Introduction

Let’s face it – all the tech review websites out there go through a ton of motherboards every year and one of the common problems for many of us is finding a good way to set up a test environment for the PC components. Some of us install boards into full fledged cases while others lay the boards out on their tables. In the hopes to have a somewhat lab like environment, I opted for an open platform design After looking around the net I decided to check out the Senfu Tech Station being sold at Plycon.com. (DISCLAIMER: I have no relationship at all with Plycon.com – I just happened to find this there!) Let’s be truthful here – one can always go to a “Bed, Bath and Beyond” or a “Home Depot” and get a simple small rack to perform the same function. Let’s see if the Senfu Tech Station offers anything compelling that would warrant one to buy this over a kitchen rack.

Purpose

Let’s be frank here – this obviously isn’t for everyone. In fact it’s not for most individuals out there who work with computers. However if you’re a person who deals with a lot of different PC components or work for a corporation as some sort of test or validation engineer then a setup such as this is advantageous. Why? The open framework allows you to easily move components around without worrying about screwing things down or making sure pieces fit. It’s essentially a shelving system for PC parts, components and accessories.

Specifications

The base unit consists of the following:

1. 135 mm square metal tubes x 4
2. 160 mm square metal tubes x 4
3. 310 mm square metal tubes x 4
4. 3K connector x 4
5. 4K connector x 4
6. bearing board x 2
7. PE cushion x 1
8. self adhesive plastic pad x 1
9. binding ties x 3
10. anti dust cover x 1
11. speaker
12. power LED indicator x 1
13. hard disk drive LED indicator x 1
14. stepless reset switch x 1
15. stepless power switch x 1

The specific model that is reviewed here is the SF-DH 666.

Box for the Tech Station	All the various parts
The metal tubes	And the various connectors etc

Bag of connectors and switches

The entire unit measures: 14” Length x 9” Height x 7” Width

The only equipment you will need is an adjustable wrench since you will need to rotate the metal tubes after they are connected to the corner connectors. It’s a good thing that I had one lying around (after all that IKEA furniture that we’ve assembled over the years..).

Assembly

Putting together the Tech Station was straightforward on paper though slightly annoying at times in practice. The wrench comes into play when you connect all the tubes to the various connectors. Once the tubs are in place, you need to either rotate the tube clockwise or counterclockwise to secure them into place. It’s fairly easy to have a tier be uneven after you’ve rotated a side – usually the longer sides. Make sure to keep even weight on the corner connectors while rotating the tubes with your wrench otherwise you’ll have a lopsided platform.

The basic steps to constructing the Senfu Tech Station is to: 1) put together the lower platform and 2) put together the upper platform.

The lower tier put together	The upper tier	Closer look at the corners

Once the tiers are secured, all you need to is to connect the top tier to the bottom tier with four more metal rods.

Connect the top to the bottom tier

The final step is to put the bearing boards on each level followed by the PE cushion on the top level where the motherboard will normally rest on. You can apply non skid plastic pads on the bottom of the rack.

Adding the boards and PE cushion	Another look	The anti dust cover applied

Usage

Ok.. I’ll tell you the truth. Once everything was put together – my initial gut instinct was to say “is that all?” “I spent how much for this??” The tech station is smaller length and width wise than an ATX form factor motherboard. As you can see from the pictures taken below, the ABIT motherboard overflows the upper tier but after awhile, I found that fairly acceptable. Since the size of the framework is fairly small, it doesn’t take up as much desktop space as something that fully enclosed an ATX motherboard all around.

I found it easier to place the PC components on the bottom shelf since the main component that would change the most often would be the motherboard. Having the extra headroom on the top tier is also great if you add or remove PCI/AGP cards. It’s useful to apply some anti skid pads on the components since they will slide around on top of the bearing pad.

Using the Tech Station to put together a workable PC was a cinch after all the parts were laid out. One nice thing that the package includes is small switches that fit onto the motherboard to allow you to power up/down and reset the motherboard. If there’s anything that stands out – it’s these little accessories that truly make the Tech Station usable. It also includes a small speaker and LED indicators for the Hard Drive and Power connectors on motherboards.

The framework itself is very solid in construction – as long as you make sure to rotate the tubes securely into place.

Is this better than a rack that you could buy from a hardware store? Probably not. You might be able to find a cheaper solution by going to a Home Depot or some kitchen store. Heck you could even construct one yourself out of spare parts if you’re skilled in that area. However there’s nothing like convenience and thus the Senfu Tech Station is exactly that – a simple rig that offers a convenient solution to those who needs constantly change.

Summary

The Senfu Tech Station is a simple product designed to offer a shelving environment for PC components. The construction of the Tech Station was slightly annoying due to the use of a wrench but the final end product was definitely acceptable to my needs. I like the Senfu Tech Station enough to keep it but if someone were to ask me if it was worth it, I’d say look around first and then come back to evaluate this. At $40 bucks, the Senfu Tech Station is definitely a bit pricey but it is a lightweight metal/aluminum constructed product. Do keep in mind that the Tech Station does also come with switches and indicators useful for a motherboard. It also has a nice dust cover to wrap your station when you’re not using it. If it was cheaper in price, I would definitely recommend this unit to anyone in need of a simple framework. Do some homework and check out a hardware store first before considering this. At the end of the day – this product performs as expected for my needs so keep that in mind.

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