About Barrowch PWM 17w pump intelligent edition

Hi guys
I'm opening this thread both for presenting this product in case of some people would like to know more about it, and also because I am myself wondering about some potential issues, besides a few technical questioning; and I thought may be some of you could enlight me...
So I am gathering parts for a double loop WC, and I had a crush for the new Barrowch WC products,
particulary the Boxfish reservoirs and the 17w PWM intelligent edition pumps...
Aliexpress and generally most of Chinese products are not very popular, the past has proven that there were many crappy stuff and swindles, but I think some Brands are really trying to stand out, like Barrowch or Bykski.
After several weeks of waiting, I received the pumps, I have to mention that you can find these pumps with 2 different options, and I ordered one of each. One version is coming full mounted, the other one comes in kit.

The kit version is meaned to be mounted on a water-board, so it comes with a set of screws, an Allen key, 4 plastic washers, the pump o-ring, and another o-ring ?...the black smaller one in the middle on the previous pic, I don't know what for.
I dismounted the full mouted version to see it's purpose without finding it inside so it may have a set on the water-board but I don't really know and I regret that they are no further informations about the mounting options on the little operating instructions manual.
You can find several videos of this pump on Utube or else like this one:

but all are only speaking about the functions of the pump and the Oled screen options or how to link it with the motherboard, same on Aliexpress site.
For the full mounted version, there are no mounting screw holes or bracket provided, so it means it is supposed to be hold in place by the fittings and tubes system itself?
I wrote to the store owner about the mounting and she replied politely this:
________________________________________________
-Hello, you can buy a pump mounting bracket to fix the pump in your case, or you can buy self-tapping screws and punch holes to fix the pump directly to the case.
see the 4 screw holes on the bottom of the pump:

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Ok, thanks, well, but I don't really like the self tapping screws idea, and even I found some suitable bracket, it stills needs screw holes to tap...I can do it, but it could be daunting for most buyers..
About the kit version, it comes with mounting screws, well, but still, I noticed one odd thing, you can see on the picture below the diference between both pumps mountings:

on the water-board version, the screw holes are not threaded, but they seems small enough to guide the screws straightly through the pump, on the other hand, the holes in the aluminium body are much bigger and the screw is kinda "floating" inside, wich doesn't helps to line up parts together...

Another interrogation is about the wires of the Oled screen, I did the mounting and I realised that this bunch of wires is so thick that you have to arrange them on the side of the connector by twisting them, but it must be pressed firmly to set the top part and the wires are obviously flattened against the PCB, so what can happen after hours of use ? PCBs are heating I bet, what you think?

That's all for now, I must stop for today, but there are still things I want to ask and discuss about those pumps, so I hope I will get feedback, it's an open thread..
thanks for reading

 

hi guys, well...no feedback yet , nevermind, thanks to readers at least
Well, today, a pack from China arrived...and even if I am patient, this particular order has been abnormally long to come, and it was not the only surprise...I'll tell you why after...so here are the Barrowch Boxfish reservoirs 250 mm

I ordered those on the 15th of november 2019, I received it today the 14th of January 2020...
I have no complains about the items themselves, very beautiful and answering to my expectations in terms of quality and workmanship, the boxes were correctly protected as well, so no damages neither, just this long winded waiting whereof responsability lies with French Customs
As a matter of fact, I have been one of the winners of the French Customs "shameful rip-off" lottery , and I had to joyfully pay 56 Euros of Customs fees, to be punished of buying products abroad, even when nothing similar is provided in Europe, and if all big companies are unrestrictedly delocalizing to earn more money, but that's France, i'm used to it...

 

Thanks for your coment @The_Crapman, I agree, some Chinese WC brands are decent, I even bet some famous brands are ordering their fittings in China, and then put their name on it ...
Water-cooling market is booming IMO, of course, most of buyers are choosing AIO coolers, and even if some are really looking great, I don't believe in AIO coolers, I read a lot about it here, and I deduct that the cooling fluid must be regulary drained out and replaced, nothing can contest a well balanced DIY loop.
yes, It's a great idea to integrate controls into the WC parts themselves; we still have the option to use the great Aquacomputer's Aquaero and all the sensors collection to have an overall vision of the loop, a control on pumps flow and an overview of the temps, but it has a consistent cost, and requires more space and wires to link, so great idea

 

Hi Kim,

Nice thread, thanks for starting it. I'm planning a project and I just received a Bykski B-PMD3-X 600L/h 15w pump. It cost me $43.00 USD, with relatively fast shipping from China, (about 3 weeks).

http://www.bykski.com/page158?product_id=4080&_l=en

This pump is both thicker and heavier than my Swiftech MCP-350. The construction seems solid with smooth chamfered edges all around. The top is threaded to accept a screw in reservoir. It's about 5.8mm high or about 2 1/16", which is substantially thicker than the MCP-350, even with a custom top.





It uses a 4 pin molex for the power and has a 4 pin motherboard header for PWM and data feedback.



I'm not sure what the extra 2 pins are for, I'm going to contact Bykski to see if I can get anymore information. I noticed that your Barrowch has all of the pins connected. Any thoughts on the extra 2 pins?

Thanks

zog

(EDIT) I was just reading a thread on overclockers.net that Barrowch is an OEM manufacture for Swiftech and some AlphaCool fittings.

 

Hi Zog...Thanks for adding information on this thread, well, I hope Bykski will explain you about those extra pins, as of now, I always get replies from the online stores keepers, wether they were satisfying or not, but all I know about the linking of my pumps is what is shown on the video above, I'm still on the first steps of the build, (you can see my project called "Datamaster" in the modding section here on BT... I'm far for completion , but it could be some additional wires for datas that are not present on your pump...

I was almost sure of that

 

it's really massive!

 

So I have some information from Bykski US about the extra pins on the bottom of the pump"

"I'm actually not 100% sure off the top of my head. I've got one right next to me and what I can tell you is the two pins are labeled RPT and 6V. I've always assumed they were simply used for internal QC testing. RPT is probably some sort of reporting, 6V is probably... well, 6 volts. I've never asked Bykski what it's for, actually. The pump heatsink might get a little warmer from improved heat transfer if you add a thermal pad between the heatsink and the PCB of the pump, by the way."

I myself don't really see the need to fiddle with the pins if the Bykski rep isn't really sure what they do!

I've been running the pump since my post in January and I'm really happy with it. The pump is so quite compared to my Laing DDC that I actually reach into my case at times to make sure that it's on! I haven't had a thermal issues like with my Laing. The pump remains cool to the touch. I tend to run my system 24/7 so I would say that I'm getting great performance for about half of a "genuine" DDC.

BTW, Bykski's support is outstanding! They have worked with me all the way with finding a waterblock for my Zotac RTX2060 and have answered various other questions within a few hours! If you need to contact them, contact Bykski US, support@bykski.us as Bykski China never replied to me.

 

(chuckle) If I had a nickle for every time I've heard that!

Actually, it's only about 1/4 larger than a genuine Laing DDC. My Laing is up at my summer place about an hour north of me. As soon as they lift the travel restrictions in my region, I'll take a picture of it next to the Bykski pump. Just to mention that the do sell a smaller pump that is the same size as a Laing. It's actually cheaper than this pump!

 

So to hijack this thread again... I was sitting at my desk three days ago and there was a "pfhsss" sound from my water pump and some white smoke started coming from the pump. I hit the kill switch on the power supply and drained my loop, then disassembled the pump. I could smell the burnt PCB as soon as the bottom loosened up. Peeling back the thermal pad, I could see where the burnt out happened.



So here's the thing. I sent Bykski US an email asking about their RMA process. Here is there response:

"I should be able to get a replacement pump unit sent, but I do need to mention we have no thermal pads at the moment. I'm hoping you haven't thrown away the original one."

That's it. No "send us the pump back and we will have our engineers determine if the damage is covered under warranty" nonsense. Not even "when we receive your old pump, we will ship a new one", which is pretty much the industry standard. No, Bykski just sends you a new pump.

This is really first class service from Bykski and I will once again give Bykski my full endorsement. Not only are their watercooling gear top of the line, their support after the sale is phenomenal! I highly recommend Bykski products to all forum users.

(Full disclosure - I do not work for Bykski nor am I affiliated with them in any manner. I'm an end user who just really appreciates excellent customer service!)

 

Very sorry for you of what happened @zogthegreat, this is exactly what I feared about my Barrowich ones, an overheating inside with that tiny PCB, not to mention that yours has no additional oled screen like mines, luckilly it seems like Byski will replace it...I hope the new one will not drop dead too fast as well, BTW, how long did you use that pump more or less before it's on the fritz ?

you don't hijack the thread, you're sharing additonal informations about Chinese pumps, that's what I was expecting , sadly, those informations are issues

 

@kim , I've been running the pump for about 7 months without any problems. Because my past experiences with DDC pumps was that they have a tendency to run hot, I installed a heat sink on the bottom of the pump, (which is why you see all of the thermal interface pad stuck to the PCB). I'm not sure what caused the pump to fry, sometimes it's just a bad capacitor or resistor in the batch. I know that I had just refilled my loop, so maybe somehow or other a bit of water got into the pump bottom.

According to Steve over at Gamers Nexus, Barrow and Bykski pumps are made at the same factory in China, so they are about equal as far as quality goes.

Other than the pump frying on me, I have no complaints. The pump is very silent, the fans in my case make more noise than the pump.

 

Thanks mate, leave us feedback

 

Maybe there's a reason they're so cheap they're basically disposable

 

I don't think that this is a "disposable pump", the build quality is fairly high, although I do understand what @Bloody_Pete is saying, I am planning to buy a $20 USD "disposable pump" like this one for testing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-4pin-S...Pump-for-PC-Water-Cooling-System/133245575870

I'm leaning towards a random component failure. I've been playing with computers since the Tandy TRS-80 and like most users on this forum, I have had various parts fail for no apparent reason other than the universe deciding to frak with me!

Having said that, I'm wondering if I tightened down the heatsink to tight and put pressure on the blown part of the pump. I had just drained and refilled my loop to do some work on my video card. I have my drain setup properly, so I don't think that any fluid got onto the pump or the base of the pump. I have a second Bykski B-PMD3-X pump that I'm running right now... I'll let everyone know how it's doing in another 6 months!

 

As someone who desins this stuf there's two methods of design, you over engineer it so it won't fail during the warrenty period. Or you design it so cheap that each unit sale essentially pays for two. I was making a joke about how it appeared to be the latter due to their apparent ease at replacement and lack of interest in testing the fault. They knew it would be faulty so are setup to replace straight awauy becasue the design is cheap enough for it to not matter.

 

@Bloody_Pete, Your an engineer?!?! Begone to the foul pits from whence ye came!!!

Sorry, my son in a computer engineer and a dev. According to him, engineers over design everything.... it's marketing that screws up the design to cut cost!

 

Ha, it depends on your engineering! Its managers who are the bane:

 

(chuckle) Dude! Don't show me stuff like this! I'm a veteran and when I see stupidity at this level, I get flashbacks!

 

Pssst, the whole film is on youtube and ts fantastic!