mounting pc in cab

[dcninj4]

how do you mount your pc in your cab (removed from teh case) let me know, thanks!

[TelcoLou]

I kept my PC in its case. I'm paranoid, and fear the possibility of things falling on the mobo, thus killing the PC 

[fronty]

.

[Ginsu Victim]

Mine is just mounted on a board. Mobo in the middle, psu on the left, hard drives on the right.

[dcninj4]

just to the wood? not on a tray or part of  the case or anything?

[Ginsu Victim]

Straight to a piece of wood, using the same screws for the mobo you use to mount it in the case. I just drilled a few holes and put the holder screws (I have no clue what these are actually called) in, then mounted the motherboard on them and screwed it down.

I used right-angle brackets to hold the PSU and HDs. I'm not using a CD/DVD drive, since larger USB thumb drives eliminate my need for one.

[CheffoJeffo]

Here is a rig that I am about to mount in a new project (after having pulled it out of an old project, replacing it with a 48-in-1).

[Visitor Q]

I plan on keeping mine in a PC case.

[Necro]

I just started thinking about this also, strange to see the thread pop up.

I have some board holders from the original boards in the cab I have that hold the boards from the side.  If possible, I'm going to use them to hold the board.  Main issue being the support of the additional cards plugged in.  I USED to have a case with a removable MB tray...wish I had that now.  I may cut apart a case I have sitting around and use that...

[Visitor Q]

I see no reason not to just put it all in a case if you have the room, I mean then if you need to work on it you just pop the case out of the cab. 

[Ginsu Victim]

I didn't have room for my case, but the board everything is on sits in the bottom of the cab and is easier to remove than a case. Also, I don't have to open a case or pull it out to work on it.

Great airflow, as well.

[Visitor Q]

Good Point.

I am just going to leave the side panel off of my case. I may lay it flat or upright, depends on the room I have as well.

[CheffoJeffo]

I see no reason not to just put it all in a case if you have the room, I mean then if you need to work on it you just pop the case out of the cab. 

Not an unreasonable thought.

For the most part, "real" cabs are set up to allow quick swaps in and out and that is why I mount to a piece of plywood and use standard JAMMA wiring wherever possible on my MAME rigs. It is also a convenient way to secure the rig inside the cab. Securing a cased PC, like securing a cased monitor, is a real pain in comparison. I can't be bothered to unpack the stuff inside every time I want to move my cab.

It took me about 15 seconds to pull that rig from my Vertical MAME and replace it with a 48-in-1. It will take about the same amount of time to install this rig in my new project.

And, if I need to work on it, it is a single unit and I don't have to decase.

 

[DaveStall]

It is only great airflow when you run caseless if you have some sort of fan pulling air across the motherboard.  If you run a motherboard with a hot chipset and you have your PC caseless, you still need some sort of air movement to keep the chipset cool.  Part of the benfit of a case is that the fans should be setup to provide some airflow across the chipset to remove the heat.  Yes, you might be exhausting that air back into your arcade cabinet but you are still moving heat away from the major heat producing devices.

In the end, if you aren't getting frequent computer lockups, then you have sufficient cooling.  One other consideration.  If you have small children (or young siblings, etc.) and your cabinet door doesn't have a lock on it, running a PC caseless is about as smart as licking a public toilet seat.

Dave

[CheffoJeffo]

It is only great airflow when you run caseless if you have some sort of fan pulling air across the motherboard.  If you run a motherboard with a hot chipset and you have your PC caseless, you still need some sort of air movement to keep the chipset cool.  Part of the benfit of a case is that the fans should be setup to provide some airflow across the chipset to remove the heat.  Yes, you might be exhausting that air back into your arcade cabinet but you are still moving heat away from the major heat producing devices.

I would have to agree with that ... I'm not running hot chipsets by any stretch of the imagination, but this could be an issue for some of you hotshots. 

 One other consideration.  If you have small children (or young siblings, etc.) and your cabinet door doesn't have a lock on it, running a PC caseless is about as smart as licking a public toilet seat.

I would agree with that, except that the more important consideration is the monitor -- a decased PC could be a pain, but a decased monitor is actually dangerous.

I am one of those who likes their back and coin doors installed and secured.

[Ginsu Victim]

The difference is, in a PC case, that heat has less room to escape and can build up fast. In a cabinet, it's made worse.

However, with the mobo mounted without a case, you have all the room of the inside of the cabinet, which is mostly cool to start with. Add a fan on top and bottom, and you're fine.

I've never had lockups, but I do have locks.

[Curbfeeler]

Here is a rig that I am about to mount in a new project (after having pulled it out of an old project, replacing it with a 48-in-1).

I really like this build a lot, but I didn't quite go this far.  On most cases the MB tray either comes out or can be removed by drilling out a rivet or two.  I put the whole tray in the bottom of my cocktail cab.  I haven't mounted the other stuff permanently yet, but I just screwed the tray down.  It's an option if you're on the fence between camps.

[dcninj4]

my mobo has a few plastic pegs on the bottom... i set those on the wood and used 4 screws to hold it down... mounted everything up its on my floor running now im watching it to be sure everything is good and my 600dollar investment isn't destroyed... Im gonna leave the  back of my cab open tho, not covered... just gonna throw it against a wall, but there will be a little space for air to escape...im trying to figure out where to ziptie some fans in there lol