Lian Li's PC-CK101 was apparently a big hit at Christmas. It sold out, and remains so, at most online vendors. The kit consists of a locomotive and a tender, which house all of the components you'd typically find in a PC. When you step up to the 'L' model, you also get 10 feet of railroad track and a motor.
So, here's our plan of action. First, we're going to build a complete PC into the locomotive. Then we're going to make the whole thing mobile. Finally, we're taking our rail-based configuration to an outdoor train museum, just for kicks. All aboard, friends.
Even without its fancy tracks and motor, this case is unique. It deserves an objective review, and we aren't going to sugar-coat any of its drawbacks. Lian Li does demonstrate with this showpiece what amazing things skilled metal workers can build from aluminum parts. It's all the more impressive that the company was able to bring this chassis to market, rather than simply making it some sort of exhibition piece.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Model Name | PC-CK101 (+ PC-CK101L with motor and tracks) |
| Format | Mini-ITX, Mini Tower |
| Dimensions | Width: 7.3", Height: 10.2", Length: 20.3" |
| Color | Black (Powder-Coated) |
| Material | Body: Aluminum Windows: Acrylic |
| Weight | 9 lbs. |
| Drive Bays | 1 x 5.25" external (Slim ODD) 1 x 3.5" internal (hard drive; only if the motor kit is not installed) 2 x 2.5" internal (SSD; if the motor kit is installed, only 1x) |
| Fan | 1 x 120 mm with dust filter |
| Connectors | 2 x USB 3.0 (on the locomotive) |
| Box Size | CK101S 21.8" x 9.7" x 15.2" (L x W x H) CK101L 21.8" x 9.7" x 24.7" (L x W x H) |
| Power Supply | SFX PSU (made by FSP) 300 W 80 PLUS |
| Price | Approx. $229 (PC-CK101S w/o motor, 20" track) Approx. $312 (PC-CK101L including motor, 10' track) |
So, those are the speeds and feeds. But how easy is it to get a PC built inside? What follows is the blow-by-blow account. Minor hurdles did have to be overcome, but in the end we had a lot of fun.
Although the retail package appears surprisingly compact, it does contain everything you'll need (even plenty of Taiwanese air; there's quite a bit of space left inside). It quickly becomes apparent that this train is a rather small descendant of the awe-inspiring steam locomotives of yore.
The packaging material is not crumbly Styrofoam, but rather polyurethane and cardboard. That means you don't have to vacuum up tiny foam fragments off of the floor after you unpack this train's components. Apart from the packaging material, we find one 20”-long track segment, a thin user guide in leaflet form, plenty of screws, some rubber gaskets for installing the hard drive, a mounting bracket for the train, and even a small piezo speaker.
The train, composed of the locomotive and the tender, comes already assembled. Extra parts come in small plastic bags, making sure that they stay in pristine, dust-free condition during storage and shipping.
As far as packaging and accessories are concerned, this case is like any other enclosure. Well, almost. Because there are several protruding parts, I had to take extra care that it didn't get scratched up during assembly.
I discovered that laying this platform down on a duvet or pillow makes handling a little easier. Even after building this thing up and tearing it back down three times, there's not a single scratch on its powder-coated black surface or acrylic windows. Why did we build it so many times? I tried two different motherboards and the motor kit, requiring some major changes to our parts list. But let’s not jump too far ahead of ourselves. First, a discussion about that unique power supply.
Lian Li bundles a 300 W power supply manufactured by FSP, which arrives already mounted in the front section of the locomotive. FSP sells decent power supplies, but this unit's output rating is well in excess of what you'd need for a platform without room for an add-in graphics card. Why didn't Lian Li just use a PicoPSU and an external power adapter? If only to make a point about power use, one of my configurations employed a Core i7-3770K on a Z77-based motherboard. Such a setup would have stretched the capabilities of a PicoPSU, but we don't think it's particularly realistic to put such high-end hardware into a whimsical little case like this anyway.
So long as you use the right motherboard, FSP's power supply complies with ErP/EuP requirements. Stand-by power was measured at a mere 0.5 W, which is exemplary. The PSU passed several short circuit and overload experiments, and its sound level is also admirably low, even under full load. The power supply fan is temperature-controlled, which we think deserves recognition.
| Model | FSP300-60GHS |
|---|---|
| Input Spec | 100-240 V (Full Range) 4.5-2.5 A 50-60 Hz |
| Output Spec | 3.3 V + 5 V = max. 125 W 12 V1 + 12 V2 = max. 264 W (22 A) Total power draw on all rails, maximum 300 W |
| Connections | 24-pin Mainboard Connector 4-pin CPU Connector 12 V 1 x PATA (Four Molex Connectors, 1 x Floppy Connector) 2 x SATA (Two SATA Connectors) |
Although the cables aren't sleeved, I consider that to be in advantage in a cramped chassis like Lian Li's locomotive. Rigid leads would be more difficult to route. Thus, there's really no reason to replace the factory-installed power supply. Its output power proved sufficient, and all of our testing with it was successful.
Given the unconventional shape of this case, it isn’t surprising that there's only room for a slim optical drive. That's certainly not something we can hold against Lian Li. However, most slim drives employ a mini-SATA power connector, and FSP's unit doesn't have one. Thus, right out of the gate, you're forced to buy an adapter for a few bucks. The expenditure isn't major. But using an adapter may create a problem; in our case, we needed to work around it.
Lian Li's installation guide recommends installing the optical drive from the front, after first removing the bay cover. Any slim disc drive should fit through the opening.
Getting the power and data cables to the front of the engine to hook them up is a minor hurdle. But if you use a SATA-to-mini-SATA adapter, make sure that it doesn’t come loose as you ease the drive back into the vacant bay.
In principle, this is fairly easy, though not completely foolproof. The optical drive mounting bracket held the bay cover in place, and it needs to be unscrewed first. The screws are too long for a typical optical drive though, and should either be replaced by shorter ones or used, but not screwed all of the way in. Otherwise, they can block the drive's tray or damage the drive itself.
Case in point, I wound up locking the drive tray by tightening the screws too hard. Luckily, I didn't harm the drive. With the screws only halfway in, however, there is some audible vibration as discs spin up. I wound up stabilizing the whole assembly with Super Glue.
With this advice in mind, mounting the drive becomes much easier to do correctly. On one side, two tiny pan head screws are used, while on the other side, two flat screws hold the drive in place.
The assembly guide makes no mention of this, but the bottom of the locomotive can be taken off completely after removing only four screws. Although I followed Lian Li's instructions to the letter, I think that dropping that bottom panel is the best way to get access to the optical drive.
Adapting the Adapter
Let’s revisit the SATA-to-mini-SATA adapter. Depending on make and model, it may not be a perfect fit. Keep an eye out for a narrow adapter. Your other option is to file/grind one side of a wider adapter to make it fit. I used a Dremel tool for this.
We're not going to bother with a large 3.5” hard disk. Not only do we want to avoid its noise, but Lian Li's optional motor kit also takes up the space you'd use for mechanical storage (a fact the manual fails to mention). It's only when you open the motor kit's instructions that you're told to move an SSD to the tender car instead.
We're using Corsair's 480 GB Neutron GTX, which is plenty fast and large for any usage model. Of course, if you're on a tighter budget, a 2.5" notebook hard drive would work just as well for enabling high capacity, though performance naturally suffers.
It'd be smart to use the rubber grommets for mounting a mechanical disk. They help decouple the drive's vibrations from the chassis (and, vice versa, they protect the repository from a moving locomotive). They also make it easier to get the SSD installed, too, though.
The grommets slide into place perfectly, though you'll want to attach the data and power cables before you get that far. Again, removing the bottom plate would make all of this easier, as I discovered later.
While you can certainly install a 2.5” SSD or mobile hard drive in the tender, there are no mounting points there. If you use the motor kit, you'll find that it rattles and vibrates a lot. Thus, an SSD is definitely preferable over a mechanical disk in this case.
A Steam Locomotive Needs Lots of Air
A fan comes mounted between the tender and the locomotive. While Lian Li excels in many different market segments, alas, fans are not one of them. The bundled fan isn't a gratuitous noisemaker, but it is certainly audible and its sound level is greater than what you hear from the PSU's cooler. To solve this, either throttle the fan down to 7 V (you can buy an adapter to do this) or simply replace it with a quieter fan of similar dimensions. Nice and neat.
I replaced the fan with a Noiseblocker model from the eLoop series, which is currently state-of-the-art. Since this isn't a chassis for penny-pinchers anyway, a few bucks more for an excellent fan shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. The powerful model I chose is probably a little overkill for a small platform without a graphics card. But I thought it might help cool our initial processor choice, Intel's Core i7-3770K.
As a side note, you can forego the enclosed air filter if you mount the fan so that it blows air out of the case. Low-pressure cooling may even improve thermal performance. Try it.
Attempt #1: Push it to the Limit
Yes, I know that a Core i7-3770K is overkill for an exhibition chassis like this one. In a gaming PC, half of the money spent on Intel's flagship Ivy Bridge-based CPU would be better diverted to a discrete graphics card, which unfortunately doesn't fit into Lian Li's whimsical locomotive case. Nevertheless, I wanted to explore the thermal limits of the enclosure, so I dropped the Core i7 into Zotac's H77-ITX WiFi motherboard.
A Wi-Fi module comes bundled with the board, so you don't have to worry about wired networking connectivity.
Neither the case nor the motherboard allow for oversized CPU coolers.
In the shot below, you can see the empty tender. We recommend removing the fan prior to mounting the motherboard, particularly since Zotac's platform sports a lot of connectors right under where that fan is positioned.
The rear panel cutout is just barely big enough for the I/O shield. Snapping it in requires considerable force.
All four motherboard standoffs are pre-mounted and sport precision threads. We had no problems inserting and tightening the enclosed screws.
We discovered that our Core i7-3770K taxes Scythe's Big Shuriken Rev.2 cooler to its limits, specifically during the CPU stress test. There isn't much room left for overclocking, to be sure. The eLoop-series Noiseblocker fan does help the heat sink and cooler though, and after 60 minutes of running LinX, the CPU temperature didn't exceed 72°C with a room temperature of 22°C (72°F). Using the original case fan, the Core i7 peaked at 74°C, which is still acceptable, we'd say.
Unfortunately, the Big Shuriken's fan is just too noisy at full processor load, which prompted us to reevaluate our CPU and motherboard choices.
We took a step back from our instinct to push this system's upper bounds and started thinking about a more appropriate platform to use. We'll cover that on the following page.
Look closely; the USB header cable is barely long enough to stretch over our Scythe cooler on Zotac's board. Lian Li should make this cable an inch longer to avoid connection issues.
Attempt #2: An Almost Perfectly-Quiet HTPC with an AMD E-350
Because our first shot at this turned into a noise competition between the CPU and case fans, I wanted to step down a notch in a couple of different ways. An HTPC does not require a massive desktop processor. So, a lower-wattage CPU is still apropos (not to mention a lot easier to cool in the confines of a cramped case).
AMD's E-350 APU isn't going to incite envy amongst any of your friends. It has even been superseded by newer models. The good news is that E-350-equipped motherboards sell for lower prices now, even as the APU's performance remains adequate for a lightweight media box. Yes, we could have used a more modern processor, but we had MSI's E350IA-E45 in the lab, and it let us do what we set out to achieve with thermals and acoustics.
Of course, I couldn't leave the platform well enough alone. Bothered by the stock cooler's noise levels at high RPMs, I removed MSI's heat sink cover and swapped out the default fan with another model from Noiseblocker (the extremely quiet XM2). Its power consumption and speed are very similar to what MSI had on there, but the XM2 is barely audible, even at 100% duty cycle.
With the fan replaced, we end up with a fairly ideal little HTPC. The low-power APU doesn't need a ton of airflow, so we have the option to throttle the 12 cm case fan, remove it completely, or even swap it out for something with LEDs, giving our train a fiery glow. After all, a steam locomotive needs a fire under its boiler.
Obviously, the only thing missing from the case now is its optional motor. Lian Li offers a model called PC-CK101L that includes a motor kit and longer track. I could hardly wait to get the little accessory installed; truly, the ability to move is what takes this chassis over the edge. To reward myself for the challenging assembly and component experimentation that went into this little locomotive, I took it, the tracks, any my family to an outdoor train museum, which provided plenty of photo opportunities (and helped me get in the good graces of my wife, who feels neglected when I write a review).
After a number of delays caused by snow, holiday scheduling, and rain, we made our pilgrimage, even though it was still drizzling. I hope you enjoy the pictures and video, whether you're a hardcore railroad buff or not.
But I'm jumping ahead of myself. First, I had to get the motor kit installed, which presented its own hurdles. Let's have a look at how a stationary locomotive chassis turns into an almost-wireless train set.
Packaging and Contents
The PC-CK101L makes it possible for us to get this locomotive case moving. Its box contains six track segments that are about 20” each. As you might expect, they can all be attached to each other. The box also contains a battery-powered motor kit.
The battery compartment holds four 1.5 V AA batteries. However, I recommend that you use a rechargeable power source. There is no way to connect the battery box to the PC's power supply, which is annoying. If you want to run the train while the PC is on, like me, you're going to quickly tire of replacing batteries otherwise.
You'd think that Lian Li would include a switch and a charger with this $300+ kit. Fortunately, you can retrofit it yourself if you want. The locomotive’s motor works from 5 V, making it possible to connect it directly to the power supply's 5 V rail.
Ready to get the motor kit installed? First, we have to remove all of the components from the locomotive compartment and move our SSD to the tender. Again, this is annoying, but it's an unavoidable step.
The SSD Winds up on the Floor
Right about now, we're happy that the FSP power supply has two separate SATA leads. One stays in the case, powering the optical drive. The other has to be run into the tender, since Lian Li's motor kit forces the relocation of our SSD. This doesn't help the enclosures looks any, but it simply cannot be avoided. If you want to get meticulous, use some black cable ties, which unfortunately don't come bundled with the case's accessories.
Finally, there is enough room inside the locomotive to install the motor and axles.
First things first; the wheels have to come off in order to get two axles installed. The motor drives the front axle via gears and the rear axle by means of a belt. A shortcut, powering only the front axle, would have let us keep the SSD in the locomotive's body, but it proved ineffective because the front wheels just can't move the train on their own. Moreover, with the front axle not under tension, it simply rattles around too much.
So, this needs to be done by the book. Shortcuts don't work. And with the SSD permanently moved, we're ready to continue.
When I tried to remove the screwed-on cover plate, I discovered that it had been assembled prior to Lian Li's powder coating process. Thus, paint held the piece in place. It finally came off with enough force, though the finish ended up a little marred. Luckily, that's the bottom of the locomotive. Even still, though, I don’t think the cover plate removal procedure was well thought-out by Lian Li.
Anyone who has ever played with Legos or Erector Sets as a kid should have no trouble mounting the axles. However, I recommend slipping the belt off of the gears to relieve tension. Screwing the bearings into place otherwise would be a challenge.
The motor’s electrical cable should be mounted to the case bottom by means of supplied cable clips. The double-sided adhesive tape on the clips is good enough to hold the clips and the light cable in place. Finally, the wheels are attached to the new axles.
In order for the train to reverse direction at the end of its 10-foot track, a reversing switch is needed. A power cable with a USB plug is connected to the battery pack at the back end of the train. I wouldn't suggest plugging the USB cable into a motherboard header, though. First, the motor draws more than 500 mA, exceeding the USB 2.0 spec. Secondly, a commuted DC motor feeds all kinds of electrical noise back into the power source, and this could affect audio quality during music playback.
There's a tiny metal bracket on the first and last piece of track, which is responsible for tripping the switch on the bottom of the tender. The polarity of the cable connections is absolutely critical if you want the reversal to work correctly.
Mounting the switch is easy, but it needs to be correctly oriented.
Finally, the motor's on/off switch has to be installed at the back of the tender. It's not positioned ideally; when the locomotive is lifted up, flipping the switch inadvertently is too easy. So, you'll want to make sure to keep the battery pack's switch turned off before transporting the train.
With cables run between the switches and battery pack, it's time to put the locomotive on the tracks for a test run. But what's the point of having a non-working PC moving around? Thus, I decided to replace all of the system's cables (except power, of course) with wireless connections.
Simple Enough: Keyboard and Mouse without Cables
It's not difficult to set up wireless I/O, so long as you avoid devices with infrared transmitters. My preference is combined mouse/keyboard adapters, which only monopolize one USB port for both peripherals. Some of those adapters are even Bluetooth-compatible, facilitating communication with other hardware, too.
Home Network and Internet
Again, this is pretty standard gear. I did run into signal strength issues with the locomotive down on the floor though, requiring me to replace my first Wi-Fi adapter with a high-power model that gave me flawless reception in the 5 GHz band (802.11a).
A moving locomotive deserves its own video camera! For simplicity's sake, I'm using a normal webcam, though it'd be easy to use a more discreet camera mounted inside the chassis.
A Skype session between my desktop and the locomotive demonstrates flawless 720p video. Really, this is just a fun little demo.
We need to get rid of the audio and video cables so the train can move freely, though. Moving on.
Wireless Video and Audio: Gigabyte SkyVision WS100
In the past, wireless A/V was wrought with quality and latency issues. But nowadays, there are viable solutions. Gigabyte’s SkyVision transmitter handles both audio and video, keeping things neat with a single dongle attached via USB.
The SkyVision kit complies with the Wireless Home Digital Interface 1.0 standard, providing a data link of up to 3 Gb/s. It uses a frequency range between 5.1 and 5.8 GHz, and thus won’t interfere with 802.11a-based Wi-Fi that operates at 5 GHz. Perhaps more important, an 802.11a Wi-Fi transmitter will not cause video quality degradation.
It's important to me that the video transmitter supports all typical formats and resolutions, not merely movie resolutions like 720p or 1080i. This sets the pricy Gigabyte transmitter apart from its competition. Nevertheless, there are two limitations: HD audio formats aren't supported (you get 5.1-channel playback, but no DTS-HD Master or Dolby TrueHD), and there appears to be no support for stereoscopic video. My Avatar Blu-ray disc wouldn't play back, and I had no luck with 3D gaming.
Overall, I like Gigabyte’s wireless video transmitter. There is no need for drivers or configuration. The only real turn-off is a $135 price tag.
Not Just for Railroad Buffs
With the convenience of an open-air railroad museum nearby, we'd be downright negligent to not use it for a photo shoot combining steam locomotive history and modern computer case technology. Consider these pictures an appetizer and, perhaps, a small incentive to visit a railroad museum. Yes, the tiny Lian Li locomotive is present in each and every picture.
Alright, so, the last part of our story is mostly aimed at model train buffs, train watchers, and railroad enthusiasts. Hopefully you still enjoyed our little excursion, though.
You don’t have to keep Lian Li's locomotive case running all the time. The knowledge that you could, if you wanted to, is good enough. Now, it's pretty clear that this is a special chassis for a special type of PC enthusiast. We covered the aspects we liked and thought could be improved upon in sufficient depth, so let's wrap this up with a video.
Regardless of whether you consider a $300+ ticket to ride on this locomotive-styled chassis (and its propulsion kit) worth the money, you have to give it up to Lian Li for getting inventive and designing something that transcends our traditional concept of PC enclosures. Going so far as to make the train run down 10 feet of track is just cool, even if we did have to help it along a bit with our own tweaks.
With a few minor exceptions, the workmanship that went into this case and its rails is very good. We specifically like the paint job, which is robust enough to weather some fun outdoors (as you witnessed). Coarse gravel, bent rails, old grease, a nasty drizzle, and the bitter cold couldn't stop Lian Li's locomotive. After a thorough cleaning, it continues to delight visitors.
Naturally, this is somewhat of an showpiece for Lian Li, which demonstrates what a skilled designer can do with aluminum. Consider the experiment a success and color me impressed.
We want to extend our thanks to the Sächsische Eisenbahnmuseum e. V. in Chemnitz, Germany and the many volunteers there keeping the exhibits in pristine condition by donating their spare time. If you’re in the area with or without kids, do visit. You won’t be disappointed. And while Germany may be too far for most readers, the translator of this article shares the author’s enthusiasm for historic steam locomotives and enjoys visiting the Travel Town Museum in Los Angeles and the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.



































































