[Oinkypig]

History:
I originally had an ABIT SFF DigiDice with a LCD monitor in my master bedroom.
It was placed when my daughter was young and I could serve the web while looking after her.

Anyway that unit went to her Trolley PC Unit (before netbooks were developed and laptops were expensive)





I was stuck with an Aikira DVD player with LCD TV



So having some thought, I decided that I should make an ATOM based iTX PC that fits into the furniture of the room. Nothing powerful, something to watch TV, serve the web... that sort of thing.

I didn't like the feel of a standard PC case, and decided that I would make a PC console sitting on top of the existing cabinet.
The console idea is something that is marked out.



After estimating what a carpenter would charge me for it, and probably not making it to fit my requirements, I decided to take the plunge and make something unique,

So here is the project log for this item
P.S. It is still work in progress, so updates are per project status

[Oinkypig]

First stop:
My spare wood, remainders taken from another DIY project for my daughter


IKEA timber bed supoorts
Mounted vertically on the standard IKEA pine wood plank


Exhaust fan hole


Cable bypass slot, was in a hurry and my slot got 'burnt'


Power cables exit point (saw hole went too fast )


Length wise vertical mounted, glued, and screwed into position

[Oinkypig]

Motherboard Placement:

It was to be placed on the left side of the wooden console


An arylic sheet (my favourite material to use at the moment ) was cut to size, an iTX MB post layout drilled out.


Brass posts were then turned into the sheet


Note that a forstener drill bit was creating the counterbores as the brass posts were extruding from the sheet

[Oinkypig]

I did some calculations, and there was no way a 3.5" HDD could fit my wooden PC console. So I choose a 2.5" SATA 7,200 rpm as the primary drive.

Some friends have asked how do I make my HDD trays? Especially in my previous projects.
I don't thnk it is hard. Here's how I do mine for this project

Calculate the arylic sheet size, you want, cut 2X, measure your HDD hole to hole position.

For my case, I wanted the option to be able to handle another drive when I need to put in. So mine has two sets of holes.

Remove the protective paper sheet, cut another arylic sheet, use arylic glue and glue into place WHILE pressure is applied (in my case I just stack a couple of hard cover books).


The HDD tray sits nicely into the corner where the exhaust fan sits.

I use the 50X50 fan to suck the heat from the HDDs out of the console.

[Sulphur]

Sweet~. very interesting to look at DIY cases.

[bianco]

the master of itx diy is back!
always nice to see your handiwork bro.

btw, that trolley pc is a good idea! may i ask how does the plugs work? they're plugged on to the socket on the unit itself? or are those sockets just 'holders' for the plug? thanks in advance.

[Oinkypig]

Ha..ha...
I would not call myself the master.
More of a customizer of stuff to fit my requirements

The PC's PSU and LCD monitor cables are connected.
All cables are then looped inside and hidden in the box behind.
The box has one cable which is also looped and hidden.

So everything is as tidy as I can make it :-)

Will load a picture when I am back home tonight.

Cheers

[jarred1223]

I got that same Akira DVD player

Interested to see how it turns out, sure will be nice!

[dr_disciple]

remember to post your pics in the ITX thread. . Its always welcomed there.

[Oinkypig]

Originally Posted by bianco

the master of itx diy is back!
always nice to see your handiwork bro.

btw, that trolley pc is a good idea! may i ask how does the plugs work? they're plugged on to the socket on the unit itself? or are those sockets just 'holders' for the plug? thanks in advance.

As promised, (just back from dinner), I took a photo of how it looks



You can trace the thick gray cable that is powering the plugs
The rest of the wires are USB, wireless keyboard + mouse, VGA cables etc, which I tug neatly into the box.
Hope this clears your questions

[Oinkypig]

After the digress, here's the rough layout of the system put into the wooden console



System configuration:
iTX ATOM 230 (Yes... it is single core , but got to use it up)
1 GB DDR (Light surfing and viewing DVDs)
320 GB 2.5" SATA
LG DVD H55N (region code cracked)

Close up shots show the design of the verticals which probably made some wonder what they are for:

From the left side:
HDD (as shown in earlier post), the fan exhaust pulls any heat from the HDD outwards


DVD drive mounted on simple arylic sheets, this is later modified as I had to figure out a way to mount and unmount DVD drives (upgrade-ablity is important for me, especially if the DVD drive dies)


Centre:
PSU from FSP, the U slot created gives it space for the cables to reach the MB




Right side:
Design calls for a wireless keyboard, so I found about the cheapest (branded) wireless, Microsoft KB and Mouse



Extreme right, a nice cover to shield the "burnt" markings


The PSU cable runs out of the case to the power outlet in the roo





Looped the PSU cable 3X and the socket plug was still able to go through the hole, my design calls for at least 3 power cables to be running out from the box

[bianco]

Originally Posted by Oinkypig

As promised, (just back from dinner), I took a photo of how it looks

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53...n_P1070436.jpg

You can trace the thick gray cable that is powering the plugs
The rest of the wires are USB, wireless keyboard + mouse, VGA cables etc, which I tug neatly into the box.
Hope this clears your questions

now that's real cable management!
thanks for the pic and explanation bro. you really do have good ideas for practical builds. awesome!

[Oinkypig]

The top of the wooden console is made from another IKEA plank

Hole-Sawed "Correct use of word??" a breather hole at the top.





It's supposed to sit near the top of the ATOM Heat Sink, allowing the Southbridge to "breathe"





Here's the wooden console undergoing "stress" test from the LCD TV to check that the pine wood can take the weight (No MB in case it gives way and kills my MB)

[jarred1223]

Looks a bit warped IMO..

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Oinkypig

Interesting tool. Does it work like a bench press?

Phil