After aeons of dreaming, pondering, exploring, and lots of SketchUp (lots and lots of SketchUp), the time has finally come. When one must let go of the old. When one must ride the push of technological progress. When advances in computing and modding alike urge you from the primordial slime of decade-old hardware onto the beckoning shores of cutting edge technology, to arise on two legs, grasp a Dremel and be a MODDER once more. This is that time. It also helps when you've been able to save up some money. Anyhow, most people will know that I have been playing with designs for some time from this here thread. My inspiration comes from Confederate Motorcycles to antique microscopes, to Babbage's Difference Engine to anything that is Victorian scientific engineering (because I like the look of Steampunk, see?). I drew a lot of designs. Lots and lots of designs. I'm not a hardcore gamer, so I have no need for a tripple SLI rig, but I did want something compact, elegant, liquid cooled and quiet. Luckily over the recent years computer components have shrunk a lot, allowing me a lot more flexibility in design. So introducing: Liquid cooled, built around the tiny but uncompromising Asus VI Impact motherboard, aluminium and black walnut, with Arduino-driven nixie tube flow/temperature indicator. Why Ada? Daughter of "mad, bad and dangerous to know" poet Lord Byron (yes, indeed!) and his first wife Anne Isabella Noel Byron, she is the inventor of the computer, basically. Yes, yes, it was Babbage who invented the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine (and if you're ever near the London Science museum, you must see the original prototype part of the Difference Engine made by the man himself and also the completed reproduction from the 1990's: the first Difference Engine ever completed. I mean, omygodomygodomygod! It is Mecca for computer geeks. Do the pilgrimage). But Babbage (genius as he was) never saw beyond his vision his creation of a powerful mechanical programmable calculator. It was Ada Lovelace who understood that numbers could be used to represent more than just quantities, and a machine that could manipulate numbers could be made to manipulate any data represented by numbers. She predicted that machines like the Analytical Engine could be used to compose music, produce graphics, and be useful to science: Of course, all that came true --in another 100 years. Isn't it appropriate that a compact and elegant design, an homage to Victorian craftsmanship, science and computing technology should bear her name? So this one, your ladyship, is for you. Back to the project... Since I built my first project, things have moved on in the world of modding. Moved way on. Watercooling components now come off the shelf (the computer store shelf, that is, rather than the aquarium and laboratory supplies store shelf). Modding is now a sophisticated art form. Back in the days of Metaversa 01, what I produced was fairly well-regarded, but having seen many project on this forum over the last years, I realise that most of it far, far outshines anything I ever did. I have had to up my game... Although I can draw a good part in SketchUp (and am learning the dark arts of CAD packages), I have always relied on skilled CNC people to turn out parts as per my design that I couldn't. Metaversa 01's waterblocks were a home-grown CNC design by Paul Vodrazka, with our own forum member Enak producing new mountings adapted for the ideosyncracies of the MSI K8T MAster-2-Far motherboard. This time, I've gone a bit larger... The CNC frame of this project would not have been possible without the skilled, and very reasonably priced assistance of skyrip (on these forums. PM him if you need something milling). As such, he deserves a sizeable chunk of the credit for what you will see here. But anyway, the obligatory pics of work in progress! Le aluminium: 12mm thickness: Le milling: Le parts: Le parts, deux: And the whole lot together:
...And le test fit (parts still need cleaning up): Must sort out picture quality... But you get the idea.
Looking really good, I caught a snippet of this on the EK Ideas website ... I think it's a great looking design
it looks even better all mounted, definally subbed to see where this will end! it will be a small case weighing a lot high density. milling it was a delight, always nice to help a great modder with a great vision
Wait? How do you know he has great vision? Maybe he's just too vain to wear glasses! And yeah, subbed.