computer inside cabinet

RonnyRage

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hey guys

any thoughts on how hard it may be to take a dell tower I have and take the parts and put them on a shelf inside my cabinet instead of in the tower inside my tabinet? The tower is too big to fit inside it.

basically, I want the entire machine to be the tower. I saw yourmameman do it.



-=edit=-
I totally mis categorized this. sorry boyz
 
That sounds easy enough. Just depends how you want to mount the board and components in there. Mount the board on standoffs just like it is in the case. Drives you could probably fabricate or repurpose some type of small 'rack' to keep it off the floor. If you're handy with metal, you could chop the case and just put the parts of it you need where you need them.
 
What you can also do, which works really well, is find a junk case that has a removable motherboard tray. Then, you can simply mount the tray and screw in the mb. If you have any Dremel experience, you could also cut a regular case for the same effect.

When I built my MAME machine a few years back, I pulled a tray out of a Lian Li case and it worked well.
 
When I built my mame I put a computer inside an old stern cab annd wired an external on/off button. I want to add another cooling fan and I really wish the monitor, speakers, and computer were on one power cord but I'm not quite that knowlegable about computers and electronics. I put all the computer stuff up on the top behing the marquee and cut a small vent into the roof. Its easier to access the parts standing up and the heat can go right out
 
I built my MAME that way, I had to hack a case to mount the hard drives. Looking back I should have left the case. It would be easier to work on if I can remove it and put it with another monitor / keyboard.
 
Just do something like this:

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Very easy, I fit mine in the podium piece of a showcase cabinet. Just make sure you have at least 1 fan to vent the cabinet..I used 2 120mm fans and mounted one on the bottom to blow air in, and one on top to exhaust the hot air out. Just get some of those motherboard mounting feet.
 
You might want to dress properly for this thread... :D

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But yeah, all of the components can be removed from a case and attached to the wood with some sort of insulation from the wood. (wood is actually capable of transmitting current) SupaDave's picture is a perfect example. Looks like the inside of an "Awesome Arcades" machine to me.
 
I used to contract out for dell repair in th elate 90s.

just so you know, some of the older black dell towers and most of the white ones have special tri-wing screws holding the motherboard to the chase. (looks liek phillips but only 3 slots).

If you dont feel like buying that bit to get it off, you can take the rest of the chase apart, and just attach the side of the dell to your cab.

It will just look like your MBs on a tray and you screw the tray to the wood.
 
Only thing is, make sure you secure the graphics cards when you move it... If you can get away with an integrated graphics card and other periferals, you won't have any problems.

Good call. I forgot to mention that. I fabbed a metal upside-down 'V-wing' to keep the vid card stabilized on mine...
 
I've done a couple MAME cabs and in my opinion spreading the parts out is a waste of time. It just takes longer to accomplish the same thing, and you end up with less stability and reliability out of the computer and parts. It feels cooler and is more hands-on, but that's it.

Only in some cases does it take up less room. I would argue that if room is an issue, get a smaller form factor PC case.
 
Right angle brackets work AWESOME for screwing down all your peripherals such as hard drives and the power supply.

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I don't recall the exact size I have used, something like 3/4" or 1" brackets, but the holes line up perfectly, you just need some very thin washers or widehead screws that will fit the holes in the drives.
 
I've actually read that it's better to keep the computer in it's case as the case is designed for best air flow and cooling. Check out byoac for mame build questions
 
Only thing is, make sure you secure the graphics cards when you move it... If you can get away with an integrated graphics card and other periferals, you won't have any problems.

It's an arcade vga card in the photo.. Unfortunetly there isn't an onboard version. Your're right though about securing it. I usually just remove it when moving cause that's the only part to worry about. I supose you could find an onboard nvidea that supports the softmod for 15khz. IDK..
 
It's an arcade vga card in the photo.. Unfortunetly there isn't an onboard version. Your're right though about securing it. I usually just remove it when moving cause that's the only part to worry about. I supose you could find an onboard nvidea that supports the softmod for 15khz. IDK..

Yes, damn near any video card made in the last 8 years will work with Soft15khz. I can't even fathom buying an ArcadeVGA, they're a waste of money.
 
I've actually read that it's better to keep the computer in it's case as the case is designed for best air flow and cooling. Check out byoac for mame build questions

I'm not sure I agree with this. As long as you keep the CPU cooler(s) in place, I really can't see how decasing the PC would cause it to get warmer. Moving other heat sources (like the power supply, hard drives, etc further away from the mobo can only help. My mobo rebooted constantly from overheating when used inside the PC case inside my cab. When I decased it and mounted it to the side of the cab, the rebooting stopped.

Of course I also mounted a 120mm scythe fan blowing directly on the CPU heatsink too. THAT wouldn't have fit inside the low profile case I was using.
 
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