Hey!
My Logic Supply MC600 project is starting to get more and more ambitious trying to cram as much as I possibly can into it, but I'm also getting excited that I keep coming up with solutions that allow me to inch further towards fitting a GTX 1070, an i7 (or an R7, depending on how those ITX boards turn out), the works, and an AC-DC adapter in the case to remove the need for an external power brick!
With some help from @Kmpkt, I've been pointed to the Artesyn CPS250-M series 250W AC-DC power supply. So far, this power supply looks like it will have the right amount of Watt headroom for my system and I'm willing to undervolt my parts a little to make sure things are stable. It's 2" * 4" (by about 1.3"), and after building a custom front panel for my case, I should have pretty much exactly enough space in a cavity near my GPU. If I have to, removing or modding the GPU's shroud can earn me an etra ~1/4" of clearance, and modding the CPU cooler (just fins) could get me another ~1/4".
Once I've got AC power coming into my case and turned into 24v DC, I'm planning to send it to a HDPLEX 300W DC-ATX to distribute my power to my computer. Most folks around here seem to trust HDPLEX and its components, this system should always stay under the 300W rating anyways. I should, again, have enough room for this power supply in my custom front panel.
I am not an electrician, but this stuff is looking straightforward "enough." There are technical documentations for the Artesyn AC-DC PSU and it's very helpful and clear about which pins are what, and it looks like they use standardized connectors to make it harder to mess things up.
Here are some questions regarding the power supply:
In the MC600, the front panel is more or less "just for show," it probably goes to help with the structure of the case when attached, but without the front panel (or top panel) on, the case is already pretty much just a steel frame. I'm going to use the original front panel that came with the case to lay out the outline of my new front panel, but adding a new 'cavity' of 3/4" wood that will give me the room I need for the Artesyn AC-DC power supply on one side of the front panel and enough room for the HDPLEX DC-ATX on the other. From there, I'm going to figure out how I can fit USB ports, front panel I/O, and a power button around those two devices and make room for that too.
Here are some questions about the front panel:
Pretty much everything else, I'd need to buy, borrow, or rent. I'm not opposed to getting my own tools, it's just a large up-front expense, and it's possible I won't necessarily have another use for many tools. I do technically have a shed area in the back of my current place that I could store some tools, though.
My biggest concern about doing custom wiring is that I'm not good at stripping wires by hand with pliers. I've never soldered anything before, and having one of those stands with flexible arms and clips seems like a real blessing for holding stuff together while adding solder.
I'm also in the market for bright neutral white (4000K) head lamps or desk lamps that could double for lighting if I'm doing any sort of photography.
Thanks in advance. Sorry if this is a cluttered post, this project has quickly gotten out of hand--as projects tend to!
My Logic Supply MC600 project is starting to get more and more ambitious trying to cram as much as I possibly can into it, but I'm also getting excited that I keep coming up with solutions that allow me to inch further towards fitting a GTX 1070, an i7 (or an R7, depending on how those ITX boards turn out), the works, and an AC-DC adapter in the case to remove the need for an external power brick!
With some help from @Kmpkt, I've been pointed to the Artesyn CPS250-M series 250W AC-DC power supply. So far, this power supply looks like it will have the right amount of Watt headroom for my system and I'm willing to undervolt my parts a little to make sure things are stable. It's 2" * 4" (by about 1.3"), and after building a custom front panel for my case, I should have pretty much exactly enough space in a cavity near my GPU. If I have to, removing or modding the GPU's shroud can earn me an etra ~1/4" of clearance, and modding the CPU cooler (just fins) could get me another ~1/4".
Once I've got AC power coming into my case and turned into 24v DC, I'm planning to send it to a HDPLEX 300W DC-ATX to distribute my power to my computer. Most folks around here seem to trust HDPLEX and its components, this system should always stay under the 300W rating anyways. I should, again, have enough room for this power supply in my custom front panel.
I am not an electrician, but this stuff is looking straightforward "enough." There are technical documentations for the Artesyn AC-DC PSU and it's very helpful and clear about which pins are what, and it looks like they use standardized connectors to make it harder to mess things up.
Here are some questions regarding the power supply:
- Is there anywhere I can shop for connectors that will match up with this board? The weirdest one, apparently, is the 2-pin fan header.
- Do you have any suggestions for the kind of power cable I use with this PSU?
- Will I save any appreciable amount of space using low-profile modular PSU cables? I was pointed to these, I don't know if there are others that maybe more flexible or have 90-degree bends or whatever else. Will cables like that be any harder to re-wire, sleeve, or dye?
- The enclosure Artesyn sells is 3" by 5" and is too big for my case. The case I'm visualizing in my head would fit the power supply pretty snugly and only cover up the parts that 'need' to be covered--could anyone help me figure out what parts need to be covered? I was planning on building this enclosure out of ~1/16" thick wood and having it be used as only a cover rather than any form of structure. I'm hoping to leave an opening for the GPU's airflow (the majority of air will come out of the 'back of the card, onto the PSU) to help with circulation around the PSU), but could try to find a way to mount a dedicated fan for the PSU too. Even a 40mm fan will be pretty big for the amount of space I'm working with, though.
In the MC600, the front panel is more or less "just for show," it probably goes to help with the structure of the case when attached, but without the front panel (or top panel) on, the case is already pretty much just a steel frame. I'm going to use the original front panel that came with the case to lay out the outline of my new front panel, but adding a new 'cavity' of 3/4" wood that will give me the room I need for the Artesyn AC-DC power supply on one side of the front panel and enough room for the HDPLEX DC-ATX on the other. From there, I'm going to figure out how I can fit USB ports, front panel I/O, and a power button around those two devices and make room for that too.
Here are some questions about the front panel:
- Can a dremel be used to cut 3/4" hardwood? What about ~1/16" (or 1/8") Hardwood?
- If the dremel won't work, will a coping saw work? I don't think I can get access to a router and Home Depot doesn't seem to rent them out.
- Are there any foreseeable issues with mounting power supplies (AC-DC and DC-ATX) to hardwood? What if it's mounted against a foil-tape backing on hardwood?
- Any recommended solutions for front panel USB, I/O, or power buttons? PCBs you like, or whatever else.
- I thought of a pretty cool power button idea today. Are there pre-made power switches that have 'everything' assembled besides the 'face' of the button itself? Preferably one with an LED inside of it.
- Do you have a recommended trick for getting screws through the holes of my front panel that will be able to catch with the threads on the MC600? I'm afraid if I use a threaded insert on the hardwood, the screw's threads won't line up with the threads on the MC600 on the other side and the panel will have gaps in it. I'm also worried that if the screw doesn't thread into the 3/4" piece of wood its passing through, the front panel will wobble around.
- Cut fan holes in the case. The CPU and GPU will both be taking air in from the top of the case. I'm going to cut a circular hole above the CPU that matches up to the fan's size (currently a 90mm fan, but I might try to squeeze a 120mm or 140mm fan in there. The GPU, I'm hoping to cut a 'flattened oval' shape over its two fans.
- Trim the frame of the front panel. The gap between the top and bottom of the front panel are just barely too small to allow the PSUs to fit. I am going to use my dremel to take off enough material for the PSUs to mount in the cavities I'm adding to the front panel and clear the frame of the front of the case.
Pretty much everything else, I'd need to buy, borrow, or rent. I'm not opposed to getting my own tools, it's just a large up-front expense, and it's possible I won't necessarily have another use for many tools. I do technically have a shed area in the back of my current place that I could store some tools, though.
My biggest concern about doing custom wiring is that I'm not good at stripping wires by hand with pliers. I've never soldered anything before, and having one of those stands with flexible arms and clips seems like a real blessing for holding stuff together while adding solder.
I'm also in the market for bright neutral white (4000K) head lamps or desk lamps that could double for lighting if I'm doing any sort of photography.
Thanks in advance. Sorry if this is a cluttered post, this project has quickly gotten out of hand--as projects tend to!