IBM XT 5160 Modification

[Plzstandbuy]

So I have a IBM XT 5160 case and a XT power supply and I've been wanting to modify it to house a modern gaming computer in it. I was wondering if anyone has some tips or done something similar in the past. I know it's going to need to some fabricating and drilling to mount everything and probably some custom panels and brackets to make the full drive bays half bays. I was planning on replacing the innards of the XT power supply with a modern one to keep the old switch and not have to worry about modifying that part of the case, but it also makes me worried about the space.

[emosun]

sell the case and buy a normal one.

the case is worth money and it's best not to destroy a classic machine.

also , if you've never done sheet metal work or don't already know how to do this project well , then don't do it. Practice on cheaper throw away cases , or let someone who's done it already do it.

essentially nobody here is going to go in depth with how every single tool you will need to do this works , or how to dangerously try to disassemble a power supply with capacitors that can stop your heart when you touch them.

[Plzstandbuy]

11 minutes ago, emosun said:

sell the case and buy a normal one.

the case is worth money and it's best not to destroy a classic machine.

also , if you've never done sheet metal work or don't already know how to do this project well , then don't do it. Practice on cheaper throw away cases , or let someone who's done it already do it.

essentially nobody here is going to go in depth with how every single tool you will need to do this works , or how to dangerously try to disassemble a power supply with capacitors that can stop your heart when you touch them.

I already have someone who has experience in XT cases and knows how to replace power supply innards. I also have education into electrical components already I know the dangers. I was more looking for tips on layout and what will fit into the case.

[aezakmi]

a new PSU board won't fit an XT without some modifications (basically standoffs with nuts and screws to hold the pcb)

 

you could do the same to the rest of the case to fit a mATX or ITX mobo and rely on extenders and risers to be able to use the ports, a big one for the graphics card (if you plan to add one) and the rest for the board rear ports, you know, serial to serial, RJ45 to RJ45, etc, maybe add one of those cheap slot blowers to get rid of the heat

 

that would be a basic mod

[Stefan Payne]

25 minutes ago, Plzstandbuy said:

I already have someone who has experience in XT cases and knows how to replace power supply innards. I also have education into electrical components already I know the dangers. I was more looking for tips on layout and what will fit into the case.

Yes but the case is probably more worth than a new one.

 

So you could sell this case, get a different one and still have some money left.

 

My guess would be that the case could be worth something like 50€ or more, if it is in decent condition.

 

As for the manufacturing quality of the old cases:
They were abysmal by todays standards. Even a 5€ ATX Case from the Flee market is better made than this 35 piece of history.

[macintoshme]

On 6/18/2018 at 10:17 PM, aezakmi said:

a new PSU board won't fit an XT without some modifications (basically standoffs with nuts and screws to hold the pcb)

 

you could do the same to the rest of the case to fit a mATX or ITX mobo and rely on extenders and risers to be able to use the ports, a big one for the graphics card (if you plan to add one) and the rest for the board rear ports, you know, serial to serial, RJ45 to RJ45, etc, maybe add one of those cheap slot blowers to get rid of the heat

 

that would be a basic mod

1. If this systems works, find a place that does retro PCs and offer to swap someone for a dead one to mod.

2. If you can do as @aezakmi pointed out where you mount everything inside the case, but use small ITX or mATX components with just extension cables, that would be pretty awesome and you could do it without permanently ruining the case. Only real issue you are going to have is the power button as those cases were not momentary press button but locking.

[aezakmi]

2 hours ago, macintoshme said:

1. If this systems works, find a place that does retro PCs and offer to swap someone for a dead one to mod.

2. If you can do as @aezakmi pointed out where you mount everything inside the case, but use small ITX or mATX components with just extension cables, that would be pretty awesome and you could do it without permanently ruining the case. Only real issue you are going to have is the power button as those cases were not momentary press button but locking.

That switch could be still used to jumpstart the PSU by removing the PS_OK from the main connector and any unused ground from a molex, that way whenever you flip it to the ON position it'll close the circuit and send the PWROK signal to the board and that way it should start without shorting the pwr pins on the board itself

Right?

 

[macintoshme]

1 hour ago, aezakmi said:

That switch could be still used to jumpstart the PSU by removing the PS_OK from the main connector and any unused ground from a molex, that way whenever you flip it to the ON position it'll close the circuit and send the PWROK signal to the board and that way it should start without shorting the pwr pins on the board itself

Right?

Yeah, that should work. You would have to wait for your OS to shut down, then power off, just like you used to. I think that is way too much trouble personally. I'm looking around though and I can't come up with a great easy idea.

 

It this were mine and I didn't want to break anything (since it was known good), I would pull the powersupply out and cut a piece of plexi to fit in the spot the power supply left and mount a momentary in that. If you were going to have to take it out for space any way, that would be super easy. It doesn't really matter what you put in that spot as it really won't be seen all that often.