Interitus
07-17-2011, 03:43 PM
Was going to post this in the Aquaero 5 thread, but figured it might turn into more than just Aquaero questions.
Ok here we go....
Basically I have just built my first water cooled rig, and I'm looking into getting some of the fancy "toys" that are available for monitoring etc. There's a number of things I'd like to add and be able to do with the loop that include the following:
1) I want a flow meter. I was thinking either the Koolance FM18 model or the AC one if I decide on an Aquaero.
2) I have 12 fans (13 including a RAM cooler) and I need a more elegant solution to control these (more on this below)
3) I'm planning on getting QDC's. Probably start off with 2 pair, so I can fully detach the motherboard tray from the case more so than to switch out parts often.
4) I have one LED strip and a single 5mm LED in the res to light it up a bit. However I may wind up switching out my Iandh res for a Cape Fuzion as the single LED just doesn't do much.
5) I use two MCP355's w/ EK serial top for redundancy so I was pondering the idea of some sort of pump control (maybe entirely unnecessary here)
6) Also pondering the use of heatsinks on the 355's but this looks to be a pain and they're already parked in front of a fan.
All that considered, I've obviously included the QDC's and one of the two flow meters as necessary purchases.
What I'm really confused on is how I can get this all bundled into one device or several that work together. The Aquaero seemed like a good fit, but I'm unsure if it can accomplish all I would want it to do. I have also looked at the PowerAdjust and Multiswitch as possible add-ons to the Aquaero here. If I go the Aquaero route, what would I need to add to it, and/or what would it not be able to do from the following?
-Control all 12-13 fans (no PWM here, just standard 3-pin Yates and GT's, preferably 4 channels, 2 for each rad and 2 or more for case fans)
-Control both MCP355's
-Control up to 5 LED's/Light strips with ON/OFF function
-Read flow rates (obviously i need the flow meter for this)
The fan situation as-is is a mess. I had originally purchased some of the ModMyToys PCB's to clean up the wiring a bit, but they didn't work out. All the fans are currently hooked up to a Lamptron FC-5 with 3 fans on each of the channels using splitter cables. Which needless to say creates quite the mess of wires on the rear side of the case. I had thought about buying some PCB and creating my own little distribution block for the fans, but my soldering skills leave a lot to be desired and I would want it to be better looking than a solderless board. Even if I wound up getting an Aquaero I would need to figure something out here.
Any other must-have goodies I'm leaving out?
Sorry for the long post. Lots of questions :(
Ok here we go....
Basically I have just built my first water cooled rig, and I'm looking into getting some of the fancy "toys" that are available for monitoring etc. There's a number of things I'd like to add and be able to do with the loop that include the following:
1) I want a flow meter. I was thinking either the Koolance FM18 model or the AC one if I decide on an Aquaero.
2) I have 12 fans (13 including a RAM cooler) and I need a more elegant solution to control these (more on this below)
3) I'm planning on getting QDC's. Probably start off with 2 pair, so I can fully detach the motherboard tray from the case more so than to switch out parts often.
4) I have one LED strip and a single 5mm LED in the res to light it up a bit. However I may wind up switching out my Iandh res for a Cape Fuzion as the single LED just doesn't do much.
5) I use two MCP355's w/ EK serial top for redundancy so I was pondering the idea of some sort of pump control (maybe entirely unnecessary here)
6) Also pondering the use of heatsinks on the 355's but this looks to be a pain and they're already parked in front of a fan.
All that considered, I've obviously included the QDC's and one of the two flow meters as necessary purchases.
What I'm really confused on is how I can get this all bundled into one device or several that work together. The Aquaero seemed like a good fit, but I'm unsure if it can accomplish all I would want it to do. I have also looked at the PowerAdjust and Multiswitch as possible add-ons to the Aquaero here. If I go the Aquaero route, what would I need to add to it, and/or what would it not be able to do from the following?
-Control all 12-13 fans (no PWM here, just standard 3-pin Yates and GT's, preferably 4 channels, 2 for each rad and 2 or more for case fans)
-Control both MCP355's
-Control up to 5 LED's/Light strips with ON/OFF function
-Read flow rates (obviously i need the flow meter for this)
The fan situation as-is is a mess. I had originally purchased some of the ModMyToys PCB's to clean up the wiring a bit, but they didn't work out. All the fans are currently hooked up to a Lamptron FC-5 with 3 fans on each of the channels using splitter cables. Which needless to say creates quite the mess of wires on the rear side of the case. I had thought about buying some PCB and creating my own little distribution block for the fans, but my soldering skills leave a lot to be desired and I would want it to be better looking than a solderless board. Even if I wound up getting an Aquaero I would need to figure something out here.
Any other must-have goodies I'm leaving out?
Sorry for the long post. Lots of questions :(