A Closer Look - Inside

Before we continue with the actual usability of the entire system, the HTPC needs to be assembled first. To gain access to the interior of the Hummin' 3.03 simply remove a single screw holding the top cover in place, then disconnect the cables connected to the WUSB and display connectors.


All the drive bays - both the external and internal ones are one big piece. You may install a single 3.5 inch drive in the very top, turned 90 degrees horizontally. Four screws hold the entire contraption in place on two crossbeams within the chassis.


The entire installation of drives has to be done while this cage is removed from the system. As Soundgraph includes a black hot-swap bay which fits perfectly into the standard 5.25 inch bay, you may remove that to use a different device within the bay or apply the hot-swap bay to a different system if need be.


We received a 400W mATX power supply with the chassis, but it turns out that the retail version does not come with one. This is really too bad, as 260 Euro for the chassis alone are really not justifiable in any way.


Once all the parts are removed only the two PCBs remain within the system. Even though the chassis is quite deep, you should not have much trouble installing a mini-ITX mainboard here once the PSU and the two support beams are gone.


The blue PCB is actually the card reader. Half the slots are placed on the top layer while the other row is on the underside of the PCB. A single USB 2.0 connector is used to plug the device unto a motherboard header.


One of the big aspects of the Soundgraph architecture is the fact that it interfaces between your power source and mainboard, allowing you to turn on the system directly with the remote control. You will only need to use a single USB 2.0 header on your mainboard as this PCB utilizes a single USB connector as well and thus may be combined with the one of the card reader for a full, 9 pin plug.