The Receiver case mod

After mentally streching the Detectron in all kinds of directions, it has been decided to convert the receiver part into a small computer. This makes it a pretty major case mod, although it's more like a case genesis for a proper nut case. Everything in the case has to cleared out and built anew. In this post the design and components of this computer will be described.

It turns out that the size of the case is quite limiting for fitting in a decent general purpose computer. The mini-ITX form factor is needed for the motherboard, sporting only 170x170 mm, as well as a smaller power supply unit. Apart from the concern of physically fitting all the components inside the case, heat could very well be a problem in such a confined space. From this under-researched gut feeling it was decided that a i5-4570S processor could be suitable, were the S means lower power consumption - meaning less heat output. To complement this, a high-end but low profile Noctua CPU fan was chosen, along with a smaller Noctua case fan. Solid state drives make little heat and take little space, so this was an easy choice.

• ASUS H81I-Plus LGA1150 Socket, LGA1150 Socket Mini ITX  
• Intel Core i5 4570S / 2.9 GHz processor 
• Samsung 840 EVO MZ-7TE250 250GB 2.5" Serial ATA-600
• FSP 1U 220W ATX12V
• Kingston ValueRAM DIMM 240-pin 8GB 1600MHz CL11
• Noctua NH-L9i
• Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX

So how does it all fit together? Let me present a little mockup...

The mini-ITX motherboard and small power supply unit just about fit in side by side, it the bottom of the case. The Detectron should be standing when operating, and all connections will come out of the right side of the box. Now because the case inner height is only 62 mm, it is going to be very interesting to squeze in the SSD and other things in a second layer. We also need some space for air to flow trough for cooling.

Now there was just a mention of other things, and there is one thing in the sketchup that hasn't been presented. Yes, what is meant is the circuit board sitting on top of the power supply unit. This is a USB I/O board, from the possibly (haven't tried yet) excellent company phidgets. From the Detectron introduction post we see that the old knobs sported very large electronics on the backside to create their functionality. Now we cannot keep those while filling the case with a whole computer, and also we have no idea of how they work, but we still want them to be functional! Therefore, a phidgets I/O board, a phidgets analog output board, and some phidgets switches and sensors will be used instead to retain functional knobs and buttons. What exactly they will be used for is another topic, suggestions would be welcome!