Project N0NAME

[The boy 4rm oz]

I would love 2 hear your ideas for the Bleach mod, Can't wate till you start.

[dgrmkrp]

bleach case project started... here (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8156)

this project goes on.. with some pics..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0001.jpg
new mobo..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0002.jpg
new ram and cpu..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0004.jpg
hard drive, dvd writer and uv sata cables for them..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0005.jpg
some uv action after installation..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0003.jpg
a minor over clock, yet stable..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0006.jpg
blow hole marked..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0007.jpg
blow hole cut..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0008.jpg
fan for blow hole..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0009.jpg
fan installed..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/IMG_2302.jpg
infinity cooler installed.. not in the best possible way, but I can manage..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/IMG_2303.jpg
close up..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/IMG_2304.jpg http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic42-1.jpg
farther shots..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic46.jpg
new fan controller...

what I'm going to do now is cut more of the flames.. with a new blade i got.. after i make a nice laptop cooler tomorrow :) after everybody wakes up..

[The boy 4rm oz]

Lookn gd mate, just about 2 hav a look at the Bleach work log.

[dgrmkrp]

Hi all,
Been doing some fun things and have ordered some stuff too :)
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0010.jpg
while making this for a friend..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic3.jpg
with this..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/0011.jpg
i also made this..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/blue_flames1.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/blue_flames2.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/blue_flames.jpg
which in the dark looks like this :D

edit: I must note that I haven't finished the side because the metal flames aren't cut yet.. I may do them in the weekend, if my room mates leave (gonna be a grueling 2 or 3 hour marathon, so I have to wait for the right moment)... when it will be done, there will be black flames on a blue flame background :)

and I think I'm going water cool in a few weeks... I found a cheap kit with a hydor700 pump, a black ice 120mm radiator, a nexos block and a nice reservoir.. and tubes.. for 100$+.. and I ordered some new ram (gonna change the g.skill I have with corsair, more over clocking friendly, and gonna try and oc 'em to 1ghz.. i can only reach 900MHz with the current ones and it's not very stable).. also! I ordered a new PSU: antec trio 550W... the one i have may be rated at 600W but it is 3 times cheaper... so this might be perfect for a k7 system, but for the cpu/video(8800?)/hdds(going for 250+320G, and a 200 backup) I have now I may need more headroom in the future..

oh, does anyone have the new ram from ocz, specially made for amd? I can't find those modules here but if they will be available... I wanna know if they are better than other 4GB kits..

[dgrmkrp]

update:
yesterday at 4 p.m. local time Santa arrived :D I received a brand new 320gig hard drive (for 250+320GB storage):banana:, a Corsair ddr2 ram kit (2gig, 6400c4):banana:, a Tagan 500w dual engine series with lots of wires:banana: and.... :banana::banana: the water cooling kit I've wanted a long time 8):D


I had lots of fun installing everything and after that tidying up... then I over clocked some more: I've reached 2,9GHz on the CPU and 1,16GHz on the RAM max.. This with 1.5V on the core and 2.1V on the memory, at CL5 timings. Now I'm running 2.9/0.96 stable and fast :)

Thing is I had no good thermal paste at hand and so now I can reach 60 degrees with bare pressure and orthos/s'n'm/p95 >> great!... :think: aaa, NOT.. I'll get some zalman paste soon enough.. and put up some pics.. I installed a clean vista and surprise: incompatibility with my phone.. and I have progress picture there... it sure was tough putting everything in though.. well, see you later..

[dgrmkrp]

Hi all and sorry for the long time away... I've been really busy: finished my 2nd year and accepted in the 3rd (this will give me my electronic engineer diploma :D ), had to move home again because the dorm was closed for renovation (and I had to move all my stuff.. 2 computers, 3 huge speakers, 15 boxes with tools and materials, 2 bags stuffed with clothes, one mattress, and lots of small stuff >> fitted in one small transport.. not), then went to my cousin's wedding, then my other cousin gave birth to a nice young lad and now I am employed... Been busy, but all is well :)

So, some pics of old and new:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Pic7.jpg
This is here because I like the look, and I would like to find a case like this, but empty.. This is from my new work place :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Pic10.jpg
UV action :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Pic9.jpg
.. some kind of attempt at a night shot..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Pic8.jpg
Another shot :) I could be pleased with this, but... Still lots of work, so low on time and money ;)

I like the glow of the UV green additive, the 30ish idle temp and 40ish idle temp at 2,6GHZ and above (this setup still hasn't got enough cooling power for me..). I hate the fact that I need another PC to download these crappy pics tho..

Even though I have a watercooled CPU, the temps on my NB went quite high with the rise in frequencies.. so:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/nb_hr_053.jpg
stock HR-05.. with a not very flat base.. big no no..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/nb_hr_052.jpg
bring in the sanding paper! (120>160>220>360>400>600>800)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/nb_hr_054.jpg
tada.. tested before and after and got a 10~15 degree difference. Now, the chipset stays at a steady 29 degree centigrade temp.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/nb_hr_05.jpg
A weird thing is that it allows rotation.. a bit disturbing tho.. Much to free for my taste, but it still works.

OK, I must admit this isn't that much of an update... but I always save the best for last: Tonight I received a second radiator (2x120mm low air flow, slim type), 3 L type fittings, 2 meters of UV blue 3/8 tube and some nice water additive that it seems helps the hydor pump quiet down (can vouche on that). I'm sooo happy :D

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/misc/xtc_installed.jpg
:banana:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/misc/768_ALPHA_16305_1.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/misc/866_alpha_16117_3.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/misc/867_alpha_17337.jpg
Bye..

[dgrmkrp]

Seeing as I am wasn't happy with the performance of the stock cooling kit from alphacool (although pretty good, I could still get my cpu 60ish hot).. I ordered and received my new parts.. then installed them :D (testing purposes only.. bleeding, leaks and tweaks)

Now, all that remains is to put the psu in.. which thanks to the great wiring job tagan did.. I can't.. More on that later.

I decided to change the layout of the water cooling setup by putting the small radiator in the front and the big one in the top of the case.. Of course, the case said "no, don't do it".. I took out my angle grinder, my rotary tool and every other thing I own, because they were all in the same box :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/001.jpg
I cut the front so that the rad fittings would enter the case.. I was off by just 1mm :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/002.jpg
After readjusting, all fit :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/003.jpg
I had to take out all the guts and dismantle the water cooling to the last bolt. A pleasure for me :) The pump leaked before, so now I could find why.. it turns out the sealing ring at the intake did its job ratter badly, so I used some Teflon tape around the barb and it worked fine after :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/004.jpg
I had to think of someway to mask the fact that the old hole was now blocked by the PSU and that I couldn't mount the big radiator there.. So.. I will make a plexi top there :) I have the materials and tools, but I didn't have the time to cut the window :( Next weekend I'll do it.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/005.jpg
Top blow hole marked and started cutting.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/006.jpg
Two recom low noise (not that low tho) fans are mounted to the 120mm rad.. You may be wondering why on earth did I use yellow bladed fans... Well, they are:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/007.jpg
UV reactive :) And between all my fans, these are the only matched pair.
U can also see the blue UV tubing I got.. more on that later.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/008.jpg
The reservoir is nice but wouldn't fit in my grand design the way it was. So, I used an L connector to help with tube routing.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/009.jpg
Hole filed and sanded.. then with a quick test to see if the fans have enough clearance :)that they do.. cause the hole is bigger :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/010.jpg
started routing the tubes..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/011.jpg
and got it this far :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/012.jpg
the uv tubing is a little stiff, so the L connectors on the top radiator helped a lot with avoiding tube kinking.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/013.jpg
this is all my UV reactive stuff: tubing, sata cables and the distilled water with uv green additive and anti corrosion fluid. I tested the new tubing and I personally like the color effect of green liquid in blue tubing. Plus, on closer inspection of the old tubing, I found out it was pinkish in color :|

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/014.jpg
Loop filled, bleeded and UVed up :D

Like I said, the PSU doesn't fit anymore because the cables are way to stiff and occupy the same physical space as the radiator's back. So, I will cut the back of the case and mount the PSU from the outside, cut a hole in the motherboard tray to route and hide unnecessary cables there and do some notches in the other side of the tray to allow cables to reenter the case if needed.. these cables are long and stiff.. and if this would have been a modular PSU, I would dance on the unused cables right now ;)

Well, I'm off now :)

[dgrmkrp]

wow, it's been long since I updated.. well, I did manage to mod something.. I cut more of the flames (been in planning for some time now.. very long time), but ran out of discs.. I found a way of cutting the very intricate curling flames, but again, with a disc :( So, must buy more discs.. It's about 40%done.. Need some different shaped files too, so add that to buy list.
I roamed the city for mesh, but couldn't find any at all.. disturbing.. and I need about 1.5 square meters of it for my projects..

I'm planning on changing some things on the location of stuff in the cooling system, but that's just in planning stages too... Also, for those that have hydor or ac pumps for that mater, I bought an AC light dimmer and installed it inline with the pump.. I found out that the pumps starts noisier sometimes, but if I "restart" it, I can get it quiet once again.. Restarting isn't needed now, as I can turn it's revs down (but only to a point, less voltage make the pump stop completely and make a funny stalling noise >> bad!) and get whisper quietness in a sec. The way I mounted the top rad is producing vibrations at maximum fan speed, so I must do something about that too.. Also, having ran out of thermal paste again, I am in the 45-50 zone again.. I hate it..
The problem with the LAN in vista wasn't fixed, but I use my other system for anything except heavy final rendering..

Well, must update the other project, as I have been making much faster and better progress there.. If it weren't for my mum and the exams, it would have been already completed.. but, oh well.. buh bye

[Lairy Fiquid]

Looks amazing
The flames look brilliant and the dark shot with the UV looks great
Good luck with the rest
Btw whats that fan controller?

[The boy 4rm oz]

I love that whole variety of UV colurs. Mine is plain and simple, blue and green.

[dgrmkrp]

@Lairy: 10ks and that is a nexus 4 channel 3,5" fan controller. I had to place an order for that and it cost me almost 30$.. But I liked it as a temporary solution :) It is fairly powerful and compared to the akasa model I also own, a tad more resilient (I managed to burn one channel there). It has a fairly long PCB, so it is almost as big as a floppy drive.. but, looks nice.

@The boy 4rm oz: 10ks, but.. well, I didn't plan that.. I need some mesh to cover the mobo up and use my highlighting scheme.. Also, a UV board from DFI Lan Party series would be much cooler :)

[The boy 4rm oz]

I just received my DFI LANParty (680i LT) this afternoon. looks awesome under UV light.
Here's a pic:
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/821/dsc01395jo8.jpg

[dgrmkrp]

OK.. creepy j/k :D
Looks so awesome! But you know what it lacks? The AM2 retention module ;) (I like good CPUs, but I kinda favor the one who loses >> AMD :) )

[The boy 4rm oz]

Well all of the water cooling components I want have just come back in stock so you will be able to see my other UV components soon. Check out my worklog Project LEXA

[Drew]

I want that MoBo.

Where?

How much?

I want it.

Post it to me. Please.

I'll pay the postage and everything.

Sorry, I'll stop drooling now.

+rep for giving me movement and everything.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Lol no problem mate. I got mine for $399.00AUS, They wanted $480.00 but I said no more than $400.00 so they gave it to me for $399.00 lol.

[dgrmkrp]

Ok, the board looks nice, but at this price :( :( I could never afford it, considering that it would need a processor and a video board too.. :( Luckily, I'm broke right now and the current job I'm doing will pay me just a few bucks (designing stuff, but not payed by the hour >> by the amount of accepted projects.. currently I have 6 running and waiting for approvals).. So, I don't have to think about it :);)

One thing I can do is take a break from the chores, the learning and the physical world and design nice circuits.. or better yet, refine them :)

So, here is what I made:
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/3811/scmibn6.th.jpg (http://img201.imageshack.us/my.php?image=scmibn6.jpg)

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/7614/scmven9.th.jpg (http://img201.imageshack.us/my.php?image=scmven9.jpg)

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/6967/scmpowerzx6.th.jpg (http://img201.imageshack.us/my.php?image=scmpowerzx6.jpg)

These are screen caps. Please ignore the weird names I gave, they will help me in the board creation stage. I added and tweaked a bit at the output stage, preparing for a LED, after uploading the images.. so, this is the fan control I have been talking about for such a long time. I actually made a prototype, but because I'm not that good with a soldering gun and I used a bad board for my needs, I ended up recycling everything on the board, except for the final transistor.. Well, that was an older design, not truly suited for my needs.. now.

This circuit is based on the Pulse Position Modulation principle, has a nice over-current protection section and a low voltage drop. I tweaked the schematic to get from 9V to 11.2V bursts. And increased the current by the same rate. If anyone is interested and can find something wrong, I would like to hear it :) I could build this and find out it doesn't work either :( And this time, I'll be buying more stuff (gonna make a 1 or 2 layer PCB.. so I need copper boards, chemicals, a small drill head.. a black marker or press'n'peel foil..)

Some chronographs too:

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/6448/chrono0dt3.th.jpg (http://img79.imageshack.us/my.php?image=chrono0dt3.jpg)
Fan(s) is set to go at max... Because I am a dope still, this is as far as I can go.. Not 12V, but close. Not at all the time, but close. :)

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/4103/chrono50sp1.th.jpg (http://img79.imageshack.us/my.php?image=chrono50sp1.jpg)
Fan(s) at 50% setting

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/9701/chrono100xa6.th.jpg (http://img237.imageshack.us/my.php?image=chrono100xa6.jpg)
And this is the lowest voltage/current attainable...
All these pulses are 40KHz (40 thousands times per second), so IF you average them, this is close to 0V. I chose this frequency because it is much higher than the human hearing limit, but I can't tell a thing about the interaction with the fans themselves.. Till now I couldn't find one internal schematic of a fan motor.. I may have to do it myself, but reverse-engineering something this small... must wait for my new glasses :)

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/9532/circboardzm4.th.jpg (http://img219.imageshack.us/my.php?image=circboardzm4.jpg)
Finally, the part that has most worried: the PCB. The traces may be too fine and then I'm in trouble.. More stuff later :) bye

[Scotty]

My brain hurts.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Same haha.

[dgrmkrp]

Sorry for that.. I can make some simpler fan controllers and explain their inner workings :) This could be nice for those that want their fan controller on the cheap and have 'em really custom :)

Happy post time! I just got my international card from a local bank, charged it with my earnings for my work (graphics of course) and have ordered a nice peltier unit :) it is a 40x40mm, 10A max, 15V max unit, which could lower temps with almost 70 degrees.. Now, I know just a bit about peltiers, but at the 15$ I'm spending (If I'm lucky, this is a 2 hours job) including shipping to the far corners of Europe.. I think it is a good deal. Only problem is this is normal mail, so that gets me worried...

Also, I'm looking around for a good chipset block, but I'm having troubles here.. found one cheap, but ain't sure of compatibility.. More on that later..

Back to the worklog.. All the new stuff I learned from other small stuff I did made me a lil bit more courageous, at least in thinking. So, these are my thoughts:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Clipboard01.jpg
Using the antec case I have, but cutting away the front racks.. and faceplate, this is what I came with. The rest is the normal config I have (mobo, psu, top rad), except the small rad is in the front now and I have no video adapter nor north bridge waterblock.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Clipboard02.jpg
why would I chop a nice case like this? To put 2 120mm fans in front, of course ;) Using 2 of these in the Tensa case, I got it really silent and acceptably cool at 5V. So, this is just normal evolution...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Clipboard03.jpg
I want space for a big video card and maybe even 3 more hard drive.. You never know.. I might need/buy some in 2 moths time ;)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Clipboard04.jpg
lots of fans, but undervolted I bet the pump will be louder ;)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Clipboard05.jpg
Hiding behind the bays are the pump and the reservoir, almost like now.. I have enough tubing, almost all connectors and lots of fluid..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Clipboard06.jpg
Now for fabricating.. Steel or aluminum sheets will be bent and riveted to create this tower, stretching from the bottom to the top, avoiding fans and drives and what-not..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Clipboard07.jpg
This is what makes me feel cowardly and afraid >> the front panel.. I don't really like this simple look, but the side intakes stay. This is doable with minor bending and shaping.

This is not final, but an experiment... I could do it, sooner or later (this month.. tensa case.. or the next.. vacation). Just need some metal sheets, which isn't expensive at all..

Back to reality, I bought some more clamps and a file pack to help me with future gluing/metal working.

See you later :glasses:

[The boy 4rm oz]

Did you consider mounting the radiator on the rear of the case and pass the tubes through a few cut holes? That's what I intend to do to mine.

[dgrmkrp]

Which radiator? The small one?
I was first planning to have nothing sticking out, but as you can see, the PSU is moved with 5-7cm. Now, it is only out by 2 cm, but I was planning on future upgrading and decided that a PSU that installs from the outside is better, especially if it is a big one... BTW, using a PSU calculator I found out that I need a bigger unit if I were to keep my current OC,6 to 12 fans, a new 8800 card and one more hard drive.. now, that wouldn't leave room for anything else, in fact it would keep the PSU at 500+ W if in 100% load..

But now that you mention it, I could do some work outside of the box ;), mounting at least the small rad in the back.. and the fan blowing on it, rather than sucking thru it.. Good thing I'm doing a model of the case, so I don't have to tear it apart in real life..

Worklog time:
The peltier will be here in a month's time, so no need to plan anything. I have done some research and found that this isn't really that suited for super-cooling my OC'ed CPU, but a chipset or video card would like it. As a rule, those who use peltiers seem to go for double the wattage on the unit as opposed to the heat dissipation of what is cooled. The PSU for the peltier will either be an old PSU I have laying around or a new one, scratch built.. long time till then..
I almost ordered a chipset block, but I am not a verified paypal member yet, so I couldn't finish the order.. lol.. No errors, just nothing.. There was a small print somewhere on the page, but I dind't notice it at first :|

I'm going with a low-flow block, as there isn't much need for cooling this part as it doesn't generate much heat... I'll show pics someday too :)

Seeing as this is the thread I post all my electronics stuff, I have to write this here: I spent a few bucks today on raw materials (FeCl, copper, capacitors, resistors, transistors and other stuff) and will probably be doing the PCB posted a few days ago, with a couple of small modifications. I have all my materials, except one 0.2ohm resistor! No one has this in stock here, and I've been to 4 local specialty shops. As this is not part of the working part of the circuit, but from the short circuit protection circuitry, I can still build and test the controller..
Also, I bought 3 nice thermistors, although I don't really know how to use them effectively. They have a 9k ohm resistance at normal room temperature but if I >>don't laugh<< stick it in my mouth, the resistance drops to 0.. I'm either really hot ;) or it can't record higher temps than the normal body temp..

I spent the entire day finding parts and I also have some pics :)



http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/01.jpg
In order to transfer my design on the copper board, I first wanted to see if it fits on paper... Plus, because I have draw the circuits by hand as I don;t have a printer, the practice is essential.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/02.jpg
This is the on-screen schematics and >>>>>>>>> this is what I drew on paper. Just a sketch, remember, so I could stroll along with this in my pocket instead of the 19" screen ;) I needed a hard copy to buy the components because some have different dimensions for the same part.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/03.jpg
This is my workbench for today. Notice the small black things on the white background, on top of the screen: those are the chips I'll be using.. 2 of them..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/04.jpg
I would love to have a second screen as my keyboard and as another means of imputing data.. Anyone knows of any touch-sensor-add-ons?

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/05.jpg
More fitting test.. As I had to go in 4 different places to find my parts, I had to walk a long way on a really hot summer day.. So, I made 2 trips.. This is what I got after the first. And then after the second :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/06.jpg
Couldn't resist it and made some close shots :) I thought they look nice :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/07.jpg
I arranged the parts as they would be pt on the board, so as to help me when the times comes.. Those resistors have color bands on them to tell you their value, but I am only learning the code, so it is much faster to have them arrange right after I bought them.. I measured them for safety reasons and after I got their value, pop they went into the mock board..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/08.jpg
Of course, I might have taken the buying too seriously and got some spare parts.. Not used in this mod, but who knows :)

That's it for now, more later.

[Scotty]

Looks good, i think, still confusing :p

CS3 FTW :D

[Luke122]

I would love to have a second screen as my keyboard and as another means of imputing data.. Anyone knows of any touch-sensor-add-ons?


Check out www.EarthLCD.com (http://store.earthlcd.com/LCD-Products/Add-On-Touch-Screen-Kits) for touch kits. :D

[dgrmkrp]

Looking now.. Let's see... their biggest size is 15".... hmm.. and it is quite expensive ;) still, another one on my list! Till now, if I really wanted something, I always got it.. So, if they show promise, there will be lots of rep for you :D

Hmmm.. A 15" lcd wouldn't be that expensive.. and it would be like an 8 inch customizable full color keyboard plus playlist ;) :)

[dgrmkrp]

I found some 19" kits on ebay, and I'll may buy one, but first I have to get more cash.. Good things a small trickle always exists and there always is someone in need of computer/graphics help :) I need aprox 120 bucks to get this dream in my pocket..

More real things now:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/02-1.jpg
Not having any printer sucks.. But it's a good thing I have a steady hand :) Using my trusty and sharp blades and my drawings I can transfer the circuit on the copper board, one line at a time, using my nice PCB marker..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/01-1.jpg
..progress pics.. doing the whole board took about 1 hour.. with breaks, cause my hand was very shaky after cutting the tighter portions.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/03-1.jpg
this is where the board is now... brown stuff :) It's gonna take half an hour or so to etch to the uncovered copper, but I hope it will be worth the wait.


more soon..

[dgrmkrp]

...took the board out of the solution.. and rinsed it..
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/04-1.jpg
this is how it looks.. the black marker is still there, and underneath there is a nice layer of copper.. the only place that got me worried is the bends..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/05-1.jpg
..after cleaning with soap, 800 grit sand paper and some care..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/06-1.jpg
..and this a close up..

more later..

[The boy 4rm oz]

Wow so that's how you do it. Great work.

[dgrmkrp]

This is the cheapest way and the only one I have access to right now.. Back at Uni, I had/will have access to special transfer materials and better tools fot this job.. Still, I spent about half an hour verifying the traces with my multimeter and have made sure that there are no shorts, that all traces conduct and that I have a working base for the next step: drilling. I need a 0.71mm drill... which I don't have here. But I guess I'll improvise ;)

I think I could have improved on the "look" if I would have made the traces thicker in some places and if I would have used something straight to draw the lines.. My hand is not that precise as I would like it to be :(

[simon275]

Systm over at revision 3 has just released a vid tut on this.

http://revision3.com/systm/etching

[dgrmkrp]

Systm over at revision 3 has just released a vid tut on this.

http://revision3.com/systm/etching

Thanks, that was informative, especially on the dangers.. I wasn't really told about these when I learned the process.. I was told: "see that yellow line on the floor? someone used a metal pan, it got etched too and then he ran with the pan outside.. " as a warning that FeCl is a bad thing that stains ;)

About my circuit: I don't have a laser printer, nor transfer paper. I used photoshop to make a smaller version of a print screen of the program I am using (layout plus, not free, almost infringing on the professional side, part of a very complex package of electronics testing and making program. got it from school, and just for educational purposes, so I don't have all features.. e.g. can't make my own components>limited, foot prints and stuff) and mirrored it on paper. After making the paper mask (cut black lines with sharp blade), I used a black marker to trace the circuit... Here is where I f-ed up a bit: I forgot a line or two in the process and also miss-aligned some components. The board is semi-functional as I've lost one of the output stages.. D'Oh! But I did get my led fired up and it is always on, as expected, and I can power one fan, with minor (really minor) speed adjustments. I had to drill the holes, solder the components then redrill some other holes.. I kinda messed up, but one thing did happen: I learned. What? The timing circuit is getting really hot after extended usage and it shouldn't. The utility I used to make the circuit wasn't very precise at estimating heat output, as it was running in a tweaked and skewed mode to allow for the pulses to be correctly interpreted.. usually, a jump from 0V to 12V is seen as a "convergence error" and you have to loosen the precise nature of the math part... So, I am back to the drawing board.. and gonna put more protections and safety measures on the board.. I wish I had an oscilloscope to see if I nailed the signal shape.. My multimeter can't tell me much in that area... So, long rant.. this is more of an electronic forum material, but as it is a fan controller, I will put this in from time to time..

On the side of the real mod: Can anyone help me with the following?
I plan on using a peltier to cool the liquid in my water cooling loop by using a low-flow, low-restriction in-line block mounted on a big chunk of aluminum, running on the side of the case (the back of the pc, behind the mobo), as big as possible.. This will make my PC heavier, but I can leave with that.. I don't plan on giving too much juice to the peltier so as not tho freeze the liquid.. but I was wondering how to calculate the temperature differential that will be created.. I'm gonna dome some 3d mocking later.. (I'm sick as hell right now.. my nose is like a bunch of slugs having a party, if that's possible, and my eyes are like disco balls.. can't even model without messing up.. darn flu..)

I would have: loop=|waterblock|peltier|huge_radiator The water coming out of the cooled waterblock would go straight into the cpu block and then to other components.. Then into the radiators and finally back to the cooled waterblock. Is this a good idea from your experience?

Gonna go eat some hot soup.. bye..

[The boy 4rm oz]

That looks good.
If it's any help this is what my loop will be.
res - pump - cpu - 80mm rad - gpu -120mm rad - res

[dgrmkrp]

That's what I was thinking to do a loop like, with waterblock and radiators alternating, but that way, in my case and arrangement, there would be too many tubes :)
And I would like the thing to be cool and have the components as visible as possible, so a nice tubing layout is a must.. Plus, I use less money in the process if I use the minimum amount of tubing ;)

[The boy 4rm oz]

This loop suites my case perfectly but for you you will have to do something slightly different. May I suggest the new black coolant that Danger Den sells, it would go perfectly with your mod. My tubing cost me $15 a meter and I bought 3 meters.

[dgrmkrp]

uuu... black coolant? this is the first time I hear about this... Tubing here is less expensive, put it is PVC tubing.. about 2$ per meter, but it is only 10mm.. so are all the fittings.. europe.. Black coolant would be intriguing and nice... especially what I'm planning next.. I think I'm gonna save some money (need about 10 more bucks) and buy myself some new stuff.. Then, some sheet metal! and in the second half of september, when I'll have lots and lots of free time, I'll be doing the N0name a big make over :) Really big.. Of course, that is not a promise ;)

10ks for the tip, I'll be sure to look into it..

[The boy 4rm oz]

If you have a look on the Danger Den site you will find the coolant fairly easily, I think it looks cool but ended up going for UV Green.

[dgrmkrp]

I found it but it is a bit expensive for a coolant :) I payed 10 bucks for the uv die (not really.. hihi..) and 10 bucks for the water treatment (anti corrosion+water wetter+anti-algae).. And the bottles I got are concentrated and could do 2L of water.. But there has to be an alternative and they give it to you: food coloring.. They use, so I should find a suitable die myself :) I'll edit this post later for some pics..

EDIT: like I said, I'm gonna put some nice pics here of why I wanted to post some posts ago.. I don't wanna make this thread a really long list of journal entries.. some too short, so I'm gonna try to reuse the posts more off topic :)

So, I'm sticking to my plans for this case: as black as possible, black leather outside.. eventually, lots of cooling and should be silent too. After seeing some things I just couldn't say no to and then thinking how I could incorporate them (lol), I got here:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/test_001.jpg
You should be able to spot something strange in the middle of the case: a waterblock attached to nothing.. It is where I plan to mount the peltier so as to have a variable degree of a cooling boost at my touch :) Straight out of the pump, straight into the cpu block.. Cool water or anti-freezing liquid (depends on how much the peltier can cool)..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/test_002.jpg
..on the other side, disconnected as much as possible from the case, a huge radiator from audio amplifiers, with a slight modification: the fan carved into it.. Fan could run in 5V mode, as I saw with my 400W amp.. cools it just perfectly and the peltier is only 150W :) It would be interesting to see if there is no need for other fans..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/test_003.jpg
..for the inside cooling.. I "sketched" the 3x120mm holder and guestimatted the area of the side openings is enough for them in 5V mode.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/test_004.jpg
..as for the hard drives.. I would like to keep the visible side of the rack screw-free.. so I'm gonna glue some L shaped parts to help as guides and screw the drives only from the invisible side.. Plus, I like flames and they should continue on inside, matching the side panel and etch..

More to come.. as I plan my next mod-a-thon :)

[The boy 4rm oz]

I thought about buying the additives and making my own coolant but just ended up buying it purely because I couldn't find any reviews to show if bought or mixed was better. I spent a lot on my coolant $30 per liter (alpha cool) and I bought 2 liters.

[p0Pe]

this is going to be nice :D... but could you do a render without wireframe?... would maybe look better, but nice moddeling :O
looking forward to se how its gonna look with leather on the outside xD

[dgrmkrp]

this is going to be nice :D... but could you do a render without wireframe?... would maybe look better, but nice moddeling :O
looking forward to se how its gonna look with leather on the outside xD

I could do a render, but now it far from that point.. I don't really have the entire case digitized and I could change my mind on what I'm doing anytime..
that's the advantage of not screwing anything in real life :) ;) I shouldn't have said that, came out wrong :) I mean I don't have every part which goes in the model.. But maybe I will.. night time fun..

I bought a 100 pack of aluminum rivets and the peltier is in he post.. office, have to wait till next week to pick it up.. jerks.. the customs are open only for 4 hours, one day a week.. and I'll bet they'll charge me with a storing tax.. plus 40% on the 3$ I paid for the product itself.. sheesh.. I need a cheap rivet gun now, and a drill is very important, as I don't see myself making holes in steel with a screwdriver (works on aluminum!)...

I'm gathering funds to either buy a new video adapter (decided I should get a quadro fx, not an 8800 series.. suits me better) or change the loop I have with 1/2" stuff: apogee gt, mcw30, 1/2" tygon, dangerden hi-flow fittings and an OVV block for the peltier.. so I'm have some stuff remaining that I won't use.. lol.. more for the closet :)


Buying will have to wait after the 13th of September, of course, cause of the exams I have.. Which remind me I should either pick up the dremel, or continue studying electromagnetic fields!

[The boy 4rm oz]

That looks incredible, hope you get it to turn out like that in the end.

[Scotty]

Looking at the WC layout i think going from the CPU to the small Rad to the GPU then to the dual would be better, that way your GPU will get better temps, which would also allow for a sweet OC on the CPU. and GPU :D But that works looks stunning.

[dgrmkrp]

Looking at the WC layout i think going from the CPU to the small Rad to the GPU then to the dual would be better, that way your GPU will get better temps, which would also allow for a sweet OC on the CPU. and GPU :D But that works looks stunning.
I've been thinking about that.. But I can't do a loop that does that... Here is why:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Clipboard01-1.jpg
There are too many components in a too small of a place.. I chose the best straight lines between fittings, so as not to bend the tubing too much.. but..

I could manage to squeeze this:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Clipboard01-2.jpg
But there is one portion of tubing that is quite bent.. I'm not sure if it would hold in real life.. probably need some springs/coils around it. Which I don't have... Also, there is no way I could do this with 1/2" tubing.. That bend is too sharp.. But with some special fittings, could be achievable.. Still, more complexity could mean more leaks.. more flow loss..

Gotta thank you for your suggestion, though.. This is the good kind of peer pressure, as I had disqualified the second loop from starters, but it appears do-able now. 10ks :)

There is no telling on the influence of the cooled liquid on the system and I need to study more on what could happen condensation-wise. Also, if I give too much power to the element, I could freeze the water or end up chilling my room ;) One thing that got me thinking when reading about pumps and liquid dynamics (not PC related, but applies) is the fact that having several blocks to slow down liquid will mean the liquid will spend more time in the radiators and get more cooling time vs getting more heating time.. so, the difference between the 1st and second loop should be minimal.. should be :| ? I'm not that good with physics and mathematics to calculate this, but real life testing is better :)

[The boy 4rm oz]

That does look do able, personally I would leave out the South bridge water block and just get a heatsink with active cooling, would end up cheaper and you would have slightly cooler temps on everything else. Great sketches by the way ;)

[dgrmkrp]

10ks :) As for leaving the northbridge out of the loop.. hmm.. I'm not sure.. could be an option.. Right now there is a HR-05 on top of it.. one of the best available chipset cooling devices, IMO... it is fully passive and if it has just a lil air flow around it keeps the chipset cool enough to the touch... So, adding the block there isn't necessary, but I would like it :) If I don't get all my stuff together, only the cpu block will remain in the loop anyway.. for a while.. I may order the other blocks this moth, but as for the video.. There is a choice to be made as I have money for only one thing at a time...

If I use the lowest possible pressure drop block there, it serves more as a means to an end, because I can't seem to find a way to route the tubing the way I want in any other way.. unless I look more thoroughly ;)

I'm looking at either a simple labyrinth block or the mcw30, which I don't know what has inside (can anyone help?).. But I like it.. So, does anyone have any recommendations regarding a good chipset block? also.. cheap :)

[The boy 4rm oz]

I said leave tho south bridge off, not the north bridge but that Is also an option. The north bridge gets a lot hotter than the south bridge. As for a north bridge block I would recommend the Swiftech MCW-30, it's made the same way as the Apogee GTX and that cools really well, it's not that expensive either. If you really wanted you could use one on the north and south bridge because it's compatible with both. If you have a look on the website you can see that it fits on both the eVGA 680i chips with plenty of room, you should be able to use that as reference.

[dgrmkrp]

10ks :) But I didn't have enough money to buy a board with a northbridge AND a southbridge ;) j/k.. The gigabyte board I have has an integrated graphics core, no southbridge and ultra small chip controlling everything.. it's like 5mm x 5mm.. AND has 10 integrated usb ports.. So, all I have is a "northbridge".. I think the mcw is the way to go too.. Especially if is made like the apogee.

I was messing with some spare tubes I have and measured them: they are quite small.. less than the advertised 10mm.. And quite thin.. I don't think I like them.. They work, but I'm gonna give more thought to the 1/2" tubing.. to change my stuff I would need like 170$ (incl. shipping) for the 2 swiftech blocks, new fittings all around and new tubing.. Which I would fork out immediately if I wasn't more keen on a new video card.. Which is gonna be more expensive in the end.. I also need a video block.. and that's gonna add some more $ :(

I think I'm gonna look for some copper and acrylic.. I had a nice idea how to easily make something.. close to the apogee architecture, but different.. Still needs refining and reverse engineering.. I wonder if it is moral to take something, improve(or not) it by changing it a lot, but keeping the good idea at its core.. I would call it progress, but I hope I don't get in trouble :p..

[The boy 4rm oz]

I would go with the MCW-30 for the north bridge. As for the GPU I'm going to be using an MCW-60 on my 8800GTX, it's a good block and can fit almost any card, only downside is it's $100AUS plus the adapter plate and extra heatsinks.

[dgrmkrp]

Well, after visiting the post office to get my small peltier, I was curious enough to ask about taxes applied to.. stuff I order online. Apparently it would cost me 150 euros to get me a video card (be it a quadro or an 8800) thru customs.. errrm.. nope :| won't do that. I asked the guy there what can I do to, well, not pay that much money and he kindly told me that if it is like that, then I probably don't need it.. I won't comment on this anymore. On the water cooling side, I am happy that most of the stuff I want to order isn't on their list, except the water blocks.. they go to aluminum or copper radiators and cost me 14 euros.. a piece.. again.. that is weird.. So, I might end up ordering tubing, fittings and other stuff, specifically what isn't on their list :twisted:

That being said, I'm playing with the peltier right now. I glued 2 small heatsinks to find out which part is the cold side and which the hot.. and I did, but I can only give the unit 5V.. at 12V, the small heat sink can't do much, it gets hot, then the cold heat sink gets hot too... I am keeping it at 5V to see how cool it gets, but no miracles there.. can't get it to work at 7V, cause the psu stops (the peltier should have a resistance of 1 ohms, so that is close to a short circuit.. enter over-current protection). Well, on 5V it is enough to cool down a hot beverage.. I think the temp I'm getting is a subjective 10-15 degrees.. No condensation, no freezing.. I don't have a big heatsink to test the unit with :( Unless I strip on from a working PC.. nope..

Some pics:
While thinking about how expensive water blocks are, long time ago, I started "developing" my own line of cooling elements :alien: lol, right? well, a further understanding of mechanical processes and some limitations vs price and time, I came up with these little puppies:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/cpu_nt_v03_04.jpg
..meet the exclusive, not available anywhere, AM2 water block, version "who knows what number", revision 2. I won't go into much detail, but the block is a parallel type, combined with a pin matrix type, with a little jet impingement.. or something..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/prsnt_01w.jpg
here it is naked.. well, in wire frame.. I personally find a wire frame model sometimes can better relate the inner structure and workings of something ;)

I am learning the ways of autocad in order to make detailed plans, with dimensions and angles and stuff, so I can print them or hand them over to someone when the time comes to mill the blocks.. I found some copper plates, but they don't ship where I live.. and if they did, I've seen a list for construction materials at the damned post office.. again, taxes.. No luck at the local scrap metal yards.. But there is a local industry with non-ferrous metals, so I know I can score some copper sheets around.. I may end with a big bar, just like other DIY on the net.. :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/prsnt_01.jpg
An the quick render. This shows more the aesthetic part of the block. But it was designed to work, not look good. 2 LED holes on each side should make it glow, and a clear acryl cover should allow the unobstructed view of the insides.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/full_board_custom_01_s.jpg
this is how it should look in the end.. I'm mostly playing with ideas, so..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/full_board_custom_02_s.jpg
..a night shot too.. still an idea..

And here is the idea behind the renders: how to get temperature as low as possible?
*Well, one way to do it is have the water as close to the chip as possible.. So, in the groove areas, there is only 1mm of copper between water and heat source.
*Another way to cool things down is by getting lots of water in contact with the heat source.. That's where the parallel design comes in, allowing for lots of water to move fast thru the block.
*Turbulence is needed to avoid that dreaded layer of "dead" water that forms on the surface of the water-block and hinders further thermal transfer.. so there is the pin matrix solution..
*To equalize the water path, I made some small cambers at the intake and exhaust ports, to allow a nice and even distribution of water.. Also, I think I positioned the ports in such a way to have a good even water-pressure distribution, and long water path.
*The block is as big as I can possibly make it as to not interfere with other components on the mother board, and the north bridge block has a notch so as to allow a big air cooler on the video board, if needed..
*The holes are threaded G 1/4" to allow for flexibility, but I would go for 1/2" fittings.

I would like to hear some comments on my ideas.. Maybe there is someone here that has some training/experience with water systems, not just installing them I mean. Any comment is appreciated.

Reality time:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic13.jpg
..this is a pic of the edges of the non-filed edge of the flames on the side of the case.. I just though it is interesting, as a comparison with the cheap-ass case I use for the tensa project.. I couldn't even capture the edge with my phone in that case :p

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic6.jpg
..so, the small, 40mmx40mm peltier.. I think it would be good as a north-bridge super-cooler part, but I won't be using it for that..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic8.jpg
..the testing rig.. 2 north bridge heat sinks.. small ones..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic9.jpg
..mm.. peltier sandwich..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic10.jpg
..some power.. a 420W cheap PSU.. prior use: "AC" power unit in the dorm
room, glued on the wall.. current use: tests..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic11.jpg
..not knowing how hot it could get, I wasn't planning on holding this in my hand.. so I used a piece of wood for support..

No active cooling picture, cause I don't have thermal sensor on my phone (that would be a nice mod, wouldn't it?).. Like I said, it gets cold to the touch, but nothing more.. Well, it will be a little tough giving the small fry 15V at 10A, but 12V would work.. in the future, of course, when something cools the hot side better..

Well, that about covers stuff.. I'm gonna be out of time for the next 2 days.. so.. bye

[The boy 4rm oz]

I thought of getting a peltier and installing it under the water block, then i saw the price lol (for a good one). I like you water block design, base looks pretty much like a Swiftech Apogee GTX of MCW-60/30. This is good because you already know that cools well, you can only make it better ;)

[dgrmkrp]

You could always try buying a cheap one, at least for your northbridge.. of course, it would end up dumping heat in the water loop, so.. neah :) It's better to have all or nothing in this case. Either cool each element, or don't :| I still would like to see how my setup would work. I never seen it done... so maybe some have tried and f$%^ed their systems?

Some pics:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic5-1.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic3-2.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/Pic4-1.jpg
old friend of mine, had it since my coming here to TBCS, is used for the first time. I got tot the freezing point, the cold side even formed a small layer of frozen condesation.. But the PSU is showing signs of death (smells funny) :think: Guess I better stop using it.. 12V on this weird load is having a funny effect on the brand-less PSU..

[The boy 4rm oz]

I've got a Thermaltake Extreme Spirit II on my north bridge so I think I may wait a while before I contemplate a change.

[dgrmkrp]

The boy 4rm oz: As far as I've seen it is fairly good. Lots of people use it and it works even for heavily over clocked systems, with little noise :) Of course, even if I don't need it, I'm still going with water cooling on the mother board chip too. I had some funds come in and ordered some stuff:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/927_innovatek_500767.jpg
..black tubing.. more cheap than the black coolant, hopefully looks good. If not, I'm gonna change it with normal tube.. normal means UV :)

..no pic, as I've showed them before..
..some 90 degrees angled fittings.. I'm trying to do the loop I have in mind, but that's something a bit far fetched.. so I'm keeping it simple for now.. but compatible with my secret design:)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/939_alpha_12336_1.jpg
..something nice for my north bridge.. I've seen good reviews about this block and it is available here. It's performance should be 1 or 2 degrees worse than the mcw30.

The stuff above is ordered and should arrive tomorrow or the day after... What is next still needs some funds, but I'm getting close to my desired savings number :evil:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/950_alpha_13912_1.jpg
A nice pump, to change the hydor :) I'm gonna keep that pump for something else, and have the powerful laing (either model 1 or 2-better, depends what I can get) in my main loop :) I've been studying the different models specs and am not sure what to buy: it is price vs performance vs some other stuff... I found a pump, made by laing, but bigger, with mixed specs, yet cheaper.. will have to see what I can get faster, cheaper and lastly better.

More updates to come.

Q: which brand is "better": alphacool or innovatek?

[dgrmkrp]

Update:
That was fast. Delivery in less than 24 hours :D I got my stuff! Look what I got for 90 bucks, shipping included:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/01-2.jpg
The block, some fittings and AS5.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/02-2.jpg
The block in all its glory. There is some jet impingement here: the top part sits completely on top of the pins, the fittings go all the way down and water can only go in some small channels, then the pins.. It's fairly tight in there, but reviewers say it is a good thing in this case, as flow doesn't suffer that much.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/03-2.jpg
I mock-installed some fittings to see how they would look.. nice.. and the base is mirror polished.. Looks flat too.. but on further testing, when I placed a blade on it, light was coming thru all directions.. so, the base is concave.. :( Well, I think I can lap it :) :twisted:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/04-2.jpg
these are the screws that came with the block.. seen some pics with the block installed and I love the big thumb-nuts :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/05-2.jpg
.and these are the instructions :) lol, nice read :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/06-2.jpg
..the new tubes.. going black with black accents ;)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/07-1.jpg
..and all my money together :)

I have to work on my other projects first, so the upgrade of n0name must wait.. but I'm so excited to see whether I can get higher "FSB" with this :)

[The boy 4rm oz]

I would say Alphacool are the better brand.

[dgrmkrp]

I could have chose alphacool or innovatek fittings, the first being a bit more expensive. It was just a browser choice: the shopping basket kept clearing whenever I added the innovatek fittings.. lol

New stuff acquired so I made some pics of them :) And some preview of what I plan..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/02-3.jpg
I lapped the base of the new water block so that there wouldn't be so much light passing when doing the edge test.. I rubbed it with 220 a lot.. then went up to 600, grit by grit... then I went back to 220, as it still wasn't flat enough.. sanded a lot.. but now I'm happy and will stick to my joke of a lapping.. I don't have any 1000 or higher right now.. so.. that's all the lapping I can do.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/01-3.jpg
Installed the block with the nice looking screws (I have to admit I really like them.. it is something completely innocent thought ;) ) AS5 applied.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/03-3.jpg
at the back the water block's screws have nice looking rubbery grommets :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/04-3.jpg
I rearranged the fittings a little to match my plans.. hopefully, the angled fittings don't add to much restriction.. I have 2 of these in my loop between pump exit and cpu in.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/05-3.jpg
I'm gonna try and modd the case so that the PSU is bottom mounted at the bottom, mobo in the middle, double rad at the top. The 2 things that worry me are that the mother board tray is far from easily removed. It is actually one piece with the entire back plate.. and the back fan hole is too close to cut.. easily :D The other problem is the huge amount of cabling this PSU has..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Pic9-1.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/06-3.jpg
..to help with the metal work.. I bought some sheet metal.. 2 square meters.. You can see it in comparison with the case :) Big hunk of metal :)


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Pic11.jpg
also bought a drill, drill bits and a center puncher.. I have more tools and materials from the past.. But I would need one thing: a riveting tool of some sort. I've seen one today at the place I bought my stuff from, but was more expensive itself than all my purchases (more than 50$)! Need to find a cheaper one..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Pic14.jpg
for easier storage and future manipulating, I cut the big sheet in 4 50x100cm sheets. That would be like 8 custom side panels ;)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Pic10-1.jpg
also, the nexxxos cpu block has holes for mounting LEDs.. right under the black mounting metal thing.. I found 2 blue ones that are just screaming to get a new home ;)

Till next update..

[elbarto241]

Pick your posion:

Harbor Freight Rivet Gun (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=7356)
Harbor Freight Rivets (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42529)

Home Depot Rivet Gun (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100488978&N=10000003+90401+502127&marketID=401&locStoreNum=8125)
The dont seem to have any rivets online, none-the-less you can buy them locally. Hope those links help you out buddy, good luck with your mod.

[dgrmkrp]

10ks.. but because I live kinda far away from these stores.. I'm just gonna go mad because I live in Europe, far far away from English speakers.. there are some German stores nearby tho.. that's where I bought my stuff.. The stuff you picked would be perfect.. if only I was in the US.. 10ks nonetheless.. I can now visualize what to buy :)

[elbarto241]

ahh your across the pond, learn something new everyday.

Go to http://www.toolsdirectonline.com/
product code: 14-1280

think that should do you good. i dont know if that price is too expensive for you, ill let you decide.

thanks for the rep. much appreciated

[dgrmkrp]

That is half the price.. compared to what I've seen, but still I find it a tad expensive after currency conversion :) I found one, but not where I live, in the city where I study, for less than 10$, was well built.. but it's 200km away now :) Anyways, just for geographical reference, I'm a good 1000miles plus away from England.. waaaay inland :) I'm gonna search for one of the boogers tomorrow :)

I studied the case and noticed there is a way I can squeeze the psu and the big radiator in the top, without having to de-rivet, cut and re-rivet the case :) But I still need a rivet gun for my personal enjoyment :) 10ks again :)

[dgrmkrp]

Been some time and I think an update is due. I've been and will be busy, but sometimes I say F it all and get back to old modding. Since I updated the tensa thread, I thought I should do something here too :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/01-4.jpg


my case being emptied, cut and prepped for evolving, I started putting pieces together.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/02-4.jpg


marking spaces..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/03-4.jpg


doing some cuts..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/04-4.jpg


pondering and mocking..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/05-4.jpg


this is the most important problem I have: the dang PSU is too big and those darn cables be huuuge!!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/06-4.jpg


I tested the adhesive and I'm happy with it. If it will be needed, it's gonna hold.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/07-2.jpg


system was assembled, but not completely, to move some stuff from one hard drive to another... this is how n0name stands now.. again :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/08-1.jpg


second take with the sheet metal. This time, I used my head and made a piece ten times stronger than the first. In the final version, this piece will be hidden deep inside the front face panel system. And I plan on using lots more sheet metal, so I need some experience.I've seen a nice mod with sheet metal, bondo and paint somewhere.. One thing I'm not so sure about now is the mesh.. There isn't any now, but I wanted some.. some time ago..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/09.jpg


basically, I cut the holes but leave extra. Then I fold the extra.. one or two times. Gives strength.. and I respected the tolerances :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/10.jpg


in the big hole down stairs, I'm planning to add a dvd-rw and the vortex, maybe equipped with a 10k rpm drive.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/11.jpg


fan mocking. I'm thinking I'll go for either some Yate Loon fans or some AC ones..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/12.jpg


some more minor work on those darn flames.. taking too long. Can't do more than a few centimeters in 2 or 3 hour sessions. My fault completely, I never thought cutting this steel would be that hard.. or noisy ;)

Well, see ya all later. Mod on.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Yay progress, the fans look great, fantastic work.

[dgrmkrp]

Hi everybody,
I've been spending some quality time with my teachers at the University.. mostly because I haven't relocated my main PC there :( I'll do that.. but before that time comes, I'll have to do some stuff to this case here ;)

I have some new ideas and am contemplating changing my motherboard or buying a new system.. and have a mod around that. My new goal is to make PCs smaller, so they can fit in 1U and 2U spaces.. I have a nice dream that is gonna need some practice first.

Haven't done much anything, let alone mod, but I did buy something no modder should go without: a small LCD screen that can be front mounted on the PC case :)

Pic:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Pic9-2.jpg


this is it. My temporary room, where I am not allowed many things.. I'll have to live here and mod when I come home to visit.. or be sneeeaky ;) The screen is a car TV set, with 2 A/V inputs and lots of controls and tweaks.. Picture isn't all that great, but I payed only about 125$ for it and it has good reception ;) When I connect the S-video cable, like in the pic, the only down-side is that the text has to be magnified to be visible.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/dgrmkrp/project%20noname/Pic7-1.jpg
(random notepad document.. silent hill 2 walk through part.. I wasn't playing, just watching my screen :( )



like here.. I'm not sure about the native resolution of the display, cause it wasn't specified.. but it can take wide resolutions and I'm thinking of mounting it vertically. There is an idea in my head: the unit is about 13cm x 19.5cm. The screen is about 17cm x 9 cm. So, if I hack it up I can get the screen in close to 2U, in a 10cm thick case. My plan: if I ever get enough money, I'll build 8 of these systems and make my own mini-render-farm :D all dreams of course.. at my current get rich scheme, I can build 1 PC per year.. and that is a lowishly end PC..

More to come later today :) Gonna watch some anime first, then sleep on my "battle-plan"..

[The boy 4rm oz]

Cool screen mate, and is that a jar of marshmallow and chocolate spread I see ;) lol.

[jdbnsn]

I'm loving those blue flames, nice effect. I was totally wondering how easy it would be to add a tiny screen station on my desktop for media center controls, props for the inspiration!

Jon

[dgrmkrp]

well, thank you :) and that reminds me..
I must apologize to everyone here for my lack of activity lately. I'm trying to keep up with all my classes, cause they are all very important. I'm sleeping like 4 hours a night and I have 12 hours of classes, labs and projects... per day. so I'm kinda sorry and wish I had a split personality ;) to take care of everything.

About the screen, I always liked the mods involving displays :) It could be quite useful, but if you don't know the native resolution of the display.. graphics can look blurry and bad. Only at the right resolution can you have a crisp image.. well, this is what I've learned in my short time working with this small non-PC display :)
Funny stuff: I opened the thing and poked around the insides. To my amazement, some parts inside were branded foxconn :D I have some pics, but it is late now and I have classes in the morning :)
I'm planning some major work.. just planning.. that will probably mean the end of this project, as it will probably be final. With a logo, a functional system and non-changing specs.. and a final case. I have some stuff I need to buy/change first though.. I'm thinking another mobo (mATX, to make more room), maybe a black edition cpu, more ram, a 8800gt, all watercooled. A second PSU for some TECs, an XBOX waterblock, a huge hunk of aluminum to use as a radiator for the TECs.. all in all, I wanna use a water cooling rig with cooled coolant :)
Right now, I'm in desperate need of a bigger hard drive.. So I'm eye-ing a half a gig drive. Seems to be in the right spot now price wise.
Till next time..