jedihobbit
Rated XXX
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 Posted: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:33:54 Post Subject: |
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04/14/07 – Mid Morning
One of the outstanding issues I had at this time was hooking up the front mic & audio jacks. As BluHaz reDux was to become a folder/extra LAN rig/Print Server figured front headphones made more sense. The case has sufficient time on it that I had lost any documentation (had not hooked it up earlier as I was using the rear jack on the 7NIL1). Also were having cranial infarction issues with the plug ids vs. the audio header pin-outs.
With that over a done with, it was time to start tidying up the cables……..
Of course as Murphy would have it everything I had figure out with the Chaintech 7NIL1 was null and void. None of the IDE headers were even close to being in the same places! The mobo power connector was even on the opposite sides of the mobo! One major foresight (and wallet buster) I did have concerned the PSU mobo power cables. Enermax, to me anyway, has always had very long cables and as one can see “there ain’t much room”. So when I had performance-pcs sleeve the Liberty 400W PSU cables, I had them shorten the 24-pin and mobo +12V cables 6” – 8” (the only ones not modular). Made a major difference as you will see later. Tried to use the rounded IDE & FDD cables from before, but that again was another story. The FDD header was closer and the IDE header(s) further from the units. Okay, the floppy cable was a little longer, not too bad, leaving the optical drive “short” but reachable. However it just “didn’t appeal” in the looks department and would somewhat interfere with the SATA headers and “other stuff”. Also at the drive it made for a somewhat tight fit with the PSU cable sockets.
  
Had a similar issue with my FDD cable in DreamCatcher and someone suggested I go retro and use a ribbon cable under the mobo. Did something else there, but the idea was still “floating” around between the ears. Also remembered an article in Maximum-PC
talking about how (Voodoo or Northwest) must have origami experts on staff to do such a great job at folding the ribbon cables to avoid clutter, so my turn!! But first, it couldn’t be the stock funky gray, this is a clear case! Krylon has a cool paint called “Fusion” designed for plastics (done correctly it won’t flake off) and is actually fairly flexible. Just so happened to have a can of blue on the shelf…….
 
While the folds would have been neater/better had I done this before installing the mobo, in this enclosure there is no easy way to remove it. I do think it did get the job done nicely though! From the mobo header to the optical drive (had the PSU out at the time) to behind the mobo.
  
Now on to the modular power cables and they presented another issue. Besides the “Enermax length” they come with what is called an “eternity pair” (2 per cable) consisting of a SATA connector matched with a standard 4-pin molex. The theory being not knowing what the cable will be powering, you’ve got a choice.
Don’t remember how, but I was able to get away with powering everything using only two cables (don’t you just love molex feed thru connectors - NOT! Tell you why shortly). One cable (I think) powered the optical drive & FDD, maybe something else. With the other the fan controller, temp gage, and HDD cooler. Can’t remember how power got to the Raptor though!?! All I know is the “extra” SATA connectors definitely got in the way. Throw in the “pretty heat shrink” and there wasn’t much flex! Also where I could have used length was between connects. With all of the extra length of the two cables crammed under the optical drive. On the plus side, I’m very glad all of the power cables were not “hard wired”! Of course in the mean time the “minor” power lines have to find their place. It sure filled up quickly! Now that I had everything in place and all tidy it was time to power up and start loading the OS, and “stuff” to start testing and of course OC’ING………
only to have the system power up without the fans, meter, HDD cooler, and something else. Luckily all major components fired up. So started un-tucking and un-hiding cables and connectors, which causes intermittent power. Okay must be the feed thru connectors, so these get separated and all kinds of combinations tried to no avail. By doing different hookups was starting to loose some minor things LIKE THE HDD! It is getting late in the evening, I not feeling all that good, I’m trying to run, test, and start oc’ing DreamCatcher, wife is starting to loose it as I’ve been in my office all day “playing with computers”, AHHHH! Time to stop and back off! Needless to say no pictures of a finished product!
07/14/07 – Much Later
After supper, quality time with the wife, and time to chill and think about other options, had an inspiration. I had checked almost every connector and cable - except for one: A Enermax factory cable. It seems the first molex in line was doing its job, but not the end one. On closer inspection it appears one of the pins was “backing out” not making positive contact.
 
Replaced a different cable and “Houston, we have liftoff”.
Buy this time I was really beat and it has gotten into the next day. Also still playing with oc’ing DreamCatcher and that had its own issues, so the h with it, going to bed! |
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