About to attempt first casemod. Any tips on securing the PSU?

[Seamus]

Hi there!
First post here (long-time lurker), I'm currently in the process of buying parts to build my first ever Hackintosh system. I've done as much research on the subject as I can, and having built and maintained PCs before, am confident that for the most part, building a system like this is well within my competency.

However, one question I have which so far I have not been able to find an answer to is how best to secure an ATX PSU into the G5 case. I've looked at plenty of documented builds, but all I've read seem to either go the route of splicing the bare ATX supply into the G5's original PSU housing (which I don't particularly want to do); or leave the PSU 'resting' inside the case, not secured to anything.

My current plan is to place the PSU at roughly the bottom-front of the case, so that it takes air through the G5's front grille, but I'm worried about it moving and possibly damaging the motherboard if I had to move the unit for whatever reason.

So yeah, looking for suggestions on ways I could fix the PSU in place. Thanks in advance!

 

[sonicseamus]

Another Seamus! Why didn't I sign up for that username??

Anyway, what I'm doing with my G5 mod is putting the PSU upside-down up where the HDD bay is originally. It fits perfectly into that top shelf, and all you have to do is dremel out a hole for the fan and drill some screw holes for it. I don't know if it'll work with your setup, but it seems like a pretty easy option to me.

Here's how I did it:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/powermac-g5/72462-sonicseamuss-g5-mod.html#post518516

 

[Wolfie81]

Get velcro from a hardware store. Thats what I did. I put 3 strips of it under the PSU to attach to the case, but it was far too difficult to remove, so I cut it back to one and its still a **** to remove.

But at least it holds.

 

[phatosen]

Get velcro from a hardware store. Thats what I did. I put 3 strips of it under the PSU to attach to the case, but it was far too difficult to remove, so I cut it back to one and its still a **** to remove.

But at least it holds.

This should work, but from my very limited knowledge of how electronics work and what I've been reading on these forums - the PSU wouldn't be grounded from this method. It needs to have some way of conducting to the case, no? So either you need to have the power cable itself split so the ground wire can touch the case this way, or the PSU needs to actually touch the metals of the case, preferably by screwing it. I have NO idea if this is true, or if it actually makes a difference to the parts of the computer, so I will wait for someone with actual knowledge to comment on this - but I thought it was worth mentioning, and perhaps get the discussion going.

Just as Sonicseamus, I plan to attach my PSU in the top back of the case, where the HDDs originally were - and since I haven't grounded my cable, I plan on securing the PSU by screwing it to the metal tray the optical drive and HDDs are resting on.

 

[Seamus]

Thanks a ton for the suggestions so far! This has already been super-helpful

Get velcro from a hardware store. Thats what I did. I put 3 strips of it under the PSU to attach to the case, but it was far too difficult to remove, so I cut it back to one and its still a **** to remove.
But at least it holds.

I'd genuinely never thought of velcro! That may well be the solution I'm looking for, cheers!

This should work, but from my very limited knowledge of how electronics work and what I've been reading on these forums - the PSU wouldn't be grounded from this method. It needs to have some way of conducting to the case, no?

I'm pretty sure the PSU would be grounded through the mains circuit, wouldn't it? I may be wrong here as my knowledge of electrical devices is pretty shonky, but if the computer is plugged in at the mains, then I'm sure that would be your path of least resistance. I guess it would only be a problem if you unplug, and static builds up.
That said, I could very well be mistaken, if anybody knows better than me then feel free to chime in!

 

[Wolfie81]

Im pretty sure it grounds through the power cord to the wall.

 

[rehpotsirhc]

I cut a hole where the HDD cage was and used longer self tapping screws to attach the psu through it's bottom mounted fan (pictured). Because I was only screwing into the plastic of the fan mostly and any metal was painted I split my incoming power cable's ground and attached it to a nearby structural case screw (not pictured).

 

[Dschijn]

I just placed it in the upper area without securing it. There is NO way that a regular ATX PSU can fall out, it will just slide a few millimeter. Especially if you store the PSU cables between PSU and the "Superdrive" will there be enough tension on the PSU to "press" it to the back.

 

[Seamus]

Thanks again for all the tips and ideas My plan, which I'll hopefully be able to stick to pretty closely now, is to attempt the mod without cutting and to stick as faithfully to the G5's original layout and airflow setup as possible. As such, the PSU will needed to be mounted in the bottom, with the exhaust fan facing upwards. I know that's not ideal on setups that run quite hot, but I'm hopeful that can be mitigated by having the PSU draw cool air from the front of the chassis, and some additional front and rear fans to ensure the CPU and graphics card are kept cool.

But yeah, the layout I'm going for means unless my current plan goes spectacularly wrong, I won't be going for the option of securing the PSU in the top back. I understand the reasons for people doing this, but it's just not something I want to attempt at this stage.

Anyway, enough yapping from me, my parts should be arriving sometime next week, so I shall post a build thread when I can get going.

Cheers!

 

[kiwisincebirth]

I'm pretty sure the PSU would be grounded through the mains circuit, wouldn't it?

Yes the PSU itself will be grounded, (assuming earth wire is properly connected) meaning you will be protected against a fault inside the PSU itself. But the computer case itself wont be grounded. If you don't screw the PSU to the G5 chassis, I would highly recommend an earthing wire be connected from the G5 chassis to the PSU case.

This is really a safety concern to protect you from an electrical fault, it is standard practice and generally legislated for in most western societies. Not trying to play policeman, just want you to Keep it Safe.

Here is a reasonable article on the subject. Look at Figure 4 for comparison.
http://cnx.org/content/m42416/latest/