Update again. What you are looking at here is a 1/2" T fitting and a 1/2" to 2 x 3/8" T fitting. The ID of the 3/8" section didn't impress me much at all with cross section of 19.6mm² compared to 58mm² for the 1/2" section. The plan was to use 3/8" in parallell for the array blocks but with the flowkiller above changed those plans. The second block has been assembled and cleaned up. Here we have a test fit to try out the screws I after a lot of issue got hold of and to see how much that has to be cut away on the 1/2" barbs to make them fit properly. Barbs trimmed and installed with silicone adhesive. The 3/8" Tygon was a challenge to get over the 1/2" barbs but they got there in the end. An unexpected issue occured, all the tubescrossing over each other ended up too thick to make the array fit in the right direction. And where the barbs now are is not a good option... Back to the drawing board. Ok, a quick fix, let's put the blocks in series instead using 1/2" tube. As I wrote above the cross section in a 1/2" barb is 58mm², well the cross secton of the channels inside the array blocks are 54mm² so no major loss of flow. Actually I wonder if it even can be noticed with a Swiftech Storm in the loop. New attempt and this time the array did fit in the correct position...
Nice work on the copper plates. Love the idea of the HDD mounts actually being the cooler. Did you have much problem machining the channels into the center plate - or was it simply routed? Can't wait for the next installment
This is ganna sound like a really stupid question but I know absolutly nothing about water cooling, so here it goes. The copperplates look to just be cooling the sides of the hard drives and I thought that most of the heat came from the bottom........So I guess my question is how much cooling to you get from water cooling the sides? Oh and I have to say bad a** project. Keep it up
Well, the main mass of a harddrive is the sides, keep them cool and the rest of the drive will be cool as well.
Ok. I thought is was the PCB that got the hostest, but I have been corrected. And that gives me a number of ideas for my first water cooling project.
ok i never realized that the hdd blocks were actually going to be watercooled and when i saw that i nearly crapped my pants. That is awesome. Those hdds are going to freezing haha. Great work! cant wait for more.
Finally time for an update of this project. All the watercult holes in th efron tpanel has been filled with 2mm acrylic rods to be used as like light pipes. First I planned to make then rods flush with the front but after some testing I decided to have them slightly protruded. The tops are finished with 400 grit sandpaper to increase the viewing angle. Here we have the PCB from a MDVA as well as the four nylon screws included in the kit. A small mounting plate was added and then the MDVA was put in it's final place. And a test of the theory, plenty of red light flowing through the pipes
I love it. Always liked your work dude. Your old via powered htpc was the reason I joined here a while back.. Good work as always.
i have a question about that led array on the front. whats the viewing angle on it? those leds arent very close to the surface of the holes, cant be much of a viewing angle.
The rods are 15mm so yes, the angle would suck if it wasn't for the front edges being frosted. Right now I would estimate the viewing angle of the front panel is about 160 degrees. The LEDs used in the MDVAs are 160 or so degrees as well btw.
The one and only indeed. Those 2mm plexi rods must have taken bloomin' forever. The HDD water blocks are a clever design. I like it!
I think the orginal spectrum analyser on Anemone was the first case mod I ever saw, so it's good to see more from you mashie Nice find on that motherboard, I wouldn't have thought such a thing existed for P4 (I've seen some xeon boards like that tho). That HD cooler is yummy, where did you get it cut?
The trick was to cut them slightly too long using a wire cutter and then glue them in place. With all rods in place I masked off the front and started sanding them down to the right level.
Cool, I have done seven more mods since Anemone The motherboard was a pain to find, I looked at the Xeon boards but they all insisted on having the CPUs at the front colliding with the optical drives in this case. I really wanted an X2 CPU but I have not seen a single mobo for them with PCI-X slots. This D820 will have to do for the coming years and if it last as long as Anemone did I'm happy. The copper was provided and cut by Sciss Ltd.
Nice work mashie, I like the hard drive coolers. The protruding light rods look particularily effective, they make me want to run my fingers across them...
