Some months ago I managed to get an ATA-IDE+RS232C interface for my old MSX. The first thing I did was to open my old PC and get its CDROM and harddisk. Some days later I realized that all those stuff on top of the desk do not look that good, so I decided to do something about it. As a PC case is to big, I thought of building one by myself. It should be easy to do, so I could start and finish it, and not left it on the “things to do” list. I decided to use DM (wood material), which happens to be something I'm used to work with and easy to get.

Once decided the material, how it would look like? Like a hamburger, top model... After lots of hours thinking I decided for a simple box, like the one shown here.



Well, I already had the concept and the material to make it. I quickly took a pencil and a paper. Well, some of you would had programmed some utility in MSX to be able to take the measures through the ports from joystick, or through slots, or you had even taken the soldering iron directly on the MSX, but you know, I allowed myself the luxury to take a meter... With the measures taken I make small calculations several times to see how it would fit everything in my box, and when I was sure that my measures were correct I went to a site of those where they cut wood to resize it (I believe that they are called carpentries but I am not very sure, because it was full of young ladies smoking and they whispered pleasant things to me in my ear). Don't know how, but at the end of my trip, after leaving the site of the young ladies, I arrived at my destiny. In there, there was a middle-aged man who asked me abruptly what I wanted. I gave a paper to him with the measures and he said to me that he would have it the following day. So I went out of there and went to a bar for drinking one beer and thinking about the future box of my MSX. On the following day I was anxious to see those wood tables in my writing-desk to be able to initiate the assembly. I took my mini drill and I began to make holes like a possessed person. Finally I mounted the components in the box and I closed it. I couldn't believe it, laziness hadn't overcome chronic and I had made the box in less than one week (adding the visit to the site of the young ladies) and in addition it had cost to me less than 10 euros with beer including. Well, after the story I display a summary to you in case you want to do it by yourself, and do not doubt in sending me the photos of your boxes.

STEP BY STEP

1- First you have to set its shape and measures. This one is 21cm high and 26cm long. Here you have some drawings.



Frontal side. The orange thing is the CDROM.

That blank thing is DM thick, which is 5mm.



That orange thing is the power supply.



2- Once we have all the things needed, just take in mind:

•  DO NOT SCREW the power supply, it could be dangerous because risk of electric shock.

•  Put the power supply at the top of the box, that way the wires are less bothering.

•  Fix the hard disk at the bottom with some kind of plastic glue or silicone with the screws, this way you can avoid vibrations.

3- Take care not to embed the power supply with the frontal panel, use a piece of DM as a top.

4- Screw the CD from the sides of the box. You have to make some small holes with an 1 or 2 mm drill.

5- Plug the CD to the power supply an put the harddisk at the bottom, that way the IDE wire can be extracted frontally with ease.

6- Plug the HD to the power supply and plug also the IDE wire.

7- Sandpaper the down part of the frontal panel, this is for the IDE wire, and the pass it through the hole.

8- Do a small hole for an interrupter (for power supply) on the frontal panel and screw it.

9- Screw the front panel, be careful with the IDE wire.

10- Finished, have fun!!!

I haven't painted it yet, if you want to do it, just use some spray, it is faster and easier. Here you have a photo of the box finished.







Ángel Alonso