MODS PLEASE LOCK - MOVED TO NEW FORUM :D!!!

bsodmike: I decided against using a CCFL for 2 reasons. 1.) i'd have to remove it from its protective tube, and it would be too fragile for my taste (i've already crushed 1 tube doing something like this on another project... well, actually, I stepped on it. but whatever, I'm just paranoid.) 2.) waaayy too bright. The CCFL whites that I have put out an overwhelming amount of light and i was looking for something a bit more gentle on the eyes. OT: who's that chick on your icon, she's hot!

Hyjnx: No turbo here, or in my car. Although the front panel indicators im designing include an icon for pump OK/FAIL that looks something like a turbo cross section. that's staying under wraps for a while though.

FlashPanHunter: The grill barely effects the airflow going into the radiator. The order, top to bottom goes something like this:

mesh
1.3cm space
radiator
3cm space
fans.

The flow is good and strong even w\ the fans set at a near silent voltage, it ripped notebook paper straight out of my hand and stuck itself to the intake even with the mesh in place, so the majority of the air is still coming thru the mesh and not the small 1.3cm x 6cm gaps between the ends of the raditor and the open air space of the case. Kinda hard to explain that gap w\o a picture. Bottom line is that it doesn't hurt it.

What may hurt it is if i install an intake filter (used dryer sheet) on the top of the rad

Everyone else Thanks! keep giving me those thread ratings, I really appreciate it.

 

It's that time again: Update!

I guess you could call this PSU mod part II, or "Accidental Rice". I ordered blue heatshrink from frozenCPU (pricey, but good service), as well as some black female molexes to replace the icky white ones that my PSU came with.



Well, they sent blue heatshrink and BLUE molexes. Blue ULTRAVIOLET REACTIVE none the less... At first i was kinda peaved, but i decided to give them a go under the UV. Well, they didn't react that much. and the blue color is pleasant with my heatshrink.

(I can hear you, "Shut the fsck() up, show me some pix!") Okay, okay..


Zee connectors + new female molex pins (you'll see why shortly)


This is why I got new pins. I hacked off a length of cable from the PSU later on in this post and added 2 extra molexes to the chain I was putting the connectors on. Screw Y adapters, just add more plugs!


Where there were just 2 before, there are now 4! Lookin good!

After:


Part I.5: <font color="red"><b>I HATE THIS PART!</b></font>
Before any chassis metal work can be done, the machine must be stripped of all the components. it's the most disheartening thing in the world to see my project naked, nothing in place, and a case thats starting to look a tad swiss cheesed it's downright depressing!

Part II! "PSU Necrophilia & Sadism"
Here lies the body of a dead PSU. We're going to stick things where don't belong (Necrophilia) and cut parts out (Sadism).

Victim:



Oh the horror! My IDC plug has been yanked? WHYYY!!!


Well, so I can use it plug the pump in... that's why. Almost forgot to take pictures of it, so you have a 'part way modded' one


Plate (made out of the steel from cutting the hole in the top clamshell of the case for the mesh mod) w\ IDC connector. It wont be beige forever, have faith.


Plate out of the hole, blue holes for mounting screws. I bought a 4-40 tap, but its the wrong one!! You metric guys have all the good stuff when it comes to threading. I can barely think in inches anymore.


Disaster strikes!... well, maybe just bad luck. The bit I was using to drill the holes b4 I tapped them broke. So the plate isn't mountable, yet. No problem, I've been wanting carbide bits for a while

Part III: General metal modding.

Noise is bad, rubber grommets are good. Clutter is bad, cable organization is good.
so 2 modifications to allow this.


That's the back of my mobo plate. I cut a slit in the front part of the lip so that the molexes can pass through to the drives in the front of the case. I can now get the side of the case back on. Only problem is that I didn't realize how much structural integrity that provided for the tray... oops! it's not a big deal, just more flexing that I expected. Probably should have cut another square hole in the tray rather than notching the lip.


Holes are now plenty big for the rear exhausts to be grommet mounted.


Where's wallace though?

Part III.5: Sticker removal.

Since i'm trying to prep the chassis for paint... or powdercoat (I haven't decided), obviously any foreign matter, stickers, miscellaneous crap needs to come off of the case. So bye-bye went the FCC stickers. I think the last case I had that had FCC stickers on it was my 486-66DX2 from middle school.





That's all. Let me refresh the todo list:
Integrate modders mesh into intake hole for the radiator (~90% complete, needs to be primed)
1 Touch fan-bus
1 touch light-bus
power distribution system for mode
lighting mods (Radiator lighting done)
custom stainless steel feet?
window designs? (Spiv... you know what I mean ) (slowly solidifying, need to get my tripod out, virtual "modding" by way of photoshop)
Convert pump plug (~95%)
Custom front bezel involing
*stealthed slotload
*stealthed CDRW
*see-through to 10K RPM HDDs
*lighting mods for activity lights
*system health
*VFD

All right, your turn, tiz feedback time!

 

Very slick, yes sir!!!

You have just CURED a problem that has been naggin' me all day

/me runs off to nick an IDC plug....

This is how I will be able to power my 240V Eheim, Whooooot!!!

EDIT: I opened a box downstairs. I did not find one but THREE dead PSUs. My first bad encounter a Power Man PSU, then a 350W Enermax and some gereric one (this probably still works HAHA)....got a clean IDC plug...I drilled out the plastic to 4mm so I can use M4 SocketHead Cap Screws!

 

I dunno, with any other hd the blue ones would have looked sweet, but black hd's I think the blakc molexes would have kicked a$$, but hat's my oponion

-Bob

 

bsodmike: glad I could help

bob: they're only black on the edges. Actually a nice polished alu/brushed. I can see myself in them

The hdds are 2 x quantum atlas III 18.2 GB 10,000RPM u160!! FAAAAAST.

I may add a seagate 'cuda for storage at a later point. I like my storage to live in zee server, which doesn't get futzed with, and has a lower likelyhood of croaking on me randomly.

 

dang, I thought they were entirly black molexes, well, I do liek the blue adn thoses drives look nice on the outside, and kick ass on the insde!!

-Bob

 

I HATE you intel! I just got my 92mm fans in, and lo and behold they dont fit in the rear fan spots. Neither do 80s. The SC5000 instalation PDF doesnt' detail putting fans in there,so my bet is that the holes are actually for CPU ducts . That blows, because it means I have to fabricate a bracket now. GRRRR.

Well... on i suppose.

Its tempting to integrate mesh into the chassis too, but I'm honestly not that patient. That and the fans will be directly on it and it may hurt airflow a lot more.

 

Looking good so far... especially the lighting on the radiator grille.

I am eagerly awaiting the 1-touch fan-bus design write up. Seeing as you are a EE in training (I am assuming that you are, right?), have you thought about a circuit to protect the system in the advent of a pump failure utilizing a simple flow switch, while not allowing the PC to be booted up without the pump activated?

 

lv_dicedealer: Almost correct, I hold my EE degree already (didn't say i was any good ). I have contemplated it, but its implementation is a ways off as I haven't found a particularly good distributor for 1/2" OD flow switches. If someone could point me to one, I'd use them. What will exist is not alowing the PC to power on if the pump does not have power applied to it. In the case of a non-leak pump failure (a condition i have tested for), the CPU temp climbs slowly and the system hits thermal shutdown as one would expect. I'd like to do it in external hardware, but my uC skills are somewhat rusty. I'll probably get a basic ATOM or picaxe and play with it over the winter.

Yes. I expect the project will drag on that long before "full" completion.

As for the fans:
No 92s, no 80mms, I'm going all out and fabricating a bracket for a 120mm. Best solution I can think of!

I sure with I owned a 120mm holesaw and/or drillpress.

 

Browsing Turbokeu's page , I found this sensor was what he opted to use. Looks pretty nifty.
I have no idea at all when it comes to electronics (hence the Basic Electronics book next to me which I got from Frys the other day), so I will ask you this, (in simple terms please) what is the difference btwn a digital circuit and an analog cicuit?

 

lv: simply put, "digital" electronics have inputs and outputs that are either ON/Logic "1" or OFF/Logic "0".

Analog electronics have an infinite number of states and outputs that they can be in. Simple enough

Anyway, to everyone else, I will apparently be hooking up with mnpctech for yet ANOTHER aluminum L1A. It will be used in the back of the case. I'm going to hack N slash the grille setup thats in there now out and replace it with a mesh/plexi combo. Mesh will be on the outside, plexi will be behind that. Plexi simply serves to not have open ventilation (a bad thing if you want to minimize dust collection), but still fills up the gaping hole that will be left by this mod

May report tonite.

 

your pretty handy with the bando and stuff, do u like to work on cars too ?

i like the connectors and the sheething...that looks so nice..i think black and blue is over played but for some reason this one just looks perfect...i love it and i cant wait to see some cooling numbers from this

 

Hello all! Sorry it's been so long between updates!

Rest assured, the mesh grill is still being worked on. Perfection is required, perfection takes time.
I've gone backward a few steps, and forward again, and backward and so forth trying to get things perfect before the top clamshell, bottom clamshell, and non-mobo side go off to the painter. The mobo side still has to have the design (when finalized) waterjetted into it, and the custom cut plexi still needs to be done too. Too bad no finalists from Ars for that mod contest eh? we coulda really used that versalaser!

Part I: Presents!


Mmmm. A box from SVC, goodies await!


10 feet of flexo "carbon", they were out of black, and this stuff is neat. its gray and black woven together.


2 device u160 cable. Uhmm SVC DONT YOU REALIZE THERES SUPPOSED TO BE A 3RD CONNECTOR FOR THE TERMINATOR??? GRR Well, this was for my opticals anyway, which terminate internally. I still need a 2nd 68 pin (cable side) to 50 pin (drive side) adapter. Someone sent me one from the Agora for free! I thanked them profusely, but I have forgotten their name. /tangent.


10 3-to-4 pin adapters. since they were $0.49 each, I got them more for the connectors than anything else. 3 x 92mm "Yate Loon" cheap fans... this is when I thought the 92s would still fit in the rear of the case. oops, but for $3/each, whatever. the 3rd is for the 80>92mm adapter that mnpctech sent me so long ago, but I guess now one of them will be going in my current box's PSU as well. Gotta shut them both up!!


Mmmm DRILL BITS! Carbide! Easy Start! Anti-spin spindle! I just used them tonite and they are like butter even through goliath's 1.3mm sheet steel.


6-32 Tap and #36 drill bit. For making/threading holes for use w\ standard case screws.

Part II: Removal of rear fan grill


Almost forgot to take a picture


OUT FOUL DEMONS! The gray gook you see on the far side of the hole is what I like to call Starbuck's anti-screwup cream. Aka "Devcon Metal Patch". When my dremel walks a bit to far, I fix it with this stuff. Works very well.


Aluminum L1A sitting on the OUTSIDE (it will be inside), on top of a piece of coated sheet steel I cut to fit the hole.

I messed up and when I was drilling out the rivents seen 1 and 2 pics above, I didn't clamp what they were holding together. So when my drill popped the rivet out, the bit slid down, smacked the other piece of metal the rivet was holding together and bent the crap out of it. Luckily, it bends right back into place, but needs a screw to hold it properly. The plate I fabricated does this as well as providing a home for the 120mm L1A to mount to. Problem solved.

Comments? Recommendations?

PS: I'm thinking about going to a very, very dark gray matte on the chassis.

 

Addendum:

Hyjnx: I'm not as good as some w\ the bondo, but thanks! I do work on cars, but not on body work. VWs are my thing, but they're easy because they pretty much all work the same!!!

If you read through the log, somewhere are my cooling #s. Don't trust them! when I gutted the case, I had to remove the WB from the CPU. The mating was only so-so, but the cooling was still excellent. I can only imagine what a good mate would do (Guessing a 3-4*C drop at load)

 

Looks great, I love the quality fans. How many are you putting on the set up that wont be mounted to the radiator? I suppose that they are panaflows so it wont much matter. I like the painting plan, dark grey could look great. I dont know about a mat finish but it could work.

 

Fans (planned)
2x120mm Alu L1A on the rad
1x120mm alu L1A on exhaust duties
80mm L1A already in PSU

That's all that I can say I'm going to be using for sure. The only additional one might be another undervolted 80mm L1A to stir some fresh air into the hdds, since there is no front intake.

How much does powdercoating cost? what kinda prep does it take?

 

Looks swet, I like all the detail, man I need some sheet metal

-Bob

 

great work dude! waiting for the next update

 

Nice stuff. Very slick

 

Thanks for the props guys! I'm glad im living up to your and my own expectations.

rear exhaust cutting finished. chassis is getting kinda week at this point so i am going to ditch using screws to attach it and rivet it in directly when the frame comes back from the powder coating process. this should also take care of a metal thickness problem i'm having since the part of the plate nearest to the IO ports is sitting on an additional layer of metal w\ respect to the rest of the back of the case. enough talking...





I'm looking forward to receiving a third aluminum L1A from mnpctech favors are a good thing, and he's an awesome guy to do that for me.