Updates posted directly in thread from now on... this page is getting too slow to load
29/05/08
A little more progress today... My fan controler arrived so i can complete the res
Return barbs on, and I put an elbow on for the fill port res, this is tapped half into the ceiling of the res so itll be the highest point so the air will escape.
Pumps on
Installing was a bit fiddly, Im hoping those minor kinks will sort themselves out
Kaze Master in
now for some moood lighting..... damn that bit of paper ruining my shot!
well thats about all i can do till my blocks get here....
28/05/08
While I wait for my blocks to arrive i decided to tube up the radiators.
This is probably going to go down as the longest build in history :/
Tight fit
Floor back in
A nice gap at the front for the return lines without needing to cut
Leak testing
26/05/08
Arrrg... I just found out my water blocks are still 2-3 weeks away... shoulda just ordered them from EK direct
oh well...
here is the latest little update:
Stealthing the DVD Drive
first I grabbed a spare faceplate... lots of those laying round
put some double sided tape across the back
folded the flaps down
a bit more double sided tape, with a pad for the drive button
pop it on the drive... but dont peel the backing tape off the button pad
which one is it?
cost me about 20 cents and about 10 minutes!
Im also thinking about putting the res/pumps up the top.... that way i can install a fill port in the top of the case... just gota figure out how to route the return lines...
25/05/08 5pm
reassembled the case... slight change in plans, im moving the res up one bay and sacrificing the second dvd drive.
This will let me install a fan controller and make routing the return tubes easier.
I ordered a black sythe kaze master... only 1A per channel but that will let me run 4 of those ACRyan Blackfire4s from each channel and give me some temp readouts
25/05/08
A long time between updates and not much progress to report.
Still waiting on delivery of my waterblocks... funny that the first thing i ordered will be the last to arrive :/
well i finnished off the res by adding a bracket to secure the pumps.
A couple of UV LEDs and and a temp probe in the redundant inlet/outlet ports
This is just with water... should look cool with the UV blue coolant. Only thing left to do in it is to tap the inlet ports, but ill do this when i do the final assembly
14/05/08
I dont have room for a fan controller and besides i think they are a waste of time... id only ever use "all fans max" or "all fans min" so i decided to make up a little switch. Basically I want my machine to be quiet and sedate when idle or just working, then press a button it goes into game mode with the fans, and the leds and the cold cathodes n'hay.
After a lot of help from the guys over in the xtreme mods section, I went down to the local electronics store and bought a bread board, a DPDT relay and a handfull of resistors.
hooked it all up
Low noise mode for idle
Xtreme Mode!!!!22one! for gaming and general n00b pwnage
The iphone camera doesnt really do it justice... it really fires up when you hit the switch... one more click and its quiet as. I'll post a vid once ive got it set up properly.
now.... whered i put my soldering iron....
12/05/08
modding the dual drivebay res to mount dual DDC 3.2s'
My koolance G1/4 ram connectors arrived today so I can mount the pumps to the res. Some guys in another thread were asking how to tap a G1/4 thread so ill go into a little more detail on that operation.
First I set out the hole locations and used a nail to punch the centres, this way the drill bit wont wander... I was sure to "measure twice, drill once" and since it takes about two weeks to get gear from the states I measured once more for good measure
If you have a drill press use it... I only had a cordless drill so my allignment isnt perfect, if you use a vice to hold the res be sure to protect it with a rag.
I found that a slow speed works best, when you can feel the bit cutting the plastic and u get a nice even swarf coming off you know you are at the right speed, take extra care as the bit penetrates the other side as it has a tendancy to bite and could crack your res.
Now its time to tap that.... hole.... um... .... moving right along
I didnt use any cutting oil because i was unsure how it would react with the plastic... I figured it was soft material so shouldnt be a problem. Really there is nothing to it, place the tap in the hole and turn. For metals its best to do a full turn forward and a quater turn back to break off the swarf and ensure a clean thread, probably not as big an issue with plastic, but i did anyway to be sure.
Drilled, tapped and flushed
Fittings installed
perfik
leak testing...
done!
11/05/08 12:24 AM
After a trial assembly with the rad in it turns out those vibration mounts are a fraction too tall, looks like im going to have to go back to evian 26's idea of just bolting them to the floor and using a nut or some washers as packers to get it up a little.
10/05/08
Another small update... mounting the 480GTX!
After centre-punching the holes using the radsupport as a template i drilled and tapped some M4 holes.
man I havent done this since high school... but i remembered its 1/2 turn forward, 1/4 back with a little cutting oil to lube it up.
I found these vibration mounts from my alphacool ddc top which is in another machine.
that should do the trick.... I need more of these things if anyone knows where to get them from!
need to get some shorter screws
and there it is
06/05/08
Not much progress today, after ordering some 3/8 ID tubejust stripped out the innards and laid out the basement.
Looks like I will need to end for end the 240 because the elbows were clashing, I know its not preferable to have the flow going downwards in the rad but im sure itll be ok.
05/05/08
Well i wasnt going to make this a full blown work log, but id hate to disappoint my subscribers
I will add updates to this first post so people dont need to trawl through to find out where im up to with the build.
I received a couple of boxes full of bits from Performance PCs today, the rads, res, pumps and most of the fittings ill be needing
This is what the front will end up looking like... I also plan on doing AndyM's LianLi CD Bezel mod to keep with the slick black look.
All the bits on the table... hope my g/f doesnt mind eating out for a few weeks
I think i went overboard with the fittings
My first hitch... and I havent even started up the jigsaw
on the left is a alphacool 3/8 fitting, on the right a koolance, in the middle some 3/8 tube... how the heck is that tube suppose to fit on the koolance fitting?
04/05/08
Hi guys,
Ive been lurking in these forums for a while now learning as much as I can about water-cooling and putting ideas together for my next build.
Ive knocked up a concept in sketchup and would appreciate any comments you guys have on my setup.
You will need to use your imagination a bit because I didnt draw up all the waterblocks.
Most of the sketchup components are from The Sketchup Components Collection... bigups to scooby, his work is flawless
Basically its going to be dual loop with a common res.
Loop 1 res>pump1>GFX1>GFX2>GFX3>GTX480>res
Loop 2 res>pump2>CPU>Mosfet>GTXM184>Mosfet>NB>SB>GTX240>R es
Im using 3/8 tubing and all ek waterblocks, supreme for the CPU, FC88's for the 8800 Ultras. Im a little worried about clearance on the middle gfx card, but i guess ill see when my parts arrive.
im thinking of mounting the pumps to the underside of the res by drilling and tapping a couple of G1/4 holes and then using the koolance Ram-35 sliding connection nozzles (unless anyone can give me a better idea)
Im also planning on using the koolance shutoff nozzles, pannel mount for the connection through the floor to the rads, and again to the pumps for easy removal of the mobo tray... anyone have any opinions on these?
Props to AndyM for showing me how to do a TJ07 right and virtualrain for getting me interested in watercooling in the first place.
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by the way, where are the hard drives?
Originally Posted by biftek.
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