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Scratch Build – In Progress (FINISHED) "Dark Matter" by Envious Mods •3D Printed Parts•

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by EnviousMods, 7 Jan 2016.

  1. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Gskill Trident Z DDR4 Ram Arrival:

    The new black and white ram from Gskill arrived today. Gskill recently released several new colors of their Trident Z DDR4 so that your ram can match your build. These ram sticks look much more beautiful in real life then in the pics I've seen which is really impressive. I cant wait to get them all mounted up on the motherboard.

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    RantoPad Mouse Mods:

    RantoPad sent some goodies for this build and its time to mod the optical gaming mouse they sent. It has a built in LED that lights up a transformer style logo on the front of the mouse. Im going to mod it to fit the Dark Matter build. I will take advantage of the built in LED and build my own light up logo. Im debating on swapping the LED for an RGB one I have. If I keep the current one it will need to be adjusted down a bit to evenly light the badge. I made sure to take pictures along the way so you could see the process from start to almost finished.

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    Cutting The Front Panel & Mock-ups of EK XE 480 Radiator:

    The front of the case will serve as an intake for the EK XE 480 radiator. This thing is a monster and deserves to be seen. I made a custom bracket out of strips of aluminum to hold the rad in place. I made sure to leave just enough clearance in the front for the 4 – 120mm BeQuiet PureWings 2 fans. I haven't decided exactly what material I'm going to use for the grill but, I'm sure I will come up with something neat.

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    The front panel was relatively easy to cut out using my air cutter. The air cutter is like a giant dremel with a 4“ blade. I purchased it earlier in the build and I'm glad that I did. Its much quicker and costs less per cut. The only down side is a need for a large compressor to keep it happy. I already had a large compressor for my air tools and airbrush so it was a modest investment.
     
  2. Bartacus

    Bartacus Minimodder

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    I have that same rad in my 2nd system. It is indeed a beast, and the nicest radiator I've ever used. Good choice. :) The fact that the bottom has front AND rear facing ports gives you great options for tube runs.
     
  3. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Update: Top Acrylic Grill Add-on Painted

    Since it has been fairly warm I've had time to paint the freshly cut piece of acrylic I did for the center of the top grill. Ive also been debating on adding two more pieces but, that will have to wait until later on.

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    Backwards Panels:

    As many of you know I suffered a traumatic brain injury which resulted in me getting into case modding. Most of the time I make lemonade out of lemons but, today is one of those days.I realized once finishing up after spending 2 days painting panels; that I painted them backwards. I painted the green panel black and the black panel green. Now I get to sand them all back down and start over. The worse part is that I have to get more paint because I didn't allot enough for a mistake this large. I added this to an update because things like this happen in the modding world. They just happen a little more often to me.

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    Update: Right Bottom Door Painted & Re-mounted

    I was finally able to get all the panels painted and re-assembled. This took a bit longer than expected but, I'm extremely happy with the outcome. I have been waiting so long to see this portion assembled and it was well worth the effort.

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  4. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Comparison Between CAD Design & The Build:

    Once I get far enough along in the build I like to compare design screenshots to progress screenshots of the actual build. It still amazes me to see how close it is to the design. I still have a few more things to do in this part of the build but, its coming along better than I ever could have imagined. You'll notice little changed here and there that have been made to the design. These come about when I'm struck with inspiration or feel like something is missing.

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    Painted Back Side of The Motherboard Tray:

    Painting behind the lexan water-path really made a big difference. I know it would help make it look more complete but, I didn't know how much it would allow the water-path to be seen. The last parts for the water-path are on their way. I need to do a little wet sanding and polish out the milling lines. The picture below shows what it looks like now with it painted behind the water-path (top) & what it looked like before it was painted (bottom). It will really pop once the green coolant is added.

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    Led Mount: Back Of The Res Mount

    Ive been trying to figure out how I can mount the LED strip behind the tube res while having the lighting effect also show behind the OCZ triple SSD rack. I don't want them to be very bright either.

    I came up with an idea to make an all lexan box behind the tube res mount that I can slide the LED strip into. This would share the lighting between the two as well as allow me to dim and diffuse the light though the lexan box its mounted in. Im a big fan of solving multiple problems by building single parts and this fits the bill.

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    After taking some measurements of the lexan and the LED strip I was able to come up with a template that I can use to make the box. Below I added a quick video of what it looks like mounted behind the EK X3 250 reservoir.

    https://vimeo.com/168093645
     
  5. Dirk kramer

    Dirk kramer What's a Dremel?

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    this is so awesome, Nice going. :thumb:
     
  6. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    I appreciate it Dirk. The motherboard will be here by this weekend and I'm getting close to stripping it all down for final paint and re-assembly. :D
     
  7. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Vinyl For The Dual Voltmeter Gauge Mount:

    I posted information on how I built the dual voltmeter gauge earlier in the build log. The main gauge monitors the motherboards voltage and the secondary monitors the GPUs voltage. I decided I wanted to add vinyl labels so that I could easily determine which gauge is which, quickly.

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    3D Printed Mandrel Set:

    After looking at a lot of the mandrel sets online I decided that I could easily design and 3D print a complete set. The advantage to doing it this way is the ability to change the mandrel size and less than an hour worth of printing. this set is designed for 12 to 13 mm tubing.

    T there are four main mandrels used in majority of water cooling runs. They consist of a 45, 90, 180 and 360 degree mandrels. The nice feature of these is the ability to easily make bends in all axis without added effort. The metal 90 degree brackets allow them to be mounted vertically to a work surface as well as horizontally. I also added angle marks on the mandrels for quick reference.

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    BeQuiet 120mm PureWing Fan Decals:

    As many of you know, I have a slight OCD for even the smallest details. I decided to custom make tiny, “Be Quiet” vinyl decals in green ti replace the orange ones on the fans. I will have to put a brand new blade in my vinyl cutter. Doing so will assure that they are cleanly cut at this small size.

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  8. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Arrival: Supermicro C7Z170–OCE

    I have been very excited awaiting the motherboards arrival and it's finally here. My first impressions are very satisfying. It came well packaged and looks beautiful. The box was stocked with SATA cables. I've seen a lot of motherboards in my lifetime; I could tell immediately that it was built using quality components. Supermicro is known for making server grade gear and this motherboard shows it. I will be making a few slight modifications to the motherboard so that it fits well within the theme.

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    Case Intrusion Detection System:

    After reading some of the features for the motherboard I saw something that said it has an case intrusion detection setup. Im going to explore this further as I like to use as many features as I can to show off what the hardware can do. Theres the JL1 header on the motherboard that is used to trigger the intrusion detection system. I have some switches that will work perfectly for each of the door panels.


    Test Mounting G.Skill Trident Z DDR4 (black & white edition):

    Now that I have the motherboard I decided to was time to mount the G.Skill Trident Z DDR4 ram to see how it looked. I had originally planned on taking the heat spreaders off and painting them to match the build. This was planned when you could only get them in red and a grayish color. I think these would look much better if I changed the G.Skill or Trident Z badge to green instead. That would be the best of both worlds in my opinion.

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    Test Mounting EKWB Supremacy Evo CPU Block:

    I also wanted to test fit the EK Supremacy Evo block to see how it would look and in very happy with the way it looks. Combined with the DDR4 it is killer. They match each other and the motherboard better than I could have hoped for.

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  9. eucalyptus

    eucalyptus I am 19 and Swedish!

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    Wow, that is one beautiful motherboard! There is like zero modern motherboards with a green layout. Sadly, not X99 itx :lol:
     
  10. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Thank you very much. I couldn't agree with you more. It is a very good looking board and I love the color. I'll add a bit of accent to it but, it's already a great fit for the build.
     
  11. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Cooler Master Sickleflow 120mm Fan Mods:

    I will be using a Cooler Master 120mm fan on the back of the case. It has blue LEDs that match the build. I am going to do a few mods to it so that it fits in with the build. I have started by designing and cutting out vinyl decals that employ the newer, “Make it Yours” campaign that Cooler Master has been using. Below you can see how the fan comes stock.

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    The hard part is the size of the lettering on this part. They are insanely small in order to fit properly on the middle of the fan. I am very happy with the way it looks as its much better than the stock holographic decal used. The decal that comes on this fan is neat but, it makes the brand name illegible. I also paint matched the fan before doing the vinyl work so that it fit in with the color scheme.

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    Notched Out The Frame & Mounted 2X120mm BeQuiet PureWings 2 Fans:

    I managed to drag my air-compressor into my assembly room in order to notch out the frame because I didn't want to move the case and all its parts to the shop. I used a combination of cardboard and drop cloths to protect the other sections of the case.

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    Aluminum & 3D Printed Cable Management:

    I had originally went with an entirely 3D printed cable management setup for the back side of the motherboard tray but, I decided to go with an aluminum piece. The risers on each side are 3D printed and modular. This allows me to change the height by adding or subtracting the plastic printed standoffs (risers.)

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  12. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Crazy Days Ahead:

    Over the next three days I will be finishing up almost all of the case and mods. The last bit of parts from EKWB should arrive then. They are sending the coolant, hard line tubing, bending kit and all the fittings required. Once those arrive I will immediately start work on doing the custom loop and prepping it for final photos. I'm also waiting on some custom vinyl I ordered that should arrive in the next few days. I've prepped all of the cutting patterns for when the vinyl arrives.

    Arrival: Intel i7 Skylake 6700K CPU

    I was finally able to get the CPU for the Dark Matter scratch build. I could have easily gone with an i5 but, all the hardware is top notch so I felt it deserved an equally awesome CPU.

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    BeQuiet Dark Power Pro 11–1,200 PSU Mods:

    I have added the last piece that will be part of the dual voltmeter gauge mount. I bent a couple pieces of aluminum in order to taper the front of the panel. I also cut a piece of thick lexan that it edge lit using green LEDs. This will give the completed mount an industrial and futuristic look. The piece of lexan is used to mount some of the pieces so I didn't have to drill holes through the side of the PSU.

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    Painting: Gas Struts

    I made quick work of the gas struts and mounts. The majority of them are painted black as they were in the design. The end pieces that are next to the green hinges are painted green in order to carry the then. I also have designed some custom vinyl pieces that will be added when my special order vinyl arrives.

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    Cable Management & Water-path Surround:

    I made a panel that goes around two sides of the water-path. The hardline tubing that comes out of the water-path will pass through this panel; through the motherboard tray and out the other side. This surround will also allow me to keep all the cabling from the PSU organized on its way to the motherboard and other components. Now that it's cut and prepped I will paint it to match the build.

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    Front Grill Insert:

    Originally I had designed the front fan cutout to just have a grill over the fan cutout. After mocking the front panel up I decided I wanted to try a few different ideas that would give it a bit more dimension. My solution is cutting a combination of acrylic and metal mesh that will go together to make inserts over the fan cutout.

    I started by drawing out different shapes using angles found throughout the build. I found if I make a bend in the middle of each insert it will give it the dimension I've been looking for. Luckily I just purchased a heat gun which came in handy for bending the acrylic. Now that I have all the pieces cut, filed and prepped I can move forward with bending the pieces for the front.


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  13. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    LED Cables & Controllers Routed:

    The LED system on the build is extremely complicated and requires the use of several controllers to run many of the functions. My LEDs are usually an expression of my mood so I like a wide variety of options.


    EKWB Revo Pump Mount:

    Earlier in the build log I showed the stand and mount of the EK Revo pump. Since then I have sleeved the PWM cables and cut a hole to mount a rubber grommet. The hole is so that the wiring can come out of the back of the pump, through the stand and into the floor. I didn't sleeve the two power cables as Im going to put a wrap on them.

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    Update: Honeycomb Floor Pattern

    I showed the custom cut 12mm thick lexan floor but, I've recently been able to paint the honeycomb inserts. I used 4 different colors to paint the inserts. I will arrange them in patterns. I was inspired by a desktop wallpaper I came across during the Dark Matter build. I added the photo that inspired me to build this below. I'm not 100% finished with the floor but, there's enough done to show you all.

    Inspiration For The Floor:
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    Scratch Built Rigid SLI Bridge:

    Due to the crazy mounting locations of my Gigabyte GTX 960 Extreme Ed GPUs I need an SLI bridge that has a 90 degree curve. I can buy a flexible one but, they are insanely ugly. To me the true art of scratch building is building every part possible, thats involved in the build from scratch. I know this isn't possible with everything but, during this build I've attempted to build as much as I can including things like hinges and switches.

    Once I mocked up the mounting locations for the GPUs I could use my calipers to take measurements for the SLI bridge. I then used hard stock to make a rough template that could be used to get the general shape down. Once I had the general shape it was easy to cut and bend some metal. I went back to the hard stock so that I could make the side pieces. Once I have it painted and re-assembled I will update with pics.

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  14. Bartacus

    Bartacus Minimodder

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    Damn man, that looks amazing! :jawdrop:
     
  15. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Thanks buddy. I have about another week or less and it'll be finished. All the tubing, fittings, coolant and last parts arrive tomorrow. Here comes the hardline [emoji48]


    Check out our current scratch build for Cooler Master's Case Mod World Series: http://mod.coolermaster.com/en-us/modder/19?filter=viewed
     
  16. Cheapskate

    Cheapskate Insane? or just stupid?

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    Yep. Totally awesome! :thumb:
    Honeycomb floor looks sweet. Amazed you got someone to cut that since laser cutting Lexan supposedly makes toxic gasses.
    Res light 'throb' came out great too.
    Flipped panel paint: We all do that some days. As far as brain injury goes, It sounds like you got off light. My neighbor had brain surgery. He started mowing his yard every 2 days. Then he tried to mow my yard. When I stopped him he turned his attention to the neighbor's yard on the other side and killed the grass.
     
  17. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Thanks for stopping by Cheaps. More than likely it was cut out of acrylic then. We talked about Lexan but, they could have very well lasercut it out of acrylic. As far as brain injuries go; I have some crazy stories too. It's weird how it can manifest in so many different ways. I'm running on minimal sleep and long modding hours to make sure this is done very soon. I can't wait to get it all powered up.


    Check out our current scratch build for Cooler Master's Case Mod World Series: http://mod.coolermaster.com/en-us/modder/19?filter=viewed
     
  18. kim

    kim hardware addict

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    I am one of the close followers of your awesome creations, every update is just a new slap on my face and it just throw me out of my chair to see how much imagination and creativity you can generate in this build...I can believe you can't wait to get it powered up, regarding minimal sleep time and long modding hours, but even if i wait for that moment too, it will be like the end of a great movie...hope you will keep on modding sir...
     
  19. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Wow! Thank you so much. That really means a lot to me and I am happy to have you as an avid reader. This is one of the reasons I do what I do. I love to excite, inspire and show the best ideas I have floating around in my head. There will be lots of really good updates as this build finishes up and I will also have some suprises that I've managed to keep under wraps until the end. Thanks again and take care. :thumb:
     
  20. EnviousMods

    EnviousMods Minimodder

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    Update: Finishing Up The Rigid SLI Bridge

    Now that I have the side pieces tacked onto the top I can prep it for its first coat of paint. I went with a black backing to match 2 SLI Gigabyte GPUs. I designed some vinyl pieces that are mounted to the top and front of the SLI bridge.

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    Arrival: EKWB's Water-cooling Fittings, Tubing, Coolant & Bend Kit

    The fittings I got for me EKWB include pass-through, 90 degree, HDC 12 mm hardline fittings and a fill-port. I decided to go with primarily black nickel which looks beyond awesome and I haven't seen any builds that use them. The pass-through fittings are for the connections that pass-through the motherboard tray. EK also included a bend kit which comes with: hobby saw, sandpaper and two sizes of tubing that goes inside of hardline during bends.

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    G.Skill Trident Z Ram Mods:

    I've started doing a few mods to the G.Skill Trident Z ram modules. Originally I wasn't going to do any mods to these because they are the new black and white edition. Since then I came up with the idea of changing the G.Skill and Trident Z logos to match the build. It amounts to being the best of both worlds.

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