Project unRAIDIO


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Sorry. Did a parity check but with no corrections. cancelled it after 15 mins as I had to shut it down cause I can't stop working on it)

 

:D

 

So now the question is:

 

4 Holes. (5th top is reserved for magic eye). What to do with them? There was missing a wooden radio dial when I bought it so I am one short (of the small ones).

 

40.jpg

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You can use them to for FAN SPEED knobs - but then you run the risk of people messing with your airflow..

 

Maybe you can place a working AM/FM transistor radio inside and set-up the knobs to control it's Power, Frequency, Volume, FM/AM - thus you will have a server and a radio all-in-one  ;)

 

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I fear that the interference from the electronics inside may make it near impossible. There is a radio in the workshop about 4 feet away and when UnRAIDIO was turned on, the channel was affected.

 

I found this:

 

8021199l.jpg

 

Take it apart. Looks like there is a small circular frequency display in it. Could use it in the larger hole, place tuning adjustment below, volume left, am / fm selector right. Power it with USB, then use a pair of PC speakers 2.1, tear apart, build custom enclosures and add in.

 

Currently, I am having a hard time moving this beast as is. Adding a sub, some speakers, FM equipment (let alone 10 more drives), will make this project almost impossible to move without some sort of handles and two people.

 

Ha! ... and I wanted to add built in UPS... yeah.. no.

 

** I thought I would be the first.. but I guess I am wrong **

 

 

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Currently, I am having a hard time moving this beast as is. Adding a sub, some speakers, FM equipment (let alone 10 more drives), will make this project almost impossible to move without some sort of handles and two people ...

 

I suppose it would slightly defeat the "as original as possible" look ... but you could always add some non-marking casters [These work very well -- I've installed them on quite a few pieces of furniture around the house:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-in-Swivel-with-Brake-Non-Marking-Rubber-Caster-4036345EB/203672428

 

If you don't want to add them because of the screw holes they would add, these guys also work very well:

 

For carpet: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Shepherd-4-in-Round-Slide-Glides-Non-Adhesive-4-Pack-9316/202531725

 

For hardwood:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-1-2-in-Felt-Bottom-Round-Slider-4-Pack-4713444EB/203672360?MERCH=RV-_-RV_nav_plp_rr-2-_-NA-_-203672360-_-N

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Gary, those casters are great.

 

I was actually thinking of building a platform that is the same shape as the bottom but inset. Allowing minimal clearance from radio to floor. No damage to radio and somewhat hidden wheels.

 

inset.jpg

 

I can't remember if there are existing holes in the bottom radio framing. If so, then just mount wood across and inside. Then mount wheels.

 

I know that from being moved, the veneer at the bottom has been chipped, so getting it slightly off the floor would be nice.

 

My other worry is that with all those drives, the weight is suspended from the front framing of the radio.  I'll weight it tonight as it stands, but should be ok as it distributed across two frame members,

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By the way, depending on just how high the casters need to be to keep the radio off the ground, those casters come in 3", 4" and 5" sizes.    The larger sizes also have higher weight limits -- so if you're concerned about weight, you may want to use the 4" ones.

 

The 3" have a 110 lb/caster limit -- so with 4 casters you'd be able to manage 440 pounds (I'd think that's PLENTY, but weight can indeed add up.

 

The 4" have a 250 lb/caster limit -- so 4 would hold 1,000 pounds !!  [absolutely enough  :) ]

 

If you're paranoid (or just need the extra height), the 5" units have a 350 lb rating -- or 1,400 pounds with 4 of them !!!

 

They also all come both with or without locks -- you may not want the locks ... or may only want them on a couple of the wheels.

 

 

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The 4" have a 250 lb/caster limit -- so 4 would hold 1,000 pounds !!  [absolutely enough  :) ]

 

 

Clearly you don't have a habit of over-engineering things.  That's might be enough in my book!  ;D

 

Might need to give some thought to floor reinforcements...

 

I absolutely over-engineer the daylights out of things.    ... but 1,000 pounds is clearly enough  :)

[My wife wanted some shelves in the laundry a few years ago -- I built the shelves out of 2 x 12's with 2 x 12 supports.    My wife and I could have climbed up and jumped on them and they wouldn't have budged  :)    We've long since sold that house ... but everything I build is engineered along those same lines.

 

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Quick update: I tried placing a small 10$ portable am / fm radio inside the case. Interference is huge.

 

There is a sweet spot in the bottom of the case. Went to use it only to realize that those portable radios have zero bass. The 2.1 sub wouldn't work. Only higher freq through 2 channels.

 

TBC.

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ANY computer is a huge generator of electrical interference ... that's why they're in metal cases, or at least have metal shielding.    I think it's highly unlikely you'll be able to mount a radio in the case UNLESS you install some shielding to neutralize the RF interference.  A small aluminum foil "box" for the radio may work okay, depending on how you route the antenna for it.  But you'd also want a radio with a better audio output than the small unit you've tried so far.

 

 

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I'll be working on a cage at some point.  I really would like to use:

 

$_20.JPG

 

Concerned about depth and width. (and interference).. I can't leave it in the case. Too deep and too wide.

 

I was just offered another radio by a friend cause he likes my first project. Liking this one as well. Maybe this one can be my main PC. + Web Server + DHCP Server + Etc Etc.

 

candidate1.jpg

candidate2.jpg

 

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  • 2 months later...

Here is a little bit of an update.

 

The server is running great. Temps are stable.

 

Added a 3/4 inch plate to the bottom with felts underneath. Slides nicely on the hardwood floor. (Nearly too heavy to lift alone)

 

base1.jpg

 

base2.jpg

 

Items to tackle:

 

NEW

Vibration from 1 or 2 older drives is resonating withing the case. (1 of them is VERY loud)

 

EXISTING

- Veneer the top

- Find front cover material (perforated aluminum sheet) or maybe wood veneer for matching?

- Complete the back panel

- Find Radio Component that will work in radio and make custom knobs (was missing 1 when I bought it, want all to match)

- Work out glass display functionality (worries me, I can't remember where I put it >.<)

- Power Button. Screwdriver is annoying.

 

This server lives in a basement room with the door closed. Room temp is held at 23.6 degrees C. Rest of House is 20. :D

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  • 3 months later...

OLA!

 

Long time no speak. I shouldn't have moved production UnRaid into the radio so soon. Prevents me from doing work on the chassis! Anyway.. was able to give it some downtime today. (after playing with UnRaid 6. Bravo Tom and Contributors. Well done. I'm enjoying the docker though during my upgrade to 6, there were boot issues. I went to plug in monitor only to realize the on-board video plug was 1 inch from the front face of the radio. I had to take the entire thing apart to get it going. Now looking for PCI video card so that doesn't happen again.Anyway.. on with some pics.

 

I decided I wanted to finish the grill.

 

Last we saw... it was a mess of wires.

50.jpg

 

I cut a piece of oak veneer and fastened to front plate. Made to fit.

51.jpg

52.jpg

 

Stained

53.jpg

 

Test Mounted

54.jpg

 

I then attached some fancy aluminum sheet to the front.

55.jpg

 

Drilled out the holes for the mounting of the trim piece and voila.

56.jpg

 

And back into the storage room she goes. Can't wait to have her done and shown off in the house

57.jpg

 

Next is the display but there is a problem. In my infinite wisdom, I put the glass somewhere safe to not break it. So safe in fact.. I can't find it.

 

To be continued.....

 

** update **

Drive Temps have risen. Nothing the drives can't handle. (up from 27 to 31 degrees).

The range is 25 to 31 for Array Drives

Cache drive is 7200rpm and old. Runs at 35 most of the time.

Found the Faceplate!

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... In my infinite wisdom, I put the glass somewhere safe to not break it. So safe in fact.. I can't find it.

 

It's probably somewhere close to my wife's 2-carat diamond earrings that she put somewhere "safe" since we were going to be gone for 3 weeks  ==>  that was about 3 years ago !!

 

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Glad I told you about the missing earrings !!!

 

... I told my wife I'd done that => and after cooling off a bit (YOU DID WHAT !! was the initial reaction) she just spent a LOT of hours the last 3 days going through EVERYTHING in the room she thought she had "stashed" the earrings in for safekeeping and ...

 

... Lo & Behold, she FOUND her earrings in a small bag she'd put in a zipper pocket in a very heavy Eddie Bauer down parka that I've had for years, but not worn in at least a decade => purchased when we lived in Colorado ... we now live in San Antonio, where it's NEVER cold enough for that.    It was stored in an extra closet in our 2nd spare bedroom (NOT where she had initially thought).    I suspect we may have moved some of the older stuff from the main guest bedroom to that room after she'd put them in that pocket, but before she thought about retrieving them.

 

In any event, they're now in our safe -- which I bought shortly after she had lost the earrings so she'd have a safe place to keep her jewelry without having to remember where that was  :)

 

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NOTE TO SELF: Check pockets before donating anything to Goodwill!

 

Yes, I had the same thought !!  Every once in a while you hear stories of large amounts of cash and/or jewelry found in items donated to Goodwill.    I never could understand how that could ever happen ... but after this experience it's a lot easier to understand  :)

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