Questions about mounting computer in cab

[Demon-Seed]

Hello
I am wondering when I go to mount my pc in my cabinet is there certain feet etc I am supposed to screw the mother board down too? I am going to remove the board etc from the pc case and wanted to screw it into the cabinet. I just wanted to know what I am supposed to use ? any photos and links would be appreciated.

thanks
Jim

[Hoopz]

You can buy mounting feet to use.  I'd suggest taking a saw to an old writing pen (the plastic part) and cutting 4 equal size pieces.  Much easier and cheaper than ordering mounting feet.

[BobA]

I think the cheapest way to do it is to cut up a Bic pen and use the bits as spacers to keep the motherboard up off your mdf or wood when you screw it down.   Or you can buy white plastic spacers in the plastic screw area of most building supply stores.

Oops Hoopz beat me.   

[Hoopz]

 

[Demon-Seed]

Hey
Thanks you guys rock!

[bkenobi]

If I had mounting feet and a pen sitting there and was about to mount a motherboard, I would definitely go with the feet.  They are much nicer to work with than the pen IMO.  HOWEVER, I wouldn't go out and buy them simply because it really doesn't matter.  It takes ~2 minutes to cut and 30 seconds longer to mount using an old pen over the purpose made feet.  But, finding and waiting for them to be shipped makes feet...well...stupid.

Oh, and feet need 2 screws rather than just one!   

[WhereEaglesDare]

is it truly necessary to use standoffs if you are mounting to wood?

[orchidius]

I can see how the board would benefit from the airflow that is allowed under it... But I do wonder if it's necessary... any experience with not using feet anybody?

[CheffoJeffo]

I always use mounting feet when mounting a board because mounting directly to wood can put stress on the board and I hate broken solder joints.

[zafdor]

Agreed, many of the components are easily damaged if you stress the board by not using spacers.  You don't need anything fancy, I like the pen idea, but you should be able to get a nylon bushing or washer at Home Depot on the cheap to do the job.  Hot melt the bushing to the board to keep it in place when you mount the board.

[DashRendar]

Mounting feet are cleaner looking and sturdier than a cut up pen, and they're cheap.

I know both Divemaster and GGG sell them, and pretty sure you can find them at most Home Depot/Lowes type stores.

I would not screw a motherboard directly to the wood.  As mentioned, heat is a factor here.  I don't think it's "up to code" from an EE's perspective.

[mwong168]

I just drill a small hole and hand screw the copper stand offs that come with cases to mount all my motherboards, KeyWiz, GPWiz, OptiWiz, JPAC, IPAC, etc...



If it is good enough to use in a case then it should be fine for wood.

[BobA]

is it truly necessary to use standoffs if you are mounting to wood?

Yes it is a necessity.   Motherboards are not smooth on the bottom eg Bracket for CPU cooler and many soldered joints and even some components.   If you screw directly to wood or MDF you will stress the MB and crack it or cause solder joints to stress and give way.  You are also loosing any cooling that air underneath the MB may provide. Even encoders are mounted with standoffs and not directly to the wood.

[divemaster127]

I sell the pcb feet for a $1.99 for a set of 4, at arcadeemulator.net, I use them all of the time out of my "stock"

[michelevit]

I've mounted motherboards directly to wood. No problems with heat. I used some simple wood screws.

here is a pic of a mobo and power supply. The power supply is hot glued but is easilly removed by slicing through the hot glue with a box knife.

http://westcoastarcades.com/zenphoto/projects/KONG/IMG_1561.JPG.php

[Bravo911]

I'd spend the cash on the feet. If you're building a cab, do it right. There's too many hack job cabinets out there. Mounting a pcb directly to wood is bad thermally, it makes connectors easily accessible, and the stress on the boards just lead to problems later. I did, and I thank myself every time. I'll post pics. These boards are solid.





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[michelevit]

No thermal problems here. Direct mount to wood for over 10 years.
The mobo isn't tightened down 100 percent and no stress on the boards.

[CheffoJeffo]

I'd spend the cash on the feet. If you're building a cab, do it right. There's too many hack job cabinets out there. Mounting a pcb directly to wood is bad thermally, it makes connectors easily accessible, and the stress on the boards just lead to problems later. I did, and I thank myself every time. I'll post pics. These boards are solid.





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I looked at your pics and through I was looking at my own work ... except yours is much cleaner.

 

Do you have an audio amp in that rig ?

[ahofle]

I just went through this and thought I'd recommend a tip I found on here a while back.  Don't mount the components directly into the cabinet.  Instead, mount them to a piece of wood and then stand that piece of wood up on its side and velcro to the side of the cabinet with heavy duty velcro.  In this way the velcro only prevents the board from falling over and gravity keeps it on the bottom of the cabinet.  Makes a HUGE difference when you need to take the computer out for maintenance etc.

[Bravo911]

I looked at your pics and through I was looking at my own work ... except yours is much cleaner.

 

Do you have an audio amp in that rig ?

No, I have a 2.1ch self powered set of jbl pc speakers mounted in the cab for pc audio, as well as simply using standard (8ohm I think) arcade speakers for the other JAMMA PCBs. This allows me to run pc audio for music even while playing one of the other JAMMA boards. Both sound wicked.

Thanks for the compliment, it's very appreciated.

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[Bravo911]

I just went through this and thought I'd recommend a tip I found on here a while back.  Don't mount the components directly into the cabinet.  Instead, mount them to a piece of wood and then stand that piece of wood up on its side and velcro to the side of the cabinet with heavy duty velcro.  In this way the velcro only prevents the board from falling over and gravity keeps it on the bottom of the cabinet.  Makes a HUGE difference when you need to take the computer out for maintenance etc.

Back on this topic, I'll post some pics of my pc mounting method. All I did was cut off a few strips off one end of the piece of plywood I was using (3 strips in total) making sure to make 1 cut at a 45 degree angle. Mount one of the angled strips to the cab with the wedge pointing up and away from the cabinet wall, then mount the other angled strip to the back of the plywood facing the point opposite of the one mounted to the cab. Finally take the third strip and attach it to the bottom of the board for stability and spacing. Gravity holds this snugly and solid and all it takes is a couple of cuts, and one them at a 45°.

I like the velcro idea. That would work wonderfully on this setup. Stick it between the bottom strip and the cabinet wall. Industrial velcro is always recommended. But never rely on velcro to bear weight.







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[matsadona]

Here is how I did it in my MAME cabinet. Maybe I would have done it different today... However, the only problem I experience is fan vibrations multiplying in the wood sometimes.

[boardjunkie]

Rubber feet from the hardware. Cheap, quick, easy.

[Bravo911]

Here is how I did it in my MAME cabinet. Maybe I would have done it different today... However, the only problem I experience is fan vibrations multiplying in the wood sometimes.

It looks like your board is removable, maybe try slipping in a thin sheet of Styrofoam behind the board? The dense kind might be best. Otherwise, maybe try a fan with fluid bearings? That's helped vibration problems for me many times, and noise.

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[boardjunkie]

No styrofoam. Its not static safe....

[Blanka]

Just put the whole PC in your cab. Won't see why disassembly makes sense.

[MTPPC]

nylon spacers can be found at any decent hardware store for about $.19 each.

[Bravo911]

No styrofoam. Its not static safe....

Sorry, meant packing foam. The grey spongy stuff. Comes in motherboard boxes, etc. Thanks for the correction.

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[Bravo911]

Just put the whole PC in your cab. Won't see why disassembly makes sense.

In my case, it was a matter of space. If the pc is theonly thing in the cab, sure, why not.

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[BrentRadio]

You can buy mounting feet to use.  I'd suggest taking a saw to an old writing pen (the plastic part) and cutting 4 equal size pieces.  Much easier and cheaper than ordering mounting feet.

Cheater!  

I've ALWAYS used feet on my cabs. If I'm spending all this money on it, I want it to look great.

[Bravo911]

You can buy mounting feet to use.  I'd suggest taking a saw to an old writing pen (the plastic part) and cutting 4 equal size pieces.  Much easier and cheaper than ordering mounting feet.

Cheater! 

I've ALWAYS used feet on my cabs. If I'm spending all this money on it, I want it to look great.

If your going to cut a $2 pen, or buy a bunch of hack nylon spacers/rubber feet for 25¢ ea, just bite the bullet and spend 50¢ on the feet. I can tell you its worth it. No motherboard uses more than 9 anyhow, so it's arguing the semantics of $5 vs $3.

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[ahofle]

Just put the whole PC in your cab. Won't see why disassembly makes sense.

It makes sense when you can't fit a case in the cabinet (such as a cocktail).

[Blanka]

It makes sense when you can't fit a case in the cabinet (such as a cocktail).

There is a (strike through the ones that not apply) MacMini, Asus EEE Box, ASRock for that.

[404]

Just be careful. Some oddball motherboards need a complete ground circuit in order to function properly. This especially goes for some small form factor computers that may have been recycled from embedded devices and/or industrial use. Had that issue with some via motherboards.

[ark_ader]

Why not keep the main board in the PC case?

[Dragonman73]

I personally am taking my pc apart and mounting everything seperate in the case, my reasoning behind it is that I am somewhat ocd and want the inside of the cabinet to "look" like the inside of an actual arcade cabinet versus just dropping a complete pc in there. It adds to the illusion that it's the real thing.

[Bravo911]

Just be careful. Some oddball motherboards need a complete ground circuit in order to function properly. This especially goes for some small form factor computers that may have been recycled from embedded devices and/or industrial use. Had that issue with some via motherboards.

This can easily be fixed by running a wire from one of the motherboard screws to the power supply chassis. Use the red round or u shaped crimp terminals. Slip it under a mobo screw, and the other under one of the screws holding the cover on the power supply.

As for appearance, I agree. Just popping a computer into it is easy and quick, but then your cab is just a controller, whereas "building" your components into your cab make more of an "arcade machine". I guess it's a love thing.

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[ark_ader]

Dust bunnies still like open spaces.  As long as you clean your cab every month or so, I could not imagine a problem.

If the MB is passive then by all means, if there is fans involved - just what is being circulated?