NFC S4 Mini #77 - Orangulan Brickless S4

[Kmpkt]

Hey guys,

Got my orange S4 mini last week along with a few other choice pieces and will be doing a brickless build in the case using the HDPlex 160W AC-DC and DC-DC combo. I have long hated external AC-DC adapters in the SFF community (this is not my first attempt at a brickless SFF), especially when those making use of them claim the build volume/envelope is a certain size and neglect to add the 1+ litre brick hanging out the back. I haven't seen any other builds using this power system yet, so I figured if nothing else, this would be a proof of concept and may also open the door to seeing how hard the HDPlex combo can be pushed without throttling a system (although that won't be tested on this particular system). I have other plans in the not too distant future for the S4, and so this build will not involve cutting my precious case to accommodate all hardware (ie. End product may have a little bit of sloppiness). Here's some preliminary build photos:

 

[RenG]

Hey guys,

Got my orange S4 mini last week along with a few other choice pieces and will be doing a brickless build in the case using the HDPlex 160W AC-DC and DC-DC combo. I have long hated external AC-DC adapters in the SFF community (this is not my first attempt at a brickless SFF), especially when those making use of them claim the build volume/envelope is a certain size and neglect to add the 1+ litre brick hanging out the back. I haven't seen any other builds using this power system yet, so I figured if nothing else, this would be a proof of concept and may also open the door to seeing how hard the HDPlex combo can be pushed without throttling a system (although that won't be tested on this particular system). I have other plans in the not too distant future for the S4, and so this build will not involve cutting my precious case to accommodate all hardware (ie. End product may have a little bit of sloppiness). Here's some preliminary build photos:

I've discussed with Josh (months ago) before ordering an S4 unit for this setup possibility. The only problem with this setup is you can't simply have enough room for that C14 connector without modifying or cutting the chassis. I too didn't like to cut my chassis at that time. And you will be also limited to 160W anyways, so for me picoPSU+brick is good enough. Anyways, it will be great to see your plan working out.

 

[Phuncz]

I'm amazed you could continue the orange/copper theme like this, it doesn't seem evident with the emphasis on red and blue.
I can't wait to see this build come full circle. If you are having trouble with the C14 connector being too long, there are much shorter ones available.

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Asrock has a range of copper sink based 1151 motherboards, like this one:

 

[Phuncz]

I'm eyeing that mATX version of the ASRock board, the Z170M Extreme4 for my mATX build and I love the copper, silver and black theme.

 

[iFreilicht]

Gigabyte Phoenix Masterrace! Very excited to see this build happen, using that AC-DC adapter with an LP-GPU is an excellent idea!

 

[Josh | NFC]

Can't wait to see where you stick everything!!!

 

[Kmpkt]

So here's a small update:

The components in my build are as follows

CPU: Intel i3 - 4360. I have an i5 4690T on the way that I may swap into this build when it arrives, if for no other reason than to see how close I can get power draw to 100W for the whole system.

RAM: G.Skill Ares 8GB Orange DDR3 1600

mSATA: ADATA 128GB. This board is too entry-level for its age to have M.2, but who really cares as mSATA is still plenty quick for my needs.

AC-DC: HDPlex AC-DC w/ PFC

DC-DC: Leaning towards Z4 ATX 200 at the moment, but I can't find it so it won't make it into the build today. If I've lost it, I'll be using the older V1 of the HDPlex 160W DC-DC as its configuration/shape suits the build better than the longer/thinner PCB on the current revision.

GPU: Galax Geforce GTX 950 Low Profile. I ordered this through buyer.jp for far more than I should have paid for such a light performing card, but it's just so darn cute.


Here's the GPU I will be using. This is the Galax GTX 950 Low Profile GPU straight from Japan


Managed to get the GPU and Motherboard in and hook up the PCIe ribbon without too much trouble after extracting the 2.5" HDD and 120mm fan bracket


Here's how it looks from the front


Now it's time to get the 160W AC-DC power supply in place. In order to do this I am using five pieces of 3M 8810 Adhesive Thermal tape.


This stuff is stroooooong


That little power supply easily weighs a pound and a half and I don't think I'm ever going to get it out of that case. The added benefit is that the adhesive is thermally conductive which hopefully means the entire enclosure will now function as a heat sink for the aluminum enclosed PSU. Presumably the better the thermal dissipation, the harder I can push the power supply. I will probably stress test this with my GTX 970 at some point in the not too distant future as it is rated for 195W peak output.

 

[Josh | NFC]

With how you are working on this you need to make a 1/4" stereo jack mount and put it into the DC Jack mount hole. Then wire the 1/4" jack plug to 3 prong! You can convert it to XLR, so I don't see why you couldn't do it for AC.

That is sick dude.

 

[iFreilicht]

With how you are working on this you need to make a 1/4" stereo jack and put it into the DC Jack mount hole. Then convert the 1/4" jack to 3 prong!

Quite dangerous if mains is plugged into that adapter first. Audio jacks shorten their contacts during insertion, so that could cause your fuses to trip. XLR would work find, though I don't think there's enough space for it there.

 

[Josh | NFC]

What about just having there for transportation, then unplugging from the XLR to 1/4" adapter? Anxiously awaiting your feedback...

If that's not doable then I could still see a sleeved XLR cable going through the DC aperture and hardwired to the PSU. Your Mini would have a short tail, but it might be nicer than cutting a hole somewhere for a standard power cable.

 

[iFreilicht]

What about just having there for transportation, then unplugging from the XLR to 1/4" adapter? Anxiously awaiting your feedback...

That just offsets the problem, doesn't it? You'd still be able to accidentally pull out the audio jack, causing a short circuit. In the worst case, depending on the wiring of the connector, you could actually put the case on live for a brief moment. There are much better solutions than this, and having a tail like you described would be one of them.

 

[Kmpkt]

I'm totally keen to do something like that if I can get the right input on exactly how to do it SAFELY. I have three kids and I don't think my life insurance is beefy enough to get them to eighteen from here.

In all seriousness I did order this:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/5Pcs-AC250V-...082502?hash=item464c41aa06:g:~bAAAOSwy5ZXDP4w

And this:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/USA-2pin-Mal...884458?hash=item234cb6816a:g:dGoAAOSwl9BWHNMx

I was thinking it would do the trick. I'd lose the ground lead, but my impression is that it isn't really necessary in this situation. My plan was to actually mount it through the PCIe bracket on the GPU so I don't need to damage the case.

 

[NRG]

What about just having there for transportation, then unplugging from the XLR to 1/4" adapter? Anxiously awaiting your feedback...

If that's not doable then I could still see a sleeved XLR cable going through the DC aperture and hardwired to the PSU. Your Mini would have a short tail, but it might be nicer than cutting a hole somewhere for a standard power cable.

As an Electrician, I strongly disagree with this method.

The plug and socket that you linked from ebay will work perfectly fine Lampshade

 

[iFreilicht]

I was thinking it would do the trick. I'd lose the ground lead, but my impression is that it isn't really necessary in this situation. My plan was to actually mount it through the PCIe bracket on the GPU so I don't need to damage the case.

That's true, your PC would actually be grounded through your monitor if that has a 3-prong connector. Personally I feel better with a ground connection, especially if I did some modifications to the PSU or other parts of the power circuit.

 

[Josh | NFC]

As an Electrician, I highly disagree with this method.

The plug and socket that you linked from ebay will work perfectly fine Lampshade

Haha glad I have people like you to ground my ideas for making things pretty.

 

[NRG]

Haha glad I have people like you to ground my ideas for making things pretty.

I'm sure you could make it work, but like it was previously mentioned, A small knock or someone tugging on that cord would almost definitely result in a short on the plugs way out. Not to mention the live plug that would be hanging around after the fact :')

I could go on about it probably having inferior contacts and how its unlikely that they would be rated to withstand the current, but lets just put it to bed as a bad idea hahah

 

[Phuncz]

I've had this same dilemma for my casemod, I want to internally have a removable connector that carries the AC, but you can't just put 240V and up to 16A (in Europe) on any plug willy-nilly, even though I will never reach that kind of load, I don't want to risk it. The smallest AC compatible plug with ground I could find was the C14 connector that I actually wanted to make removable. So I'm just going to extend the cable most likely to not need it be removable.

 

[Kmpkt]

Managed to get things running last night. Using the HDPlex for the time being, but it's definitely made me realize why Josh recommends the Pico solution. I actually did a custom 24 pin in orange and black, but it was so rigid given the length I couldn't even use it.


With matching tenkeyless Filco Majestouch for portability


And the B85 Phoenix's signature orange LEDs viewable through the back panel

 

[Phuncz]

Black and orange, so prettah. I can believe cabling becomes increasingly important into a highly efficient case as the S4 Mini. Using corrected bend radii and the shortest possible wire lengths to ensure perfect fitment, but that's a lot of work ofcourse.