Multimedia Computer: Parts 6,7, and 8 to be continued...

After my 2 terabyte hard drive arrived, I found myself within 3 relatively inexpensive parts of being done.  They were

1. the all-important TV card without which the adjective "multimedia" coming before the computer becomes somewhat confusing;
2. the WiFi card without which the computer would not be able to access the Internet from our family room; and
3. a $2 piece of cable not included with the case without which nothing can be done.

It is axiomatic that parts 1 and 2 arrived on Friday and Saturday respectively and part 3 was no where to be seen.  Furthermore, it rained on Sunday afternoon and was cold with the combination making it the perfect conditions to work on a computer.  I was frustrated until a thought occurred to me.

"Self," says I with a somewhat confident tone, "is it not possible that you might have that $2 piece of cable as a leftover from a previous project."

So I looked, and behold, it was true.  Thus did I sit down for a couple of hours, screw parts together, snap cables together, and generally just have a grand, old time.  I then unplugged my itty-bitty Ubuntu box and plugged the majestic, magnificent, multimedia pc into the same spot.  I plugged in the cable--after a false start--pressed the button and it glowed to life.

And then just as quickly fell into the darkness of death.

I repeated this a number of times.  Then I unplugged it and took it back to the kitchen table.  I took the cover off with one hand while flipping through the motherboard manual with the other.  Then I discovered something.  The motherboard manual said that I would need a 500 watt power source and there on the PSU supplied with the case written plainly enough for me to see was 440W.

Damn!

I put everything away and plugged by itty-bitty computer back in.  This is a hobby.  I will not make myself crazy.  I will order the new power supply and wait for another rainy weekend.

Multimedia Computer: Part 1, The Case

I've taken my first step to building an Multimedia Computer; I've purchased the case. This is the same case that I indicated in the blog entry wherein I laid out my plan.

I pledge that I will try to take my time with this. Really. This is a hobby and there is a level of expense one expects with a hobby. I shall try not to exceed that quantity as ambiguous as it is. Having preached to myself a bit, let me proceed to a discussing of the case.

I am not much of a photographer. I concede that immediately. Were I a better photographer there are two things on the front that you would notice. In addition to the usual USB ports and audio and video jacks, there is a Firewire port. I hadn't even considered Firewire in this construction. Now I will have to because I've been given a choice: either get a motherboard that supports Firewire or live with the idea that I've got a place to plug something into that doesn't work.

The second thing you would notice is that this has a handle that folds out. This reminds me of the old "portable" Rainbow computers that Tandy put out. They had a six-inch screen, they weighed nigh onto 40 pounds, but they had a handle with which you could carry them, ergo they were portable.

One thing that I had been wondering, given the dimensions of the case, on which side would the motherboard be mounted: the bottom or the left-hand side. I now know that it will go on the bottom. Installing it will be an interesting exercise as there are a lot of cables and a lot of brackets. I will, no doubt, have to enlist the services of Lydia my lithe-fingered assistant.

The cables are bundled and covered by cloth, which is something new for me. It makes me think of this as a high-end case. It might also make me wonder why I am getting it for a relatively inexpensive price. I didn't have to look very far to see the reason and this calmed my mind. There is only one SATA power connector. I will need two of these, at least, if I am going to install two drives. It doesn't take very much imagination to believe that this device was designed and built when hard drives had switched to SATA but optical drives were still IDE. There is no longer a market for such cases and it is cheaper to sell them to hobbyists than it is to stick another SATA power connector in there. At least this is the story I will tell myself until the ghost of a murdered Chinese worker emerges from the power supply seeking revenge.

So, having opened the box, I learned that I need to order a $2-part. I should also note at this point that I neglected an important consideration in my original plan: a TV PCI card. This is the sort of thing I mean. It goes for about $50.