Archive for October, 2009
HexxWear Had a New Facelift
The blog to my online stores have been remixed. Look forward to more new content coming soon.I will also be working on some new HexxWear designs and products.
How About Them Yankees?
Yankees seemed to have made a comeback from the last game. We shall see how the next one goes.
I added the RSS Feed from CNN for World Series News to my blog sidebar.
UBUNTU 9.10 Has Arrived!
Check out DistroWatch for LINUX distro releases and updates.
CarPC Project:Rear Exhaust Fan- Part 1
I started the exhaust fan modification to the rear panel of the console. I will complete this tomorrow. Here are the pics of the progress so far.
Tomorrow I will perform the sanding and clean up of the panel for the exhaust fan. Regarding the outside of the panel, I will be mounting a chrome laser cut grill. The design is in a way appropriately called an “Atomic Laser Cut Grill” (the motherboard is an ‘Intel Atom’) . It will be interesting to see this with the green LED shining through once my installation is complete.
CarPC Project: Intake Air Filter and Grill- Part 2
I completed the front intake air grill and filter. I used the 120mm fan filter/grill I had. I cut the gill in half and cut holes in the console so air can flow. I could not simply cut a large rectangle and attach the grill because I need to use the console to support the filter to avoid it from falling inside in the console over time due to the intake air flow.
CarPC Project: Intake Grill and Filter
I decided to ditch the top intake fans and will just install a simple grill with a filter. These are the pics of me preparing this next mod to my console.
I decided to use a 120mm filter/grill I have and cut it in half to fit the top part of the console. This will just help minimize dust from being pulled inside the console by the rear exhaust fan.
CarPC Project: Mid-Project Testing
I figured before I get carried away it would be good idea to hook things up again and test them. I want to make sure that the following were working: HDD LED, Reset Switch/LED, Front USB ports and 120mm LED fan.
In the photo below you can see the fan and LEDs are working. It’s a good thing I decided to test at this stage because I found that the latching LED switch definitely does not work well as a reset switch. I am replacing it with a 22mm diameter momentary button with LED. It will look identical only it will be momentary type vs. latching. I also was able to successfully test the new USB ports I mounted on the front panel.
CarPC Project: Possible Mount Location for M4-ATX PSU
Here are a few pics displaying where I may be mounting the Power Supply on the console. I am thinking of mounting across from the PC on the opposite wall of the console. I am thinking about getting the enclosure that is available for the M4-ATX and just use the base much like I’m using the case for the motherboard. The base will be attached to the console and the PSU would be attached to the enclosure base.
CarPC Project: Front USB Ports and HDD LED
Here are the pics from the latest completed task. I still need to do some minor cleanup (scratches and spacing) but the main work has been completed. These pics are of the USB ports that I mounted on the front lower console. I also mounted the HDD LED above the USB bracket.
I had to use a combination of tools and improvising to modify the panel. Of course I used a drill for the screw holes, but I also used it to partially make a hole for the USB ports. I drilled a total of 3 holes. I then intentially burned some of the plastic with a soldering iron to form a fairly decent rectangle. After that I cleaned it up with a file and the sander from my Dremel.
CarPC Project: Power Switch and Front USB Mount
This post contains the latest pics. I had to trim the console a bit more near the case so that the I/O panel connections can fit. I also mounted the reset switch and started on the USB mount for the front of the console. I decided to relocate the reset switch to the top of the console near the case. I cut a PC tower USB bracket with the Dremel so that it will fit properly on a flat service for the front console panel. I could not finish anything else since the charge ran out on my drill, which is pretty much essential for my current tasks.
