Thanks for the testing. I wish I had found those LiHead risers before I bought my 3M one, but I went through a couple of unshielded cheaper risers and had similar experiences with failure to boot, or spontaneous crashing.
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!nverse: A Highly Versatile Steam-Box Design
- Thread starter esplin2966
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Thanks for the testing. I wish I had found those LiHead risers before I bought my 3M one, but I went through a couple of unshielded cheaper risers and had similar experiences with failure to boot, or spontaneous crashing.
In addition to what I wrote on [H], I shot a mail to LiHeat and asked whether they tested 75W GPUs on their riser and what kinds of currents the wires can bare. If it turns out that this is working fine, that riser is a no-brainer. Now I'm starting to wonder about PCIe4.0 compatibility...
But yeah, from my experience, the LiHeat risers are great value. If you want the best of the best, 3M is probably the way to go, but those risers cost more than most cases on their own.
But yeah, from my experience, the LiHeat risers are great value. If you want the best of the best, 3M is probably the way to go, but those risers cost more than most cases on their own.
The LiHeat guys seemed like great people too. I called them up and they were really nice. Offered to send the the riser for free (I pay for shipping) once they heard that I was working on a case. The guy's said that his english was not great, and generally uses google translate to understand emails.
Yeah, the 3M ones are kinda a rip. I don't think I'm aiming for the super high end market anyway, so the LiHeat risers will more than suffice.
Yeah I get that feeling aswell, the answers they send are very Chenglish, but they are really trying their best.
Well the 3M risers price is justified for the technology it uses, those micro-coaxial cables are quite amazing, but we're not building open air cases for a high-EMI environment.
Ok I got an answer from LiHeat, they're using 28AWG wires, but only five are used for current, while 3M is using ten wires at 30AWG.
According to them, a single 28AWG wire is rated for only 0.3A of current, so 12V*0.3A*5 = 18W. They compared that to the 3M one, where one wire can carry 0.2A: 12V*0.2A*10 = 24W, that's what they say anyway.
They say it might still work, but the riser is not rated for that sort of electrical load. So right now, the only option is to get a 750Ti that does have a 6pin connector (there are a few).
They do say however (dondan also mentioned this) that they are working on a newer version of their cables which will reduce the width of the ribbon cable assembly from 82mm to 50mm and enhance the maximum rated current. The cable should also become easier to bend (maybe thinner as well?) so that's an additional plus.
According to them, a single 28AWG wire is rated for only 0.3A of current, so 12V*0.3A*5 = 18W. They compared that to the 3M one, where one wire can carry 0.2A: 12V*0.2A*10 = 24W, that's what they say anyway.
They say it might still work, but the riser is not rated for that sort of electrical load. So right now, the only option is to get a 750Ti that does have a 6pin connector (there are a few).
They do say however (dondan also mentioned this) that they are working on a newer version of their cables which will reduce the width of the ribbon cable assembly from 82mm to 50mm and enhance the maximum rated current. The cable should also become easier to bend (maybe thinner as well?) so that's an additional plus.
You might be able to solder on some thicker gauge wire for the 12V power and ground pins (A2-4 and B1-4) on the LiHeat riser, though that would be a pretty tricky soldering job and require peeling back some of the shielding on the riser cable.
Would work for a one-off project, but I certainly wouldn't put that sort of thing into production.
Oh and a final update for the new LiHeat riser: Production is already scheduled, and they will announce once it's ready to be sold, but there's no specific time yet, and it might take some time, whatever that means.
They once apologised for taking one day to answer one of my mails, so it could well be ready in a week
They once apologised for taking one day to answer one of my mails, so it could well be ready in a week
I tried looking for an answer on other forums but couldnt find one. So here it is. How easy is it to transport? Have you tried putting the prototype into a backpack/shoulder bag? The thing I like about laptops is their slimness which allows them to slip into my shoulder bag easily. If this is slim enough to fit into a backpack that would be awesome.
It's certainly slim enough, but I think the footprint could be a bit too large.
This is a picture of the PC-Q12 in my shoulder bag, it's 365 x 208 x 88mm:
Now the !nverse is a whopping 464 x 308.5 x 72mm, which makes it slimmer, but also 16cm wider. The additional 10cm of depth shouldn't be a problem. Quite a few bags won't fit this case, but it should be about the same size as an 18" laptop and there are bags for those.
I think it should be easy to find a backpack that would be able to hold it, but from personal experience, I would not recommend a shoulder bag for this kind of rig. Mine is quite a bit smaller and already gets heavy quickly after carrying it around on just one shoulder, two are much better
This is a picture of the PC-Q12 in my shoulder bag, it's 365 x 208 x 88mm:
Now the !nverse is a whopping 464 x 308.5 x 72mm, which makes it slimmer, but also 16cm wider. The additional 10cm of depth shouldn't be a problem. Quite a few bags won't fit this case, but it should be about the same size as an 18" laptop and there are bags for those.
I think it should be easy to find a backpack that would be able to hold it, but from personal experience, I would not recommend a shoulder bag for this kind of rig. Mine is quite a bit smaller and already gets heavy quickly after carrying it around on just one shoulder, two are much better
Thanks for the help. It looks like your pc just barely fits in that shoulder bag. I'm gonna be looking for some backpacks online for 18 inch laptops. If you or anyone else knows of any that you can recommend, shoot me a pm.It's certainly slim enough, but I think the footprint could be a bit too large.
This is a picture of the PC-Q12 in my shoulder bag, it's 365 x 208 x 88mm:
Now the !nverse is a whopping 464 x 308.5 x 72mm, which makes it slimmer, but also 16cm wider. The additional 10cm of depth shouldn't be a problem. Quite a few bags won't fit this case, but it should be about the same size as an 18" laptop and there are bags for those.
I think it should be easy to find a backpack that would be able to hold it, but from personal experience, I would not recommend a shoulder bag for this kind of rig. Mine is quite a bit smaller and already gets heavy quickly after carrying it around on just one shoulder, two are much better
There is still space inside, the case could be about 43cm wide and 25cm deep. 9cm is the maximum height, I'd say.
Yeah, we're still working on it. Just been a bit quiet as we've been focusing on a lot of stuff not directly related to the case design, like getting reviewers lined up to test the case.
As for the actual progress of the case design, after we finished testing our first prototype, we updated the design and negotiated with our manufacturer for a second prototype. This second prototype requires new tooling to be made, so we're waiting for that to finish right now. Once we get the second prototype and do a quick test, we will send it off to the reviewers so you guys can get an objective look at the case.
Cool, thanks for this update, now I (and some other people interested in this project) know what's going on again
Cool, thanks for this update, now I (and some other people interested in this project) know what's going on again
Sorry for the lack of updates! On the one hand, I didn't really want to clutter the project thread with too much info that is only partially related, but I definitely want to keep you guys in the loop. I will make sure to update more from now on.
We're almost done manufacturing prototype 2. Hopefully I can get it in my hands in the next few weeks for a quick test, and then I'll be sending it off to some reviewers to check out.
I think the LiHeat guys are using the wrong part of the spec for the 28 AWG wire load, appears to be the power transmission load number which is for long distance taking into account IR drops etc. The chassis wiring number which would be the correct number is 1.4A. In reality 28 AWG could easily take more than that safely.
Firstly, great work onto the project. I definitely commend the effort to fit all of the components in that you have done! Your early prototypes look pretty cool. If anything I'd say explore some more designs for the case ventilation. A different design could be cheaper, provide better airflow and/or make the case really stand out with some kind of clearly identifiable logo or shape. (e.g. I'll be using large diamond holes (3cm) with a much thinner fine aluminium mesh underneath). There are plenty of options.
You might also consider post processing like laser etching a design into the paint.
Finally, I also messaged Li-Heat on facebook and they mentioned that new stock wouldn't be available until after the Chinese new year, when it starts to be manufactured. They were pretty vague but I hope it'll available soon
You might also consider post processing like laser etching a design into the paint.
Finally, I also messaged Li-Heat on facebook and they mentioned that new stock wouldn't be available until after the Chinese new year, when it starts to be manufactured. They were pretty vague but I hope it'll available soon
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