the black and metal look. Its a very professional looking job you have done there and im sure once all the hard wareis installed it will only look even better!

I would slap some more +rep your way but it seems i need to spread the love before i can send any your way again.

Excellent work!



Mark


P.S. the HDD activity thingy really isnt all that complicated... if you wanna give it a go i could whip up a circuit diagram and send your way? Just PM me if you are interested

i really think that this is an inovative and i bet you could sell that in stores or to a big computer company this mod is ill

One FINE looking Project!!!!

+rep to you for the idea....and for the execution, of course!


I've visited the Phillipines a few years ago myself (Luzon), since my uncle lives there since the eighties....
Wonderful country, friendly, kind people and a really suprising "cuisine".... heck I'm still cooking recepies
out of a cooking book I bought there.... So... where are you from?

TDR

icdpride, the pc in a desk is not a new idea.. there is a company that specialized in office desks that integrate a pc right in. i cant remember the site but i think i've seen a link somewhere here in pc apex.

dragon, i'm from luzon too.. in "bulacan" to be exact. yup, we have good food here. most foreigners like the "adobo". where in luzon is your uncle? a lot of foreigners lives here, mostly after falling in-love with the country.

many thanks for the kind replies. project desktop is nearly finished. i've already assembled the pc and will take pictures later.

later
-madhaw

He has a house in Manila (Quezon City) but frequently visits Tagatay, the Aurora Province, Infanta & General Nakar/Real... My wife and I visited all of those areas... absolutely stunning... the only thing which we found
very disturbing was the -illegal- logging in those areas... where there is illegal logging... disaster usually
follows...and it has, unfortunately...(as you will undoubtfully know)... still... we really love the Phillipines and
we have reserved a special place in our hearts for the brave & sweet Fillipino people...

And yes.... I now Master a few different Adadobo recipies, including "Bicol Express".... lolz... that one is.. well...
HOT!!!

TDR

dragon the adobo master chef..
you're right about the illegal logging stuff.. just recently, a whole town was buried after a mudslide caused by illegal logging. sadly, its hard to get rid of something when high officials are involved.

project desktop is almost complete.. will post pics in a while.

'till then..
-madhaw

after 3 weeks.. its almost done.

time is running out, work is starting to pile up, i need to have everything operational a.s.a.p.
so i finally brought my gear back to my shop and assembled everything.

along with my new desk/case.. i've also bought a new 19" lcd monitor, 36gb raptor, a wacom intuos 3 a5, and a new chair. hmm.... there's nothing like having new toys to play with.

i am so pleased how things turned up. everything looked very sleek and professional ...well, everything except me.


here are my specs:

-amd athlon xp 1800+ @ 2.2ghz 1.55v
-volcano 11 hsf @4000rpm 49c idle, 54 full load
-msi k7n2 delta2 platinum
-1gb (single stick) corsair xms ddr400 (cas 2-3-3-5)
-asus 9600xt
-36gb wd raptor sata
-80gb seagate 7200rmp sata
-samsung dvd recorder (converted to external)
-19" viewsonic va912 lcd
-logitech internet pro keyboard
-logitech mx510 mouse
-wacom intuos3 a5
-2 papst 4382 120mm fan (intake)
-1 enermax variable speed 120mm fan (exhaust)
-and a cheapo 400w psu (good enough for me, since it only powers the mobo/proc, 2 hdds, 1 120mm fan and 2 120mm fans running at 5v)

extra toys:
-fujitsu seimens pocket loox 720 (a hard to find ppc)
-motorola slvr L7 (hello moto)
-roland egx-300 desktop engraver (where most of my mods are made)


here's how project desktop works:
the cpu is hidden behind the lcd. moving the monitor away reveals a tinted glass door. pushing the magnetic latch opens the case..

tada!

inside is the pc tray where everything is mounted including the psu. beneath this are two 120mm fans running at 5v that serves as air intake and one 120mm exhuast on the upper left near the hsf.
temps are at 49cpu and 31 ambient while idle and 54cpu and 36ambient at full load. pretty decent temps considering its summertime.

there are only 2 things left to finish... the front panel for the buttons (power, reset, usb and speaker) and maybe a housing for my external dvd-rw.

so thats it.. easy part is over. all i have to do now is resist the urge to sleep since i now have the most comfortable chair in the world AND relearn the whole mouse thing again since i'll now be using a drawing tablet.

oh btw, this project is future proof, so i can easily upgrade my cpu.
yeah right, like i can afford an upgrade in the very near future after this project.
oh well, back to my other hobby... RC trucks.

later
-madhaw

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