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Scratch Build – In Progress Project: "Nomad" - A Liquid Cooled, i7/SLI SFF system (CANCELLED)

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by shomann, 27 Sep 2009.

  1. stuartwood89

    stuartwood89 Please... Just call me Stu.

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    I'm liking your metalwork, something which I've always been to chicken to try out myself. How much did all that material set you back?
     
  2. shomann

    shomann Minimodder

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    Responded via PM, though if the whole group wants to know the costs, I am not shy about posting them - it's part of the process too :)

    Thanks for the compliment. Don't be too chicken to try anything if you have a good idea. Just be afraid to throw pics up on the internet ;) I kid - you will not find a most receptive group of artists/craftsmen as you will here on bit-tech. Some of the projects look intimidating, especially those that use CAD but just remember, the only person you have to please is yourself.

    (I know that last line is going to get a that's what she said, so I am beating you all to it)
     
  3. stuartwood89

    stuartwood89 Please... Just call me Stu.

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    That's what she said
     
  4. Richh999

    Richh999 Small Time Modder

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    That's what she said
     
  5. shomann

    shomann Minimodder

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    The radiator side, radiator plate/mounting

    Ahh...the radiator side. What truly sets Nomad apart from most other computers (IMHO) is the radiator layout behind the motherboard in it's own chamber. This chamber is just big enough to make sense for the airflow and cooling needed. Up until now, you have seen 3 sides of this area of the computer, so it was time to build the actual radiator mount. After downloading mnpctech's rad template (thanks for that Bill!) I got to work.

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    Unfortunately, I didn't take into account that the rads wouldn't fit this close together - they were too wide (133mm, if anyone's counting). This meant a redo, but I decided to try a different technique - cut the holes for the fans with a 115mm hole saw, then remove the material between those holes for a unique shape (yes, they ARE a bit off, side to side, but much less obvious after the cleanup)

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    Next up, the brackets to hold the rad plate in. Again going with the 3/4", .125" thick L brackets, this time cut at a 45 degree angle. Why? Looks better :D

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    Clamping material can get pretty nuts sometimes.

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    The bottoms of these new brackets use the existing case wall brackets for part of the "channel" the rad plate.

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    So, after tapping and using a few dome screws (or maybe socket caps, I haven't finalized that yet), we have a mounted rad plate. This plate and bracket combo effectively creates another box, thus making the entire computer even more sturdy. By placing the mounts close the outer wall, I am ensuring that the case remains square at this edge.

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    Believe it or not, this is where the reservoir is supposed to go ;) Think I can do it?

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    More soon! Until then, take it easy!
     
    Last edited: 31 Mar 2011
  6. kureshii

    kureshii What's a Dremel?

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    Looking great ;) And that is one squeezy place for a rad, lol.
     
  7. DeltaFX

    DeltaFX What's a Dremel?

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    Yep, and rather inefficient, I fear...
     
  8. kureshii

    kureshii What's a Dremel?

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    Yeah, I've been wondering how you're going to get airflow through it :x
     
  9. shomann

    shomann Minimodder

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    There is around 30mm between the radiator and the back wall of the spine. If I were to remove that back plate, I would get back another 19mm. The entire area that I am calling the plenum will be perforated on all sides. With (4) 75CFM fans pulling, I am pretty sure the rads will get untainted, cool air.

    Is it as efficient as a rad that is totally exposed to the exterior? No. Is it better than most SFF solutions? Yes.
     
  10. kureshii

    kureshii What's a Dremel?

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    Sounds workable; good luck with it ^^
     
  11. DragunovHUN

    DragunovHUN Modder

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  12. gabriel_d7

    gabriel_d7 Budget Mod?

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    Just saw this thread, and damn... loved the plans. Reminds me of my current project. Small, but efficient enough to cause mass hysteria. :D And you can never have too much Coca Cola. I drink 1.5 liters a day. :D

    I'm gonna be watching out for updates on this if you dont mind...
     
  13. shomann

    shomann Minimodder

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    LOL - no, not THAT Project Nomad (btw, your image link is a very annoying flashing gif from the parent site - you might want to change that to a URL). - (nevermind, you ninja edited me ;) )

    Basically a Nomad is a person that moves from place to place, never really settling down. Not only does that echo the want for this computer to be portable, but it sort of echos my own lifestyle right now ;)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomad
     
  14. shomann

    shomann Minimodder

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    But of course. Welcome and thanks!
     
  15. woody_294

    woody_294 Wizard Ninja :P

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    Looks to be a nice little powerhouse :)
     
  16. shomann

    shomann Minimodder

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    Ever had one of those days where you end up redoing the same part, over and over and over again?

    Yep, that was my day :) What should have taken a reletively small amount of time ate up the entire afternoon. In the end though, I am happy with the way everything is turning out.

    The first thing today was deciding to lop of the top of the radiator support. Originally this part was to be a complex bend, but I think I have decided on a different and hopefully more aesthetically pleasing cover for the rad side. More to come on that later. In the meantime a few late afternoon "beauty" shots:

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    The real time spent today was on the drive tray. For some reason I just couldn't get parts to line up straight. No matter. On the back side, a chunky piece of the 3/4" tube works for support. On the front, a length of the L bracket is a better choice to provide a bit more open area.

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    Back inside on the bench, I couldn't resist laying out the future drive placement. Ignore the old Raptor, it was handy. I expect a 1TB or higher storage drive here. The space in the middle is for SSD drive(s).

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    More to come, stay tuned!

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    (OK, so got a little "creative" with the camera angle. I was loving the light.)
     
    Last edited: 31 Mar 2011
  17. kureshii

    kureshii What's a Dremel?

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    Shaping up nicely :) Can't wait to see it with the rads in.
     
  18. shomann

    shomann Minimodder

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    PSU and Pump Shelf

    So, it's back to the motherboard side of things to mount the PSU. The mockups before used a standard PSU, but Nomad is expected to drive high-end gear. With that in mind, I snagged a Silverstone Strider 1KW fully modular PSU way back in May.

    Mounting it to the back was head scratcher at first, but I ended up making a paper template, punching out the holes, and then marking on the surface of the case back. I ended up enlarging the holes a tad as it wasn't quite sitting on that lower bracket, but its all good now:

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    You will notice that I haven't made the PSU interchangeable - currently only THIS PSU will work with the computer. I feel that creating such a large hole right next to the one made for the I/O might compromise the case integrity. For now, this is how it will stay, though I may clean up the plug and switch access a bit more. Airflow coming soon ;)

    With the PSU back squared away, I turned my attention to the front. With the way the case is held together, that custom bracket made the PSU sit 3mm above the case floor. As it turns out, this is a good thing for case feet placement, but bad in that the front of the PSU needed a shelf. Luckily, Silverstone already had 2 holes tapped for internal bolts. I was able to use these to mount another piece of the L bracket to it, thus fully supporting it (and further strengthing an already Hulk-like case :) )

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    So, I was happy the PSU is firmly in the case with little fuss. Now, I am not sure I fully spelled out the reason for the switch to the square tube at the front of the case bottom before. This should now make that clear. It is part of the support for the pump shelf. A quick 45deg cut:

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    The repurposing of one of the many pieces of scrap generated by my eariler trial and error in the form of another piece of square tube:

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    And another recycled piece, this time the lower part of the last bent motherboard tray:

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    And we have a pump shelf!

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    Now, I know some people may ask, why a shelf? One very good reason is that I think I can dampen it better rather than if it was mounted directly to the case bottom. Another is that I can pass all the PSU cables under the shelf thereby cleaning up the entire area. The final and most important reason is that it should align very nicely with both the reservoir and the CPU waterblock.

    That's all for now everyone, have a good one!
     
    Last edited: 31 Mar 2011
  19. kureshii

    kureshii What's a Dremel?

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    Great work so far, pity about the non-swappability of the PSU but that's a minor issue :)
     
  20. shomann

    shomann Minimodder

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    The front I/O

    After I secured the pump tray to the supports, I turned my attention to the front panel. Like the back panel, I was a bit nervous starting out - any mistake here would be something I would see everytime I turned my computer on!

    Originally, I had thought I would place my power and reset switches inline with whatever front panel ports I ended up using. However, a moment of inspiration hit me and I decided to place the switches in the middle of the front panel.

    Ever wondered how big of a drill bit you would need for a 22mm vandel type switch?
    (The answer is 3/4" or 19.1mm)

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    Those 2 holes were easy (Sorry, no pics. It was easy, but I was concentrating pretty hard bringing that huge HSS bit down on the panel!), though I need to make the 16mm switch hole a bit larger. I will show you the 22mm switch installed in a moment, because now I should show you how I spent most of Saturday and this evening:

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    This access was drilled out first then filed and filed....and filed. Its right through the 3mm thick front panel so I could mount this:

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    Its a right-angle front I/O for a Lian-li A70.

    And now the way the front panel sits tonight:

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    I am currently scratching my head about how exactly I want to mount my slot-load optical drive. That will next on the agenda.

    Not sure if I have made it clear here on bit-tech, but I welcome any criticism, improvements, or suggestions, all the time. Feel free to shout out what you think about the project, my noobish skills, questions about materials or techniques or whatever!

    Have a good one!
     
    Last edited: 31 Mar 2011

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