Prototype Project Orthrus - Smallest SLI mATX case (V2)
- Thread starter LukeD
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The thumb screws look a bit comedic on the case due to the size of Orthrus though 
For the screw thing is it possible to have them replaced with some form of push pin setup, at least for the metal side panels
I know that Lian Li use it on some of their cases and that by all accounts the push pins are pretty much as secure as a thumb screw. Ain't no way they'd be coming off
I know that Lian Li use it on some of their cases and that by all accounts the push pins are pretty much as secure as a thumb screw. Ain't no way they'd be coming off
The Lian Li pushpins aren't really that secure. They hold the panel on without any rattling in normal use, but I've accidentally caught the corner of my M1 side panel with my foot and it flew right off and broke a clip in the process. Plus Lian Li and Jonsbo are the only companies that can do that style pushpin.
The metal pin/clip used in Cerberus is really sturdy, but they're expensive to do since it requires more manual labor to install and they take up much more space on the frame.
The metal pin/clip used in Cerberus is really sturdy, but they're expensive to do since it requires more manual labor to install and they take up much more space on the frame.
Don't feel bad, I've learned a lot in the last few years regarding all this but I still make a fool of myself on a regular basis
Hehe I was going off the DanCase A4. The review of it I watched from LTT was saying that the push pin system was that good for the side panels that you don't even have to use the screw to hold it in permanently. Although physical evidence of flying Ncase side panels is probably more specific proof
And that is true, the screw is there because some people were worried about the side panels sagging but in practice it's not really necessary.
But they're definitely not as strong a retention as actual screws, which is good though. The clips on the Cerberus prototype are pretty difficult to remove and makes getting inside the case more difficult than I'd like.
But they're definitely not as strong a retention as actual screws, which is good though. The clips on the Cerberus prototype are pretty difficult to remove and makes getting inside the case more difficult than I'd like.
What pull-out tension are you using? The clips have five tension levels, so maybe trying a lighter one is in order (unless you're already at the lowest). These are one of the options I'm considering for future projects, so I'm interested in how they've performed for you.
The prototype used second weakest clips, the 017 Material Thickness Code, which is rated for 35N (8lb) of pull-out tension.
The pre-production run is using the weakest clips. So between that and having the panels extend a bit past the rear of the frame like the M1, it should resolve any complaints about panel removal difficulty.
The pre-production run is using the weakest clips. So between that and having the panels extend a bit past the rear of the frame like the M1, it should resolve any complaints about panel removal difficulty.
Anything is better than the metal retention clips used on the Caselabs S3... damn thing feels like it requires 15-20lbs of force to remove each panel.
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I thought I'd share something interesting with you guys ... that i ran into today as I'm collating my test results:
So I started testing Project Orthrus with Furmark and CPU Burner - running each to put a maximum load on the system.
When I noticed my power supply started to get a little louder than usual.
I touched the back of the case and it felt really hot. I ran a number of tests and CPU (6800k @ 3.4 ghz) temps were off as well. Much higher than i expected (idle: 37c / load: 48c). GPU's were throttling (reporting thermal throttles, i thought something was wrong)
It wasn't until i took the side panel off that i noticed the fans on the radiator weren't spinning at all for some reason. Motherboard bios was set to DC mode for that fan header, i had to change it to PWM. I then also set the fan speed to 70% (which is about 1200rpm) and proceeded to take some more results.
Test results were a lot better but I was still getting a little bit of heat buildup near the power supply and that's when I realised that I forgot to put ventilation holes above the GPU's. Bad oversight. So I had to drill some holes in my new case !!!! PAINFUL to do on such an expensive prototype ! However, I think the results in the picture below speaks for themselves.
(P.S. Keep in mind the middle picture wasn't taken at max temperature (which is reached around the 15 min mark - the time-lapse video i was recording cut off at about the 10 min mark because the battery died on the FLIR camera) but take my word for it, that there was a bit more heat buildup than that.)
(P.P.S. The temperature is of the exhaust of the card, however, despite the small difference in external temperature, things like the CPU varied by 9 c between the first photo and the 2nd and 3rd)
Moral of the story ... These pictures show just how important it is to move that stagnant air out of a computer case so it doesn't cook itself.
On another interesting note... even though the radiator fans weren't on (in the first picture) the CPU only reached a maximum of 48 c ?!?! .... interesting good to know just the water flow was enough to dissipate heat.
So I started testing Project Orthrus with Furmark and CPU Burner - running each to put a maximum load on the system.
When I noticed my power supply started to get a little louder than usual.
I touched the back of the case and it felt really hot. I ran a number of tests and CPU (6800k @ 3.4 ghz) temps were off as well. Much higher than i expected (idle: 37c / load: 48c). GPU's were throttling (reporting thermal throttles, i thought something was wrong)
It wasn't until i took the side panel off that i noticed the fans on the radiator weren't spinning at all for some reason. Motherboard bios was set to DC mode for that fan header, i had to change it to PWM. I then also set the fan speed to 70% (which is about 1200rpm) and proceeded to take some more results.
Test results were a lot better but I was still getting a little bit of heat buildup near the power supply and that's when I realised that I forgot to put ventilation holes above the GPU's. Bad oversight. So I had to drill some holes in my new case !!!! PAINFUL to do on such an expensive prototype ! However, I think the results in the picture below speaks for themselves.
(P.S. Keep in mind the middle picture wasn't taken at max temperature (which is reached around the 15 min mark - the time-lapse video i was recording cut off at about the 10 min mark because the battery died on the FLIR camera) but take my word for it, that there was a bit more heat buildup than that.)
(P.P.S. The temperature is of the exhaust of the card, however, despite the small difference in external temperature, things like the CPU varied by 9 c between the first photo and the 2nd and 3rd)
Moral of the story ... These pictures show just how important it is to move that stagnant air out of a computer case so it doesn't cook itself.
On another interesting note... even though the radiator fans weren't on (in the first picture) the CPU only reached a maximum of 48 c ?!?! .... interesting
good to know just the water flow was enough to dissipate heat.
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A failure of cooling became an opportunity to observe and learn, glad you shared it
Ok so here's a short tutorial on how to make custom SLI cables.
Patience and some soldering skills required
1) Get two SLI cables that are the same colour
2) Align then so the connector edges are facing the same way
3) Chop off the matching connector. Start with the corner and keep making your way around.
4) Eventually the plastic connector will pop off. Cut off the remaining contacts. Repeat this for the other cable and the matching connector from point (2)
5) Make sure to put on a large piece of heat shrink on one of the connectors and set it aside (We'll call this connector "studded" - i'll explain later)
6) Next cut a smaller piece of heat shrink and set it aside for later (this will be for the "non-studded" connector)
7) If you haven't done so already, prepare the "non-studded" cable by removing the plastic connector as outlined in points 3 - 4.
8) To prepare the non studded connector you will now need to desolder all the remains of the pins. To do this, use a fairly fine tip soldering iron and tweezers. Press the soldering iron against the pin, trapping it between the tip of the soldering iron and the tweezers and pull up. Repeat this 26 times
This is a photo of 1 pin removed. Pin is on the table.
This is a photo of all the pins removed. Pins on the table
9) Put a bit of flux on the remaining mess and clean up with a wide tip soldering iron. Don't make it too hot or you will burn the plastic material of the SLI connector.
If its not cleaning up properly, grab some fresh solder and drag it over the connectors. Then try to clean them up again.
10) Once the solder comes off, clean up the remains of the flux with a q-tip and IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol). The q-tip will turn nice and brown/yellow and the contacts on the SLI cable will be nice and silver
11) Now this is the risky part ... grab a butane soldering iron and put a blow torch tip on it. Heat up the PCB, where the connector used to reside, to the point where you see a little bit of smoke coming up (this is the glue melting). You can also heat up the opposite site of the cable where the silver connectors are to help the PCB come off. Just don't overdo it with the heat, or you'll damage the cable. Now you can try to gently pry it off. If you press it against the table and pull down, and it doesn't come off with relative ease that means its not hot enough. Don't make it too hot though or you'll melt the plastic shielding of the SLI cable
12) Once the PCB backing is off, if your cable is a little mangled, apply a little heat and straighten it out. Your fingers will hate you for it but it will make soldering later a lot easier. Also inspect the cable for any cracks in the data paths. If you pulled too hard and the cable wasn't coming off easy and there are cracks clearly visible.... start again
13) Now that the "studded" and "non-studded" cables are ready alight them up. Once again, remember to put the larger heat shrink on one cable and the smaller one on the other.
14) Put the "non-studded" cable on top of the "studded" one so that the pins come through the soldering points.
15) Now solder 4 of the most outer pins (one by one) while holding the cable down. This will make sure the top cable gets as close as possible to the cable below when the solder melts. Then continue soldering the remaining pins.
16) Once the pins are all connected, move the smaller heat shrink to the middle and apply heat.
17) Now move the bigger heat shrink to the middle and apply heat.
18) Enjoy
Patience and some soldering skills required
1) Get two SLI cables that are the same colour
2) Align then so the connector edges are facing the same way
3) Chop off the matching connector. Start with the corner and keep making your way around.
4) Eventually the plastic connector will pop off. Cut off the remaining contacts. Repeat this for the other cable and the matching connector from point (2)
5) Make sure to put on a large piece of heat shrink on one of the connectors and set it aside (We'll call this connector "studded" - i'll explain later)
6) Next cut a smaller piece of heat shrink and set it aside for later (this will be for the "non-studded" connector)
7) If you haven't done so already, prepare the "non-studded" cable by removing the plastic connector as outlined in points 3 - 4.
8) To prepare the non studded connector you will now need to desolder all the remains of the pins. To do this, use a fairly fine tip soldering iron and tweezers. Press the soldering iron against the pin, trapping it between the tip of the soldering iron and the tweezers and pull up. Repeat this 26 times
This is a photo of 1 pin removed. Pin is on the table.
This is a photo of all the pins removed. Pins on the table
9) Put a bit of flux on the remaining mess and clean up with a wide tip soldering iron. Don't make it too hot or you will burn the plastic material of the SLI connector.
If its not cleaning up properly, grab some fresh solder and drag it over the connectors. Then try to clean them up again.
10) Once the solder comes off, clean up the remains of the flux with a q-tip and IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol). The q-tip will turn nice and brown/yellow and the contacts on the SLI cable will be nice and silver
11) Now this is the risky part ... grab a butane soldering iron and put a blow torch tip on it. Heat up the PCB, where the connector used to reside, to the point where you see a little bit of smoke coming up (this is the glue melting). You can also heat up the opposite site of the cable where the silver connectors are to help the PCB come off. Just don't overdo it with the heat, or you'll damage the cable. Now you can try to gently pry it off. If you press it against the table and pull down, and it doesn't come off with relative ease that means its not hot enough. Don't make it too hot though or you'll melt the plastic shielding of the SLI cable
12) Once the PCB backing is off, if your cable is a little mangled, apply a little heat and straighten it out. Your fingers will hate you for it but it will make soldering later a lot easier. Also inspect the cable for any cracks in the data paths. If you pulled too hard and the cable wasn't coming off easy and there are cracks clearly visible.... start again
13) Now that the "studded" and "non-studded" cables are ready alight them up. Once again, remember to put the larger heat shrink on one cable and the smaller one on the other.
14) Put the "non-studded" cable on top of the "studded" one so that the pins come through the soldering points.
15) Now solder 4 of the most outer pins (one by one) while holding the cable down. This will make sure the top cable gets as close as possible to the cable below when the solder melts. Then continue soldering the remaining pins.
16) Once the pins are all connected, move the smaller heat shrink to the middle and apply heat.
17) Now move the bigger heat shrink to the middle and apply heat.
18) Enjoy
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Holy cow, that is an elaborate mod. I can only see a handful of people wanting to do that. Great job!
For production, wouldn't something like the HDPlex riser bridge work as well?
If you had something like that to just chain two SLI cables together, it wouldn't be terribly beatiful, but functional and very easy to do. And it wouldn't cost a lot to make either.
For production, wouldn't something like the HDPlex riser bridge work as well?
If you had something like that to just chain two SLI cables together, it wouldn't be terribly beatiful, but functional and very easy to do. And it wouldn't cost a lot to make either.
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