Users Manual

Manuel de lutilisateur Anwenderhandbuch Manuale per loperatore Manual del usuario
At Antec, we continually refine and improve our products to ensure the highest quality. So its possible that your new case may differ slightly from the descriptions in this manual. This isnt a problem; its simply an improvement. As of the date of publication, all features, descriptions, and illustrations in this manual are correct.

Disclaimer

This manual is intended only as a guide for Antecs Computer Enclosures. For more comprehensive instructions on installing the motherboard and peripherals, please refer to the users manuals which come with the components and drives.

P180 Users Manual

The P180 comes without a power supply. Make sure you choose a power supply that is compatible with and has long enough power harnesses to reach your motherboard and peripheral devices. We recommend our TruePower 2.0, Neo HE or Phantom power supplies for the latest ATX specification compliance, wide compatibility, and power savings capability.

Setting Up

1. Place the case upright on a flat, stable surface. 2. Remove the thumbscrew from the left side panel. Grip the panel at the top and bottom and slide it towards you to open the case. Note: Dont use your fingernail to pry or lift the panels. 3. Remove the screws from the right side panel. Grip the panel at the top and bottom and slide it towards you to remove. 4. Inside the case you should see two separate chambers - the upper chamber for motherboard, external drives and hard drives; and the lower chamber for power supply and hard drives. You will also find some wiring with marked connectors (USB, PWR etc.), and installed I/O panel, a box containing the top fan spoiler and drive rails for 5.25 drives and floppy disk drive, a tool box attached to the upper HDD cage (the inside of the cage) containing more hardware (screws, brass standoffs, spare silicone grommets, etc.)
Installing the Motherboard
This manual does not cover CPU, RAM, or expansion card installation. Please consult your motherboard manual for specific mounting instructions and troubleshooting. 1. Lay the case down, with the open left side facing up. The drive cages and power supply cage should be visible. 2. Make sure you have the correct I/O panel for your motherboard. If the panel provided with the case isnt suitable, please contact your motherboard manufacturer for the correct I/O panel. 3. Line up your motherboard with the standoff holes, and remember which holes are lined up. Not all motherboards will match with all the provided holes; this is normal, and wont affect functionally. (In other words, there will likely be extra holes.) 4. Remove your motherboard by lifting it up. 5. Screw the brass standoffs into the threaded holes that line up with your motherboard. Do not over-tighten the standoffs. Some standoffs may be pre-installed for your convenience. 1
6. Place your motherboard on the brass standoffs. 7. Screw in your motherboard to the standoffs with the provided Philips-head screws. Your motherboard is now installed.

Front Bezel Connectors

1. Connect the Reset switch (labeled RESET SW) to your motherboard at the RST connector. The white wire for each connector should be on the ground pin. 2. Power LED (labeled POWER LED) connector is located behind the Reset connector. 3. Power Switch (labeled POWER SW) connects to the PWR connector on the motherboard. 4. Hard Drive LED I & II (labeled HDD I, HDD II) connectors. You may use these LEDs for indicating activity on two different hard drives, or any other indication your system supports.

Connecting the USB Ports

You will find a single 10-pin connector on a cable attached to the front USB ports. This is an Intel standard connector, which is keyed so that it cant be accidentally, reversed as long as it is connected to a proper Intel standard motherboard header. Connect the 10-pin connector to your motherboard headers so that the blocked pin fits over the missing header pin. Note: Please check your motherboard manual for your USB header pin layout and make sure it matches the attached table. If it does not match this Intel standard, please contact your motherboard manufacturer for an adapter. You may also call Antec customer support at (800) 22ANTEC (North America) or +31 (0) 10 462-2060 (Europe) to purchase a USB adapter. This adapter will allow you to connect the front USB to your motherboard on a pin-by-pin basis. Motherboard Pin Layout Pin 9 Signal Names
USB Power 1 Negative Signal 1 Positive Signal 1 Ground 1 Key (No Connection)

Pin 10

Signal Names
USB Power 2 Negative Signal 2 Positive Signal 2 Ground 2 Empty Pin
Connecting the IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.Link) Port
You will find a single 10-pin connector on a cable attached to the front IEEE 1394 connection. This is an Intel standard connector, which is keyed so that it cant be accidentally reversed as long as it is connected to a proper Intel standard motherboard header. Connect the 10-pin connector to your motherboard header so that the blocked pin fits over the missing header pin.
Note: Please check your motherboard manual for your IEEE 1394 header pin layout and make sure it matches the attached table. If you intend to connect the front FireWire port to an IEEE 1394 add-on card that comes with an external-type IEEE 1394 connector, please call Antec customer service at (800) 22ANTEC (North America) or +31 (0) 10 462-2060 (Europe) to purchase an adapter. This adapter will allow you to connect the front IEEE 1394 port to the external-type connector. Pin Assignment for Front Panel IEEE 1394 Connector Pin 9 Signal Names TPA+ Ground TPB+ +12V (Fused) Key (No Pin) Pin 10 Signal Names TPA Ground TPB +12V (Fused) Ground

Connecting the Audio Ports
There is an Intel standard 10-pin connector (with 7 individual wires with connectors) coming out from the front panel speaker and microphone connection. If your motherboard supports Intels standard onboard audio connector, you can plug the 10-pin connector directly onto the board. For non-Intel standard audio connections, you will need to plug the seven individual connectors in as follows: Locate the internal audio connectors from your motherboard or sound card. Consult your motherboard or sound card manual for the pin-out positions. 1. Microphone Signal Pin: Connect the MIC connector to this pin. 2. Microphone Power: Connect the MIC-BIAS connector to this pin. 3. Ground Pin: Connect the AUD GND connector to this pin. 4. Front Right Speaker Out Pin: Connect the FPOUT-R connector to this pin. 5. Front Left Speaker Out Pin: Connect the FPOUT-L connector to this pin. 6. Rear Right Speaker Out Pin: Connect the RET-R connector to this pin. 7. Rear Left Speaker Out Pin: Connect RET-L connector to this pin.

3.5 Device Installation

With the front bezel facing you, swing the front door open. It can swing 270 degrees so the door will be parallel with the side of the case. You can see there are four 5.25 and one 3.5 external drive bays. Inside the case there are two 3.5 drive cages, which can house up to six hard drives. Note: we recommend using the lower HDD cage for your hard drives to maximize the cooling and Quiet Computing potential of the case.

Upper HDD Installation

Note: If you install any HDDs in this location you will NOT be able to use the Middle Fan as described in the Cooling System section of the manual. 1. Remove the thumbscrew holding the upper HDD cage. 2. Pull the HDD cage from its position by pulling the ring. Note: If you want to install the optional front 120mm fan, you should do so before continuing. Please refer to the Cooling System section for further details. 3
3. There are two HDD trays inside the cage. Squeeze the metal clips on each side of a tray and slide it out. 4. Mount your hard drive to the drive tray with the special screws provided. Dont over-tighten the screws since that could decrease the grommets ability to absorb vibration and noise. Note: Always mount the hard drive with the thicker side of the silicone grommets contacting the hard drive. 5. Slide and lock the tray back into the case. 6. Repeat this if you want to mount another hard drive in the upper cage. 7. Slide the cage back to the case and fasten the thumbscrew. 8. Please refer to the power supply installation section to route the power cables to your devices. Once youve done so, connect the appropriate power connectors to your device.

The Lower HDD Installation.
1. Remove the thumbscrew holding the lower HDD cage. 2. Pull the HDD cage from its position by pulling the ring. 3. You can mount four hard drives inside the cage. They are mounted vertically with silicone grommets on both sides. 4. Mount your hard drive into the drive cage with the special screws provided. (These screws are in the toolbox attached to the back of the upper HDD cage.) Dont over-tighten the screws since that could decrease the grommets ability to absorb vibration and noise. Note: Always mount the HDD with the thicker side of the silicone grommets facing up. 5. Repeat the same procedure for the other drives as necessary. 6. Slide the cage back into the case and fasten the thumbscrew. 7. Please refer to the power supply installation section, to route the power cables to your devices. Once youve done so, connect the appropriate power connectors to your device.
External 3.5 Drive Installation
There is one external 3.5 drive bay. 1. Carefully remove the plastic drive bay cover and metal plate covering the drive bay. 2. Find the pair of 3.5 drive rails from the box that also contains the top fan spoiler. 3. Mount the drive rails onto the sides of the 3.5 device. Make sure the metal portion is facing forward and angled outward. 4. Slide the device into the drive bay until you hear it click into place. 5. Please refer to the power supply installation section, to route the power cables to your devices. 6. Connect a small 4-pin connector from the power supply to the male 4-pin connector on the floppy drive.

5.25 Device Installation

There are four 5.25 drive bays in the P180. 1. Carefully remove the plastic drive bay cover and the metal plate covering the drive bay. 2. Mount the drive rails onto the sides of the 5.25 device. Make sure the metal portion is facing forward and angled outward. 3. Slide the device into the drive bay until you hear it click into place. 4. Mount the other devices accordingly.
5. Please refer to the power supply installation section, to route the power cables to your devices. Once youve done so, connect the appropriate power connectors to your device.
Installing the power supply
1. With the case upright and both side panels removed (see Setting Up), remove the screws on both sides of the power supply retaining cage and pull the cage out. 2. Slide your power supply into the cage, and slide the cage with power supply back into the case. Note: You can mount the power supply either side up, but dont fasten the power supply and cage to the case at this time. 3. There is a plastic sliding panel assembly between the upper and lower chambers that lets you run power and data cables between the chambers while maintaining thermal isolation. It has two parts, one large and one small, both of which can slide independently to adjust the size of the openings. Loosen the two thumbscrews holding the panels and slide the large panel all the way to the rear of the case to fully expand the opening. 4. Carefully guide all the power cables through the opening to the upper chamber. Route power cables to your installed upper chamber devices and make the appropriate connections. Note: you may want to pull the power cable of the lower chamber 120mm fan to the upper chamber for easy cable management. 5. Now secure the power supply by screwing the retaining cage to the case. Also fasten the power supply to the back of the case at this time with the screws provided. 6. Slide the small plastic divider panel to the rear of the case to fully expand the other opening. 7. Carefully route power and data cables to the lower chamber as necessary for the hard drives you have installed in the lower chamber. Make the appropriate connections. 8. Slide both the large and small plastic panels all the way to the front of the case to close the openings. 9. Tighten the two thumbscrews to secure the sliding panels.

Cooling System The Tricool fan:
The P180 includes three installed 120mm Tricool fans. Tricool fans have a three-speed switch that lets you choose between quiet, standard or maximum cooling. We set the default fan speed to Low for the upper and rear120mm fans. (See specifications below.) Note: The minimum voltage to start the fan is 5V. We recommend our users to set the fan speed to High if you choose to connect the fan to a fan control device or to the Fan-Only connector found on some Antec power supplies. A fan-controlled-device regulates the fan speed by varying the voltage to the fan. The voltage may start as low as 4.5V to 5V. Connecting a Tricool set on Medium or Low to a fan-control device may result in the fan not being able to start. The already lowered voltage from the fan control device will be further reduced by the Tricool circuitry below 5V.
The Top and Rear Exhaust Tricool Fans
We recommend leaving these two fans at the default Low speed setting as these fans sit right next to your CPU and can effectively exhaust heat from your chassis. If you choose to overclock or install a very hot CPU you can increase the fan speed to achieve better cooling. 5
These two fans are mounted so that the air is blowing out of the case. The top fan comes with a spoiler to mount on the top of the case.

To install the spoiler:

1. With the spoiler open end facing the rear of the case, carefully align the tabs of the spoiler with the notches on the case. 2. Insert the tabs into the notches and slide the spoiler towards the front of the case until it clicks into position Specifications: Size: Rated Voltage: Operating Voltage: Speed
High 2000 RPM Medium 1600 RPM Low 1200 RPM
120 x 120 x 25.4 mm DC 12V 10.2V ~ 13.8V Air Flow
2.24 m / min (79 CFM) 1.59 m / min (56 CFM) 1.1 m / min (39 CFM)

Input Current

0.24A (Max.) 0.2A 0.13A

Static Pressure

2.54 mm-H2O (0.10 inch-H2O) 1.53 mm-H2O (0.06 inch-H2O) 0.92 mm-H2O (0.04 inch-H2O)

Acoustical Noise 30 dBA

Input Power

28 dBA 25 dBA

2.4 W 1.6 W
The Lower Chamber Tricool Fan
This is a special high throughput 120mm fan. Because of its design this fan can move more air than standard 120mm fans at the same speed (RPM). This fan is placed in the middle of the lower chamber, which act likes a wind tunnel when the side panels are closed. Note: we recommend setting the speed to Medium or Low. The default fan setting is Medium. Specifications: Size: Rated Voltage: Operating Voltage: Speed

High 1500 RPM Medium 1200 RPM Low 900 RPM
120 x 120 x 38.0 mm DC 12V 10.2V ~ 13.8V Air Flow
1.70 m / min (60 CFM) 1.36 m / min (48 CFM) 1.02 m / min (36 CFM)

0.2A (Max.) 0.15A 0.1A

2.22 mm-H2O (0.08 inch-H2O) 1.42 mm-H2O (0.05 inch-H2O) 0.80 mm-H2O (0.03 inch-H2O)

Acoustical Noise 28 dBA

23 dBA 17 dBA

1.8 W 1.2 W

The Optional Fans
There are two optional 120mm fan mounts the front fan (located in front of the upper HDD cage) and the middle fan (located inside the upper HDD cage). These two fans should be installed so that the air is blowing into the case from the front.
The Front Fan The front fan is provided to enhance the HDD cooling of any drives mounted in the upper HDD Cage, or to add airflow within the main chamber. The Middle Fan The middle fan is designed to cool VGA cards, especially dual VGA card systems. Using this configuration the Upper HDD cage becomes a duct drawing fresh air from the front of the case. You can choose to mount only the middle fan or you can mount both the front and middle fans to further enhance cooling as the two fans will create a push/pull action to bring air in more efficiently. Note: If you add the middle fan, you will not be able to mount hard drives in the upper drive cage. 1. Find the two fan wire brackets insidethe box holding the spoiler and the drive rails. 2. Install the wire brackets in the upper HDD cage as shown 3. Clip the fan into position as shown
We strongly recommend NOT installing the optional fans unnecessarily since they will create additional fan noise. However if you insist, we recommend using Antec 120mm TriCool fans and setting the speed to low.

The Washable Air Filter

There are two filters located behind the front grilles. From time to time it will be necessary to wash the installed air filters. Not washing the air filters will result in higher system temperatures and possible operational stability problems. We recommend checking the air filters at least once a month initially. This frequency may change depending on system usage (users whose systems run 24/7 will likely have to check/wash more often than those who dont use their systems every day) and environmental conditions.

To remove the filters:

1. Open the front door. Youll see 2 fan grilles, one above the external 3.5 drive bay and one below it. 2. Push on the fan grilles on the right middle edge. Youll hear a click and the grille will pop open part way. Pull the grille open fully. 3. There are two tabs on the filter. Use both of your hands to press the tabs downwards. Lift it up and slide it towards the top of the case to remove the filter.

Antec, Inc.

47900 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538 USA tel: 510-770-1200 fax: 510-770-1288

Antec Europe B.V.

Sydneystraat BP Rotterdam The Netherlands tel: +31 (0) 10 462-2060 fax: +31 (0) 10 437-1752
Technical Support: US & Canada
1-800-22ANTEC customersupport@antec.com

Europe

+31 (0) 10 462-2060 europe.techsupport@antec.com

www.antec.com

Copyright 2006 Antec, Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Printed in China. Version 1.0.1 02/21/2006

Site Internet http://www.a1-electronics.net Date: --/04/2006 Security Copy: a1-electronics.pdf Copyright http://www.a1-electronics.net/Cases/2006/1st/Antec_P180_Apr.shtml
A1 Electronics.net computer hardware reviews & computer news.
Antec P180 Silver desktop mid-tower computer case review.
Page 2 Antec P180 PC case review. Page 4 P180 PC case review. Page 6 P180 PC review. Page 8 PC review. Page 3 Antec P180 PC case review.
Page 5 P180 PC case review.

Page 7 P180 PC.

Page 9 PC.
Antec started in 1986 in Fremont California. Now Antec have offices in Europe and distributors throughout Australia and Asia. Antec are top quality manufacturers of top quality computer equipment from cases to power supplies, cooling fans, lighting components and more for all computer users. Today we review for you this super desktop mid-tower designed for those of you looking for a top quality quieter computer case as it uses an innovative sound deadening design. Starting with this initial overall picture of this super Antec P180 we can see it is silver in colour and somewhat stylish we think. No flashy lights and mouldings on this mid-tower case. Being silver in colour it will blend in well in any office or home decor. It overall size is: 20.5 x 510 x 510cm.
the power supply is positioned at the bottom.
The back view is slight different to a standard mid-tower in that
It comes with a rather nice I/O plate but of course this probably will not suit your motherboard. But nice touch anyway. You can see the fan vent holes for the top fan are of hexagonal design for more efficient less restrictive air flow

where it is needed.

Page 2. & A1 Electronics.net for readers. our Antec Silver mid-tower PC case price comparison. Main comp section or Main search.
A1 Electronics.net takes no responsibility whatsoever for any material on this site which is intended for entertainment & information only. You use the content at your own risk. Copyright (c) A1 Electronics.net. All rights reserved.
Looking head-on to the front of this Antec computer case we see that there are various conector ports which do not need you opening the front panel. Handy. Starting from the top there is an IEEE port, two USB ports, two audio ports and the case lock.
With the front panel open we can see the reset button and
Here we see again the easy access for the top four 5.25" drive bays and the two filters for the two front 120mm fans that can be installed or not depending on your particular need. Front panel access for a floppy drive is between the two air filters. The two fan filter covers flip open when you press the spring loaded release clip making removal and cleaning these Antec computer air filters as easy as it can be.

Page 3 Antec.

Here we have gone one step further and completely removed the Antec front panel assembly to show you as much as possible. But you in your use of this mid-tower case will not need to go this far. You can see here and in our 1st picture the vertical band of slots that run the full height of the front panel to allow air into the computer and then through the two filters.
Here we see the full inside of this Antec mid-tower case as it comes out of the box.
The power supply is installed in the bottom left position where there is a separate cooling fan for it which also sucks air through the bottom filter and past the lower drive bays. The installation sliders for the top 5.25" drives bays are on the black plastic moulding on the left. How to install hard drives in the slide-out racks later.

Page 4 Antec.

& A1 Electronics.net for our readers. Antec Silver computer price comparison. Main comp section or Main search.
A1 Electronics.net takes no responsibility whatsoever for any material on this site which is intended for entertainment & information only. You use
With items removed we get thus:
Removal of the Antec computer slide out drive bays is as simple as unscrewing the locking screw and sliding out. Removal of the black plastic fan vent guide requires the removal of four small screws at the back of the case and two small screws securing it inside, very easy. We can see on the right in the middle position the provision for another 120mm
fan as a fan shroud is provided to provide a gentle breeze over those drives. As you look at these pictures you can see that air coming in via the bottom filter can pass through the lower drive bay to the Antec 120mm power supply bay fan and also through to the main computer case area via a slot in the top left in the lower drive bay compartment.
Here we see looking forward showing the middle position and black plastic cover for an additional 120mm fan. You can see also the black plastic sliders for the middle rack, the same plastic sliders are fitted to the rack and not the case.
Looking at the back inside end we see the back Antec 120mm fan and the black plastic mounting vent plate for the removable fan moulding. Here you can also see the Antec speed controllers already fitted to the fans. The white lead coming from the fans.
The top and back 120mm fans have three speed settings, low, medium & high. Low speed being 1,200rpm, 39CFM and 25dBA, Medium speed being 1,600rpm, 56CFM and 28dBA while High speed is 2,000rpm, 79CFM and 30dBA. The lower chamber 120mm fan has again a three speed controller but the speeds are different. Low speed being 900rpm, 36CFM and 17dBA, Medium speed being 1,200rpm, 48CFM and 23dBA while High speed is 1,500rpm, 60CFM and 28dBA. Which Antec speed setting you use is of course your choice but low or medium are ideal. Here we have a picture looking directly at the inside base of this Antec computer case so that you can see clearly the black plastic slider arrangement that can be adjusted to regulate the air flow from the bottom fan into the motherboard area and of course to allow the power supply leads from the power supply into this area.
With a typical motherboard installed the inside of this Antec P180 computer case looks like this. A clean and rather neat layout with plenty of room.

Here we have a couple of pictures of the Antec VGA ventilation duck. You can see with it removed that it is designed to take an 80mm fan that can be either set to blow or suck air depending on your choice. But in any instance it is designed to provide adequate ventilation for your graphics card and of course any other PCI cards you are using.
Here we have a picture of the top Antec drive bay rack assembly. To start with a handy tool box or spare parts box is included which we think is very handy so that you can keep and know exactly where any spare screws are at a later date. The two slide racks slide out and you can see that each of them have four soft silicon grommets which you mount your drives on to remove any vibration and noise that might be generated with the screws provided. The trick is not to over tighten the drive fixing screws and crush these Antec silicon grommets.
The lower drive rack has provision for four drives to be fitted vertically using the same silicon grommets system to remove any vibration and noise. Both of these rack have a metal ring pull should you need to use to pull out the drive racks.
The top fan at the back of the top panel has a black plastic vent cover to direct the air flow and of course stop any objects accidentally falling into this Antec computer case via the fan. Our first picture shows what the finished PC looks like. Also included are four drive bay sliders for the front drive bays, packet of all the necessary screws and fitting and comprehensive manual.
Here we have a picture of one of the side panels which while not showing a lot helps to explaining the innovative Antec three-layer panel of aluminium, plastic & aluminium which dampens any noise generated inside the computer. We can assure you that as soon as you pick this Antec P180 up you instantly notice its sound deadening effect compared to the same noise you get when you lift any other computer case. It is noticeably quieter. So just from our use of it making this review we can say that it does reduce noise noticeably.
The other side of the coin is that it does weight a little more than a conventional mid-tower computer case which are now made of the lightest materials but which do not help to reduce noise as this super Antec P180 does. And last but not least. The base of this case is fitted with four soft rubber pads that do what they are intended to do, namely stop any vibration getting to the desk or table it is sitting on.