Cases???

[Mkopack73]

Ok, so not really interested in the Lazer case since I'm getting both the Midi and Network/Serial cards for my system.

I looked EVERYWHERE I could think of including EBay, Newegg, Amazon, Google Marketplace, B&H, Microcenter... etc. for a mATX SFF that takes the low profile cards - ZIP, NADA, NOTHING - what ones I could find all either were for ITX (so the MB won't fit) or they are SFF by using a riser to turn the card slot JUST for a video card.

Tempted to just go with this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQXG94XW It has Power + reset buttons, which we don't see tons of these days, as well as both power and activity lights. It's still WAY too big for the board, but one of the smaller ones I could find that had 4 card slots.

Irks me because I KNOW I've seen (back in the day) a small (think it was Dell) desktop style case that had half-height card slots (might be too small for this board though), but I can't seem to find it.

Anybody find something SMALL, preferrably white, that works with the low-profile cards that this board will fit in?

ALSO, anybody desolder their right angle slot and replace it with a straight one? I don't see any need to use cartridges on this system... I went 10 years on my C64 with just the Epyx Fast Load and that was it!

[Xiphod]

You're aware of the large Desktop Lazer3D case now being offered?

The original shorter pizza-box one is offered, but there is now also a taller one for those who do want to use multiple cards.

That said, TexElec (or anyone) making an "external" version of the 90-degree adapter for the side slot would be good - to then get 2 cards on the pizza-box style case. Basically same as the "internal" 90-degree adapter that we have now, but the slot header would go on the other side (but you can't just desolder the current stock one, the pins would be reversed).

Basically a "right" version to complement the current "left" version of the 90-degee angle slot adapter.

[TomXP411]

Here are a couple of low profile Micro-ATX cases:

https://a.co/d/6WIyc0Z
https://a.co/d/hPjF42d
https://a.co/d/fbWQ6bk

The first Silverstone case is a bit big, thanks to the huge power supply slot, but you could use that space for controller storage, or something. =)

Then there's this guy.. it's not low-profile, but it fits the aesthetic: https://a.co/d/743hmy4

[Mkopack73]

Ah, cool! I had seen those but couldn't tell if they were low profile or normal just from the pictures and the writeups didn't really help.

One thing I DO like about the Silverstone one (and that Antec one) is that I have an old 1571 drive thats missing the top cover. Not sure if it works, but if it does, I could possibly remove the drive and controller board and maybe mount it in the case along with the MB since they both have exposed 5.25" bays (it's crazy how few cases have ANY external drive bays anymore!)

Thanks!

[mortarm]

(it's crazy how few cases have ANY external drive bays anymore!)

Not really. When was the last time you saw software being offered on disk or CDs? There's just not enough market for it.

[DragWx]

I have an old 1571 drive thats missing the top cover. Not sure if it works, but if it does, I could possibly remove the drive and controller board and maybe mount it in the case along with the MB since they both have exposed 5.25" bays

Now I'm curious, is it possible to mount a 1541 or a 1571 in the drive bay of a PC case, and have it still function normally? I don't really care about whether it's a good idea or not, I'm just curious if it'd work.

[TomXP411]

(it's crazy how few cases have ANY external drive bays anymore!)

Not really. When was the last time you saw software being offered on disk or CDs? There's just not enough market for it.

I still play movies on my computer, so I have a BD-ROM in a USB dock under my monitor shelf.

[Xiphod]

Not really. When was the last time you saw software being offered on disk or CDs? There's just not enough market for it.

I wish the "industry" would standardize on a form factor for mounting an SD card-slot at the front of these cases. Like a modern version of a tiny disk drive.

Even if the reader is surface mounted on some SBC PCB, you can get those SD-card extenders. But then you need some kind of standard "tray" and slot to mount the end of that on the inside of a case.

Maybe it's something IEEE could spec? But it would serve all modern-make retro computers, and modern microcontrollers-decked-out-as-nanocomputers. As it is, cases end up just being designed where the slot happens to line up with the surface mounted card reader.

The microSDs are too small, they blow away even in the wind (and are fragile and crack easy). I've had some end up ejected out of the slot so far, never to be found again. "regular" sized SD-cards are a comfortable size for storing and handling. But maybe spec a form factor for both - think of those 1" SD cards akin to old 5.25" and the microSD like 3.5"

Anyway, for those SD card extenders, I've had to just tack/tape them to the side of the case. If there was some defined enclosure for them, cases could at least have an SD-card slot, then you just bolt-on that "drive enclosure" (on the inside).

[ahenry3068]

(it's crazy how few cases have ANY external drive bays anymore!)

Not really. When was the last time you saw software being offered on disk or CDs? There's just not enough market for it.

You can still find certain things when you look. I upgraded to a Ryzen 7 board late last summer. Not the latest & greatest still a DDR4 board. But I got a case with a Internal full size drive bay and a DVD Reader / Writer with my purchase. I didn't specifically look for it but my Ryzen 7 motherboard even has a P/S 2 Keyboard port (though it also supports USB directly).

I wanted the DVD Reader Writer so I can still make boot & program disks for a couple of older systems that I own.

[Mkopack73]

Exactly...

So my last build was back in 2017 or so, and that case still had 2 5.25 exposed bays. I installed BD-ROM drive in one, and one of those USB based Multi-card reader + USB hub units. These days with no bays at all on like 95% of cases, you can't do that sort of thing at all. It's really limiting. Like I've seen all sorts of things you could put into 5.25" bays over the years that were useful from water reservoirs, port replicators, usb hubs, to removable drive bays etc. Alas when I do my next build I'm probably going to have to find an external eSATA 5.25" case to put my BDRom drive in - I still have a lot of stuff on disc that I go through from time to time - old photos, data backups, etc.

Like you said, if you had even an exposed 3.5" bay then you could have put an SD card reader/extension out the front or something.

As far as mounting a 1541/1571/1581 inside a case with an appropriate bay - keep in mind the drive mechanism itself is basically identical to PC drives, it's the controller board that's different and you'd probably have to 3D print some sort of bracket to mount that up, and then some way to run the power + data cables to it out the back. That Silverstone case SHOULD be workable since that whole side portion of the case is meant for drive + system PSU..assuming you don't use a normal ATX PSU for the X16, then you should be able to use that space to mount up the controller board and stick the ports out the back...

Unfortunately I don't have an IEC cable to try hooking my old 1571 up to my 128DCR to see if it works. I did plug the power in and turned it on, I hear the motor spin and both power and activity lights come on but the drive never stops spinning and the activity light never turns off. Given I never had a 1571 back in the day, I don't know if that's correct behavior when not hooked up to anything or not... (I got it as part of a HUGE Commodore haul back in 2020 - like one so big it filled my Explorer 3 times over!!! Sold nearly everything off and this is the last of the drives I had). So waiting on a buddy to swing by sometime with the one he has so I can test the drive fully on my 128DCR...