Exclusive low-end office PC - wood + steel.

Show off your quiet rig.

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BillTodd
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Post by BillTodd » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:50 pm

Simply: Mobo is grounded by wires to ground connections of PSU.
If you intend to sell these, you will have to do more than this to meet European CE specifications, Ishi.

Under the CE legislation you are held personally responsible for meeting the specs of anything you sell ( I know I've been there and it's a right pain in the a***).

I suspect you'll need to completely line the inside the box with a screening foil and ground the grills at the very least.

ishi
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Post by ishi » Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:42 am

I know about that,but remeber this is first prototype.

For now all metal pieces (i/o shield, mobo,psu,etc.) are connected togheter to ground. So it is safety.

btw. Order for new komponents has been made :) it will be not low-end pc anymore :)

ishi
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Post by ishi » Sun Apr 06, 2008 2:00 pm

OK. I have some pictures form early phases of build.

Phase 1. The bottom of case (clear plywood):
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The top of case:

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Fitting of two parts :)

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Phase 2. Wood is good (dark tek wood)

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...for now thats all :) since I will find more photos.
Last edited by ishi on Fri May 27, 2011 1:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

AuraAllan
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Post by AuraAllan » Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:11 am

Very nice ishi.

What tools do you use?

Kato
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Post by Kato » Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:55 am

Wonderful build i would love to have something like that in my living room instead of my huge Antec Fusion. What are the dimensions of this thing, could you have 80mm fans in there instead of the 60mm ones?

ishi
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Post by ishi » Mon Apr 07, 2008 1:45 pm

Kato wrote:Wonderful build i would love to have something like that in my living room instead of my huge Antec Fusion. What are the dimensions of this thing, could you have 80mm fans in there instead of the 60mm ones?
80mm fans are too big, 60mm is hard to fit but it is possible.

Mon1018
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Post by Mon1018 » Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:31 pm

Looks pretty good. I like the grills the way they are.

ishi
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Post by ishi » Fri Apr 18, 2008 1:11 pm

Build approaches to the end ... :)

Image

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New setup:

CPU: AMD Athlon X2 BE-2300
Mobo: Asus M2N-HDMI :)
RAM: 2048 Geil DDR2-800
HDD: Seagate Momentus 5400.3 SATA 120GB
Opt. drive: Panasonic Combo-DVD
PSU: 90W
Wireless: Bluetooth 2.0
Last edited by ishi on Fri May 27, 2011 1:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

ishi
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Post by ishi » Fri Apr 18, 2008 1:28 pm

Want more photos..??
Here you are.. ^_^ (sorry for quality > bad light, its late night)

Image

Image

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Last edited by ishi on Fri May 27, 2011 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

BillTodd
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Post by BillTodd » Fri Apr 18, 2008 2:11 pm

Is that an un-screened mains power supply?

ishi
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Post by ishi » Sat Apr 19, 2008 12:27 am

BillTodd wrote:Is that an un-screened mains power supply?
YES

BillTodd
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Post by BillTodd » Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:23 am

ishi wrote:
BillTodd wrote:Is that an un-screened mains power supply?
YES
That's a really bad idea Ishi. The screen is there for safety and to stop interference. you really need to work out a way of completely shielding the PSU before you use the PC properly, let alone sell it (I realise ATM you are still developing the project).

The screen should completly encase the PSU, be earthed (to the IEC earth pin) and finger proof

i.e. no holes large enough for small fingers (<10mm) and rigid enough to withstand the odd poke (so not light weight aluminium expanded mesh)

Sorry if I'm nannying you but, safety is very important. People don't expect to find high voltages lurking in a PC.

Fayd
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Post by Fayd » Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:09 am

as far as EM shielding the case, maybe a thick coat of paint over the interior surfaces with a metal derived paint?

BillTodd
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Post by BillTodd » Sat Apr 19, 2008 11:00 am

Fayd wrote:as far as EM shielding the case, maybe a thick coat of paint over the interior surfaces with a metal derived paint?
Expensive, compared to ally foil.

ishi
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Post by ishi » Sat Apr 19, 2008 11:52 am

OK guys, Ill try to make some screening, but it will be difficult cause all components inside are cooled by common fan system. So I cant cover PSU by solid metal screen.

Fayd
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Post by Fayd » Mon Apr 21, 2008 9:27 pm

BillTodd wrote:
Fayd wrote:as far as EM shielding the case, maybe a thick coat of paint over the interior surfaces with a metal derived paint?
Expensive, compared to ally foil.
0.o

far easier to apply, and not that expensive. especially if you plan to do en masse.

maybe an aluminum oxide paint?

Thomas
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Post by Thomas » Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:00 am

Very, very good looking. I noticed all the grill suggestions, but as someone else wrote, I really like the contrast between wood and the current grills.

Though, I'm undecided about the grills should be "inside" or aligned with the wood surface...

Those buttons on the top, are those small touches, whict makes a good difference. I like it !

However, there's a thing I dont understand - why 60 mm fans? As far as I understand, they are there, in order to achieve good design (and thats' definately a succes). On the other hand, you're posting this on a site dedicated to low noise computing? That seems contradicting... I think it's a shame, because the case looks very promising and it got excellent exterior.


Best regards,
Thomas

ishi
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Post by ishi » Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:34 pm

Thomas wrote:However, there's a thing I dont understand - why 60 mm fans? As far as I understand, they are there, in order to achieve good design (and thats' definately a succes). On the other hand, you're posting this on a site dedicated to low noise computing? That seems contradicting... I think it's a shame, because the case looks very promising and it got excellent exterior.
Why? This is good place to show this case cause its quiet: 1U copper heatsink form Thermaltake + Papst fans.

walle
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Post by walle » Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:22 pm

Ishi,

Impressive build and nice retro design too, in my eyes its classy and I wouldn’t mind owning one of these casings myself. One more thing; the presentation of the product on that table together with the white cup stated artist - at - work, top notch, really.
Thomas wrote:you're posting this on a site dedicated to low noise computing? That seems contradicting
With all due respect…take a time out. That was a low blow comment and a shitty (pardon my French) thing to do.

Fayd
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Post by Fayd » Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:58 pm

walle wrote:
Thomas wrote:you're posting this on a site dedicated to low noise computing? That seems contradicting
With all due respect…take a time out. That was a low blow comment and a shitty (pardon my French) thing to do.
uh...wtf? why so hostile?

Thomas
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Post by Thomas » Fri Apr 25, 2008 4:37 am

Personally, I prioritise quietness over look. And obviously, I havent heard your system. I dont doubt the look is a very strong selling point. But if you also aim for people seeking quiet PC's, especially DIY silencers, I think you'll have a challenge in convincing them about the level of quietness.

In this SPCR thread about fan basics, thumb rule no. 4, recommend avoiding 60 mm fans. Because small fan blades, means more RPM, in order to move enough air for cooling. The more RPM, the more noise. A 80 mm fan can move the same amount of air, with less RPM. Not to mention a 12 cm fan, which are quite popular around here.

Pabst certainly got a name. But no Pabst fan have made it to the SPCR recommended fan list

I dont know the Thermaltake cooler you mention (couldnt find it on their website, by the way). In the SPCR forums, Thermaltake often get quite bad comments, due to noise. This recent SPCR review of the Big Typhoon VX seems to backup those comments... From the conclusion: "Even the mention of the word "quiet" on the VX's product page is offensive. 16 dBA is its listed SPL at 1300 RPM, but the only way it could measure this low is from several rooms away."

Though, the original Thermaltake Big Typhoon was a very quiet, good looking and reasonably priced CPU cooler. The cooler you mention might be just as good. But personally, I've spend quite a lot of money on products, which was claimed to be quiet - but they wasnt, and now they collect dust. So I dont take chances anymore.

As mentioned, the case have a very great look, and that alone should make it easy to sell. But maybe it's possible to incorporate even more quietness, without compromising the design? From my point of view, that would make it a winner, and I think the looks deserves it. But then again, it's a valid choise, not to include those critical DIY silencers in the target group. It might be quiet enough for many people as it is.

Just my 2 cent.


Best regards,
Thomas

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