 |
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
| The
first real assembly step is to place the drive inside
the ups. That's where the UPS's original circuit
board used to sit. It fits the drive nicely. There
a number of choices for attachment. We chose hot
glue, though one problem was the drive was cold
so the hot glue had a slight problem adhering, so
we just used more hot glue. A better choice might
have been using carved out soft foam. Though there
are heat concerns there. While where the drive is
mounted in this example it has some generous air
vents for it. take away your Xbox and your UPS away
with it as well?
|
|
|
| For the attachment of the nslu2 we
used hot glue again. Before we seated the board into the chassis we took some
time to make notches in the plastic sides. There are a couple ribs of plastic
that run around the case that were real easy to get to. This will help secure
the board into the chassis |
|
|
| In this instance it was important
to plug in the USB cables before we put the board into the case due to slim
tolerances. We had to use a razor to carefully trim some of the plastic away
from the plug end so the cable would flex enough for what we needed. Cutting
into the side supports protruding out from the sides of the ups case gave us a
precious extra 1/8th inch. |
|
|
| Since the switch is going on top
of the nslu2. We wanted the bottom contacts to be protected with something.
After all you don't want the project smelling like a dead ups right? So cover
that up with a little clear self adhesive laminating material. Just take the
routers innards and trace out a sheet of the material to be cut out. |
|
|
| With
the film in place we no longer have to worry about
tolerances inside the chassis. And as a bonus when
in operation you could place this on a metal table
with no consequence.
|
|
|
| So far the layout is coming along
nicely. Everything fits like a glove. The ports are close. The hot glue was
placed around the edges where the notches were. This makes for a strong hold.
Drill a small hole for the nslu2's on button. In the side of the case so you
can turn it on with a paperclip. (not something you will have to do often.) |
|
|
| Since I want to use those two
RJ45's as a false surge protector. I need to make an extender from the inside
to the outside. Some may argue "why not use just one for the nslu2 and get rid
of the switch" Well I say this isn't an expensive unit that has such remote
management, so having one network cable coming off would look suspicious. The
smaller cable is to connect the hub to the nslu2 |
|
|
| That's one good looking layout. So
far everything has been pretty straight forward. The server hardware and drive
are nice and cozy. The network cables are run and the USB cable to the hard
drive is in place. We just to figure out how to power this thing. So the next
step is to place the power wiring in. |
|
|
| Things are going to get a little
more complicated with wiring. The first step is to rewire in the original plugs
on the ups. Why go to the trouble of doing this? we want it to look legit don't
we? There is a small area for the walwarts. It does not look like they will fit
but they will. During this part make sure to use caution and not to plug the
unit in. |
|
|
| Since the plastic covering adds a
ton of bloat to the transformers, I decided to remove them. Next up was to
lengthen the 110V leads with our 12 gauge wire. Then we cut the longer cables
to the device and shortened them with some solder and electrical tape. |
|
|
| Now things are starting to get a
little tight. Once the walwarts were plugged into there appropriate parent
devices we can hot glue them in. Then comes the soldering the wires together
into the 110V system. Once the wires are soldered together use a piece of
electrical tape to keep the wires from shorting out on each other. |
|
|
| We are almost done, just the most
nerve racking step left. Turning it on for the first time. This is the do or
die for your wiring job. Just make sure that everything powers up, you should
have your LED's on and the nslu2 should perform its booting beeps. If it does
close that sucker up and get on with the hiding. Else, get a fire extinguisher. |
|
|
| This is the completed unit. Funny
that looks like a ups, who would have guessed there was a hidden server in
there. Just don't try to use it as one as it has no battery backup. Everything
on the outsides works as expected, from plug outlets to the LAN ports. Even the
weight is similar. It's a good disguise if you ask me. |
|
help
support inventgeek.com
|
|
|
