Letter punch - Ha! that's a great idea. I like the sound of that, I'll consider it for the future for sure
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Diesel Engine (ITX / SFF / Console) - COMPLETE!
- Thread starter Chris Howell
- Start date
Letter punch - Ha! that's a great idea. I like the sound of that, I'll consider it for the future for sure
Component Test Bench
So, the last few weeks I've been waiting for my components to arrive and then testing them out before I build the console. I had a bit of trouble with the power supply, which why it's taken so long. Anyway here's the update
My Flex ATX power supply. Gold Rated 400W
A Z170 chipset motherboard. The ITX version of the pro gaming series by Asus
Online pictures don't do these components justice. So tiny! (and well built too)
Low Profile Ballistix DDR4 - 2400Mhz. 2 x 8GB sticks. Plenty for gaming
Intel Skylake i7 Processor. 6700K. I wanted to the push the console boundaries with this one and I've seen others have successfully built similar systems with this chip
And to cool it... A Noctua LH-N9i. Again, read lots of reviews of successful setups that combo this cooler with the 6700K
Height and width scale of the cooler itself.
Storage - I chose the 256GB M.2 drive from Samsung. The chipset will make the most of this super speed drive. Also... It's sooo freakin' tiny!
Graphics - Please excuse the poor photo here. I went for the R9 Nano. I mean, I had to atleast try it right?
A scale photo. The card is almost exactly the same length as the power supply (15cm)
Started to built it. The cooler fits perfectly into clearance area. You can see the cable pinned in here against the RAM
I connected everything up and. IT LIVES!
The Win10 installation onto the M.2 drive from a USB went really well. I'd seen lots of articles about it being a massive pain in the ass, particularly if you have other storage connected. But with just the M.2 drive, I was booting into the OS within 30 minutes. I also wanted to get this far before I started connecting the graphics card
Now. I actually forgot that the Power supply didn't come with a PCI-E connector and had to order a 4-Pin molex adapter for the graphics card. If you've ever seen the adapters like this, they take power from two 4-pin connections and output a 6-pin or 8-pin PCI-E power. But... the ONLY two 4-pin molex from the flex ATX power supply were running from a single cable, so trying to draw the GFX power down that cable was likely not going to work.
Sure enough, I gave it a shot and while I was able to install the card drivers and get it running. It dropped the display signal whenever I ran a graphics stress test - the card was clearly underpowered with the single connector - Do'h!
The supply has a set of SATA power connectors which I plan to harness, I just need more adapters to try it out!
Lastly, it turns out that the supply uses two 12volt rails instead of the mostly desired single rail. I don't know enough about power supplies to determine if this is the cause. So while I wait for the SATA power adapaters, I've also ordered another FLex ATX supply from another company that has a PCI-E connector as standard and appears to be single rail. I'll just have to see how that goes.
The problem here isn't just the connector, but also the two-rail design of the PSU. The 12V1 and 12V2 rail can each deliver 18A. The 12V1 rail is only connected to the EPS12V power connector (the one for the CPU), while everything else is on 12V2. PDF HERE. To make the unit more stable, I'd suggest running the CPU off the molex connector and the GPU off the EPS12V connector (which will require an adapter, soldering or re-pinning).
Ah, you're a legend. I was searching the internet for "How do I determine which PSU cables use each 12V rail". But that technical spec has all the details! thanks
At the weekend, I gave this a go and switched the connectors around so that the GFX card has one of the rails all to itself + 75W from the Motherboard. Then wired up a new EPS 12v cable for the CPU. It powered on and it looking promising (I got further than I did before and am not seeing a different result when playing games). I need to go back this week and resolve some problems with the GFX card driver install, but hope to try out the new config soon properly
Power + GFX Driver Troubles
So, I managed to resolve my power problems - which was great
It did turn out to be a result of the dual 12v rails on the Power Supply. The primary rail was supplying the CPU and the secondary rail was supplying everything else, including the graphics card; whereas ideally I would want the Graphics card to have a single rail all to itself. So, I removed the connector on the CPU power and re-pinned it into an 8-pin PCI-E power configuration. Then I spliced some spare cables (Molex mainly) into a new EPS 12V connection for the CPU.I'm happy to report that it not only booted fine but then allowed me to play 30 minutes of a game! I have run a series of tests and haven't seen the same behaviour since I made the change. I ran OCCT 3D stress too, to check it out and it's looking good. Wahoo!
DRIVER ISSUES - BAH! - So, something which made the power diagnosis harder was a symptom where installing the graphics card drivers was causing Windows to fail to boot. After playing around with EUFI settings, recovering Windows and trying a different driver version just to have the same thing happen again. I found the solution that the BIOS "Secure Boot" and Digital Driver Signing was unhappy with the AMD driver and stopping it from booting, forget displaying a messaging to tell me that 's what was happening! After disabling secure boot and disabling the Digital Driver Enforcement, I was back on track. For some time I really thought that I had a faulty graphics card there...
Case and Components together at last
Some pictures of everything installed and running
Before you take a look, I need to confess that I didn't just make one console case The nature of the way I designed it, meant that I could try several different materials and just put them through the machine. This one is made with brushed aluminium panels and glass-like Perspex. I wanted to be able to show the components easily in the photos, which I why I installed the parts into this case first.I give you, the Diesel Engine case - modern edition
The anchor points along the front of the case served thier purpose and allowed me to fix a majority of the cables there
A close up of the power cable, USB + PCI-E power
The card was a little fiddly to get in, but sits nicely in the slot once in place
The 24-pin cable for the Mobo was way too long, sometime in the future I will undertake the task to chop it down to a smaller length and re-pin the connector back on. On the subject of the power supply, this one is remarkably quiet. The only time that it has got really hot and loud so far, was after playing the new DOOM for about an hour. I'm pretty sure this is just the mess of cables blocking the fan intake.
I hope you like the photos. I'm super happy that it's functioning correctly - I think it looks like such a beast. I still need to run more heat tests on the case when under load. Normal operation seems to be absolutely fine, but I'd like to atleast try it out on a 4K monitor at my work.
Yeah, well done! I also really like the glass-style version, great way to show off the beautiful stuff inside.
Could you please post a close-up shot of the power-button-USB-corner?
Could you please post a close-up shot of the power-button-USB-corner?
Great stuff. Thanks for the feedback! I think the glass-like perspex makes it, it's really cool stuff.
So, the power button switch mechanism is a (cheap) standard switch. I took photos of it earlier in the thread if you saw those. I then needed to laser a piece of small plastic to fit onto the front of the mechanism that the user is able to press. I also needed to be careful and design the shape in a way where you couldn't press the button in and have it get stuck 'inside' the case. I used plastic glue to connect the two pieces together.
See the switch mechanism on the inside, with the small tip. Then the bigger surface area button attached on the outside
As it turns out. You can see the glue through the button, which makes it look a bit messy and fogged up. I may try out another material that isn't clear or perhaps put a small square of metal on it.
So, the power button switch mechanism is a (cheap) standard switch. I took photos of it earlier in the thread if you saw those. I then needed to laser a piece of small plastic to fit onto the front of the mechanism that the user is able to press. I also needed to be careful and design the shape in a way where you couldn't press the button in and have it get stuck 'inside' the case. I used plastic glue to connect the two pieces together.
See the switch mechanism on the inside, with the small tip. Then the bigger surface area button attached on the outside
As it turns out. You can see the glue through the button, which makes it look a bit messy and fogged up. I may try out another material that isn't clear or perhaps put a small square of metal on it.
This looks amazing, the perspex side panels are nothing but gorgeous! What PSU are you using again? Maybe relocating the intake holes for it a little bit might give you a better noise profile.
Awesome case!
How is the results from further testing with the 400w fsp flex psu, does it survive prolonged high loads?
Also wondering about the EPS12V mod, did you only splice 2 molex connectors for it?
How is the results from further testing with the 400w fsp flex psu, does it survive prolonged high loads?
Also wondering about the EPS12V mod, did you only splice 2 molex connectors for it?
Final Pics + On Sale
I'm Done! So - In the end I made 3 cases: The Antique One, The Black One, The Modern One. Additionaly, something I didn't mention before. I actually ordered 20 cases along with 20 Premium Shielded Li-Heat riser cables to go with those cases.
From today, I'm super happy to announce that anyone wanting a Diesel Engine case for thier very own, can contact me directly and order one!.
The first 20 come with a FREE premium shielded riser cable bundled in, so all you need to do is add the components - no modding required (unless you really want to ofcourse
) Cases support any ITX motherboard, any FlexATX power supply (150mm length) and graphics cards up to about 150mm. There is room for mounting an SDD above the power supply and enough clearance for M.2 drives for an ultra-compact build. The Diesel Engine lid design means that you have easy access to all of your components and the cable mounting positions along the front of the case make cable management easy and neat.Diesel Engine Case - Modern Edition (with free bundled Li-Heat riser) - £149
Diesel Engine Case - Black Edition (with free bundled Li-Heat riser) - £149
Diesel Engine Case - Antique Edition (with free bundled Li-Heat riser) - £199
Enquires + Orders, please either PM me or email me at this address: chrisjohnhowell@gmail.com
The first 20 cases, fresh from manufacture
These premium shielded riser cables have outstanding build quality + re-enforced connectors
Having these cables bundled with case, means no more high postage charges for a single cable - It's probably the most cost effective way to build small with riser cables
------------------------ Final Pics ------------------------
Firstly - The Antique Edition
Hand stained sun-burst pine, panelled with 3mm Brass plate
No vinyl in sight. This is real pine (it smells great)
Weathered and hand engraved brass plate covers three sides of the console
Laser etched design provides a stunning finish against the bright wood
Secondly - The Black Edition
A smokey black acrylic lid and base gives the black version a semi-transparent look
Glossy black acrylic panels cover the side panels of the case, laser engraved with the name
The black edition provides the most traditional sleek and stylish design
The name is laser cut to precision in the front panel
Lastly - The Modern Edition
Made of 'glass like' acrylic and 3mm brushed aluminium panels
The modern edition is the slimmest of the three editions
Show off your hardware with an edge-to-edge window on both the top and bottom of the case
Laser etched name in the lid of the case
All cases are marked with a number on the bottom
All component slots are standard fit
An optional fan bracket (2 x 40mm) is provided to help cool performance parts (fans not included)
Thanks!
I hope everyone enjoyed the build log. I certainly enjoyed building the prototype - what a beast! In time I'll setup a Facebook page and an Ebay page for the cases. But if anyone does have interest, please feel free to contact me.
Wow absolutely amazing work, I love the Black Edition!
Congratulations and good luck!
Congratulations and good luck!
Since this is a product now and not just a cool build, I've moved the thread to the Custom Cases section.
I'm not normally a big fan of acrylic but I'm digging the Black Edition too, looks great!
I'm not normally a big fan of acrylic but I'm digging the Black Edition too, looks great!
Damn those cases are beautiful, I'll tell you that. Going to write you a PM.
Congratulations! They do look nice
Best of luck! I hope they sell out quick!
Best of luck! I hope they sell out quick!
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