Instructions for G5 backplate replacement and motherboard mounting. Kit contents: See end page. Instructions. The case should be stripped of all electrical items and fittings prior to kit installation so as to avoid problems with drilling swarf. The directions below do not detail the full stripping process. BACKPLATE 1. With the G5 stripped and fans removed, offer up the backplate to the rear of the G5 and do a test fit. Test fitting means simply laying the backplate against the rear of the G5 and ,using the PCI slots as a reference and starting from the upper right hand corner place the short M3 screws through aligned holes in the G5 backplate.
2. With the new backplate lying against the G5 back, this will show you where you will need to cut away material. I suggest scribing around the inside of where the fan holes will be, as well as around the I/O cut out. REMEMBER you must keep the material of the G5 backplate that you are going to secure the screws to, so it is a good idea to mark with a pen or similar the position of the mount holes. The panel should sit like this when you are finished so use this as a reference for where to cut:
2. Note that in the finished mod the left edge of the panel should look exactly like this where it meets the door latch.
3. The top edge of the panel will be here:
4. And the bottom of the panel will be here:
4. Mark up the areas where you will need to cut the backplate to make room for the ATX shield and the 120 fan. If in doubt under cut and then go back and cut more later - you can always remove material, but putting it back is not so easy.... The Picture below shows an example of the material to be cut away. Importantly: one full column of holes needs to be left on the left and the right hand side. Also, make sure three rows of holes on the flat part of the back panel at the bottom are left uncut. Generally leave as much material of the original back intact as you can.
5. Once you have made the cuts, test fit the new back. This time, once you have loosely fastened the new back plate into place offer up a 120mm fan to the hole and see if all fits well. If there is too much of the original back to allow the fan assembly to fit, then make a note of where the problem is, take the backplate off and do any needed extra cutting. 6. Having done this you can now fasten the backplate to the rear of the G5. Fasten the case at the points circled in red using an M3 screw, a washer and a nut at each of the points indicated.
You can also at this point attach the plug socket with nuts, washers and screws at the points marked with a green circle. 7. Once you have done that you can now fit the IO shield.
The IO shield should have the bottom left corner trimmed as shown above. If it does not, then trim it now with a dremel, snips or a saw.
8.
The IO shield fixes using screws, nuts and washers at the points marked with a blue circle. It is then fixed at the bottom using ONLY screws (as the holes in the shield are tapped) at the points marked with a red circle.
MOTHERBOARD TRAY 1. Turning to the inside of the G5 we come to the fitting of the motherboard tray. First though, there are some “non� standoffs that need to be removed from the G5 case completely. These are the button headed (i.e. not threaded) standoffs that were used to locate the original motherboard and which allowed the motherboard to slide in elongated slots. The photograph below shows one example of these standoffs - all similar standoffs to these should be removed.
2. Now is a good time to just do a quick test fit of your motherboard tray into the G5. The general principle for all G5 models is that the tray will fit to the top shelf mounting points here:
and that it will fix at the bottom to convenient already existing standoffs in your G5.
3. Note that standoff positions in the G5 will vary according to model. For instance, in the motherboard tray shown below, the tray can be attached to the points arrowed.
The two points shown though are quite tall and need to be reduced in size by the use of a dremel tool or hacksaw so that when the motherboard is mounted to the tray there will be no chance of them interfering with it.
4. Reduce the height of the standoffs shown so the tray can be fixed in position using just two (2) of the supplied 3mm washers and a screw. If two washers are not enough then DO NOT add more, but instead reduce the height of the standoffs some more until it can be fixed by using just two washers per standoff as shown here:
5. Once the board is fixed at the shelf screws and at the bottom you can now add the 12mm standoffs supplied as shown here:
Now you can test fit your motherboard. Again, make absolutely sure that nothing underneath the motherboard would cause any short circuits.
Power Plug
Electricity from the mains can kill. If you are wiring to the socket supplied with the kit make sure you do the following: 1. Make sure that connections are correctly made between Live, Neutral and Earth connections. 2. All your connections must be either securely soldered or by using spade terminal connections of the correct type. 3. All connections MUST be insulated so that no bare wires or terminals are left exposed. If in any doubt about anything to do with electrical wiring then seek advice and help from a qualified electrician. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU ARE COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INSTALLATION OF YOUR KIT AND FOR ANY MODIFICATIONS TO WIRING - THE LASER HIVE CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ACCIDENTS THAT MAY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF BAD WIRING OR MIS-CONNECTIONS.
Mounting your motherboard. With the tray in position and the backplate secured, you can complete your buildup. With everything secured, you can now (if you have not done so already) fit your 120mm fan and grill. If using a rear mounted water cooler then again make sure that absolutely nothing can cause there to be an electrical short circuit between the power plug and the radiator. If you have made a power extender then make sure this bends easily and does not get caught/ snagged by the radiator. If in doubt, use more insulating material between the power inlet and your radiator. Finally, sit back and admire your handiwork!
For all queries, please email Dave: info@thelaserhive.com