Mounting PC Speakers near motherboard/hdd safe?

[Necrosaro420]

Building a bartop mame machine, so space is kind of an issue. I purchased some 2.1 PC speakers, Logitech S220. Was wanting to take the sub out of the box, and mount it on the back, inside of the cabinet. It would sit around 6-8" away from the motherboard, and 5 or so inches away from the hard drive. Is it safe to do this without causing any damage to the MB or HDD? Not sure if PC speakers magnet's are shielded or anything. Thanks

 

[AnitaPeterson]

You want to put a subwoofer inside the computer case?

Leaving aside any magnetic interference, don't you think that the vibrations from low-frequency sounds will destroy the computer's innards? I can't imagine that it would do any good to any HDD, any components relying on tight contact surfaces, and so on....

Bad idea, in my opinion.

 

[piasabird]

USB Headphones? Wireless speakers.

 

[Zap]

The magnets wouldn't cause damage, but as mentioned the vibrations may not be good for the HDD, or for any components with shoddy or brittle soldering. Probably shouldn't be a problem. Heck, you can easily use grommets for the HDD and nip that problem in the bud.

Are you trying to integrate the speakers into the cabinet? I have a crazy idea for ya!

PAM8610 2x10W Class-D Audio Amplifier Board

This can run right off the computer's PSU using 12v. It also has the volume control built-in, unlike most amp PCB kits.

2 x15W 4ohm TA2024 Digital Amplifier Board

This one is a "class T" using a Tripath TA2024, also with volume control and can run off 12v.

Use an amp like that, plus source some real speakers. Can do a pair of 4" woofers and tweeters, plus simple crossover starting around $20 at Parts Express. I would imagine it to sound better than the cheap 2.1 Logitech setup, plus be ready to integrate into a custom cabinet.

 

[Necrosaro420]

Are you talking about just any old grommet like from Home Depot or Lowes? Also, where would I put them? Below is a pic of how I have it set up. It is mounted on the side wall inside the cab. It is in a Thermaltake HDD pull out cage that I had from an old case a few years ago. Where would I put the grommets? Between where the cage meets the wall?

 

[monkeydelmagico]

You gonna mount sub in top round hole furthest from mobo? Mount the sub with rubber grommets or cut up an old bicycle inner tube and use it to make a rubber gasket. Also put a surround baffle on it. Just google "door speaker baffle" and pick an appropriate size. I think you'll be good to go with that because it's a low powered sub. Isolating all the components from the frame with any left over rubber would be a good idea. A SSD would also probably be preferrable to a mechanical drive.

cool project

 

[mfenn]

The magnetic field strength decreases with the inverse cube of the distance, so you won't have any issues from that. The vibration is the real concern as others have pointed out.

How big are your games? Any chance you could go with an SSD? The Samsung 840 EVO 250GB is only $183.

 

[Necrosaro420]

The magnetic field strength decreases with the inverse cube of the distance, so you won't have any issues from that. The vibration is the real concern as others have pointed out.

How big are your games? Any chance you could go with an SSD? The Samsung 840 EVO 250GB is only $183.

Right now about 3TB. Couldnt afford SSD's for them but would of loved to used those.

 

[Necrosaro420]

Something like this work? The sub is 4"

http://processhose.com/4-in-150-lb-...n-thick.html?gclid=CPzGq-2Lk7kCFc5FMgodEzcARQ

 

[Necrosaro420]

or http://www.ebay.com/itm/Neoprene-sp...ltDomain_0&hash=item4ac7c1186f#ht_2792wt_1399

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Sure either of those would be OK. I kinda got the impression money was an issue so I recommended low buck solution with re-purposing old rubber inner tube.

Another good sound/vibration reducer is dynamat. A low buck solution is poly-fil for stuffing pillows. A chicken wire seperator/partition with a layer of stuffing is going to further isolate the sound wave from the mobo/drives.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Will the S220 sub fit inside the case without disassembling it first? The reason I ask is that it is a ported design. Both the box and the port tube are designed to give it max punch from min power. Taking it apart might yield some not so great results.

If you can put the whole thing inside the cabinet with the speaker facing out and the port facing up you've got a better chance at producing good sound. Then it's just a matter of mounting it with a layer of dynamat in between the front fascia of the sub and the inside of the cabinet.

 

[Necrosaro420]

Havent measured but im pretty sure it would be too large. Its a bartop design so its alot smaller than a normal arcade. A 19" LCD is going in it, and do not think there would be enough room to fit the actual speaker box in there or I would.

 

[bryanl]

The magnetic field is harmless, but vibration from very loud bass notes could damage any hard disk.

A 4" subwoofer isn't good for anything below 70 Hz, and a computer case makes a poor woofer box unless reinforced with thick dense material and properly sealed, either by making it airtight or by venting it only through a duct.

 

[mfenn]

The magnetic field is harmless, but vibration from very loud bass notes could damage any hard disk.

A 4" subwoofer isn't good for anything below 70 Hz, and a computer case makes a poor woofer box unless reinforced with thick dense material and properly sealed, either by making it airtight or by venting it only through a duct.

Both of which are bad for the actual computer part of the chassis. Maybe create two zones, one sealed for the sub and another vented for the PC?

 

[Necrosaro420]

Well got the speakers in today. And the sub/box may fit in there after all, its alot smaller than I thought it would be.