Worklog: CM 690 + Water

[NickS]

Damn that looks great. Makes me want to paint mine black

[karl_eller]

WOW i love that black finish.

what spray paint did you use?

I used White Knight Satin Black Quick Dry Enamel, from my local Bunnings Warehouse over here in Australia.

You mean to say you didn't remove the hdd bay or anything when you painted? You just gutted it (lightly sand, clean) and sprayed? Wow!

Removing the HDD bay would require drilling out some rivets, and I figured it really wasn't worth the hassle. I've been able to get to everything I can see, so I'm quite happy with it.

One question I have in terms of painting the inside black - will it affect case temperatures much given that black absorbs heat more than the typical metal shine?

It might raise internal case temperatures by a couple of degrees, but I'm not hugely worried. It'd really just be the metal heating up a tad, and the air flow should mean that the temps on the components don't change much.

Eller

[Jedda]

Are you using trim on your back board cut outs?
I found the Fan trim from PC Case Gear worked out nicely to stop my leads rubbing on the sharp edges.

[phelan1777]

GRRRRRRRRRRRR more and more I want to tear mine apart and get to modding it.

STOP TEASING ME!

[karl_eller]

Are you using trim on your back board cut outs?
I found the Fan trim from PC Case Gear worked out nicely to stop my leads rubbing on the sharp edges.

That's the same stuff I'm getting. The edges of the cuts are still fairly rough, despite being filed down, so I figured I should protect myself. I've already drawn blood once on this case

GRRRRRRRRRRRR more and more I want to tear mine apart and get to modding it.

STOP TEASING ME!

Well you're going to have to wait a day or two My order from Petra's should be here tomorrow, then I get to make ANOTHER trip to Bunnings hardware store (I'm surprised they don't know me by name now, considering how often I've been down there lately ), and then once my PC Case Gear order gets here, you'll get some more mod pics

Eller

[phelan1777]

I need to get Dremel cutting discs so I can remove the Fan grills, but when I do, its on from there, cause I have paint cans waiting to be used, but I will more then likely go the opposite and use white, as I like to see the inside of my case, and its much lighter when working inside the PC so TAKE THAT!

[DShankar]

So you sprayed right over all of the rivets (especially the ones on the back of the case)?
I was concerned about spraying over the nonremoveable ones.

[karl_eller]

So you sprayed right over all of the rivets (especially the ones on the back of the case)?
I was concerned about spraying over the nonremoveable ones.

Yep, if it wasn't a screw, and couldn't be taken out (without using power tools, anyway ), it was sprayed over. It would have been too much effort to drill out all the rivets, disassemble the case, paint it and then rivet it back together again, so I took the lazy man option and just sprayed everything

12 pm Monday over here, and AustPost still haven't delivered my package... I hope it gets here soon

Eller

[DShankar]

Yep, if it wasn't a screw, and couldn't be taken out (without using power tools, anyway ), it was sprayed over. It would have been too much effort to drill out all the rivets, disassemble the case, paint it and then rivet it back together again, so I took the lazy man option and just sprayed everything

12 pm Monday over here, and AustPost still haven't delivered my package... I hope it gets here soon

Eller

Let me know if you have any problems with that . I'm planning on buying my paints/dremel/sander etc. around the 26th.

[NaeKuh]

hey karl can you do me a favor.

Will the top fan holes line up with the MCR? Or am i going to have to mod that too?

[karl_eller]

hey karl can you do me a favor.

Will the top fan holes line up with the MCR? Or am i going to have to mod that too?

Afraid not. There is about 40mm between the 120mm fan holes, so you're going to have to mod it. Looks like you'll have to do a bit of modding.

Eller

[karl_eller]

Double post FTW!

Sorry about the lack of updates lately. I was waiting for my order from Petra's Tech Shop, and there was a slight mix-up on Australia Post's end. Turns out my package had been sitting at the local Post Office since Friday the 14th (today being Thursday the 20th), but there had been a problem with AustPost's contractor, and I hadn't been notified. Only found out 'cause I got fed up waiting and rang AustPost today.

So you should have a nice update later today, with lots of pictures. The case mods are finished, and I've got shots of my new stuff as I was unpacking it.

Random question: What's the best orientation of the barbs for a D-Tek FuZion? Is it Water Out at the top? I'm assuming that'd make it easier to bleed.

Also, have other people had problems with a lot of flash and mould lines on the O-Ring between the top section and the mid-chamger? That O-Ring is a bit of a mess, where as the o-ring between the mid section and the base-plate is clean. Pics will come tonight.

Eller

[karl_eller]

Update!!!

I told you that you'd get an update, and I guess you did. As it turns out, today was a fair bit less productive than I had originally hoped. Didn't get my stuff until about 1:30, cleaning everything took about an hour and a half, then I had to wire up the fans on the radiator, and some other bits and pieces. By then it was too late for me to break out the power tools to do the last couple of mods.

However since my last update, I've finished the vast majority of the things I need to do on my case. Last two things left are cutting out a window on the side panel, and drilling some ~20mm holes just above the rear 120mm fan mount to rout tubing out to the radiator.

But none the less, here are some pics of everything so far:

Mobo tray holes have fan hole moulding on them, to save both my cables and my hands/fingers:
Again, any apparent thin paint in these pics is just caused by the flash.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5722.jpg


http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5727.jpg

And like I said earlier, my water cooling is here! Yay!

Most of the stuff that came in the box:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5685.jpg

Swifty Micro-Res with D-Tek 1/2" barbs:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5688.jpg

Laing D5 Vario, with Petra'sTech "GelStuff""

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5690.jpg
That GelStuff is cool It's all squishy and stuff.

D-Tek FuZion CPU block w/ Thermalright LGA775 backplate (also using Accelerator Nozzles, but not shown in pic):

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5693.jpg

Swiftech MCR320 w/ D-Tek 1/2" Barbs:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5694.jpg
I was a little worried when I first ordered this. Swiftech lists the fan mounting holes as M3.5, which when I went looking for screws are impossible to find. Turns out that M3 screws work fine, as well as the standard PC screws for mounting hard drives and just about everything in a computer case

7/16" ID MasterKleer tubing, Swiftech HydrX, Yate Loon Highs, Accelerator nozzles, Enzotech Ramsinks, etc:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5700.jpg

This is how the O-Ring between the top and mid plates looked on my FuZion when it arrived:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5704.jpg
The o-ring on the other side was perfect. However all that flash came off very easily, and now both o-rings look almost identical.

Here's the wiring for my radiator fans:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5709.jpg
The top two fans were a real pain in the ass to splice, since the black cable is continuous from the bottom fan. So I had to split the wire, strip a section, splice the fan wires on, and then heat shrink.
Other side of the radiator sports 3 more black fan grills, plus some fly screen to act as a bit of a dust filter.

D-Tek 1/2" Barbs FTW:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5703.jpg


http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5716.jpg

And I haves me a prototype U-Bracket for mounting the radiator onto the back of the case:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/IMG_5720.jpg

That's 12mm x 3mm steel, and is an absolute pain in the ass to shape. I might have gone slightly over the top. My current production facilities (vice attached to a bench, plus a small sledge hammer) aren't quite up to the challenge of making 4 of those, so I think I might have to see if I can find something to double as an anvil...

Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to cut the window in the side panel, and start assembling my loop. Shall be fun

Eller

[septim]

nice package...

nice updates...

[Jim Morbid]

Need.To.Know.More!!!!!!!

I'm looking at WC my new setup but am still split between the Stacker STC and the 690... I'll be waiting for your further updates!

JM

[taylormsj]

Hey karl, you may be able to get some ideas for your project from here

http://www.diy-street.com/forum/show...t=81927&page=2

[NST6563]

that guy's 690 in that link is HOT! I love the way he setup the rad up top and re-did the mesh.

[smee]

More More More PICS!!!!!

Pleeeeeeaaaaaassssssssseeeeeeeee Karl????

lol

Keep up the good work!

[NaeKuh]

Man... i love your paint job the more and more i look at it.

my parts should arrive tomorrow from jab-tech, and i should start on my 690.

John was nice enough to include a xmas gift for me as well he gave me the DDC EK res bottom and res top. Just debating if i want to drop that on instead of an oclabs top /w swiftech microres.

karl can you do me a favor and messure the top of the case to the top motherboard standoff. I havent had time to pull the case out fully yet.

[karl_eller]

karl can you do me a favor and messure the top of the case to the top motherboard standoff. I havent had time to pull the case out fully yet.

40mm from the top of the case to the center of the first mobo stand-off. Call it 35mm once you give a little lee-way for the motherboard. So an MCR320 will JUST fit in there

Well I'm off to work, but the plans for today (after said work) are:
See if I can find suitable U-brackets, or else either some thinner steel strips, or else aluminum. I've given up on trying to hammer out that 12mm x 3mm steel stuff, and it's massive overkill anyway. I damn near ripped the vice I was using off the bench making that prototype bracket
Get the loop installed into the case (sans computer hardware), and hopefully start leak testing.
Cut window in the side panel, plus drill a few more holes in the case (that I forgot to do earlier )

Eller

[NaeKuh]

Thanks karl! Still waiting on your completion. Awesome job!

[pH(x)]

Any reason why you're going with such big (7/16 ID) tubes?

And slick cabling job on that MCR320 radiator, it looks professional.

[karl_eller]

Any reason why you're going with such big (7/16 ID) tubes?

The 7/16" ID 5/8" OD MasterKleer isn't that big. D5's use oversized 1/2" barbs (which are an absolute pain to get 3/8" tubing over), and DCC + top was more expensive (plus constantly out of stock). FuZion comes with 1/2" barbs (and are glued in, so a real pain in the ass to get out). 7/16" ID MasterKleer is cheaper than both 1/2" ID and 3/8" ID. Plus with 7/16" ID tubing on 1/2" barbs, I only need to use cable ties to make sure everything stays attached, while 3/8" on 3/8" needs clips, costing even more.
So it just ended up being a lot easier and a lot cheaper to use 7/16" tubing on 1/2" barbs.

Eller

[Nate P.]

Awesome update Carl.

[Manicdan]

how did u get a black topped fuzion, is that an option or did you paint it