Wooden Computer Case

This is my latest computer case. Made entirely from brass and wood , inspired by vintage radio receivers with a bit of steampunk esthetics.

Some details ...

Air inlet for the power supply

Front panel with brass keys and "magic eye" tube

Riveted brass frame

DVD drive camouflage

Front panel of the case is equipped with EFM11 tube - a vacuum tube used in late 1930s and 1940s in radio receivers as signal strength indicator. In my application it is used to display hard drive activity.

Short movie showing the operation ot the "magic eye"

The tube requires three different voltage for operation : 6.3V for heating the cathode , 300V plate voltage and -30 V needed to control the electron beam . The first one is provided by the linear regulator ( LM317 ) with a soft start circuit which protects the cold filament from too much current The rest of needed voltages is made with a switching converter based on popular MC34064 chip. Control signal form the computer is isolated with optocoupler and integrated to provide better visual effect on the tube's display Below is the complete schematic of the front panel with additional PWM speed controller for the fans ( clicking on image opens a pdf version of the schematic )

My previous computer case : alluminum "industrial monster"