I finally got the time to wire up my custom PSU solution. Looking good!
A bit annoyed at myself and Mouser, as they had listed the dimensions of the MW RPS-400-12 (open frame) under the RPS-400-12-C (enclosed). And I didn't have the braincells to check the actual datasheet. The 12 is 37mm tall; the 12-C is 43mm tall. But it fits! Sort of - it's
damn tight, and ever so slightly bent. See how close it is to the PSU shroud opening? Yeah, that's when it's ever so slightly pushed down. Still, extremely glad the case had some spare room here!
If I really wanted to go the extra mile I'd take off the enclosure, take it to my makerspace and tune its bend a bit on the sheet metal brake there. But I can't be bothered, as the build actually went together with no real issues. As for why this PSU (if you missed my previous post here), I already have a very good PicoPSU, like 12V PSU setups, like the DIY aspect of it, and
love the quality and efficiency of MeanWell's PSUs. 400W at 92% efficiency, 250W output with convection cooling only, and a tiny, moddable form factor? Yes, please. Definitely not for the faint of heart, as wiring your own AC input and stuff like that is definitely not risk-free. But double and triple checking, and knowing what you do, and you get a great result.
Oh, and I made a 3D printed cover plate to hold the AC receptacle + an NF-A4x20 PWM. It's not really necessary - the PSU does 250W passively, and that's where my build peaks under torture loads - but it's nice to have.
I'd share the .stl, except the measurements aren't quite right, and it needed some filing and cutting to fit.
I also replaced the mounting screws for my NH-L9i with some m3 screws I had lying around, as the large thumbscrews somewhat interfered with the riser and rear of the GPU. Feels a bit sketchy, but the contact area is actually identical to the original screws.
SSD is taped to the front panel; I might add an m.2 at some point. WiFi antennas are just floating inside the case for now, I'm not sure if I'll glue the internal antennas to the front or switch to rear mounted ones. The whole build is shockingly quiet for what it is - but then I guess a LM delidded 4670S isn't exactly the most stressful thing for the L9i to handle, and that GPU is very happy sitting next to the ventilated panel.
Only thing left: I've got two more NF-A4x20s that I'm going to fit in the top front of the case, as exhausts. I'm just waiting on some neodymium magnets to use for mounting.
Since my case is a prototype I can't really comment on final quality, and I have no idea if my small niggles are in the production run or not, but honestly I'm really, really happy with this case. Build quality is excellent, assembly is simple, ventilation is great, component clearance is just what it needs to be. The side panels were a bit tricky to mount straight (I consistently have to thread all four screws partially, then tighten them down making sure the panel stays straight). Oh, and the use of non-ferrous screws is
horrible. Why oh why? But other than that? No complaints. This case will get used for many builds in the years to come, no doubt.
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