Small beer crate PC

[LuukvanA]

Introduction

Well guys, this is it, the Beer Crate PC build log. I will start with saying I'm really happy with all the positive feedback I got from everyone! It really motivated me in a big way. This build log is for everyone that's interested in this kind of stuff, I also want to make clear that i'm doing this for you guys so feel free to use my ideas for your own projects!

The idea of this build came up when I was thinking about what I was going to do with my spare PC parts. I had seen a couple of them on the internet already but all of them were in a big crate instead of a small one which is a lot easier but less fun to make, I thought, why shouldn't I be the first one to do this? In the beginning, it was more of a fun thing, nothing serious, but when I got bored one day i went trying and fitting and the idea came to live! The purpose of this rig is just to serve as a music PC at birthday partys and things like that so the specs of the pc are nothing special.

The requirements of the PC:

- It has to run Windows 7

- It must be able to do simple tasks like playing music and youtube videos

- It must not be too loud

- It has to fit in a small beer crate

- It must be able to do everything I want it to do by plugging only two cables in the back (Power & Screen)

- Wireless Internet, keyboard & mouse

Well, I think that's about it for the introduction, let's begin!

Parts list

Parts Used:

PC:

- Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate (32-bit)

- Motherboard:

- Processor: AMD Phenom 9500 Quad core clocked @ 2,2 gHz

- Processor Cooler: Stock AMD cooler

- RAM Memory: Samsung 2GB DDR2 memory (can't install more since 3 of my 4 RAM slots are broken)

- Power Supply: Some old <> Watt PSU I had laying around

- Hard Disk: 200 GB really old Seagate HDD

Peripherals:

- Rapoo 9060 Blade II Wireless Mouse + Keyboard combo

- TP-Link TL-WN821N WiFi USB dongle

- Acer P191W Monitor

Casing:

- Small 'Bavaria' beer crate (12 bottles)

- Some wood from the *slatted* of my old bed (i don't know if slatted is the right translation)

- A lot of 2 centimetre long screws

- A lot of 5 centimetre long screws

- The side panel of a really old PC case

- Some fan grill i had laying around

- HDD holder from my old external HDD

Tools used:

- JCB electric screw machine

- Grinder

- Scissors

- Ruler

- Saw

- Hammer

- Chisel

- Some files

- Some sand paper

- Cutting pliers (I don't know if it is the right translation)

- Screw driver

- Dome drill bits

- Black Spray paint

Preparation

For preparation I didn't really have many things to do as I was not sure what kind of thingsi would run in to during this build. I just started to gather the parts I was going to need and most of the tools I was expecting to need too. I cleaned my desk so there was room for me to work. I also measured the inside of the crate and discovered that it was just a little too small to fit my M-ATX motherboard in without any modding, I was so exited I just had to do this so I started working on my first unusual PC build.

Building the Beer Crate PC

Step 1: Hollowing out the internals of the crate

I used some cutting pliers for this part because it seemed to be the easiest way to do it with the tools I had laying around at home. I thought about using a Dremel but since it's plastic, it will melt if you try to cut it and ruin the Dremels cutting disks. Because the motherboard was just a little too long to fit in well, I had to remove the bottom part too. After doing this I sanded down the edges so the motherboard wouldn't touch the crate unintentionally.

Step 2: Fixing the Motherboard to the inside of the crate

For this step i needed to improvise a little because I didn't really have a backplate for my motherboard.

I measured out where the holes were for mounting the motherboard, using some left over wood I fixed it to the crate. The motherboard is fixed to the wood with normal screws, this is not reccomended but a lot more secure then screw stand-offs in the wood. It is pretty hard for me to explain exactly what I did so I will add some pictures for more info.

Step 3: Closing up the bottom of the crate with wooden planks

For some decent covering of the bottom of the crate I used some wood from my old bed which would give it some regidity too. After measuring the bottom of the crate I started sawing the planks to the right size, not that much of a challenge. It became a challenge when I needed to make the I/O cutout, which I did with a saw and a chisel. I had to make another cutout in the bottom so the Power Supply could blow out hot air and I could plug a cable in. After filing the sharp edges I screwed them into place.

Step 4: Mounting the Power Supply

Mounting the powersupply was kind of impossible to do the way it is meant to be done (with 4 screws on the back). So I fixed it to the bottom of the crate in a way that I really DON'T want you people to do it because it can be highly dangerous and it can kill your components. Using some brackets that I screwed through the housing of the Power Supply (I looked carefully so I wouldn't touch any internals), I fixed it to the bottom of the crate.

Step 5: Mounting the Harddisk

This is something that was fairly easy because I had an HDD holder laying around from my old external HDD. With the HDD installed the holder fits nicely in place between the Power Supply and the side of the crate itself. I just had to secure it with one screw.

Step 6: Wiring everything up

Not a whole lot to tell about this step, the only special thing I did was cutting off one of the two HDD powering cables because it would only take up air flow space since there was nothing to hook it up to. The rest of the cables was secured in a way that it wouldn't affect the airflow in the case.

Step 7: Making, manipulating and mounting the metal back piece

For making the back piece I used the side Panel of an old PC since it was the right material and the right size. with a marker I lined out the piece I needed. Using a grinder I cut out the plate in the right size. after doing that I used a hammer to bend the pieces the way they were supposed to. After doing that I measured out the places that needed to be cut in the plate. I also used a grinder for this part, this makes the cuts not as smooth as they could be but that wasn't really a big deal for me. After filing the sharp edges I placed the piece on an other beer crate and painted it matte black with some spray paint.

When the paint was dry I placed it on the case and drilled some holes for the screws that hold the piece on it's place. I used some small screws to secure it to the crate. Finally I screwed a fan-grill to the bottom covering up the hole I made for the airflow of the Power Supply.

Step 8: Wiring up the WiFi Dongle

I wanted to have Wifi but I didn't want to have to plug the dongle in every time I shipped it so I grabbed an USB connector with a cable so I could mount it to the inside of my case, I mounted the dongle to the Powersupply using some small screws and a piece of cardboard in between the USB header and the Power Supply to make sure that nothing could be shortened out.

Step 9: To do

There are a couple things I still need to do:

- Make a top Piece

- Mount a decent powerbutton somewhere on the case

- Buy some pads for the bottom so the paint won't be scratched

- Any ideas from your side?

The Build now: (Not finished yet).

Well, I made a lot of progress since start, let me know what you think!

I am not a native English speaker so there will be a couple of mistakes because of bad translation, if you see a mistake it would be nice to add it to your comment:)

There will be an update soon!

Cheers! Luuk.

[Trommenissen]

Sounds very cool, i would definitely be interested in a build log xD

[LuukvanA]

Sounds very cool, i would definitely be interested in a build log xD

I count that as one big yes! :)

[ERSCreeper]

Sounds very cool, i would definitely be interested in a build log xD

I agree 100%

[Mightybaal]

Interested especially if you drink the beer as your building it

[Snow0296]

Do it!! will be awesome

[LuukvanA]

Changes sice 6 March: Uploaded photo and almost finished the build!

I probably will make a build log, since there are a couple of people interested.

If you let know if you're interested in a build log, let it know, it gives me a lot of motivation!:)

Thanks!

Luuk.

[germand]

do it! And don't bother to include some nice shots of the mountings inside...

[Eric1024]

Build log! Build log! :D

[Jorge_lsca]

Build Log. Yes please.

[TryArch]

BUILD LOG!

[LuukvanA]

I guess i owe you guys a build log:) it will take some time, I will try to do it in parts.

Thanks for the support you guys!!!

[mvitkun]

build log....doooo ittttt dooooo ittt

[NinjaEwok]

Looking forward to the build log and beer up.

[LuukvanA]

The feet are added, nothing beautiful, I know, just to keep the bottom scratch-free.

If you have any nice ideas to add to the build, let me know!

Luuk.;)

[LuukvanA]

The photos:

[aaronu]

now if only it cool ya beers and ud be set lol

very creative, I want to see a stone computer case next. it be epicly hard to make im sure of it XD

[Tim3Shift3r]

a beer cap would be a nice start button ;-)

[LuukvanA]

a beer cap would be a nice start button ;-)

Cool idea, if i could get something fixed like that i'd do it!