Like to have feedback on case design!

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:48 am

hi,

I'm designing a new case for my HTPC.

this is what I have so far.

which layout for the fan position would be better?

miahallen · Post by **miahallen** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:09 am

The lower option would be better, unless you did some serious duct work for the upper option.

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:47 am

hi,

I will use the same ducting for both options.

basically the ducts would be 120mm wide and run from the fans in the 1st option to the back of the case.

Intake vents will be in the front of the case in the sidepanel between the harddrives and in the same location on the other side. There will also be intake vents in the bottom of the case at the front and the unused expansion-slot covers will be removed.

so what would be acoustically the best option and what would the best option be for cooling?

miahallen · Post by **miahallen** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:26 am

blubberhoofd wrote:basically the ducts would be 120mm wide and run from the fans in the 1st option to the back of the case.

In that case, I would use option 1. Better acoustically because there is longer path for sound to reach you ear (more muffled), cooling performance may also be slightly better, as highest air pressure is located closest to critical components.

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:52 pm

@miahallen,

thanks that's the answer I was hoping for

regal196 · Post by **regal196** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:32 pm

what video card will you be using, if any? From the looks of things, there is potential for the DVD drive to block the use of full size cards.

How tall is the case?

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:17 pm

It's been a long time, but here's an update of the project being mid-build... still test fitting

Case:
I used an Aopen HQ95a case as a donor case mainly because the full ATX form factor and the 43 cm width. The depth of the case was to much to fit in my Hifi kabinet so I had to shorten it by 5 cm. Next up I had to swap the positions of the PSU and the motherboard to make everything fit the DVD drive position.

top:

back:

front:

bottom:

Heatsink and Fans:
The heatsink for my socket a Amd Athlon XP 2000 was a problem as the overall height of the case was only 15 cm, to small to fit high performance tower heatsinks. After much deliberation I decided to modify a Thermaltake Sonic tower.
A friend of mine had a few Nexus 120mm fans lying around which were ideal of this project. The fan position had to be changed because of space restrictions, so the PSU fan stayed in it's conventional position nside the PSU case.

heatsink:

Controls:
I've just started on the controls(buttons) for the HTPC most of them will be hooked-up a keyboard PCB. The switch for the eject button for the DVD drive received a parallel bypass switch so the eject button can be placed in a better looking position.

drive adjustments:

Display:
After a long search I found the ideal display for this HTPC...the 128x32 Noritake 311 graphic VFD. This display has one mayor drawback however, it's huge PCB. desoldering, bending and re-connecting will fix that problem

VFD:

well that's it for now

NARC · Post by **NARC** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:20 pm

Very interesting solution for the HSF! I like it.

miahallen · Post by **miahallen** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:35 am

How did you go about bending the heat pipes? I've been thinking about modifing a spare Tt Big Typhoon I have sitting around. Did you heat the pipes first? How did you modify it without breaking the pipes?

McBanjo · Post by **McBanjo** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:27 am

Plan #1 seems best to me, not sure a duct is needed

VanWaGuy · Post by **VanWaGuy** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:00 am

Heatsink looks like trouble. The way the heatpipes are bent, it looks like the fins on the inside edge of the curve are basically touching, blocking your airflow.

miahallen · Post by **miahallen** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:53 pm

VanWaGuy wrote:Heatsink looks like trouble. The way the heatpipes are bent, it looks like the fins on the inside edge of the curve are basically touching, blocking your airflow.

I had the same thoughts when I saw it. rotating the HS 180 degrees, or placing the fan in the opposite side would elliminate the problem.

McBanjo · Post by **McBanjo** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:22 pm

Turn the heatsink 90 degrees instead, should eliminate the problem

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:25 pm

Thanks for the replies.

Rotating 90deg. isn't possible because of the shape of the heatsink foot and the mounting system.

well I did a test run yesterday, running the system for 12 hours, at idle and playing games. CPU temp fluctuated between 39-48 deg. without ducting.

I will test this weekend if ducting will make a difference, so is there any advice for duct material?

McBanjo · Post by **McBanjo** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 2:14 am

blubberhoofd wrote:I will test this weekend if ducting will make a difference, so is there any advice for duct material?

Thick paper or cardboard works like a charm

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:41 am

hi McBanjo,

will try that.

btw: can your DIY woodcase be seen on the forum? -if so , do you have a link?

I'm already looking for insperation for my next project

McBanjo · Post by **McBanjo** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:33 pm

The first one:
viewtopic.php?t=31279&highlight=

The present one:
viewtopic.php?t=38641&highlight=

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 8:04 am

@McBanjo,

like the unconventional airflow design, not sure the bottom fans add too much to the confection airflow.

McBanjo · Post by **McBanjo** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 2:54 am

blubberhoofd wrote:@McBanjo,

like the unconventional airflow design, not sure the bottom fans add too much to the confection airflow.

They do, but I can run the computer without them and still be within temp-limits. Just a bit to high for my taste and I can't hear them anyway

I will probibly create something simular but with a 220mm fan. Need some HDD enclosures...I can still hear my HDDs if it's quiet around me

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 4:18 am

well it's time to show my progress.

I've had a few set-backs in this project but here's the result so far:

the front face of the case broke in the painting process leaving an ugly crack under the eject button. It still needs a coat off clear, but I'll probably replace the whole thing.

the VFD broke during soldering, some pins have broken off and it cannot be repeared.

so does anyone know a place where I can get a replacement for my VFD

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 11:32 am

hi,

before I continue with the outside of the case, I would like to fix an annoyance.

the nexus fan inside the PSU is causing some annoying resonance, can someone recommend a method for decoupling the fan?

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 11:55 am

attach it with anti-resonance mounts. Nexus has such among other manufacturers. Many fan swappers seem to attach their fans after swapping with Anti-resonance mounts.

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:56 pm

thanks, thejamppa will try that.

Never got around to test ducting, but I noticed that ducting sure is needed to force the airflow in the correct way.

basically air goes from the high pressure zone at the CPU to the low pressure zone at the PSU.

hardly optimal for any of the hardware especially the PSU.
The air comming out of the back of the PSU is seriously hot

all temps for HDD's, CPU and northbridge are ok, but if I had a temp sensor in my PSU it would surely show an alarming temp.

Good thing I ran the past week of testing and software config with the fans still on 12V

blubberhoofd · Post by **blubberhoofd** » Sat May 29, 2010 2:24 pm

I've done many improvements to my rig over the past years.

The motherboard is now an Asus P5KPL/1600 with 2Gigs of DDR 400 Ram by Kingston HyperX.
Using 2 1TB Samsung ecogreen HDDs.
The modified Thermaltake Sonic Tower now cools an Intel e5400.
The grapicscard is now a passively cooled Ati hd4670 by Saphire.

The most recent upgrade has been the replacement of the OCZ PSU for a Nexus value 430, stunning difference

and also upgraded the mouse and keyboard to the logitech pro 2400 set, very impressive range!

I've been using only a single fan in my system (the one inside the PSU only) for almost 1,5 years for HTPC usage and moderate gaming (love Fallout 3 on the big screen

) without any problems, so don't believe people that say it can't be done

Like to have feedback on case design!

Like to have feedback on case design!

fan position

Bending heat pipes

heatsink fins

Re: heatsink fins