Christmas Day Desktop A1200 PPC hacking

Howdy Folks!

Fitzie's here to break the silence on an otherwise quite day on the forums!

So I've got a few hours before I go to the inlaws and Mrs Fitz is playing with the new DSTWO cart I got her so I've some free Miggy time :cool:

I already had this up and running, but todays job is cooling... As you can imagine, all this kit gets pretty warm but I have some ideas to keep things nice and cool once the case is closed.

Here are some of the bits I've got as a cooling solution for the PPC/060:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0620.jpg

And some cooling for the BPPC:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0623.jpg

And some Pr0n :D

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0624.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0626.jpg

Here is the plan for the PPC/060 Cooling, with raised feet:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0628.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0630.jpg

And lastly back plate for the BVision connector mesured and marked up for cutting:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0631.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0632.jpg

Part 2 to come on Boxing Day :thumbsup:

Merry Christmas http://eab.abime.net/images/smilies/xmas.gif

Steve.

Hehe nice work Steve - looks like you're having a nice day there mate :thumbsup:

Thanks John!

Heres some more pics and a little Video for ya'll :thumbsup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6nxfQA4NvI

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0633.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0634.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0635.jpg

What a beauty!

Mfilos 3.9 setup is everywhere!!! :D

Going great Steve my friend!
Why have you marked the square spot next to VGA connector? No need to cut it since you'll never gonna use it :)
It was meant for using an LCD shutter goggle afaik so it's totally worthless to make effort into having it for use :D

Very wise indeed, and some great *fap* pictures there. :)

Keep us posted chap. :thumbsup:

A little progress on this :D

Thanks to a little help from Zetr0 with his Dremmel I now have the BVision VGA socket mounted properly.

I made a little slot with a file in the case for the edge of the Backplane so no glue was needed, just slots right in :thumbsup:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0641.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0642.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0643.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0644.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0645.jpg

looking good steve

WOW! This is totally PHWOARSOME Steve mate! :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by johnim

looking good steve

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phipscube

WOW! This is totally PHWOARSOME Steve mate! :thumbsup:

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Thanks guys!

Still need to connect up the fans so she's running commando at the moment :blink:

All setup on a Monitor switch with the A4000 now :)

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0646.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0648.jpg

Hey guys!

Some new bits arrived in the last few days so I've been back at work on this project :D

I got a nice new fan for the BPPC from our resident PPC Hero Stachu and got myself a tube of Arctic Silver to replace the compound on the PPC processor and finally mount the fan on the BVison properly!

So here are todays ingredients:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0704.jpg

New Fan is in the little bix, as you can see old Fan removed and heatsink ready for cleaning!

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0705.jpg

Naked PPC :whistle:

And new fan fitted...

Plus new Arctic Silver added to the PPC Chip and Heatsink.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0707.jpg

Isn't she boot-a-full!

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0708.jpg

Decided to mount the BVision Fan with hot glue so it can be easily removed if needed and there are two nice lugs to use as fixing points.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0709.jpg

All fitted and very secure, a nice dollop of Arctic Silver should keep her happy :)

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0711.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0712.jpg

And everything put back together :thumbsup:

The PPC still feels pretty hot after a good workout, I know that temps supposed to drop over 25hrs with the Arctic Silver, but that will a long time in terms of PPC useage so I may well fit the extra cooling under the case too.

BVision, well the Fan on here is awesome. Even after prolonged workout shes very cool and not even the other chips on the card get warm so I susspect these only get hot due to conduction from the Permedia, therefore no need to add any heatsinks to them.

Hope you enjoyed the Saturday morning Pr0n!

Steve.

Nice one Steve! I'm wondering if I should use some arctic silver under my PPC too. How does it make the chips cooler after 25 hrs? something in its chemical makeup?

The other thing that bothers me about my PPC is the way the heatsink is so "loose" fitting with those crappy clips. I hope to figure out a better solution one day :whistle:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phipscube

Nice one Steve! I'm wondering if I should use some arctic silver under my PPC too. How does it make the chips cooler after 25 hrs? something in its chemical makeup?

The other thing that bothers me about my PPC is the way the heatsink is so "loose" fitting with those crappy clips. I hope to figure out a better solution one day :whistle:

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Yeah I really hate the way the heatsink moves around, sometimes I wonder if you're better off with a traditional fan on the PPC chip :whistle:

I can't really tell if the PPC is hotter or colder than before, I think maybe the same at the moment.

It thickens over time so fills the microscopic canals in the chip or something like that lol.

Anyway its what all the cool kids and overclockers use so I thought I'd jump in!

The BVision though is ice cool tho, well pleased with the results there :)

I still think I'll go with the ABIT Fan over the trapdoor though to help cool the PPC...

Steve.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fitzsteve

Howdy Folks!

Fitzie's here to break the silence on an otherwise quite day on the forums!

So I've got a few hours before I go to the inlaws and Mrs Fitz is playing with the new DSTWO cart I got her so I've some free Miggy time :cool:

... ... ...


Part 2 to come on Boxing Day :thumbsup:

Merry Christmas http://eab.abime.net/images/smilies/xmas.gif

Steve.

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Loving it! Only a true retro fan would spend his Xmas doing some hackery! :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phipscube

The other thing that bothers me about my PPC is the way the heatsink is so "loose" fitting with those crappy clips. I hope to figure out a better solution one day :whistle:

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You can always try the thermal compound (can't remember the name) that acts like a glue!
You can understand what I mean if you ever had a Voodoo3 card :) The heatsink is SO DAMN glued that it's almost unremovable. (No I don't mean Araldide lol)
I had a nice compact old PC with a PIII@1GHz but the CPU connector had the plastic clips that hold the heatsink's metal bracket broken... So my good friend Keropi send me a syringe with some Glue Paste and VOILA... My PIII's heatsink is now glued so good that doesn't need any metal bracket to hold it! It also makes a perfect firm thermal transfer connection with the CPU.

Maybe it will be nice for the BPPC also (Might check it @ some point)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fitzsteve

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phipscube

Nice one Steve! I'm wondering if I should use some arctic silver under my PPC too. How does it make the chips cooler after 25 hrs? something in its chemical makeup?

The other thing that bothers me about my PPC is the way the heatsink is so "loose" fitting with those crappy clips. I hope to figure out a better solution one day :whistle:

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Yeah I really hate the way the heatsink moves around, sometimes I wonder if you're better off with a traditional fan on the PPC chip :whistle:

I can't really tell if the PPC is hotter or colder than before, I think maybe the same at the moment.

It thickens over time so fills the microscopic canals in the chip or something like that lol.

Anyway its what all the cool kids and overclockers use so I thought I'd jump in!

The BVision though is ice cool tho, well pleased with the results there :)

I still think I'll go with the ABIT Fan over the trapdoor though to help cool the PPC...

Steve.

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Arctic silver is one of the best thermal compounds due to its silver content :) And yes it gets better over time as it settles. Just be careful not to put too much of it on as it can hamper its performance

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mfilos

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phipscube

The other thing that bothers me about my PPC is the way the heatsink is so "loose" fitting with those crappy clips. I hope to figure out a better solution one day :whistle:

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You can always try the thermal compound (can't remember the name) that acts like a glue!
You can understand what I mean if you ever had a Voodoo3 card :) The heatsink is SO DAMN glued that it's almost unremovable. (No I don't mean Araldide lol)
I had a nice compact old PC with a PIII@1GHz but the CPU connector had the plastic clips that hold the heatsink's metal bracket broken... So my good friend Keropi send me a syringe with some Glue Paste and VOILA... My PIII's heatsink is now glued so good that doesn't need any metal bracket to hold it! It also makes a perfect firm thermal transfer connection with the CPU.

Maybe it will be nice for the BPPC also (Might check it @ some point)

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Arctic silver thermal adhesive?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marc

Arctic silver is one of the best thermal compounds due to its silver content :)

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Just be careful not to put too much as you said.
Silver is great electricity conductor and it will create massive short circuits if too much paste applied. :thumbsdown:

That is why I'm not using this paste.

you could try Arctic Cooling’s
MX-2 or MX-3 paste ive use both on my pcs and have no electrical conductivity and work strait away

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stachu100

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marc

Arctic silver is one of the best thermal compounds due to its silver content :)

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Just be careful not to put too much as you said.
Silver is great electricity conductor and it will create massive short circuits if too much paste applied. :thumbsdown:

That is why I'm not using this paste.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by johnim

you could try Arctic Cooling’s
MX-2 or MX-3 paste ive use both on my pcs and have no electrical conductivity and work strait away

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They also have a product called arctic alumina which has the same thermal properties as arctic silver, but doesnt conduct electricity.

Hey guys, I only used a small amount so I think all will be fine :thumbsup:

why when I look at the pics of your setup do I go all funny and start to drool???:roll:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by despot67

why when I look at the pics of your setup do I go all funny and start to drool???:roll:

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Glad you enjoyed the pics, even if it was a little too much ;)

Loving the little monitor you have there, How is that setup? Do you need a scan doubler and such?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AmiNeo

Loving the little monitor you have there, How is that setup? Do you need a scan doubler and such?

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Hey mate, thats comming from the BVision so its SVGA through the PC input.

But its like a Multisync it will even accept Amiga's native res through the PC in without any scan doubler!

The only downside is if you're without an RTG card and want to use the the High Res Interlaced modes they flicker pretty bad and the native modes do have faint vertical lines.

But I can live with it!

Steve.

Well it looks sweet. Im using an old portable for my A1200 at the moment :lol:. Will prob be looking for better solutions in the future. Could use advice on whats best to get really. Low budget but would prefer something nice like an LCD.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AmiNeo

Well it looks sweet. Im using an old portable for my A1200 at the moment :lol:. Will prob be looking for better solutions in the future. Could use advice on whats best to get really. Low budget but would prefer something nice like an LCD.

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For low budget look for a 2nd hand JVC LT-17E31BJG its what I use for my other Miggy's and its awesome through RGB Scart, even the High Res Laced modes have no flicker. They made it in other sizes so just replace the 17 oh and its a Non HD TV.

I paid £25 for it from ebay :thumbsup:

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...Mg0X9g8TxzoD5g

Nice! Thanks I'll keep an eye out for them!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AmiNeo

Nice! Thanks I'll keep an eye out for them!

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No probs, its a great console set too, Dreamcast/Saturn etc all great through it and has S-Video which gives nice sharp picture from the CD32 :cool:

:cool:

nice I`m a fan ;)

will replace mine in time but it should be ok for a few months yet

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

nice I`m a fan ;)

will replace mine in time but it should be ok for a few months yet

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You can be my official mascot :thumbsup:

Its been a while folks!

But I have an official update :D

Today my IDEFix express arrived, yay :thumbsup:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0888.jpg

And at last! I have solved the cooling issue - and its dead easy. All you need is a couple of books and a Fan :thumbsup:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0889.jpg

So far had Quake II running for 20 minutes and the PPC is stone cold :cool:

So there ya go, PPC cooling made simple :bowdown:

HAHA! Awesome Steve! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phipscube

HAHA! Awesome Steve! :D

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You might laugh my friend but well over an hour of PPC and 060 intensive work its still stone cold :blink:

Fan I have on the 060/PPC is a 10x10cm x 8mm flat fan, its from a SLI setup that would blow air between the two Graphics Cards, anyway I have it spread acrross the 060 & PPC and its creating a nice vacuum as well as feeding cool air to the heatsink.

Now this was with the lid off the case so no real test. Now the fun starts...

I've added a molex connector (where the RF is) to hook all my fans & CF-IDE adapter direct to the PSU. As I type I have wipeout Demo running behind me, will be keeping a check on the PPC and see how she copes now with the screws back in the case :whistle:

Yeah I still have her raised on books, I think this is key getting her off the work surface.

I'll report back.

Steve.

---------- Post added at 22:48 ---------- Previous post was at 22:39 ----------

Don't want to speak too soon but she's still nice and cool :)

By the way, well pleased with the IDE Fix Express :bowdown:

Didn't even install drivers yet and getting 3mb/sec - whole system seems a lot more snappy.

Steve.

Another follow up...

A good hour of intensive work with the case screwed closed last night and PPC/060 stayed nice and cool. Well PPC was luke warm but 060 was stone cold. This Fan + raising the machine has done the trick.

I was going to put a fan inside the A1200 case (by the top grill) to extract but I don't think I'll need to, the plastics were not even getting warm so I think I'll save me eardrums from the extra noise.

It would be nice to have a silent A1200 but I can live with the three fans (one chipset fan on the Permedia Chip, Standard Fan on the PPC and this slimline wide fan across the trapdoor hatch.)

@Phipscube, have you got a new Fan on the BPPC? Stans new fans are much quieter than the old ones :)

I know its a bit fugly having the A1200 on stilts, but for usage the airflow underneath seems to be the way forward. So I'm going to take her off the books and fit some larger feet lifting about 3/4 of an Inch.

Happy DayZ :cool:

I've had a similar idea but i'm stubborn and don't want to go beyond the 6mm I have between Chips and Trapdoor Grill. Those 6mm fans I looked at are rated 30dB though, louder than the PPC fan I think so gave up on that.

I've succumbed to putting feet on it. I ordered some 8mm Rubber feet. If its raised like this for 1 hour idle, with the lid closed and my case fans blowing (now very quiet with a PWM fan controller on them, but slowed right down) then the BV is 57 Deg C, PPC is around 55 Deg C and 060 60 Deg C and there after stays about the same, which is ok. I may start pulling the trapdoor off though lets see. (I've not done any tests with games yet or PPC).

That fan you have is nice and thin though mate, where did you get it? off an old laptop?

Yeah, my only noisy part now is the PPC fan, i've found another one exact dimesions thats on its way which is rated at 20dB. What are Stans Fans rated as? I'm going to try and put a PWM controller on this one too (if its still too noisy), then after this i'll make a decision as to weather to give in and rip open the Trapdoor.

Great work though Steve, getting it down to super cool is awesome! :thumbsup:

Hey mate, I didn't measure the temps but were talking Ice Cold on the 060 :blink: Reckon there is room to overclock that, even of it is just a XC Chip!

The Fan, its one of these:

http://techreport.com/r.x/nforce590sli-am2/abit-fan.jpg

Its off an ABIT SLI setup (borrowd from my AN8 Fatal1ty Motherboard) :D

I slid it out of the bracket and used a single screw in the hole that is used for the FDD (but on the bottom) if that makes sense - I'll take some more pics later now that I'm happy with it :)

This fan is uber powerful, in fact I accidently touched the blade when checking the temps and damn near took half my finger off :Doh:

Thing is, with this fan in place you have to raise at least 12-15mm and to be honest a little higher is better for the air flow, its more efficent with a nice gap under the fan.

I rekon you could attach this to your mesh grill and it would work a treat, and its 12v AFAIK, so maybe you could bring it down to 7v (I think this is possible) to quieten it down?

Must be a few of these for sale on evil bay :cool:

Steve.

my friends,

I think you need to have a read here... I expect great things from you =)

Looks awesome mate, but the problem is finding space for that in out setups - you'd have to have them outside the case and it would probably look a bit industrial.

Now I've stuck the IDEFIx in there space is dwidling away fast, I have to take a bow at what Phips, r0jaws and mfilos have crammed in the A1200!

Hey guys!

Just dropping by with some updated pics of the project as promised :cool:

Not the most elegant solution but takes some strain off the A1200 Motherboard, fans are now wired to this Molex and direct to PSU:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0900.jpg

Here's my crazy finger maming, blizzard cooler...

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0901.jpg

IDE Fix Express is in, had to use a 40pin CF-IDE because for some reason it would pick up the CF Card on the 44pin one - maybe cable was too long?

Anyway, working and shares power off the Molex-ATX PSU:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0902.jpg
Spaghetti Junction :whistle:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0888.jpg

And some more shots for fun...

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0904.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0905.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0908.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0909.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0910.jpg

Thanks for looking!

Hope you enjoyed the hardware pr0n :D

Hey Guys!

I made a crap Video - wasn't going to show it but up'd it for a friend...

Enjoy (if you can stand the poor production value)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brJMZHmPHHk

Great pics and vid Steve! I'm really not keen on raising my 1200 so high, I know lots of folks have had to do this but I really want to try and do something else. The heat pipe link you posted looks really interesting Zetr0, but I agree with Steve, not sure how to get one of those in the case. Well, MY case anyway HAHA! its totally full now :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phipscube

Great pics and vid Steve! I'm really not keen on raising my 1200 so high, I know lots of folks have had to do this but I really want to try and do something else. The heat pipe link you posted looks really interesting Zetr0, but I agree with Steve, not sure how to get one of those in the case. Well, MY case anyway HAHA! its totally full now :D

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Hey Phips meh main man!

Must admit, I'm not a big fan of the stilts myself ;)

I've got some smaller feet that would have been perfect (about 8mm) but they're too small with this fan.

It is possible if I can remove the second Heatsink from the PPC then I could mount the fan differently and possible use the smaller feet.

I just can't get the second H/S off, its been super glue'd on I think by the previous user :blink:

Anyway glad you enjoyed the vids mate :thumbsup:

Steve.

Yeah 8mm is about the limit for me, and it seems to be enough for the airflow, but yeah thats a problem with the heatsink, I've just fit a small 3mm one to my 060 and i'm thinking of taking it off already, its not made much if any diffrerence, its stuck with a heatpad so maybe it will be ok to get off. I might try and find a thin (5 or 6mm) low noise 5v fan that I just simply put over the 060 with no heatsink but mounted to the opposite side of the mesh. It would be a little awkward when removing the card, but its another idea I had.

I'm not totally sure here, but I don't think the PPC will like to be totally naked mate... it might need at least some form of heatsink, thats why I Was looking at heatsink/fan combos and came across that (noisy) 6mm number. I felt it was pointless really as the fan on the PPC now is still quite noisy anyway. Saying that, i'm dealing with a 300MHz overclocked to 330MHz PPC, is yours 240Mhz not over clocked? How is the 330MHz beast doing in your tower? Does the 060 get toasty at 60MHz? Mine seems to be the same at 50 or 60MHz, floats around 60+ Deg C. I'm quite happy with the BV and PPC temps in the mid 50's (except the noisy fan on the PPC), its just my passive cooled 060 that bothers me at the mo...

Hey mate, I mean the extra heatsink that has been glued to the stock one, this means I cannot even fit a trap door:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0047.jpg

This was done by the previous user and I can't get it off :(

Its about 3-4mm so is what raises the whole thing up more. Didn't matter when I had it in the Tower but its not helping the cause now.

As I say I think its super-glued, any idea how to get the little bar steward off? :butcher

The 330PPC actually runs cooler, the 240mhz is known to be quite toastie...

The 72mhz 060 is fine in the Tower without H/S but with the sides on gets pretty warm. The PPC stays pretty cool regardless.

If I was leaving the sides on the case I'd clock the 060 back to 66, but I leave them off because I like to peek inside :whistle:

Steve.

Ahh! Ok sorry, i'm not using my eyes today :D

Well, my first thought is to swap the heatsink from your 330MHz beast, with this one. If the 330 is staying in the tower then the extra heatsink is no probs :)

Didn't realise the old 240 was hotter! I guess its the older tech.

Maybe my 060 will be ok but I want it to last. I'll let you know if I find any low profile low noise fans that fit :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phipscube

Well, my first thought is to swap the heatsink from your 330MHz beast, with this one. If the 330 is staying in the tower then the extra heatsink is no probs :)

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:Doh::Doh::Doh:

Why didn't I think of that??? :whistle:

Hey Steve,

I don't know if you can remove both heat sinks together, but if you can you could lightly clamp the smaller one in a vice, hold the bigger one in one hand so that it has some sideways twist pressure (like splitting an Oreo biscuit) and gently tap one corner of the bigger one with a piece of hardwood or handle of a small hammer. The corner furthest away from the glue joint for maximum leverage. Sounds a bit Heath Robinson but could work.

If you can't remove both heatsinks from the card then maybe a small flat blade (like a dinner knife) under one corner and twist it, as opposed to levering it with a screwdriver.

There may be solvents to melt superglue but unless you know it is superglue for sure you could waste money on those products and it could melt your board too.

Merlin might be able to suggest a chemical to use perhaps?

Cheers,
Ed.

Thanks for the info Ed.D,

I can indeed remove them both, I imagine if I broke it getting a replacement would be near impossible so I think I'll just swap over with the one on my 330PPC. Thats the easiest option. Still don't know how I didn't think of that myself :Doh:

Steve.

HOHOHO! I must admit Steve, I was thinking.... DUUuuuuuUH! HAHA!...Tell you what, I do the same often, I think about something I need to do so much I don't see the easy alternative :) Glad I helped you there though, now you can get them flippin ugly feet off ya 12' :D