FranktheDinosaur

Case Mockup V2.0 I've gone back to keeping the motherboard mounted to the door (in the spirit of the original G4). The PSU is now a full ATX unit (my TX650M). This is creating some problems with clearances, but it will save some money as I can carry over my old PSU. My next issue to tackle is CPU cooling and HDD cages. I still have no idea how airflow will be, but my guess is pretty bad.

Idk about the jaybirds, but I have had a pair of SE215s for at least 3 years now. They sound pretty good, fun, not overwhelming, not really flat though (especially on the low end) but no where as bass heavy as my TMA-1s. The memory wire just snapped on them (audio still works), but since they use MMCX connectors, I can grab a new cable from ebay/aliexpress for $10 instead of $70 for the actual Shure one.

New V2 of the motherboard tray. I'm sticking with the mATX form factor. Base plate for the tray I think will be laser-cut acrylic and the backplane/brackets are going to be FDM printed (PLA most likely). The 2x 980's are just placeholders to make sure I have enough room in the future for some full length GPUs. There is no way right now I can even get my hands on even 1 of them. IO Shield area looks off, but the backplate is to ATX specifications. Maybe the motherboard file I am using is not exact.

I got it from a friend for the low, low price of free!

Decided to overhaul the entire project. I am ditching the ATX in the chassis idea and going to a door mounted mATX board. Plus a Xeon is most likely not happening since I've learned that Inventor actually benefits from clock speed, so it looks like an overclockable unlocked CPU is the way to go. I've started CAD on a custom motherboard tray, planing on making it from laser cut acrylic and PLA printed parts for the more complex geometries.

Did you ever find/buy a PCI backplane? I'm debating whether its worth the hassle of making one...

The concept so far for the HDD Cage (still a work in progress). A 2 for 1 since the cutouts tie-in with the circle theme but also reduce weight since the assembly is mounted to the door. I'm planning on using rubber washers (or maybe ninjaflex?) to keep vibrations down.

Oh gosh no, the exterior is still going to look like a G4. Underneath all that PC is just a steel box, I modeled the box since that's whats housing everything. I'm still trying to figure out how to model the panels and handles in Inventor since the curves are hard to define parametrically. This is mainly a planning tool rather than a final presentation render

I know it has been a while, but I am starting to make way with this finally. I have scrapped the transplant idea, planning on throwing some new hardware into this since my current rig doesn't have the power I would like for CAD, rendering etc. The rig hopefully is going to end up with: ATX Mobo Xeon or i7 (5820k?) GTX 970 a few HDDs and a couple SSDs thrown in there Maybe watercooled My plan is reverse (mirrored, get it?) the original layout and have the motherboard inside the case with the hard drives and PSU on the door. Space is kinda cramped so a watercooling rad will probably go on the floor if I decide to go that route. I plan on using some sheet metal and FDM printed parts from a Prusa I3 my friends and I are currently building up. There's even some PCI IO brackets on thingaverse which could make things interesting! I mocked up the layout in CAD just to see what fits where. On a side note, anyone have recommendations on image hosting sites that don't compress your photos to oblivion like imgur? Renders: Full credit to Yang Ji on GrabCAD for the awesome motherboard and GPU models, getting from Solidworks to Inventor was a pain though. I really want to keep the circle motif going that was on the original back panel. All yellow parts are components I am going to have to source or make. Clearances with door closed:

I snagged a Brother 7060D for my first year, its a B&W laser multifunction, but it has a duplexer so it can automatically double side print stuff, that saved me a ton of paper. I ran out of toner in 1 semester but I found those 3rd party cartridges on amazon (like $12 vs $60) worked like the brand names ones. I've never had issues with Brothers new printers. For my program (engineering) I only needed to print B&W text so laser was the only option for me. I would also look for something with a duplexer so that you can cut your paper use in half. This maybe what you're looking for?

Yeah I would love to, only thing is I have never done a custom loop before and it really is out of my price range (student). I've been looking into an AIO with really long tubes so that the rad can be mounted in the case and the block+CPU on the door and have it swing down. ooooh ya!

UPDATE 2: Let's get this party started. Finally the weekend. The G4 Is fully stripped down to bare bones right now. I'm working on some sketches and inventor models to see what direction i want to take this in. Heres a few pictures of the original machine before I tore it down. The MDD G4 was the last G4 model to be produced before the G5 and later Mac Pro rolled around. It also probably marked the end of the clear polycarbonate era for Apple's pro lineup. All anodized bead blasted aluminum from here on out. Ya know, "magical." The "Mirror Drive Door" moniker come from the obvious dual 5.25" glossy drive bays on the front. They flip down from the bottom lip for CD-ROM drive trays. The fronts literally a giant mirror. I suppose you could save some money and not have to buy a separate mirror at all! As with all PowerMacs before, the motherboard was mounted on the folding door panel that swings down on a hinge for easy access. You can see that the motherboard, PCI cards all are installed on the door while PSU, 5.25" drives and HDDs are mounted inside the actual case. Here's the thing with MDD G4s: They're a pain in the butt. Out of all the G4s it has the nicest latching mechanism, but the motherboard orientation is just wrong. Previous G4s mobo layouts kinda resembled todays ATX form factor, but the MDD has everything inverted, the IO is on the right of the PCI slots not the left. This means the whole back panel of this needs to go. Dual G4 processors, DDR RAM and blue PCB goodness. Note: recessed PCI bracket, inverted layout. Other than that, there is only 1 intake, which is restricted by these angled inlets. Cutting out the bottom and getting some airflow in there might be an option. In the coming weeks I am going to firm up what mods are going to be done. Hardware is still up in the air, this may not end up being my personal machine so it might get some nice fancy innards (1150 Xeon maybe?). I know that I want the exterior to remain stock looking, none of that LED/gamer look here.

So I'm finally back from school, it time to get the ball rolling on this thing. Here's a quick teaser for now, more to come very soon.

I think people are missing the biggest problem with alcohol as a fluid, and that the heat capacity of water vs other liquids: Cp of 2-propanol: 1.54 J/(gK) @STP Cp of Water: 4.2 J/(gK) @STP ^Number may not be exact but gives you an idea of how much energy water can actually store.

Hmm inventor rendering...or perhaps saving on a heating bill!