Project: Nutman

[Nutman]

Project: Nutman

Sponsored by:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/coolerkit_large.jpg (http://www.coolerkit.dk)
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/specialtech_logo.jpg (http://specialtech.co.uk)
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_logo.jpg (http://ekwaterblocks.com)

First of all: I'm from Denmark, so english is not my native tongue. Yada-yada-yada... bear over with me, if... Yada-yada-yada... Oh, and I'm also linking to some danish and german suppliers AND I use the metric system! Uh oh! ;)

Well, here we go:

In march 2008 I was playing with the thought of trying to watercool my computer (Socket 478, 2.8 GHz P4, etc.).

I got hold of a Thermaltake BigWater 735 kit and was about to build it into my oooold casemod (see pictures here (http://www.nutman.dk/pic/towerpics/towerpics.html) and here (http://www.nutman.dk/pic/studiopics/studiopics.html)).

I had already made 120mm holes in my Codegen iron-case, when someone offered me a cheap, more modern computer in a black Lian-Li PC6070 case.

I quickly decided to sell the old rig and start with the new computer instead... ;)

The idea of watercooling was dropped for the time being, as I really didn't have the money.

There was no strict plan for the project to begin with - all I knew was that I wanted to make it quiet, efficiently cooled and styled nicely - which meant mounting my harddrive using rubber bands for clothing (like in my old case), silent fans were to be purchased (mounted using antivibration bolts), UV cathodes and powerful LEDs plus LED mounting gear was going to be purchased, etc.....

Anyway, I didn't really plan to make a worklog, but after a while I thought I had been spending so much time on the project that it would be a shame not to have documented it. That's why there are no pictures from the very beginning of this project... however, I'll try to explain what has happened up until this point.

I quickly realised that I'm obviously PRETTY much a puritan and quite the perfectionist (well, at least when it comes to casemodding, heh..), so every single solution had to be close to being perfect and be nicely in sync with where I wanted to go with the project.

First, I decided to sleeve all cables - I started with the PSU. I visited Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) and bought some sleevingkits (as the case is black, I thought that a combination of black and UV-reactive green sleeving would be a good match... later I was proven right... and lucky, too! Read on...) and started trying to sleeve.

Anyone who has tried sleeving will most likely agree with me that it's piece of cake to work with Molex-connectors, while it's a bitch to disassemble the ATX-plug, the EPS-plug, etc.. I can verify it's JUST like that!! After having destroyed the specialized tool utilised for disassembling the ATX-plug and following having repaired this tool to the best of my abilities, I was able to display multiple cuts and bruises on my poor fingers and several blisters had started popping up on my thumbs!

With a little practice I managed to disassemble these plugs and all plugs were replaced with UV-reactive green plugs (where applicable). I decided NOT to sleeve the ATX-cable itself (only replaced the ATX-plug itself), as Enermax had done a half-decent job already....

Anyway, the remaining cables were sleeved (and shortened, when necessary. No need to have more cables than you actually need, right?) and this was when I discovered I am quite puritan, because I realised that I think it looks ugly when you're able to spot the coloured cables through the sleeving. Hence, I had to heat shrink all cables prior to sleeving them. The result is that the cables are somewhat stiff, but they look much better this way, I think.

Tip: An old hair dryer is PERFECT for working with heat shrink!

Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) carry heat shrink from AC Ryan in rolls and it's not expensive at all - furthermore, it's nicely thin, quite flexible and easy to expand, if needed when applying.

Other cables in the computer had to be sleeved aswell, for instance the wide P-ATA alike cable that connect my sound card (TerraTec DMX 6fire 24/96) with its 5.25" breakout box. I coudn't disassemble this plug (or: didn't have the nerve) and I wouldn't risk splitting the cable by cutting between each single wire, so I went with the solution of "folding" the cable - in the end it was app. 1,5 x 1,5 cm. thick. Hard to describe, but check out this picture that I found on the internet:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/saadan_laves_rundede_IDE_kabler.jpg

There are lots of guides on the internet that describe this process.

Then I bent one of the plugs to make it run parallel with the cables itself and now I was able to pull sleeving and heat shrink over the plug and onto the cable. Shrink, shrink, shrink and this was the result:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/billede_af_krympet_terratec_kabel.jpg

Not perfect but good enough, considering that almost all visible parts has been sleeved.

The original Lian-Li fans were also sleeved:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lian-li_blaeser_med_sleeving.jpg

Then I purchased an original Lian-Li side panel, premodded with a window at HK Automation (http://www.hkautomation.dk) - and please don't talk bull about this project just because I used a premodded side panel. I think it fits the project fine, as it's nice and pure and the rivets apply nicely to my idea:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lian-li_premodded_kabinetside.jpg

I was going to mount 12" UV cold cathodes and these often come in pairs including 1 inverter and a PCI-bracket with an on/off switch. I had half of such a kit in advance (1 cathode + 1 inventer + PCI-bracket). I quickly decided that the on/off switch should be moved to the front of the case, as I really don't have that much space behind the computer. I gave it quite some thought and decided that it WAS necessary to be able to switch all lights on and off. It's a sweet little feature....and it's considered casemodding to put a switch in your computer, so there... ;)

Out came the drill and the file and the switch was moved from the PCI-bracket to one of the empty 3.5" slots at the front of the case:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/knap_til_uv_lys.jpg

I'd like some more UV lighting, so I got an entire set at Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk). Now I had 3 cathodes totallt. The 2 cathodes from the Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk)-kit are not as powerful as the single cathode I had in advance, so they'll be mounted in the top of the case to cast atmospheric light from above.

The UV cathode I had in advance, was mounted in the bottom of the case and will cast light from below and from the front.

Wires were soldered to the on/off switch, so it can switch on/off both inverters at the same time. The inverters were mounted on the visible side of the 3.5" frame using velcro. I'm not sure it's the best place for the inverters... does it look stupid that you can see the inverters through the side panel window? Hm... well, there they are, for now...

All cathodes have been mounted using 3M Dual Lock velcro - a type of velcro, consisting of tiny T-shaped hooks, as opposed to "regular" velcro, consisting of small loops and hooks. 3M Dual Lock velcro is incredibly strong and is for instance used by musicians for securing their gear, so it doesn't shift during live acts and such... You can buy it for 16 EUR/m. at Aage.dk (http://aage.dk) - it's app. 3 cm. wide....

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/billede_af_uv_placering-top.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/billede_af_uv_placering-bund.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/billede_af_inverterophaeng.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/3M_velcro.jpg

I think I'll be getting an extra 15 cm. UV cathode that will be connected to the empty socket in the 2nd inverter. 15 cm., because it will fit in so many places in the case as opposed to the 30 cm. cathodes, which will only mount horizontally or vertically.

Aaaaaanyway... (Are you still there? Hallo?... Yooohoo?) ;)... moving on!

[Nutman]

The UV cathodes need some stuff to cast light upon, so I purchased some AC Ryan cables at Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/s-ata_og_IDE_uv_kabler.jpg

My girlfriend and I visited Berlin during a spring holiday, and I bought some UV fluorescent green color and some Nanoxia fans (because they're so much cooler than the original Lian-Li fans) that....ARGH! I'm just reading this on Nanoxia.com:

"NANOXIA - CLOSED

nanoxia will be discontinued.

The ex european distributor xen micro GmbH registered the trademark nanoxia against all aggrements on their own name.
All products wich will come with the nanoxia trademark on the market will not be original "nanoxia" products.

the original founder and engineer behind nanoxia - May 08"

Well, isn't that dandy... I bought 3 1600 RPM 9dBa 80mm fans for 6,99 EUR/piece. Bulk... didn't need the fan control bracket that usually comes with Nanoxia fans.... and these fans are actually green AND UV reactive! That's why, as I mentioned before, it was lucky I chose UV reactive green sleeving, because it fits like a glove with these fans.

I also purchased some Coolink antivibration bolts in Berlin. Unfortunately, they're blue, but I'll live.... (I bought all these parts at KM Elektronik (http://www.kmelektronik.de) on Alexanderplatz. Recommendable!)

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/coolink_bolts.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nanoxia_80mm.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nanoxia_monteret1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nanoxia_monteret2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/blaa_bolte_monteret.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_farve.jpg

My case was missing some original parts.

The hard drive rack and the fan in front of the VGA card was missing. Well, after having looked on the internet and trying to purchase these parts off other Lian-Li owners, I talked to Dan at Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk), who told me to come look for the parts in their basement. And I found the parts there!!! That's brilliant customer service!

Used some grit 800 sandpaper (bought at Silvan (http://www.silvan.dk) at 1,30 EUR/sheet) on the visible side of the hard drive rack and the fan in front of the VGA card and then polished these parts using Autosol (4 EUR/tube at T Hansen (http://www.thansen.dk))- quite hard work ;). These parts won't be like mirrors after this kind of treatment, but shiny ENOUGH and in sync with the rest of the case. To fit the anodized aluminum of the rest of the case, remember to sand in the same direction ALL THE TIME and use the SAME direction when polishing using Autosol. This procedure produced the best results for me, as Autosol actually contains tiny grains that WILL produce small scratches if you don't follow the grooves made during sanding. Of course, my puritan ego wouldn't be able to live with such small scratches... if you want a mirror-like finish, use a product like Slibol. However, I didn't want a mirror-like finish so this solution works fine for me.

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/hd_rack_og_blaeser_poleret.jpg

And yes, there are some sticky fingerprints there! I will remove them, before doing the last pictures when the project is finished...

I bought an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro at HK Automation (http://www.hkautomation.dk) for cooling my CPU. However, I just couldn't be bothered polishing that one... ;)

Various stickers were applied to the insides of the case, so they don't ruin the outer look...

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/arctic_cooling.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/maerkater.jpg

Then I had an idea, I haven't seen before: I was going to paint the edges of my PCI peripherals using the fluorescent paint I bought in Berlin!

Done!

Now I'm thinking about what else to paint without going overboard.....

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/farvelagt_lydkort.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/farvelagt_grafikkort.jpg

In the meantime I realised that I needed a PSU to test LEDs, fans, UV lighting and such... I modded an old Commodore Amiga 500 PSU to deliver +12V and +5V via a regular Molex-connector.

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/test_psu.jpg

And yes, my work desk was beginning to look QUITE messy (later, this got much worse!)

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/rodet.jpg

Also took some pictures of my "stock" (if you need PSUs, just let me know) ;)

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lageret1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lageret2.jpg

[Nutman]

Well, now comes the tricky bit.... LED lighting!

Since you can't live with just UV lighting, I went to Brinck Elektronik (http://www.brinck.dk) and bought 5 powerful 5mm blue LEDs and 2 UV 5mm LEDs, various LED sockets and mounts, resistors and the necessary wiring.

I chose blue LEDs, partly because the power-LED of the case is blue and partly because I like the mix of UV green and blue LEDs in a black/aluminum case.

I need to make 2 mounting brackets for the LEDs that are to be mounted inside the hard drive rack below the hard drive itself. There's supposed to be 2 LED sockets in each bracket. One of the sockets on each bracket will contain a UV LED which will be facing the UV reactive Nanoxia fans, while the remaining socket will contain a blue LED facing the other way (towards the backside of the case)...

On the following picture you can get an idea of what it's going to look like. And you can see the hard drive mounting system that I came up with myself...

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dioder.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_fans_uv_led_belysning.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_sokkel.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fatninger.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/hd_ophaeng1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/hd_ophaeng2.jpg

As you can see, I have various LED sockets.

The socket with the glass lens is COOL, but almost impossible to get. I bought it at Brinck Elektronik (http://www.brinck.dk) by sheer luck, but they only had 1 left in their stock. They told me they would order 10 more, but when they arrived, they turned out to be "regular" reflection sockets, without the glass lens. Oh well, I will manage. I WILL find a way to utilise the glass lens socket. I'm working on something resembling the "Terminator eye" effect, you know. The slow fading out and in... more on that subject later!

I came up with the idea of a 90 degrees bracket for mounting of the LEDs in the hard drive rack and I was going to use and old CD-ROM drive for that idea..

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cd_rom_udsavning1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cd_rom_udsavning2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cd_rom_udsavning3.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cd_rom_udsavning4.jpg

Yes, the result was butt-ugly (pardon my french) and quite impossible to polish to a better look....

I decided to purchase some pre-fabricated 90-degrees brackets from Silvan (http://www.silvan.dk) (and some bolts to mount them with), and then drill the right size holes in them myself - these brackets look much better, I think (unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the brackets prior to modifying them).

All I need to do now, is to expand the pre-drilled holes to 8 mm., allowing for the LED sockets to fit.

I decided to move the inverters to another place because, as I mentioned before, they were mounted in a place I wasn't completely sure about.

Now, they're placed a little more "out of sight, out of mind" and have been mounted using 3M Dual Lock velcro.

One of the inverters is placed on top of the inlet fans, while the other one is placed on that side of the 3.5" rack that is not visible through the side panel.

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ny_inverter_placering1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ny_inverter_placering2.jpg

[Nutman]

I also purchased 2 new, powerful blue 5 mm. LEDs, aswell as 2 new UV 5 mm. LEDs - I bought these from the guy responsible for leds4all.dk (http://leds4all.dk).
These new LEDs are much better than the LEDs I bought at Brinck Elektronik (http://www.brinck.dk) - not only are the new blue LEDs MUCH more powerful, but the UV LEDs are also much better at illuminating UV reactive things. I suspect Brinck Elektronik (http://www.brinck.dk) having sold violet LEDs to me - violet is just behind ultra violet (= UV) in the color spectrum, but it's hard to prove. Anyway, the "violet" LEDs ARE capable of illuminating UV reactive things a little bit, so I will probably use them somewhere...

I mounted 2 blue 5mm LEDs from Brinck Elektronik (http://www.brinck.dk) in the case front, making them cast their light towards the back of the case, on the inside.
It looks OK - the final result won't present itself until the case has been completely assembled. And yes, those legs need to be shortened, so they're not visible once the socket sits in place.

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/leds_i_fronten1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/leds_i_fronten2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/leds_i_fronten3.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/leds_i_fronten4.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/leds_i_fronten5.jpg

Well, I drilled the holes in the LED-brackets, mounted the sockets and the LEDs and built everything into the hard drive rack. It looks pretty good. However, I have some concerns regarding the LED wiring, so I'll gave that some thought:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_holder_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_holder_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_holder_3.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_holder_4.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_holder_5.jpg

Here are some pictures of the fan that sits on front of the VGA card and draws hot air from the case.

Of course, the wires need sleeving, a fan regulator will be attached and, at this point, I think I'll be painting the fan itself fluorescent green (not the metal frame, but the fan itself), making the greeen color glow in the holes of the metal frame:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/blaeser_enhed1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/blaeser_enhed2.jpg

So, the northbridge of my ASUS P5ND2-SLI is getting preeeetty hot, so I need to mount a different cooler.

So I went and bought a used Thermalright HR05 IFX.

The old cooler was removed, the northbridge chip was cleaned and the new cooler installed. It was a little tricky to secure the new cooler, as there wasn't much room to operate in. The mounting solution by Thermalright isn't best, because the cooler can actually twist when mounted on the chip, but I'm counting on it sitting there quite nicely once the heat from the chip has hardened the Artic Silver 5 cooling paste:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gl_nb_koeler.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/thermalright.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/beskidt_nb.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/renset_nb.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/monteret_thermalright_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/monteret_thermalright_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/monteret_thermalright_3.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/monteret_thermalright_4.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/monteret_thermalright_5.jpg

[Nutman]

While replacing the ATX-plug with a UV reactive one I hadn't covered the colored cables entirely.

Not pretty, so I had to fix it, but I wasn't about to remove the plug again only to apply heat shrink, so I applied some Nitto tape instead:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_kabel_gaber_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_kabel_gaber_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_kabel_gaber_3.jpg

Ok, finally decided that the LED wiring in the hard drive rack didn't meet my expectations, so I decided to create better wiring and a more radical way of connecting each LED to the PSU.

I decided on using RCA plugs and cutting a piece of acrylic, making it fit into the 3.5" rack.

The RCA-plate with female connectors was dug out from the basement and 8 RCA male plugs were purchased at Brinck Elektronik (http://www.brinck.dk).

I soldered resistors to the female plugs on the RCA plate, all parallel, to be able to plug in each LED individually without messing with the amount of light coming from the rest of the plugged-in LEDs.

A piece of 3 mm. acrylic was purchased at Silvan (http://www.silvan.dk) (3,75 EUR for a 60x60 cm piece) and I cut, snapped off and sanded until I had a piece that would sit nicely in the back of the 3.5" rack. Then, this pice of acrylic was spray painted black on the back. That way you add a little depth to the color and as the paint is sitting on the back of the acrylic inside the 3.5" rack, you won't easily scratch the color. I was thinking about adding a female Molex connector to the piece of acrylic, in order to power the LED plugs, but I decided to hide this part of the wiring, connecting it directly to a switch, just like the one I added for the UV cathodes:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_tilslutning_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_tilslutning_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_tilslutning_3.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_connector_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_connector_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_connector_3.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_connector_4.jpg

While I was working with the acrylic, I decided to make a cover plate for the VGA card, because the red color of the ATI card didn't really fit into the color scheme of the project.

The cover plate was measured, drawn, cut, snapped off, sanded and I marked a circle, where I wanted to cut a hole in order to let out excessive heat from the backside of the GPU:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gfx_plade_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gfx_plade_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gfx_plade_3.jpg

[Nutman]

Hm... as I mentioned earlier, all of this started with a desire to try watercooling, but back then I dropped the idea, because I didn't really have the money for such a project.

But by now I was hooked on the idea again, so it's time to add watercooling to this rig!

I bought a radiator with an Aqua Computer radiator grill. I had some trouble identifying the radiator, but eventually I concluded it was either a HW Labs Black Ice Extreme II, or a somewhat older HW Labs radiator. Whether the flow is good enough or that it cools efficiently is yet to be seen.

The Aqua Computer radiator grill is made especially for Aqua Computer Airplex EVO 240 radiators, where the 120 mm. fans sit a little further apart than most other radiators, so a non-Aqua Computer radiator normally won't fit that radiator grill unless it has been modified (drilling new holes in the radiator to fit the holes in the grill). As you can see, the previous owner had modified the radiator to fit this grill, but I'm not sure I'm going to keep this grill - what if I want to use another radiator in the future? Then I'll have to modify the new radiator, too, and I'm just not too sure that I will want to do that. Well, anyway, I'll have to make a decision on this matter later. Here are some pictures of the radiator (before and after cleaning) and the radiator grill:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/rad_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/rad_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/rad_3.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/rad_4.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ac_gitter_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ac_gitter_2.jpg

I visited Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) again to purchase some spare UV reactive Nanoxia antivibration bolts, 2 extra Nanoxia fan controls and 2 Nanoxia FX12 fans:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/groenne_nanoxia_gummidutter.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nanoxia_blaeserstyring.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nanoxia_fx12.jpg

In order to cut the holes to fit my radiator, I had to take the top off my Lian-Li PC6070 - this procedure meant removing the 4 rivets that hold the top in place (2 in the front, 2 in the back).

On the internet there is a totally pointless guide on how to remove rivets - something about having to use a Dremel to cut through the rivets, thereby producing a cut that you can put a flatheaded screwdriver into and break the rivet-head in 2 pieces. Nonsense! All you need is to drill the middle of the rivet head and then push the remains out using a pointy device, such as a screw. Please use my method instead as it won't damage your case!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/popnitte_vaek_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/popnitte_vaek_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/popnitte_vaek_3.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/popnitte_vaek_4.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/popnitte_vaek_5.jpg

Ok, trying to see how much room there is for the radiator. Turns out, not much!

As you can see, my UV cathodes have to be moved in order to make the radiator and the fans fit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/radiator_plads_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/radiator_plads_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/radiator_plads_3.jpg

[Nutman]

Ok, I expanded the mounting holes for the 80 mm. fans a little bit, in order to make the UV reactive Nanoxia antivibration bolts fit. See, they're PRETTY fragile and WILL snap in 2, if you use excessive force while trying to make them fit. Better to expand the mounting holes by 1 mm. or a little more. But not too much - they still need to sit pretty good in there:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nanoxia_dut_paa_plads.jpg

Had to cut thread in the holes where the rivets used to sit.

These holes were just under 4 mm. (probably around 3,8 mm.), so I didn't have much aluminum to work with. Which shows on the pictures.

I decided to expand the holes to 4,2 mm. and cut a 5 mm. thread:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gevind_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gevind_2.jpg

Hmmmm. Well.... I guess there will always be moments, where a casemodder is in doubt and decides to take another direction.

Well, I chose to sell my newly purchased radiator and the Aqua Computer radiator grill as I was annoyed by the fact that the grill wouldn't fit most radiators without me having to modify those radiators first. And yes, one could say it's a stupid reason, but I happen to like standards and if I wanted to change radiator in the future, I wanted a grill that didn't require modification of the new radiator.

But hey, all things happen for a reason and this made me came up with an idea for my own grill design:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gitter_udkast.jpg

Also bought a XSPC X20 Delta V2 CPU block, got 2 DangerDen Maze4 chipset blocks (found these at Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk)), got a D-Tek UV-Blue 5.25" bay reservoir and an Alphacool NexXxos Pro II radiator. Bought all these parts with minimal flow restriction in mind:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dd_maze4.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/x20_delta.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nexxxos_pro_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/reservoir.jpg

Yeah, I still need a pump, a GPU block, some hose and all fittings.
So far, I've decided to use 8 mm. ID BSPP (G 1/4") Push-On fittings.

I also quickly decided to only watercool the north bridge, because the southbridge doesn't run very hot at all.
The plan was to move the Thermalright cooler from the northbridge to the southbridge and then use one of the Maze4 blocks (modified to fit) on the northbridge.
But I stumbled upon this guy selling brand new Biostar P35 boards for just 40 EUR., so I just HAD to buy one of those. I will wire him the money tomorrow and hopefully have the card here next week.

So, all I need now is a better CPU and to sell the old crappy motherboard, hehe. Ooooh right, I also sold my ATI Radeon 3850, since it's become hopelessly outdated since I started this project half a year ago, heh. Instead, I'm going to buy an ATI Radeon 4850 and equip it with a Swiftech MCW60-R GPU block. Looking for both these parts at the moment...

Anyway, I visited my brother-in-law, who is an engraver by profession (very handy for me at times, hehe). He was going to help me make 2x114 mm. holes in the case top (114 mm. equals the diameter of the fan blades, ie. the moving part of a 120 mm. fan). It was my plan to borrow a 114 mm. hole saw from Boris at h20koeling.dk (http://h20koeling.dk), but he didn't respond in time, so we took on the task using a device which my brother-in-law called a "radius cutter". Looks pretty much like that thing which spies and thieves use to cut glass in movies, but this one is for cutting metal.
Damn hard to control and it all seemed pretty wild - but the holes turned out VERY nice and all I need to do now is to drill the mounting holes myself:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/huller_boret_til_blaesere.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/blaeser_check.jpg

TIP: My brother-in-law showed me how to re-create the finish of anodized aluminum using powders for scouring, some water and a nail brush. Mix the powder with a little water and use the brush in the same direction as the grooves in the aluminum. The result was amazing. There used to be small scratches and some stains on my case top, but after this treatment it looked brand new! Highly recommendable! But remember that you can't use this method forever, since the surface of anodized aluminum is only so thick...

I felt bad that we didn't drill the mounting holes at the same time as making the fan holes, because we had a template and all - we just forgot.

So now I was left with having to figure out how to make marks where I had to drill the mounting holes. I had to find the centre of the newly drilled 114 mm. fan holes and I thought quite a while about this, until my lovely girlfriend suggested using baking paper! Brilliant! Here I am in the process of drawing the template needed for marking the mounting holes:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bagepapir_skabelon_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bagepapir_skabelon_2.jpg

... all what was left was to mark the holes, check with the fans and drill:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/blaesere_fikseret.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/markering_af_huller.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/boring_af_monteringshuller.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/blaesere_monteret.jpg

Ok, sold my ASUS P5ND2-SLI, as I (as mentioned befoe) wanted to get a Biostar P35 board - however, I decided to go with another P35 board, as Biostar had put the ATX-socket in a pretty bad place: between the CPU socket and the first PCI-E socket. What were they thinking?

Also sold my Thermalright HR05 IFX cooler and there's a guy interested in both Maze4 chipset block. I don't imagine I'll be using these blocks anyway, since I don't plan to do an extreme overclock - only moderate. So I hope the heatpipe on a coming P35 board will be enough. I also want to get rid of my P4 CPU and get a Core2Duo, but we'll have to see how much money I got for that....

Oh, bought a used Swiftech MCW60-R for the GPU:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mcw60-r.jpg

Nice. Now, all I need is a pump, some hose and the fittings.

Right now, I'm also negotiating several purchases, amongst those a P35 motherboard, an ATI Radeon 4850 VGA card and a Watercool 80 mm. radiator should also be on it's way. I plan to mount this on the 80 mm. exhaust fan that sits in the back of the case.

[Nutman]

Aaaaand, here it is!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/watercoolrad.jpg

But, but, but.... that inlet is NOT 8 mm. (just about 7 mm.) and if you, like me, are a perfectionist and want the entire watercooling system to be 8 mm. ID, you got to drill a bit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/der_bores_i_watercoolrad.jpg

Not so nice after drilling:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/efter_fil_i_watercoolrad.jpg

But I think I can fix that. Had bought this lovely set for 13 EUR at Harald Nyborg (http://haraldnyborg.dk) earlier this month:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/harald_nyborg_dremel_toolkit.jpg

No perfect tool for this task in that set, though. After working half an hour using a semi-usable tool, the result looked like this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/efter_boring_i_watercoolrad.jpg

Well, it ain't going to be much better using these tools, so that'll have to do for now. After all, the inlet and outlet holes ARE 8 mm. ID now, so I'm counting on the turbulence resulting from those drilling scratches won't be much of an issue....

Also bought a used Laing DDC PRO pump - or, at least that's what I though it was. It turned out to be this pump instead:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing3.jpg

Still Laing, still good.

I wanted to disassemble the pump in order to clean it:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing_skildt_ad.jpg

As you can see, there's a little bit of dirt on the impeller, the impeller housing and the pump top:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing_skidt1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing_skidt2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing_skidt3.jpg

But this is much worse: the top had cracks!!!!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing_revne.jpg

So now I need another top. Sigh.....

Oh well, started cleaning the impeller and the impeller housing. Polished the impeller off with some Autosol and then I sprayed both parts with Limelite in order to remove the dirt that had settled.
Afterwards, the impeller looked pretty nice....:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing_limelite1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing_limelite2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/laing_efter_limelite.jpg

[Nutman]

Well, turns out that the pump was worn down. Very, very, very worn down.

Talked to several Laing DDC pump owners AND Vcore.dk (http://www.vcore.dk) (= the shop that sold this pump 1,5 years ago). They all agreed they'd never seen a Laing DDC pump is such a bad state. They all believed that the pump had been mistreated or simply mounted incorrectly, so now I need to get a new impeller house.
A guy at OC Team Denmark (http://www.octeamdenmark.com), called Riska, had a brand new spare impeller house lying around, so he offered it to me for the price of two packs of cigarets. Nicely done and thanks, Riska! ;)

Here are some pictures of the worn down impeller house and the disassembled pump:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/defekt-pumpe_slidt-tap.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/defekt-pumpe_slidt-rotorhus.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/defekt-pumpe_slidt-rotor.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/motorhus.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/motor-oppefra.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/motor-nedefra.jpg

When looking at the case, it DOES have several scratches on the inside. Now, I COULD cover them up using paint or acrylic... but, I have decided to polish the case on the inside. Not going for a mirror-like finish, but going to make it match the finish of the HDD cage and the VGA fan housing.

Had to take off the feet first (they will be replaced by aluminum/rubber feet, anyway):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/foedder-af.jpg

And then I decided that since I had to remove a lot of rivets in order to take the case apart, I wasn't going to tap the holes, but simply re-rivet them. A lot easier, I think and the best choice, really, since I'm not going to take the case apart on a daily basis (I hope not!).

I bought a pair of riveting pliers + some rivets (and a hole saw kit plus some sanding paper for lapping the CPU and sanding the case):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nyt-vaerktoej-og-sandpapir.jpg

This is what the rivets on the bottom look like:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/undersaenket-nitte.jpg

They're countersink rivets, so I'll have to get some of those.

Here are some shots of the case as it's being stripped:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/strippet-kabinet1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/strippet-kabinet2.jpg

Oh, and I also got a XSPC reservoir top that will replace the cracked Alphacool PRO top - actually, I got 2 tops: the XSPC AND an OCLabs XP Pro top, but I think I'll use the XSPC top. After reading a review at Martin's Liquid Lab (http://www.martinsliquidlab.com), I'm sure that the XSPC reservoir top is the way to go. Which means I'm going to sell the D-Tek 5.25" reservoir and the OCLabs XP Pro top....

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/xspc-reservoir.jpg

Also got a new CPU - an E6750. No receipt, but so what? I'm going to lap it anyway, so I don't need no warranty:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ny-cpu.jpg

[Nutman]

Ok, a small update while I'm looking for the time necessary to really get some things done on the case.

I drilled out the rivets holding the motherboard tray rails and the HD rack holder. As you can see the bottom has a lot of scratches:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bund_efter_fjernelse_af_nitter.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ridset_bund.jpg

Sanding time! As mentioned before, I bought some sanding paper (wet sanding), but also a cork block:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ridset_bund.jpg

After 400 grit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/efter_korn_400.jpg

After 800 grit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/efter_korn_800.jpg

After 1200 grit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/efter_korn_1200.jpg

And now I polished - after polishing with Autosol:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/skinnende_meeeeen_.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/taaget_alu.jpg

"Wow! Shiny!", you say? I'm not too happy with the results, and a picture from a different angle using different lighting shows why:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/masser_af_ridser.jpg

Yep, lots of small scratches that are impossible to remove using Autosol. Which means I have to buy a 230 volts drill, a buffing wheel, some polishing wax and Autoglym Metal Polish to finish the job. This does not come cheap, so I had to think a little.

But then I stumbled upon Darkened's "Orange Monster" casemod at bit-tech.net's casemod forums - he's using carbon foil (he calls it carbon vinyl, but I'm pretty sure we're talking about the same stuff) in the bottom of his case and it looks quite good! I visited Thansen (http://www.thansen.dk) and bought this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/carbonfolie.jpg

I'm going to use the carbon foil in the bottom and other places that need covering up. Yes, I am lazy at times. ;)

Earlier I mentioned that I had purchased a Laing DDC pumpe that turned out to be worn down.
I the meantime I managed to get half of my money back from the seller and Riska from OC Team Denmark (http://www.octeamdenmark.com) sent me a brand new impeller housing.

It's finally arrived and here's the difference between the old and the new impeller housing:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gammelt_og_nyt_rotorhus.jpg

I little close-up of the old one:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gammelt_rotorhus.jpg

And the new:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nyt_rotorhus.jpg

Yes, pretty big difference and the impeller is definately spinning much better now (determined by moving it by hand, not electrically). Still haven't tried it with water yet, but I'm sure it'll be great.

Riska also sent me this modified pump housing:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nyt_pumpehus.jpg

This should make sure that the pump doesn't overheat easily.

I do plan to paint the new pump housing. Yet another task in the pile. ;)

I bought a used Club3D ATI Radeon 4850. The prevois owner had installed Enzotech and Zalman heatsinks on the memory chips and voltage regulators, so it's perfect for water cooling. As you can see, the acrylic I cut for my old 3850 fits the 4850, but the ventilation hole for the backside of the GPU'en needs to be moved a little. I will probably just make a bigger hole to avoid having to make a new plate. Also, it looks like there's enough space for the Crossfire connectors behind the acrylic.:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/4850.jpg

I will end this update with a picture of my new motherboard - the Abit IX38. Damn, I'm looking forward to assembling this case!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/abit_ix38.jpg

[Nutman]

Finally started the assembly phase. This is the fun part of the entire process. It's also the part where progress becomes visible.

I bought some industrial alcohol (for de-greasing the aluminum prior to applying the carbon foil) and Brasso - used the Brasso for polishing the MCW60-R'en:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sprit_brasso.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mcw60_poleret.jpg

I also needed a hole for an extra 120 mm. fan and I gave the entire project some thought, test-assembled parts of the PC and made some measuring - then I could mark where I needed to drill a hole for the extra 120 mm. fan - in the bottom of the case:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/markering_120mm_bund.jpg

I borrowed a 114 mm. hole saw and a drill from Boris at h2okoeling.dk (http://www.h2okoeling.dk) and, while risking my life, drilled the 114 mm. hole. I de-greased the case bottom and applied the carbon foil that I had purchased earlier.. Re-riveted the HD rack frame and the motherboard tray rails back on, using standard rivets. Yes, earlier on I mentioned getting countersunk rivets (as the ones I drilled out when removing the parts), but they were impossible to find where I live. This is the result:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/carbon1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/carbon2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/carbon3.jpg

Then I took upon me the task of using a Dremel (= copy of a Dremel) for the first time ever and this is what I experienced:

1. Use safety glasses - unless you think you'd love being blind.
2. Use respiratory protection - unless you love iron lungs.
3. Use hearing protection - when you're 60 and able to hear your grandkids, you'll understand.
4. Use the flex shaft - much easier to control than the power tool itself.
5. Make a booth for your dirty work. The cutting dust settles EVERYWHERE!

And yes, I did NOT follow all of these rules, but I will next time - trust me! ;)

But now I'm TOTALLY hooked on cutting aluminum! God damn, it's a great feeling, hehe. If any of you need someone to cut your aluminum case, just let me know. ;)

Aaaaanyway, with iron lungs, tinitus and a gigantic mess on my basement, I present to you a picture of the hole I cut for running the cables from the PSU on the backside of the motherboard tray:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cable_management_hul.jpg

And this cut in the bottom of the 5.25" rack that will make place for the reservoir sitting on top of the pump:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/udskaering1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/udskaering2.jpg

Applied carbon foil to the bottom of the 5.25" rack to cover a lot of scratches:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/udskaering3.jpg

Visited Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) to buy some additional parts, but to my big surprise it ended with Dan at Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) handing me over those parts as a sponsor gift! Having said that, I'm not really that surprised, because Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) have always been very generous with help, materials and expertise on this project and I've said it before, but it can't be said enough: their customer service ROCKS!

Some pictures of the parts I got at Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nyt_gear1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nyt_gear2.jpg

And finally, a picture of the fan that sits in front of the VGA card. I applied some of the carbon foil to it, in order to cover the fan sticker that was sitting there upside down:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/vga_blaeser_med_carbon.jpg

[Nutman]

I realised that I was still missing some parts (you always think you've bought the last part you'll need, but, apparently, you're always wrong, hehe), so after yet another trip to Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) and a visit at Bauhaus (http://www.bauhaus.dk) I came home carrying these parts:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sidste_stumper.jpg

This 120 mm. filter is supposed to sit under the 120 mm fan in the bottom:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/120mm_filter.jpg

These 120 mm. fans will have their fans removed and will be used as fan shrouds:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_shroud_blaesere.jpg

Also bought some 3M thermal tape. I decided to use the old pump housing instead of the one Riska sent me (because he had removed the mounting brackets and I really need these for mounting the pump) - but I'll remove the heatsink from the new pump housing, cut it into smaller pieces and attach them to the old pump housing using the 3M thermal tape. Also visited Bauhaus (http://www.bauhaus.dk) to buy some closed cap nuts that I will use for mounting the radiators and their fans:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bolt_toppe.jpg

... and picked up these threaded bars at the same place. I will cut these into pieces for mounting radiators and their fans:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gevindstaenger.jpg

Cut these bits from the threaded bars:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gevindstaenger_tilskaaret.jpg

Finally finished filing the 80 mm. radiator, mounted it using the pieces cut from the threaded bars, the closed cap nuts and the Revoltec silicone 80 mm. gasket - the gasket is usually for minimizing vibrations from the fan, but I use it for minimizing the amount of "fake air" (we call it that in danish, heh) between the radiator and the fan, thereby making sure that whatever air the fan sucks in goes through the radiator:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/80mm_rad_honet_helt.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/80mm_rad_samlet.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/80mm_rad_monteret.jpg

In order to mount the XSPC X20 Delta V2 block on my Abit IX38 motherboard I had to remove the outer mounting rings (not sure which socket they're supposed to be used for) from the mounting plate, since they touched the heatpipe cooler on the motherboard:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cpu_blok_modding1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cpu_blok_modding2.jpg

Added some C-strip to the hole I cut for the PSU cables. Not pretty, but since it works fine and it's out of sight, I'm fine with it:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cable_management_hul_kantliste.jpg

Also cut and filed some hex mesh to make it fit the 120 mm. holes in the top and the 80 mm. hole on the back:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/120mm_hex_mesh1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/120mm_hex_mesh2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/80mm_hex_mesh.jpg

And, as a little surprise to all of you, here's a shot from the 1st test of the re-assembled pump. It works great and looks good, too:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ny_laing_foerste_test.jpg

[Nutman]

Well, it's been a loooong time since my last update, but a lot has happened on the project....

I got my cutouts - I had ordered 1 grill for the 2 top fans, 1 grill for the fan in the back and one set of letters spelling the name "Nutman".

The guy making the cutouts thought they'd look better in stainless steel instead of aluminum, so I let him decide - he even made 2 top grills and 2 sets of letters - nice guy!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/stainless-cutouts.jpg

I removed the protective film from the cutouts and test-mounted the 2 grills:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/topgrill-mounted.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/back-grill-mounted.jpg

I had painted the hex mesh cutouts that I earlier fitted to the cooresponding fan holes. Now I had to glue the mesh to the fan grills.

I did that by mounting the grills and put the mesh into the fan holes behind the grills - the grills are a bit smaller the the fan holes, so there was room for glueing the hex mesh to the grills.

I apologize for the picture where I am glueing the mesh on the top grill - it's a little hard to see what's going on, but I put some magazines on top of some wrench tops, putting weight on the hex mesh against the grill.

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/hexagon-glueing-backplate.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/hexagon-glueing-topplate.jpg

And this is how it looks when the hex mesh has been glued to the grills and the grills have been mounted:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/back-grill-glued-mounted.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/topgrill-glued-and-mounted.jpg

Did a test-mount of the top fans, too:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/topgrill-mounted-with-fans.jpg

Sleeved the cables on the pump:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump-sleeved.jpg

Made a test-mount of the pump to see how it would sit and test the rubber mountings.

I thought I had to provide extra support rubber to the 2 corners where the pump is not bolted tight, but later that turned out not to be necessary.

But here's how it looked at first:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump-mount1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump-mount2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump-mount3.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump-mount4.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump-mount5.jpg

Attached the filter to the bottom fan:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bottom-fan-below1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bottom-fan-below2.jpg

Well, now we're in november 2008 and I was going to visit a friend for a weekend - all-weekend gaming was on and I had to make the machine ready.

I quickly realised I wasn't able to finish it completely at that time - lots of details had to be done and I had to put the water loop in a my friend's place - I didn't have time for all of this before I headed over to his house.

I assembled the machine as much as I could before I left:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/test-assembly.jpg

Also made some fan ducts from the Coolermaster fans Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) had sponsored:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/making-fanducts.jpg

And yes, the fans (2 x Nanoxia on top, sucking air through the radiator and out of the case and 2 x Noiseblocker XL1 sitting on the underside of the radiator blowing air into the radiator) and the fan ducts provided for a pretty "fat" solution:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/initial-radiator-assembly.jpg

Test-mounting the radiator (it may look like there's plenty of room, but as I mounted the front panel for my Terratec soundcard it turned out there was no room for the fan ducts, so they had to go):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/rad-mounted-with-ducts.jpg

Well, set up the loop and started leak testing:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/initial-loop-assembly.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/initial-loop-prep-for-leaktest.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/initial-loop-leaktest-with-flash.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/initial-loop-leaktest-without-flash.jpg

The machine was running fine at my friend's house. The CPU temperature never went above 45 degrees Celcius (according to Coretemp) and, according to ATI's software, the VGA temperature was steady at about 35 degrees Celcius at full load. I don't know hos trustworthy these measurements are, but they appear credible to me.

Ok, my brother-in-law had got me these cool aluminum feet for the case:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/casefeet1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/casefeet2.jpg

I was going to mount them in these holes that are way too big for the bolts that came with the feet:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/casefeet3.jpg

So I had to manufacture some aluminum discs that fitted into the holes:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/casefeet4.jpg

The result was quite nice:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/casefeet5.jpg

Lots of room for the bottom intake fan:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/casefeet6.jpg

Proceeded to the fitting of the letters on the case sides.

First, I put some painting tape on each side panel and made markings where each letter was going to sit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lettering3.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lettering4.jpg

I used double-sided tape on the letters, pulled off the protective paper and pushed each letter onto the window side panel:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lettering1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lettering2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lettering5.jpg

On the other side panel I experimented used a different kind of double-sided tape (the kind used for rugs and carpets):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lettering6.jpg

Yes, yes - nobody's perfect ;) :

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lettering7.jpg

However, some of the letters fell off during the night, from both side panels. So, I have decided to drill holes in each letter and bolt them solidly to the side panels. More on that later...

I got myself a defective Lian-Li case to serve as spareparts for this project.

The first part to be used was the Lian-Li badge, as my case didn't have a badge, for some unknown reason:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lianli-badge1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lianli-badge2.jpg

Slowly started doing the cable management. It's a hassle - ****ing tedious, but has to be done...

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cable-management1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cable-management2.jpg

As mentioned earlier, I had been trying to make a LED connector panel for quite some time. I went through several solutions:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ledconnector-bad.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ledconnector-box.jpg

None of them pleased me, so I decided to make a cover plate for the 3.5" rack (to sit behind the pump), a cover plate for the 5.25" rack to sit on the back of the TerraTec front panel, and a cover plate for the VGA card. All made of acrylic.

I made these plates:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/all-plates-cut-and-drilled.jpg

The cover plate for the 5.25" rack was going to be mounted on the back of the TerraTec front panel (=easier than mounting it in the 5.25" rack itself), so I had to drill 2 holes in the sides on the back of the TerraTec front panel a do threads in these holes:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drill-holes-in-terratec-frontmodule.jpg

I put the RCA-connectors in the 5.25" rack cover plate:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ledconnectorplate-preparing.jpg

Did a test-mount before the paint job:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ledconnectorplate-ready-for-paint.jpg

The cover plate for the 3.5" rack (sitting behind the pump) and the cover plate for the VGA card were looking like this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump-plate-holes-drilled.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gfx-plate-holes-drilled.jpg

The hole for the pump's power cable (that has a molex-connector) had to be drilled bigger in the 3.5" rack cover plate and I also made a big hole in the VGA card cover plate to accomodate for the escaping of hot air from the backside of the GPU.

Then the plates were ready for the paintjob - I also painted the cover of an old Vantec Nexus 101 temperature- and fan control I had, because I was going to use this one for monitoring the pump. It's also possible to attach 3 temperature probes to this unit, but I don't think I will be using those - for now...

Paintjob finished:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/all-plates-painted.jpg

Painted the edges with UV-reactive green paint, just like the soundcard and the old ATI Radeon 3850 VGA card.

Mounted some mounting bolts on the VGA card, in order to be able to attach the cover plate to the VGA card:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gfx-plate-mount-hardware1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gfx-plate-mount-hardware2.jpg

And then I attached the cover plate:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gfx-plate-mounted1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gfx-plate-mounted2.jpg

Soldered resistors and wires to the RCA-connectors:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ledconnectorplate1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ledconnectorplate2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ledconnectorplate3.jpg

Mounted the 5.25" and 3.5" plates:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ledconnectorplate-mounted1.jpg

Also did a test-mount of the pump, to check how it would sit and how it was going to look:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ledconnectorplate-mounted2.jpg

The back of the 3.5" plate looks like this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump-plate-backside.jpg

Started making the plugs for the LED cables. Sleeving and using multiple layers of heat shrink is the way to go:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ledconnector.jpg

Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) had sponsored some Nanoxia fan controls - these fan controls come with each Nanoxia fan - but they're mounted on PCI brackets to go in the back of the case and I really didn't want them to sit there - too difficult reaching them.
I quickly decided to dismantle these fan controls and mount them in a 5.25" fascia.

It's quite a big task - I measured, made markings, drilled the fascia, dismantled the fan controllers and soldered the necessary wires - all I need to do is some cutting and sanding, aswell as mounting plugs that will allow for me to easily plug in fans to the fan controller.

I got 4 potentiometers at hand and I mean to let 1 potentiometer control the 2 fans sitting on top of the radiator, 1 potentiometer control the 2 Noiseblocker XL1 fans sitting on the underside of the radiator, 1 potentiometer control the fan that sits in front of the VGA card and the last potentiometer control the fan sitting in the bottom of the case.
In that way all 120 mm. fans can be controlled manually, while the 3 lownoise (9 dBA!) 80 mm. fans will run at full speed all the time.

By the way: the 120 mm. fans will be powered by the PSU, to lighten the load on the motherboard. I'm not sure the motherboard will be able to deliver power for 2x120 mm. fans at the same time, but the PSU is able to handle this demand just fine - don't worry, I've tested it. ;) - oh, and the potentiometers also seem to be handling this job in a fine manner.

Here's a picture of the present state of the fan controller:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fancontrol1.jpg

[billygoat333]

holy **** man, thats a lot of PSUs! lol

nice job with the sleeving, and nice touch with the uv paint on the card edge, would love to see an action shot! :)

[Nutman]

Ok, cable mess all over the place:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_mess.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cable_mess.jpg

Needs to be cleaned up later, once I've mounted the fan controller. And yes, the fan controller is ready!

I started marking where the holes for the potentiometers were to be drilled. Then I stabilized each potentiometer by cutting the existing PCI brackets to fit inside the 5.25 slot cover used as face plate for the fan controller:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fancontroller_cuts_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fancontroller_cuts_2.jpg

Another reason for re-using the original PCI brackets is that it will stop the potentiometers from moving when adjusting the fan speed. There's a small tap on each potentiometer:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/tap_1.jpg

However, these taps are to high to allow for the cut-down PCI brackets to sit tight with the 5.25" slot cover, so they had to be sanded down a bit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/tap_2.jpg

Next, I mounted the potentiometers and soldered all the wires:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fancontroller_lodninger.jpg

... and mounted the knobs:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fancontroller_knapper.jpg

Testing the fan controller:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fancontroller_faerdig.jpg

It works perfect, of course! ;)

Ok, I put the fan controller where it had to go and tried to clean up the cable mess behind the front cover of the case:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cable_management_front.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cable_man_frontpanel_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cable_man_frontpanel_2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cable_man_frontpanel_3.jpg

Also, I'd like to show you some of the LED cable management:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_cable_management1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_cable_management2.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_cable_management3.jpg

Mounted the radial fan:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/radial_fan_mounted.jpg

Also bought some faster RAM. It's so cheap now, I just couldn't stop myself:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ny_ram_1.jpg

And here it sits in the machine. Plenty of room behind the hoses:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ny_ram_2.jpg

I had to redo the water loop, because some of the hoses started forming kinks here and there.

Here's the new loop:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_loop.jpg

If you look really hard you can see something black on the hoses under the VGA card. It's a piece of velcro I had to put there in order to protect the hoses from the hot RAM heatsinks on the VGA card:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/protect_hoses_ramsinks.jpg

All UV cathodes are in place. There's 1 in the bottom (see picture in an earlier post) and 2 sit in the top, 1 on each side of the radiator. It's a weeee bit hard to make pictures of the top UV cathodes, but I managed to get a snapshot of one of them. Not much room up there:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_cathodes_top.jpg

On the motherboard, just below the ATX-socket, there's a LED that lights up when there's power on the board. Of course, it's red and this doesn't quite fit my colour scheme, so I had to cover it as much as possible.

I mounted some double-sided tape on the backside of a piece of foam rubber and put a similar piece of black tape on the top - I thought the foam rubber would be so flexible that it would cover the surface-mounted LED pretty good, but that wasn't quite the result. It DOES block most of the red light, but not all of it. I will have to make a better solution later:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cover_mb_lights.jpg

Started mounting the letters on the sides of the case.

I bought a 2 mm drill and countersink drill for stainless steel and used my new, lovely drill press to make nice holes in the letters:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/letters_2.jpg

Here's the first letter:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/letters_1.jpg

If you take a look on the back, it does matter where the bolts go - if you look closely you can see that I had to move the first letter a bit up, because the bolts were blocking the correct fitting of the side panel:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/letters_3.jpg

All letters mounted on both side panels:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/letters_4.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/letters_5.jpg

The bolts were too long:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/letters_6.jpg

So they had to be cut shorter:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/letters_7.jpg

Now, the side panels sit nicely. It's starting to look like a computer!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sides_mounted_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sides_mounted_2.jpg

Actually, the computer is very close to being done.

All that's left is some polishing and some small details.

For instance, the CPU cooler is rather greasy and needs to be polished:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dirty_cpu_block_1.jpg

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dirty_cpu_block_2.jpg

The very final update will come "soon". ;)

[Nutman]

holy **** man, thats a lot of PSUs! lol

nice job with the sleeving, and nice touch with the uv paint on the card edge, would love to see an action shot! :)

Yup, and what's even more impressive: I sold most of the PSUs now. Only had to throw out most of the small 145W ones, as it seems like no one was interested in those.

However, kept 2 myself for leak testing, cathode testing, LED testing and such.

Good idea with a video - but, but, but....

A video will come at the very end of this project. The reason for this is that I've changed my mind (and then the configuration) sooo many times during this build that I won't do any live capturing until it's done and over with.

A little example: Since the last picture post I've sold the E6750, bought an Q9550, sold the 4850 and got a 4890 instead, bought an Aquaero, bought another Laing DDC (10W version), sold the MCW60-R and got an EK4870 full block to fit the 4890, bought a XSPC Dual DCC Bayres One and sent it back to get a XSPC Dual DDC Bayres Two instead (just arrived today, actually), bought a complete water cooling set from MIPS for the mainboard, stripped the entire case to do some painting and/or anodizing....

To name a few changes, that is....

So, bear over with me and look forward to the next, fresh batch of pictures coming up in a week or two. I'll try to work fast and focused now, because the machine HAS to be finished in a month or so...

[mDust]

holy **** man, thats a lot of PSUs! lolI agree...WTF? I see you have a collection of cases as well...

Everything looks great so far. Please get a 'dark room' UV effect pic!
I thought I'd say your top CPU hose looks a bit kinked unless it's just refracted light. Also, just a detail recommendation, I'd take the stickers off the green UV fans and possibly paint the motor wires black (I wish manufacturers would just hide them to begin with :)). But that's just an unnecessary 'final polish' type detail.

[p0Pe]

haha hey nutman! glad to see my pump top in use, and now your getting rid of it huh:D?
the worklog must have taken AGES to translate? i can still see minor danish in it some place:D the ammount of pics is just... wow...

really looking foreward to updates on this mod:) a long time since i last saw it

[Nutman]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. In about 5 minutes, there will be a new update here!

pope: Yup, it takes ages to translate and yes, I start the worklog in danish, so I'm sure you can spot it in the translation ;)

[Nutman]

Yeah, well. It's rather typical - this is NOT the very final update, because a lot has happened in the meantime.

As you might recall I had ALMOST finished the machine and I even made some "OMFG! It's finished!"-pictures - but then reality kicked in and I made some decisions regarding stuff I wasn't satisfied with and that HAD to be corrected.

I'm giving you 2 collages of the pictures I made. They show you how the machine was looking like before I decided to dismantle it again for further modding.

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/collage1.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/collage2.jpg

Ok, I got a good offer on an ASUS ATI4890 and I took it - so that's the third graphics card used in this build (3850, 4850 and now 4890)! Hopefully it'll be the last for now....

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/4890.jpg

I was offered an EK4870 full block and made an enquiry with EK in Poland to check if that block would fit my graphics card. Got a very fast reply saying that it would fit fine, so I bought it and here it is:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/4890_ek.jpg

Once more I visited Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) and brought this stuff home:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/extra_10w_ddc.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/extra_240_rad.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fittings_galore.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/more_nanoxia_fans.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_stuff.jpg

The pump and the Aquaero was not bought at Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) - I purchased those from one of the guys working there.

However, the new radiator was sponsored by Studiedata (http://www.studiedata.dk) (it's a used one from an old project of theirs) and I think it looks like an Alphacool NexXxos Pro - an older one. Since I have a NexXxos Pro II sitting in the top of the case already, I exspect performance from the new one to be pretty much the same since this one is going to sit in the bottom, sucking in the cool air.

I get a good discount on the rest, but it was not entirely for free.

The radiatoren and the pump was cleaned using a mixture of vinegar acid and normal water:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cleaning_new_rad.jpg

Another decision I made was to get a Quad core CPU, so I sold the "old" E6750 and bought a Q9550 instead:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/q9550.jpg

Since I now had a Quad core CPU, I felt I needed a better CPU cooler. So.. out went the XSPC X20 Delta V2:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/removing_stuff8.jpg

...and in came the D-Tek FuZion V2 with a Quad Core nozzle:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dtek_fuzion_v2.jpg

Also bought a new reservoir that will take 2 Laing DDCs:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/xspc_dual_bayres_one0.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/xspc_dual_bayres_one1.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/xspc_dual_bayres_one2.jpg

...so the old one had to go:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/removing_stuff4.jpg

Since then I've returned the XSPC BayRes One reservoir and got the new model, the BayRes Two, instead... pictures of that one will come later.

Since the full blcok was added to the graphics card there is no more room for this fan:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/removing_stuff7.jpg

It was mostly noisy and not really any good, so kinda glad to see that one go!

Since I'd purchased an Aquaero I didn't need either the home made fan controller nor the Vantec Nexus 101 fan controller anymore. Out they went:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/removing_stuff6.jpg

I also sold my Terratec DMX 6fire sound card, so the LED connector panel couldn't be mounted anymore as it used to be mounted on the back of the front panel for the Terratec sound card. So the LED connector panel also went into the bin. Not feeling bad about it - I had come to realize that it was ugly, so I'll make something better.

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/removing_stuff3.jpg

Also threw out the plate that sat in the back of the 3.5" rack since it really didn't have a purpose anymore. I was going to move the pump to the new reservoir and the new radiator in the bottom meant that I had to remove the HDD rack and mount the HDD under the 3.5" rack instead. So, out went the HDD rack:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/measuring_rad_bottom.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/removing_stuff5.jpg

I'm planning on mounting the HDD hanging from the 3.5" rack, so the 2 80 mm. fans will still cool the HDD. However, I haven't made the mounting mechanism yet, so for now the HDD will just be mounted inside the 3.5" rack...

I wanted to mount some light under the motherboard, since I had seen some mods where they did this - and it looked pretty good. Luckily, I had 2 spare CCFL tubes in the somewhat right colors, so I wanted to install them under the motherboard.
The problem was that there was not enough room for the tubes under there, so I had to remove the protective plastic tube, thereby exposing the raw tube and the wire that runs along it. I wrapped it in scotch tape to isolate and protect it. As you can see, it works:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ccfl_modded.jpg

I was also planning to paint my PSU since it was metallic dark blue and didn't really fit the colors of the case. Plus, the fan grills were golden and didn't really fit, either. As you may have noticed earlier, I bought some black fan grills for the PSU, and now I had to re4move all the stickers prior to painting the PSU:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/enermax_removing_stickers.jpg

And here it is, ready for the paint job:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/enermax_ready_4_paint.jpg

As you might have noticed, I'm in the basement now. I have my cozy little workshop here, so let me show it to you:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/workshop1.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/workshop2.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drill_press.jpg

Yes sirs and madams, my wonderful drill press - a christmas gift from my parents! As you might have noticed I bought a real Dremel! It was on sale, so I really had no choice, hehe:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dremel_3001.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dremel_3002.jpg

More to come...

[Nutman]

Ok, still in the basement and the plan is to dismantle the case and do a little painting on the inside (black, of course).

First I needed to make a new bottom base plate, because I couldn't use the existing 120 mm. hole with the new radiator. It simply wouldn't fit because of the case feet.

As some of you might recall I had a spare top from a Lian Li case, so I taped it up and sketched it:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lian_li_top_measured.jpg

Secured the top to the workdesk and put an old shelf on top that would serve as a straight guide when doing the cuts using the router drill for the Dremel:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting1.jpg

Made sure everything was ready for the cut. Did a check-up and then another one...:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting2.jpg

...drilled a hole where the router drill had to start:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting3.jpg

...put the router drill ito the hole:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting4.jpg

...and started cutting:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting5.jpg

Made some videos where you can see the process:

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<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2CjMMhqATgM&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2CjMMhqATgM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gKcJsa6PR8Q&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gKcJsa6PR8Q&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

After some time the new base plate was cut:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting6.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting7.jpg

...final finishing:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting8.jpg

There!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting9.jpg

Errrr, doesn't quite fit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting10.jpg

...but eventually it did.

I needed to remove the PC speaker brackets:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting11.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting12.jpg

...and then we had a snug fit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting14.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting15.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/baseplate_cutting16.jpg

Marked where the radiator was going to sit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/marking_bottom_radiator1.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/marking_bottom_radiator2.jpg

Put plastic on the case to contain the spillage from the cutting process and made 2 nice 112 mm. holes using the Dremel router drill:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bottom_plate_cut1.jpg

Tape off and let's see how it sits:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bottom_plate_cut2.jpg

Put some rounded washers on the case feet bolts:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/rounded_washers_for_feet.jpg

...and put the radiator in place:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bottom_rad_mounted.jpg

Went on to install the dust filters for the new radiator, but as the middle mounting holes only sit 15 mm. apart the dust filters didn't really fit. I have to remove 2.5 mm. from the side of each dust filter. A job to be carried out later...

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dust_filters_too_big.jpg

Well, as I said I wanted to paint the insides of the case. I dismantled the motherboard tray (drilled out all the rivets):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobotray_disassembled.jpg

Before starting to paint, I wanted to do a test on some other Lian Li aluminum parts I had. Went with a PSU bracket:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/paint_test_psu_bracket1.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/paint_test_psu_bracket2.jpg

Turned out to be a smart move, because the paint job started the break up after just 4-5 days. Well, I didn't use an aluminium primer on the PSU bracket, but just de-greased it and sprayed black paint on it.
I've since done another test, using aluminum primer this time - followed by 2 layers of black paint and 2 layers of transparent paint. However, I just can't seem to make it look right, so I've decided to have the parts anodized black instead.
More about that in the next update, I hope...

Got some goodies for the Aquaero'en and some watercooling stuff aswell (2 Aquacomputer temperature gauges 2 bits for the draining system):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_stuff_aquaero_etc.jpg

Put the new black front plate on the Aquaero aswell as the new acrylic front that brings the display level with the front plate, so it doesn't appear "sunk in" anymore:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front1.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front2.jpg

As you can see the buttons are now sitting too low when looking at the front plate - however, Aquacomputer deliver these spacers with the acrylic front:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front3.jpg

Put them on the buttons:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front4.jpg

...and on the spacers for the front plate:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front5.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front6.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front7.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front8.jpg

There - buttons and front plate nicely aligned again:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front9.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front10.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_front11.jpg

Ok, decided to water cool the chipset/mosfets aswell, so got this set from MIPS in germany:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_mainboard_coolers.jpg

Off came the old chipset/mosfet heat pipe:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/removed_mainboard_cooling.jpg

...and on went the new coolers:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mosfet_block_mounted.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/adding_paste_to_q9550.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fuzion_installed.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nb_installed.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sb_installed.jpg

Since I'm using push-on fittings there's the well-known issue with hose kinking when tightening the washer to the fitting itself. Often, when you tighten it, the hose will move and bend because it's such a tight fit, irsking kinking of the hoses while doing so. Well, I thought "Maybe a little oil will help?", so I added a little sewing machine oil to the hoses:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/oiling_of_hoses1.jpg

...and smeared it out using this thing:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/oiling_of_hoses2.jpg

It actually worked rather well and made it possible to do small and tight hosing like this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/tubing_mosfet_nb.jpg

Connected the CPU cooler and the mosfet cooler:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cpu_mosfet_tubing.jpg

Yeah. my girlfriend's fingers wouldn't stay out of the frame! :D

The last thing I've done for now is to mount the pumps on the new BayRes Two reservoir. Not much room for the pump wires, but by removing some of the sleeving I was able to make them fit. I'll re-sleeve both pumps later, don't worry:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pumps_bayrestwo1.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pumps_bayrestwo2.jpg

That's it!

Stay tuned until next update where I hope to be able to show you some black anodized inner parts - and maybe there's a small surprise for you all regarding fittings and hoses. ;)

[billygoat333]

nice tight fight on the tubing! and cant wait to see the anodized parts! yummy!

[p0Pe]

looks great nutman. waiting for more;P

[Nutman]

And this is the surprise: Coolerkit (http://www.coolerkit.dk) are now sponsoring "Project: Nutman"!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/coolerkit_large.jpg

So, what do Coolerkit (http://www.coolerkit.dk) sponsor?

Well, they sent me this nice, little package:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nice_little_package_01.jpg

"What's in it? Come on, Nutman! The suspense is killing us all!!!", I hear you utter....wait for it, waaaaait for it.....

Tadaaaaa!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nice_little_package_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nice_little_package_03.jpg

Damn, Bitspower threw up on my floor!!

Unwrapping, unwrapping:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nice_little_package_04.jpg

Coolerkit (http://www.coolerkit.dk) sponsor all Bitspower fittings, the MasterKleer tubing and the drain valves.

And yes, I am VERY grateful that Thomas from Coolerkit (http://www.coolerkit.dk) has spent SO much time trying to get me these Bitspower Black Sparkle Finish fittings!

It's insanely difficult to get a good shot of these fittings - something that shows to you how AWESOME they really look. But that won't stop me from trying, of course:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nice_little_package_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nice_little_package_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nice_little_package_07.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nice_little_package_08.jpg

Incredibly sweet fittings - they simply OOZE quality!

Apart from the fittings, the tubing and the drain valves, the package also contained a syringe IC Diamond 7 Carat thermal compound, a couple of EK G1/4" spacer rings, a set of Sunbeam 10 cm. UV CCFLs with converter, plus an extra converter.

But, but, but....several other things have happened since the last update and I want to show you those, so I wrapped up the new fittings and will now continue to the next surprise, which is:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/xfx_4890_non_ref.jpg

Yessir, my new graphics card! The 4th one in this build...

As you might recall, I had gotten my hands on an ASUS EAH4890 "Voltage Tweak", but that one had a red PCB and didn't quite fit the color scheme of this build. So I made a deal with someone claiming to have a XFX 4890 "Black Edition" - meaning that he linked to a "Black Edition", but when I got it, it was a normal 4890 and even a non-ref PCB. So I couldn't put my EK block on it!

Luckily, I was able to sell that card and get a REAL "Black Edition" - and that makes it the 5th graphics card in the course of this build. Hopefully, THIS will be the last!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/xfx_4890_black_edition_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/xfx_4890_black_edition_02.jpg

Waterblock on - IC Diamond 7 Carat is actually very thick. Not easy to spread! - according to IC Diamond you're supposed to put a "pea-sized" portion of it in the centre of the chip and allow the pressure to spread it out when installing the heat sink. However, I'm not to keen on that method of application. I'd like to spread it out myself in order to make sure that the entire surface has been covered, so I spread it out (which is hard since, as mentioned before, it's quite thick and feels kinda dry, too) as good as possible and put the water block on. Damn, a black PCB is beautiful:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/xfx_4890_black_edition_03.jpg

Anyway, as mentioned in the post before, I wanted to have the internal parts of my Lian-Li case anodized black.

First, I had to prepare the parts - I had been speaking to Claus at Værløse Galvaniske (http://www.vaerloese-galvaniske.dk), who said I had to make sure that the parts had something by which they could be handled when putting them in the anodizing solution and taking them out of it again. And since the anodizing layer is very, very thin I had to sand all the parts down, thereby removing any scratches that WOULD be visible through the anodizing. So, after sanding I mounted some handles made of stainless steel - however, Claus told me I had to remove these since the stainless steel would destroy the anodizing process:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/internal_parts_before_anodizing.jpg

Mr. Eagle Eye would notice that the tops of my newly purchased chipset blocks from MIPS are also sitting there, waiting to be treated in some galvanic way. More on that subject later....

The parts came back and this is how they looked:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/internal_parts_after_anodizing_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/internal_parts_after_anodizing_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/internal_parts_after_anodizing_03.jpg

Neat!

Re-riveted the motherboard tray:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/riveting_mobo_tray_after_anodizing_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/riveting_mobo_tray_after_anodizing_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/riveting_mobo_tray_after_anodizing_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/riveting_mobo_tray_after_anodizing_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/riveting_mobo_tray_after_anodizing_05.jpg

And yes, I happen to like the silvery colored rivets. I COULD have ordered some black rivets from eg. MDPC-X, but I think the silvery ones look good. PLUS they match the rivets on my premodded side panel.

Well, this was all fine and dandy... but the MIPS blocks did NOT look pretty when they came back. They were supposed to be galvanized black using chromatic zinc, but apparently MIPS had applied a thin layer of clear laquer to prevent oxidation and the chromatic zinc couldn't penetrate this. They looked quite...ugly:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_after_1st_galvanizing.jpg

However, Claus at Værløse Galvaniske (http://www.vaerloese-galvaniske.dk) said that I could give them back to him after removing the laquer layer and he would do them within the price we agreed upon to start with. Nice service! Oh, this might be a good place to mention the price: Claus said it would be app. 33 EUR plus VAT (25% in Denmark) and it ended on 53 EUR incl. VAT, so that was pretty close - and quite cheap, I think.

Oh well, back to removing the laquer. Bought some of this nasty stuff:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/nitromors.jpg

Available at most major hardware stores in Denmark - but I got it at Colorama (http://www.colorama.dk/Units.aspx?AreaID=19&UnitID=439) in Roskilde (where I live) and I asked the salesman "Is it any good?" - he rolled up his sleeves presenting several acid burn scars and said: "Yes, works pretty good - but remember to wear protection!". Duly noted!

Back in the basement, I put on these:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/gloves.jpg

But they are quite thin, so the Nitromors somehow ate its way through them. But not until I had applied the stuff on the blocks. And I remembered to wash my hands thoroughly afterwards, so nothing happened. However, the next time I'll make sure to wear thicker PVC gloves...

When applying this stuff, use a nylon brush as Nitromors won't eat nylon:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/using_nitromors_on_mips.jpg

After leaving it to work for app. 20 minutes I rubbed off the laquer using the nylon brush and some kitchen towel - and then I washed down the parts with normal tap water. As a finishing touch I wet sanded the parts. Now they're ready to be galvanized:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_after_polishing.jpg

Oh, while in the basement I made some shots of my newest tools:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dremel_flexshaft.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dremel_flexshaft_holder.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/dremel_flexshaft_holder_mounted.jpg

Very handy!

Look out for the next update, coming soon, where I will show you the galvanized black MIPS blocks and I will begin the assembly process - oh yeah, I also have some new radiators to show you. Stay tuned!

[Nutman]

You'll have to settle for a small update showing the black-galvanized MIPS blocks:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_back_from_galvanizing_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_back_from_galvanizing_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_back_from_galvanizing_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_back_from_galvanizing_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_back_from_galvanizing_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_back_from_galvanizing_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_back_from_galvanizing_07.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mips_back_from_galvanizing_08.jpg

As you can see on the last picture, the NB block has a small flaw - but nothing that a black marker won't be able to cover up.

In general, I'm very happy with the way these came out.

[billygoat333]

oooh, pretty :D

[p0Pe]

nuttymaaaayin...
looking good with that update, but why isnt this in the WIP area;) from what i can see you have been at it for quite a while now:D

[Nutman]

Ok, thanks for clearing that up. ;)

I just asked Airbozo to move it to the WIP forum instead.

[mDust]

Incredibly sweet fittings - they simply OOZE quality!
/tear /nod /jealous
I almost bought a bunch of those to replace my mixed bag of barbs...almost...:(

[THRASHER2]

Nice BLING!!!

[Nutman]

Thanks guys, for the nice comments.

Continuing with a small update, while I'm waiting for some MDPC sleeve. In the meantime I might aswell finish something else on this project.

I got 2 new radiators - GTS240. Used, but cheap and nice - plus they're supposed to be performing very well while maintaining a high flow:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_rads_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_rads_02.jpg

Since you're supposed to learn from your mistakes, I started cleaning the new rads. I'm using a mixture of 5% citric acid and 95% demineralised water:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/cleaning_new_rads.jpg

Looks like they REALLY needed cleaning. Unused solution on the left - used solution on the right:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fluid_after_rad_cleaning.jpg

It's M4 threads on these rads, and not M3 like on my previous ones, so I had to buy a 4 mm. drill for stainless steel. If you've been with the thread a while, you'll probably remember that I had 2 rad grills made (well, I only ordered one, but the nice chap doing the cutting sent me 2) and I'm going to use the spare one on top of the rad that goes in the bottom of the case:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/rad_grill_m4_drilling.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/spare_rad_grill_after_m4_drilling.jpg

Also, riveted the rest of the case back together:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_after_anodizing_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_after_anodizing_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_after_anodizing_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_after_anodizing_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_after_anodizing_05.jpg

[p0Pe]

still love it nutman:D make us proud once again;)

[Nutman]

I'm trying!

Right now I'm fiddling with making the new fittings...well, fit! Not too much space in this case. Next time I'm DEFINATELY building my own case!

[Nutman]

Ok, as mentioned in the previous post, I have been trying to make the loops fit and I think I finally have figured it out! Loop 1 is also quite done, so....

Only need to put the tubes on, but will have to wait doing this until I recieve the sleeving from Nils at MDPC, as some wires (eg. the inline water temperature thermometres) will need sleeving prior to putting the tubes in the loops...

Stay tuned!

[Nutman]

Following a good, long christmas holiday including quite a lot of modding, here's another monster update..

I started figuring out how to route all the watercooling tubing. Of course, I had a general idea about this already, but something ALWAYS comes up that you didn't account for when buying all your WC gear. Usually I find it quite hard to get an overview of how things will sit together and the only real way to make everything fit is to work with it once you've acquired all the bits and can start fiddling around with them.

Since I'm doing a double loop system, there needs to be an option to drain both loops. So I had to make room for 2 draining valves, preferably next to each other, to make it look nice and clean. It was kind of a tough task! You know, these Bitspower fittings are not the smallest there is, so it took 5 minutes (or was it more like 5 hours?) of thinking until both loops had been planned:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/plumbing_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/plumbing_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/plumbing_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/plumbing_04.jpg

Went to the basement to drill 2 holes for the draining system...

And this is where I have to present you with one of my christmas gifts: A Dremel workdesk. Will most likely be used extensively in the years to come!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_dremel_desk.jpg

Oh well, to make room for the draining valves I had to drill 2 16,5 mm. holes. And I found it's quite hard to get a metal drill that is exactly 16,5 mm. wide, so I bought this set:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_drills_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_drills_02.jpg

Covered stuff up and started drilling:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drain_holes_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drain_holes_02.jpg

Started putting stuff together:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drain_holes_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drain_holes_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drain_holes_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drain_holes_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drain_holes_07.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drain_holes_08.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drain_holes_09.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/drain_holes_10.jpg

And that was that....

On to something completely different: Sleeving!

This package had arrived:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_mdpc_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_mdpc_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_mdpc_03.jpg

Super sleeving from MDPC. Awesome quality!

Had to sleeve the ATX extension. I had bought an extension especially made for the Aquaero, but it turned out to be too short, so I got a regular version which was longer, modified it to suit the Aquaero and started sleeving it. First, I had to unplug all the wires and everybody having done this in the past will most likely nod their heads looking at this type of injury:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_bruise.jpg

Anyway, jacked everything up on my new workdesk in order to stretch the wires to make them roughly the same length. Otherwise it wouldn't look right when the ATX extension was to be used in the case:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/stretching_atx_extension_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/stretching_atx_extension_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/stretching_atx_extension_03.jpg

So, I sleeved my ass of.

I found it's a good idea to slightly melt the ends of the sleeving after cutting it. It keeps the sleeving from unwinding itself when dragging it onto the wire.

Use a candle - it's easiest to control. And make sure that the melted end is as straight as possible. This will ensure that the final result lines up nicely:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/melting_sleeving_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/melting_sleeving_02.jpg

You check where the sleeving is going to sit on each individual wire:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_atx_extension_02.jpg

Don't forget adding heatshrink:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_atx_extension_01.jpg

A little tip when cutting heatshrink: Cut it in the EXACT same lenghts and make sure to get as straight ends as possible. You will set yourself up for a much better end product. And make sure the heatshrink overlaps the metal pin slightly, to get a firmer grip on the sleeving itself. It just holds the sleeving much better in place if you shrink the heatshrink on the metal pin:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_atx_extension_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_atx_extension_04.jpg

Put it back in:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_atx_extension_05.jpg

Done!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_atx_extension_06.jpg

Sleeved the PCI-E cables.

First, I had sleeved all 6 wires together:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_pcie_cables.jpg

But this was much too stiff, so I divided them into 2 sleevings per PCI-E cable, making it 3 wires per sleeving:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_pcie_cables_remade_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_pcie_cables_remade_02.jpg

The S-ATA power cables also got sleeved:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_sata_power_cable_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_sata_power_cable_02.jpg

As did one of the short UV cathodes:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_front_fans_01.jpg

Mounted the sleeved UV cathode:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_front_fans_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_front_fans_03.jpg

Sleevede the cables for the USB connectors on the front of the case:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_front_usb_01.jpg

And plugged them in the motherboard:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_front_usb_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_front_usb_03.jpg

When I had the internal parts of the case anodized I didn't notice that the nuts on the PCI card holders had popped off:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pci_bracket_missing_bolts_01.jpg

Quite a pickle, since I wanted to be able to secure the PCI cards in place.

But then I thought that since I'm using rounded nuts for securing many other things in this case, I might aswell make a "theme" of it and also use rounded nuts in this case:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pci_bracket_missing_bolts_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pci_bracket_missing_bolts_03.jpg

I think it looks OK, and you can't really see that the anodizing isn't perfect here....

Ok, time to spread the IC7 Diamond paste on the motherboard chips. I had worked with this cooling paste on the graphics card already, and found that it was a motherf*****r to spread. So, I had searched the internet for suggestions on how to make it easier to spread and people mentioned that heating it up would make it easier to spread - so I put the tube in boiling water:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/heating_ic7_01.jpg

This worked fine and it was much easier to push out the paste from the tube, but immediately when spreading the paste on the chips, it would cool down and get hard to spread again. So, I took my trusty hair dryer and heated up the chips aswell - not enough to damage them (I hope), but enough to ensure an even spread of IC7:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/heating_ic7_02.jpg

It actually worked quite fine!

Next up was to mount the motherboard and, as I might have mentioned earlier, I wanted to put some light under it. I had stripped a couple of light blue CCFL cathodes and isolated them using transparent tape, so I tried putting them under the motherboard:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/motherboard_lighting_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/motherboard_lighting_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/motherboard_lighting_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/motherboard_lighting_04.jpg

Tried to find the right spot for them to produce the light I wanted. I found that putting them as close to the edge as possible produced the best result. However, the inner cathode produced too much light, so I had to dampen it a bit. And how was I supposed to do that the best way? Well, after having thought about it was a couple of minutes, I thought I'd trying sleeving it:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_ccfl_tube_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_ccfl_tube_02.jpg

It's a little hard taking a good photo of the actual amount of light, but I managed to snap a few that are quite close to what it really looks like:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_ccfl_tube_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_ccfl_tube_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_ccfl_tube_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_ccfl_tube_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_ccfl_tube_07.jpg

The observant reader would already have noticed that I used black bolts to secure the motherboard and not the "classic" chrome-alike ones. This adds another dimension to the overall look of this mod. Actually, I managed to get hold of a good, varied collection of black bolts. Have a look at a couple of the various types:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_black_bolts.jpg

Next update *soon*. ;)

[LiTHiUM0XiD3]

how well do the cable sleeves hold up on the cathodes? for prolonged periods of time

[Nutman]

Well, they've only been sitting there for app. 2 weeks now, but since I heatshrinked both ends of the sleeving with a considerable overlap, they and held in place pretty good.
In fact, I don't see why they shouldn't last until...well, until I want to build a new machine. :)

[Mushroom720]

WOW! Im loving this project I might use the sleeving on a cathode it looks amazing.

[d_stilgar]

Very nice! That looks great! Love the ground effects on the motherboard.

[chaksq]

I really liked the sleeving on the cathodes. I might have to copy that technique if I decide to mod my case.

[DonT-FeaR]

like the sleeveing mate looks great

[blueonblack]

Ditto what the others have said on sleeving the cathodes, that is just excellent. +rep

[Nutman]

So far the cathodes have been running 2 hours and no melting of the sleeving, yet. ;)

Here's a little teaser:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GCV1sDTkGFc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GCV1sDTkGFc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[Kayin]

They don't call em cold cathodes for ****s 'n giggles.

[Nutman]

Ok, teasin' again.

I wonder what this is?

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/what_is_this.jpg

[StormRider]

I'd rep you for the cathode idea, but I don't have any rep that I know of. >__<
Mind if I try it sometime in the future?

[Nutman]

#46: A little tip: Look at my post (#45). Right next to it, there an icon of a heart with a green plus sign. Click it. I dare you. Click it. :)

Oh, and just go ahead using the sleeving CCFL's idea. It's not like it's patented or anything...

[StormRider]

oh good, I can call off the lawyer.
anyway, +rep for an awesome project

[jawshwaa]

love the cathode wrap man , wayy clean.

[Nutman]

It's been a while since my last update, so here's another huge one...

In the meantime a lot has happened. For some good reasons I cannot reveal everything in this update (see the next update, which I'll post RIGHT after this one).

Last time I showed you a video of me filling the loops. Oh, and yeah, I showed a teaser picture, too. More on that picture in the next update ;)

Ok, prior to filling the loops, I had installed the pumps on the XSPC reservoir:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ddc_top_01.jpg

I had decided not to sleeve the pump wires, since they'd be hidden on they way up to the Aquaero:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ddc_top_02.jpg

The reservoir is now in place:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/reservoir_in_place.jpg

Ok, put the bottom radiator in and installed the dust filters on the intakes. I had to remove app. 1,5 mm. of material from one side of each filter to bring the spacing between the inner mounting holes down to 15 mm., to fit the standard mounting hole spacing of the fans on the radiator:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bottom_rad_and_filter_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bottom_rad_and_filter_03.jpg

Radiator in place:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bottom_rad_and_filter_02.jpg

Worked on Cable management for the fans on the bottom radiator. Of course I don't want them to just lie there in the bottom of the case:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bottom_rad_and_filter_04.jpg

I had to remove one of the corners on the backside case fan. Otherwise, I'd run into spacing problems with the draining system for the lower loop::

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_mod_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_mod_02.jpg

As seen from the outside, this is the backside case fan:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_mod_03.jpg

Also sleeve a short cable for the S-SATA HDD:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_sata.jpg

The new Corsair HX620 PSU would't sit all the way into the case, due to the top radiator taking up all the space, so I had to pull it out slightly. I found some spacers to attach the PSU to the case:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/psu_extended_01.jpg

Didn't like the brass surface, so I heat-shrink'ed it. Looks MUCH better, IMO:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/psu_extended_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/psu_extended_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/psu_extended_04.jpg

Additional pictures of the assembly process:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_07.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_08.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_09.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_10.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_11.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_12.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_13.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_14.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/putting_it_together_15.jpg

This is what was left from 2 metres of tubing after I was done putting both loops together:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/tubing_leftovers.jpg

Add coolant to the loops - you've already seen the video, so here are the pictures:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/filling_the_loops_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/filling_the_loops_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/filling_the_loops_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/filling_the_loops_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/filling_the_loops_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/filling_the_loops_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/filling_the_loops_07.jpg

Had ordered some Bitspower low-profile plugs for my Bitspower X-adaptors:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bitspower_plugs_01.jpg

Yeah, there actually much more low-profile than the old plugs:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bitspower_plugs_02.jpg

Not a lot of room left when the X-adaptor is in place on the bottom radiator. There's a gap of app. 1,5 mm. between fan and plug - and app. 1 mm. between grill and plug:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bitspower_plugs_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bitspower_plugs_04.jpg

In the end there was room for everything:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bitspower_plugs_05.jpg

While testing the Aquaero'en I managed to erase its firmware (don't ask why it's even possible to do so!)...

It happened while I was trying to reset it to factory defaults - using a key combination that I held TOO long (we're talking of 4-5 seconds too long here) the firmware was erased completely and now I have to ship the device to Germany to be fixed. As I said: don't ask why they included an option to erase the firmware completely, rendering the device utterly useless. And don't ask why they opted to put it on the same key combo used for resetting the device. Really stupid, if you ask me! Fortunately, they've removed this "feature" from the Aquaero v.4, but since I have a v.3.07, I had to send it to Germany. Sigh....

Oh well, while it was on its way to Germany, I used the homemade fan controller. And that means lots of cable mess:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/homemade_fan_control_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/homemade_fan_control_02.jpg

Fortunately, it's absolutely free to have your damaged Aquaero repaired at Aqua Computer (well, at least for damage like this). Free for anybody - not just me, hehe. They put the latest firmware on it and sent it quickly back to me. All I had to cover were the shipping costs.

And now it's back:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_back_from_repairs_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_back_from_repairs_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_back_from_repairs_03.jpg

So I sleeved the USB cable that connects the Aquaero to an internal USB port:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_back_from_repairs_04.jpg

... and tested it:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_testing.jpg

Lo and Behold, it works - however, it has some trouble powering 2 fans connected to the same channel. It's as if it's distributing most of the power to only one of the fans. I don't know why it's acting like that, but I must change my plans due to that. Originally, I had planned to connect the RPM wire of the 2 pumps to 2 channels on the Aquaero, so it would shut down the computer in case of a pump malfunction, but now I'll have to use the fan headers on the motherboard for that task. Which means the Aquaero will control 4 fans (2 on each radiator), one connected to each channel. And since that's the number of fans it was meant to control, everything's fine and dandy, I guess. This also leaves me with some additional fan controlling options. Eg. now I can switch of one of the fans (or maybe even both) when there's no need for it - the Aquaero will automatically turn on the fan when it's needed, which could be nice.

Join me for the next update that will reveal some major stuff!

[Nutman]

Remember the teaser pic?

Well, the package has arrived:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/evga_fullblock_01.jpg

And who sent it?

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/evga_fullblock_02.jpg

And what's in it?

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/evga_fullblock_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/evga_fullblock_04.jpg

Haha, can you feel it?

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Once again this project changes direction (and platform). Really, it wouldn't be a Nutman worklog if it didn't contain something totally unexspected once in a while, would it now?

I was tempted and bought this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/evga_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/evga_02.jpg

And then I had to buy this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/920_01.jpg

It's a D0 and, according to Google, from a pretty good batch:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/920_02.jpg

And these:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ddr3_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ddr3_02.jpg

And now I think it's time to reveal a new sponsor:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/specialtech_logo.jpg

Specialtech.co.uk (http://Specialtech.co.uk) agreed to sponsor an EK EVGA X58 SLI LE fullblock for the new motherboard. Thanks a lot!

Adrian at Specialtech.co.uk sent this reply to me, after I asked for a sponsorship:

"Sounds like a great plan. We have been down the sponsorship route before but more recently lots of people let us down by either never finishing the build, losing interest or never really starting it but it's about time we started to trust people again and get back in the game. We'd be happy to send you this block in return for the mentions you suggest.
Let us know your delivery details and we'll get one shipped off to you"

Those words hit a soft spot with me because it IS hard to get sponsors these days. Because some modders don't live up to their responsibility. It's INCREDIBLY important to be realistic and honest concerning your intentions and ambitions. Otherwise, you destroy the bond of trust between modders and sponsors. That's why I sent another email to Adrian, thanking him for the generous sponsorship and also asking if it was OK that I quoted his initial reply in this worklog - to which he replied:

"Please feel free to quote me, I guess some people don't actually understand that we still have to pay for the items they want on sponsorship and we all sit on pots of money and it won't matter to us etc...."

So REMEMBER! ALL of us are influenced from YOUR lack of realistic sense. Don't ask for sponsorships if you're not deeply serious...

Anyway, now when the cat's out of the bag, let's look at more shots of this incredible block::

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/evga_fullblock_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/evga_fullblock_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/evga_fullblock_07.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/evga_fullblock_08.jpg

Uuuh, another package popped in:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_supreme_hf_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_supreme_hf_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_supreme_hf_03.jpg

..... from yet another new sponsor:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_logo.jpg

Eddy from EK Waterblocks (http://ekwaterblocks.com) also wanted to join this project, so he agreed on sponsoring an EK Supreme HF for my I7 920. Thanks, Eddy!

Some more shots of the EK Supreme HF:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_supreme_hf_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_supreme_hf_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_supreme_hf_06.jpg

I also managed to buy a real EK-4890 block to replace the EK-4870 block currently installed on my XFX 4890:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_4890_block_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_4890_block_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_4890_block_03.jpg

So, now I have an I7 system, hehe. Sold the old motherboard, the old CPU and the old RAM modules...

Also bought this pretty little thing:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/multiswitch_01.jpg

I'm going to use it for controlling all lights, replacing the ugly switches currently sitting in two of the 3.5" front plates. More on that in the next update (I hope...).

Got another box from Coolerkit.dk (http://www.coolerkit.dk):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/tube_scissors_ic7_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/tube_scissors_ic7_02.jpg

The explanation is that I had run out of IC7 while constantly changing CPUs, GPUs, cooling blocks, mobos and whatnot!

Also, I didn't really like the quality of the cuts I had made when cutting the tubes, when I in the previous update was putting the loops together. So, I wanted to see just how good such tubing scissors really are. Results will be on display in the next update...

Also got a box of casemodding stuff from another danish casemodder - it contained lots 'o goodies:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_07.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_08.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_09.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_10.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_11.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_12.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_13.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_14.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_15.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/moddingbox_16.jpg

Going to use some of the stuff for this casemod (at least the UV CCFLs and the inverters - perhaps also the green CCFLs) and quite a lot of it can also be used in my next casemod, which I'm currently planning... (uuuh, exciting?)

Well, had to test all this new stuff, before installing the water blocks. Nothing beats the depressing feeling you discover that your system doesn't work after you've carefully assembled it and that you therefore have to take it apart again. It's a pain, trust me... so remember to test before installing water blocks:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/testing_i7.jpg

Everything worked 100%, so I'm quite happy.

Then, I started installing water blocks and I started with the graphics card:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_4890_block_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_4890_block_05.jpg

And then moved on to the motherboard:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_block_on_evga_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_block_on_evga_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_block_on_evga_03.jpg

Then, I sleeved the cables for the top UV CCFL tubes and nicely routed them through a P-clip alongside the wires for the 2 temperature sensors and the 2 fans sitting on the top radiator:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_top_p-clips.jpg

Finally, I installed the EK Supreme HF. Not much room between that and the motherboard block!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_supreme_hf_installed_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_supreme_hf_installed_02.jpg

This is what it looks like with all blocks installed:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/all_blocks_installed.jpg

Also not much room between the graphics card block and the motherboard block:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/space_between_gfx_and_moboblock_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/space_between_gfx_and_moboblock_02.jpg

And finally, some "candy-shots". Well, I can't do it better with my current camera and the lighting at my disposal. Will definately have to improve my photo skills for my next casemod:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/candy_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/candy_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/candy_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/candy_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/candy_09.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/candy_10.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/candy_11.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/candy_13.jpg

So, yet another monster-update. And lots of surprises, I think.

In the future, I'll try to update more often, producing smaller (and easier to read) updates. ;)

[Nutman]

Psssst... I'm modding again.
New update coming *soon*.

[msmrx57]

WooooHoooo!!!

[Nutman]

Waaaaaaay too long since last update, but a lot has happened (as usual, one might say).
However, I don't have that many pictures to show you today, but much more will come later. Believe me!

First of all, I got a new camera: a Canon 550D and a Canon 24-105 mm. f/4 L IS USM lens. Nice gear, but I'm still learning to use it properly:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_camera.jpg

Let's get on with the work log.

As you migth remember, I had bought a hose cutter, so I wanted to test it.

I used to use a utility knife for cutting hoses and it looked fine. However, when looking a bit closer, the results were not that great:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/hose_cutting_01.jpg

So I tested the hose cutter:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/hose_cutting_02.jpg

And here's the result:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/hose_cutting_03.jpg

Muuuuch better, eh?

OK, suddenly I couldn't find my Kingston RAM, so I had to buy some new ones.

I got these which also fit the colour scheme much, much better:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_ram_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_ram_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_ram_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_ram_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_ram_05.jpg

I spent hell of a lot of time sleeving hell of a lot of cables - more on that in the next update, so here's just a little teaser.
It's the quick connector for the HDD LED, Power button, Reset Button and Power LED:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_quick_connector.jpg

Yes, I had promised cutting down on the size of these updates, so I'll stop here for now.

Hopefully, you won't have to wait long until the next update. ;)

[SXRguyinMA]

lookin good!

[billygoat333]

this project is looking good! How do you like that board?

EDIT: meant MOBO, I have been looking for a good x58 board.

[Nutman]

this project is looking good! How do you like that board?

EDIT: meant MOBO, I have been looking for a good x58 board.

Thanks.

I haven't REALLY had any experience with the board yet. I just checked it was working and then put the waterblock on it. So the heavy testing is still to come. ;)


lookin good!

Thanks!

A new update will be posted later today.

[Nutman]

Super short gap between 2 updates, woohoo! ;)

Yes, it's all relative, but by my standards this is super short, hehe.

People had told me that they thought I should the fan cables all the way to the fan motor, so I started doing that. I "only" applied heat shrink on the part that wasn't sleeved by Nanoxia.

A "Before" and "After" shot:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/heatshrinked_fans_01.jpg

All fans done:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/heatshrinked_fans_02.jpg

Fans mounted on top radiator with UV CCFLs on each side:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fans_and_ccfls_mounted_on_rad_01.jpg

Powered up:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fans_and_ccfls_mounted_on_rad_02.jpg

I mounted the radiator and powered up the UV CCFLs:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/rad_with_fans_and_ccfls_mounted_in_case.jpg

Then I tidied up the fan and CCFL cables for the top radiator. I had bought some MDPC P-clips:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bit_cable_management_01.jpg

And some snap-caps to hide bolt heads:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bit_cable_management_02.jpg

Continued sleeving my PSU and the pump cables.

My girlfriend thought it'd be funny to photograph me in action while sleeving:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/me_sleeving.jpg

So I had to make a geeky photo of her aswell. She needed something to put into her hair for a party, so, naturally, I suggested MDPC sleeve. ;)

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_hair.jpg

One last shot of the pumps after sleeving.

Here I am testing the pumps and, sadly, it sounds like one of them is only running at 3/4 speed. I'll have to monitor its RPMs using my Aquaero one of the next days:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/testing_pumps_after_sleeving.jpg

[Nutman]

Did lots of modding this weekend - mostly cable management, but also some other tasks.

For instance, I sleeved the non-modular cables of my PSU.

I didn't need the 4-pin EPS cable, så I cut it off internally and heat shrinked the stubs:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/4pin_eps_be_gone_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/4pin_eps_be_gone_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/4pin_eps_be_gone_03.jpg

The 8-pin EPS cable was way too long, so I had to shorten it.

In this shot I am controlling the length:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/8pin_eps_shortening_01.jpg

Having found the correct length, I soldered the wires back together:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/8pin_eps_shortening_02.jpg

Earlier I had sleeved the ATX 24-pin cable (see the previous update, where I am heating up heat shrink), so the PSU is basically done - only need to sleeve the modular cables:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/finished_psu_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/finished_psu_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/finished_psu_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/finished_psu_04.jpg

As mentioned in the previous update, I had finished sleeving the pumps, but during testing I could hear that one of the pumps were only running at 3/4 speed.
Or, at least I thought so...
I plugged in my Aquaero the get a read of the RPMs on each pump. Turns out that one of them was only running at 40% (app. 1550 RPM), while the "healthy" was running along nicely at app. 3750 RPM.
So I scratched my head over this for quite a while. I took the pump apart, checked the soldering, the magnets, the wires, etc.
Finally, I hit myself hard and switched the 5V+ and 12V+ wires so they sat like they were supposed to....DOH! ;)

Ok, now the pump was running fine again, so here are some shots of the final results:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump_finished_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump_finished_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump_finished_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump_finished_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump_finished_05.jpg

Now, for a while I had been pondering on how to mount my Aqua Computer Multiswitch LT in the case.

Being a model LT it has no 5.25" mounting brackets, so it had to sit elsewhere in the case.

But then I had a look at the PCB and noticed the same mounting holes as on my Aquaero!

Got hold of some long bolts and attached the Multiswitch on the back of the Aquaero:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/multiswitch_on_aquaero_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/multiswitch_on_aquaero_02.jpg

Nice solution, I think.....

Ok, since I was handling the Aquaero, I wanted to put some carbon film of the mounting brackets, as these didn't look too pretty:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/carbon_film_aquaero_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/carbon_film_aquaero_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/carbon_film_aquaero_03.jpg

You might have noticed that I put some longer bolts between the Multiswitch and the Aquaero. The black bolts were simply too short...

On to testing the Multiswitch:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/multiswitch_test.jpg

Worked fine with LEDs, but for some reason some of the CCFLs (or maybe their inverters?) drew too much power, resulting in various errors such as Aquasuite crashing, CCFLs refusing to turn off, etc.

Really weird, but in the end I managed to find a good combination of CCFLs and inverters, so everything turned out just fine.

I had purchased a LED strip from Dioder-online.dk (http://www.dioder-online.dk), which I'll cut in appropriate length and put behind the motherboard.

I tested it on the Multiswitch - it plugs directly into a 12V+ source and the light is very powerful! It apparently contains quite a bit of UV light, because all my UV reavtive stuff lights up when the LED strip is on. You can't see it with your eys, which will only see a bright, blue light - but the camera manages to catch it, as seen in this shot:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_strip.jpg

Commencing to cable management - what a crappy task.... min next case, which will be built from scratch, will definately be optimised for intelligent cable management. Just wait and see...

I will end this update with a couple of shots of the state of the case as of yesterday evening:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_state_jan312011_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_state_jan312011_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_state_jan312011_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_state_jan312011_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_state_jan312011_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_state_jan312011_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_state_jan312011_07.jpg

[SXRguyinMA]

lookin good!

[msmrx57]

Cable management may be a crappy task, but you're making it look very nice. :up:

[Nutman]

Thanks a lot.

I dunno about cable management - it's a strange thing...
Sometimes it 's just the worst task there is, and at other times it's almost like meditating (I imagine - I've never meditated) and you feel so happy and peaceful after having routed a cable in just THE right way.

[Nutman]

And then it was time to light up the motherboard.

I measured and cut the LED strip:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_strip_cutting_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_strip_cutting_02.jpg

And then I tested the cut strips:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_strip_cutting_03.jpg

Also had to test them under the motherboard.

One strip in each side of the motherboard panel:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_strip_mobo_testing_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/led_strip_mobo_testing_02.jpg

I was satisfied with the result, but remembering how the LED strip also contained some light in the UV spectrum, an idea had come into my mind.

So, therefor...

Remember this one?

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_farve.jpg

Hehe, yes, it's been a couple of years since I used it last time, but back then I DID tell you that I was going to paint some small details with UV-green paint.

And since this was a golden opportunity, let me show you what I came up with.

First I had to apply masking tape:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/masking_mobo_01.jpg

And since I was going to do a test in the non-visible part of the motherboard tray, I made this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/masking_mobo_02.jpg

Hop to it:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_02.jpg

I used an old plastic card to smear out the paint:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_05.jpg

After leaving to dry for 5 to 10 minuts, I removed the masking tape:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_06.jpg

Unfortunately, some glue residue remains, but this could be removed using benzine.

I started on the visible part:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_07.jpg

After leaving it to dry for 10 minutes, I removed the masking tape. I was much more careful this time and this did result in lots less glue residue being left behind:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_08.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_09.jpg

As you can see, the edges are a bit jagged. Nothing to do about that at this point, I guess, since I really tried my best to put the masking tape on the motherboard tray as flat as possible before I started to apply the paint. I guess this all comes down to the "quality" tape from 3M which I used.

Ok, on to testing with lights:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_light_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_light_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_paint_mobo_light_03.jpg

Next update coming soon.

[SXRguyinMA]

looking good!

[diluzio91]

Nice! may i recommend Frog Tape for future striping efforts? Stupidly clean edge on that stuff.

[Nutman]

Hm, dunno if that's available in Denmark.
Do you know the name of the maker?

[Nutman]

Ah, nevermind - it's "Frog Tape", hehe. Licensed to Shurtape, but sadly not sold in Europe. :/

[diluzio91]

Ah, nevermind - it's "Frog Tape", hehe. Licensed to Shurtape, but sadly not sold in Europe. :/

I would be happy pick some up and ship it out if you ever are in need sir. i think its about $5 a roll. If anyone needs it let me know!

[Nutman]

Thanks very much, but I think I'll try to find a danish supplier of a similar product.

[Nutman]

I wanted to make the UV paint stripe a bit nicer with cleaner looking edges, so I tried pushing the tape really hard down on the surface to make it stick better (thanks to Cheapskate for the suggestion):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_stripe_01.jpg

Off with the tape - for some reason there were no glue residue what so ever this time. Maybe because it had stuck better?

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_stripe_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_stripe_03.jpg

THAT'S more like it!

To test the new stripe, I had to sleeve and mount the SMD LED strips:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_smd_leds_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_smd_leds_02.jpg

With the motherboard in place it looks like this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_stripe_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_stripe_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_stripe_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_stripe_07.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_stripe_08.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/mobo_stripe_09.jpg

The biggest part of the weekend was spent making cables, sleeving those cables and doing cable management - I can't tell whether it's insanity, meditation or just plain old self-tormenting, but these things take a huuuge amount of time!

First, I did the LED cables for the reservoir:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/res_leds_01.jpg

They look like this when mounted:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/res_leds_02.jpg

Then, I extended and sleeved the USB cable for the Multiswitch:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/multiswitch_usb.jpg

At the beginning of this project I had mounted a couple of LEDs in the front, pointing inwards - see these old pictures:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/leds_i_fronten1.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/leds_i_fronten2.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/leds_i_fronten3.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/leds_i_fronten4.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/leds_i_fronten5.jpg

I had to make new cables for those:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_leds_cable.jpg

The pumps also required power, so I shortened some of the modular cables for the PSU and only sleeved the wires being used:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump_modulars_01.jpg

Pumps connected to the PSU:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pump_modulars_02.jpg

The Aquaero has a connection for 2 LEDs to show a status - eg. the cooling fluid temperature. And that's exactly what I'm going to use them for, so I drilled a couple of holes for 2 LEDs in the plastic piece sitting at the bottom of the front panel, just under the door:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_leds_01.jpg

And mounted the LED sockets:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_leds_02.jpg

Lit up:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_leds_03.jpg

And lit up after being mounted back on the front panel:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquaero_leds_04.jpg

As you can see the green LED is too weak, so I'll have to replace that one.

And finally, a shot of the cable management behind the front panel - all done now. It took forever to complete, but I'm quite happy with it. Too bad it's out of sight, but I know it's been done properly and that's what really counts for me:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_cable_management_done.jpg

[Nutman]

It's time for another surprise...

Because I hereby present you with the 6th graphics card during the lifetime of this build: HIS ATI Radeon HD6870

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/hd6870_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/hd6870_02.jpg

This package had arrived from my fantastic sponsor:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_logo.jpg

EK Waterblocks

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_6870_01.jpg

And what could be in it?

Yes, of course:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_6870_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_6870_03.jpg

The black tube is MasterKleer 15,9mm x 11,1mm. Unfortunately, it's not completely black. Under UV light it comes off as dark blue and it's not completely black in dayligth either - more of a very deep, deep blue. It's a bit disappointing, because I now can't use it for what it was intended for.
Which was to reduce the impression of too much tubing going on - you know, with these looong tubes going to and from the reservoir it all looked rather overwhelming and I thought that using black tubes for the long tubes would reduce this. I still like the idea, but I have to find other tubing to make it happen.

Those 2 LEDs are UV-LEDs, which I was going to use for illuminating the water in each reservoir chamber. However, I had found some spares in my stash and already sleeved those, so these 2 will go into my collection of spare LEDs...

Ok, let's take a closer look at that new full cover block:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_6870_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_6870_05.jpg

It's very nice. As usual the craftmanship by EK Waterblocks is outstanding. And, also as usual, the package contains everything needed.

Let's mount the beast of the card:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_6870_06.jpg

It's lovely to see how the blocks almost appears to be wrapping itself around the components of the card:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_6870_07.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_6870_08.jpg

Mounted in the case it looks like this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_6870_09.jpg

The PCB of the graphics card is slightly brown - will have to do something about that, but of course I have a plan for that. More on that in one of the next updates...

The 6870 card will be needing power, so I sleeved the modular PCI-E cables:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pcie_sleeved_01.jpg

And attached them nicely using P-clips:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/pcie_sleeved_02.jpg

The outcome was rather nice, if I may say so! The plan is to only run the ATX-cable on the backside of the motherboard tray. All modular cables will run on the sides underneath the top radiator. You will see more of that when I sleeve the rest of the modular cables - e.g. the the power cable for the Aquaero and Multiswitch:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquacom_devices_power_sleeved_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquacom_devices_power_sleeved_02.jpg

This cable also runs underneath the top radiator and is nicely held in place using P-clips:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquacom_devices_power_sleeved_03.jpg

Yeah, not much room around the fittings on the top radiator:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/aquacom_devices_power_sleeved_04.jpg


I also made some extension cables for the fans that sit on the bottom radiator:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_extensions_sleeved.jpg

In fact, almost all cables in this build are measured to the exact lenght needed, cut shorter or extended before sleeving.
It requires quite some soldering and applying heat shrink before sleeving the cable and this entire process takes lots of time - in fact, I think I spent 1 hour doing just those 2 fan extension cables, but the end result is also very nice.

Ok, I also want to show you how I routed the cables for the front fans. They're connected to the motherboard (no more room on the Aquaero) and I aim at controlling them with BIOS.
I routed the cables in P-clips on top of the bottom radiator:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_fans_cable_man_01.jpg

I'm not totally satisfied with the way the cables split and run to each fan:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_fans_cable_man_02.jpg

I would like to strip both cables close together and have them routed in between the 2 fans. I might correct it later, if I am up for the task...

Remember the last update (it's really not hard - just scroll up a bit, hehe), where I drilled 2 holes for LEDs that were to show a status from the Aquaero? In my case this was to be the status of the water temperature of both loops.
I was really content with the amount of light (or lack thereof) of the green LED, so I bought another 2-coloured LED, so now I got 2. Both LEDs plugged into the Aquaero with a temperature sensor attached, I made this video:

Aquaero LED temperature output ("http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew3mt2boyDw)

I think it'll come out nicely in the end when the front panel is back in its place.

Now, one last thing to show you in this update is my experiments with light in the case.
I have tried a little of everything - blue, UV, white and green. In the end I had to realize that one colour wouldn't do. A combo had to be put in place to get a result like this:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lights_tests_01.jpg

Of course, it's hard to capture the lights on camera, but this is pretty close. I want the UV-reactive stuff to stand out, but not TOO much - and I want the interiors to be in slight darkness, but not TOO much darkness, hehe.
In the next update I'll show you how I made the lights, I promise - it's a bit special (=an old classic returns!), so I guess you can start looking forward to that...

I'll end this update by showing you some mood shots:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lights_tests_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lights_tests_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lights_tests_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lights_tests_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lights_tests_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lights_tests_07.jpg

[Nutman]

In the previous update I promised that I would show you how I made the lights for the case.

Do you remember this one?

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_ccfl_tube_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeving_ccfl_tube_02.jpg

Yeah, back in the day I had sleeved some CCFLs - with success. All you have to do is to remove the CCFL from the plastic tube (with violence and side-cutting nippers), put regular tape on the CCFL and then sleeve it.

Well, I now needed something similar to put some UV light into the case.

But I found the UV light to be too powerful. I wanted to hide the purple glare, but maintain the UV effect, so I needed some other light to blend in with the UV light.

So, what should one do?

Hell, easy. You just sleeve parts of the CCFL using the colour of choice:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_uv_with_blue_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_uv_with_blue_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_uv_with_blue_03.jpg

In that way I am able to mix a bit of blue into the UV light:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sleeved_uv_with_blue_04.jpg

I sleeved the last couple of cables.

First, the SATA power cable:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/sata_power_sleeved.jpg

Yes, not complete yet, but that's because I still have some measuring to do (see why later in this update).

And the very last cable (I hope so!) was completed and sleeved. It's the power cable for one of the CCFL inverters:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/power_for_inverter_sleeved.jpg

Oh, I gotta mention that I shrunk the heatshrink on these last 2 cables using a lighter, as my trusty blow dryer had given up shortly before that.
It's kind of sad, because it had been with me all the way throughout this project and died shortly before the deadline - boohooo:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/blow_dryer_died.jpg

I had long been thinking about where to put the window frame from my old case:

http://www.nutman.dk/pic/towerpics/1.jpg

I realised that it would look best on the door - which by now also looked a bit boring compared to the rest of the case.

So I went to the basement, drilled some holes and did some tapping:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_logo_01.jpg

Attached the window frame:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_logo_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_logo_03.jpg

Yeah, the countersunk holes are not that precisely drilled, so some of the bolts stick out a bit:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_logo_04.jpg

But it's not really something you notice, unless you look really hard.

All in all I think it came out quite well:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/front_logo_05.jpg

Oh, and because this guy...

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bill_owen.jpg

...said this...

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bill_owen_quote.jpg

...I had to replace these bolts...

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/letters_1.jpg

...with these...

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_bolts_01.jpg

And... well, what can I say? Bill Owen was right. ;)

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_bolts_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_bolts_03.jpg

And, finally... my new kids!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ssds_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ssds_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ssds_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ssds_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ssds_05.jpg

That's all for this time - next time I hope to be able to show you some tubing work. :)

[msmrx57]

Looks like some nice progress. And yes Bill Owen was right, the new bolts look much better. :up:

[StormRider]

those are your kids? mental images, mental images O__O
btw, thanks for the sweet idea on how to do multicolored CCFLs

[Nutman]

Thanks.

I hope to complete the build this week, realising that I have made similar promises in the past. ;)

@StormRider: Yeah, go along and experiment a bit. Just remember to use the clear tape first in order to isolate the cord that runs on the outside of the CCFL. I haven't touched such one yet, but having been in contact with the output ports of a CCFL inverter, I know by personal experience how much juice those bastards can deliver - it hurts! ;)
The heat shouldn't really be an issue, but the coming weekend will show me if I'm right or wrong, since the rig will be used app. 16 hours each day.

[Nutman]

Nopes, no tubing work this time.

I'm struggling a bit to put together some videos I made from the 1st start-up attempt. Until then, here's a historic update.

When I say "historic", it's because I'm happy to report that the machine is up and running at the time I'm writing these lines. There have been some initial problems and other small things exist that need to be fixed, but that doesn't mean you'll have to miss out on this pretty delayed update - so, here it is.

I finished the power cable for the SSDs:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ssd_power_cable_done.jpg

And then I got a package from Highflow.nl (http://www.highflow.nl)- hopefully the last package for this build:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_highflow_nl_01.jpg

Among other items, it contained this EK Waterblocks backplate for my 6870:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_highflow_nl_02.jpg

And the last couple of Bitspower fittings, in order to be able to make the plumbing look nice and clean:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_highflow_nl_03.jpg

I has grown really tired of having to look at those half-white no-vibes rubber frames for the 120 mm. fans on the bottom radiator, so I got these instead:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_highflow_nl_04.jpg

Also got a new black backplate for the PSU, to replace the aluminium-coloured one:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_highflow_nl_05.jpg

And then there was some black tubing from XSPC in there aswell - 11,1 mm. ID and 15,9 mm. OD. Just like MasterKleer, but this is all black and doesn't respond to UV light at all:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_highflow_nl_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_highflow_nl_07.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_highflow_nl_08.jpg

Apparently, Highflow.nl (http://www.highflow.nl) also send some goodies along, just like eg. Coolerkit.dk (http://www.coolerkit.dk) do:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_highflow_nl_09.jpg

And, finally, some important tools for putting all the stuff into the case. Priceless if you want to avoid putting fingerprints on all your hardware. Yeah, I know - I should have got these earlier, but better late than never, hehe:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/package_from_highflow_nl_10.jpg

After having received some constructive criticism concerning the lighting in my photo, so I got some powerful lights to bounce light off walls, ceilings, etc. It's an acceptable solution until I build myself a light tent - and I think you can already see some improvement on the photos in this update:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_studio_lights.jpg

Mounted the backplate on the 6870 - also super quality, like all other stuff I got from EK Waterblocks:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/6870_backplate_mounted_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/6870_backplate_mounted_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/6870_backplate_mounted_03.jpg

Some component legs were a bit too long on the 6870, so I feared them shorting out on the backplate.
Even though the backplate is made from aluminium, for some reason EK Waterblocks have chosen to paint it instead of anodizing it - anodized aluminium tend to remove the surface's electrical conductivity, but as it was "only" painted (at least that's what EK Waterblocks say on the product's homepage), I wouldn't want to risk anything - so I cut off the long legs using cutting nippers. And then there was enough space between the legs and the backplate:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/6870_backplate_mounted_04.jpg

And then I replaced the semi-white no-vibes rubber frames with the black ones on the bottom radiator:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/new_120mm_non_vibes.jpg

I am currently producing a hopefully semi-entertaining video showing the first boot attempt.
Until then, you can take a look at this video, where I explain how to sleeve CCFLs:

How to sleeve CCFLs - the Nutman way (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p39GzKf4zps&hd=1)

After posting the first boot attempt video (later today, I hope) I will probably post one last regular update showing the remaining works, before posting the final result, ie. final shots and my conclusion to this project.

[SXRguyinMA]

looking good!

[Nutman]

Thanks.

Ok, the first boot attempt video is now up.

Laugh at me while watching me suffer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrtaDcdgifw

[StormRider]

ooh, that's sad.
and I just saw the sacrilege of the way you made those sleeved ccfls. I think I'm gonna cry about the wasted tube. :(
anyway, on a serious note, you know you can take the ccfl out of the tube without breaking it, and that way you can have a sleeved ccfl and still have a tube to use later? as soon as I can re-remember how to do it, I can put up a mini-guide, if you like

[Nutman]

Please do so! I'm always eager to learn stuff.
Some people have said something about heating up the ends of the plastic tube - apparently, this should dissolve or weaken whatever glue is holding the blocky ends on to the tube, but as I don't have a heatgun, I can't test that theory - I wouldn't worry about the heat breaking the CCFL inside the tube, although one probably shouldn't set the heatgun to melt the plactic. ;)

[AmEv]

Bill Owen == Awesome.
Nutman == Raw talent.

[Nutman]

Thanks, I'm honoured. ;)

[xr4man]

i had decided to not sleeve or put uv leds in my latest project, but after seeing the freshness of the black and green sleeving here, it makes me want to do it anyway. this just looks too good.

[Nutman]

Well, I also do think that UV lights can easily go over the top, which is why I try to balance them out using blue light - I guess it's a matter of not putting too much of a good thing into this case, as that would ruin it - too much of any good thing can ruin it, really.

But, for my forthcoming scratch build I don't plan to include UV light. Not at this point, any way.

But glad to have have inspired you - stuff like that is also partly the reason why I am into casemodding.

[xr4man]

so my question for you is, how did you decide which wires were getting the green uv sleeving? or is it just random wires on each cable?

[Nutman]

Well, it became slightly random, but the general idea was that it should be the 2nd wire from the right - in the top row, if more than one row was present (like with the PCI-E, 8-Pin EPS and ATX, for instance). This is still true for the 8-Pin EPS and PCI-E cables, but for the ATX I chose to let the actual green wire (ATX Break) be the one that got sleeved green.

[xr4man]

coolio. i was thinking i'd sleeve all my red wires with red and do all the rest black.

[Nutman]

Ok, I know it's been quite a while since my last update and I do know that this update was supposed to be the last one.

But, but, but....

SO much has happened to the project that I have to split the final update in two parts. This is the first part...

The fix the problems with the Aquaero I had to move the ATX break from the ATX cable to the power button in the case.

First, I grabbed the ATX break wire that I had soldered onto the ATX cable and then connected to the Aquaero (it's the wire with the green sleeving):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_break_line_conversion_01.jpg

Then, I cut open the green sleeving to be able to access the place where I soldered the wires back when I extended the ATX break wire to run all the way up to the Aquaero:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_break_line_conversion_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_break_line_conversion_03.jpg

And then I stripped the equivalent wires on the power button:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_break_line_conversion_04.jpg

Having un-soldered the ATX break wires (I split the wires running from the PSU to the Aquaero and back again into the ATX plug on the motherboard), I re-soldered the ATX break wires in the ATX cable coming from the PSU (without the ATX break wire being complete, there's no way you can turn on the PC) and put heat shrink over the soldered parts to isolate the current:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_break_line_conversion_05.jpg

The re-soldered ATX break wire was tucked nicely away:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_break_line_conversion_06.jpg

Then I soldered the ATX break wires coming from the Aquaero onto the wires on the power button, enabling the Aquaero to send a shutdown signal to the motherboard in case of a malfunction:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_break_line_conversion_07.jpg

Finally, everything was isolated nicely with heat shrink:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/atx_break_line_conversion_08.jpg

And now it worked fine - the Aquaero was able to shut down the PC in case of a malfunction. I have NO clue why it didn't really work with the ATX break wire coming directly from the PSU...

While I was at it, with all the wires and heat shrink, I put heat shrink on all of the 80 mm. fans - as you might recall, I had already done this on all the 120mm. fans, but not the 80mm.:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_wire_stealthing_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_wire_stealthing_02.jpg

Also did the other end of the fan cables:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_wire_stealthing_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_wire_stealthing_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_wire_stealthing_05.jpg

I installed all fans again (yes, the case is pretty dusty):

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_wire_stealthing_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/fan_wire_stealthing_07.jpg

And, here we have some old photos - because I have noticed that I during the last couple of updates have been mixing both old and new pictures, but I guess the most important thing is to show you what I have done and not necessarily in what order I did it.

So, going back a couple of updates you might have noticed the red sticker missing from the PSU fan, while it's still there in this picture:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/remove_red_psu_sticker_01.jpg

Muoahahahaha!

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/remove_red_psu_sticker_02.jpg

Theeeeeere you go:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/remove_red_psu_sticker_03.jpg

As I mentioned in the last update, I had bought a black PSU back plate to substitute the old one, so I installed that one.

Before:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/psu_backplate_change_01.jpg

After:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/psu_backplate_change_02.jpg

Muy, muy mucho better....

The right side panel has some sound dampening foam sitting on the inside - and frankly, after 3 years of modding the case this foam had lost much of what might have made it look good back in the day, so I wanted to cover it with the remaining piece of carbon fibre foil:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/carbon_foil_on_sidepanel_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/carbon_foil_on_sidepanel_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/carbon_foil_on_sidepanel_03.jpg

Later on, I have had to glue it on, because the foil doesn't stick too well to the sound dampening foam...

Did you notice the plastic caps sitting on some of the bolts on the right side panel? I have already mentioned them in a previous update...

I bought those from MDPC (http://en.mdpc-x.com) and had already used some of them here and there in the case and now I was going to use the rest:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/protection_caps_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/protection_caps_02.jpg

I think they make quite a big difference...

Suddenly, I felt like having a nice cup of tea:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/tea_anyone_01.jpg

Heh, naaaa - seriously: I am boiling water to heat up the tubes prior to attaching them onto the fittings. Once the tubes cool down they sit really tight on the fittings avoiding the needs for strips, clamps or what else that might ruin the clean look...

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/tea_anyone_02.jpg

I filled both loops:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/filled_blue_loop.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/filled_green_loop.jpg

Actually, I think that my plan using black tubes for the long tubes had paid off quite well. It certainly obscures the many tubes running back and forth - it's much less confusing to look at when lit up by UV light:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_on_both_loops_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_on_both_loops_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_on_both_loops_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/uv_on_both_loops_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/lights_on.jpg

And then I cleaned up the cables behind the front panel:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/case_exterior.jpg

If you didn't already spot it, I can tell you that Bitfenix had given me a couple of paracord-sleeved SATA cables from their "Alchemy series" that I was going to do a review on - having done the review, I was allowed to keep the cables.

Read and watch the review here (http://www.octeamdenmark.com/mod-my-case/anmeldelser/1780-anmeldelse-bitfenix-qalchemyq-series-s-ata-cables.html).

Those are REALLY nice cables as you can see here:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bitfenix_sata_02.jpg

Then, I put the cables into the case.

Before:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bitfenix_sata_01.jpg

After:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bitfenix_sata_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bitfenix_sata_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/bitfenix_sata_05.jpg

Ok, once again I have to say that I'm sorry for having to post such a huge update, but I have a hard time finding the time to produce more frequent updates - as I have mentioned earlier the project IS completed and the computer is being used for e.g. video editing and some gaming now and then. I also spend some time setting up my own case modding site: (Hotmods.net (http://hotmods.net)), while I am also doing reviews of case modding stuff - and then there's my next project...

As you might be able to tell, I am working on quite a lot of case modding stuff. Let me just say that I'm hardly bored! But the next update WILL be the last for this project. Start looking forward to some nice photos and hopefully a good video, too.

Talk to you later!

[SXRguyinMA]

that looks sick! love it!!

[Twigsoffury]

Ever get the chance to look at your tower while wearing UVA/UVB+ glasses?

[Nutman]

that looks sick! love it!!

Thanks. ;)


Ever get the chance to look at your tower while wearing UVA/UVB+ glasses?

Hmmm, no - why? Do you think there's some kind of risk using this much UV?

Oh, well...

I started working on the final update - it's going to be a massive monster, but (hopefully) entertaining to read (and watch) - will definately give you all something to think about. ;)

[monkeyfun]

I need your cable management and sleeving skills. Nice job.

[Nutman]

The recipe is: courage, spunkyness, reading lots of articles on how to do it, try, fail, try again, fail a little less, apply band-aid to finger(s), sleep, have bad dreams about better casemodders, fall our of bed, try again, jump up and down because you succeeded (a little sleep goes a long way), then find the humongeous flaw, sit down and cry, have some coffee and some Red Bull, work all night trying like a madman, sleeve for 2 straight days - you suddenly got it!

[Nutman]

This is it....

This is the very last update in this worklog.

This is the conclusion of my first project - 3,5 years of modding.

Before I say anything, I would like for all of you to watch this video:

ev-V3lG-NRE

Phew....

It started out as almost nothing, but through the process I've learned SO much. I bought tools, hardware, modding materials, etc., and by now I consider myself a serious, skilled modder with a clue. When I started this case mod I had NO clue what so ever. ;)

Also, I made lots of contacts during this build, creating a network of modding contacts. Always nice to have.
I want to thank everybody who gave input and feedback. I really appreciate it and I hope to be giving you more to look forward to, as I start my new mod, which will be a scratch build.

I've learned that the most crucial part of modding is PLANNING. Don't rush into something without having thought at least 2 times about WHAT you want to achieve and HOW you want to achieve it.
Planning saves time, money, heart ache, injuries and can also turn out to become a really nice part of the modding experience. Really, sometimes planning IS the best part, while the actual job can be rather tedious or just plain mundane.

Oh, and DON'T buy the hardware until you're almost done with the case. The numbers below will definately give you a good idea of what I'm talking about...

Enough talking - let's get to the numbers.

Hardware used during this build, listed chronologically:

Motherboards: 3
---------------
1. ASUS P5ND2-SLI
2. Abit IX38 QuadGT
3. EVGA X58 SLI LE

Graphics cards: 6
-----------------
1. Club3D ATI Radeon 3850
2. Club3D ATI Radeon 4850
3. ASUS EAH4890
4. XFX 4890
5. XFX 4890 Black Edition
6. HIS Radeon 6870

CPUs: 4
-------
1. Intel Pentium D 3.4 GHz
2. Intel Core2Duo E6750
3. Intel Core2Quad Q9550
4. Intel I7 920

RAM sets: 4
-----------
1. Corsair XMS2 PC2-5300 3 GB (2x512 MB + 2x1024 MB)
2. Corsair XMS2 PC2-8500 4 GB
3. Kingston HyperX DDR3 PC3-16000 3 GB
4. Corsair Dominator PC3-12800 6 GB

HDDs: 8
-------
1. 120 GB Western Digital S-ATA150
2. 300 GB Maxtor DiamondMax 9 S-ATA150
3. 500 GB Hitachi S-ATA300
4. 3 x 150 GB Western Digital Velociraptor S-ATA300
5. 2 x 60 GB OCZ Vertex 2

PSUs: 2
-------
1. Enermax Noisetaker II 600W
2. Corsair HX620 620W

CPU coolers: 4
--------------
1. Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 (Air)
2. XSPC X20 Delta V2 (Water)
3. D-Tek FuZion V2 (Water)
4. EK Waterblocks Supreme HF Acetal+Nickel (Water)

Chipset coolers: 4
------------------
1. Thermalright HR05 IFX (Air)
2. DangerDen Maze4 (Water)
3. MIPS ABIT IX38 / IX48-MAX (Water)
4. EK Waterblocks EVGA X58 SLI LE Acetal+Nickel (Water)

GPU coolers: 4
--------------
1. Swiftech MCW60-R (Water)
2. EK Waterblocks EK-FC4000 (Water)
3. EK Waterblocks EK-FC4890 Nickel (Water)
4. EK Waterblocks EK-6870 Acetal+Nickel (Water)

Radiators: 6
------------
1. Hardware Labs Black Ice Extreme II 240 mm
2. 2 x Alphacool NexXxos Pro II 240 mm
3. Watercool 80 mm
4. 2 x Hardware Labs GTS240 240 mm

Reservoirs: 4
-------------
1. D-Tek UV-Blue 5.25" bay reservoir
2. XSPC Laing DDC Reservoir Top
3. XSPC BayRes One
4. XSPC BayRes Two

Pumps: 3
--------
1. Laing DDC-1T RT 18W
2. 2 X Laing DDC-1T 10W

See what I mean?
Since I started this case mod in March 2008, I've bought hardware and changed platforms like nobody's business. It's a really, really bad way of doing it, unless you just like to buy new hardware that you don't have a case for.
I won't even begin to calculate how much money I've spent on this build and how much money I COULD have saved had I not switched platforms 3 times during the last 3,5 years. It's a frustrating number, I'm sure... but Ok, I've also sold some stuff that I got cheap or even for free, so that has certainly helped me finance my project.
And finally, but definately not least, my wonderful sponsors have helped SO much. I'll thank you guys later in this final update. ;)

Ok, let's also get some stats on the worklogs.

I've been running worklogs on these 4 sites:

Bit-Tech (http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=159199)
OC Team Denmark (Danish) (http://www.octeamdenmark.com/forums/kabinetter-og-casemods/2691-nutman-worklog-update-18-01-2011-sleeving-cable-management.html)
RealRedRaider (http://www.realredraider.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=16936)
The Best Case Scenario (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20176)

Number of updates: 32
Number of pictures: 818

These are the final pictures:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_01.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_02.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_03.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_04.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_05.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_06.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_07.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_08.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_09.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_10.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_11.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_12.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_13.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_14.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_15.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_16.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_17.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_18.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_19.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_20.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_21.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_22.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_23.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_24.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_25.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_26.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_27.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_28.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_29.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_30.jpg
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/final_31.jpg

High res versions are available in this archive:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/Project_Nutman-Final_pics.zip

So, any final words?

No, I really think I've said it all, more or less.

However, one last thing to mention is my extreme gratitude towards my amazing sponsors. Thank you SO much for sponsoring this project. Without your aid it wouldn't have been impossible, but it would certainly have cost me a LOT more! ;)

My sponsors are:

http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/coolerkit_large.jpg (http://www.coolerkit.dk)
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/specialtech_logo.jpg (http://specialtech.co.uk)
http://www.nutman.dk/worklog/ek_logo.jpg (http://ekwaterblocks.com)

Go visit their sites and buy what they're selling!

To the active readers, the inactive readers, new friends, old friends, contacts, my sponsors and, of course, my wife: THANK YOU!

Now, go follow me on Hotmods.net (http://hotmods.net). :up:

[Nutman]

Bill Owen asked if he could feature the casemod on his blogsite, and I happily gave him permission:

http://www.mnpctech.com/casemodblog/2011/08/24/the-3-year-case-mod-odyssey-of-project-nutman/#more-3588