The Decomatic Model 12b

Show off your quiet rig.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

spookmineer
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 749
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 6:02 pm

Post by spookmineer » Sun Mar 25, 2007 3:05 pm

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powermate/

I was curious about it too, found info on "le bouton" model about this button.

nici
Posts: 3011
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:49 am
Location: Suomi Finland Perkele

Post by nici » Sun Mar 25, 2007 4:46 pm

Bloody nice, as always 8) The wood looks a lot better than plastics, obviously. Now i just need to learn how to use veneer myself so i have a chance of finishing what used to be a P180 before the human species goes extinct..

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:04 am

Thanks guys!

The knob is a modified Griffin Technology Powermate. The two buttons are machined aluminum round stock with the ends formed into hemispheres.

The holes for the buttons were drilled by hand. Meaning that I twirled a brad point drill bit between my thumb and forefinger to form the holes. I do this often because it makes for a perfectly clean hole.

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Fri Apr 13, 2007 11:07 am

This is my blog entry (with picture!) at the Intel PC Design Contest web site.

http://www.intelchallenge.com/archives/89/89/

I'm currently in third place but then again, I haven't really turned up the pimp machine yet.

Please post your thoughts here. I would like to know your ideas on all this.
Last edited by slipperyskip on Mon Apr 16, 2007 2:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

cbutters
Posts: 43
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:06 pm

Post by cbutters » Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:00 pm

Hi, First of all, Beautiful case, really great design!
I was wondering where you managed to find that Gigabyte SPDIF IN/OUT adapter? Did it actually come with your MB? As it doesn't come stock with most gigabyte boards.

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:42 pm

cbutters wrote:Hi, First of all, Beautiful case, really great design!
I was wondering where you managed to find that Gigabyte SPDIF IN/OUT adapter? Did it actually come with your MB? As it doesn't come stock with most gigabyte boards.
Thanks!

I got the S/PDIF bracket directly from Gigabyte-USA. They gave me the motherboard and video card to use for this project.

I had heard in advance that it was difficult to find them so I asked Gigabyte to toss one in the package.

All I can recommend is that you contact them directly.

Willy Higinbotham
Posts: 102
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2007 12:39 pm

Post by Willy Higinbotham » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:28 pm

slipperyskip wrote:This is my blog entry (with picture!) at the Intel PC Design Contest web site.

http://www.intelchallenge.com/category/blog/

I'm currently in third place but then again, I haven't really turned up the pimp machine yet.

Please post your thoughts here. I would like to know your ideas on all this.
I like it a lot.

You got my vote. 1110 and counting :D

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:44 pm

Willy Higinbotham wrote:I like it a lot.

You got my vote. 1110 and counting :D
Thanks! I appreciate it.

I like the HFX a lot. You guys here at SPCR are very familiar with it.

My point is that home theater PC's noise should be judged (measured) from ten feet away. If a computer is dead silent from ten feet away with a fan running then what is the point of a fanless HTPC?

Help me understand this.

I have a full featured PCIe video card with HDMI and a 3.5" hard drive and it is just as silent as the HFX when placed into its operating environment.

Comments?

oso
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 8:05 am

Post by oso » Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:25 pm

Very cool. You got 5 votes from me. I'd do more, but I'm out of email addresses.

spookmineer
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 749
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 6:02 pm

Post by spookmineer » Fri Apr 13, 2007 6:12 pm

The blog makes me feel sorry for my case :/
It doesn't blend in at all (a regular desktop but still).

3rd place so far sound really promising! Even if it doesn't go to 1st, it's still a sign that people are really interested in this kind of product and that there is a market for it.

I will surely check Ebay in ten years from now.

I pictured you a tad younger though but you're still cool 8)

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Fri Apr 13, 2007 6:33 pm

spookmineer wrote:3rd place so far sound really promising! Even if it doesn't go to 1st, it's still a sign that people are really interested in this kind of product and that there is a market for it.
Four days into the contest Intel started to display the vote count. I had a pretty good lead. Within hours I was far behind. Doesn't take Einstein to figure that one out.

I'm paying more attention to the comments. I think mine are more expressive and well thought out. Plus...I really want to know what people think.

I wonder how the vote count would look if all those guys who voted for pretty lights and fancy buttons brought their wives/girlfriends over to vote. Hmmm.

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:17 pm

Picture time. This shows how the Decomatic cracks apart. This was actually the hardest part of the design. The knob is taped up to protect it during the case's assembly.

Image

Large version

spookmineer
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 749
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 6:02 pm

Post by spookmineer » Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:48 pm

slipperyskip wrote:Four days into the contest Intel started to display the vote count. I had a pretty good lead. Within hours I was far behind. Doesn't take Einstein to figure that one out.
Of the 7 contenders (there are 7 I think?) you still have a good place: mCubed (1808), Bicom HSM7 (1413), then the Decomatic (1137).
The mCubed looks like some console game thing, the Bicom has slanted curves (hm not that great an argument) and.. oh damn all my other components are made of metal :shock:

For some reason, the Decomatic makes me associate it with flying for some reason.
Because it has a great design (most won't even think it's a computer), a low power PSU and very nice looks it has to do something here.

Please get that pimp machine working!

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:53 am

spookmineer wrote:For some reason, the Decomatic makes me associate it with flying for some reason.
There is a reason. I call it "The Flying O".

Image

Large version

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Tue Apr 17, 2007 6:10 am

Congratulations to the TriGem Lluon for winning the judged competition. Someone send me a photo.

Congrats to the Asono also.

People's Choice is still on...
Last edited by slipperyskip on Wed Apr 18, 2007 3:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

psiu
Posts: 1201
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 1:53 pm
Location: SE MI

Post by psiu » Tue Apr 17, 2007 4:57 pm

huh. just went to the Intel site...I mean, so they put all this stuff out there, let votes come in, and then say "oh there's these 2 secret systems and we vote them the winner?"

just seems, weird, anticlimactic, and good for an ol fashioned paranoid conspiracy story.

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:23 am

They announced that they are doing the contest again next year.

I'm plotting pwnage. :)

andyb
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 3307
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 12:00 pm
Location: Essex, England

Post by andyb » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:49 am

I like it so much I voted twice :)


Andy

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Thu Apr 19, 2007 8:44 am

Cool. Have a cigar. 8)

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:05 am

Congratulations to mCubed and BICOM!

Which way to the pub?

Image

category_five
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:47 am

Post by category_five » Sun Apr 22, 2007 1:36 am

beautiful design

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Sat Jun 02, 2007 8:28 pm

Kinda late but Intel just released some professional photos taken of all the entries in the contest. It is the first time I have seen a few of them.

One is made out of cardboard! Yikes!

Linky

McBanjo
Posts: 671
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2005 1:40 pm
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Post by McBanjo » Sun Jun 03, 2007 1:12 am

:lol:
Got to love that cardboard-case. It's so ugly

Some really nice cases there. To bad your Decomatic didn't win, it's definatly the best looking one but I guess mCubes is the most funcuality one.

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Sun Jun 03, 2007 1:28 am

I have to disagree about the functionality. The Decomatic is the only entry with a video card (nVIDIA 7600GS). The others all use onboard graphics.

Not your fault. Odd that people automatically assume that the wooden computer is also the slowest. (Low-tech case=Low-tech computer???)

Intel never published the specs though they asked for a detailed listing. Fact is, the Decomatic would have smoked the field in any benchmark testing.

McBanjo
Posts: 671
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2005 1:40 pm
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Post by McBanjo » Sun Jun 03, 2007 2:23 am

slipperyskip wrote:I have to disagree about the functionality. The Decomatic is the only entry with a video card (nVIDIA 7600GS). The others all use onboard graphics.

Not your fault. Odd that people automatically assume that the wooden computer is also the slowest. (Low-tech case=Low-tech computer???)

Intel never published the specs though they asked for a detailed listing. Fact is, the Decomatic would have smoked the field in any benchmark testing.
Nah I was mostley refering to the size and easy to place. It's a rather dull case so you put it somewhere and forget about it. Atleast it looks that way to me.
But I rather prefer a beautiful case to show than some boring one that should be hidden

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Sun Jun 03, 2007 6:09 am

I agree. The ultimate solution is a rack mount computer in an air conditioned equipment closet. Probably streaming wireless.

Not much fun in that. Almost like cheating. :wink:

pixel_pimp
Posts: 78
Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2006 1:07 am
Location: UK

Post by pixel_pimp » Sun Jun 03, 2007 3:47 pm

slipperyskip wrote:Odd that people automatically assume that the wooden computer is also the slowest. (Low-tech case=Low-tech computer???)
On that logic, this must be the second slowest - it's got an 8-track on it LOL!

http://gizmodo.com/photogallery/IntelCo ... ge/1958173

Plus this one reminds me of an Amiga A1000 with it's stowaway keyboard...

http://gizmodo.com/photogallery/IntelCo ... ge/1958029

Loved the Decomatic, BTW - you are one gifted individual!

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:53 am

Thank you. It is a shame the Decomatic will never be built. I have tried giving the design away just so that it wouldn't slip into oblivion.

I thought that if it did well in the contest.....

I built it because I'm a hobbyist. It is what I do. The challenge of designing a commercial product was fun and kicking a few multi-national corporation's butts was satisfing in itself.

I thought, considering all the positive comments, that there would be more to the story.

Excuse the Viiv sticker. That was Intel's doings.

Image

Sylph-DS
Posts: 223
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2007 2:56 am
Location: The Netherlands

Post by Sylph-DS » Tue Jun 05, 2007 2:30 am

slipperyskip wrote: Excuse the Viiv sticker. That was Intel's doings.
F*ck you Intel! ;)

Seriously though, a sticker like that on a case like this :shock: :roll:

Really makes me want to strangle a kitten.

Please Intel, think of the kittens! :lol:

slipperyskip
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 6:52 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by slipperyskip » Tue Jun 05, 2007 2:40 am

Yeah I almost blew a gasket over that one.

Worst was when people started leaving comments that I should have done a better with the sticker. "Looks like it was slapped on" was common.

At first they put stickers on top also:

Image

Post Reply