S4 Mini + Dynamo Mini 160 cable/case collision

[harber]

I just received my Skyreach 4 Mini last night, happily began plopping parts into it that I'd already tested. I'm confused by the positioning of the Dynamo Mini 160 on the z370i Strix motherboard. These are all suggested parts, I almost verbatim-purchased the BOM guide for the 1060. When I put the Dynamo Mini 160 onto the motherboard, the 4 pin cable out to the CPU gets absolutely smashed against the case, hard enough that it feels like it puts significant pressure on the Dynamo. This seems like an extremely silly question, but I didn't see an immediate answer on the forum here, or anybody else bringing it up. It seems like most of us around here are pairing the 160 with the 360, and even the guide for the dynamo only has a wiring diagram for that dual setup, so I wonder if I'm just doing something stupid? Is this cable-smashed-against-case setup what everybody does?

 

[Kmpkt]

I presume this is with the 4 to 8 pin plugged in? @Josh | NFC have any input?

 

[harber]

Yep, the 4 to 8 pin is basically 3-4mm or so to close to the side of the case for comfort for me. I bent the cables as close to the plastic as possible, and it's still going to be smashed against the edge of the case so hard that I feel awful about it, haha. I was just curious if anybody else did this without concern and I'm being a baby about it. =)

 

[Nanook]

I just received my Skyreach 4 Mini last night, happily began plopping parts into it that I'd already tested. I'm confused by the positioning of the Dynamo Mini 160 on the z370i Strix motherboard. These are all suggested parts, I almost verbatim-purchased the BOM guide for the 1060. When I put the Dynamo Mini 160 onto the motherboard, the 4 pin cable out to the CPU gets absolutely smashed against the case, hard enough that it feels like it puts significant pressure on the Dynamo. This seems like an extremely silly question, but I didn't see an immediate answer on the forum here, or anybody else bringing it up. It seems like most of us around here are pairing the 160 with the 360, and even the guide for the dynamo only has a wiring diagram for that dual setup, so I wonder if I'm just doing something stupid? Is this cable-smashed-against-case setup what everybody does?

I have the same motherboard. Is this the cable coming out towards to "top" of the S4M, and gets routed to the motherboard? Yes, that cable (and in turn, the Dynamo Mini & motherboard 24pin) do seem pretty squished by the top wall. It didn't bother me too much. This is SFF

 

[harber]

I have the same motherboard. Is this the cable coming out towards to "top" of the S4M, and gets routed to the motherboard? Yes, that cable (and in turn, the Dynamo Mini & motherboard 24pin) do seem pretty squished by the top wall. It didn't bother me too much. This is SFF

Thanks for this. If you haven't popped anything apart and set your house on fire, yet, I'll just wince and get through it. This is my first truly SFF build, and I'm not used to putting stress on anything, haha. I've done mini-itx, but nothing this small, haha.

 

[Nanook]

Thanks for this. If you haven't popped anything apart and set your house on fire, yet, I'll just wince and get through it. This is my first truly SFF build, and I'm not used to putting stress on anything, haha. I've done mini-itx, but nothing this small, haha.

I remember pre-bending the individual cables to be as flat as possible so that the connectors on the motherboard / Dynamo mini won't get too stressed.

 

[Kmpkt]

If you're comfortable with it you can de-pin the molex header and sand it down a few millimetres in order to gain some space. As long as the pins themselves aren't exposed you shouldn't have an issue (you can use paint-on electrician's tape from Home Depot to insulate if this ends up being the case).

 

[harber]

If you're comfortable with it you can de-pin the molex header and sand it down a few millimetres in order to gain some space. As long as the pins themselves aren't exposed you shouldn't have an issue (you can use paint-on electrician's tape from Home Depot to insulate if this ends up being the case).

I actually almost did this. Luckily I was able to just assemble things tightly, drop it into the case, and very carefully splay the cables in different directions so they don't overlap and it seems like the exact amount of clearance I needed without pressure. I'm now fully assembled, thanks guys!

 

[Kmpkt]

Awesome. Let me know if you have any other issues. Enjoy your Dynamo Mini!

 

[Josh | NFC]

I just received my Skyreach 4 Mini last night, happily began plopping parts into it that I'd already tested. I'm confused by the positioning of the Dynamo Mini 160 on the z370i Strix motherboard. These are all suggested parts, I almost verbatim-purchased the BOM guide for the 1060. When I put the Dynamo Mini 160 onto the motherboard, the 4 pin cable out to the CPU gets absolutely smashed against the case, hard enough that it feels like it puts significant pressure on the Dynamo. This seems like an extremely silly question, but I didn't see an immediate answer on the forum here, or anybody else bringing it up. It seems like most of us around here are pairing the 160 with the 360, and even the guide for the dynamo only has a wiring diagram for that dual setup, so I wonder if I'm just doing something stupid? Is this cable-smashed-against-case setup what everybody does?

Hello, Harber.

I don't think that with the Z370i Strix or the Dynamo Mini the CPU cable fitment is too tight for any of the parts. The cables probably will touch the side of the chassis, but that's OK.

You use the term "absolutely smashed" which we may have completely different definitions on but I'd love a picture of how you have it assembled just so I can be sure everything is as it should be. I am always happy to help and only an email away.

I timelinked a portion of my brickless live stream where I install the cable:

 

[harber]

@Josh | NFC I actually went through most of your videos after purchasing the case and before install. The issue was almost entirely my fault. I don't think I'd seated the dynamo 100% the first time, since I did it being fearful of the cable and while the mobo was already inside the case. That extra mm of "smashing" went away when I peeled everything out, installed the power supply and nicely bent the individual cables coming out of the dynamo. It's now all just kissing the side of the case, but well within normal safety. Everything is engineered perfectly, and both you and @Kmpkt have excellent products I'll be recommending every chance I get. =)