Lexan Mini ITX PC
Posted: July 20, 2009 | Author: ilya | Filed under: Computers | Tags: homebrew computer, lexan, mini itx, nettop | Leave a comment »Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home/atticdweller/cunningturtle.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-flickr-manager/FlickrManager.php on line 335
Notice how it makes almost no noise when it’s on. If you walked into the room you wouldn’t be able to tell that there is a computer there too.
Cooling
The dual core Atom motherboard used to have a small fan on it that cooled the graphics processor. That was removed and a 140mm Scythe fan was placed on top of the entire motherboard. Why such a ridiculously large fan? Because it’s quiet. Rate at 10dB, it is the quietest fan that I have found for sale and it happened to be 140mm big. So I worked with it, and it turned out to do an amazing job at cooling the whole computer.
I was worried at first. While this big fan does move a lot of air, it moves it over a large area. The original 10mm fan sat directly on the chipset heat sink, providing localized cooling, which I was afraid the big fan might not match. I’m glad it worked out well in the end when I finally assembled everything and tried it out.
The 80 watt Pico power supply I used is over 95% efficient and produces almost no heat.
The front of the computer has the power button. No USB ports or sd card readers. I was satisfied with just having 4 USB ports in the back. I used this computer as a media PC. I have a projector connected to it as well as a wireless mouse and keyboard.
And finally, The stats:
- Dual core 1.6Ghz Atom processor
- Integrated video card
- 1 Gig ram
- 80 Gig hard drive
- 80 Watt Power supply
- Awesome lexan case
- Under $250
Control a unipolar-wired stepper motor with a PWM signal using this original kit from Cunning Turtle
Hi,
Can you tell me how tall you made the case? I’m trying to make the same case out of plywood 🙂
Really nice build there especially the case. Did make it or buy it?
Hey,
I’m also thinking about making an Atom system, although with a few changes:
Instead of a hard drive – I want to use a 8gb disk on key
Loved the idea with the power supply, would appreciate to hear more since it’s probably the trickiest part in the system!
I’m working on designing/building a case that is remarkably similar! I’m going to laser-cut it from bamboo and it will basically interlock together instead of using metal brackets. I’m curious, did you laser-cut the lexan? The cuts look very clean. Good work!
Here’s a link to mine (work in progress): http://leastcommon.com/elf-prototype/