1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Project: BlakIce

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by -Xp-, 4 Aug 2004.

  1. H2O-G33K

    H2O-G33K What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    25 Jan 2003
    Posts:
    240
    Likes Received:
    0
    Interesting stuff going on here.. I like the way the backlit motherboard looks, but have you considered the effects of EMI from the tubes.. ?
     
  2. dharma punk

    dharma punk What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    7 Nov 2004
    Posts:
    73
    Likes Received:
    0
    It pretty much comes down to what effect you want or like with the mounting screws. Here are two that are satisfying aesthetically for me.

    #1
    [​IMG]


    #2
    [​IMG]

    I like #2 better as it has the same number of screws on each side. Just my $.02

    Very nice concept and work so far, by the way.
     
  3. -Xp-

    -Xp- Minimodder

    Joined:
    23 Jul 2003
    Posts:
    933
    Likes Received:
    29
    Thanks for the comments. The general concensus (from others as wella s you guys) seems to be that more is better. I'm torn between my number 5 and dharma punk's number two :)rolleyes:). Now, on with the updatage.

    Phew! It's been a busy day today. Here's what I got up to after I posted the last update:

    The back panel got mounted. I used the aluminium as a guide. The holes were drilled, tapped and screwed onto the frame.

    [​IMG]
    Bolting the aluminium to the back panel.

    [​IMG]
    Back panel in place.


    And then I thought that since I was on a roll, I might as well do a side panel as well.

    [​IMG]
    Unnecessary case bits removed.

    [​IMG]
    Side panel mounted.

    [​IMG]
    Oops, I drlled the screws in the wrong palce. Those holes will be filled by clear epoxy or something, and polished so that you won't notice.

    [​IMG]
    The side panel in place.

    After that, I settled down for more playtime with the new toy :D.

    Since I forgot to post the update, I thought I might as well go the whole way and get all the sides on.

    [​IMG]
    That was fast.

    [​IMG]
    I stuck the bottom on so you can see how it's gonna look. Some of the bits that stick up need to be filed and down.

    [​IMG]
    I was surprised at how light this baby is!

    Expect more updatage soon, and vote on your favourite screw location! I want to get my top and bottom panels on ;).

    As soon as the NV68 comes (providing you all buy my stuff), I'll be able to size up the insides, place the dividing piece, and get mounting the hardware, rewiring the power system, and fitting all the cool little extras that I have been secretly planning (backlit motherboard is only one thing of many).

    dharma punk, welcome to Bit-Tech! And thanks for sharing your ideas.

    H2O-G33K, I didn't think that a glass tube willed with low pressure mercury would emit any EMI? If they do, then hopefully it will a negligable amount.

    PS, thanks for all the great feedback, it's keeping me going. More feedback = more modding, it seems :D
     
  4. kobaj

    kobaj Banned

    Joined:
    4 Jul 2004
    Posts:
    837
    Likes Received:
    0
    nice,and I would do dharma punk's first drawing.
     
  5. Bradish

    Bradish What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    7 Mar 2004
    Posts:
    157
    Likes Received:
    0
    Xp, Your #5 is definetly the best one... I think it looks better than any of the others;)
     
  6. Rexxie

    Rexxie What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    18 Nov 2002
    Posts:
    198
    Likes Received:
    0
    Good god, that motherboard backlight is a work of art :jawdrop:
     
  7. -Xp-

    -Xp- Minimodder

    Joined:
    23 Jul 2003
    Posts:
    933
    Likes Received:
    29
    Well, it seems that the hard work is finally over, and I will soon be able to get on with making the insides of this baby.

    Today, the top and bottom got mounted. I chose option five, because it seemed the most popular, as well as being my personal favourite.

    [​IMG]
    Option 5

    I thought I might as well show you how I go about fixing the case together...it's mostly obvious but I might as well show you.

    [​IMG]
    A 1.5mm drill bit starts the holes. This is one of those special ones that will cut through anything.

    [​IMG]
    A wood drill from a Dremel kit does a perfect job of cutting through the acrylic and aluminium.

    [​IMG]
    An M4 tap makes the thread. That crappy tool is rather annoying to use, but it gets the job done.

    [​IMG]
    Once the holes are tapped, in go the screws.

    [​IMG]
    Top in place.

    [​IMG]
    For the bottom, the screws also go through the motherboard tray, preventing my precious hardware from moving about.

    [​IMG]
    Bottom installed. I still need to cut, file and sand those edges.

    Well, once the NV-68 arrives (buy my stuff), I'll size up the tubing and get the hardware in there. All that is left of the annoying building stage is placing the middle dividing thing for the pump, reservior, PSU and radiator to sit on. For now, I'm gonna get working on the case, making it perfect.

    I also plan to frost parts of the plexi, making the case look like a window which had been crudely wiped of condensation, or a block of ice.

    As always, I'll keep you updated.
     
  8. -Xp-

    -Xp- Minimodder

    Joined:
    23 Jul 2003
    Posts:
    933
    Likes Received:
    29
    Update 15 November - Part 1

    Wow, busy day today. 10 hours of solid work on my case. I was hoping to get this baby ready for use when Half-Life 2 arrives tomorrow morning. Did I complete my goal? Read on.

    So, first up, the thing that was keeping me from doing half my mods (well, not really, but I was kinda lazy over the weekend):

    [​IMG]
    A very bling-bling DangerDen NV-68. It weighs as bling as it looks. I'm glad my card will be standing up in the PC!

    Right, with that out of the way, I'll side track a bit to some work on the radiator.

    [​IMG]
    A Thermochill radiator shroud.

    [​IMG]
    Sanded down...

    Theis baby got primered later. I forgot to take a pic. You will see it later. No, don't scroll down now, it's really not that exciting.

    [​IMG]
    The radiator as it stands (ignore the fact that I only sanded down one of the four shrouds)

    [​IMG]
    One of the holes modified to accept my screws.

    [​IMG]
    All eight holes done.

    [​IMG]
    At the same time, I gave the rad a bit of a polish. No real need, since (as you will see later), most of it will be hidden.

    [​IMG]
    This is what I call a "bling duct". It's the carcas of those Titan 120mm fans I murdered. At £15 each, it's rather expensive, but it's a solid piece of aluminium, and will polish up nicely when I can be bothered.

    Next up, the reservior:

    [​IMG]
    Tapping some new holes:

    [​IMG]
    One of the screws in place...3 more to go.

    [​IMG]
    All done!

    [​IMG]
    My cooling bit's together.

    since then, the Panaflo's arrived, and I started polishing them, but I forgot pics. There are pics of them instalel ddown below (don't scroll!)

    But anyway, onto what I did to the case itself.

    [​IMG]
    I cut out the motherboard IO shield hole with a jigsaw.

    [​IMG]
    The edges got field down.

    [​IMG]
    And a damn nice cutout was the result.

    [​IMG]
    Another angle (I love that cutout).

    [​IMG]
    This slot will let my expansion cards sit in the board. Their IO shields drop down below the level of the board, and this cutout gives them somewhere to play.

    [​IMG]
    Here we have the slot that the stickey-outey bit of the expansion card IO shield needs to go through. I will install a piece of L-channel aluminium later to bolt the cards to.

    The graphccs card IO hole was cut out. I'll take a picture later.

    [​IMG]
    This shot shows how the bottom sandwiches together (it's a nice pic!)
     
  9. -Xp-

    -Xp- Minimodder

    Joined:
    23 Jul 2003
    Posts:
    933
    Likes Received:
    29
    Update 15 November - Part 2

    Now for something that I have been putting off for quite some time: the "shelf". This is the piece of plexi that divides BlakIce into it's two sections. Here goes nothing!

    [​IMG]
    A test fit.

    [​IMG]
    Bolting the first pieces together.

    [​IMG]
    Cutting the holes in the plexsi to accomodate these new beams.

    [​IMG]
    Halfway there....

    [​IMG]
    And with the plexi in place, just to prove that it fits.

    [​IMG]
    The shelf in place. I left the back off, and put some of the watercooling parts in there to make sure that they fit.

    Finally for today, I mounted the radiator and reservior.

    [​IMG]
    Two of the shrouds were cut up to form a template.

    [​IMG]
    Ready to cut

    [​IMG]
    The jigsaw does the cutting out.

    [​IMG]
    And a few needle files finish off the job.

    [​IMG]
    I was very proud of that hole.

    [​IMG]
    The radiator is held in place by some nuts and bolts until I can get some proper ones.

    [​IMG]
    The same goes for the fans (there they are, by the way).

    [​IMG]
    The reservior gets marked and its holes are drilled.

    [​IMG]
    A jigsaw makes light work of the hose cutout (there was meant to be two circular holes, but I made a slight mistake while cutting, so I did my usual "if in doubt, make it bigger" routine).

    [​IMG]
    In order to accommodate the reservior, part of the frame needs to be cut away. That's one half done.

    Well, I hope you like what you see. I have some more kit coming tomorrow, and since I didn't reach my goal, I'll be up at 6AM to finish getting this baby ready for Half-Life 2 (which will arrive betwen 8AM and 9AM).

    But, that's enough for now. Enjoy the update, and if I don't post before tomorrow morning, enjoy Half-Life 2, I'm going to bed.

    'Night all.
     
  10. dj_2004

    dj_2004 What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    9 Oct 2004
    Posts:
    25
    Likes Received:
    0
    Wow I love this mod, the shelf is pretty cool. Keep it up!
     
  11. jezmck

    jezmck Minimodder

    Joined:
    25 Sep 2003
    Posts:
    4,456
    Likes Received:
    36
    this is a great looking mod, the backlighting is cool.
    can't believe I missed it till now.
    I must get back to work, but I keep drooling for some reason...
     
  12. -Xp-

    -Xp- Minimodder

    Joined:
    23 Jul 2003
    Posts:
    933
    Likes Received:
    29
    That must be Half-Life 2 related drool.

    Anyway, it's all done now...I skipped the compulsory "General Studies" lessons to build this baby...Half-Life 2 is installing as I type this (all 4GB of it!). I have pics, lots of pics of the pumbing stage, the new layout that I decided to adopt at the last minute, etc. It's all done to the best of my ability. Expect an update when I'm tired of Half-Life 2 (which may be never). Since you will be playing all today as well, you aren't missing much. whay are you reading this!? Go play!!
     
  13. -Xp-

    -Xp- Minimodder

    Joined:
    23 Jul 2003
    Posts:
    933
    Likes Received:
    29
    Well, enough Half-Life 2 for now, I'll write up this mornings work. It's almsot as big as yesterdays update!

    Edit:

    Nah, I lied, it's not that big:
    [hr]


    A bit of a rushed update today...I'm sure you can all guess why.

    Basically, all of todays work was gettign this baby going or Half-Life 2. It was also a kind of test fit. Here is how I spent my morning:

    [​IMG]
    How it started off

    First up it so plumb this baby in. The setup goes:

    pump -> rad -> maze4 -> nv-68 -> res -> back to pump

    [​IMG]
    The first pipes from the waterbocks. That Maze4 will soon be a TDX (thanks, Adam!)

    [​IMG]
    The waterblocks get connected up, and I start test fitting pipes for the reservior and radiator.

    [​IMG]
    The divider comes out and gets cut up for the pipe to the radiator.

    [​IMG]
    I mount the reservior (the other luminium got cut up beforehand

    [​IMG]
    Reservior in place.

    [​IMG]
    Most of the pipes in place.

    I decided to move the pump from where it was meant to go (I had dedicated the rest of the top section to it) to the bottom, where the hard drives used to live. Coincidentally, the gap was 100% perfect to accept the pump firmly. Doing this meant that I cut down over 70cm of tubing (about 25cm from pump -> rad and 45cm from res -> pump). It also meant that the pump could stand up nicely. Finally, the hard drives can go behind the radiator, and get plenty of air to keep them cool (dual 'cudas do get rather warm)..

    [​IMG]
    Pump in it's new home. Can anyone spot the "deliberate mistake" so far?

    [​IMG]
    Hole for the pipe coming from the top of the pump.

    [​IMG]
    The PSU gets cut up. I needed some of the cables to exit from the bottom, so they can go straight down into the bottom section. As usual, I forgot the pics.

    [​IMG]
    The PSU can sit in the middle for not...I still ahve not decide don a definite position or orientation. It will get a new shell soon. The hard drives also get taped in place.

    [​IMG]
    Fan controller is my 3pin to 4pin converter, and allows me to run silently.

    [​IMG]
    All done, and ready for testing.

    Naturally, it didn't boot. Now, my deliberate mistake was that I forgot to put the RAM in. After taking the whole thing apart, and rebuilding it, i was ready to go...**again**.


    Anyway, it's all done for now...so here are some photographs of it ghetto-stuck together.

    [​IMG]
    From the front.

    [​IMG]
    And the back (the rear panel will remain off so I can get the power cables round to the components).

    [​IMG]
    The RAM finally made it! The insides.

    [​IMG]
    On the test bench, and ready to go.

    [​IMG]
    Hurrah, it works.

    [​IMG]
    At home on it's desk (my other PC is now on the test bench).

    [​IMG]
    Just for Half-Life 2, I stuck my DVD-CDRW on. Yes, it's a converter ripped from a caddy and taped to the back. Stop moaning.


    There she be! She is all done, and now comes the second phase, the insides.


    To get you in the mood, here's what I received today (thanks, Trev!)

    [​IMG]
    240 wide, 128 tall, and as big as my hand. Tasty.

    I also have 5 Bulgin vandal resistan switches on the way (£3 each, thanks eBay!)

    I'll leave you with a video of it, so you can see/hear it in action.
    http://www.xp67.co.uk/images/modproj/blakice/making/BlakIce_noise_levels.mpg

    What am I going to do now? Go crowbar!
     
    Last edited: 4 Feb 2005
  14. Isuo

    Isuo What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    13 Oct 2004
    Posts:
    430
    Likes Received:
    0
    Niiice.... :drooling smiley:
     
  15. DrPepper

    DrPepper What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    26 Aug 2004
    Posts:
    72
    Likes Received:
    0
    Looking ****ing awsome
     
  16. Thunder_return

    Thunder_return What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    8 Jun 2003
    Posts:
    344
    Likes Received:
    0
    It sure do look great.
    I hope you will finish this and dont just play
    HL2 as much as you can.
    :D
     
  17. blknoel

    blknoel What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    14 Jun 2004
    Posts:
    303
    Likes Received:
    0
    Dun give up on the idea of the cathode tubes behind the mobo, I like where you are going :rolleyes:

    Think :) , wat happens if the panel behind the back of mobo is..................... METALLICALLY SHINY :naughty:

    Then that panel should act like.... MIRROR ! :idea: and mirror...REFLECTS LIGHT WELL !!! Alu sanded to mirror finish? Or chrome-like surface :D

    The rest is up to you :thumb: . MOD ON, U ROCK !!!

    anyway, you got PM from...me :D
     
  18. Bazman

    Bazman What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    13 Sep 2004
    Posts:
    66
    Likes Received:
    0
    This project is going great. And I totally understand about finding time to work. I'm also glad to see that you're using plexiglass. I'm using it in my current project. Love the stuff. :rock:

    And that backlit motherboard: of all the things that have been backlit, I've never seen it done to a motherboard. What a sweet effect!! Let the ideas begin to flow.

    Show more....SHOW MORE!!!!!

    ----Bazman
     
  19. -Xp-

    -Xp- Minimodder

    Joined:
    23 Jul 2003
    Posts:
    933
    Likes Received:
    29
    Ok, here's some more (albeit not much):

    I've been palying Half-Life 2 mainly this week, so not much has happened. As soon as I finish the game, I'll take the PC out of the case and start work.

    But for now...a few things have arrived.

    [​IMG]
    I got the LCD wired up.

    [​IMG]
    Testing with one of the LiquidMP3 screens.

    [​IMG]
    Running LiqidMP3 from Winamp.

    [​IMG]
    Some system information from LCDStudio.

    My plan was to replace the LED backlight with white LED's. Just a case of swapping out a few LED's, yeah?

    [​IMG]
    Or not!

    I have orderd an EL sheet and an inverter. Hopefully, these will work nicely in place of the green backlight.

    I also got some Bulgin vandal resistant buttons...not bad for £3 each shipped.

    [​IMG]
    Buttons.

    [​IMG]
    Button!

    And my TDX came.

    [​IMG]
    TDX

    [​IMG]
    I got bored so polished the TDX.

    Pics are being compressed and smallened (lol) right now. They are also being re-uploaded, so individual images may be down momentarily as they are updated.

    That's it for today. Now, where did I put my Pheropod?
     
  20. -Xp-

    -Xp- Minimodder

    Joined:
    23 Jul 2003
    Posts:
    933
    Likes Received:
    29
    Good idea, but I also plan for the cathodes to form my under-case lighting. I will need the motherboard tray clear for that to work. I'll keep it in mind though (and maybe run a few tests with some aluminium foil).

    Thanks.
     

Share This Page