Project "CUBEIT"

[IanY]

Geoff,

I have built quite a few systems. Never nce have I kinked a barb while using brute force, let alone snap one.

[septim]

do these g3/8 plastic/nylon barbs come out only long ones or are there actually short ones available.

there is actually no problems with these long barbs on other setups, but on my externally mounted PA, longer barbs would result in a little longer tubing.
(my rad is mounted out back, with barbs facing out at the moment.)

[GeoffP]

Geoff,
I have built quite a few systems. Never once have I kinked a barb while using brute force, let alone snap one.

I'm going to give the barbs a try out. Alternative is to order something else, cop the postage and wait time.

I'm sure they will be alright, otherwise they wouldn't be sold...

[ranker]

I'm going to give the barbs a try out. Alternative is to order something else, cop the postage and wait time.

I'm sure they will be alright, otherwise they wouldn't be sold...

I've kinked mine that were attached to my Swiftech MCR220QP. Plastic ones make it so hard to attach and especially remove since they bend with the pressure/torque that you apply. I had to bend it so hard that my plastic barbs had a permanent bend. Go chrome and never look back.

[GeoffP]

Well,
Couple of things to report.

Had a moment of weakness and ordered the AquaXtreme 3/8 > 1/2" Barbs from Petras, plus some PT Nuke and a bit more tubing as well.

That will take a few days to get here, so no building this weekend.

That is a good thing as I couldn't do anything anyways. My left knee has decided to pack it in, and the pain killers really stuffs with your head (drugs are bad, okaaaaaaaaaeeeee - my head is really spaced out right now )

I must say that Quoc absolutely ROCKS. I rang him up this morning my time (which would have been late afternoon at Petra's). Asked for some advice which was provided very politely. Sent an email querying postage, received a reply very quickly. Payed using PayPal and got a USPS tracking number from Quoc late evening (Petras time). FANTASTIC SERVICE. My goods will ship Friday, so maybe hit my office mid next week - maybe my knee might be a bit better (probably not - need a knee replacement )

Contrary to what the army says, running on hard roads in boots with a heavy backpack is NOT good for your knees...

Everyone have a great weekend now where are the rest of my drugs

[alpha0ne]

Wow great build Geoff, I hope maybe one day to build similar


Re Lock-On, I'm glad some others found it hard/steep learning curve, I thought it was just me = dumb

[ladderman]

Wow great build Geoff, I hope maybe one day to build similar


Re Lock-On, I'm glad some others found it hard/steep learning curve, I thought it was just me = dumb

These are the best barbs for PA120.3

http://store.over-clock.com/Barbs.html

[GeoffP]

Wow great build Geoff, I hope maybe one day to build similar

Re Lock-On, I'm glad some others found it hard/steep learning curve, I thought it was just me = dumb

It is a wee bit hard. Currently I only fly the Warthog & the Eagle. Way too much to learn to adequately pilot all the aircraft

[GeoffP]

As posted in another thread, I set about changing over one of my GPU's last Sunday.

Here it is in its fancy overcoat with all the bits ready to go:


And the important bit, the back of the cards where the screws are:


Tried out the bracket - DIDN'T FIT!! (excuse the blurriness)


Performance PC's didn't send the 2 x G80 brackets that I ordered with the MCW60's - bugger - no more work on Sunday.

Ended up getting the G80's from PCCaseGear in Melbourne on Monday. Would have taken too long to wait for PPC's to send them out.

Ssssoooooooo, onto tonight, bit more time on my hands.
Got my AquaXtreme 3/8 > 1/2" Barbs from Petras (Once again a huge thank you to Quoc [YOU ROCK MAN]) - Ordered them on Thursday (my time), got them Monday (my time) - OUTSTANDING. Wish Petra's was in Melbourne
NB: Also got TWO pens

Action photos of barbs before and after fitting:
I am going to buy some gloss black paint and spray the rad before I fit it as well.

Was going to fit the Scythe fans into the rad shroud to work out cabling requirements for the fans, bugger me, the fan self tapping screws diameter is too large for the pre-drilled shroud holes.
(very blurry photo again - got to work out the macro mode on my camera)
I will have to drill the holes out a bit to fit the screws I suppose.

Pushing on, I thought I would sleeve the 3 fans going into the rad shroud.

As always, take a photo or write down where everything is BEFORE you pull it apart:


Trying to work out best use of cable length:
It's amazing how black paint shows dirt, fluff, etc - LOL

Working out the cable run inside the rad shroud:
Got it sussed... everything has to come out the end.

That means some cable extensions. Also, 2 fans will paralleled together to run off 1 fan control point on the fan controller.

A bit of soldering and sleeving fun.

First the single fan:
And no, I don't smoke - bought the gas lighter for the cable shrink stuff.

Then the dual fans - I have circled where the solder joints are. Thought they were the best location for neatness:


That's it for tonight, might get some more done tomorrow however it's a holiday in Oz (ANZAC Day).

Probably go down to the beach with the family, have some fish and chips for lunch - yummee

[septim]

GeoffP, the fans goes on top of the shroud, not inside.

rad=>shroud=>fans

[GeoffP]

GeoffP, the fans goes on top of the shroud, not inside.

rad=>shroud=>fans

The fans fit perfectly between the rad and the shroud, thought that was the place for them to go

Can someone who has this setup please post a picture - seems weird to me to put the fans on the outside of the shroud when they seem to fit perfectly underneath it.

Not questioning you at all septim just seems weird to me.

Also, does it matter if they do fit as per my picture, is it going to effect the pulling performance of the fans?

[IanY]

Septim is absolutely right. Fans go on top of the shroud, which go on to the radiator. The shrouds are meant to keep the fans some distance from the radiator, and maintain a relatively airtight seal.

They way you have set them up is counterproductive and may even worsen the performance.

[septim]

yes it will affect cooling/pulling performance, the purpose of the shroud is to have additional space between fan and radiator so as to prevent deadspots when pulling air through radiator.

[GeoffP]

OK. Thanks guys.

Just to confirm that this is the correct config:


It's a great thing to have forums like this.

Helps keep us newbies pointed in the right direction and hopefully not make dumb decisions

[Grinch]

I think gasket goes under shroud

[GeoffP]

If in doubt, RTFM


Should have done this in the first case.

As I'm doing a pull config, I think it should go fan>gasket>shroud>rad>case>fan grill

I also have some 120mm fan filters - got them, just not sure if I really need them.
If I used them, I think they would go rad>filters>case>fan grill <--- Is this OK?

Do filters reduce air flow much? They would make it easier to keep crap out of the rad and inside of case, very easy to clean with a vacuum cleaner as well.

I also have a second gasket. I could do fan>gasket>shroud>rad>2nd gasket>case>filter>fan grill

Is it more of an advantage to have the rad hard up against the case (metal to metal) for better heat transference & dissipation into the case?

[septim]

sure no problem with sandwiching a filter there.

[GeoffP]

Geoff: why didn't you solder all the wires into one 3-pin connector?

The Zalman ZM-MFC1 6-Channel Fan Controller I'm using can only handle a maximum of 7W per channel.

The Scythe are 2.4W per fan. Three fans off one connector would be 7.2W - too much for one channel.

[septim]

could/did you test that it won't work with 3 fans in one channel? the most will probably be that a fan won't start.

[GeoffP]

could/did you test that it won't work with 3 fans in one channel? the most will probably be that a fan won't start.

I haven't connected the fan controller yet. I'm only going off specifications, and they are there for a purpose.

We rarely go past 60% load on power supplies when installing systems for work. I am applying the same rational. It is much better to spread the load and run a power supply (or in this case a fan controller point) at less than its maximum load.

[GeoffP]

so if a controller can handle enough, you can put all of them into one?

As long as you do not exceed the maximum current/wattage draw for a power supply, you can hook up as much as you want. (However it is good to spread the load and run under the maximum).

how does it evenly distribute the correct power to each fan?

The fans draw the required amperage/wattage - the power supply just has to be able to provide it. I am sure there are more qualified ppls here who could answer this question in more detail.

[GeoffP]

Totally ran out of time today - had so much planned.

My lovely wife woke up with a migraine, so all plans for going out were scrapped.

After the obligatory gardening, mowing lawns, etc I had about half an hour left to do something.

So I went to Bunnings, bought a can of spray enamel and let my rad have it.
Looks a million bucks now.

Then my son decided to see how far he could shove his finger into his brain...

[alpha0ne]

rad>filters>case>fan grill <--- Is this OK?

Do filters reduce air flow much? They would make it easier to keep crap out of the rad and inside of case, very easy to clean with a vacuum cleaner as well.

I also have a second gasket. I could do fan>gasket>shroud>rad>2nd gasket>case>filter>fan grill

Its much better to stop the dust before it gets into your rad, I have filter>rad>shroud>fans with the fans sucking which is quieter and more efficient

[MnM]

GeoffP: great work. Keep us updated as I think very soon I will get myself one of those cases as well. The rad you got - what type is it and where did you get it from? Doest it align with the holes/fans of the U2-UFO?

[sbrehm72255]

It's a Thermochill PA120.3 and they line up perfectly on the UFO's..........