Project HTntbPC

[DJ46]

Hi guys!

I got seriosly bored on Sunday and finally completely disassembled my notebook. I've disassembled it before, but not to this level.

 

I decided to make a desktop PC out of it.

 

I picked the parts that were necessary and ones that I wanted. I put it all back together and ran it wide open on my table (shhh, test bench). I'm not gonna lie, it was a true doctor Frankenstein feeling.

I've hidden all the parts inside my closet and started making designs for a custom case. That didn't work, so I grabbed all the parts, put them on my table and finally I could work on my design.

 

I came up with these (on the left):

 

 

I decided to not go with v. 1 because there would be a lot of wasted space only because of the optical drive and the whole thing would have to be upside down (and the v. 3 has the same issue). So, I'm going with v. 2.

I want to build it out of plexiglass. (black, not transparent) I also want to put mesh around the cooler area.

 

I'm currently thinking how I should put the casing together. I want to use screws so I can take it apart easily, but I will have to use glue on some parts. The top and the side near to the HDD will HAVE to be removable, just so I can get inside / swap the HDD.

 

On the right, you can see how I was messing around with ideas on how to put it all together (different paper = got bored in class). I decided to put screws through the bottom, use nuts to separate it from the casing more and then put nuts on the top to hold it in place. I will be using the holes (10 in total) that are on the PCB. The HDD will be mounted with someting under it, I'm not sure yet.

 

I would love your suggestions, mainly on how should I put the panels together and how should I mount the HDD. Also, I would love to hear your ideas on how should I filter the air coming in through the mesh on the top.

[FlakeyBanana]

Man this is truly nuts, but good luck

And post your build log please

[Ryan Leech]

WATER COOL IT

[DJ46]

Man this is truly nuts, but good luck

And post your build log please

Thanks, don't worry, holidays are coming and I will have a ton of free time. And I can't wait to finish this. I didn't take pictures of the components themselves because of my illness - lazyassinachairominia.

 

Also, I wanted to post the video that inspired me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzYv7rX1r4Y

[DJ46]

WATER COOL IT

Oh please, I don't have the € to watercool my PC, this will be just a cheap mod to waste some time on.

 

Specs of the notebook:

CPU: AMD Sempron 2 GHz single-core

GPU: nVidia GT9100M 256MB

RAM: 1GB 667MHz CL5

HDD: WD Scorpio 160GB 5400 RPM

[Analog]

This looks interesting. Followed

[DJ46]

I've just drawn some more concepts and measured everything possible.

 

(Note: I know, my teacher would probably throw me out of the door if I brought this to school. Those lines... I do have many rulers, but I just didn't care enough to use them )

 

I still need to figure out how to mount the panels together. I'll be using screws and bent metal, but I need to figure out how far the screws will stick out so I know how much space there has to be around the components.

[zxcvbnmmssdh]

This will be awesome when finished

[DJ46]

I started thinking about making this out of wood (probably painted black). Mostly because I think it would be easier to work with and it is easier to get.

I would paint it black so it fits with multiple types of wood in my house. Also I think the texture of wood in black could look good.

Don't forget that dust will get on top of the PC and it will be cleaned by wiping the dust off. And that could kill the look of plexi in less than a week.

[DJ46]

What material (& how thick?) should I go for? I really need your suggestions.

Looks vs. difficulty to work with vs. reliability.

Note: It will be held together by screws so I need to be able to make holes into it easily.

[tristan1035]

What material (& how thick?) should I go for? I really need your suggestions.

Looks vs. difficulty to work with vs. reliability.

Note: It will be held together by screws so I need to be able to make holes into it easily.

Go to a hardware store (or where ever you were planning on buying this stuff), look at the products and ask the people about building a shelf (the only way they'll understand).

[DJ46]

Go to a hardware store (or where ever you were planning on buying this stuff), look at the products and ask the people about building a shelf (the only way they'll understand).

I don't think people would recommend me 5mm thick wood for a shelf. Just saying.

 

I just want to know your personal opinions.

[DJ46]

HA!

Y'all thought this project died and not a single person will ever care!

Well booyah!

 

It was a little slow, getting funds and ideas and stuff, but I kept working on this (sometimes).

 

This is mostly a small update, I ordered some 3mm thick plywood. (Yesterday, as it's almost 2AM here.)

 

I still have to visit some home depots and buy screws, nuts and all the metal stuff.

 

Keep yourself excited and your dongers rising! 

[tristan1035]

YAY!

[DJ46]

YAY!

 

I'm getting all the screws tomorrow. Should I go for M4/M5/M6?

When I counted this out (hopefully not missing anything), this were the results:

- to mount the board and soundcard: 12x M2,5 x 20mm + 12x 8/9mm worth of nuts (depends on the height of the individual nut) - these are to get enough space for the components on the bottom of the board + 12x a nut on top

- to mount the side panels: 4x M4/M5/M6 x max. 25mm + 4 nuts

- to mount the power switch (needs to be closer to the top = higher): 2x M2,5 x 33/30mm + 2x an ammount of nuts that gets me around 20+mm depending on the size of the nut on top + 2x a nut on top

- to mount the front and back panels: 4x M4/M5/M6 x max 40mm, better would be 35mm + 4 nuts

- to mount the top to the bottom: 4x M4/M5/M6 x 40mm + 8 nuts (4 of them may be better looking because they will be highly visible)

 

I will try to make some pictures for you to show you how will this work.

A hint: there will be blocks of wood involved.

[DJ46]

I will try to make some pictures for you to show you how will this work.

Well, I tried.

I didn't say it will look good.

 

I will use a block of wood that will hold this all together in each corner. The bottom will be held to it with a screw that will hold the top on (there will be an extra nut under the top panel and the one above it that will hold it in place). The sidepanels will be held to it with whort screws going through a bit of wood and a cutout in that block. The front and back panels will be held to it with longer screws so there is free space that I can drill through so I can attach the bottom and top panel to the whole thing.

The bottom of this PC will be ugly, but getting a separate panel of wood and glueing it to it to cover the screws would make no sense because I want this to be easy to disassemble. Also, I'm hoping to get some Lian-Li case feet that may make it look better.

[tristan1035]

Well, I tried.

I didn't say it will look good.

 

I will use a block of wood that will hold this all together in each corner. The bottom will be held to it with a screw that will hold the top on (there will be an extra nut under the top panel and the one above it that will hold it in place). The sidepanels will be held to it with whort screws going through a bit of wood and a cutout in that block. The front and back panels will be held to it with longer screws so there is free space that I can drill through so I can attach the bottom and top panel to the whole thing.

The bottom of this PC will be ugly, but getting a separate panel of wood and glueing it to it to cover the screws would make no sense because I want this to be easy to disassemble. Also, I'm hoping to get some Lian-Li case feet that may make it look better.

Wow I am lost.

[DJ46]

Wow I am lost.

I know, writing a block of text isn't easy when you're listening to the archive of the WAN show.

 

It's just basically:

- verticaly: the screw head - the bottom panel - a block of wood - a nut (to attach the bottom to the block of wood) - the top panel - a nut (to hold the top panel in place)

- horizontaly: a ) the sidepanels held with shorter screws to save space

                     b ) the back panel held with longer screws because they have to go through more wood so there is enough space for the vertical screw)*

*this is for the back of the machine, in the front it will be the same type of screws but the shorter ones will hold the front panel and the longer ones will hold the sidepanels because this way I don't need as much free space in the front.

 

Edit: I hate that "b" next to ")" makes a stupid smiley face - b)

[LordGarth6]

so your having 2 large panels, top/bottom side [the 2 larger sides of this cuboid]. putting in a wooden block spacer in each corner to fasten the top/bottom panels to and then the add the shorter sides in the same fashion [the front rear left and right sides]. and use the original mounting points on the notebook's motherboard to fasten that to the bottom panel. are you going to integrate the screen into this??

[DJ46]

so your having 2 large panels, top/bottom side [the 2 larger sides of this cuboid]. putting in a wooden block spacer in each corner to fasten the top/bottom panels to and then the add the shorter sides in the same fashion [the front rear left and right sides]. and use the original mounting points on the notebook's motherboard to fasten that to the bottom panel. are you going to integrate the screen into this??

Exactly.

I'm not integrating the screen.

- it's rubbish

- I cut the wire to it last time I disassembled this notebook (probably the most important reason)

- this PC will be used with a TV, next to a DVD player. A screen isn't necessary.

[LordGarth6]

Exactly.

I'm not integrating the screen.

- it's rubbish

- I cut the wire to it last time I disassembled this notebook (probably the most important reason)

- this PC will be used with a TV, next to a DVD player. A screen isn't necessary.

awesome, fair enough cant wait to see it done

[DJ46]

The plywood should come in tomorrow. On Wednesday I will go to school after holidays and I will probably be sleepy until Saturday.

I want to finish this in one go. So this weekend it is.

[DJ46]

Ok, I get it. If you order something on Friday evening and Monday is a holiday, it will arrive on Tuesday at best. But saying that delivery by you takes only 24 hours and the shipment arriving on Friday just don't go well together. And I'm not going to take into consideration that you tried t odeliver it on Thursday. I expected it to arrive on Wednesday at least.

 

That was just a little rant, sorry.

 

What I meant to say is that the plywood finally arrived. I will try to build the chassis this weekend. If I have even a slight chance of this being a build of the week, it will be the next one. I don't have any black paint and after seeing the finnish of this stuff it will need some work.

[TymmVonD]

Ok, I get it. If you order something on Friday evening and Monday is a holiday, it will arrive on Tuesday at best. But saying that delivery by you takes only 24 hours and the shipment arriving on Friday just don't go well together. And I'm not going to take into consideration that you tried t odeliver it on Thursday. I expected it to arrive on Wednesday at least.

 

That was just a little rant, sorry.

 

What I meant to say is that the plywood finally arrived. I will try to build the chassis this weekend. If I have even a slight chance of this being a build of the week, it will be the next one. I don't have any black paint and after seeing the finnish of this stuff it will need some work.

Have you considered using the wood chassis you construct as a mold. You can lay fiberglass/carbon fiber and resin to get the shape you need. Build a box with a lip around the edges with wood with screws. Apply fiberglass, and heavily under the lip, so you have a place to screw in a plexiglass window as a side/top panel. It'll be lighter than wood, and fiberglass painted looks no different than metal.

 

 

It's easy to work with after curing. Drilling holes for power switch, cutting holes for fans, a slot for the optical.

[TymmVonD]

Fiberglass work isn't difficult. It can be messy, but the amount of things you can make/repair with fiberglass is amazing. Especially custom pieces.

 

 

On the other hand Carbon fiber pieces require you to make a fiberglass composite mold first, then you lay the carbon fiber. It requires a vaccum pump and bag system. It's time consuming, but not difficult.

 

Be sure to be in a ventilated area, though there is a resin that applies very similar to bondo. I used it to fix a damaged body/ground effects kit. Turned out great for my first time using it.