Project Bright Panel: Corsair 800D, Liquid Cooled, Illuminated Mid Panel

[Mr_Armageddon]

Project Index

01) Project Into & Build Components
02) My Workspace, Case Cutting, Illuminated Vandal Switches
03) Illuminated Mid-Panel Construction
04) Sleeving Materials have Arrived
05) My "Helper"
06) Sleeving Tools
07) Component P0rn
08) Component P0rn Continued...
09) Illuminated Mid-Panel "Cut Away" View
10) Illuminated Mid-Panel "Exploded" 3D View
11) PSU Cable Sleeving
12) SATA Cable Sleeving
13) SATA Cable Sleeving Continued...
14) New Components Have Arrived
15) Corsair Sleeved Cables Mini-Review, and More Sleeving…
16) Sleeving... COMPLETED!
17) AquaComputer PowerAdjust 2
18) Homeade Oak Longbow (reason for project delays)
19) New Corsiar "Air Series" Fans
20) New Fans are INSTALLED!
21) Corsair Fans Performance Data
22) Switch to Mayhem Pastel liquid and Blue Berry dye
23) New Durelene Tubing
24) New Tubing & Liquid
25) PowerAdjust 2 / Pump Setup
26) Fan Extensions & Leaking Res
27) Fan Controller Review / Walkthrough - Corsair Link
28) Fan Controller Review / Walkthrough - AqauComputer Aquaero 5 LT
29) New Res, FINISHED the Build
30) Final Build Pics

I am starting a new bulid log, because my old one would have been way to difficult to modify / edit with all the new changes and case mods I am working on.

Component wise, not much will change, but I am adding some cool upgrades like enhanced case lighting via an illuminated mid-panel, and an AquaComputer monitoring / control system, custom sleeving, etc. Here is an early design of what I am shooting for, built in Google SketchUp.



It will be a liquid cooled PC with one giant loop, using 2 pumps in series. I am using the Corsair Obsidian 800D, and this case is a monster. I love the all black look, inside and out. I had to make a few minor modifications for the two loop system to work, but the mod went great, and I am pleased with the results.

Here is the Parts List:

* Case: Corsair Obsidian 800D Full ATX
* Power Supply: Silverstone ST1000-P
* Motherbord: EVGA X58 Classified 3
* CPU: Intel i7 Core 970
* RAM: 12GB Corsair Dominator @ 1600MHz
* GPU: 1 EVGA GTX 580 Hydro Copper 2
* GPU: 2 EVGA GTX 580 Hydro Copper 2
* GPU: 3 EVGA 9800GT (Dedicated PhysX, and to power side LCD monitors when SLI in enabled)
* Sound Card: Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Edition
* Hard Drive 1: Intel X-25m 160GB SSD (Operating System & Programs)
* Hard Drive 2: WD Black 1TB (Game/Steam Installs)
* Hard Drive 3: Seagate 500GB (User Files)
* Hard Drive 4: Seagate 2TB (Storage)
* Optical Drive: Asus Blu-Ray / DVD+R
* Fan Pump Controller: AquaComputer Aquaero5
* Pump Controller: AquaComputer Power Adjust Ultimate x2

Section 01
* Tubing: PrimoFlex Pro LRT UV Blue Tubing -3/8in. ID X 5/8in. OD (10ft)
* Coolant: Distilled Water w/ Kill Coil & PT Nuke
* Reservoir: XSPC Acrylic Dual 5.25in. Reservoir
* Pump: Swiftech MCP350 12 VDC Pump
* Radiator: HardWare Labs X-Flow Extreme III
* CPU Block: Swiftech APOGEE HD
* MoBo Block: EK-EVGA X58 Classified Full Board Waterblock
* Fittings: Bitspower Matte Black... and lots of them
* Fans: Cooler Master R4 120mm Blue LED Fan R4-L2R-20AC-GP (x3)

Section 02
* Tubing: PrimoFlex Pro LRT UV Blue Tubing -3/8in. ID X 5/8in. OD (10ft)
* Coolant: Distilled Water w/ Kill Coil & PT Nuke
* Reservoir: XSPC Acrylic Dual 5.25in. Reservoir
* Pump: Swiftech MCP350 12 VDC Pump
* Radiator: HardWare Labs GTX240
* GPU Block: The EVGA GTX 580 Hydro Coppers come with a custom Swiftech WB pre-installed
* Fittings: Bitspower Matte Black... and lots of them
* Fans: Cooler Master R4 120mm Blue LED Fan R4-L2R-20AC-GP (x4 - Push/Pull)

***Note Regarding EVGA Warranty****
I have been wanting to re-do my build for a while now, and a faulty USB controller on my EVGA X58 finally pushed me to get it done. EVGA's customer support and Warranty programs are amazing! They cross-shipped me the motherboard, and actually upgraded me to the newest version (of the X58 platform). I try to buy all my GPUs and Motherboards from them, and after that experience, I will continue to do so.

I have a bunch more pictures from the work I have started on this week, so stay tuned

[Mr_Armageddon]

My Workspace

Got the workspace all set up and ready to go. Our storage room was a mess, so we spent the weekend cleaning and organizing everything. Added a pegboard wall for my tools. All my larger "Power Tools" stay out in the garage. I wanted this stuff in the storage room so I could work on my electronics (and clean my guns) in a semi dust free environment.


*The purple tools on the right are my wife's. That side of the workbench is her sewing area.

Case Cuts / Holes

I decided to remove all of the rubber grommets from the case, and enlarge a few of the cable management holes. Also drilled a few additional holes for cable management clamps. Here is everything before I took the Dremel Tool to it. I also modified the bottom of the case to accept a 2x120 Radiator. I had previously made some cuts down there, but wasn't too happy with the end result, so started over.


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With this big hole on the bottom of the case now, I decided I needed a good solution for dust management. I made using acrylic and Silverston fan filters a custom dust filter to go on the bottom of the case. It secures to the case with magnets, and works great. It only shows 1 filter, but there are now 2 installed.
Also showing a diagram here outlining what types of fasteners I used to secure the fans to the radiators, and radiators to the case. I found it strange that my top 120.3 Radiator uses SAE (6-32), but the bottom 120.2 Radiator uses Metric (M4-.7).


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Here is a shot of my radiators with the fans installed. I did some minor sleeving, but didn't want to go through the hassle of actually disassembling the fans. The parts that are not black are hidden from view, so I am OK with how it turned out.


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Here we have the opening on the bottom of the case for the 120.2 rad. I used a fan grill to help secure everything to the case, since some of the fastening holes were on the honeycomb grid of the case, and didn't tighten down as much as I would have liked. Picture to the left shows the magnetic fan filter installed over the opening. It is really easy to take off and put back on, and hopefully keeps my case dust bunny free.


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Illuminated Vandal Switches

I decided to use some Illuminated Vandal Switches (Latching, 16mm), to toggle on/off both the LED Strip on the interior of the case, and the illuminated mid-panel. Here is a pic during the soldering process. Vandal switch in the death grip of my Octo Helping Hands setup. To the right is the completed switch, along with the resistor so I don't burn out the LED (470 Ohm, .3w, 5% tolerance), and my custom "Quick Disconnect" power connectors. I did end up sleeving it, but forgot to take a picture before I installed them.


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And here they are installed on the top of the case. The one to the left (Blue Ring), is the switch for the LED Strip along the outer edges of the case. The one to the left (Blue Dot), is the switch for the illuminated mid-panel. They turned out really well and work great. Only downside is my 2yr old is a button freak, and now tries to toggle them on/off every chance he gets.



Next set of pics... Illuminated Mid-Panel construction.

[Mr_Armageddon]

Illuminated Mid-Panel

I have always been envious of the lighting methods used on the MurderMods and Million Dollar PC. Most of the guides explaining how to build one used Electroluminescent panels, which I could not find in the right size (or for a reasonable price) here in the US. So I set out to build my own using acrylic panels and a white LED light strip. Just like my initial case layout, I built my "mock-up" in SketchUp.

Here we have my 3 panels I will be using. I used 1x Mirrored Acrylic, 1x Clear Acrylic, and 1x White Acrylic. They will be constructed in that order, with an LED strip on the sides "shooting" light inwards. The housing will be a box made of Black Acrylic. The hole will be where some of my tubing will pass through. Once the whole was drilled, I polished the sides to allow for better light transmission on the clear and white panels.


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On the left is a pic of the completed box, with the bottom mirrored layer installed. To the right is the light strip I used for my build. Purchased it off of Amazon for a really good price. It is very bright, and easy to work with.


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Just an idea of how the light strip will adhere to the box, on top of the mirrored acrylic. Also shown is the end of the light strip, where I cut it, and soldered on the contact points. It can be powered by any 12v source, and requires only 25w to light the entire strip. So I am able to power both the internal case strip and my mid panel with just one 4-pin molex connection.


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Here is the completed mid panel box. The clear layer sits between the mirrored and white acrylic panels. I did a bunch of tests and found that this "sandwich" combo provided the best light transmission. I first tried laing the white layer directly on top of the mirrored, but the light transmission was too weak. By using the clear in the middle, the light passes farther through the top panel, giving a brighter look.
On the right is a circuit I am using that allows me to alter the brightness levels of both the LED Strip around the case perimeter, and the mid panel. It has 3 settings (High, Mid, Low), and works very well. Only downside is that in order to adjust it, I have to remove my case panel, but once I find my preferred brightness level, I probably won't touch it again. I installed it on the back of the CPU plate for easy access to the wiring for the Vandal switches.


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Here we have the lighting install and running, with a comparison of brightness with the different parts turned on. I used my phone camera for these pics, so it looks much brigher and washed out than it does in person. Time to bust out the DSLR for some better quality pics, but I may wait until the final gallery pics once everything else is installed. Here we have both parts lit up, along with the lights in the room turned on.


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And here we have the room lights turned off. One pic shows illumination with just the mid panel, the other combines the light from the LED strip that lines the interior of the case.


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Next up... sleeving and component :banana::banana::banana::banana:

[Mr_Armageddon]

All my sleeving materials finally arrived from Nils over at MDPC-X. It arrived in 3 different packages, and it looks like very good quality stuff!



I am going with primarily Black sleeve with a few Royal Blue highlights. Also making all custom power cables so the lengths with be perfect, and allow for better cable management. Sleeving is going to take a while, so I will post some other pics of components and such during the process.

[Mr_Armageddon]

My "Helper"

I mentioned earlier that my 2yr old is a button freak. Well I caught him red handed turning my mid panel on and off over, and over again. Those illuminated vandal switches are just too much temptation for him. I'm glad his older sister doesn't share his love of button pressing.



Looks like I need to put the case up high until this build is done, at which time I can move it into the office (which has a locked door ).

[Mr_Armageddon]

Spent a bit of time last night getting my fittings and sleeving materials organized for easier access. I am waiting on one more component to arrive, then I will hammer down on sleeving some custom sized PSU cables.


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Also set up all the tools I will need to complete my cables. I was a bit hesitant on buying the crimping tool from MDPC since it was more expensive than what I can find locally. But after actually crimping a few terminals, it runs circles around my old crimping tool. Very glad I went with this one, as it will probably help the sleeving process go faster.



I plan on mounting the Motherboad tonight so that I can get exact measurements on cable length, allowing me to finally start the sleeving process. I have never attempted to sleeve anything with the quality of materials provided from MDPC-X, so I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out.

[Mr_Armageddon]

Component P0rn

Still waiting on a few fittings to arrive, and have just started making my custom length PSU cables. Cables and sleeving will take a while, so in the mean time, here are some nice shots of most of the components going into this build.

EVGA GTX580 HydroCopper 2 - 2X for SLI

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Some of the Bitspower Black fittings I will be using, and the Primoflex Blue tubing.

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Here are the AquaComputer USB PowerAdjust 2 Ultras that I will be using to control pump speed. The Ultra version can control speed based off of liquid temps, so it should be a nice addition, and keep pump noise to a minimum until faster speeds are needed.

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Here we have the AquaComputer Aquaero 5 LT. Pretty powerful monitoring and fan control too. I may end up using something different to control all of the fans in my system, but as of right now, this guy is it. The USB PowerAdjusts operate independently from the Aquaero, so you can kind of mix and match to fit your exact needs.

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[Mr_Armageddon]

Component P0rn Continued...

More Hardware Shots
Here is my Primary OS SSD, and Intel X-25m 160GB. Not the fastest on the block anymore, but still a really good and reliable SSD. I have 3 other HDDs in this build, but didn't deem it necessary to take pics of them. Also have my Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Edition. I use the Optical Output to power my Logitech Z-5500 speaker setup. Sounds great.

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Here are some EK Waterblocks that I will be using. One of the left is for my X58 motherboard Chipset and VREGs. The other is a RAM block for my Corsair Dominator sets.

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Before and After shots of the RAM block. Noting too special, but I like Before / After shots

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And here is my motherboard with blocks installed, along with the Swiftech Apogee HD that I will be using. Really nice looking block, and I am glad it comes all black. Saves me from having to paint it like I have done previous blocks.

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[LeandroJVarini]

nice hardware! more beautiful their workplace!

[Mr_Armageddon]

nice hardware! more beautiful their workplace!

Thank you.

I am still working on the sleeving and waiting for a few more fittings to arrive, but here is a small update. I spent a bit of time working on my tubing runs. Not complete yet, but this will give somewhat of a preview of the look I am going for.


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[ying]

Wow the midplate is awesome :O!

And the tubing work is really good! One question, are you planing to left the rear fan space free or it's just temporal?

[Mr_Armageddon]

Wow the midplate is awesome :O!
And the tubing work is really good! One question, are you planing to left the rear fan space free or it's just temporal?

Thanks. I will be replacing the rear exhaust fan, just had to remove it to install the LED strip. I will be using 120mm instead of the stock 140 it came with for the same reason.

[Mr_Armageddon]

I have recived a few PMs for more clarification on how I built the illuminated mid panel. So here is a "cut-away" view of the light box I constructed that sits atop the mid panel.



There are many other ways to go about doing this, but after some experimenting with different materials, and thickness, this is what turned out the best for my needs. Hopefully this along with the close up pictures I have posted, will clear up any other questions that still may be floating about.

[Mr_Armageddon]

Because others have been asking for measurements, in addition to the cut away view of the illuminated mid panel above, I have uploaded my SketchUp modle to the 3D Warehouse. It shows an assembled view, along with an exploded view of the panel. Dimensions are inches because that is what my local plastics shop required to make the cuts. It can be downloaded here.



I have also made available my 3D Modle for the Swiftech Apogee HD CPU block. Get it here. There are other waterblocks on the 3D Warehouse, but I couldn't find any for the newer Apogee HD, so I made it.

[Mr_Armageddon]

Sleeving

I knew it would take a while to make my own custom length cables (for better cable management), and then sleeve them... but I had no idea my fingers would get so abused in the process. Stretching out the sleeving material over and over again to get it nice and tight over the wires has taken its toll, especially on the ends of my thumbs. Too bad the large calluses on my hands from weight lifting don't extent to the tips of my fingers and thumb. Going to take a break for a day or two and finish my tubing runs.

But a little discomfort is well worth it to get good looking sleeved cables. Not too shabby for my first attempt using MDPC materials. I also want to say that the MDPC Crimping tool is worth its weight in gold! Such a great crimping tool compared to others I have used. Perfect crimps every time!


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[Slave1974]

How did you get your XSPC dual bay res to lock in? Mine is very loose, the 4 holes don't seem to line up with any of the tooless bay clips in this case.

[Mr_Armageddon]

How did you get your XSPC dual bay res to lock in? Mine is very loose, the 4 holes don't seem to line up with any of the tooless bay clips in this case.

I had to drill my own holes. I love the hot swap bays for HDDs, but not a big fan of the "tool-less" 5.25in bay options in the 800D. They are kind of flimsy, and don't secure things as well as I would like.
On one side of the case, you can clip the metal brackets that cover one of the Res Bay holes, and apply a screw there to help secure it. But on the tool-less side, I had to drill a small hole and put a screw in to eliminate any wobble.

[Slave1974]

I don't understand. My 800d came with plastic clips that would go on a drive, but no metal brackets came with mine

[Mr_Armageddon]

I had to drill my own holes. I love the hot swap bays for HDDs, but not a big fan of the "tool-less" 5.25in bay options in the 800D. They are kind of flimsy, and don't secure things as well as I would like.
On one side of the case, you can clip the metal brackets that cover one of the Res Bay holes, and apply a screw there to help secure it. But on the tool-less side, I had to drill a small hole and put a screw in to eliminate any wobble.

I don't understand. My 800d came with plastic clips that would go on a drive, but no metal brackets came with mine

On the side that has the sliding plastic clips I had to drill a small hole to secure the Res better using a screw. The other side has some small flexible metal clips that line up with the holes in most 5.25in devices. All they do is squeeze a small raised point into the hole, they don't actually secure anything very well. So I cut one of the clips off, and now I can use a screw and better secure the Res in that location. See pic below.

[Bolas]

So... do you give lessons?!? Your work and your organization are top-notch!

[Mr_Armageddon]

So... do you give lessons?!? Your work and your organization are top-notch!

What my build log doesn't count as modding lessons

SATA Cable Sleeving

I worked on sleeving my SATA Data cables tonight, but ran into a bit of a hiccup. Two of my 5 cables have both right angle ends. It is near impossible to get the shrink tube over those ends, so I was only able to sleeve the SATA cablest that had a least one straight connection.



I ordered some new cables from Newegg that can be sleeved property. Ended up getting some round SATA cables for easier cable management. Should have them in a few days. Some of my other components should also be arriving at that time allowing to to finish up the rest of the sleeving.

And just a word of advise to anyone that wanting to sleeve their SATA cables... I had to stretch out my shrink tubing (a lot) for it to go over the connection heads. Otherwise it is VERY difficult to get them over. Maybe it is just the brand of cables I am using, but it seemed much more difficult than it should have been.

[soxism]

Love the Sata Cable sleaving Job... and Naturally the Mid Plate looks Fantastic. Cant wait to see the Rest of the PC

[JoaoBezerraNeto]

Just perfect!

[Mr_Armageddon]

Love the Sata Cable sleaving Job... and Naturally the Mid Plate looks Fantastic. Cant wait to see the Rest of the PC

Thanks! Hopefully the new round SATA cables will turn out nice once sleeved.

Just perfect!

Thank you.

This build is taking me a lot longer than anticipated, but will be worth the wait. Doesn't help that I am also doing a bunch of new landscaping and yard work at my house this week. I do a bit every night when I get home from work, and by the time I am done, there is no desire left to work on my PC not to mention my hands are usually too tired to even attempt sleeving my new round SATA cables. Stupid shovel work...

Slow and steady wins the race... Right?

[Mr_Armageddon]

SATA Cable Sleeving Continued...

Finally got around to sleeving my new Round SATA Cables. The look great and are a bit easier to bend. Also went ahead and sleeved the motherboard header pins along with the USB header from the front panel.



I ran into a bit of a problem when trying to plug the cables into the mobo with the heat-shring tubing installed. They were a bit more stiff than normal, making them difficult to bend, and adding a bit too much stress for my liking in the SATA port. So I ended up using my heat gun again on the areas that had the shrink tube making it nice and hot. While still pliable, I inserted the SATA Cables into the Motherboard, and allowed them to cool with the exact bend angles that I wanted. Now they fit perfectly without any undue stress on the ports.



Still waiting on one more major component to arrive before I can finish sleeving. Not a whole lot I can do until then, but I might do some leak tests in the mean time.