The TunerPC -56k warning

[Howard]

Right my project is to basically mod my MP3/Internet Radio PC into something hifi-sized.

So I found an old tuner in my loft and decided to use that.

The dimensions are rather small; 42cm x 23.5cm x 9cm.

I've been working on it today and I've come to the end of the modding I'm able to do as I'm trying to find a Half Height AGP card with TV out, and a PCI riser for the soundcard.

So far the motherboard has been mounted and so has the HDD. The PSU is gonna have to be made external.

Right for some pics:


This is the PSU. Nicely modified to have only the necessary cables


The innards of the PC so far. That hard drive isn't mounted too well ATM, hence it's a bit lop-sided


You can see here that the Riva TNT is too tall to fit in the case with the lid on


...But it should look like this (without the slight bend ) when it's done and closed.


Here's the back of the PC. Feel the elite power of that Pentium 2


This is the particle-board back panel. Gotta cut out the appropriate holes for the ports, but can't do them all till I've got the right cards in the right place. Done the Network and PS2 ports though


And the last pic for now is the front panel. Needs a slight bit of cleaning, and I might re-spray it to remove scratches. Dunno yet. Gonna drill a hole for an LED too.

Well there you have it. I'll update this thread as I do stuff. Sort of like a mini worklog.

[Jonny M]

nice carpet

[Steve]

That carpet is nasty; the rug is awesome!

Nice work there - are you sure the sound card is gonna fit under that hard drive once you stick it on a riser? I'd have been tempted to put the HDD over the memory.

[Howard]

I considered this. The HDD will be moved over the memory if the soundcard doesn't fit.

Thing is it's all plastic by the memory, so mounting will be more difficult.

We shall see!

[wedge22]

Hows this mod going then mate?

[Howard]

Ah yes, some updates.

I've got a low profile graphics card now, an ATi Radeon 7500. Just waiting for a PCI riser card for the soundcard now.

The HDD has been moved to above the RAM. And it's now got a PIII 450MHz, turning it into a DiVX/Music/Internet Radio machine. HTPC. Lol.

I've also sprayed part of the Plexiglass front, makes it look much better.

Pics soon

[SilentDeath]

Looks great, but we need pics of the sprayed front

[Howard]

Well remind me later And I'll take some. Lol

[Howard]

Front shown here.


Top-down view of the components.


Screws going through the plastic (the actual bit I sprayed, behind that of the front panel ) to allow me to attach and detach the HDD.


Pretty much what it will look like when done. Except the cover clearly needs a second coat of paint. Lol.


Low profile graphics card and NIC shown here.

[Howard]

More updates.


Second coat of paint on the lid. Looks much tidier now.
Got a nice new back panel made of MDF too.


New back panel in place.


Different angle.


From inside.


With the lid on, back view.


It's not perfect in these pictures. I screwed the back panel on (losely) over the top of all the mobo connectors. It kinda bulges outward cos I haven't made holes yet. That's what you can see in the photos. Lol.

The screws that held the original back panel in weren't quite long enough to fit through the MDF (the new MDF is 6mm btw), so I nicely countersunk where the screw heads go, so they're flush with the MDF now.

And I need to do something about that sticker. Lol.

[Howard]

Just spent £30 on a Media Center Edition remote control. It's far too easy to spend money. Lol.


Couple of problems at the moment... Noise, and (what I think is) static.

It's not too noisy. But it's audible. If I 7v the CPU fan, the system becomes unstable

And sometimes the PC resets itself whilst sitting on my floor. It also was doing it last night if I touched the medal side of the case. I'm guessing this is grounding and/or static. I won't use it on the carpet in future. Lol. I hope it doesn't do it when it's finished

[Steve]

Try underclocking the CPU. Or undervolt it slightly to reduce heat output. If it's stable when undervolted without underclocking, then 7V the fan and see how it copes. If it's unstable when undervolted, clock it down a bit if you can.

I know it will reduce performance but as long as it still decodes DivX...

Also, try oiling the fan bearing, that usually makes them quieter.

[Howard]

I've oiled the fan. It works nicer now than it did. I'll try undervolting it. If the BIOS will let me. Lol.

[Goreblast]

Im gonna try the same with an old Pace satellite receiver i got - far smaller than the above unfortunately.

[Howard]

Holes cut for the Parallel, Serial, PS2 ports. Also the graphics and Network. Gotta wait till my PCI Riser arrives (hopefully tomorrow ) to do the holes for my Soundcard, as I'm not sure of the exact position yet.

Gonna make some sort of indentation in the top of the MDF for the PSU cables though. Seeing as it's external


Nearly done now


The holes in the back panel aren't perfectly finished. They're a bit wobbly-shaped, some of them. But seeing as it's the back it doesn't matter

[turkster]

Nice job Howard.