A4000TX build

[Ojje79]

So, ever since I saw the Lian-Li O11 Dynamic case I wanted to build a computer in one of them, and when I saw that Hese had made the A4000TX board, I found the perfect build opportunity! I wanted it to look new and modern with as little visible cable clutter as possible, and I think I got really close to my vision.

I didn't want to make any permanent alterations to the case so I made a PCB I/O shield with a push-button for the reset header and a rotary encoder for the Gotek.

I put a large OLED display for the Gotek in the main chamber, to see what's going on with it.

The front USB ports are wired up to the Gotek and the ZZ9000 respectively, to make it easier to connect devices.

In addition to the Gotek I have a floppy drive mounted in the back, for the rare occasions I'm gonna use disks. Since I didn't have a clean way to mount the Gotek PCB I made a custom board which holds the Gotek and mounts to a regular 2,5" position in the case and has 34-pin connectors to connect both the Gotek and floppy drive to the mainboard. The mounting board has a switch so that I can switch between the Gotek and floppy drive when needed.

Originally I went with a regular mechanical hard drive I had lying around, but I didn't like the noise it made. While it sounded very period-authentic for an Amiga back in the day, I didn't think it meshed with the aesthetic I was going for and the fact that the machine was completely quiet in every other respect. So I replaced it with a microSD to IDE adapter and I am now very happy with the complete build.

The fans are only there for visual purposes, set to the lowest speed possible to not make any noise.

 

[Rakeim132]

Very nice build! ?

 

[Xanxi]

The floppy drive mounted at the back is very funny.

Nice build but i want to house mine in a desktop not tower ATX case. I thought there were common but they seem to do not exist anymore on Earth.
I want my A4000TX rig to look more or less like an A4000D.

 

[Ojje79]

Hehe, yeah the floppy drive is a bit backwards, but I don't intend to use it much so I don't consider it an issue. I still wanted one, so it had to go there in this particular case.

Yeah, "old style" desktop cases are basically extinct. There are some cases that are designed to either stand up like a tower or lie down like a desktop, but they don't look at all like classic cases.

 

[Watson]

I was looking at the Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini and the Lian Li Air Mini for a new PC build, but then decided on a different Lian Li case

I would have never considered putting an A4000 board in one. I prefer the "old style" ATX desktop cases or even better, the original case, but they are near extinct as you mentioned. I think the Checkmate desktop ATX could be a nice alternative if looking for a case to fit a classic board, that's if they would accommodate an A4000?

 

[Ojje79]

Well, it's not a standard A4000 board, it's Heses newly designed and manufactured A4000TX board. It has regular ATX mounting positions and power connectors and some improvements over the original A4000 board. I thought that since the board is brand new, it has a brand new kickstart 3.2.1 and a brand new ZZ9000, why not build it as a brand new machine with a modern look.

The Checkmate A1500 case is nice and reminds me of my A3000 from back in the day, but it only fits A500/600/1200 boards, or micro ATX boards. So an A4000 or A4000TX board is out of the question.

 

[Xanxi]

I was looking at the Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini and the Lian Li Air Mini for a new PC build, but then decided on a different Lian Li case

Those cases seem to have no 3,5' or 5,25' bay whatsoever. A big box Amiga still needs a floppy drive or gotek and maybe an optical device at the front, let alone something to plug USB or put a card reader. Those modern bulky but frontless cases are useless. I don't understand their purpose, i am out of this market for a long time and i have been using only PC laptops or NUC type PC.

 

[ChewChew]

Yeah, "old style" desktop cases are basically extinct. There are some cases that are designed to either stand up like a tower or lie down like a desktop, but they don't look at all like classic cases.

I found this new on UK ebay with 300W PSU and two fans for less than £50.
Front USB is wired to the ZZ9000 and I sprayed the floppy drive front beige to match the case.
I'm really pleased with it.

 

[Ojje79]

I found this new on UK ebay with 300W PSU and two fans for less than £50.
Front USB is wired to the ZZ9000 and I sprayed the floppy drive front beige to match the case.
I'm really pleased with it.

Nice, that looks like a proper retro-looking case you found.

 

[qz3fwd]

Fractal Define 7 XL has 2 5.25 inch drive bays.
I will use on for a 4000TX board.
Hard to find cases with front drive bays these days.
It all RGB and water cooling radiator/fan mountings these days.