Antec DF-30 User Manual

D F - 3 0		THE ADVANCED
DARKFLEET		GAMING FORCE

U S E R M A N U A L

DF-30 USER’S MANUAL

Congratulations on your purchase of the Antec Dark Fleet DF-30.

Meet the swifter, lighter Dark Fleet enclosure with the heavyweight feature set: the Dark Fleet DF-30. Up front sit two Fleet-Release™ access doors with tool-free washable fan filters, allowing rapid access to a massive array of drive bays – enough room for 11 total drives. Each Fleet-Release™ door comes standard with a variablespeed black 120 mm blue LED fan with stepless knob controls allowing precise tuning of your build’s cooling/noise balance. Two built-in SATA bays – one 2.5” SSD mount on the interior, and a special external top hot-swap 2.5” SATA (SSD) bay – provide fast, smoothly integrated data transfer capability that fits right into the case. And since the Fleet-Release™ system is modular and features tool-free removable filters, maintaining and reconfiguring your build is a cinch. With dark industrial style and swiftly maintainable aircooling design, the DF-30 is the lighter Dark Fleet enclosure that packs full-size power into a stylish, convenient mid-size package.

The DF-30 comes without a power supply. Make sure you choose a power supply that is compatible with your computer components and has a long enough power harness to reach your motherboard and peripheral devices. We recommend our High Current, Signature Series, TruePower Quattro or TruePower New power supplies for the latest ATX specification compliance, broad compatibility, and power savings capability.

At Antec, we continually refine and improve our products to ensure the highest quality. As such, your new case may differ slightly from the description in this manual. This isn't a problem; it's simply an improvement. As of the date of publication, all features, descriptions, and illustrations in this manual are correct.

Disclaimer

This manual is intended only as a guide for Antec’s computer enclosures. For more comprehensive instructions on installing the motherboard and peripherals, please refer to the user’s manuals that come with those components.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1Getting to know your case…………………………………………………. 5

1.2Case specifications…………………………………………………………. 6

1.3Before you begin…………………………………………………………… 7

1.4Locating and positioning your computer…………………………………... 8

SECTION 2: HARDWARE INSTALLATION

2.1Setting up…………………………………………………………………... 10

2.2Motherboard installation…………………………………………………… 12

2.3Standard ATX power supply installation…………………………………... 14

2.4Cable management…………………………………………………………. 15

2.5Internal 3.5” device installation……………………………………………. 16

2.6External 3.5” device installation…………………………………………… 18

2.7Using the top 2.5” hot-swap bay…………………………………………… 19

2.8External 5.25” device installation…………………………………………… 20

2.9Internal 2.5” device installation…………………………………………….. 21

SECTION 3: FRONT I/O PORTS

3.1USB 2.0…………………………………………………………………….. 23

3.2AC’97 / HD audio ports…………………………………………………….23

3.3Power switch / reset switch / hard disk drive LED connectors……………. 24

3.4Rewiring motherboard header connections………………………………... 24

SECTION 4: COOLING SYSTEM

4.1Included fans………………………………………………………………. 26

4.2Top 140 mm blue LED fan………………………………………………….27

4.3Front 120 mm blue LED fans ………………………………………………27

4.4Rear exhaust 120 mm TwoCool™ fans……………………………………... 28

4.5Optional fans.………………………………………………………………. 28

4.6Washable air filters………………………………………………………... 29

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SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION

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1.1GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CASE

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Drive bays		Hardware mounts
1	5.25” drive bays	8	Motherboard standoffs (pre-
2	3.5” drive bays		installed)
3	2.5” internal SSD bay	9	Power supply mounts
4	2.5” external hot-swap	10	Front I/O ports

Cooling

5 140 mm top TwoCool™ fan

6 120 mm rear TwoCool™ fan

7Fleet-Release access door modules w/front variablespeed 120 mm blue LED fans

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1.2CASE SPECIFICATIONS

CASE TYPE	Mid Tower
COLOR	Matte black
DIMENSIONS	19.1″ (H) x 7.8″ (W) x 19.1″ (D)
	485 mm (H) x 198 mm (W) x 486 mm (D)
WEIGHT	15.1 lbs / 6.9 kg
COOLING	1 x top 140 mm TwoCool™ fan
	1 x rear white 120 mm TwoCool™ black-bladed fans with blue LED
	2 x front variable-speed 120 mm black -bladed LED fans with blue LED
	1 x side 120 mm fan for graphics cards (optional)
DRIVE BAYS	6 x internal 3.5
		″″″
	3 x external 5.25
	1 x top external 2.5 hot swap SATA drive bay
	1 x internal bottom-mounted 2.5” SSD bay
EXPANSION SLOTS	7
MOTHERBOARD SIZE	Mini-ITX, microATX, Standard ATX
FRONT I/O PANEL	2 x USB 2.0
	AC’97 / HD Audio In and Out

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1.3BEFORE YOU BEGIN

In order to ensure that your building experience with the Dark Fleet DF-30 will be a positive one, please take note of the following:

•While working inside your Dark Fleet DF-30, keep your case on a flat, stable surface. Make sure your build area is clean, well-lit, and free of dust.

•Antec cases feature rounded edges that minimize the occurrence of hand injuries. Nonetheless, exercise caution and control when handling case interiors. We strongly recommend taking the appropriate time and care when working inside the case. Avoid hurried or careless motions. Please use reasonable precaution.

•Handle components and cards with care. Do not touch the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by its edges. Hold a component such as a processor by its edges, never by its pins.

•To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself periodically by touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector or screw on the back of this computer) or by using a wrist grounding strap.

•Before you connect a cable, ensure that both connectors are correctly aligned and oriented. Bent pins can be difficult to fix and may require replacement of the entire connector.

•This manual is not designed to cover CPU, RAM, or expansion card installation. Please consult your motherboard manual for specific mounting instructions and troubleshooting. Before proceeding, check the manual for your CPU cooler to find out if there are steps you must take before installing the motherboard.

•Do not sit on your case. Although it is constructed of heavy-duty steel and internally reinforced, it is not designed to support the weight of an adult, and may buckle.

•Remember to use the right tools for each task. Do not use improvized screwdrivers like coins, nails or knife blades as they may result in damage to screw threads or even injury. Do not use your fingernails to separate edges or lift the sides of the case, as paint chipping or injury may occur.

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1.4LOCATING AND POSITIONING YOUR COMPUTER

Your DF-30 has backwardsand top-facing exhaust fans, as well as front-mounted intake fans and one sidemounted front air intake. For optimum performance, we recommend leaving the front air intakes unobstructed.

When open, the DF-30’s Fleet-Release™ doors take up an additional 15.5 cm of space in the front. Since loading and unloading the DF-30’s internal Fleet-Swap™ SATA bays through the doors will require opening and closing them, you may wish to leave space in front of the computer open for this purpose.

The DF-30 can operate resting sideways as well as vertically. Do not rest the DF-30 upside down (with the case feet up in the air), as this will impede operation of optical drives.

The DF-30 comes with a top 2.5” Hot Swap drive bay. While it’s in a handy location, we do not recommend that users put any liquid-containing items (drinks, ice cream, coffee, perfume, etc.) on the drive bay. It was not designed for storage purposes.

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SECTION 2 HARDWARE

INSTALLATION

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