The Sound of Silence - Everything Water cooled - Update Feb 23

Contents so far:

Introduction (this post)
Silent Fan PC - Before (this post)
Design goals (this post)
Feb 02
3,5" front access drive holder
Extra 120mm Front intake fan with air filter
The HD drive bay
Water Cooling the PSU
Feb 05
Connecting tubes to the PSU Water Cooler
Controlling 220V internal and external components
Test Fitting the PSU
Feb 06
Water Cooling the Motherboard Low-Voltage MOSFETs
VGA Cooler
Test fitting the newest Cooler blocks
Twisting and turning the tubing
Feb 13
The Water Brew!!!
The Water Flow plan / Splitter Block
O-ring system for the Splitter Block
Feb 18
Test fitting the CPU block
Test fitting the Splitter block
Feb 19
The Splitter Block - Take 2
Notes about flow, pressure and the splitter/Junction block
Feb 23
Water Loop details - Final test assembly






​

Introduction
A couple of years ago, I cut the sound level of my pc considerably by changing the fans to super silent 12-19dB Pabst and Power Fluid fans. I also added variable resistors to some of the fans, and ensured good air flow through the pc case. The HDs were suspended in a noise reducing rubber contraption.
Unfortunately my motherboard recently died after serving me well for almost three years. The CPU capacitors have a high operating temperature, and slowly but surely the moisture had escaped the cap enclosure. Also a LOT of dust had been collected, even though I, at least once a year, vacuum my pc. Further more it seemed that the fans got nosier over the years, or maybe I just have gotten more and more sensitive to the pc noise. And with new CPU designs there will be a need for even better cooling capacity of the PC.

It is time to alter my PC case!!!



Before
A place to start - November 2003
The current pc/work space setup

Below desk: My PC - Above desk: A phone, my keyboard and mouse.

My favorite color is blue, so the theme color for this Mod will be blue. As you can see the pc, a desktop wireless phone and the wireless keyboard is already blue, and it will stay this way. "Naturaly" the keyboard also has a battery operated blue neonwire installed, to give key backlighting. I may show you that mod later.


As this computer is part of a workspace, it is still neutral in the appearance, and most of the mods are inside.
Currently the front only has three visible Modz. The thermometer, the LCD and a Front USB port

The Power On indicator has been fitted with blue LEDs. The indicator light is a nice Plexiglas ring, around the on/off button.
Some of this will stay the same - some of it will NOT!


Insides of current PC

It is a rather small Midi tower case, as it is about 5cm (2 inches) less deep than most other PC cases I have worked with for some time. This does however makes it a good fit under my desk, and thus I won't be switching it for another more modern case
It basically looks like a cable mess. Partly because of the poor picture quality, partly because of the 2D picture effect, partly because it is a bit of a cable mess.



Design goals

- Complete silence
- Eliminate dust from the insides of the case
- Improve temperature control
- Optimize cooling capacity
- Use same small PC midi tower Case
- If possible - improve PC appearance
- Achieve all this within a reasonable budget​

SO into all the left over space, I now plan to fit a water cooling system, with basically NO air flowing through the PC, the plan is to add a side panel intake with 120mm air filters, and have a fan duct from the side panel to the radiator.

The work begins

The case is basically stripped down, and the new motherboard is being test fitted, so I can determine where the new wires will go.

 

3,5" front access drive holder

Cutting down the existing 3,5" drive holder, to make space for a new drive array.

Fitted with an old HD casing, so the two sides will still hold together when I remove the buttom of this drive cage.

Cut down version of 3,5" drive cage

Will now only hold 3,5" units with front access.

And .... it is back in place.

 

Extra 120mm Front intake fan with air filter

Just to keep my options open, I'll fit a 120mm intake air fan.

Getting ready to cut.

All done, and air filter fitted


and 120mm Fan fitted

 

The HD drive bay

I want to have space for as many HD's as possible. I want them water cooled, and sound proofed.

This is what I started out to build....

And I had plans for some alu pipe attached to the alu bars, and.....
It just did not work out!

This is what I ended up with

An Asetek HD water cooler, fitted inside some SmartCooler sound proofing material.

I tried different design ideas, as I wanted to have room for at least four HDs, but the case is just too small when I also want it to be watercooled AND sound proofed.

So I have opted for two local harddrives...... and I'll set up a server somewhere in the appartment, to hold more HDs.
I have got an Alu-style-Suitcase Mod that I'll probably end up using for the server.

 

Water Cooling the PSU

I have a rather standard 300W PSU. It has been fitted with some cable sleeves, and the drive power wires have been cut shorter, as I'll make special power cables for the 5,25" drive bay and the HD box.



The job now is to watercool the PSU.
The plan is to basically add a cooling block on top of the excisting cooling alu fins. And I'll leave the fan inside the PSU as well, just in case there will be a need for having a small airflow through the case.
Who knows what a 45*C hot summer day will do to the PC!

First I wraped the PCB (and components) in tape, so no alu-dust would get stuck and later cause a short. Then I cut off the top of the alu coolers, so there will be room for a water block on top of the alu-profiles.


The cooling block is made up of three sheets of 5mm plexi, with a carved path for the water (sorry no pictures) then the the three plexi sheets were glued together, using some two component Araldit (clear epoxy glue).
I also found some alu from an old radio casing. Cut a slice out, and "glued" it to the plexi block. I have used silicone as a sealer agent, and then screwed the alu and the plexi together, so the screws will make sure that all the layers will hold together. I do not dare to just trust the glue and silicone.

Waiting for the epoxy glue to harden.


The new PSU cooling block has found a new home

This is not rocket sicence, and I only have primitive hand tools to work with ... and I made a little mistake when cutting the water path, so I had to tilt one (or rather ALL) the screws a bit, so the whole thing sits well.

Much more to come......

 

Oooh homegrown watercooled PSU - really innovative idea! Hope it doesn't go and leak on you *knock on wood*. Looks promising - keep up the good work

 

Watercool everything and i'll be impressed, Good luck!

 

Yup, I hope for the same!
I have done some testing with different kinds of glue, and it seems to me that the two-component works the best.
But just to make sure, the whole thing will also be held together using 16 screws. So I think I have done what I can.

Anyway, where is the adventure in life if you take no calculated riskes!

Well thank you. Then I do hope to impress you, as I plan to keep adding water cooling elements until the whole thing is COMPLETELY water cooled.

But just in case.... I still have the intake fan, and the fan in the PSU.

 

That block give some ideas, but its a risky business. Nice!

 

GORGEOUS !!!

finally someone understands how to properly silence and cool hard drives . All the heat is on the sides of the hard drive, so as long as that is cooled you can add as much sound dampening ( might i add very nice vynil composite) as you want

 

Very glad to hear that.
I was inspired my self by the Asetek cooling blocks. Both the CPU and the HD cooling use the same concept of metal at the buttom and plastic at the top.

So I just adopted the idea, as molding plastic is sooooo much easier than molding/machining metal.

I am very impressed by the Asetek HD cooler block, my self. It will hold two HDs, fit in a 5,25" drive slot, and has built in vibration dampernes, if one does not want to build a seperate sound proofing enclousure like I have done.

 

A liquid cooled PSU??? Wow risk taker!! G/L with that man, I'm intrested to see how it comes out.

 

sweet. never thought anyone would be trying that on a psu good luck man!

 

I'm likin the water-cooled PSU

I like how it's all coming. Nice, clean plans, and great execution of 'em too! All in all, quite nice so far .

 

That hard drive setup is very nice. I hope the water-cooled PSU works out for ya too. That would REALLY suck to have that leak. ;x Anywho, good job on the rest as well, and good luck!

 

First thanks for all the positive comments, and all the good wishes about filling my PSU with Water!!!
We'll see how it all turnes out.


Connecting tubes to the PSU Water Cooler
Where ever possible (read: where ever I can get one that fits) I'll use plastic fittings for the tubing.
The Asetek cooling block come fitted with push-in Plug & Cool fittings, which are nice and easy to work with. It does however seem to me that it's too easy to make them leak, by just pushing on the tubing, so I'll experiment with making some of my own hose fittings.

The water tube connector for the PSU water block.

It started out as a Y-connector. It was chopped up, and then glued into some Plexi.

Here it is fitted to the PSU Cooler Block.

The Cooler Block has also "grown" a wing for cooling two coils, and a couple of electronic 220V relays/switches.

Test fitting the Water Block



Heat transfer from the Coils
It is almost impossible to get a good heat transfer fit with the coils. Especially the one coil, as it has a very uneven surface, due to the use of several different thicknes of copper wires, so I wrinckled up some alu-foil, and tossed in a bit of heat-transfer two-component glue from Zalman.

Once I had the right shape in the wrinkled up alu-foil, I added a surface layer, to kind of keeping all the wrinkles and fold edges under wraps.

And Now; a really tight fit.

The alu-foil is also glued to the coil, so it will stay in place without the risk of it moving around and causing a short.

 

Controlling 220V internal and external components

220V water pump Connection
The Water Pump needs 220V, and has a large wall socket connection. I want the pump to be internally connected to 220V. And I want to keep all 220V controls and sockets within the PSU box.

Fortunately I have these connectors left over from a few lamps I bought the other day.

One will be fitted inside the PSU, the other wil be fitted to the power wire of the Water Pump.

Here a couple of wings have been glued to the connector.


They were first marked with X's. Thought the glue would have a better grip then.


And the connector is fitted to reside inside the PSU.



220V electronic relays
I want to be able to run the Water Pump for a few minutes after the PC is switched off, so I need a relay to control the power supply to the Water Pump.

I also want to have a relay that controls the 220V auxillary outlet from the back of the PSU, so it will/can be turned off when the PC is turned off. Just like it functioned in an old AT-PSU. I also want this socket to be turned ON a few seconds after the PC is turned on, as this reduces the turn-on spikes caused by any coils/lamps connected to the auxillary outlet.

These are the components needed to build the two electronical 220V relays.

The electronic relay can be controlled by a 5V, 5mA signal.

The PCB layout for the 220V electronic relays.
To make everything fit within the crowded PSU box, I needed to split it up into two small boards.


The secret to the AC electronic relay is the integrated circuit MOC3041 and a power Triac BT138.
The MOC3041 seperates the Low-Voltage side (3-12V) and the High-Voltage AC side (24V-400V AC). The seperation of the two voltage sides is achieved by the built-in optocoupler.
Another advantage to the MOC3041 is the Zero-detection circuit, that ensures an absolutely smooth on/off function on the AC side, as the on/off will only happen at Zero voltage on the AC line. This is especially well suited to control inductive loads, like power transformers, motors and CRT screens.


The Triac BT138 will handle RMS voltages up to 600V AC at 12Amps. I have fitted a 6.3Amp fuse for the auxillery power outlet, and a 100mA fuse for the Water Pump. So this will stay well within the specs. of the BT138 Triac.

The 220V electronic relay fitted to the PSU Cooler block.

 

Test Fitting the PSU

It is finally time to test fit the PSU in the PC.

I have added a small window in the PSU case, so I can see into it, and ensure that everything fits okay, and does not get squeezed or shorted by the lid.

I know I also stated that this Mod will NOT be about style and form, I did however fall for the temptation of adding some blue vinyl to the PSU.


Something is wrong in this picture
Do you see the blunder?

Time to get out the dremel again

 

I'm gonna follow this one!! Nice work!

 

this is way cool i was thinking when i first seen it omg wtf is that but its turned out way cool

rock on and good luck