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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Pioneer on February 01, 2006, 11:50:51 am

Title: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: Pioneer on February 01, 2006, 11:50:51 am
Hi I'm building a desktop mame arcade with four player controls and s video, composite a/v outs. The plans I ordered have space for a spinner and trackball.  I don't want either since my preference is fighters and beat em-ups.  I wan't to know if I can use that space to mount my motherboard facing down and just secure the outward end of the agp card with rubberbands or fishing line. This would allow me to use a thin material, even a screen, as the bottom and just mount it halfway up the control panel box.  If you know any shortcomings to this design please let me know. 
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: BobA on February 01, 2006, 12:47:46 pm
I would think that being attached to the top surface of a desktop control panel might cause things to vibrate more and tend to come loose.  More so if mounted upsidedown. Connectors and jumpers could fall off the pins as they are only held by contact friction. This might be overcome by a few dabs of hot glue.

Another problem is the heat sinks are meant to be mounted so the heat goes away from the component or CPU.  This mounting would tend to hold the heat.
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: TMS on February 01, 2006, 12:52:45 pm
I wouldn't use a rubber-band either. Boba is also correct about the heat problem. Heat rises and you risk burning out your chip
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: Pioneer on February 01, 2006, 01:18:01 pm
I just saw a unit that used this upside down style and it looks like a high end unit.
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_con...0A964D5108A07FA
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: TMS on February 01, 2006, 01:29:43 pm
The link is not working, but I could see a setup where you have one fan on the heatsink sucking hot air down into a pipe and then another fan on the case sucking it out, but it doesn't make a lot of sense
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: Pioneer on February 01, 2006, 01:44:08 pm
I can't get the link to work but here's the product

"A New Flip On A Desktop Design" : Silverstone
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: Level42 on February 01, 2006, 01:46:04 pm
Bad idea. Heat will build up across the board. Unless you put a really big fan on the side blowing over the entire board, but that will cause a LOT of noise...
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: Pioneer on February 01, 2006, 01:56:40 pm
So where do you suggest I mount the motherboard in the design I have described?
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: Fat_Trucker on February 01, 2006, 03:16:36 pm
Not sure if I understand exactly why you need to mount this thing upside down?. Why not route a horizontal groove into both side panels at the bottom and use a thin sheet of ply or whatever that you can slide in and out of it as the base?.

You can attach the motherboard the correct way up on the inner side of this base and therefore access/remove it easily when you need to. All you would then need to do would be cut a port or two in the rear panel for case fans to blow the heat away.
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: Level42 on February 01, 2006, 04:36:41 pm
So where do you suggest I mount the motherboard in the design I have described?

\
The link you gave doesn't work for me, however, maybe (being creative here) you can use very long stands (Bic-pens) to hang the MoBo ? Leave enough room for the CPU fan to get rid of it's airflow though !
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: RayB on February 01, 2006, 06:44:12 pm
I think he's looking for air flow to come in through the bottom. He mentioned putting a screen on the bottom.

How abut just cutting vents on the sides instead?
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: Pioneer on February 01, 2006, 07:14:05 pm
You know I've recieved so many mixed replys on multiple boards
I think I'm just going to build a solid base and put the hardware on the bottom.  I thought it would be easier my way but it sounds like people think it's risky due to cooling issues.
Title: Re: Mounting a motherboard upside down?
Post by: RayB on February 02, 2006, 12:10:12 am
You know I've recieved so many mixed replys on multiple boards
I think I'm just going to build a solid base and put the hardware on the bottom.  I thought it would be easier my way but it sounds like people think it's risky due to cooling issues.

Cooling, cards falling out, etc...