Htpc/nas

[TLHarrell]

It's slightly bluish white. Don't think you can match it 100% perfect, but you can get pretty close with some very slightly colored lighting gels.

[Stonerboy779]

It's slightly bluish white. Don't think you can match it 100% perfect, but you can get pretty close with some very slightly colored lighting gels.

Trust me in person its white haha

I have done a bit of thinking and well I will need some pieces made for a light box. clear front and white plexi for the rest with holes cut for leds to mount in may make separate zones for red and white not sure still haven't made a design haha but laser cut would be much better than trying to hand cut suck a small piece.

And then use a vinyl sticker to mask what i don't want on the clear plexi.

[TLHarrell]

Yep. What would it cost to send a small fat envelope to you?

[Stonerboy779]

Nothing I wouldn't mind paying for haha use 3180 victoria australia for a shipping estimate and about 200x200 of 3mm plexi and one of those fan templates if you are still making them

Factor in whatever you reckon you time and materials would come to and give me an estimate.

I am working tomorrow but possibly have thursday free to measure and get all the dimensions and design done. Will send you everything when I have it ready. Also no rush on anything, it is a really cosmetic thing.

[Stonerboy779]

It's alive

Lots of pics to come later

[Stonerboy779]

So I was able to get some parts today and may I say it has made me very happy haha

I picked up a Silverstone 450watt SFX PSU, an Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1 soundcard and a Vertex 4 SSD which means the final specs of my HTPC are as follows.


CPU - Intel Core i3 2100
Mobo - ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
CPU Cooler - Modified stock Intel Cooler with a Noctura 80mm fan
PSU - Silverstone ST45SF 450W SFX PSU
RAM - G.Skill F3-10666CL9D-4GBNQ (2x2GB) DDR3
TV Tuner - Hauppauge HVR2200 MCE PCIe Dual Hybrid and Hauppauge Media Center Remote
Soundcard - Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1
SSD - OCZ Vertex 4 128GB SSD

Case - Stealth modded Technics SU-X301 reciever/amp

The case is entirely guttered, still need to mod the power switch to turn the HTPC on, mod the light for the CD to become the HDD activity light, at a later point the headphone jack will again become a headphone jack for the X-Fi Forte front panel headphone output. The LCD that is gone will be replaced with a shallow plexiglass lightbox with a vinyl sticker on the front of it designed in a style to match the old LCD and the LCDs of the other gear in the Technics stack. Besides having STONERBOY779 in segmented digit style other smaller details of words like HTPC will be incorporated. This static mock LCD will become the power on light in effect.

At a later point also I may look into audio control with the existing knob and naturally some different pot of sorts behind. Final mod to the case will be where the missing surround button is, it will be filled in by a small iece of IR plexi and behind it the additional IR receiver for the Hauppauge Remote will be mounted.

Tomorrow I make the final cuts on the rear panel for the IO ports, TV tuner and soundcard as well as holes for air flow and the PSU. Then the case will be sealed for a while.

Tomorrow I also plan to pull apart all my gear, my turntable, CD player, tuner, reciever/amp, casset deck and dual zone amp/tuner. To get a full parts list for a complete recap of my Technics gear as well as a clean and some possible OP amp upgrades.

Some more ****ty phone pics and tomorrow once I have the rear cut I promise I will get the camera out and take a bunch of decent pics.

Beside my rather small antec 600watt PSU the Silverstone SFX unit looks tiny. But still packs 450watt of 80+ bronze goodness.

Booting up no issues to install windows on the SSD.

It had been running a few hours install, updates, new programs etc and I decided hmm it's getting a bit toasty so just dumped some noctura goodness on top :lol:
Looking at this pic now I think i can get a really good 80mm side intake on the case and will definately be considering it after I see just how muc space I have up front after the PSU is all installed properly.

Pretty tight in there :lol: PSU is just sitting there to show the space, when installed it will be about 10mm off the PCI slots and 10mm clear of the soundcard components.

Should keep the CPU well cooled as well as the VRMs and RAM too.

[Stonerboy779]

Took some before pics of my Technics gear before I give it a clean and go through the long process of identifying and replacing all the caps in all of it. Wont bother recapping the casset player though. Will definatelly get both amps and cd player.

This arvo I will cut the rear panel because mum would freak if she found I went ahead and started using a jigsaw to cut metal with no one around. And then I shall do a photo shoot of the HTPC.

Some pics first though.

Technics SL-J110R Turntable

Technics ST-X301L Tuner

Technics SL-PJ26 CD Player

Technics RS-X301 Casset Deck

Technics SU-X301 Receiver/Amp (Exact same case as that of my HTPC)

Technics SA-120 Tuner/Receiver/Amp

Also thought it would be cool to show the tuner in action so to speak

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonerboy779/7984250702/

[Stonerboy779]

Well pretty much finished the base of the HTPC lots to do in regards to tidying it up and making it pretty but it is now a fully fitted and functional case.

The guts

SSD mounting (double sided foam tape FTW)

Still a bit to do here

Hacked to pieces, needs a sand and respray flat black

But before a spray just to neaten it, some funnily appropriate stuff

Think I may have done something wrong and looks like power warnings and speaker output line up :lol:

Pretty tight in there

Room back here though

From the back

Some cleaning and organizing is in order :lol:

[Neodymium]

Looks good! Haven't followed your mods for a while, but have a quick question...any reason you stayed away from liquid cooling the CPU instead of air cooling?

[AmEv]

Probably space reasons, and the fact that it's going to be for HTPC/NAS purposes only, not high CPU usage, so low heat.