Hotwiring a Bad Power switch OR Replacing Case: Cube form factor for ATX?

[donerb]

I need some help on replacing a case for an ATX form factor mobo
(MSI K7N420 Pro). I have a tower case on which the power switch
appears to have cr*pped out on me, as the TX/RX indicators on the
LAN portion of the mobo still blink on and off, even though I can't get
the system to power up via the power button. [On a side note, can
I 'hotwire' this system? Not sure why the power switch would die,
other than the system stopped powering up after a storm...still seems
to be getting some power feed, ala the indicators above]

I wanted to change form factors from the full tower to something
akin to the Shuttle cube systems that are so popular now. I know
the larger size of the ATX board prohibits something this small.
Still, is there anything that mimics the appearance, if not the actual
form factor, of the microATX cube systems?

Thanks for the help.

-drb

 

[ProviaFan]

I've "hotwired" a board or two when running them bare. A flathead screwdriver across the power pins (be very careful not to touch anything else in the vicinity) works wonders!

For a bigger cube, try something like this.