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Topic: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log(updated:30/05/12) (Read 1,141 times)

hekokimushi
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Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log(updated:30/05/12)
« Thread Started on May 25, 2012, 12:35am »

I am modding my forth Mac Pro case.

it only gets better. my aim is to leave the external and internal as vanilla as possible, that is not to cut anything unneccessarily.

will breifly list the pictures of my previously two mods.
will start a work log of my third mod from scratch here.

Continous update. Work in Progress.

Hope you will enjoy~

Mod #1:
Z68MA, i52400, 4Gb RAM 1600, ATI 6670

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« Last Edit: May 31, 2012, 3:57am by hekokimushi »

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hekokimushi
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log.
« Reply #1 on May 25, 2012, 12:43am »

My Mod #2 - a picture tells a thousand words, so i will save the comprehension.

GA-Z68MX, i7 2600K, 16Gb RAM 1600, ATI 6870, 10.7.4. + 27" LED ACD + G5 USB Keyboard, Bluetooth Keyboard, Magjic Mouse and TrackPad

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hekokimushi
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log.
« Reply #2 on May 25, 2012, 12:43am »

#3, (i) the journey begins.

a large parcel arrived through the doorstep.
mod begins from unboxing this parcel.

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Protection foam, packing as per original out of the factory. Cannot expect anything less, as the sales pitch has "brand new" labeled on the description. continuing...

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and there she is, first glimpse of this world since the factory days... films attached as expected.

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All there is to it, Brand new case, with four HDD tray, OD tray, CPU Cage with Fans, PCI FAN. All lacks is a PSU cage, which through miscommunication, i doubled made sure it comes with it, seller denies afterwards, nevermind... shopping for an empty PSU cage...

(ii) Fill in the GAPS.

and after minutes of hunting, comes two candidates.... neither are brand new... so will need to make some compromises.

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after moments of self debate, selected the one that has the least defect on the cage front plate, and took the bullet for the scratches and what not of the un-visible tops and bottoms once installed. Trade-offs, Always... nevermind... i guess this is a part of DIY...

the original 980W with all due to respect is beautifully designed, for its original purpose. it has absolutely no use for any ATX main boards, due to its heavy i decided to give it up and left it behind.

tips for shopping PSU cage, the look of a Mac Pro 3.0 i.e. 2008, looks identical and physcially fits in the 2009 Mac Pro case. the only snac is the mount holes, you will find they are mis-aligned. PSU cage is mounted by four hex screws... some fiddle may get you to attach two of them, which to my trade-off is acceptable due to its cost. but i went for the 2009 model anyway for completeness.

(iii) The alternate/ultimate swap

since the 980W hasn't came thru the post. there is now an empty cage at hand. Dispict of its simplicity and a perfect fit, it wouldn't function without some juicy power supply. With previous mod experience, this time, i had taken one step further to modification. Firstly, i had decided the specifcation for this PSU must be close to the original's MP spec. hits and run with searches, i settled with this again a DELL OEM also 875W Silver rated PSU, as in mod #2. however this one, is NPS made rather than Hi-Pro. and there are significant difference when taking apart and having a look inside. Come-on in.

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with the last mod. i only spent time to extend each cables with the Hi Pro made 875W PSU. with this, i had completely taken all cables out and swapped out 5x tall electrolytic capacitors, replaced by shorter one's for better cabling management. the difference between the two... well tidnyess, and how far can one go for a DIY Hobbiest? anyways... pictures i hear you say:

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things to watch out for replacing capacitors? lots...
first find one that matches the current ratings of the existing one's.
first namely the Voltage rating, replace of the same or higher. second the capacitance... Capacitors are used for filtering noise, crap, on your power lines... so without seeing the circuit, i just replaced with the same capacitance. these electrolytic capacitors are polar signed. the negative signed must be on the lower potential. otherwise they WILL Blow up. Fun yes? not so fun when everything is locked down and find one of them smoking and blow up with white powder all over the case... NOT nice!

So further diving in and manage all the cables, counting all that i need for ATX and SATA. i end up with the following:
ATX's main board power 24+8; SATA x 2 very enough for my plan (it will be rectified why later), and PCIe Graphic card power, 6x2. and two pairs of 12V+Gnd, gave me a total of 58 cables.

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putting the two ends together...

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PSU is fitted in the cage ready for testing before connected to the mATX network.

that is all i have time for today. Thanks for tuning in
To Be Continue... Stay tuned...

« Last Edit: May 30, 2012, 12:08am by hekokimushi »

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hekokimushi
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log.
« Reply #3 on May 25, 2012, 12:44am »

reserved for #3

« Last Edit: May 28, 2012, 12:19am by hekokimushi »

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hekokimushi
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log.
« Reply #4 on May 25, 2012, 12:44am »

reserved for mod #3

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reddrag0n
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log.
« Reply #5 on May 25, 2012, 3:41am »

I don't get what you did with the PSU. Why is there two of them? Did you take two separate PSU's and tie them together?
This is why explanations are helpful with building blogs.

Also, what is that blue board that connects the hard drives? Is that a custom board made or did that come with the Mac Pro case?

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aquamac
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log.
« Reply #6 on May 25, 2012, 6:56pm »

Awesome last build, really looking forward to seeing No 3!!!!!!!!

« Last Edit: May 25, 2012, 6:58pm by aquamac »

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Hackintosh Core 2 Quad, G5 2 Gig Dualie PCI-X, FW800, FW400, Quicksilver, DA. & a load of other stuff I've forgotten about......

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hekokimushi
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log.
« Reply #7 on May 26, 2012, 5:47am »

May 25, 2012, 3:41am, reddrag0n wrote:

I don't get what you did with the PSU. Why is there two of them? Did you take two separate PSU's and tie them together?
This is why explanations are helpful with building blogs.

Also, what is that blue board that connects the hard drives? Is that a custom board made or did that come with the Mac Pro case?

the PSU, is an OEM DELL's server PSU H875EF-00 with 875W max out at approx 1kW, 80+ silver rated. high voltage section is seperated by the low voltage section and hence two boards.., any mid-high range PSU are built this way. likewise just like the apple's delta made 980W PSU, has two boards. they are interconnected by a 12V line which then breaks down to the other ATX voltages, namely... well, you know the rest. working on some new mounting... didn't explain the bits and pieces. apologies.

indeed, custom made, but this doesn't seem to meet my satsifaction. i am getting another one done. in black with most of Mac Pro 2010's backplane board's function on this board. will have a BTX looking finish looking from aside. will update soon.

« Last Edit: May 26, 2012, 5:03pm by hekokimushi »

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aquamac
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log(updated:28/05
« Reply #8 on May 28, 2012, 7:14pm »

Enjoying seeing this. Does the latest Mac Pro case come with the rear sockets fitted to a board or was this something you made?

Whatever, keep up the good work!!

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hekokimushi
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log(updated:28/05
« Reply #9 on May 29, 2012, 4:41am »

designing some PCBs to simplfy the solution together with a mATX mounting tray that would sit on the original mac pro stand offs...

glad you like it, aquamac.

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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log(updated:30/05
« Reply #10 on Jun 12, 2012, 3:59pm »

would you be able to tell where you got this sata hot swap pcb from? or is this also made by yourself?

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hekokimushi
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log(updated:30/05
« Reply #11 on Jun 13, 2012, 7:46am »

custom made. but if u need more info. we can discuss.

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phillipegf
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log(updated:30/05
« Reply #12 on Jul 16, 2012, 6:12am »

wow! can you give more info about the rear pcbs that you made?

« Last Edit: Jul 16, 2012, 9:04am by phillipegf »

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johnm
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log(updated:30/05
« Reply #13 on Aug 26, 2012, 2:03pm »

I am also very interested in that Sata backplane you made.

I would be very interested in Two of those myself.

I just picked up 2 early 2009 cases and I am looking at options to wire up the bays.

I was looking at retro=fitting a 2008 harness into my case with standoffs.. but this is so much more elegant.

Nice job on the build! it is very slick... I can only hope mine comes out this nice in the end.

« Last Edit: Aug 26, 2012, 2:03pm by johnm »

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eelhead
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Re: Mac Pro 2009/2010 Mod - Work Log(updated:30/05
« Reply #14 on Aug 31, 2012, 9:25pm »

Keep in mind though that the backplane the OP makes does not fit in a 2010 Mac Pro case as those cases do not have any HDD plugs or plug brackets. They come equipped with a SATA backplane that is attached to the logic board.

Just an FYI for all of you with Pro cases.
Unless you remove standoffs and remount them just for the custom made backplane.

So OP just for your information I was not asking about buying one as I have absolutely no use for it lol just a little back info for you as you were mistaken about my PMs I wanted to make sure you were legit

« Last Edit: Aug 31, 2012, 9:30pm by eelhead »

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