[Lab Bench Online]
EiED Online>> Building A Multimedia Home Control Center, Part 1
William Wong
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ED Online ID #13330 |
August 21, 2006
The FB-4652 Compact Flash to IDE adapter (see Figure 8) from Logic Supply is optional. The case has a thin slot in front for inserting a Compact Flash device. The adapter mounts to the base of the case exposing the Compact Flash socket through the slot. The power supply is mounted on top of the adapter (see Figure 9). It is simply a matter if stacking and screwing everything in. You will probably want to connect the IDE cable to the adapter first because it is harder to do once everything is bolted down.
I attached the motherboard power cable at this time. This was followed by the installation of the thinline, slot loading DVD writer I obtained from Logic Supply. Don’t forget to order the IDE to slimline adapter. This bolts onto the back of the DVD writer (see Figure 10). Install the adapter before mounting the drive on the bracket that holds the drive and connects to the front and back panels for system stability. Don’t bolt down this bracket until first attaching the IDE and SATA cables. The EN 15000 has two IDE connectors that make it much easier to cable the DVD writer and Compact Flash adapter to their own connector. It is possible to use a single cable and adapter but make sure the cable it long enough.
Also make sure you have connected the cables from the front panel electronics for things like the power switch. This can be done with patience and small hands after the bracket is installed but it is much easier to do before the bracket is installed. Finally, bolt down the bracket once everything is connected to the motherboard.
The final piece to the puzzle is the ATI TV cards. I tried each but only one will fit in the case at a time (see Figure 11). Make sure the riser card adapter slides into a notch on the optical drive bracket (see Figure 12).
Note: although it is only possible to fit one expansion card in at a time it is possible to use the second slot on the back of the case for other things such as a second serial, a USB or 1394 port. Headers are on the motherboard and the cable/brackets are available from a number of sources such as Logic Supply.
It was now time to connect the system to the Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser (see Figure 13) system via its USB dongle and to the Sharp LC-37D40U HDTV. You can also use a conventional VGA monitor and wired keyboard/mouse depending upon your preference.
Configuring the System There were no surprises booting the system for the first time. I started with the Windows XP Pro installation CD in the DVD drive and started with a 100Gbyte partition on the hard drive. The multimedia edition would have been more interesting but that is currently an OEM product and most of the features are provided through the applications we are going to add.
I planned on a dual boot system with Xandros Linux and another large partition for data files such as PVR generated video files.
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