Hi all, I've been planning to do a build in a PA19 "Tall 50" ammo can since I first found out about them. The Tall 50 is 3" taller than the more common seven-liter M2A1 ammo can, which means you can fit a mini-ITX motherboard an a two-slot GPU without having to resort to a riser cable.
I have to say, just trying to design this thing gives me a real appreciation for the value in premium SFF cases like the Dan A4, the Louqe Ghost and the Ncase M1. If I wanted a quick and easy solution, I would save up for one of these, and I'm sure it would serve me well. I have a notion that building my own layout this way will give me some advantages over these popular cases, such as:
- I can design it to run on its side, with other stuff like a laptop on top of it (minimal vents on the side that becomes the "top").
- I can prioritize CPU cooling over space for a large GPU.
So, this is what I came up with. The PSU exhaust (and AC plug) location is the weirdest thing about it, and I looked for alternatives but this still worked out the best.
I'm getting error messages when I try to post an image, so I guess I'll just drop the imgur link!
The fans are 120mm intake up front, and 2x 60mm exhaust in the back. I haven't drawn cutouts for GPU intake, but I could certainly cut away the bottom, replace it with mesh, and add rubber feet so that the GPU can breathe more easily.
I don't particularly need a powerhouse of a computer, but I do want something that's quiet and capable, and I think I'll be able to get good aesthetic results in the ammo can. I've done a fair amount of light metalworking, and I have a few ideas to make it easy to hide the rough edges where I cut through the steel.
I have to say, just trying to design this thing gives me a real appreciation for the value in premium SFF cases like the Dan A4, the Louqe Ghost and the Ncase M1. If I wanted a quick and easy solution, I would save up for one of these, and I'm sure it would serve me well. I have a notion that building my own layout this way will give me some advantages over these popular cases, such as:
- I can design it to run on its side, with other stuff like a laptop on top of it (minimal vents on the side that becomes the "top").
- I can prioritize CPU cooling over space for a large GPU.
So, this is what I came up with. The PSU exhaust (and AC plug) location is the weirdest thing about it, and I looked for alternatives but this still worked out the best.
I'm getting error messages when I try to post an image, so I guess I'll just drop the imgur link!
The fans are 120mm intake up front, and 2x 60mm exhaust in the back. I haven't drawn cutouts for GPU intake, but I could certainly cut away the bottom, replace it with mesh, and add rubber feet so that the GPU can breathe more easily.
I don't particularly need a powerhouse of a computer, but I do want something that's quiet and capable, and I think I'll be able to get good aesthetic results in the ammo can. I've done a fair amount of light metalworking, and I have a few ideas to make it easy to hide the rough edges where I cut through the steel.
