--- r e f l e X i o n ---

[Weevil]

Thats great news Xion, congrats to you, those sure are good lookin blocks!

[aka_GK]

lucky you are

[Xyllian]

Less talking more building!

[kgtiger]

It's excellent to see companies like EK coming to the party, nice one mate.
Will EK be designing and buliding a new blocks set for you?

[Xion X2]

Update below!

Very nice, That is a sweet grab there. Gratz on that one. Looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with for blocks.

Thanks, Miller!

Thats great news Xion, congrats to you, those sure are good lookin blocks!

Thanks, yes, Eddy's stuff is sexay and will fit the look of the build great.

lucky you are

Less talking more building!

I know, I know.

It's excellent to see companies like EK coming to the party, nice one mate.
Will EK be designing and buliding a new blocks set for you?

Thanks! I wish I were important enough for EK to make blocks just for me.

No, these are blocks that he already has. One is new, the Supreme HF. It's the one that Ding is using in his build but mine will have the acrylic top. I'm waiting on the two 5970 backplates to come in before Eddy and I complete the order.


Alright, an update.

I have FINALLY resolved the leveling problem with the shelves in the Zero-G Chamber. It's been driving me crazy, because if the shelves aren't level then the whole effect is ruined since both the pumps and the drives are visible from the outside and are supported by the shelves.

With the help of KG's suggestion about using legs to support the shelves, I had Home Depot slice me up some 2x4 for that purpose, and it's made things a lot easier.

First, the revised shelves. You'll notice that they're no longer a single piece of aluminum. I've redesigned them to include 3 pieces, two L brackets and a plexi shelf.



The plexi will be screwed down into the brackets from the top. It'll mount to the brackets like this:



I ran out and picked up this little guy, who was sorely needed:



I had no levels that were small enough to fit inside the piece that I was working with, so I picked him up for the job. I ended up removing the square as it was just getting in the way.

Then, the blocks and clamps:



The blocks are very useful, as they allow me not only to hold the shelf brackets in place under the lip but also provide tension so that I can adjust the brackets in small increments to ensure they're level.



Here's me adjusting the shelf in small increments. Having the tension from the clamp was very helpful!



My new best friend (I call him Lil' Lvl) will help me ensure my parts aren't all crooked!



For a straight-on view I can look through the windows.



Bubble in the center, so I know that I'm good.

So by this time, " Lil' " is telling me both of my brackets are level, but the final test will be to see if the entire shelf sits level once it's sitting on the brackets.



Awww yeah. That's it.

Now, while the brackets were clamped in place, it was time to mark the screwholes. They'll never be as accurate any other way.



It's maddening to think that all these steps were to mark one lousy dot. Well.. I guess that would be 4 lousy dots then wouldn't it? Still doesn't ease the pain much.

(To be continued.. in next post.)

[Xion X2]

Like always, I'll use a drill punch to mark the holes.



Then drill away..





After drilling all holes, I riveted the brackets into the frame.



And now, the final test. Are they level with the shelf sitting on them? *guuuuulp*



Ouch. That's just not good en.....


Kidding.

I am picky, but I'm not going to get all wound up over that little variance. I'm happy with that.

I then checked the edges to make sure that the shelf lined up nicely with the edge of the brackets.



That looks good, too. Let's look at it from an overhead view.



Check out the floating effect. Let's put something a little more relevant down there, though.





I like.

That's it for tonight. What'll be cool is to see the top shelf which I should have installed tomorrow. Then you'll get to see the layout of what the pumps look like with the new interior weightless effect when they're mounted one above each other.

[aka_GK]

great as usual, looking forward to more!

[shazza]

great progress, Xion!

[millertime359]

I was hoping to see some custom designs in the GPU blocks or something. It would have been cool to get the side logo etched in them.

Looking good bud. Keep them coming.

[Xion X2]

great as usual, looking forward to more!

great progress, Xion!

I was hoping to see some custom designs in the GPU blocks or something. It would have been cool to get the side logo etched in them.

Looking good bud. Keep them coming.

Thanks, everyone! I realize that things have been moving slower than usual, and all of this isn't the sexy stuff that usually gets all the attention around here. No waterblocks, parts installation, etc. All of that will come. I'm still in the midst of designing the skeleton of the build--meaning that the frame is in pieces and still being cut on. Once everything starts coming together and is painted, I think (and hope) that some will be impressed.

I'm also in talks with another potential sponsor for a very important part of the build. More on that later.

I'll work on getting that top shelf in place today. Once that's finished, I'll post another update. Then, next will be to work on mounting both pumps and the SSDs to the shelves. The shelves had to be completed first so I knew exactly what height that I had to work with so that the drives show through the windows properly.

[Xion X2]

Another update.

Again, I want to thank MNPCTech for sponsoring the project by providing me with their awesome new rad grills as well as a few other small items that'll come in handy. MNPCTech had their new aluminum grills anodized black for me, and this is the result:









As you may have noticed, the vents can be turned to give a different look. I plan to show the vents turned this way, with opposing angles. One on the roof of the case, and the other on the bottom:



Bill did a nice job taking these pictures, but once the grills get to me, I'll probably still put them up in my studio for a quick photo session. It's like an introduction between "me" and "it"--it's how I get to know my equipment. I take pictures of it (okay, don't let your mind wander too far with that one.)

Thanks again to
for all their support!

[kgtiger]

Excellent work Xion, nice to see it all coming together and the anodized black grills look sweet.


But arr, it's ok Xion where all a little different in some way or another, ok, maybe some more than others.

Some like to talk, some like to watch, other's are more hands on, it's ok, so you like to take pictures to get to know my equipment.
I want tell anyone.
This is where I steel your quote
(okay, don't let your mind wander too far with that one.)
To late.

Looking forward to the next up date there mate.

[Liderc]

Excellent rad covers.

[Laine]

He's not lucky to get the sponsorships, with the standard of the build and seriosity of the bulider it was bound to happen, it's pure skill.

Amazing work you've got there Xien, will follow this 'til the end, no doubt.
This kind of craftmanship is nothing I'd want to miss.

Thank you for sharing.

[Xion X2]

Excellent work Xion, nice to see it all coming together and the anodized black grills look sweet.


But arr, it's ok Xion where all a little different in some way or another, ok, maybe some more than others.

Some like to talk, some like to watch, other's are more hands on, it's ok, so you like to take pictures to get to know my equipment.
I want tell anyone.
This is where I steel your quote
(okay, don't let your mind wander too far with that one.)
To late.

Looking forward to the next up date there mate.

Kg, you crazy man.

Thanks for the props. As long as the Fab Mastah gives me the thumbs up, I feel that I'm on the right path with things.

Excellent rad covers.

Thanks, Liderc. I love MNPCTech's metalwork.

He's not lucky to get the sponsorships, with the standard of the build and seriosity of the bulider it was bound to happen, it's pure skill.

Amazing work you've got there Xien, will follow this 'til the end, no doubt.
This kind of craftmanship is nothing I'd want to miss.

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you, Laine. Very nice of you to say. Glad to have you along for the ride.


I'm also hoping that there are others of you still out there that I haven't heard from for awhile. I know that we've been stuck in the same project phase (completing the Zero Gravity Chamber) for a while, but we're making good progress and I really feel that it'll be done soon. This is by far the most complicated phase of this project, so once it's complete, it should be relatively smooth sailing the rest of the way.

Working on the build more tonight and should have an update by tomorrow evening at the latest.

Thanks, everyone!

[Xion X2]

Hey, guys. I picked up a toy last night to help me with some of the work I need to do today. Should make things go a lot quicker/easier.



This SOB is heavy as lead. I had to carry it up to my 3rd floor apartment in 20 degrees of winter wind last night. It's built like a tank. I'm setting everything up and should have another update on the build later on today.

[kgtiger]

Fab Mastah, errr not sure of that, you did all the hard work mate.

Nice to hear you have a new toy to play with, it's a shame it's so cold but.

You should take your time, you know, rug up togerter under the softbox light and get to know each other a bit better.

Ok Ok I promise to stop, well maybe after a few more page.

Looking forward, as always to your next update.

[alphadog009]

WOW amazing work! to you Xion this is absolutely beautiful work. Congratz on the sponsorships as well....

[Xion X2]

You should take your time, you know, rug up togerter under the softbox light and get to know each other a bit better.

LOL I hear ya.

WOW amazing work! to you Xion this is absolutely beautiful work. Congratz on the sponsorships as well....

Thanks, Alphadog!

Man, I am LOVING this press so far.. it's absolutely awesome and makes mincemeat of metal. Even has a laser sighting on it. I've now drilled the holes in the chamber shell for the top shelf and am working on the brackets now.

This is my favorite power tool yet (seems like I'm always saying that with each one that I purchase... )

Update with pics to come soon.

[Xion X2]

Alright, bear with me here as I have to show off my new toy with you guys.

Personally, this is the first time that I've either owned or operated a drill press, and I have to say that this thing kicks serious ass. It's so precise, smooth and quick compared to having to tap and drill by hand.

It came boxed in pieces, so I spent some time today in assembly mode. This was the base and table assembly laid out.



And the head assembly.



While reading through the manual, I saw that there were varying speeds that you could set depending on what material and thickness it was that you were working with. By removing the hood of the head assembly, I saw the pulley and belt system.



The belt was attached to the middle pulley, and the label recommended the first pulley for drilling through thin aluminum at an operating speed of 3050 RPM.



The belt is loosened by a tension bolt located toward the back of the head assembly (boy do my fingers look long in this pic..)



The tension bolt provides slack in the belt so that it can be moved from pulley to pulley.



And now, I've finished moving the belt to the top pulleys. This will cause the spindle to spin at an increase from 1390 > 3050 RPM.



There, all set. She's tuned and ready to go.

A close up of the damage seeker.



And now for the coolest part. The laser-sighting for ultra-precision.





(Don't worry about the lack of clamps as I was only sighting the laser.)

It has dual lasers that can each be adjusted individually to form an intersection at the drill point.

I'll have some action shots of the work I'm doing on the Zero-G chamber and shelves later on tonight or by tomorrow morning. So far, the press has been extremely helpful. I don't know if it was my hand drill or the type of aluminum I'm working with or what, but I was getting a lot of drifting in the bit even after punching my holes and buying new bits. So I figured instead of buying a new hand drill I'd get this, and it's made things a lot easier.

[Liderc]

Holy crap lol, the lasers are awesome. Been wanting to pick up a nice drill press, mind letting me know how much this one ran you? You can PM me if you'd like, thanks.

[nlancaster]

Ryobi makes great tools. But, there drill presses have one problem and it is related to the price and quality of the build. Ryobi tools in general offer great value and sufficient performance. But one thing you really want in a drill press is a stiff quill. That is the part of the drill press that moves up and down while drilling. I have had a Ryobi and while it worked perfectly the quill was lose. It was possible to move the drill 1/16th of an inch in any direction. This meant that the drill would tend to drift around before starting to cut the material, this was very bad while drilling aluminum. If you put in a deep enough center punch it was fine for smaller drills. So to over come the problem with bigger drills I would first pilot drill with a 1/16 or 1/8 drill bit.

We picked up this Jet Drill press at $300 most places, it is about 2x as expensive. It has no play in the quill or runout in the chuck. You can sight in using just the lasers and that hole will be right where the lasers cross regardless of the material or size of bit you are cutting with, assuming the part is clamped securly. It does have 2 other advantages, LED work light built in, and Lever operated Variable speed. Meaning you dont have to change the belts to get a different speed.

Don't get me wrong, I love Ryobi products. We own 2 18v tool kits, chop saw, and router. And they have all performed wonderfully. And it is possible that the drill press we purchased was defective. So I highly recommend checking for runout (meaning the drill bit spins off center of the bit itself), and for play in the quill.

Keep up the good work on your machine, can't wait to see it finished.

[Xion X2]

Thanks for your input, nlancaster. I've been watching her pretty close thus far, and she's been dead-on perfect. I have some shots below of the laser sighting as seen with the finished drill, and it couldn't be more accurate. So maybe it's possible that you had a defective model? It happens. The stuff I'm drilling is pretty thin, though. I didn't buy it for heavy duty use.


Project Update

The ongoing...



So, continuing on this long and winding journey of finishing up this complex piece, I have some live action shots of some drilling action on the Zero-G Chamber. I had previously hand-drilled the bottom 4 holes for the bottom shelf, so that left me with the top four holes for the top shelf plus the top two mounting brackets. All of these have been drilled now, so in the next day or two I should be able to show what the pumps look like mounted both on the top and bottom of the chamber.

I'm laser sighting here and almost ready to drill one of the top two holes on the pump side which the shelves will mount through.



Since the chamber shell has already been bent, it was necessary to support the pump side from underneath for a steady drilling surface. For support, I just used some spare 2x4 blocks that I had laying around and two flat metal brackets. The brackets gave me just the extra 1/4" that I needed.



I used clamps whenever I could, but this piece was too thick, so I made sure to hold it firmly to the table and use very light pressure on the press. I'm still wallowing in kgtiger's horror story of his co-workers who've ripped their scalps off with this thing (my hair is short, though, so maybe I'm safe on that one. And I do trim my armpits every once in awhile to keep from looking sasquatch. Okay. Maybe that last bit was too much information.)





Spot-on with the laser. I've found it to be really helpful thus far. You can always plunge your bit down to test your drillpoint, but the laser saves you a lot of time by being able to sight on the fly.

Next up were the shelf brackets. The bottom two had been drilled by hand to mount the shelf to the chamber. Next was to drill the top two holes that will be used for screwing down into the plexi shelf.





I'm loving the precision of this press. And it's not just precise but it's quick. Very quick. I can drill a hole in about 1/10th the time that I can by hand. I don't know what grade aluminum this stuff is, but it was giving my cheap hand drill fits. Not so with this bad boy.

It was necessary to stagger the holes in the brackets so that the mounting points don't intersect one another. Two holes were drilled on each end. One for screwing the plexi shelf in, one for mounting to the side wall of the Zero-G chamber.




That's all for tonight. I'd say at this point that the Zero-G Chamber is about 80% complete. I'm waiting on some Weld-on #3 to get here so that I can experiment with welding some plexi together. That should arrive this week.

Thanks for following,

X

[kgtiger]

Nice work mate, also nice to know that you trim your are pit hair and don't plait it.

Normaly drill bits will drift when blunt or one edge is chiped.
Can also drift if to much pressure in placed on the drill bit when first starting the hole and the drill is held at a slight angle, not easy to keep hand drills square.
Hope you have clean safty glasses to.

Looking forward to your perspex work Xion.

[aka_GK]

great tools Xion
this drill press must be very handy