Customised Military System

We have been busy here at Continental building a bespoke batch of PCs for use in a military vessel. We modified some of the components and ordered custom-made mounting brackets for the case. This was an interesting build as the challenge was to take one of our systems and fit it into a shorter case. The article below shows what modifications we made in order for this computer to work.

If you need a bespoke system, call us today to discuss your requirements.  We have 28 years of experience building customised computer systems and we work with you to supply the end product that will work for you and your specific needs.

Custom bracket for fan mount

 

We used an existing 5.25” bay plate and modified it to fit a 40mm temperature controlled fan at the back of the HDD/DVD mounting bracket. This ensured cool air was pulled from the front of the unit on to the RAID and NIC cards as these components are known to run hot on this particular system design. It also had the added advantage of pushing extra cool air towards the graphics card cooling inlet.

Once we were happy with the modifications for the mounting plate we created a cardboard model for our manufacturer and sent the design and pictures over to them. The finished product was a perfect fit and well made in line with other components used.

Modification of fan temperature sensor

In order to ensure that the fan ran at optimum speed to cool the RAID and NIC cards we modified the sensor by adding some cable between the pin outs on the fan chassis and the thermal sensor; effectively an extension cable for the thermal sensor probe. This was a simple modification to the fan but made a difference. When the RAID and NIC were not under load the fan was much quieter, but once under load it span up to full speed ensuring the components were cool enough.

Modification of GPU power cables

 

In order to fit the Nvidia GTX970 into the case we chose for this project we had to modify the power pins on the GPU in order to allow us to get power to the device. The power connector socket on the GTX970 points straight out of the side of the card but we needed the connection to be formed at a right angle to the card in order to be able to close the lid on the case.

In order to complete this modification, we removed the power pin protective plastic cover, straightened and snipped the power pins then soldered suitable grade cable straight on to the pins. This obviously voided any warranty we had with the product and we do not recommend you try this at home!!  It did however meet our customers very restrictive needs, allowing a powerful card to be mounted in a shallow case.

There are much less invasive methods to change the angle of a graphics card, such as riser cards and PCIe extension cables but this did not suit our build on this occasion.

Custom back plate for PSU to fit into case

As we were fitting a non-standard power supply unit in the case we ordered custom back plates enabling us to secure the PSU inside. 

Our expertise is in discussing your requirement with you, quoting, building your bespoke computer system and working with you to ensure all is as expected within your time frame. Our service does not end when we ship your system; we are there to support you afterwards and pride ourselves on the longevity of many of our working relationships.