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V01D

Member

Registered: 2006-07-18

Posts: 128

DIY/DYO MediaCenter PC (mini-itx mobo)

Hi,
I wasn't really sure which subforum should I post this to, but anyway...

The other day (well, actually night) I kind off got obsessed with the idea of buying a mini-itx motherboard and do some really custom low-end PC. The main use would be to have mp3s and movies stored so I could play them with a remote. Of course I'll  have other uses for it, but that would be mainly it.

So, next monday I'll be getting an Intel D945 GCLF motherboard. After that I'll start with a 1G DDR2 667MHz memory. I've got a 350W PSU lying there already, so I'll use that one. Also there's an extra CD drive at home, so I can start by trying a LiveCD.

What I'm getting at with this is that I'm going to install Arch on it, because I think that, even if other distributions would be more suitable, I can't help it: I wan't a KISS distro like Arch on it, so I can tweak it as I want.

I'm hoping I can make it boot fast (so it actually feels like an appliance, not a PC that requires a keyboard to make it boot if something goes wrong).

My idea is to make a case from scratch with spare parts from other leftover ATX cases from work. I'll try to make a cube-case from that.

Regarding software, I'll try xbmc and elisa (they both look great, but I don't know if the hardware will take it).

I'll upload pics from the project as I get it going, if you archers are interested.

V01D

Member

Registered: 2006-07-18

Posts: 128

Re: DIY/DYO MediaCenter PC (mini-itx mobo)

Well, I've got a little more serious with the project.

I got the mobo:

(the Intel manual only serves structural purposes)

Yesterday I received a 320G Samsung SATAII 16MB 7200RPM drive, and a OCZ DDR2 80MHz 1G RAM. I took the necessary cables from empty cases and a PSU I had laying there. Everything hooked:

I forgot to connect the P4 connector, so when I turned it on, it didn't worked =b
After fixing that, I got into the BIOS:

that's a really professional look =b

I didn't installed anything yet since I'm missing a cable, but I'm going to wait until I build the case... too much hastle to install it like that.

I thought about it, and the case is going to be made of acrylic, with some metal parts taken from old cases (to make it tougher). I'm using Google Sketchup to design the case. My idea is to take this general design and adapt it to this bigger PSU, and the regular DVD and HD drives it will be using.
The last component I will buy (not for the moment) will be a wireless PCI card.

Will post some pictures of the design when it's more mature.

V01D

Member

Registered: 2006-07-18

Posts: 128

Re: DIY/DYO MediaCenter PC (mini-itx mobo)

This is the case design so far:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/ … 2a7f63ba02
I tried several other configurations but this is the one that actually make a little sense. Complete case dimensiones are: 180mm x 232mm x 337mm. Walls are 5mm thick.

Any opinions? I don't know if anyone is actually following this =\

jsgt

Member

Registered: 2009-03-16

Posts: 29

Re: DIY/DYO MediaCenter PC (mini-itx mobo)

I thought about it, and the case is going to be made of acrylic, with some metal parts taken from old cases (to make it tougher).

If you're not too concerned about the looks of the thing, ie having all the hardware visible, maybe you should consider getting a Shuttle case?

V01D

Member

Registered: 2006-07-18

Posts: 128

Re: DIY/DYO MediaCenter PC (mini-itx mobo)

I thought about it, and the case is going to be made of acrylic, with some metal parts taken from old cases (to make it tougher).

If you're not too concerned about the looks of the thing, ie having all the hardware visible, maybe you should consider getting a Shuttle case?

Those cases are a little hard to find on my country (and probably a little expensive). I don't really care about the looks, just the idea of designing my own case and building it