Elementality Pico Pc

[j0h]

Hello.

First of all, I am honored to participate in this contest together with the most important global modders and Cooler Master.

My Name is Giovanni (joh), i'm 21 years old and I'm Italian (this is why my english is very bad ), modding is one of my favourites hobbyes since i was 16 but i like Tecnology in general.

this is my first post on this forum and the first time on a world stage but i've already partecipated a couple of time in one italian modding contest.

Let's begin.

First, to understand the mod i want to explain why i made this new pc:

The computers used by me every day are:

Motherboard: Maximus II Formula-MSI P67A-GD65

Processor: Q6600-i7 2600K

RAM: 4Gb Dominator GT- 8Gb Vengeance

Video Card: 8800 GTS 512 - MSI 560Ti TFII OC

Supply: CM Real Power 620W- CM Silent Pro M 850W

Hard Drive: 2x160Gb - 2xOCZ Vertex 60Gb (R0) + 1Tb Spinpoint F3

Cooling: Cooler Master V10 - liquid

Case: HAF 932 - Stacker 831 SE

As you can see are gaming machines, and so high consumption, noise and high temperatures.

But now I don't play much videogames, then I asked myself: "It's good keeping a typically PC 20 hours on 24 just to get me the facts of the other on facebook, listen to music or download from the network?"

So here come this project, a little and silent pc with very little consumes.

This PC will be as follows:

Motherboard: EPIA-en15000g

Processor: Integrated 1.5 GHz VIA C7 Nano

Ram: 1Gb 533MHz with Heatsink Thermaltake

Supply: Pico PSU 150W

Hard drive: WD Scorpio Blue 500Gb

Case: Home Made

I called it

Elementality Pico pc

The motherboard EPIA-en15000g

It 's a 17x17cm great Mini ITX motherboard and is normally used for car computer (PC like this could also be used inside a car) this does mean that the PC will be very small (23x23cm maximum), the power could be a problem because the supply are usually quite large but wandering around on the net I came to the attention of Pico PSU, small power supply (like those on laptops) with 24-pin adapter for the motherboard.

So I bought a 150W, even if the pc but consumes much less (under 60W).

The first problem was just the power supply, because the supply was 24pin and the motherboard is 20 pin, 24 pin could not be mounted because it touches the PS2 port, so I had to build a mini extension 20> 20 pin.

I then unsoldered a female connector from a motherboard burned..

I recovered a male connector from a power supply burned (i do not know if the my hardware characteristics of burning can define a luck or bad luck)

A bit of heat shrink for a cleaner touch and here the result:

Attacked the pico psu

is connected but is not finished...

I will sleeve all the PSU adapter cables later..

As I've already said the case will be home made.

I thought of different solutions but the one that prevailed was built entirely in plexy.

So I began to create projects with sketchup trying to minimize the possible spaces at the same time make it cool.

So I started working on some pieces of colored plexy.

I do not have modern machinery so the plexiglass will be changed only through Dremel..

[j0h]

After attacking a strip of paper I drew on it the first window of this case

And I began to realize a rough cut of the shape ready to be refinished a couple of times to obtain the desired effect (all the mod is made with a Dremel)

After the first refinishing the cut looked like this

Still a bit raw.

By finishing the second the result is different. From the picture you can't appreciate because of the flash

Then I reapplied the paper tape to outline another workpiece

Once this cut, I have drawn another one a few mm smaller on a second piece of plexy, this time transparent red

And I also cut it

These cuts are used to enter the power button on the PC that has been recycled from an old cooler master but was not good.

Here are the panel temporarily mounted almost to see the effect. The power and the reset button come from a Cooler Master Centurion but i will not use this..

Ps: it is a bit dirty but you know how much dust is attracts by plexy

[j0h]

After a lot of tests I was able to recreate the back cover

Finished

He didn't come fine but is not easy to work with the dremel on plexy and very small spaces

Part of left side panel

With the same method used previously I made a hole for a fan on the red plexy

Finished with red plexy

The right panel.

compared with the first to see if they were equal

the difference?..

The difference between the first and the second is made for the airflow

particular:

The mesh panel come from an HAF 932 5,25 bay cover

after I've finished the panels i glued all:

(Note the "weight battery" to keep the panel straight .... very useful to make modding the battery)

I must say that despite doubts about the strength of silicon, contrary to expectations, keeps very well.

[FrenkieNL]

Looks very good, nice hand work !

[Mad_Bull]

great work I follow with great interest joh

[j0h]

Thank you FrankieNL, I'm truly honored to receive compliments from an artist like you!

@Mad_Bull: grazie e ben ritrovato

ok back to work now.

I realized the support of the case. In this photo you see the first painting

Finished

Here it is in particular

So I decided to mount the legs to the case, and also make the holes for the motherboard.

here is the result

PC installed with the base (it is very dirty, needs a wash)

I made the hard disk support in plexy. I cut the plexy and I put 4 screws to secure it to 'Hard Disk.

I decided not to put the HD attached to the plexy to facilitate the recycling of air

In the case, the HD goes between the motherboard and the right panel pc,

The fan will be replaced and sleeved

[j0h]

I will replace the fan on the heatsink with this 4mm Cooler Master fan...

but i want to sleeve it first..

[j0h]

Fan sleeved:

[PaPang]

Hola jOh!

Small is beautiful and glad to see someone else use the Via Pico other than slipperyskip who has used these small wonders to make smashing mods like his Levels. Looking forward to seeing another small and tight mod.

Cheers and Saludos

[j0h]

Thank you so much PaPang! I'm happy to see you in my worklog.

So go ahead with the mod.

To cool the pc I had put fan so I created a support for the fan side:

After a long search I found the buttons

So I started sleeve some cables

in particular

and the SATA cable