Assembling the Proteus (v1.0) - mercadian/proteus GitHub Wiki
Assembling the Proteus (v1.0)
This guide will walk you through the complete process of assembling a Proteus from the raw parts.
Users who ordered the conversion kit should follow this guide. Users who ordered a full unit won't need to follow these steps because the unit comes fully-assembled, but they may find it useful if they ever need to disassemble it to perform maintenance.
NOTE: This guide is meant for users who have the v1.0 case (serial numbers MSPR-ACN10x or MSPR-ACW10x).
List of Parts
Below is an image that shows the list of parts for a Proteus:
/images/active/exploded-view.jpg
Note that this picture doesn't include the included Ethernet cable or the optional Wi-Fi card and its antenna, though assembly instructions and pictures for the Wi-Fi card and antenna are included in the instructions below.
Note: if you purchased a conversion kit, the Rock 5B, SSD, Wi-Fi components, and power supply will not be included; it's assumed you have your own of each one.
The screws included are as follows:
- 1x M2 x 4mm hex head for securing the SSD
- 1x M2 x 4mm hex head for securing the Wi-Fi card (optional)
- 8x M3 x 8mm hex head for securing the fan mount to the Rock, and the Rock to the Case Bottom
- 4x M3 x 25mm hex head for securing the fan to the fan mount (already assembled)
Required Tools
To assemble the Proteus you will need the following tools:
- A 1.5mm (or 1/16") hex wrench / screwdriver bit for the M2 screws
- A 2mm (or 5/64") hex wrench / screwdriver bit for the M3 screws
- (Recommended) a pair of gloves to prevent fingerprints
- (Recommended) a pair of tweezers to help remove the protective film from the heatsinks
- Another computer such as a laptop or desktop to flash the Proteus system image to the SSD
- An open NVMe to USB adapter, such as this one
Step 1: Add Heatsinks
Begin by peeling the blue film off the back of the CPU heatsink to reveal its adhesive thermal pad:
/images/active/cpu-heatsink-peel.jpg
Carefully place the heatsink onto the CPU, following these guidelines:
- Place it so the fins are horizontal to allow for proper airflow.
- Align the top edge of the heatsink with the top edge of the CPU so the fan mount screws have some clearance.
- Push the heatsink down firmly to ensure it's well-adhered to the CPU.
These pictures show proper installation:
/images/active/cpu-heatsink-top.jpg
/images/active/cpu-heatsink-side.jpg
Next, add the RAM heatsinks to the RAM chips, the power heatsink to the power converter chip, and the Ethernet heatsink to the Ethernet controller chip. The RAM heatsinks are elongated rectangles. The latter two are square and interchangeable with each other.
Position the fins on the power converter and Ethernet heatsinks horizontally; they should be the same orientation as the CPU heatsink to allow for maximum airflow:
As with the CPU heatsink, press firmly on each one to ensure proper adhesion.
Step 2: Attach the Fan Mount
Place the fan mount over the CPU, ensuring the fan's cable is coming from the bottom left corner:
/images/active/fan-mount-alignment.jpg
Flip the Rock over and fasten the fan mount to the board using four of the M3x8mm screws as shown below. Do not overtighten the screws; remember you're screwing into tapped plastic, not metal. Tightening too hard will strip the threads.
/images/active/fan-mount-screws.jpg
Step 3: Attach and Mount the SSD Heatsink
Remove one side of the the transparent film from one of the SSD heatsink's thermal pads:
/images/active/ssd-heatsink-film.jpg
Place it in the middle of the steel heatsink container. Put the side you removed the film from face down, and firmly press it to ensure it's well-attached to the steel:
/images/active/ssd-heatsink-1.jpg
Remove the film from the top side of the pad now, and carefully place the SSD onto the pad so the bottom of the SSD (the side without the label) is facing the thermal pad. Align it so the lip of the SSD's m.2 connector side aligns with the edge of the steel container:
/images/active/ssd-heatsink-2.jpg
Looking on the bottom, both the m.2 connector and the mounting hole should be fully exposed and not hidden behind the steel container:
/images/active/ssd-heatsink-3.jpg
Once you are happy with its position, firmly press it down into the thermal pad to ensure a good connection.
Next, remove one side of the transparent film from the remaining thermal pad and place it on top of the SSD:
/images/active/ssd-heatsink-4.jpg
Firmly press on the thermal pad to couple it to the SSD's flash modules and label.
Now, remove the film from the top side of the pad.
Place the SSD heatsink onto the pad, tilted to one side like this:
/images/active/ssd-heatsink-5.jpg
Gently press on the heatsink and rock it up and down so that it pushes in-between the clamping jaws of the steel container:
/images/active/ssd-heatsink-6.jpg
Once in this position, firmly press it down to sandwich the SSD between the steel container and the heatsink as tightly as possible:
/images/active/ssd-heatsink-7.jpg
Before connecting it to the Rock, it's important to flash the Proteus system image to the SSD now so you don't have to disassemble the whole thing just to flash it later. Please visit the Flashing the Image guide to install the image onto the SSD, then return here when you've flashed it (before the "Reassembling the Proteus" step).
Once the image has been flashed, connect the SSD to the underside of the Rock in its m.2 slot, and screw an M2x4mm screw into the mounting hole:
/images/active/ssd-heatsink-mounted.jpg
Rock the SSD back and forth to ensure the mount is secure and it won't fall out.
Step 4: Attach the RTC Battery
Connect the RTC battery plug into the RTC battery header on the left side of the Rock:
/images/active/rtc-battery.jpg
Don't worry about getting the cable polarity right; the connector is keyed, so there's only one way it will actually fit into the plug.
If you like, you can use some double-sided tape to fasten the battery to the underside of the Rock but this isn't strictly necessary.
Step 5: Attach the Front Panel Cable to the GPIO Pins
This step is a bit tricky, so take your time and ensure you've done it correctly before proceeding!
The front panel cable has four connectors which are color-coded: red, black, green, and yellow. The side with the longer cable ends is the side that will plug into the Rock's GPIO pins:
/images/active/fp-cable-connectors.jpg
Each connector will connect to a pin that has the same color as the connector. They are as follows:
- The green connector (activity LED) will connect to the green pin which is on the top row, second from the right.
- The yellow connector (+3.3v) will connect to the yellow pin which is on the top row, first from the right.
- The black connector (ground) will connect to the black pin which is on the bottom row, third from the right.
- The red connector (+5v) will connect to the red pin which is on the bottom row, second from the right.
The correct connections are shown here:
/images/active/fp-cable-pins.jpg
When inserting a connector into the corresponding pin, follow these guidelines:
- Ensure the connector is pushed all the way down so it is flush with the black plastic base of the pin.
- The metal opening in the connector should be faced towards the outside, away from the pins.
This is what a correct connection should look like:
/images/active/fp-cable-pin-in.jpg
When all four connectors have been inserted onto the pins, they should look like this:
/images/active/fp-cable-all-in.jpg
Step 6 (Optional): Attach the Wi-Fi Card and Antenna
If you ordered a Wi-Fi card with your Proteus, you should connect it now. The card and antenna will look like this:
/images/active/wifi-components.jpg
The Wi-Fi card will go into the m.2 slot on the top of the board, right next to the RTC battery connector.
Start by removing the protective film from the M2 screw boss for the Wi-Fi card on the Rock:
/images/active/wifi-mount-film.jpg
Now, insert the Wi-Fi card into the m.2 slot. To do this you will need to insert it at an angle, as shown in the picture below:
/images/active/wifi-insert.jpg
Ensure that you've pushed it all the way in, so the exposed pins are well-recessed into the slot. Once you've inserted it properly, gently push down on the Wi-Fi card to make it level with the Rock 5B and insert an M2x4mm or M2x5mm screw into the screw boss to secure the card in place:
/images/active/wifi-screwed.jpg
Now, remove the protective rubber cover from the antenna connector. This will expose the connector. Be careful with this connector as it is very small and delicate.
/images/active/wifi-antenna-cover.jpg
Once the connector has been exposed, carefully connect it to the Wi-Fi module by following these guidelines:
- Connect it to slot
2, which has the wordMAINwith a white arrow pointing to it as shown in the picture below. - Push firmly (you may need to use a small tool or your fingernail) until you hear a "click" and the top of the connector is parallel with the rest of the card.
- Connect it so the cable comfortably rests between the mounting screw and the body of the Wi-Fi chip, as shown in the picture.
How exactly you position the antenna and where you put it is entirely up to you; if you want to stick it to the top of the case or even outside of the case and onto a nearby wall in the name of getting a better signal, you are welcome to do so. We've described the process we use to position the antenna so that it's cleanly contained within the case below. You're welcome to follow it, or do your own thing.
In our positioning process, we wrap the cable around the Rock several times and attach it to the fan. The first point where the antenna goes from the top of the board to the bottom is called "Pt. A" in the picture above. Flip the Rock over, exposing its underside, and pull the cable from Pt. A to the SSD screw boss. We call that Pt. B:
Now flip the Rock right-side up and pull the cable from Pt. B, across the top of the board (using the four POE hat pins as a guide, so it goes through them), and to the left of the RTC battery connector. We'll call that Pt. C:
Flip the Rock upside-down again, and pull the cable from Pt. C around the SSD screw again, called Pt. D:
Flip the Rock right-side up and repeat the previous step you did on top of the board, going from Pt. D to the left of the RTC battery connector, called Pt. E:
Flip the Rock upside-down again and this time, go from Pt. E to the top-right mounting hole, called Pt. F. At this point the cable should run out of slack:
Here's what the top of the board will look like now:
Remove the protective film from the back of the antenna, exposing the black adhesive pad underneath it:
Finally, connect this to the back of the fan, pushing firmly to ensure it is well adhered:
/images/active/wifi-complete.jpg
The Wi-Fi card and antenna are now properly installed.
Step 7: Fastening the Rock to the Case Bottom
It's time to connect the Rock to the bottom of the Proteus case - you're almost done!
NOTE: The pillars in the back of the case bottom are delicate. Please be gentle when following this step - using too much force will shear them off the rest of the case!
Start by gently lowering the Rock down into the case at an angle, as shown in the picture below. The important thing is that the unused HDMI-in port lines up with the notch in the case wall, as highlighted. We use that port to ensure proper alignment of the Rock with the rest of the case.
Ensure the RTC battery is out of the way - it should not be beneath the SSD or come between the Rock and the mounting pegs. It should naturally want to rest in the back of the case unless you've taped it to the board; just make sure it's out of the way of all of the other components before continuing. An example is shown below.
At this point, the Rock will likely be resting on one of the pillars in the back such as the one shown below that separates the two HDMI ports. This is expected. The Proteus case is printed with tight tolerances to ensure a good fit and proper airflow.
Using your thumb on the USB connectors, gently rock the board forward and backward until the pillars flex enough to allow it to drop down to the next one:
The board should have cleared the HDMI-HDMI pillar, and now rest on the one that separates the USB-C power connector and left HDMI connector:
Continue gently squeezing and rocking the board and case until it slips below this pillar, and comes to a rest on the four mounting pegs:
Each connector should now be flush on the bottom of the corresponding slots, so the pillars fit cleanly between them:
Before fastening the Rock to the case bottom, give the power button a quick test. While pushing the board forward to the front of the case using the Ethernet port, try pressing the power button with your thumb. You should feel it "engage" with the actual power button on the Rock, offering some tactile feedback and a clicking sound:
If you can't feel it activate, or if the case's power button extension bottoms out without contacting the actual power button on the Rock, please let us know in the Rocket Pool Discord's support channel.
If it does engage properly, you can now mount the Rock to the case. Fasten four M3x8mm screws into the mounting holes marked in the picture below. Use one hand to gently push the Rock forward while fastening the first two screws to ensure it's as far forward as possible for maximum engagement with the power button.
Once the screws have been fastened, your Proteus should look like this:
Before finishing assembly, test the case's power button extension again to ensure it engages with the actual power button properly and you can feel it click:
If it can, you've successfully installed the Rock into the case bottom!
Step 8: Connecting the Front Panel
The front panel contains the power and activity LEDs. It also hosts the connectors that go to the board and to the fan, which will be connected via the fan cable and front panel cable. We recommend routing these counter-clockwise to ensure a good fit, as shown with the magenta arrows below:
Start by connecting the fan cable to the FAN header of the front panel. The connector is keyed, so it will only fit in one way (the plastic tabs will be on the left side) as shown below:
Next, connect the front panel cable to the INPUT header. From top to bottom, the correct orientation is:
- BLACK (ground)
- RED (5v)
- YELLOW (3.3v)
- GREEN (activity)
The connectors on the front panel cable all have one side with flat black plastic, and one side with an opening that exposes metal test slots. The opening should be facing the fan connector, so the outside is flat black plastic as shown in the picture below:
Push each connector all the way forward, so it's flush against the black plastic base of the pins.
Now, slip the front panel into the slot on the case bottom. The sides of the front panel are angled (and there is a corresponding angle on the case), so it should slip and lock into position automatically:
Firmly push it all the way down so that the top of it is level with the top of the case bottom:
With the front panel installed, all that's left to do is put the top of the case on.
Step 9: Attaching the Case Top
Start by snapping the case top onto the front of the case bottom. It will naturally rest at an angle, as shown below:
Slowly rock the top back and forth until it slips into the grooves along the sides of the case and comes to rest flush with the lip around the case bottom:
The case top should now rest on all of the pillars in the back, forming closed slots for each of the ports:
The front of the Proteus should now look like this:
And with that, your Proteus is completely assembled! Congratulations! You're ready to begin working with the device. Please start by ensuring the machine can boot from the NVMe SSD - follow the "(Conversion Kits Only) Update the Bootloader to Boot from NVMe" step in the Flashing the Image guide.
Once that's done, visit the Getting Started guide to power it on, set it up, and start staking.