or "Roll-Your-Own" Network Attached Storage Device

Altering and Mounting the Power Supply

As you can see, the power supply has a pretty average 18 inches of wire between the P/S and the ATX connector. That is way too much to fit inside the Snap Server case so it needs to be shortened. The cables that supply power for devices also need to be altered to avoid excess cabling

Altering this power supply takes a 40W soldering iron, lots of solder, and tons of patience. Due to the way the P/S is assembled, you cannot remove the board completely from the unit. The connector the power cord goes in is in the upper left of the image and is glued to several of the larger capacitors. Once you remove the screws from both the fan at the front of the P/S and the circuit board, you can bend back the rear of the P/S to get access to the solder points. I removed 10 inches of length from the ATX power cable.

In the front of the Snap Server case there are two round posts that are quickly removed with a Dremel. The squared posts behind them are used the attach the power supply support bracket to the case. Note the flange on the left; this has holes that will be used to hold the case closed.

The power supply is attached to the mounting bracket with 1-1/2 inch 6-32 screws and 1-1/8 inch spacers. This allows enough room for a right-angle shielded power cable.

The P/S and bracket are secured to the front of the case and plugged into the motherboard for a test. It works perfectly.

The black/white and black/yellow wires at the top of the photo are for the power and reset switches, respectively.