The G-metric Nano and Pico Bayard

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:19 am

Chapter One: The G-metric Nano

Building really small computers from scratch is much the same as stuffing ten pounds of sh#t into a five pound bag. The density of equipment and cables becomes so high that it becomes nearly impossible to move enough air in and out of the enclosure to provide adequate cooling.

My solution to this problem is to avoid the problem to begin with. I designed the system so that the CPU heatsink is exposed directly to the exterior of the case. This eliminates the need to provide a high-volume internal airflow.

To illustrate, these are photos of my prototype. I call it the G-metric Nano.

Larger version:

Larger version:

The board I'm using is the VIA 1.5GHz NX15000 Nano-ITX which relies on pin headers for all I/O ports except the Ethernet. This makes it easy to do crazy things like mount the board upside down in the case.

As shown, a portion of the CPU heatsink is protruding from the bottom of the case. The case itself is elevated to a height so that it doesn't block airflow to the CPU cooling fan inlet.

It is nearly impossible for the CPU to overheat with this design. The remaining system components are laptop devices and are more immune to heat. I have provided a series of vent holes in the back of the enclosure to provide a flow path to remove hot air from the upper portion of the case.

Questions and comments are encouraged.

Next Chapter: The Pico Bayard

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:06 am

Chapter Two: The Pico Bayard

After successful testing, I used the same cooling technique on my next project. I call it the Pico Bayard. This project uses a different mainboard and a different orientation.

Here are some photos:

Larger version...

Larger version...

For this project I used the VIA 1GHz PX10000 Pico-ITX board. It also relies on many pin header I/O ports. Only a VGA port and Ethernet port are onboard. The Pico Bayard also includes an integrated EarthLCD 8" touchscreen LCD that gets its power from the computer's PicoPSU.

The Pico Bayard's heatsink is mounted nearly flush to the case skin and faces out the back of the enclosure. A ventilation slot is cut into the case's top to allow rising heat to escape. The heatsink is actually cold to the touch when idling and never gets much warmer than that when running full-tilt.

I just returned from CES in Las Vegas where I dynamically displayed both of these projects. They both ran great without any issues the entire event. A couple of staffers from SPCR were on hand Tuesday to hopefully enjoy my little dog-and-pony show.

Thanks for looking!

Big Pimp Daddy · Post by **Big Pimp Daddy** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:04 pm

Awesome craftsmanship as always slipperyskip.

I am insanely jealous.

ishi · Post by **ishi** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:17 pm

Very Nice and clean job !!!

I like your art deco style.

Did you cut wood on CNC or manualy?
Im interested cause Im biuld luxury woode case too:

viewtopic.php?t=45477

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:39 pm

Thanks guys.

The only power tool I used in these projects was a cordless drill. In the past I've been known to use a Dremel to cut aluminum angle stock.

I prefer to do things by hand. Many of the holes I drilled were done by twirling a drill-bit between my thumb and finger. It produces a much cleaner hole.

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:37 am

As nice as these projects are (and SS knows I am a big fan of his work) the VIA-powered guts of the machine do not really have the oomph to do much more than e-mail or word processing. has the OP considered something like the D201GLY(2) to get more horsepower while still on a very limited thermal and power budget?

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:53 am

It would be interesting to see if the Intel D201GLY package got shrunk down to a Pico-ITX form factor.

For performance Mini-ITX I use the Kontron 986LCD-M but it's all pretty much wasted if the machine is used for surfing and e-mail only.

IMHO, it is great to see such variety and choice in these kind of small boards.

pingu666 · Post by **pingu666** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 6:52 am

those are great

FlorisNielssen · Post by **FlorisNielssen** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:25 am

Gotta say, Wow...

Real neat. Don't your hear the fan by the way? I could imagine it to be whiney. Also because I thought it wasn't a large one.
Looks very retro.
Wow.

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:58 am

Thanks guys.

FlorisNielssen wrote: Don't your hear the fan by the way? I could imagine it to be whiney. Also because I thought it wasn't a large one.

The fans on both the Nano and Pico boards are high-quality 5V fans.

I don't hear them, or to be more accurate, they don't draw attention to themselves.

It was a nice surprise considering the junk from the past.

There's been some question about flame mahogany. This photo shows some aspects of the woodgrain that is pronounced on the left. Mahogany has holographic properties that can only be seen with the naked eye. The combination of the "flaming" woodgrain with the holographic effect is fairly stunning when witnessed in person. Sorry 56K.

seraphyn · Post by **seraphyn** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:27 am

Wow, those look amazing. Do you actually use / sell them as well, or was it more of a nice work project and on to the next kind of thing?

djkest · Post by **djkest** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:10 am

Wow, I'm blown away. Your craftsmanship and attention to detail are stunning. I really hope all that hard work and ingenuity you have shown on those 2 paid off once you got to CES. I'm kind of curious to see if any high-end type customers showed an intrest in your work. Of course, that isn't really any of my buisiness. But anyway, sweet job.

Torajirou · Post by **Torajirou** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 4:47 am

Awesome display of craftsmanship, as usual !

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:27 am

Thanks for all the feedback and comments.

seraphyn wrote:Do you actually use / sell them as well, or was it more of a nice work project and on to the next kind of thing?

Designing and building custom computer cases is my hobby. I think it is fun to enable people to think about alternatives.

djkest wrote:I'm kind of curious to see if any high-end type customers showed an intrest in your work.

I don't worry if my creations are considered marketable or not. They are not for sale. Hopefully, manufacturers will take note and be influenced in their future designs. I doubt it.

People generally like their tech to look like tech and that is how they spend their money.

ntavlas · Post by **ntavlas** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 5:27 am

I am a fan of the hi-tech look, but I`d take wood over silver painted plastic anyday!

I think those are beautifully finished cases. It`s true that this retro look doesn`t have a very wide audience, but other features of your projects like the form factor and cooling layout could be much easier to sell.

I hope manufacturers do get influenced by those.

wim · Post by **wim** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:28 pm

thats amazing stuff
how long did you spend on these projects?

psiu · Post by **psiu** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 1:06 pm

As always, a pleasant surprise to see what you've cooked up in your lair.

scemracing · Post by **scemracing** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 2:07 pm

That is such a cool looking case

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 2:50 pm

Thanks guys for the comments. I appreciate them.

wim wrote:how long did you spend on these projects?

I received the motherboards from VIA on Oct 3rd and shipped the two finished projects to Las Vegas on Dec 26th.

I can't wait to get my hands on a Mobile-ITX. It should be soon. I have an idea for an Amazon Kindle-like device.....done my way of course.