Mounting the Apex Distro Plate North XL D5/DDC

[FunkyWombat]

I just got the new Apex Distro Plate designed specifically for the North XL and have run into a mounting question...

The North XL is designed to use both 120mm and 140mm fan\radiator sizes with a preference towards the 140mm option since that is what they ship with the case. The Distro Plate North XL, however, has a 120mm screw spacing, so there is no way to mount it to a 140mm radiator without another bracket or an extension to the existing bracket to cover the 20mm difference.

Dry fitting it to my case, only the double bracket will line up with Distro Plate while the top mounting hole is 20mm shy of the top radiator mounting location. I have a 420mm HPE-30 in the front and a 280mm HPE-30 in the top, so it is actually working in my favor that it is short of the top mounting hole since I need some clearance for the fans, but I'd like to have the top of the plate properly supported. (I might actually have to drop all three mounting holes down from the radiator mounts to clear the fans)

Has anyone else ran into this issue?

I'll get some photos posted when I get a chance.

Thanks!

 

[Eddy]

You’ll have to show me some pictures so I can see exactly what the problem is. The bracket is actually designed for both 120 mm and 140 mm fans you can simply extend the arms to fit either size.

 

[FunkyWombat]

Thanks for the reply, Eddy!

From a width perspective, yes, the brackets are adjustable for both fan sizes. But from a height perspective, the mounting holes in the back of the Distro Plate are only spaced for 120mm fan sizes...unless I am completely missing something .

As soon as I get a free evening, I'll get some photos put together and annotated.

Thanks again!

 

[Eddy]

Hi,
I had to take another look at this myself and check with our development team. It is indeed the case that in this chassis, mounting is only intended for 120 mm positions. Our development team tested various configurations with this case, and mounting on 140 mm positions wasn’t really feasible due to the limited space available, at least not with the standard bracket. That’s why this option was omitted.
We will make sure to clarify this in the product description and the manual, indicating that 140 mm mounting is not intended in this case. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say on the matter, as we no longer have the case here. I have to rely on the information provided by our development team.

 

[FunkyWombat]

Thanks for running that down and verifying that I haven't completely lost my mind! I've already ordered some mending plates to extend\adapt the mounting locations on the bracket...we'll see how it goes.

Thanks again!

 

[FunkyWombat]

Fixed. Couple of mending plates and some washers (both metal and rubber) and the distro plate fits nicely. Plus I can adjust the height a bit once the rest of the fans and tub runs are in.