SILO: Hoping to Identify this Type of PCB

[Astyanax]

Hey all!

Hoping one of you guys out there with electronics experience might be able to point me in the right direction for hunting down a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) that looks like this:



(That's the hard drive from Silo.)

I've done some hunting already, and I've come to the following conclusions:

• It's not a hard drive PCB...those are smaller and simpler.
• It's nothing from general consumer electronics and appliances...those are also simple by comparison.
• Might be from a motherboard of some kind, but the randomly placed holes seem weird for that.
• Maybe that leaves tablets and laptops? Maybe cars?

Yes, I know that whatever it is, it's also got greeblies on it.

Anyway, while I keep looking, I'd appreciate any insights if it looks recognizable to anyone.

Thanks in advance!
Bill

 

[ssdesigner]

Following with great interest!!

 

[Astyanax]

After further looking, I am beginning to feel like it is more like a hard drive PCB. Notice the one IC chip at an angle around the spindle?



Multiple HDD PCBs seem to have this affectation. And so does the show's version.

 

[Astyanax]

Well, I've looked at thousands of PCBs online now, and here is what I've learned:

• The board used in Production looks like a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) PCB configuration. But...
• Modern HDD PCBs don't cover the full face, except for the ultra high-capacity (and expensive) ones from Seagate. I'm not buying a $300 12 TB hard drive for this project.
• Old school full-face HDD PCBs are clearly less advanced than what we see here. You can tell by looking at the spacing of connections coming out of the black, rectangular Integrated Circuits (ICs). Older, full-face boards don't have such "fine" connections.
• Larger holes, seemingly "randomly" placed, are very much a thing, especially in older boards. I think they're for allowing wires through from one side of the board to the other. They also sometimes appear to be for ventilation and reducing weight.
• The Silo board has no free-standing, "barrel-shaped" capacitors, just the very small ones flat to the board. This indicates a much more modern board was used (or that barrel-style ones were removed).

Judging from the "fine-ness" of the connections on the Silo board, and considering a pragmatic approach for Production, I'm beginning to conclude the following:

• The board was not made from scratch. It would be cost prohibitive.
• The board was not 3D printed for the same reason. Painting nightmare!
• The board seems to have a faint dusting of green paint over everything to deaden most of the original text, with selective "reveals" of all the resistors, capacitors, ICs, and connections...perhaps uncovered with some thinner and a cotton swab?
• The board looks like an off-the-shelf motherboard or GPU board (Production was in 2021), with some of the small ICs added/soldered after the fact to make it look more like an HDD board. (I conclude motherboard or GPU because most modern boards with fine connections are not large enough for the drive.)
• Notice all of the ICs on the show's board are very small. Most big boards have big ICs.

The net result is that you get a plausible HDD board that looks a few years ahead of our own!

If I were Prop Master and thinking about budget vs. authenticity, with the hero drive only shown up close for about 2-3 seconds in the entire season, that is what I would do.

Love to get alternate opinions here. But If there are none, I'm thinking the solution is to find a cheap "dead" motherboard on eBay, buy up some small ICs, and stick them on in the right configurations to match the photo. Dust the whole thing with green paint, and "uncover" all the shiny bits with alcohol or thinner. Maybe do that before sticking the ICs on.

Now, how does one cut a fiberglass board in the right shape? Shears?

Bill

 

[TopgunTech2]

This is certainly a vintage Serial ATA HDD judging by the SATA data & power connectors. Agree, this would be a salvaged component, not a purpose built PCB. The drive enclosure itself is reminiscent of those used in industrial applications, machinery, heavy equipment, etc. It also reminds me of the old Conner half-height PATA drives as well as Apple's (Quantum) 50 pin SCSI drive. At least the enclosure, not the connectors on the board. The board material cuts easily with a Dremel, bandsaw, milling machine. The board side spindle "detail" is similar to the Quantum drive platter clamp, maybe with an added greeblie. Good luck!

 

[Astyanax]

This is certainly a vintage Serial ATA HDD judging by the SATA data & power connectors. Agree, this would be a salvaged component, not a purpose built PCB. The drive enclosure itself is reminiscent of those used in industrial applications, machinery, heavy equipment, etc. It also reminds me of the old Conner half-height PATA drives as well as Apple's (Quantum) 50 pin SCSI drive. At least the enclosure, not the connectors on the board. The board material cuts easily with a Dremel, bandsaw, milling machine. The board side spindle "detail" is similar to the Quantum drive platter clamp, maybe with an added greeblie. Good luck!

Thank you so much for the tips!

I'm pretty sure the SATA & power connectors were added on separately. Their "centered" position is suspicious to me.

 

[neophyl]

The case looks like mostly a found item. I think they started with that and built around it. You can see where bits have been ground out from the pcb to fit the internal ribs of the case. These removals are rough and go through pcb tracks in places.

I don't think its a motherboard has those generally don't have the smaller holes on the interior of the pcb. As the tracks are routed around those I would conclude they are there originally and not added afterwards. Unlike the very large circular cutout for the central almost cog like part. That was almost certainly an addition.

The Philips mounting screws placements are rough so I think those were added to the pcb for the prop too.

It is also not that unusual to see IC's placed at 45 degree angles so I wouldn't read anything into that. I also do not think it is that new of a pcb as the smt technology is quite dated. A modern produced pcb will generally make use of finer pitch IC's or BGA ones than are on there. Some of those smt resistors are also relatively speaking massive so they are either old or the original board was supposed to handle more than average current.
Some of the boards from large TV's would be big enough but I suspect without some inside info we will never know. There is plenty of consumer electronics with large pcb's in them though. Some of our off highway stuff at work are large enough but use much more modern chips.

As for cutting a PCB to shape, a proper pcb shear for straight line cuts but for shaping that then you would grind/sand it away (using the appropriate breathing gear for protection) You could rough it out on a belt sander for the exterior curves and a dremel or similar for the thinner slots. That's how I would do it (have done a time or 2 in the past for making pcb's fit ).


As

 

[Astyanax]

The case looks like mostly a found item. I think they started with that and built around it. You can see where bits have been ground out from the pcb to fit the internal ribs of the case. These removals are rough and go through pcb tracks in places.

Wow, very insightful! I think you're correct...why would they build something with barely-seen ribs like that? Also, the "smashing" scene supports that observation. When Tim Robbins' character smashes the drive, we don't actually see the hammer crush that housing, even though there are only broken parts afterward.


(Those two images are literally one frame apart.)

I don't think its a motherboard has those generally don't have the smaller holes on the interior of the pcb. As the tracks are routed around those I would conclude they are there originally and not added afterwards. Unlike the very large circular cutout for the central almost cog like part. That was almost certainly an addition.

The Philips mounting screws placements are rough so I think those were added to the pcb for the prop too.

It is also not that unusual to see IC's placed at 45 degree angles so I wouldn't read anything into that. I also do not think it is that new of a pcb as the smt technology is quite dated. A modern produced pcb will generally make use of finer pitch IC's or BGA ones than are on there. Some of those smt resistors are also relatively speaking massive so they are either old or the original board was supposed to handle more than average current.
Some of the boards from large TV's would be big enough but I suspect without some inside info we will never know. There is plenty of consumer electronics with large pcb's in them though. Some of our off highway stuff at work are large enough but use much more modern chips.

Ah, thanks for bringing the expertise to bear. That makes a lot of sense. Hmm, then maybe it makes more sense trying to make an approximation of the board rather than find the perfect match...

As for cutting a PCB to shape, a proper pcb shear for straight line cuts but for shaping that then you would grind/sand it away (using the appropriate breathing gear for protection) You could rough it out on a belt sander for the exterior curves and a dremel or similar for the thinner slots. That's how I would do it (have done a time or 2 in the past for making pcb's fit ).

Wonderful, thank you!

 

[TopgunTech2]

Thank you so much for the tips!

I'm pretty sure the SATA & power connectors were added on separately. Their "centered" position is suspicious to me.

Welcome and agreed. Upon closer look the SATA connections stick out past the drive case itself which, they are usually either flush mount or recessed. The IC's are also too new (small) for a drive case of that age. I don't know what time period this drive is supposed to represent but maybe that's what they were shooting for. So they found an old, cool looking case and amended a PCB to fit. Never watched this show (but I will now). The dock that this drive gets connected to has an older ribbon style connector (not SATA) so likely a fabricated prop.

 

[Astyanax]

Welcome and agreed. Upon closer look the SATA connections stick out past the drive case itself which, they are usually either flush mount or recessed. The IC's are also too new (small) for a drive case of that age. I don't know what time period this drive is supposed to represent but maybe that's what they were shooting for. So they found an old, cool looking case and amended a PCB to fit. Never watched this show (but I will now). The dock that this drive gets connected to has an older ribbon style connector (not SATA) so likely a fabricated prop.

Yes, in the the show, the SATA connections are made with wires, not ribbon cable:



The time period of this particular drive is our future (30-50 years), but this show's past (150 years). That's why it looks old with newer components.

And yes, it's a wonderful show on Apple TV that didn't get as much attention as it should have. I highly recommend it. But warning, you will be hooked after the first episode!

 

[TopgunTech2]

Yes, in the the show, the SATA connections are made with wires, not ribbon cable:

View attachment 1834012 View attachment 1834013 View attachment 1834014

The time period of this particular drive is our future (30-50 years), but this show's past (150 years). That's why it looks old with newer components.

And yes, it's a wonderful show on Apple TV that didn't get as much attention as it should have. I highly recommend it. But warning, you will be hooked after the first episode!

I'm screwed now, just watched a few scenes online and already hooked. Damn, lol. The dock I'm referring to with ribbon cable I guess was the debut of this drive. The guy pulls it out of the cabinet then connects it to the dock on his bench.

 

[Astyanax]

I'm screwed now, just watched a few scenes online and already hooked. Damn, lol. The dock I'm referring to with ribbon cable I guess was the debut of this drive. The guy pulls it out of the cabinet then connects it to the dock on his bench.

That is correct, but the dock is only used in two scenes in that one context. Later, when the drive goes "on the run", the dock doesn't return, and people plug in cables directly. So I'm not worrying about the dock at this time.

Enjoy the show, you're in for a treat!

 

[ssdesigner]

“I'm screwed now, just watched a few scenes online and already hooked. Damn, lol.”

Welcome to the Silo

If you haven’t watched Severance either, it’s fantastic.

 

[renaissance_man]

“I'm screwed now, just watched a few scenes online and already hooked. Damn, lol.”

Welcome to the Silo

If you haven’t watched Severance either, it’s fantastic.

I agree, but I think Severance was so much better. Silo felt frustratingly slow, it felt like the audience were ahead of the characters at times which was something Severance didn't do and that made it more compelling.

 

[Astyanax]

Yes, Severance stayed ahead of the audience, definitely.

Silo is slower, but I liked that. It made for much greater tension.

 

[Darth Lars]

The uniformly sized circular holes in the middle of the PCB look like they are for stand-offs in the enclosure that the PCB was originally made to fit inside. Those places are where the case would have been screwed together.
If the enclosure is plastic, the standoffs are moulded into the enclosure.

 

[ssdesigner]

Yes, Severance stayed ahead of the audience, definitely.

Silo is slower, but I liked that. It made for much greater tension.

Agreed. While I do prefer the style that keeps the audience more in the dark and doesn't spoon feed anything at all, Silo still has a ton of nefarious unknowns going on. Silo is doing a good job of keeping the audience in the dark when it comes to the most important things, and there are a lot of them to come.

I can't recommend the Silo series books enough. They are fantastic.