Scratch Build – In Progress [end of line] - 19 MAY.

first plexi bending test today. i had some mis-cut pieces i got for very cheap to practice. i used the blowtorch method. very easy. i was worried the 5mm thick would be very difficult to bend. only thing that i am concerned is that i have already cut my pieces to the correct thickness and the bending made it shrank by about 3mm. is there a way to stop that?

 

Really nice build bro though I the pictures aint clear but I hope the final shots will be better!
I also love the rad psu positioning I might steal your idea for my next mod!!! Mod on!!

 

thanks. feel free to use same layout, it's not a new one really. i'm still to see how effective the cooling will be with only 1.5cm clearance for fans intake... i might have to ventilate the motherboard tray to give it some more breathing room. i'll find out soon once i get my res and pump mounted for first test run.
i can't wait to be free from having to use my atom pc for everything...

 

I still think it would be easier just to get a cheap little digital camera. It is not meant to impinge on your artistic integrity --it is just a tool for recording your project log.

 

Maybe you think that those foggy pics add a little mistery to the "show" (sort of a guesswork??") but I think they're only annoying...
I mean that a cell phone camera is enough to let us see something more than a hypermetrope log.

 

just received delivery on my new ddc and ek top... still too tall to put my res / pump mounting where i wanted it. still not enough clearance for pci-e cables. why aren't there any pci-e 90 degree connectors??? should have gone with a gpu with the plugs on the side instead of the rear. or gotten a smaller res to begin with. this problem wouldn't exist. was hoping to get this done enough to start using it today, now i'm not so sure...

 

i found a solution for now. it looks like my old nasty looking koolance res will fit. its shorter, but fatter than the phobya. i'll probably have to attach the line from the rad to the top of the res on this one. it will be a real pain to fill it from the side.
i have a strong feeling this will be my last watercooling set up. it causes way too much hassle.
in any case i'm off to drill some mounting points for this components. hopefully i'll be victorious.

 

i did in fact get my pump and res mounted successfully. i also finished out my plexi base and have that attached.
in the end i managed to use the phobya, though very very tight fit. i carefully bent the wiring very hard with pliers on the pci-e cables to create makeshift 90 degrees. will have pics up soon.

i've also hit another snag. my ideas for mounting my ssds aren't going to work either. i made an error in clearance when i placed my mounting post for the motherboard tray, so using the akasa adapter in there won't fit in the cavity anymore...
my other idea can't work now either because of compromise i had to make for res placement.
so i'm working on something more elegant than chucking the ssds loose in the cavity. even though ssds don't really need to be mounted due to no platters having to be level, i've taken a lot of care in making everything as nice as possible.
i'm trying right now to work out something involving a backplane board, but having troubles locating a pcb thats suitable. the zalman HS100 comes close, but i think its too tall. i've debated stripping one from a bay unit, but thats so wasteful.
so if anyone knows where i can find a 2 or 3 drive sata backplane pcb that can work in a 25mm deep space including cables plugged in with dimensions not exceeding 110mm w x 100mm h i would really love to know!

 

Very nice work mate

 

thanks shah.

finally up and running. so good to be back on a real computer, i was about to loose my mind trying to get any real work done on my atom pc.
so my idea on having the radiator like this didn't pan out as well as i had hoped, though i think the fans may just be too weak. i can't feel any air being pushed through the radiators fins at all. at least the temps aren't any worse than when i was running it passive from before on my old case. the fans are nice and bright white though so at least it looks good with a lot of light coming through. might toss a couple more on at the pull side.
another thing since i have both disks as ssds there is a marked improvement there as well. as i had my /users directory on a 5400 rpm before. nice and silent, well almost, the ddc is a little noisier than the cpx i had before, but i can tell its a lot more powerful as well. the res looks like a hot tub on high with the water coming back into it.
i also got delivery on my gallo a'diva speakers today as well. very very nice, but lacks bass a bit. nothing a sub can't fix.
as for progress i think i've figured out what i'm going to do about the drive mounting. i think the easiest approach will be to make a small plexi piece to mount the drives to and sandwich them in between it and the metal in front of the psu area. i've got a few designs on that i'm mulling over.
asides from that i just need to make a couple of 'molds' for plexi bending and i can start preparations for phase 3.

small complaints - the black ek fittings finish rubs off easily. i have a bunch of black / grey stains on my tubing from them now after i tightened down the compression ring. so beware if you're using light colored tubing.
also i'm disappointed by how dim my el wire is. it's a little too subtle, nearly unnoticeable.

i know i'm being slow, but pictures are on the way soon.

 

pump installed.

light.

replaced stock green led fan with white.

baby water - the pro's choice.

now in working order, but still far from finished.

blank keyboard - proof of 1337... lol.
sorry for the excessive delay on getting these posted.

 

Looks awesome man! And I have to say I'm not with the crowd here, the scanned pictures are a welcome change from the norm in my opinion. While clean crisp pictures are sweet, they can get really redundant. In my opinion analog is still superior in a lot of things in the global society these days, and if you've got the gear to make it work I think photography can definitely be one of them.

Your radiator placement is excellent also, such a simple and smart solution to keeping things looking clean!

 

I don't like the quality of the photos i bet many people just clicked off your mod due to photos and this deserves not clicking off

 

I think this may be interesting, but I cant get a good look at it through the sandstorm.
I do hope we can have some clear photo's soon. At least to check out the quality of the work.

 

Sorry to say, but I have to +1 this.

 

thanks for the positive comments. and yes i am aware that some of the pics are poor. these latest though i feel are an improvement, the next should be better.

 

Fixed.

I can see a bit of improvement ( less grain, clearer colours ), but these pictures still look like they've been de-ressed in photoshop with some hipster-matic filter to make them look antique.

The build looks great, but it's just impossible to see all the little details, or many of the larger features either through the blur. Even a cheap digi camera without a zoom would do for the final pics, just needs to be well lit with a short exposure time to get some clarity...

Did I say it does look great though?

 

This is starting to look very good!

 

Status?

 

Lost in the fog...