PROJECT: MM Pinnacle 300 (previously Ugly Duckling)

[Kibbler]

heya Kibbler!

that run of tubing from the filter to your loop... how did you get it to stay in shape like that... it seems "planned" shape, not jsut a length of tube... right?

See how it's going from in focus to out of focus, it's bending towards the camera. Just an optical illusion.

Nice work!! keep showing and pics and good luck with catching the mouses

Thanks for the support ward0 (I'm having a hell of a time catching Furoma mice...wastin' my cheese )

Update?

Happy to say I've been using this rig for the past week or so (addicted to SF4 for that matter, despite the travesty that is GFWL) and it's running beautifully. Fully bled, no leaks, good temps. I'm very happy that both loops just...work! True plug and play. This niche has obviously come a long way from aquarium pumps and water wetter.

There are 2 irritating delays which is still holding things up:

-Koolance TMS200 is enroute back to Koolance via UPS expedited. There was a delay of a few days in getting the UPS shipping label emailed to me (part of the RMA process), but credits to Dean, 1 phone call and 10mins later all the necessary emails flew in 1 by 1. I hope it's fixed and gets back to me soon, because in the meantime there is a vomit of temporary wiring in the pci slots area that's splitting full-time 12V to pumps + fans. It's ugly and loud, and I hesitate to upload any photos of it in its current state.

-I have 1 last bit of metal work to do for the drive bay area, this is getting held up because the raw material (aluminum plate) has not arrived yet.

[Blizzy]

Hey Kibbler,

From what i've seen, you're using Enzotech heatsinks on the MOSFET, right ?

Are they good ?
Cause i need to replace mine on the R2E, and have 2 options, Enzotech or Thermalright, can't decide which one

We need pics of your loops runing

[shazza]

LOL ... I keep coming back to this thread hoping to see the updated pics to show this system in its full glory. Glad you're getting to use the PC while waiting for your RMA. Your attention to detail and creativity is amazing.

[Kibbler]

Hey Kibbler,

From what i've seen, you're using Enzotech heatsinks on the MOSFET, right ?

Are they good ?
Cause i need to replace mine on the R2E, and have 2 options, Enzotech or Thermalright, can't decide which one

We need pics of your loops runing

Yep they're Enzotech sinks. Are they good? I'm not taking mosfet temps so no comment there, but they are machined accurately, install easily (EK backplate highly recommended), and look nice. They also come with thermal pad pre-applied which saves you some trouble.

LOL ... I keep coming back to this thread hoping to see the updated pics to show this system in its full glory. Glad you're getting to use the PC while waiting for your RMA. Your attention to detail and creativity is amazing.

Lol, thanks Shazza, I appreciate your comment and I am sorry to continue to disappoint. Believe me I'm eager to get those final photos done, too. How about a compromise, some quick and dirty photos?

Oh BANANAS look at that goddamn mess, that's as far from "full glory" as it gets. That red sata? Gotta go.


I like this fan. Nice color.


Pretty pleased with how well the top portion worked out (except for that lousy temporary wiring )

[Assassin48]

Like The Pics so far

[charles_h]

I'm really digging that HD power cable array Kibbs, nicely done.

Looking forward to the next update.

[Kibbler]

(Shazza hope I'm not making your blood boil with these consistent photo-less updates lol!)

Let it be known that this project is DEFINITELY NOT dead. Just that progress has been slower in the final touch-up stage.

-I've been working on an aluminum stealthing plate that I think y'all will like. A lot of cutting, drilling, and lots and lots of filing and sanding has gone into it. I have no work-in-progress photos to show right now because...

1. I intend to show it fully once it is finished and powdercoated.
2. My hands were covered in aluminum dust from all the sanding and filing and I ain't gettin' that on my camera. No way.

Oh yeah, 100% dremel and filing Ashraf-style. None of that laser or water cutting you rascals enjoy.

-New radgrills on the way that I think will improve the overall look.

-New feet (goodbye little wheels you will be missed!)

Thanks for looking and I promise to keep updating!

[Kibbler]

Very happy with how things are coming along.

Scrap aluminum carnage. Somewhere in the world, the Lian Li where this came from now has a window. That sound insulation is a RIGHT B*TCH to get off.


Whoo my stealth plate! MM owners should have an idea where this will go. Bottom left is a spare USB backplate that I used as a drilling/filing template. Bottom right is a 16mm push switch for the eject button.


Like I said: All done by hand. Dremel, drill, file, and sandpaper. Sure it would have taken all of 30 minutes with a laser or water cutter, but where's the fun in that.

What's left?
-painting (or anodizing...if I can find a local shop to do it)
-some electrical work for the eject button

[GregSG]

Am interested in ur electrical works for the button

Thumbs up for sweating it out !

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

kibbler you didnt see my instructions on how to remove the foam did you? I posted in your thread...

[shazza]

Love your 'Stealth Plate.' Very creative stuff, and your dremel work is amazing. (Whew, glad you got some photos in the recent updates, you know how anxious I get )

[Kibbler]

Am interested in ur electrical works for the button

Thumbs up for sweating it out !

Thanks Greg. I will upload some photos of that process.

kibbler you didnt see my instructions on how to remove the foam did you? I posted in your thread...

I did see it, thanks, although it came a bit late. In the end I simply used boiling water, it's more eco friendly . I had removed enough (about 1/3 of the panel's worth) by the next day (Sunday, aforementioned thread was created Saturday) to get to work.

[bianco]

great cuts kib... as expected from the master of the nibbler; manual work is much more rewarding.

[Kibbler]

Love your 'Stealth Plate.' Very creative stuff, and your dremel work is amazing. (Whew, glad you got some photos in the recent updates, you know how anxious I get )

Thanks Shazza. Photos are the lipitor of worklogs. Blood pressures start to go up without them......

great cuts kib... as expected from the master of the nibbler; manual work is much more rewarding.

Thanks bianco, incidentally the poor little nibbler sat this one out. It has a tough time with thicker panels, even relatively softer aluminum. You hit the nail on the head (so to speak) on manual work. I find it is very rewarding.

[Kibbler]

Relocating a CD-ROM eject button, part I.

This is a simple mod but one that is seldom seen, so I decided to make a guide for it should anyone be interested. For my stealth plate it would have been great to laser-cut a flexible "tab" ala Murdermod to press the eject button, but sadly my skills are not up to the task. So I'm going forward with this instead. Hope you guys find it helpful.

Many photos here so let's keep them small. To enlarge, click to go to flickr, then click "all sizes" at the top.

1. Got my spare PSU set up to power the optical drive and a fan to make sure the power juices are flowing.


2. Fan spinning: check. Power: check. Hit the eject button: Check.


3. Disconnect everything, return the fan to spare parts storage hell. Flip over, attack weak points for massive damage (in this case, 4 screws). Unscrew and open.


4. Those 4 solder points in a trapezoidal arrangement, that's the eject button ('EJECT' is etched into the PCB). Aside: Every CD drive I've opened have 4 solder points for the switch, I dunno why there are always 4, 2 should be enough for a simple push-to-make circuit. Anyway, if you want to double check which ones you need, just plug in the drive, bridge 2 points (I used the surgical nippers above) and see if the drive opens. For me it's the top-left-most 2 points, so I'll need to solder extensions to them.


5. Alright flip her over again. Move the tray around until you can access the motor and rubber-band drivetrain.


6. There it is.


7. Gently undo the rubber band. I used a small allen wrench. Don't lose it.


8. Once the motor is disengaged you can gently extract the eject/led/motor PCB assembly, shown here.


9. Gently disconnect the thin flex cable from the main PCB, and you're left with this. Put the rest away, preferably in a ziploc to keep it dust free. If you intend to paint the steel exterior, might as well leave things disassembled yea.


Next up: Activity LED, soldering, re-assembly.

[shazza]

Oooh ... I have never seen that mod before, but I can see where it might come in very handy for some configurations. You just keep the good stuff coming - thanks!

[Kibbler]

Relocating a CD-ROM eject button, part II.

1. Let's start here.


2. De-solder the LED and remove it. Then panic as you look online to find out how to identify anode and cathode while the soldering iron is still plugged in.


3. That'll do.


4. Then ID the LED solder points.


5. Now solder 26awg wire to the eject + LED leads (4 total). Keep track of the LED PWR + GND wires. Once sleeved it'll be a b-tch to tell them apart. Alternatively, you can NOT be an idiot (like me) and use different colored wires.


6. Closeup.


7. Next, take your trusty drill...


8. ...and drill a hole somewhere on the back of the housing. Be careful, the bit will go through plastic like butter. I think that hole is...3/16"? 3/16"-ish.


9. Run the wires through that freshly-drilled hole. No mod is complete without sleeving eh?


10. Another angle. Throw a ziptie on the other side for stress relief. Pull it tight.


11. Throw some electrical tape over the connection area.


12. And that's pretty much it! Before re-assembly I cut out a rectangular piece of foam and placed it on top of the electrical taped area. Once the bottom panel is screwed back on the foam will keep pressure on the electrical tape insulation, keeping it in place even if it decides to un-sticky in the future.


13. Once re-assembled the wiring comes out neatly. Test your handiwork by plugging the PSU back in, stripping back the eject leads a bit and shorting them. If the tray opens, voila, mission accomplished. You can test the LED leads, too, but that task is more suited for people with 3 or more hands.


Obviously the other end of the cable are still bare wires. You have a few options: Solder them directly to the switch (not recommended), or use an interconnect like a ATX4pin male + female crimp housing or hey, normal molex would work, too.

That's all folks. Hope it was helpful.

[GregSG]

It is definitely helpful!

Very good mod....though not something one should do for the start

[charles_h]

Fantastic Kibbs!

Thanks for taking the time to share that.

[Kibbler]

snip

Thanks guys and girl, appreciate the feedback

Some good news:

RMA turnaround from Koolance was great and 14+ hour time difference aside Dean was responsive to emails. According to UPS my package arrived in Washington 8/11 11:31AM, then left on the same day at about 7PM. That kinda efficiency either means a) their technicians really know what they're doing, or b) it was a very routine fix, or c) they found nothing wrong with it (). UPS tried to deliver to my door but I was out all day yesterday. Let's hope it works out of the box this time.

Photography related:

This case is big, and for the full-frontal shots I need a big honkin' backdrop. What are you guys using for yours, or is there a suitable (cheaper) DIY solution like vinyl sheets or something? I think 10ft x 20ft oughta be enough, right?

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

well if you need a 20 foot wide backdrop thats going to be an expensive roll of backround paper if you can even find it.... I shot Flow on a 9foot background so I cant see you needing any bigger than that and you can always extend the background edges in photoshop without altering the image of the computer

[Kibbler]

lol, ok 10ft x 20ft is just ignorant and exaggerated . Besides real-deal background paper, which I expect to be expensive, do you know of any suitable substitutes?

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

In the size of 8ft-9ft wide and as tall as you need it to be? a few kind size bed sheets maybe, other than that nothing.

In the US a roll of 9ftx12yrds nice gray background paper is $45, its not too bad considering 12 yards will last at least 2-3 shoots, longer if your very careful, just make sure you have a backgroung pole and some stands to hang it up on.

[CptDreadFlint]

I've been a big fan of your drain system and your cuts. I consider this one of those worklogs I never want to see end (selfish I know).

Always a treat to see what surprise you have for us on virtually every update.
Thanks for sharing what you do.

[Kibbler]

I've been a big fan of your drain system and your cuts. I consider this one of those worklogs I never want to see end (selfish I know).

Always a treat to see what surprise you have for us on virtually every update.
Thanks for sharing what you do.

Thanks CDF . It's my pleasure to share my (slow) progress and it is icing on the cake to hear that it can be helpful/interesting to others. My modding skill is obviously not setting any high bars but I do hope to get a few good ideas out there.

S_D thanks for your suggestions I'm having a look around to see what's available locally.

***

Cross your fingers guys. I got my TMS-200 back from Koolance. Time to shut down and plug her in...

If I'm back in 15 minutes then everything is fine and dandy.

If I'm not...well...

Just wait longer!

In all seriousness I hope it works. I don't want to deal with another RMA.