Mac Pro (late 2013) replica

[kiwisincebirth]

Hey guys,

...

The PSU arrived in the post today and is tiny, however I read the data sheet that came with the PSU, as well as estimated the total wattage consumption for the system and I am confident that the mini-itx PSU I have chosen will fit the bill perfectly.

I have drawn all the designs using vector graphics in Adobe Illustrator which I will post on my blog, as well as intend to post a step by step build guide. To clarify this is not my first Hackintosh build, and I don't mind getting my hands dirty with some Dremal dust haha.

Please let me know what you guys think.

your PSU choice is interesting. One of the issues of this approach is the external power supply. I haven't seen a nice looking power brick of this size, the common ones are those large industrial looking ones.

Another think to consider is other form factor power supplies

SFX 125 x 100 x 63 mm
TFX 175 x 85 x 65 mm
FLEX ATX 150 x 82 x 40 mm

Silverstone make a modular 450w SFX PSU that looks very good. The advantage is these PSUs is they include the AC conversion, so no external box sittinng under the desk, and also can generally provide more power, but of course are going to be slightly larger than the PSU you have, but the above give you some options that might fit your build.

Definitely Looking forward to seeing progress of your build, maybe time to start a new thread.

Kiwi

PS check out my post on ...
http://www.tonymacx86.com/hardware-parts/103860-low-profile-cpu-coolers.html

 

[bytesandbolts]

I agree the Nocua cooler does look small, but after reading quite a few reviews online I have only seen positive reviews about it. However the two other coolers I saw posted look very promising. I've decided to use the stock cooler for now and see how I get along with it..

Today I ordered the CPU, Mobo, RAM and SSD. Went for slightly more expensive RAM in the end, Corsair Vengeance low profile 16GB DDR3, £122.

I've also ordered some right angled aluminium in 2 different sizes to construct the core frame. I'm going to fabricate brackets where possible and join using bolts, with Expoxy Weld bond as a backup for any hard to reach areas. I plan to drill and tap into the thicker aluminium using an M3 tap, which will allow me to mount the motherboard directly to the frame using brass risers (good insulator).

I'm still unsure about whether to include a GPU or not, I know I will be happy with the integrated HD 4600, but I might just throw a GPU in just for the sake of it.

 

[JuanLobo]

This is what I picked for framing:

MakerBeam 300mm, pack of 4. Currently out of stock on Amazon, but they have other lengths that can be cut down, and in the EU, it may be even easier to get.

Also got the pack of MakerBeam bolts, bearings, self locking nuts (10). I won't use the bearings, but they could come in handy for some other project. I'm thinking the bolts are long enough to slide them into the v-rails, put on a locking nut as a logic board spacer, and then use the regular nuts to secure the logic board to the beams. I've got a plan for the back screw holes on the logic board. They are staggered, not in-line.

I like the idea of V-slot because I can infinitely adjust positions until I find just the right spot, then lock everything down.

Right now I am annoyed that the G10 glass epoxy sheet stock I ordered for the base plate and top plate is going to take forever to get here. I might substitute something else... 3mm hobby plywood if I have to.

Has your Lunar bin arrived yet? I would really like to get some accurate inside dimensions on it. Mine should arrive mid week. Inside diameter and inside height would help firm up drawings.

 

[bytesandbolts]

Ahh that maker beam stuff looks cool, nice that we are each doing it different ways.

Where did you order your sheet plastic from? I've been looking at 5mm black glossy plastic off ebay for the top plate and bottom plates. I'm hoping to have both sets of plate fins laser cut from 5mm aluminium if I can find somewhere in London that does cutting reasonable. Worked out that I will need 120 fins, 60 per plate.

Yes my Lunar has arrived. It might help you more if I say that the casing is 5mm thick, so you can work out all the sizes using the external dimensions. But I will upload some of my technical drawings to my blog now if they will help you?

Where about's in Europe are you? I'm in the UK.

 

[JuanLobo]

I'm in the US, but I didn't want to ignore that you and others are not, and may want EU alternatives for ordering items.

I ordered the glass epoxy from Cross Nail Laminates. I've heard it is very hard to cut, you have to use tools designed for hard steel, or ceramic.

What I HOPE to do for the bottom is make a plaster cast of the curved cylinder end of the lunar, and make a copy of it in a hard epoxy, and then cut the vents in it. Still sorting out how to reinforce the epoxy, a few have suggested glass fiber powder. JB Weld epoxy cures to a very hard and sandable surface, but it is also brittle.

As a backup, a coworker has a CNC sign machine that can handle some plastics.

As a last resort, 3d printing might be an option. I've heard that one-off parts aren't too terribly expensive, but my 3d layout skills are just soso. I know just enough Maya to pull it off, but then it would have to be converted to .STL for printing, and the results are less than stunning unless you can find someone with something better than a PLA extrusion printer.

 

[sascha288]

UPDATE:
Upgrade to i5 4760k!!
greetings from Austria

 

[JuanLobo]

Sascha, is it still staying cool?

 

[JuanLobo]

The Thermalright AXP-100 showed up today, and it fits perfectly, even turned sideways so the fins are parallel to the airflow. RAM height is not an issue. It is one sweet little heatsink. At double the price it better be.

The Authentics Lunar also showed up. Wow, that is some thick and tough plastic.

If anyone is considering using MakerBeam for internal framing, it does work well, but if I had it to do over again, I would have picked OpenBeam. Very similar, but doesn't use proprietary screws, and it has a hole down the middle that you can screw into from the end with self tapping screws, or by tapping it.

BytesandBolts, Maybe I'm missing something obvious, where is your blog?

 

[vinnycordeiro]

Made a 3D file for the base for those lucky guys who have access to a 3D printer. Made it in Autodesk 123D, freely available on Autodesk site: http://www.123dapp.com/design

It can be improved, the junction of the base plate with the fins is probably quite weak, but I wanted to post this version 1.0 file.

Preview:



STL file (zipped) View attachment base.zip

 

[JuanLobo]

Vinny, thanks for pointing out 123d. That program does exactly what I wanted!

It also works a lot like an ancient mac 3d program I used to use. It felt almost natural to use.

I LOVE the online app. The offline application, not so much. But, took a picture in the offline application as it renders better.