Here is my first attempt at modding. Starting out with a plain case, but i like the eyes, and i had a vision of a monster case about table height, we'll see how i go. Not that fussed on dvd burners and the like, just has to go hard and not overheat. Here is the case i got off ebay. I already had a plan to use a 240 volt cabinet fan i "found" . Seeing as though this monster was in no way gonna fit it my case with pump and radiator..HMMM...what to do???....going back to my previous idea of a monster...build a lower case to house the lot! Being a welder is quite handy, especially when it comes to "hot glueing" metal together.So a lower case plan was devised and born from aluminium.God i love that stuff....so easy to cut, drill, file and bend. I have an Innovatek kit,so i will nut out a few ideas and then i can proceed with the lower case, mounting the fans and radiator.
Update 1 Here we go, next part of MegaPu. I've been very busy before and after work to get this stuff done.hope i can get some sleep tonite with all the ideas floating round my noggin. With the lower case done, it is time for some paint, courtesy of my apprentice son the panelbeater and his m8 who will paint it for me. Here is my fan and radiator unit together.The chute off the back is my original idea i think, (never seen it anywhere), this will blow cool air from the lower case into the upper case, well that is the plan. The big fan i got from a work site, it was made in Germany, has bearings not bushes...how fast does it go???.....dont know, cant count the blades going past fast enuff.....hehehe...suffice to say it takes roughly 3-4 minutes to stop. I will need some 12 volt power for my pump and fan relays as well as some things i got in mind so i decided to add a few 3.5mm jack sockets to the ATX Power Supply. Did anyone know before they modded they're supply that the manufacturers put extra holes in the PCB??...i guess they knew some one would use them eventually.lol I wont bore you all with the inside of PSU, we all know what they look like. Here is the outside. I also added a redundant CPU fan for some thru cooling.. this one will spin to 6000 rpm's......hmmm...very noisy i suspect. While in the throws of the electrical works i decided to get a start on the relays.They are 250V rated, 12V operation.I got them from DSE.I think i'll be going there quite a few times more b4 this project is over. Here is relays How nice is this braided 4 core cable? it has a clear cover over the outside and is quite flexible might have to get some more for the molex cables Till next time. Fellow Modders
Update 2 Hello All After much looking and researching i decide that a decent reservoir was in order, i think this will aid in keeping the water cool, and thus in turn keep all components cool as well.Here is reservoir. One of the things i wanted from the start was a Water Level Guage for my reservoir, after finding it i built this one I will mount it in lower case and run power from 3.5 jack plug socket in PSU. I found out that the "cheaper" cooling kits dont have GPU blocks and i think they are rather pricey...and why buy when you can make your own?.I bought some copper bar and milled some grooves in it...total cost....4 hours and $20. The project is starting to take shape now. I made a cover for the relays, it is in stainless steel, not as easy to work with as aluminium, but much nicer to look at. I think i will add some jack plugs to this as well, can run some case lighting later on ! I got a Temp Monitor and Fan Controller like this one Has extra coloured fronts to change as i want. I always liked the smooth look at the front, so i decide to have a CDROM with no buttons or lights. I used one of the bay covers that came with the case and sanded off the tabs and glued it to front of cdrom eject tray with silastic( flexible, yet strong) Dopey me nearly forgot to drill the emergency eject hole... Would welcome some feedback.Getting close to finish now. Till next time, fellow modders..
Update 3 Gee, so much to do and so little time to get to do it. Time to hook up pump and run hoses and check for leaks. Now for the big test Good.No leaks. Now i can hook up the water level guage and test. All LED's lit up, this means it is full and circuit is working...yeehaaa.. Here is a shot from the rear showing level sensor mounted in reservoir Just have to connect the earth properly and it is complete. Now tank and level is working have to connect pump and fan wiring to relays. Will have to remove reservoir and reinstall after wiring is done,not as much room down the bottom as i had envisaged, but it all fits well. The safety toggle in previous shot is for the big fan, i will be able to turn it off and on as i wish. I gonna use some more of the braided 4 core cable for the fan power,i think it will look good. In my haste to get some stuff done, i missed getting some pics. Time to install fan controller.Nothing to technical about this i reckon,god there is a lot of wires coming out of the back of these. Good value i reckon, and nice blue back-light around knobs. Time for dinner so will update in a few days and hopefully be complete. Cheers Fellow Modders
Update 4 Well here i go again, should get log finished tonite. After wiring pump and fan to relays, i think i got it to look pretty good, the braided cable looks excellent i reckon, i just wish i could've gotten the stainless cable glands i wanted, but alas sometimes u have to settle for next best. I got your normal plastic cable gland and spray dyed them silver, was a bit of a squeeze with 12 volt jack plugs and 240 volt cable inside cover but it fitted without being tight.Here is pic You will notice the cable on the outide rear of cover, it runs from cable socket from old monitor..you can see it in previous pic...nice and safe...dont want any nasty shorts..!! I have a 12 volt power pack supplying the auxilliary jack sockets for testing after re-assembly of lower case, that is the thin black lead going to the rear. Having the black case i wanted i decide that a "scanner light".....ala "Knight Rider" would set the front off.I bought this kit from DSE (Dick Smith), was my first foray into electronics, and it worked first go Momentary switch is for CDROM. I will get some sleeving soon, to do the PSU cables, or maybe i will do them in the braided cable after all, cant do the ATX cable, so might just sleeve the lot so it looks the same. Here is outside of case with led fan and dragon grill...( love dragons ) Well there you have it, my first go at modding.With it done, have to go over some new ideas since, like duals pumps and rad's.....but that is a while off i think. Thanks for looking and more importantly not criticising. Guess i'll have to put pic in case gallery. Cheers Dazza aka Squatter
Interestingly enough it doesn't seem to affect the flow.If u look as the system comes on, the flow of water just flies thru the waterblocks, i think tho' i will change it as it could look better. Cpu Temp is currently between 29.3 and 29.6 degress Case Temp is 22.6 deg' HDD Temp is 27.7 " H2O Temp is a pleasant 27.1 deg' I cant see better flow making much difference in temps, but i am new, i could be wrong. Cheers
looks pretty sweet from this end. Nice to be able to see some people do some nice and innovative ideas. I hope this keeps getting better!
Heh... Those Fans are fun - i have a 110v one. It sounds like a car revving up when you power it: does yours? Watch out though, they hurt like he11 if you get any body part caught in it.
