greg kimnach

amiga 2000 server case project

as with the "classic" tower case project, the exact details of the server case are dependent upon the case which you purchase.

i decided to use a server case for the following advantageous reasons:

it's a taller case that has removable side panels.
it has knock-outs for scsi and rj-45 connectors.
i attacked the problem with a bit more forethought and am able to make use of all of the internal drive bays.
i can use both the server power supply and the bigfoot 2000: this affords me the opportunity to power all drives (hard, floppy, tape, zip, cd-roms) with the pc supply, and the motherboard and expansion cards with the bigfoot.

disadvantages (that i can live with) of the server case

the location of the scsi connector knock-outs are located between and obstruct use of the video slot and rgb port. if ever i decide to install a video slot device, i'd have to modify the case to allow for its inclusion. but, since my toaster/flyer is in an a4000....

hmm, that's the only drawback:-)

here's what i had to do:

metal work

hack the a2000 chassis. i did much the same as with the classic a2000 tower project, the main differences in this case are:

i had to actually remove a square section of the a2000 chassis' bottom (essentially the area located under the a2000's drive bay), so that i could install it in the server case. why? because the drive mounting bay is spot-welded into the sever case and i don't have a welder. by removing this section, i was able to easily insert the chassis into the server case.
because i would be moving the bigfoot 2000 power supply into the server case's power supply, because the rgb port had to be removed and because the server case had knock-outs for scsi connectors where the a2000 power supply was located originally, i had to cut off the amiga chassis from above the amy's expansion port openings, to the left of the accelerator slot, and down through the rgb opening.

modify the back of the pc case. (remember, remove the front facia and any electronics when modifying the case.)

this case is completely spot-welded, therefore i could not easily remove the back of the case and had to do all cutting with the case assembled. (again, your case may be different. it may be riveted such that you can remove the rear panel.) because of this and having to cut on the outside of the server case, i made a cardboard template of the a2000 hacked-chassis's rear panel. i traced this out on the server's rear panel and made the cut 3/8" smaller than the outline. i used a saber saw with a fine tooth metal blade and wd-40 (wd-40 reduces the cutting friction). lastly, i supported the inside of the pc case with 2x4's clamped to the chassis, during the cutting.
drill an opening into which a keyboard connector will be epoxied. because the connector requires a 1" diameter hole, you'll need a drill bit with a shank ground to your 3/8" chuck.
cut openings on the tower case for any and all db-9 (including the mouse and joystick) or db-25 connectors that you'll require. use expansion port brackets as templates.
drill mounting holes for 1/8" microphone or "rca" jacks (used for cd audio output).
cut openings for other devices you'll modify to be internal.
the pc power supply originally was mounted on a small support bracket, which had to be removed to allow the a2000 chassis to fit within the case. also, the power supply was externally secured to a removable plate. the plate had an opening for the power supply (obviously) and an additional fan. this plate i modified to accept the bigfoot 2000 and the pc power supply. i used the original pc power supply opening to trace a template, and used the disassembled bigfoot 2000 ps as a template. the bf2000 is now located where the pc ps was originally, and the pc ps above it.
two compromises that had to be made were based on the server case having two scsi (db-50) connector knockouts in the same plane as the the rgb port, and the video slot being so high that it would have precluded mounting the two power supplies one atop the other. thus, the amiga's rgb connector is not available, nor is the video slot. (externally).
the server case originally had a removable and recessed panel which had (for unknown reasons) a large opening in it. i covered this opening with a number of small pieces of remnant metal, which i bent and epoxied into place.

epoxy the beasts. having hacked the tower case and amiga chassis, it's simply a matter of aligning the a2000 chassis within the tower, clamping it to the pc motherboard mounting panel (using c-clamps), drilling a few holes, epoxying the mating surfaces, and riveting the metal together. let it set for 24 hours before continuing. (get the two-part epoxy from your local auto parts store. i used liquid weld.)

modify the motherboard

by far this is the most critical and sensitive portion of the modification. if you're not prepared (or capable) to de-solder the connectors on the motherboard, DON'T! find someone who can. getting the old solder to re-flow is difficult and may cause you to ruin your motherboard by lifting and burning traces! to ease the process, use a bit of fresh solder to re-flow the old solder.

the mods that need to be made are:

desolder (remove) the rgb connector. your case or your hardware needs may not require this.
replace the battery. i use three rechargable ni-cad cells in a plastic battery holder. the a2000 is capable of trickle charging these batteries after they've been fully charge with a battery charger.

feel the power of the ac side

unlike the amiga power supply orientation and design, which irked me, the bigfoot 2000 is now mounted horizontally, therefore the harness cannot exit from the side.

a few pics of the a2000 in its black server case

again, i hope this helped and inspired you. let me know.

questions, comments, concerns?

This site developed and maintained by greg kimnach.

Diplomacy is the art of saying "good doggie", while looking for a bigger stick.