Project: Intel White Box

[Vapor]

Just getting started on a new case project....well, it's been in planning for a few months but is just now starting to pick up steam.

In the next week or two I'll be taking delivery of a custom Mountain Mods case based on their Duality. The Duality is a two-system 18x18x18 case that packs a decent bit of airflow and organization. Overall a good case, but it just wasn't *quite* right for me ;)

Breaking it down, the duality has a few basic problems as far as I'm concerned: 1) 80mm fans are undesirable (and I have no knowledge of which 80mm fans are the ones to get),
2) I have no use for four PSUs,
3) 6 front 120mm fans for intake as opposed to PSU and 4x80mm exhaust is an airflow nightmare,
4) the PSUs on the top really weren't 'my thing'...I've had a G70 for one of my systems for awhile and just loved putting my PSU on the lower spot :)

So...what did I come up with? Well, fortunately one of the sample designs was exactly what I wanted!

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/822/caseframebr2.jpg

Side panels will remain solid (window and fanless), but for the top, I came up with this:
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/627/toppaneleu6.jpg
(this side [bottom of the image] faces the rear of the case)

The left system will have the CPU above the GPU while the right system will have the GPU sunny-side-up. ;)

Now, what will I be putting in this?

Left system:
QX6700, XBX2, 2x2GB of G.Skill, X1600Pro with an Accelero S2 passive, TRUE + San Ace 1011, and 5HDDs

Right system:
E6700, P5W DH, 2GB of some RAM, some DX10 GPU + HR-03+ with a San Ace 1011, IFX-14 + 2xSan Ace 1011, and 2HDDs.

Each system has 1 optical drive. The QX6700 system is a dedicated encoding machine that also doubles as a network server (1.7TB or so between the 5HDDs), the E6700 system will be a gaming machine.

You might have counted the number of fans so far: 12x120mm external and 4x120mm internal...yeah, it's a lot. And it will be quiet :) The San Ace 1011s will run 23.9/7 at 5V with a switch to put them to 12V if I ever need to. The external fans will be a mix of 10 Yate Loon SLs and 2 Yate Loon SMs. They'll be split evenly over the two PSUs and two fan controllers.

How will airflow go? Backwards. That's right....I don't want air coming into the case, warming up over the HDDs and then slowly meandering toward the CPU and GPU. I want the all the air to go to the most important part of the system first ;) As such, the fans on the mobo trays will be intakes, as will the 4 fans on the top of the case. The six fans on the front of the case? You got it, exhaust.

Since the two systems have very distinct priorities: left needing better cooling on the CPU, while the right system should have the GPU being the priority to cool...the top intakes are perfect as they'll aim virgin air to those components first :)

Why is this project called Intel White Box? Well, the case is all-white and has Intel components in it....1+1 :)

Why is this in air cooling? I'll be doing a minor study on positive/negative pressure, local airflow around components, and system noise vs. performance :) Besides, I'll have 16 120mm fans in the case, that's air cooling ;)

Over the next few posts/days/weeks I'll be adding more progress as different parts come in and I prep them for installation.

Next post: prepping/modding the fan controllers :)
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/3056/zalmanfrontpremq2.jpgx2

[Vapor]

Alright....one thing I really wanted to grab by the horns in this build was fannage. I wanted to keep it quiet with 16 120mm fans, but not get dinky 800RPM fans...no easy task!

I've always had rheobus fan controllers, which are nice, but have a few problems:
1) No 'settings.' i.e., you never really know what voltage your fan is doing unless you have a DMM hooked up, there's no semi-arbitrary 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11 numbering either :( Just a knob that turns...
2) LEDs suck.
3) Finite loads. i.e., you can't hook up two high powered fans on one circuit without overloading it
4) Droop. 11.3ish volts when you want 12? Yucky-ucky.

Since around May I've wanted to build my own fan controller...a switch-based fan controller with 0V, 5V, 7V, 8.7V, and 12V settings. A switch-based fan controller would not have ANY of the aforementioned weaknesses....and with 4 different running settings, it would also have enough variability. I thought the idea was perfect :)

I knew it wouldn't be easy, considering I'd have two different feed voltages (12V and 5V rails), with four different 'ground' poles (ground, 3.3V, 5V, and open). About a month later into the planning, I realized I needed two :(

Then about another month later, I realized I'm not so great at DIY, and I still had almost zero luck finding the ultra-complicated switch I needed. I moved on trying to find pre-made switch based controller.

Unfortunately, all the switch based ones I found switched between a closed (normal) 12V circuit and a circuit with some resistance via a resistor/transistor pair. This still had a finite (and SMALL) load, damn LEDs, and droop on higher loads. And only two settings still :(

So I was stumped for awhile....

Then I found the Zalman ZM-MFC1.
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/3056/zalmanfrontpremq2.jpg

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/9411/zalmanbackprext5.jpg

It has two hard-wired 12V/5V/open switches (great) and four rheobus channels that are fairly weak (meh). It's also butt ugly with the graphics, LEDs and clear plastic. It's rheobus does have one GREAT advantage over the Sunbeam's: the minimum setting is ~5V....so it does actually have two distinct settings, as well as a variable middle-ground :)

And on further inspection I noticed something slightly bothersome: the 12V/5V/open switch doesn't have a 3-pin connector....instead needing bare wires. Not too difficult to cut and strip a wire, but I'd rather not.

Fortunately, some quick thinking has lead me to a few solutions to most of the problems :)

1) Switch connection is fixed!

Performance-PCs sells great sleeved wirings, and after a bit of digging their website, this fan adapter became something of import to my plan: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=289&products_id=3596

So in addition to my two Zalman MFC1s, I bought four of those :)

And ta-da! Stripped off the connector on the 2-pin side and they work well ;) Highly recommended!
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/5930/zalmanbackwiredzf3.jpg

2) The ugliness is fixed!

Unfortunately no retailer has a fix for this: the fan controller is butt ugly.

Fortunately, I have a fix ;)

You shake your hand for a couple minutes, white stuff comes out, let it dry, and you have a white fan controller :D

BTW, I was talking about white spray paint, perv.

So I bought some of that Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastic....

took off these pieces (from each controller):
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/6966/zalmanpiecesrh1.jpg

sanded off the ugly arrows and words on the front of the controller, and had my way with them with the Fusion paint...

I must say I liked the results :)
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/3159/zalmanfrontpostvx1.jpg

I even did the back of the plates :D
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1985/zalmanbackpostit9.jpg

2.5) Requisite PCB shots!

Something I learned when getting into computers....when you have a PCB of any sort, you take pictures of it and post it :p:

Front:
http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/1369/zalmanfrontpcbbu4.jpg

Back:
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/9208/zalmanbackpcbhy7.jpg

(of note is that although Zalman says only the blue-socketed headers can do RPM sensing, all the circuits are identical, just the wires they include are different...cheap company)

3) Those damn LEDs....hmmmm, LEDs look good when OFF!!!

I was originally going to pull the LEDs (again, I hate LEDs....my monitor has 2.3Million pixels, I don't need 4 more on the front of my computer, thank you), but the way they're installed would have made that difficult....and I found no good filler for the plastic panel, so that was off. Then I considered just leaving them....but they FLICKER when you undervolt the fans! So in a move of desperation, I shorted one out while I was running a fan....and it worked! The LED went off, the fan kept going on :D Now all 8 LEDs on the rheobus are shorted....haven't tried the 4 on the switches, I'm fearing they're hard wired, we'll see.

Next post: the wheels on the bus go round and round? Oh wait, those are fans....a lot of them!

[Vapor]

Okay...fans....I have 12 external (case) fans, 1 for my Ultra-120 eX, 2 for my IFX-14, and 1 for my HR-03+. So that's 16. I happen to have a little experience with fans and I know at least this much: when you have a lot of fans, some will be bad apples.

I also know a few other things: noises you can't hear are often the most annoying. May sound like some cryptic thing you'd find in a fortune cookie, or you may think I have voices in my head, but I assure you neither are the case.

What I mean is this: we have cases for various reasons...among many reasons: animal/kid proofing, aesthetics, portability, and noise proofing. When a fan makes a slight murmur or a faint click, chances are the noise will not leave the case. You will not hear it from a few feet away through a metal box. Granted, any sort of loud click or scuffing you'll hear, but minor noises can be dismissed. What is of large concern is when the fan impacts the metal box.

We've been getting around that with silicone gaskets (which I will be using), silicone screws, silicone sealant....just about everything silicone except Pam Anderson. But the root cause is the fan and is actually fairly easy to remedy. The remedy also allows for a build with fans that don't scuff, murmur, or click in the slightest :D

1) The fans

Here are 14x Yate Loon D12SL-12s, 4x Yate Loon D12SM-12s, and 4x Sanyo Denki "San Ace 1011s"
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/678/22sct4.jpg

They're the principle fans I'll be using in this build, and for good reason:
1) Yate Loons (REAL ones from Petras) are VERY good fans. They are not the best, but they're damn close. They come with flexible wiring options and have a very plain all-black design (except the stickers). Oh, and they're only like $3-4 a pop.

2) Yate Loon SLs push their rated 47CFM (actually, a tad bit more on average) and are fairly quiet. At 5V, they're well below the noise floor of my dorm room (heck, at 12V, a bunch of them are still below the noise floor when I have my A/C on).

3) Yate Loon SMs push well below their rated 70CFM (the highest I've ever seen over 5 different samples is 55.1CFM IIRC). Their CFM levels (54ish) are very close to the SL's 47CFM, which may scare some people away, or many just may find them irrelevant. However, they do have a purpose for my build: balancing airflow at my various voltage 'presets' (12V, 10.5V, and 5V).

4) San Aces are just incredible at 12V and 5V, but expensive at nearly $20 per fan. Hence only being used on the HSFs.


2) The fans need some work.

First, Yate Loons have a lot of wire connected to them....I'll be using 3-pin connectors throughout, so I can ditch the double-molex. Also, even up to the 3-pin is fairly long. So while I had plans to sleeve (and would still like to), I'll only be braiding the wires for now. It's not that big of a deal, as I have no windows in my case, but it's something I set out to do and I've bought a lot of sleeving materials and even had Alex from Petra's Tech Shop dig in his warehouse for a length of very narrow heatshrink as the included wasn't shrinking very much. I feel I owe it to him for being such a good sport and to myself.

In the meantime, I've braided them (and lost an SL and a San Ace in the meantime :().
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5967/braidednq3.jpg
(the Yate on the right in cootie-land is the one I messed up on the wiring and do not feel comfortable putting into a system 24/7).

I've also removed all the stickers (front and back) to make the fans all-black. On the back, in order to seal the motor, I've applied black electrical tape.

The San Aces, other than having their wires braided, are unchanged (internal only after all).

Now, I started with 18 case fans, (down to 17 now), but I only need 12. Why is that?


3) The Cure

Let's face it, fans aren't perfectly identical, some exhibit unwanted noise, others just don't spin at their rating, and some are just perfect. Real Yate Loons, although inexpensive, are very good fans and typically are very consistent.

I also have the luxury of being able to test fans empirically. :p:

All things considered, empirical dBA testing was out of the question for me at this time, but CFM testing is easy and my ears are as trained as anybody's. Plus, I have another test up my sleeve.

First, I had to identify what made a good fan and where I wanted my fans to 'run.' Ultimately, if you plan on running a fan between 5V and 7V all the time, why should you care how it performs at 11V? No need to really. May be nice to know I suppose, but it's not critical. I identified the three voltage points my fans will always be running at: 12V (12V switch setting), 10.5V (rheobus max), and 5V (5V switch setting AND rheobus minimum). I really doubt I'll ever have a fan at a middle-ground setting on the rheobus.

Next, because all the stickers were removed on the Yates, I had to label all of them at the connector. Fortunately I did this before I removed the stickers though :p: As I said, I lost an SL, so "L7" is absent from testing.

How I tested:

1a) Does it startup on the 5V switch setting?
1b) Does it startup on the (5V) rheobus minimum?

2a) CFM at 5V (switch)
2b) CFM at 10.5V (rheobus max)
2c) CFM at 12V (switch)

3) Subjective noise rating (letter-grade style) on the rheobus (where more problems are likely to exist).

4) Vibrational tendencies (letter-grade docking).

Startup tests are easy....if I have to explain those, please leave XS.

CFM tests, I used my very familiar anemometer setup and got very consistent results. Old news. None of the voltages were checked, as ultimately I won't run it that way....I just used the 12V switch (12V rail), the 5V switch (5V rail), and the rheobus's max (on the same channel for testing).

For the noise tests, both close-range and distant subjective noise testing was done. I listened for both unusual noises and amplitude. I also tried to target any sort of noises that may become a problem in the future.

Vibrational testing I thought was rather creative. First I'd stand the fan up so it was only standing on a 120x25mm side with the wire sticking straight up. Then I'd torque the wire so that it pulled on the fan slightly (wanting to twist it) and then I also aimed the fan to blow against the torque (helping it twist even more). I'd turn it on for 12V and watch the fan crawl across my desk. Every fan moved across the desk, but the ones that veritably shimmied or chattered their way across were the ones I was looking for.

Findings: only one of my fans exhibited any sort of extraneous noise. "M1" is a proper nomer for what it did to my ears. Okay, it wasn't so bad, but among a bunch of straight-laced fans, this murderous little guy was a standout. Only one of my fans exhibited any sort of chatter. "L1" was the problem fan and I have no joke for it. Interesting that both my "1" fans were the only big problem ones (numbers were arbitrarily assigned).

Even the slightest shimmy or murmur was docked considerably (2/3rds of a grade). If I even thought a fan was slightly louder than it should be, I'd dock it either 1/3rd or 2/3rds, subjectively.

Here are the results (red = will not be used, green = a 'go', yellow = definitely good, not sure what I should do with it):
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/69/fanbinninggk2.png

Now that I have my fans selected, the next major update will be the airflow layout. After that, the grand finale: the case arrives and will be used.

[Vapor]

Oooh! Another! ;)

[Vapor]

Last one, I swear :hrhr:

[Spawne32]

Reserved. http://smiliesftw.com/x/hsughnoes.gif (http://smiliesftw.com)

[Gautam]

Reserved.

[for mad props whenever this project is done :p:]

[Movieman]

I'm not waiting. Excellent project and I love the white and what you did with the controllers!:up:
Also a good read, like a friend telling a story..:clap:

[Spawne32]

I'm not waiting. Excellent project and I love the white and what you did with the controllers!:up:
Also a good read, like a friend telling a story..:clap:

Gah, thats almost as bad as my mom telling me my car looks "cute" :p:

[Movieman]

Gah, thats almost as bad as my mom telling me my car looks "cute" :p:

Ok, your car blows...:rofl: j/k...j/k...j/k;)
seriously, I like cube cases, I've been wondering what to do with a high amp fan controller and I like articles that are written smoothly with no BS or " this fan controller could handle point 02649735v more than the other 32 tested.."
Like a good book, it flows from post to post..

[Spawne32]

Ok, your car blows...:rofl: j/k...j/k...j/k;)
seriously, I like cube cases, I've been wondering what to do with a high amp fan controller and I like articles that are written smoothly with no BS or " this fan controller could handle point 02649735v more than the other 32 tested.."
Like a good book, it flows from post to post..

i usually choose a case that flows with the rest of the room, in my case, my room has no flow, so i just go with whatever works.

[Vapor]

Just started sleeving my four San Aces....not going so well.

1) my mom's hairdryer doesn't get hot enough to really shrink the heatshrink
2) I've never done it before...it's not as easy as it looks!
3) I tried to get away w/o zipties :am:

Any ideas for a better heatgun? Like a household thing....lol

EDIT: Gah'lee, I'm REALLY a stupid! I used the wrong sleeving....lol....heatshrink still ain't shrinking much though :(

[Spawne32]

Just started sleeving my four San Aces....not going so well.

1) my mom's hairdryer doesn't get hot enough to really shrink the heatshrink
2) I've never done it before...it's not as easy as it looks!
3) I tried to get away w/o zipties :am:

Any ideas for a better heatgun? Like a household thing....lol

4 dollar butane powered aim a flame thing at walmart, make sure you hold it far enough where it is just putting heat on it, not enough to light it on fire

[Vapor]

I'm not sure if it's the heat or the heatshrink....basically, I can shrink it fairly easily, but not enough.

[lad]

Hey, Vapor...

That XBX2 can drive 1.5 amps off of the two variable-voltage 3-pin fan connectors. The two 4-pin connectors ( 3 amps each) could be used with 4-pin fans. You could then use Speedfan to control your fans.

I'm using the two 3-pin connectors to drive 4 Panaflo 800 rpm fans (as they each draw only 180 mA. That way, I can run them really slow (Speedfan lies at 130 rpm) and inaudible, until I load up the 6600.

Just a thought!

[Vapor]

Lad....thanks but no thanks.

1) I don't plan on running Windows on my XBX2, ever (and no, I don't run crappy Linux either....I really, really like Vista, but it's not for this machine--partially why I have two machines in one case ;)). Speedfan runs on Windows.
2) Software and I never get along...if something can be done in hardware *kinda well*, I'll take that over software doing it 'amazingly' (because it isn't amazing and usually stops working for me)
3) Still really no control. RPM sensing circuits are neither accurate nor consistent in my experience on the P5W and XBX1.
4) It requires a 1-2 min waiting period for the the OS and software to start before all the fans spin down.
5) It's PWM....
6) Wiring mess, I'll have 7 fans to power on the XBX2's system and 6SATA devices....I want wires as far away from that board as possible and that wouldn't help.
7) I don't want more noise as I load it...I want constantly semi-quiet except in rare cases when noise is 'acceptable.' Hardware-based control can hold a setting ad infinitum and allows me to individually tune without interrupting or stopping what I'm doing.

Sorry if that seems harsh...but the on-board fan headers were never even a consideration (for more reasons than listed too...).

[cozwin]

Lad....thanks but no thanks.

1) I don't plan on running Windows on my XBX2, ever (and no, I don't run crappy Linux either....I really, really like Vista, but it's not for this machine--partially why I have two machines in one case ;)). Speedfan runs on Windows.
2) Software and I never get along...if something can be done in hardware *kinda well*, I'll take that over software doing it 'amazingly' (because it isn't amazing and usually stops working for me)
3) Still really no control. RPM sensing circuits are neither accurate nor consistent in my experience on the P5W and XBX1.
4) It requires a 1-2 min waiting period for the the OS and software to start before all the fans spin down.
5) It's PWM....
6) Wiring mess, I'll have 7 fans to power on the XBX2's system and 6SATA devices....I want wires as far away from that board as possible and that wouldn't help.
7) I don't want more noise as I load it...I want constantly semi-quiet except in rare cases when noise is 'acceptable.' Hardware-based control can hold a setting ad infinitum and allows me to individually tune without interrupting or stopping what I'm doing.

Sorry if that seems harsh...but the on-board fan headers were never even a consideration (for more reasons than listed too...).

linux and xp are "crappy"? but vista isnt hehe ok mate :rofl:
but good job like the fan controller aswell.

[Vapor]

XP is awesome...Vista is better, IMO....P5W DH system will be running Vista Business for sure. On any desktop where I'd do more than file-serve and encode, I'd run Vista or XP.

Linux...I won't go there.

[Omastar]

I'm not sure if it's the heat or the heatshrink....basically, I can shrink it fairly easily, but not enough.

Try a lighter. Just hold the flame at such a distance that it doesn't burn the wires/heatshrink, but provides ample heat. Worked great for me with zipties.

[Omastar]

XP is awesome...Vista is better, IMO....P5W DH system will be running Vista Business for sure. On any desktop where I'd do more than file-serve and encode, I'd run Vista or XP.

Linux...I won't go there.

What's wrong with Linux? :rolleyes:

[Vapor]

Try a lighter. Just hold the flame at such a distance that it doesn't burn the wires/heatshrink, but provides ample heat. Worked great for me with zipties.Cool...should be able to find some old lighters. Kinda surprised that'd make enough heat tbh (maybe my heatshrink is shrunk all the way and it's just not small enough?)

[lad]

Sorry if that seems harsh...but the on-board fan headers were never even a consideration (for more reasons than listed too...).

The truth is never harsh. Thanks for the background, I'm always eager for knowledge!

[BNDMOD]

OMG, really nice.
I have one of controll of zalman and it's great... 5 fan and 1 kit of neon

[Omastar]

Vapor, if the heatshrink has shrunk to its maximum, use a bigger ziptie. :up:

[The_Beast]

looking good so far

[Vapor]

Vapor, if the heatshrink has shrunk to its maximum, use a bigger ziptie. :up:This is my problem...not around the ziptie, but at the edges....stuff from P-PCs doesn't look like that (they're pros though).

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/9940/heatshrinknotshrinkql1.jpg

[Omastar]

This is my problem...not around the ziptie, but at the edges....stuff from P-PCs doesn't look like that (they're pros though).

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/9940/heatshrinknotshrinkql1.jpg

Bizarre. Have you tried the lighter method yet? It's worth a shot.

I have some generic heatshrink from jab-tech, I think, and it worked fine.

[Vapor]

I threw out all my lighters...only used them for stringing lacrosse heads and I haven't done that in a couple years :(

I'll probably pick up a butane torch soon if a lighter doesn't work....back at school I'll trip the circuit if I use a hairdryer. :(

[enz660]

put another shrink around that shrink, farther away from the zip tie.

[cozwin]

why not just cut the zip tie? surely the shrink is going to do the same job.

[Istasi]

What size heatshrink are you using? 3/8" should shrink enough for anything.

[Vapor]

9mm heatshrink...so a little smaller than 3/8"

No matter how much heat I put on the shrink, it's not getting any smaller :( That was how small it got the first time (without the zip-tie present)

I can live with how it is as long as I keep using zip-ties. :)

[Ar3s]

finally i can aid you in someway.

if you use zip-ties, the heatshrink has to be longer for it to shrink nicely around the zip tie. if you don't use zip-ties try to get really small heatshrinks 3mm for fan cables. 9mm is really thick more for multiple cables. if you use 1/4" fan sleeve then you can strench and slowly cover the sleeve with 3mm, 5mm would be ok but you can slide it even after shrinking. I sleeve my fans without the fan connector tho so its easier to put in smaller heatshrinks.

if you use a lighter try to move the blue portion of the flame over the heatshrink fast otherwise they will burn. yes they do burn.

[Vapor]

finally i can aid you in someway.

if you use zip-ties, the heatshrink has to be longer for it to shrink nicely around the zip tie. if you don't use zip-ties try to get really small heatshrinks 3mm for fan cables. 9mm is really thick more for multiple cables. if you use 1/4" fan sleeve then you can strench and slowly cover the sleeve with 3mm, 5mm would be ok but you can slide it even after shrinking. I sleeve my fans without the fan connector tho so its easier to put in smaller heatshrinks.

if you use a lighter try to move the blue portion of the flame over the heatshrink fast otherwise they will burn. yes they do burn.Ah! Thank you :bows:

I'll get some 3mm and redo the fans I've done so far. :) No sense it doing it wrong over having the wrong shrink (and shrink is cheap).

BTW...where do I get 3mm from? PTS's heatshrink department is "Coming Soon", so should I just put in an order for 1/8" at P-PCs?

EDIT: this may seem weird, but the hairdryer is working better than a lighter so far....there's this weird 'jet' of heat that comes out at a 60° angle that is SO hot. It's not the main stream of air, it's slower, hotter air.

EDIT2: yes, I realize 1/8" is REALLY close to 3mm....but if he's recommending 3mm shrink, that means he's probably USED 3mm shrink that he likes and am wondering where to get THAT product....I don't need a math lecture from anybody.

[Ar3s]

1/8" is as close to 3mm so that would be great.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33&products_id=206
1/8" * 2.54 = 0.3175cm about 3mm.
it just takes time to put the heatshrink over the sleeve but once you do. Try to stretch out the sleeve heat one end then stretch out the sleeve till the other end. Will look just like P-PCs pros.
i heard that about the hairdryer too just never needed a hairdryer..

these are my own sleeving
http://h1.ripway.com/Ar3s/pzinfidel-img600x450-panaflo.jpg

[Jimmer411]

I'm not sure if it's the heat or the heatshrink....basically, I can shrink it fairly easily, but not enough.

Have you tried a smaller heatshrink? I ran into the same problem with mine since it only seems to shrink from 1/2 to 3/8 where I needed closer to 1/4... lol


You can buy heatguns for $10~ at walmart or home depot. Ive tried with a torch but its just too hard to to burn anything. And if your using anything other than black then I would definately go the heatgun route.

[Vapor]

Getting some smaller heatshrink soon :) Don't know what will be here first, that, my Yate Loons (talking to Alex at PTS to see if he has any small heatshrink in his warehouse....so they might come at the same time), or my case.

After that, 2x1GB of RAM for my gaming system (have 1x1GB now because I killed a stick with 4.5V, LOL...what's more amazing is that the other survived unharmed!), my G80 and a new PSU will be coming as well.

In the meantime, I have more info on the fan controllers :)

1) 7W is an underestimate...I just threw 17W at a channel I didn't plan on using and it survived without getting very hot. Maybe sustaining that load for more than a few minutes would negatively affect it.

2) the rheobus controllers vary between 5.05V to 10.84V at idle and 4.92V and 10.31V on a .65A fan. Having that 5V floor is a really cool thing and a major plus over the many Sunbeams I have. The 10.5V ceiling (for most fans we'd use...FM122 is a little outlandish, but I was stress testing it, lol) is a little low for me (Sunbeam is usually at 11.3V), BUT, with 12 external fans on this case, it really doesn't bother me that much since I don't think I'll want full speed on any of the fans really

3) the paint smell is finally gone (yay!)

4) I am finally, 100% done with fan testing. :)

[Vapor]

Just picked up a Bernzomatic butane torch with heatshrinker attachment (cool thing that dissipates the flame but still bellows scalding air :D)....won't be able to use a hairdryer at school (circuit overload) so I had to :p:

[[XC] Kayin]

You'll love that.

You know you can use that to heat tubing to stretch over barbs, too, right? Many great modding uses for that.

So what OS is going on the XBX2? I'm interested now...

[Vapor]

OS X :D ;)

Also more great news today: Petras has their (awesome) Yate Loons back in stock! Time to order my smaller sleeving (hopefully he has some leftover in his warehouse), 18 YLs, and HR-03+ :D

And yeah, I know the mini-torch has many uses, but I'm not a pyro at all, so I avoid flames and flammables when possible :p: (that said, I do love a good flambe when cooking)

[k0nsl]

* keeping my eyes at this thread for further updates! *

[SafeFire]

Looking good already Vapor :) Keep up the good work

I was already thinking "u2ufo duality" when I read you were stuffing two systems in one case, and was pleasantly surprised at your choice of the white coating, very stylish

One thing though, why not the Zalman ZM-MFC1 Plus (http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/view.asp?idx=279&code=017)? Has a full 6 knobs and should sport the specifications you're looking for. Correct me if I'm wrong though :)

[Vapor]

The 12V/5V/open switches are missing :(

[SafeFire]

Ahh, misread your earlier post. Thought you got that one because you wanted the to connect 6 fans, which was why I recommended a controller with 6 knobs instead of 4, but I get your point now :)

Though, I'm pretty damn sure you could find individual 12v/5v/open switch boards somewhere, and line em up in a 5.25" bay.

*goes searching*

[MaxxxRacer]

Vapor,

Do NOT put those yate loons on thoes fan controllers. Yates absolutely hate being run on PWM controllers.

[Vapor]

It's not PWM....it's kinda similar, having the load bearing on the transistor and not a beefy resistor, but it's def not PWM. (It's the exact same thing as the Sunbeam, but at lower specs)

Yate Loons run fine on these.

[NickS]

Looking great Vapor. As for your heatshrink issue. I bought a sleeving kit from JabTech a while back when I had s939. I experienced the same problems as you, and got really frustrated. In the end, I ended up with tons of frayed sleeve, two broken fans (got angry), lots of bits of shrunken heatshrink and a room smelling of burning rubber. Now, whenever I want something sleeved, I buy it sleeved (thanks PPC's).

[Ar3s]

ah yes.. remember to use a light on the sleeve after you cut it to prevent fraying. lightly melt the end of the sleeve then tap it on a surface to cool.

[evoic]

I cannot express the number of times that my $12 heat gun from Fry's Electronics has paid for itself, over and over.

Here's the one I grabbed while it was on sale:

http://image.ak.outpost.com/art/product/big_shots/5258527.big.jpg

[Vapor]

Well, I got all my fans....

All 22 of them are right here:
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/678/22sct4.jpg

I was getting fairly fed up with my attempts of sleeving (I could get it done, but damn if it wasn't taking a loooong time), so I braided all my fans. Made a wrong snip on one of the SLs and lost a San Ace during benching last night (second one...those blades are WEAK!...do not use in any environment where things could impact the fan).

20.5 fans snipped and braided:
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5967/braidednq3.jpg

One of the higher posts will have a bit more detail on this...tomorrow I think (busy tonight). Can you guys spot what else I've done? ;)

[BNDMOD]

Ohhh my goddd.... too much fans. jejeje... good good i would like to see more pictures..

[Ar3s]

You labelled them 1, 2 & 3 ?

[Vapor]

You labelled them 1, 2 & 3 ?Close, removed all stickers and labeled them on their connectors (L, M, and S). On the other side of the connector, each fan has their own independent number as well....for binning purposes. :D

BND|MOD - You should have seen my cabinet full of various fans this summer from all my testing.....that was A LOT of fans (and no duplicates either).

[Ar3s]

one of my wallpapers.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2231645&postcount=256

[BNDMOD]

Close, removed all stickers and labeled them on their connectors (L, M, and S). On the other side of the connector, each fan has their own independent number as well....for binning purposes. :D

BND|MOD - You should have seen my cabinet full of various fans this summer from all my testing.....that was A LOT of fans (and no duplicates either).

one of my wallpapers.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2231645&postcount=256

Both.. really nice.. i only have few fans which i use no more....

[Ar3s]

no i mean those are vapor's fans bro.. thats his cabinet full of fans.

[Vapor]

That's missing the 2 Silverstones I bought later (as well as the 4 miscellaneous fans I had in use in my systems [all different]). And baenwort's 15 fans that he lent me. And ALL of the 22 you see in these pics for my IWB build. And the 7 duplicate Panaflos I had at that point (got rid of a few from the 10 I had). And the 3 extra Lian Li fans I had.

So yeah....I have a lot of fans.

Hopefully my case is gonna get here soon, I didn't think I'd have to stall the thread like this :(

I would post that long animated post regarding the fans and what I've done so far, but I just got home and I have class in 7 hours.

[MaxxxRacer]

It's not PWM....it's kinda similar, having the load bearing on the transistor and not a beefy resistor, but it's def not PWM. (It's the exact same thing as the Sunbeam, but at lower specs)

Yate Loons run fine on these.

my yates werent so fond of the sunbeam. They did OK, but were much better on clean voltage.

[Vapor]

Hmmm....this requires testing. I definitely had a 'Yate' (it was a fake) for my roundup that didn't like true PWM (but it was by no means the worst), and it exhibited some low-sputter-chirp on the Sunbeam, and was almost artifact-free on BFR (big-fracking-resistor). Some fans (Lian Li stock case fans namely--and this was on 7/7) were just HORRIBLE on PWM but fine on Sunbeam. And for Panaflos, it was mixed bag on PWM vs. BFR/Sunbeam. Maybe this is the same with real Yates, so fortunately I bought 14 SLs and 4SMs and only need 10 and 2 respectively.....yay for binning :p:

[Vapor]

Some bum news...just talked with Mountain Mods and the case won't be ready until early October :(

Looks like I'll be using a cardboard box under one of my systems for a few weeks longer.

[ex2cib]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
:)

[mike8913]

how many fans can you run on those controllers?

[sky]

hey vapor, just a thing for the optics... why not paint or coat the screws and the switches on that fan thing white(ish) too? I don't really like the bare metal of the screws contrasting with the white.
oh and regarding the leds... well you could've probably removed them and filled the holes with bondo. works with cars, should work with pcs too. just sand it somewhat with various grades of sandpaper to get a smooth surface and then paint it (again and again until sily smooth) :)

[Vapor]

how many fans can you run on those controllers?Probably 3 Yates per rheobus channel, maybe 4. For the switches, probably limited by how much the molex can supply, the solder joints are very well done. And the internals of each switch seem good too.

hey vapor, just a thing for the optics... why not paint or coat the screws and the switches on that fan thing white(ish) too? I don't really like the bare metal of the screws contrasting with the white.
oh and regarding the leds... well you could've probably removed them and filled the holes with bondo. works with cars, should work with pcs too. just sand it somewhat with various grades of sandpaper to get a smooth surface and then paint it (again and again until sily smooth) :)I actually like the silver. Though I'd prefer anodized black for those pieces tbh. Maybe white screws, but definitely not for the switches.

For the LEDs, they look SOOOOOO cool in a well-lit room when they're off (which is a permanent thing now :p: ), they have a supersoft glow of white :D Kinda hard to describe, but they're definitely keepers. And when the room isn't well lit, who cares what they look like, as long as they don't emit light.

Next up I'll have my Yate Loon binning results (San Ace indefinitely postponed since I've lost 2 out of my 5 due to blade damage [both my fault] and am using another 2 right now on the system that's sitting on my desk...I will be ordering a few more though :)).

Oh, and the word from Mountain Mods right now is mid-October for shipping (and I was a cheap-ass back in July when I ordered it and went with the pokey FedEx Home shipping :().

[Vapor]

I realize this is many posts after the beginning, so what you see here will be mirrored in post 3 as well :)

Okay...fans....I have 12 external (case) fans, 1 for my Ultra-120 eX, 2 for my IFX-14, and 1 for my HR-03+. So that's 16. I happen to have a little experience with fans and I know at least this much: when you have a lot of fans, some will be bad apples.

I also know a few other things: noises you can't hear are often the most annoying. May sound like some cryptic thing you'd find in a fortune cookie, or you may think I have voices in my head, but I assure you neither are the case.

What I mean is this: we have cases for various reasons...among many reasons: animal/kid proofing, aesthetics, portability, and noise proofing. When a fan makes a slight murmur or a faint click, chances are the noise will not leave the case. You will not hear it from a few feet away through a metal box. Granted, any sort of loud click or scuffing you'll hear, but minor noises can be dismissed. What is of large concern is when the fan impacts the metal box.

We've been getting around that with silicone gaskets (which I will be using), silicone screws, silicone sealant....just about everything silicone except Pam Anderson. But the root cause is the fan and is actually fairly easy to remedy. The remedy also allows for a build with fans that don't scuff, murmur, or click in the slightest :D

1) The fans

Here are 14x Yate Loon D12SL-12s, 4x Yate Loon D12SM-12s, and 4x Sanyo Denki "San Ace 1011s"
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/678/22sct4.jpg

They're the principle fans I'll be using in this build, and for good reason:
1) Yate Loons (REAL ones from Petras) are VERY good fans. They are not the best, but they're damn close. They come with flexible wiring options and have a very plain all-black design (except the stickers). Oh, and they're only like $3-4 a pop.

2) Yate Loon SLs push their rated 47CFM (actually, a tad bit more on average) and are fairly quiet. At 5V, they're well below the noise floor of my dorm room (heck, at 12V, a bunch of them are still below the noise floor when I have my A/C on).

3) Yate Loon SMs push well below their rated 70CFM (the highest I've ever seen over 5 different samples is 55.1CFM IIRC). Their CFM levels (54ish) are very close to the SL's 47CFM, which may scare some people away, or many just may find them irrelevant. However, they do have a purpose for my build: balancing airflow at my various voltage 'presets' (12V, 10.5V, and 5V).

4) San Aces are just incredible at 12V and 5V, but expensive at nearly $20 per fan. Hence only being used on the HSFs.


2) The fans need some work.

First, Yate Loons have a lot of wire connected to them....I'll be using 3-pin connectors throughout, so I can ditch the double-molex. Also, even up to the 3-pin is fairly long. So while I had plans to sleeve (and would still like to), I'll only be braiding the wires for now. It's not that big of a deal, as I have no windows in my case, but it's something I set out to do and I've bought a lot of sleeving materials and even had Alex from Petra's Tech Shop dig in his warehouse for a length of very narrow heatshrink as the included wasn't shrinking very much. I feel I owe it to him for being such a good sport and to myself.

In the meantime, I've braided them (and lost an SL and a San Ace in the meantime :().
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5967/braidednq3.jpg
(the Yate on the right in cootie-land is the one I messed up on the wiring and do not feel comfortable putting into a system 24/7).

I've also removed all the stickers (front and back) to make the fans all-black. On the back, in order to seal the motor, I've applied black electrical tape.

The San Aces, other than having their wires braided, are unchanged (internal only after all).

Now, I started with 18 case fans, (down to 17 now), but I only need 12. Why is that?


3) The Cure

Let's face it, fans aren't perfectly identical, some exhibit unwanted noise, others just don't spin at their rating, and some are just perfect. Real Yate Loons, although inexpensive, are very good fans and typically are very consistent.

I also have the luxury of being able to test fans empirically. :p:

All things considered, empirical dBA testing was out of the question for me at this time, but CFM testing is easy and my ears are as trained as anybody's. Plus, I have another test up my sleeve.

First, I had to identify what made a good fan and where I wanted my fans to 'run.' Ultimately, if you plan on running a fan between 5V and 7V all the time, why should you care how it performs at 11V? No need to really. May be nice to know I suppose, but it's not critical. I identified the three voltage points my fans will always be running at: 12V (12V switch setting), 10.5V (rheobus max), and 5V (5V switch setting AND rheobus minimum). I really doubt I'll ever have a fan at a middle-ground setting on the rheobus.

Next, because all the stickers were removed on the Yates, I had to label all of them at the connector. Fortunately I did this before I removed the stickers though :p: As I said, I lost an SL, so "L7" is absent from testing.

How I tested:

1a) Does it startup on the 5V switch setting?
1b) Does it startup on the (5V) rheobus minimum?

2a) CFM at 5V (switch)
2b) CFM at 10.5V (rheobus max)
2c) CFM at 12V (switch)

3) Subjective noise rating (letter-grade style) on the rheobus (where more problems are likely to exist).

4) Vibrational tendencies (letter-grade docking).

Startup tests are easy....if I have to explain those, please leave XS.

CFM tests, I used my very familiar anemometer setup and got very consistent results. Old news. None of the voltages were checked, as ultimately I won't run it that way....I just used the 12V switch (12V rail), the 5V switch (5V rail), and the rheobus's max (on the same channel for testing).

For the noise tests, both close-range and distant subjective noise testing was done. I listened for both unusual noises and amplitude. I also tried to target any sort of noises that may become a problem in the future.

Vibrational testing I thought was rather creative. First I'd stand the fan up so it was only standing on a 120x25mm side with the wire sticking straight up. Then I'd torque the wire so that it pulled on the fan slightly (wanting to twist it) and then I also aimed the fan to blow against the torque (helping it twist even more). I'd turn it on for 12V and watch the fan crawl across my desk. Every fan moved across the desk, but the ones that veritably shimmied or chattered their way across were the ones I was looking for.

Findings: only one of my fans exhibited any sort of extraneous noise. "M1" is a proper nomer for what it did to my ears. Okay, it wasn't so bad, but among a bunch of straight-laced fans, this murderous little guy was a standout. Only one of my fans exhibited any sort of chatter. "L1" was the problem fan and I have no joke for it. Interesting that both my "1" fans were the only big problem ones (numbers were arbitrarily assigned).

Even the slightest shimmy or murmur was docked considerably (2/3rds of a grade). If I even thought a fan was slightly louder than it should be, I'd dock it either 1/3rd or 2/3rds, subjectively.

Here are the results (red = will not be used, green = a 'go', yellow = definitely good, not sure what I should do with it):
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/69/fanbinninggk2.png

Now that I have my fans selected, the next major update will be the airflow layout. After that, the grand finale: the case arrives and will be used.

[SafeFire]

Good Game on the fan testing, looks like you had fun *cough*
What are you gonna do with the "bad" Ones though?

[Omastar]

What are you gonna do with the "bad" Ones though?

Easy. Relabel them as SilenX and hawk them for $22 a pop. :rolleyes:

[Vapor]

Not gonna use the bad ones....they'll collect dust. They're still noticeably better than SilenX, btw.

[Omastar]

Not gonna use the bad ones....they'll collect dust. They're still noticeably better than SilenX, btw.

Oh, I know. I just find the single digit dbA ratings on SilenX fans to be nothing short of criminal.

Wow, yeah, 9 dbA at, what, 4CFM?

[ChaosMinionX]

Poor fans, your so hard on them Vapor :p: :D

[bullet2urbrain]

Vapor, i understand its a bit late in the project, but what were you using the Zip Ties for? if you were using it to hold the braided sleeving why wouldnt you just use some 3M Silicon Tape ( I used ROLLS upon ROLLS of this stuff doing aircraft certified harnesses)

Looking Good, few things here and there i may tweak and i'd love to see your #'s for Wattage calculation running 3 or 4 of those fans per channel.

Cheers :toast:

[SafeFire]

So vapor mate, whats the status on the case?
You said it was supposed to be delivered in early October, checking my calendar and using my über leet math skills, I come to the conclusion that this just about now. So are the good people at MM coming through with you? or are you looking at yet another delay.

Oh yeah, and happy BUMP time too, more people need to see this thread :)

[Vapor]

They're saying mid-October now....so hopefully it'll ship early next week :)

[Ar3s]

Thank Vap now there is a graph that shows the medium don't do 70CFM as they claimed. And whats wrong with L5 ? It should get an A+ its as good as a mislabeled medium. It should be in yellow as its as good as the medium in Yellow.

[Vapor]

No, the mediums are no where close to 70CFM. I don't know how YL got to that rating (1350RPM does 48CFM...1650RPM should not get close to 70). The SHs aren't 88 either, they're low-mid 70s.

The letter grades are subjective noise ratings. L5 is definitely not an A+ (esp since I didn't use A+s, lol).

[Vapor]

Okay...good news. My case is done and is shipping out Monday. :D

Originally, I had gone for FedEx saver (5 days, ground) but decided to upgrade to FedEx 2day (2 days, air) for various reasons, so it should definitely be here Wednesday :)

I am having problems with my P5W-DH. Seems the top PCIe 16x slot decided to burn out (necessary to use with my case layout), so I'll be advanced RMAing that and hopefully it'll be here on time and won't delay the build.

I'll be ordering a couple more San Aces and binning those, an 80mm fan for something I want to try, and some wires when it all gets here and I can measure out what I need. Then the exciting stuff will commence :p:

[yonton228]

I have been looking forward for this build mate...I am excited for ya!




-yonton228/timmy

[Supertim0r]

I'll be ordering a couple more San Aces and binning those

can I ask where you're getting them ?

[Vapor]

www.thermalfx.com

[SafeFire]

Good stuff, is it at your place yet? (Monday on my calender now :p:)

(very excited I am :))

EDIT: Argh damn, read up on the mini delay, definitely a bummer, but 2 days ain't that much either.

[ex2cib]

by this time tomorrow night, hopefully we'll get to see some pics of it

[bullet2urbrain]

by this time tomorrow night, hopefully we'll get to see some pics of it

Who are you again???? havent talked to you in for freaking ever.

Vapor is a rookie, it'll take him a few more days, not like he's busy with anything :D

[Tulatin]

Hey Vapor; where'd you get the Denkis?

[Ar3s]

Hey Vapor; where'd you get the Denkis?

scroll up he already gave the website... just a few posts up.;)

[ex2cib]

Who are you again???? havent talked to you in for freaking ever.

Vapor is a rookie, it'll take him a few more days, not like he's busy with anything :D

catch me on aim some night

i dont hang around the WCG sections anymore, got a little too crazy for my tastes.

and ill update for vapor, the case made it in, after a few early problems and a mailroom staff change:rofl:

[Vapor]

Alright....had a few minutes with it for some photos :)

First, the box it came in: 20x20x20, and was in fine condition:
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/1594/boxedti8.jpg

Opened the box, peanuts there to prevent shifting I suppose:
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/8315/open1ps6.jpg

Took it out of the box, was wrapped in a lightweight bag
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2219/baggedax3.jpg

Took off the bag, still wrapped in cellophane (like a brownie):
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/8371/wrappedkr3.jpg

Turned it around, you see all the extra hardware in the bays:
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/184/frontwrappedix0.jpg

Unwrapped and put in my fan controllers....
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1080/frontunwrappedcc6.jpg

A view from slight above:
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/7158/topfrontpb5.jpg

A small detail I'd like to share that I liked....the alignment of the top fans in relation to the motherboard tray, looks like I'll have good airflow over the board :)
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1617/topfanlayoutuh4.jpg

More later ;)

[ex2cib]

ok, i've heard it twice, but the whole "like a brownie" :rofl:

[LuckyNV]

looks very nice, not too keen on the thumbscrews but I guess there isn't any other way.

Maybe jet black thumb screws, or cherry red :D

[Vapor]

Jet black ;)

That's one of the things I'm ordering in addition to new cables once I figure out what I need. I don't like the silver ones either.

[Bobsama]

Excellent. What are you using for fan-shields?

[Gautam]

First word that comes to mind to describe that is- smooth. :cool:

The fan controllers match the case perfectly. Can't wait to see the completed project. :woot:

[Vapor]

Only put in the left system....the CPU-cooling heavy side, waiting on a motherboard RMA for the right system (GPU-cooling heavy).

Did put in all the peripherals/fans/etc....here's what it looks like :)
http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/901/kindabuiltcs5.jpg

Here's the inside, the left system with 5HDDs:
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/2387/inside1fs2.jpg

[Movieman]

Now that is slick! Very nice! Love the white.:clap:

[Bobsama]

Looks quite nice. Oh--no front-panel USB, Firewire, or audio?

[BlueAqua]

Damn looks really really nice, I want one. I love the white/black color scheme.

[Vapor]

Looks quite nice. Oh--no front-panel USB, Firewire, or audio?Nope...what would I use it for?

[hoax]

that looks amazing. nicest looking case I seen lately. :up: :up: :clap: :slobber:

please keep the pics coming :D

[yonton228]

Funny thing is, I always wished that the Duality was a bit bigger. Like 24x24x24 for some ideas that I have....Meh maybe I can try to fab my own some day.

Great job so far mate.


-yonton228/timmy

[ex2cib]

yea, its a little cramped

[ChaosMinionX]

Case looks fantastic Vapor, very nice work :)

[Colossous]

Case looks great Vapor, i get mine (Opti 1203) back from the painters within 2 weeks and can start my build and yours is making me impatient lol ! :up:

[bullet2urbrain]

yea, its a little cramped


LOL.

Nice work Eric.

Loving the White looks very elegant compared to the normal black with obnoxious lights.

if possible can we get a dark shot of it on??? any LED"s anywhere?

Cheers :toast:

[ex2cib]

i'm willing to bet, a lot of $$$, no LED's whatsoever

probably, the only lights on the case are from the fan controllers or optical drives

[Vapor]

Funny thing is, I always wished that the Duality was a bit bigger. Like 24x24x24 for some ideas that I have....Meh maybe I can try to fab my own some day.

Great job so far mate.


-yonton228/timmyYeah, I originally was going to do something a little bigger, but it was too expensive. Considering the fact I have no windows or any way to look in, as long as it fits everything, I'm okay with it being messy on the inside.

yea, its a little crampedYeah, good point....basically just 9x18x18 that I get for each system, not very big, smaller than a Lian Li PC60.

Case looks fantastic Vapor, very nice work :)Thank you :) I like the look as well :) Wish I could do more with the inside but I'm just not very good at routing wires and I have too much to route anyway.

Case looks great Vapor, i get mine (Opti 1203) back from the painters within 2 weeks and can start my build and yours is making me impatient lol ! :up: You'll love it...I can imagine how spacious an 18in cube would be for a single system, and the build design is very, very well thought out.

LOL.

Nice work Eric.

Loving the White looks very elegant compared to the normal black with obnoxious lights.

if possible can we get a dark shot of it on??? any LED"s anywhere?

Cheers :toast:...see below :p:

i'm willing to bet, a lot of $$$, no LED's whatsoever

probably, the only lights on the case are from the fan controllers or optical drivesYup, Brandon's right....even the LEDs on the fan controllers are shorted out, so they never turn on. Only working lights are DVD drives, LAN ports, optical-outs, my mouse, my keyboard's numlock button, and the 2.3million on my monitor.

As such...a dark shot would be....empty, lol.

that looks amazing. nicest looking case I seen lately. :up: :up: :clap: :slobber:

please keep the pics coming :DThank you :)

Company in town this weekend, may not get much time to work on the build...and I have to wait for the new motherboard, and Leopard comes out tomorrow, and...well, I may not have much time for pics/progress, but I'll do what I can :)

[SafeFire]

Looking good Vapor, Looking good :)

Keep us updated on the second part of it please.

[jmmtn4aj]

Why the downwards facing Ultra-120? I imagine that the fan on the HSF pushing air into the fins with the rear case fan pulling it out in a straight line would be a little more efficient..

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Read through, but maybe I missed it.


What CAD program did you use originally to model your case? Thanks.

[NickS]

Why the downwards facing Ultra-120? I imagine that the fan on the HSF pushing air into the fins with the rear case fan pulling it out in a straight line would be a little more efficient..

Probably to direct some more air towards the Accelero passive cooler.. just a wild guess.

Great job Vapor, I can't wait to see the whole rig completed :D

[Vapor]

Probably to direct some more air towards the Accelero passive cooler.. just a wild guess.

Great job Vapor, I can't wait to see the whole rig completed :DWell...the two top fans are blowing downward (and the rear fan blowing inward), so it makes sense to have them push onto the TRUE and have the San Ace pull the cold air through. The Accelero doesn't need much airflow, ran it completely air-dead for a few months with no issue, but since I don't want heat build up, I put it RIGHT on top of the PSU fan, so the Corsair is removing what little heat there is (XBX2's bottom PCIe16 slot is handy for this :)....and no, the X1600 will never see a load :))

Read through, but maybe I missed it.


What CAD program did you use originally to model your case? Thanks."So...what did I come up with? Well, fortunately one of the sample designs was exactly what I wanted!" That exact image was already on MM's website, didn't use any CAD.

[Vapor]

Just playing with Lightroom and needed something to take a pic of so here's one of the inside of the left-side of my case looking up.

http://img480.imageshack.us/img480/9837/upandinnp2.jpg

[NickS]

Why is your airflow reversed? lol

[Vapor]

Never made sense to me to warm the air over the HDDs and then let the CPU/GPU have it (and ultimately have to
'fight' to move the air toward/through the HSF). Coldest air goes immediately to and directly onto the CPU/GPU (depends on which system). The HDDs can have sloppy seconds, they don't even need the cooling really, I just don't want any heat buildup.

[NickS]

Sounds good :)

[Polizei]

That fan set up is one of those things that make you say "Why didnt I think of that?"

I supposed its just engraved in our heads that because warm air rises, put the exhaust in the top and back. I guess Vapor's going to prove that with enough air flow, it doesnt matter what direction.

Love the color combo - I would get a white cube as well with black insides and black drives/devices.

[Vapor]

Well, I figure that with an 18x18x18 case with HDDs, DVDs, HSFs, etc, you have maybe 3cubic feet of air.

One YL SL @ 12V moves ~48 cubic feet of air per minute. Theoretically the case's air is completely 'refreshed' 16 times a minute, or once every 4 seconds (or just under). Of course, that requires a zero restriction case....and still wouldn't direct air on the radiators.

With my setup, I have 3xSL@10.5V (on the HDD bays, due to the restriction don't do much more than SL@5V), 3x YLSL@5V + PSUs for exhaust. I have 4xYLSL@5V and 2xYLSM@5V for intake. This adds up to about a 150CFM free-flowing air system. i.e., the case's volume is 'emptied and filled' about every second. Because the airflow is also very directed, and not random, there is not much restriction nor are there hot-spots (that matter...maybe above the DVD-RW drives, but who cares about those, lol).

Convection doesn't stand a chance ;)

(btw, I'd like to thank the WCers here for the idea, though none know they gave me the idea....I saw that they would always put the 'fresh' air on their radiators regardless of placement and decided to do the same thing with air :))

[Ar3s]

I did that before for my rig unfortunately i didn't as many vents for exhaust so over time it got warm within the casing. I works great to get th CPU the fresh air first. I love to see the temps when you have the time to post them.

[septim]

fresh air on the rad is the best air your rad could get.

looking good Vapor.

[hoax]

Well, I figure that with an 18x18x18 case with HDDs, DVDs, HSFs, etc, you have maybe 3cubic feet of air.

One YL SL @ 12V moves ~48 cubic feet of air per minute. Theoretically the case's air is completely 'refreshed' 16 times a minute, or once every 4 seconds (or just under). Of course, that requires a zero restriction case....and still wouldn't direct air on the radiators.

With my setup, I have 3xSL@10.5V (on the HDD bays, due to the restriction don't do much more than SL@5V), 3x YLSL@5V + PSUs for exhaust. I have 4xYLSL@5V and 2xYLSM@5V for intake. This adds up to about a 150CFM free-flowing air system. i.e., the case's volume is 'emptied and filled' about every second. Because the airflow is also very directed, and not random, there is not much restriction nor are there hot-spots (that matter...maybe above the DVD-RW drives, but who cares about those, lol).


thank you Vapor.. that is very nice information to keep in mind :up: :up: :up:

[ex2cib]

ok, since you arn't answering me elsewhere, did you ever get the RMA'd board back yet? and finish the right side of the case??? yes or no, whats the timeframe on that side of the case?

edit: and , i hate your avatar btw....and you probably know why, and if you dont, nov 10..football.

[GAR]

nice, 2 systems in one case, thats awsome.