Portable Desktop

[imp558]

I just joined the forum, and I tend to do some wierd things being a long time technician and closet robotics enthusiast. Hopefully you guys will appreciate my portable desktop. After stuff I had laying around it cost me about $300. These pics don't show the chrome trim around the monitor (added later), and the switches and indicators are on a piece of aluminium under the monitor now. I still need a grill over the power supply vent, and some pretty little chains in place of the hunks of wire that help support the lid. The next step will be to install my device programmer so it just shows a socket and indicator, and some black paint on the monitor brackets. The monitor is safely behind a piece of Lexan but it's hard to see.
The reason for this project is that I dual boot, which is easier from 2 seperate drives, and I need a third drive to use for storage of gigs and gigs of schematics. The drive in the middle was to be my windows drive but I found it had given up the ghost so a new WD3200 lives there now. The whole thing sends a little warm air out the back but nothing gets hot.
Hope you like..............
http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o168/imp558/PortableDesktop/
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The only foolish question is one that is left unasked.

[Turd]

Welcome, imp558

Wow, cool case mod!


eric

[Alan]

Very nice mod!

[imp558]

I'm glad you guys appreciate it. I'm in the process of installing an network jack externally if I can find them. Once everything is completed I'll update my photobucket.
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The only foolish question is one that is left unasked.

[ginbot86]

Shouldn't be too hard. They have short Ethernet extension cords, or Ethernet jacks for assembling onto a small PCB.
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Jason the elite

[PhotonicGuy]

Very impressive, practical and ... funny

[imp558]

It's been 8 years and the computer is still used daily, the last couple of years it hasn't left the shop but it still runs and works every day. It's been through 3 motherboard upgrades and now runs SSD drives but the over all form and function is the same.

Just googling around tonight and I find a lot of links and stolen photos of it, really surprising how cruel people can be with the comments and criticism.

Oh well, in the end I had a portable PC back in 2008 that booted two operating systems from their own drives and another drive just for data. It was more upgradable than any laptop on the market then or now and it served me, and continues to serve me well.
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The only foolish question is one that is left unasked.

[imp558]

This has been running for years with occasional upgrades. I finally got around to removing the old Main board and replacing it with a little Foxconn. It's got onboard serial which is one reason I like this over a laptop since those USB adapters never really work right.
I no longer need to dual boot it but I left power for a second drive (using SSD now of course and the one that's in there is secured to the front of the case).
I suppose ten more could go in there if I really wanted them too now that the actual computer takes up so little space in there.
Also upgraded the power supply with one twice the power and the same size.
I was surprised the power supply had the same general layout and mounting points on it's main board as the old one. I guess I assumed they'd be proprietary.
The little Foxconn isn't doing any gaming but for a work horse PC it's the bomb.

I also made a new cover for it, this time I didn't leave provisions for the keyboard to go inside. The portable really hasn't left work in a couple of years so it wasn't necessary. At least it's still feasible to take it with me should the need arise.







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The only foolish question is one that is left unasked.