Greetings.
My name is Clocker and I'm a caseaholic.
My poor computer ( her name is Sprocket) has been in five different cases since I first put her together.
Her one year anniversary is coming up ( August 18th) and I decided that the only appropriate gift would be ( what else?) yet another case!
Among a few other things, of course.
Sprocket's first two cases were cheapo generic Tiawanese boxes, followed by a XaserII (what the hell was I thinking?).
Following the Xaser fiasco she lived in a CoolerMaster Praetorian.
One day, at my local comp shop I found an old Gateway G6 case and realized what I had been missing.
Not only did I love the classic, old school look of the case, but it was GIANT!
Built like the proverbial brick sh*thouse, too.
Sprocket happily slid right in and we've been just the happiest couple since.
Recently I finished assembling two new servers for my brother's business.
When I took them up to Boulder for the install, I casually inquired about the machines he was replacing.
"Oh," said he, "they're down in the junk room...go take a look if you want."
Well, not being one to pass up a freebie, (he is my brother after all...he couldn't charge me for it, could he?), down I went and yup, you guessed it...it was kismet.
Sitting on the top of a pile of maybe 30 old PCs was an even bigger case than the Gateway.
Oh oh.
Long story short, it's going to be Sprocket's birthday present.
Here's what it looked like when I brought it home...
Ok, I can tell you're not terribly impressed.
Not to worry...I HAVE A PLAN!
In fact, I HAVE LOTS OF PLANS!
The interior dimensions are:H24", W7" and L15".
Here's what it looked like after it was stripped down...
Even with the old mobo tray removed it's still rock solid, no flexing or twisting at all...a real testament to good ole American engineering ( and very thick sheetmetal).
But, wait...
Ooopsie, bit of a problem here.
Not ATX compliant in the least.
Not even close.
What to do, what to do?
Well, after pondering the dilemma for a few days, I decided that the best thing would be to just have a whole new back panel fabricated.
I can deal with the openings that need to be cut, but I don't have a sheetmetal brake, so folding the flanges was going to be tough.
A few phone calls found a cooperative shop and the chassis went down to be measured.
The sheetmetal guy was willing to do the job cheap ($15) if he could squeeze it in between his bigger ( and undoubtably, more lucrative) jobs...so I won't have the new panel till next Monday.
That's OK, thought I, the motherboard tray doesn't work either, so I have a project to keep busy with.
Hmmm, how to do this?
Well, turns out that trying to duplicate a factory made mobo wall would be A LOT OF WORK.
Not only would I need another piece of sheetmetal folded, but then the holes would have to be ( accurately) located, drilled and tapped.
Sheesh...must be an easier way to do this.
Don't let 'em kid 'ya....SLOTH is the mother of invention.
Harking back to a HDD cradle I had made a few months ago, I realized that the basic principles could easily be translated to my motherboard mount.
Off to Home Depot and $9 later we have this...
3/8" diameter steel rod, 9- 3/8" nylon cable clamps, assorted screws and washers and some mystery tubing.
A few hours on the lathe and we have this...
The rod has been cut to length and each end has been drilled and tapped for a 6-32 screw.
Can you see where this is headed?
Yes, you were right.
Here's the first test fit to check proof of concept...
And a closeup of how it is mounted...
Looks like I may be on to something here.
Let's see if it'll fit in the case.
Sumbitch! It works!
Mirabile dictu!
And from the back...
Viola!
Obviously, since I haven't got the new back panel yet, this is not the final location height nor depth wise, but that's the beauty of this mounting method...it is completely adjustable.
Also, the back of the board is open to the breeze, hopefully aiding in cooling a bit.
Yes, there prolly WILL be a fan blowing on the back of the mobo, but that's a ways down the road yet.
I TOLD YOU...I have lots of plans.
Have you forgotten about the mystery tubing?
Well don't, it comes into play soon.
But not yet.
So this is my progress so far.
I've amassed some cool parts that will be used and I'm still waiting on a few more, so that about wraps up this first installment.
I have lots of drilling/tapping/measuring to do before the new rear panel comes, but that is visually boring...I shan't subject you to my lazy work ethic.
But I will leave you with a teaser....
A new heatsink (Aerocool DeepImpact DP-102).
And I'll even leak a bit more...there is a Torin blower involved.
Could be interesting.
Laters.
My name is Clocker and I'm a caseaholic.
My poor computer ( her name is Sprocket) has been in five different cases since I first put her together.
Her one year anniversary is coming up ( August 18th) and I decided that the only appropriate gift would be ( what else?) yet another case!
Among a few other things, of course.
Sprocket's first two cases were cheapo generic Tiawanese boxes, followed by a XaserII (what the hell was I thinking?).
Following the Xaser fiasco she lived in a CoolerMaster Praetorian.
One day, at my local comp shop I found an old Gateway G6 case and realized what I had been missing.
Not only did I love the classic, old school look of the case, but it was GIANT!
Built like the proverbial brick sh*thouse, too.
Sprocket happily slid right in and we've been just the happiest couple since.
Recently I finished assembling two new servers for my brother's business.
When I took them up to Boulder for the install, I casually inquired about the machines he was replacing.
"Oh," said he, "they're down in the junk room...go take a look if you want."
Well, not being one to pass up a freebie, (he is my brother after all...he couldn't charge me for it, could he?), down I went and yup, you guessed it...it was kismet.
Sitting on the top of a pile of maybe 30 old PCs was an even bigger case than the Gateway.
Oh oh.
Long story short, it's going to be Sprocket's birthday present.
Here's what it looked like when I brought it home...
Ok, I can tell you're not terribly impressed.
Not to worry...I HAVE A PLAN!
In fact, I HAVE LOTS OF PLANS!
The interior dimensions are:H24", W7" and L15".
Here's what it looked like after it was stripped down...
Even with the old mobo tray removed it's still rock solid, no flexing or twisting at all...a real testament to good ole American engineering ( and very thick sheetmetal).
But, wait...
Ooopsie, bit of a problem here.
Not ATX compliant in the least.
Not even close.
What to do, what to do?
Well, after pondering the dilemma for a few days, I decided that the best thing would be to just have a whole new back panel fabricated.
I can deal with the openings that need to be cut, but I don't have a sheetmetal brake, so folding the flanges was going to be tough.
A few phone calls found a cooperative shop and the chassis went down to be measured.
The sheetmetal guy was willing to do the job cheap ($15) if he could squeeze it in between his bigger ( and undoubtably, more lucrative) jobs...so I won't have the new panel till next Monday.
That's OK, thought I, the motherboard tray doesn't work either, so I have a project to keep busy with.
Hmmm, how to do this?
Well, turns out that trying to duplicate a factory made mobo wall would be A LOT OF WORK.
Not only would I need another piece of sheetmetal folded, but then the holes would have to be ( accurately) located, drilled and tapped.
Sheesh...must be an easier way to do this.
Don't let 'em kid 'ya....SLOTH is the mother of invention.
Harking back to a HDD cradle I had made a few months ago, I realized that the basic principles could easily be translated to my motherboard mount.
Off to Home Depot and $9 later we have this...
3/8" diameter steel rod, 9- 3/8" nylon cable clamps, assorted screws and washers and some mystery tubing.
A few hours on the lathe and we have this...
The rod has been cut to length and each end has been drilled and tapped for a 6-32 screw.
Can you see where this is headed?
Yes, you were right.
Here's the first test fit to check proof of concept...
![url]](http://[url]http://server6.uploadit.org/files/clocker2-7firstinstall.jpg[/url])
And a closeup of how it is mounted...
Looks like I may be on to something here.
Let's see if it'll fit in the case.
Sumbitch! It works!
Mirabile dictu!
And from the back...
Viola!
Obviously, since I haven't got the new back panel yet, this is not the final location height nor depth wise, but that's the beauty of this mounting method...it is completely adjustable.
Also, the back of the board is open to the breeze, hopefully aiding in cooling a bit.
Yes, there prolly WILL be a fan blowing on the back of the mobo, but that's a ways down the road yet.
I TOLD YOU...I have lots of plans.
Have you forgotten about the mystery tubing?
Well don't, it comes into play soon.
But not yet.
So this is my progress so far.
I've amassed some cool parts that will be used and I'm still waiting on a few more, so that about wraps up this first installment.
I have lots of drilling/tapping/measuring to do before the new rear panel comes, but that is visually boring...I shan't subject you to my lazy work ethic.
But I will leave you with a teaser....
A new heatsink (Aerocool DeepImpact DP-102).
And I'll even leak a bit more...there is a Torin blower involved.
Could be interesting.
Laters.
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