Project: Double Helix (1/03 Update: Done with Final Pics)

nice work, those fans do light it up quite well

 

Hi

First of all a great mod, like the idea of going for the quiet system, I hate noise to

I bit up you asked where you could get some black plexi, i am pretty sure that AC-ryan makes some with the wanted effect

http://www.acryan.com/_acrylpanel/ACR-AP3510.shtml

Don't know why the photo shows a blue side panel, but the stuff that AC-ryan makes is used in this mod:

http://www.tweakup.dk/HTML/casemods/mod.php?id=2748

It is a Danish hardware site, but the pictures shows some blackplexi made by Acryan (it is not mine - but I like i alot)

I am not at big fan of the carbon fiber - stick to the first layout.

Just a question why do you call it the "Double Helix" ??

Keep up the good work.

Simon

P.s now you have 17 replies

 

Thanks a ton for those links! I've been going nutz trying to find this plastic. I hope its a big enough to replace the side pannel plastic with as thats a pretty big window.

Ever since bio class in high school, Double helix is about the only term thats stuck with me since then. I never really have been good at picking project names, so double helix seemed like a good name. Im not really sure if anything in this mod is going to deal with a double helix but it might.

As for the carbon fiber, I dont think im going to use anymore of it, and if I do, it will be in little accent areas and nothing out in the open.

Thanks for all the replies, keep watching for an update on the front panel. I started the cad layout and hope to mill it out after christmas break (when i have access to tools at school)

 

where did u get that carbon fibre from because i want some...

 

I like the way that all the blue and green light escapes out the holes in the case... looks cool
I reckon u should buy some black window tint and tint the case window, it would look awesome.
btw how did u get the carbon fibre to curve without making creases??


Rhys

 

Im working on getting black plexi like DÈF¥âÑt used in Masta Blasta but it seems that only the plexi shop near him has the correct stuff. I like that plexi because its a mirror when there is no light behind it and then you can see through it with backlighting. Look at his projects and you will see what i mean. (I wonder how much it would cost to ship some from australia )

As for the carbon fiber, i just used a heat gun on a low setting (a hair dryer would work just fine) and pulled the vynal around the front of the drive and held it there until it cooled.

Im still trying to find a res for this project. I really want this one http://www.swiftnets.com/products/MCRES-MICRO.asp but their out of stock everywhere apperently due to a leaking problem.

 

Acryans Acrylic does that! Got some on mine right now, lovely stuff.

 

Sweet, gonna order me some tonight, THanks!

Any chance you could take better pics of the acrylic since the ac ryan site really didnt have any good ones? Nice project btw

 

the mods lookin ace so far keep up the good work

and were did you get your sleeving kit from?

 

I bought all the sleeving from svc.com and performance-pcs.com by the foot and a heatshrink kit from svc alswell. Thanks for the comments

 

Just a little text update.

In important news, i ordered the new res and it should be in tomorrow (crosses fingers) so the watter cooling should be up by the end of the year

In bigger news:
I got the computer up and running today and worked on installing games so I could test it. At stock speeds of both the cpu and gpu I got the source stress test to run at an average of 130fps with everything maxed out! Cant wait to see what this does when both the cpu and gpu are overclocked. In CS:S match on de_nuke (only cuz its got HDR) and I was getting 50~75fps with no choke or loss. Im really happy at how well it performs at stock. I hope i can get the cpu to do 300mhz x 9 like so many other people with a 3000+.

More work to come after christmas

 

This is looking nice mate good work so far, and btw thats an awesome dog !

 

First for some text:
The res finally got here and as soon as I have some time (hopefully this weekend) I can get the water-cooling up and running. One thing I cant decide is if i want to have the loop go Pump > Rad > GPU > CPU and so on or Pump > Rad > CPU > GPU, any ideas would be nice Now on with the update:

I drilled out all the rivits that held the window in so I could replace the acrylic with new black smoked mirror acrylic and so I could replace the rivits with socket head cap screws.



Next was a trip into Cleveland to HP Manufacturing to get the acrylic I needed. I Bought 2 peices for the window(one as a backup) and one peice for the front pannel. The manager their threw in an extra peice for the front pannel. These were cut exactly the right size by them and only cost me around $25 (I also bought 2 1/4" rods, 1 green 1 blue, to make a double helix to go along side the window using Vito Corleone's method he used in his project Resident Evil T-Virus .



Heres a shot of the peice for the front pannel and how well it fits in


And the design for the front pannel (That not the template for the acrylic cut but where everything should go on the final pannel.


And the peice in the window (still have to get the screws)


Look for another update this weekend, as always Comments Please

 

Last Update I left you all with just a 2d cad drawing of the front pannel that would house the rheobus, switches and 20x4 lcd. I got board today so I decided to make the whole thing in sketchup so eveyone could understand what I mean.



^ Image with X-Ray tunred on



^Image with x-ray turned off

There are 3 parts to the pannel, a tinted acrylic peice, a sheet metal bracket, and a small frosted peice of acrylic for the leds of the rheobus (Shown in Blue).

Thats all for now, If theres a snowday tomorrow I will work on the watercooling. Until Then Comments Please

 

Today I redid the sketchup as you could see that it wasnt quite right. (I had 2 objects inside each other) Here are the 3 different parts, the smoked mirror acrylic peice, the sheetmetal bracket and the frosted plexi peice. Now this should give all of you a better Idea of what the front pannel is.

 

Small Update this weekend but I got the rad mounted in the drive bay with some socket head cap screws. I know its not much but I didnt have any free time this weekend so its better than nothing.

Tomorrow durring school I'll plot the template for the window and have that drilled by the end of the week. Enough of me talking, lets get on with the pics.

I decided to only use two screws insted of three because I thought if I used three then people would wonder where the 4th screw was. Heres the res mounted in the bays.


And with the bays in the case


Heres a picture with the side pannel on (Still no window, I havent had time to enlarge the holes for some 1/8" bolts.


And heres the same angle with the front fans on so you can sort of see the res.


I will also plot a template for the led holes that will be drilled under the res to put some UV leds in to give the coolant a nice glow. Hopefully that will happen this week too. Until Then, Your Comments Please

 

Looking great man, I love how good sleeveing looks on the cables.

 

looking good man. Where you planning on putting that nice shiney 40x4?

 

Thanks. I plan to mount it to the side pannel window right above the Harddrive rack in the case. Where my computer sits on my desk its a perfect angle to see It and its too big to really put anywhere else. I hope to have it mounted this weekend (Long 4 Day weekend coming up from school, no School Friday or Monday! ) If im lucky I might even get the water cooling up and running. *crosses fingers*

 

Today I got to work in my school's shop today and use the drill press as the one I have isn't big enough for what I needed to do. I drilled the 4 holes to mount the Matrix Orbital LCD-4041 40x4 LCD. I ploted template and glue that to the protective cover on the acrylic and then set to drilling with a 1/8" bit. Every thing went pretty smoothly and heres the results.

Heres the New window with the mounting hole drilled and the LCD Semi-mounted (I only had 2 screws long enough as it was). I still need to get the the local hardware store tomorrow for some socket head cap screws.


And heres a shot with the flash off so you can see the sweet mirror effect.


And now with the LCD turned on and the lights off


And a Super-Closeup


Heres the Pannel leaned up against my server just to show you how tinted the window is


I should update tomorrow with the acrylic on the side pannel and the pannel on the case with the lights on. And hopefully get the watercooling up this weekend. Thanks for reading and your feedback please.