Latest mod nearing completion

[polarys425]

I decided that i wanted something portable, but full functioning, and no loss of tinkerability- something a laptop doesnt offer.

with this, i can play games, watch movies, backup cd's and dvd's anywhere i can plug it in.

at first i was gonna use a pistol case i found at Walmart, but it was a bit small and i was having some issues with getting everything in it that i wanted.

then i was in Toys-R-Us Christmas shopping when i found a carrying case made for the X-Box. needless to say i left there with stuff for the kid, along with the case for me. by the way the pistol case would actually fit inside this thing.

anyways, heres the specs:

Compaq 15" LCD
Abit NF7-S
XP 1800+ @2205
1 gig PC3200
Nvidia FX 5200 video card (card had to be low profile)
Lite on 411s dual format DVD writer
WD 40gb
WD 160gb 8mb cache
Antec 400w PSU
Swiftech heatsink
Logitech wireless optical mouse
Zippy brand usb keyboard

i'll post more pics if theres enough interest.

[ishiii]

Thats preety sweet dude
Is that a combonation lock on the front?
Show some more pics, some in progress pics if you have them

[hooj]

that looks sweet, like something out of Mission Impossible

[mmonnin]

Dude, thats awesome.

[GnomeWizardd]

OMG I want!

[Dragstk]

Very nice ! :respect:
some construction shots would be nice

[Mr_Bojingles]

That is SWEET!

I would like to see some more pics!

Good work :thumbsup:

[Al_Capown]

Well done!

[keto]

VERY sweet and yes, we'd love to see some in-progress shots!@1:thumbsup: :cool:

[CyrixInstead]

Niiiice!! More piccys from different angles? I'd like to see the system exhaust and the ports on the back please!!!

~Cyrix

[polarys425]

ishiii had this to say
Thats preety sweet dude
Is that a combonation lock on the front?
Show some more pics, some in progress pics if you have them

yeah, it was part of the case.

[polarys425]

heres the the cpu cooling setup. it was actually some kinda 5.25" drive bay fan that i found at a local computer store. i covered it in adhesive backed foam to cut down on resonation. as is the case is lined with it also.

[polarys425]

the rear of the case where it pulls air in.

[polarys425]

i tied the power for the LCD into the power supply so that there is only one power cord. also seen the rj45 connector that was made for a wall mount plate.

[polarys425]

the DVD writer currently sports a plain DVD drive face because im saving the original black face for another possible project later on.

i'll pull the face and paint it after im done with everything to prevent scratching it up.

[polarys425]

a full view of the back. only two external connections, the power cord, and network.

one thing i havent finished is the power supply mounting. the three pieces of aluminum are temporary until i get a piece big enough to make a full trim ring.

[polarys425]

heres a look at the drive brackets.

1

[polarys425]

2

[polarys425]

3

[polarys425]

i used balsa wood to hold the top cover/keyboard tray for its extreme light weight.

[polarys425]

more of the keyboard tray. the keyboard can be lifted out and used on a table, lap etc.

[leishi85]

just one question??, how is the mouse connected.

[polarys425]

power and reset buttons, power and hd LEDs. also one of the front air intakes.

[polarys425]

leishi85 had this to say
just one question??, how is the mouse connected.

cordless, the receiver is inside between the drives and the front of the case.

[polarys425]

usb ports courtesy of the 3.5" mounted usb that came with my Lian-Li.

[Enverex]

Thats a really nice job. Though, if money had permitted, would you have used a 17" LCD? As it looks like it will have fitted, and I doubt it would weigh much more...

[polarys425]

things i stll have left to do:

mount a memory card reader
internal mouse storage pocket
trim ring for power supply
paint DVD writer face

i also found a source where i can get a ribbon cabled PCI adapter that will allow me to lay down a PCI card, or with some modification remote mount a PCI card. so i may wind up adding in a wireless nic since i already have a wireless access point hooked to my router.

Thanks for all the positive comments guys.

i hope what ive done provides you guys some ideas and inspiration.

[polarys425]

Enverex had this to say
Thats a really nice job. Though, if money had permitted, would you have used a 17" LCD? As it looks like it will have fitted, and I doubt it would weigh much more...

i thought about that too.... but i already had the 15.

but since i used the wall mount studs on the back of the LCD to mount it to the lid of the case, i can always put a 17 in later with little trouble.

[Al_Capown]

Will it be folding?

[Enverex]

Al_Capown had this to say
Will it be folding?

I doubt it would be best for something like that in that casing environment to fold as I doubt it needs the extra constant heat in it.

[Al_Capown]

Enverex had this to say
Al_Capown had this to say
Will it be folding?

I doubt it would be best for something like that in that casing environment to fold as I doubt it needs the extra constant heat in it.


Well, I would doubt it too except for a few things I noticed.

1) He has it overclocked.
2) It's either an Alpha8045 or Swiftech MX462 Heatsink.
3) It's ducted.
4) Ambient temps shouldn't be too high since there is no huge video card.

[Geeky1]

Looks excellent. Very, very nice job.

I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, but a few things have stopped me:
1. Lack of funds for an 18"+ LCD (I require 1280x1024 bare minimum, 1600x1200 preferable)
2. Haven't found a case that I want to use
3. Haven't felt like making my own case

[fudgam]

Looks bad-a** man. Nice work.

[polarys425]

thanks again guys for the nice comments.

anyone know if theres any such thing as a usb to pcmcia adapter?

i found a pci card type, otherwise its a pci card in which the pcmcia slot would be on the rear of a normal case. but seeing as my pci slots arent available to use and even if i could use them, the way my board is mounted it wouldnt do me any good.

so i'd like to be able to plug a pcmcia device into usb if theres such an adapter. i have a couple wireless pcmcia cards here, it be nice to be able to use one in this computer.

[Enverex]

Apparently this is actually USB 2 - http://www.provantage.com/buy-7cmsp01h-usb-pcmcia-converter-cms-peripherals-abs-systems-u-shopping.htm

Some sites seem to just label that as a converter, others say it is just for CMS and ABS items, so I would have a look around a bit more first.

[CyrixInstead]

polarys that is one amazing mod. I'd pay money for a computer like that!

~Cyrix

[ishiii]

yes it is a very sweet case.
Nice work

[FormFactor]

dude that is kickass!!!

I likes a lot!!!! How much will the end result cost? if you dont mind my asking.

[polarys425]

dude that is kickass!!!

I likes a lot!!!! How much will the end result cost? if you dont mind my asking.

to duplicate it as i have it would take about $1400 to build from scratch. you could however use smaller HD's, less memory, etc to cut costs.

specs as it is:

15" Compaq LCD
NF7-S rev2
1gig pc3200
Athlon 2600+ tbred
Swiftech MC462+ heatsink
Aopen 5200 graphic card
40gb WD (system drive)
160gb WD SE (storage)
Lite-on 411s DVD writer
logitech wireless mouse
Zippy mini keyboard
Antec 400w PSU
X-box carrying case (turn computer case)
fan duct
couple fans, and all the other misc stuff

[panzerkw]

Most impressive... :wow2:

[QCH]

Very nice.... It's a laptop with many of the problems corrected. Almost like to old "portable Computers" of the early 90's. The "breadbox" laptops. They weighted, like 20 lbs, blue and white screen that popped out and a full sized keyboard.

[edcentric]

Nice work polarys, a true 'transportable'.
I knew a guy with a 486 that he built a wooden box for. I like the 'tech' look of yours.

[NoFuture]

Very very nice work here!!!

Congrats!!!

[MAGIC]

nice :)