Project: Rivendell

[artoodeeto]

Ok guys, so my girlfriend thinks my sandcrawler is awesome (woo hoo!) but she decided awhile ago she wanted a custom built case too. We talked about Bag End (how I'd make that into a case is beyond me), Wall-E (some russian guy beat me to it http://englishrussia.com/?p=2487 worth checking that out, he did an amazing job), and Rivendell. We settled on Rivendell: she wanted something "pretty" and it is definitely that, and it'll let me be fairly artistic. I'm hoping to build it so it fits along the topmost shelf on her desk (she has a big rolltop, with a decent size horizontal space along the top).
First, some reference images:
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/rivendell2.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/rivendell3_lrg.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/rivendell_model_aicn.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/roklinka.jpg

That last image is really more of a depiction of Rivendell as described in The Hobbit, as opposed to the LOTR description. I'll use the last image more to help with the feel of the model, rather than for the actual look of the model.
All I have so far, aside from those images, is an overall to-do list:

1. design overall shape of case, determine scale of buildings/trees
2. build motherboard tray
3. hook up all components and make sure they all work
4. install Windows and programs so the computer is useable
5. buy pump for waterfalls
6. build overall case & insert computer parts and pump
7. create armature that fits over the case to support landscape sculpture
8. determine approx. # of trees to use and build them, some from tree kits, but most from scratch (for variety and to save $$)
9. sculpt landscape – mountainsides, rocks, riverbed/waterfalls, create holes for trees? Leave flat areas for buildings, and holes in riverbeds for tubes that will supply water for the working waterfalls
10. mold landscape
11. cast landscape
12. test-fit landscape onto case
13. permanently attach landscape to case
14. paint and detail landscape, waterfalls, riverbeds
15. test water system
16. add buildings
17. paint/detail buildings
18. add small bushes/shrubs/vines
19. add trees
20. photograph extensively and post triumphantly on TBCS :)

If I can make it look half as good as the film model...I'll be quite happy. For now, no WC system. I can't really afford it, and the computer doesn't really need it anyway. I will keep it in mind as time goes on, mDust gave me some great recommendations on how to incorporate it into the waterfall system.

Oh yeah, the computer system that'll go in there:
AMD x64 dual core (I forgot the speed...it's older)
2GB RAM
dual nvidia 7950GTs
Western Digital 7200rpm 160GB 2.5" HD w/16mb cache
Mushkin 580W modular PSU
external Samsung DVD burner (I plan on creating a spot in the case for it, so it can be internal if desired)
Sound Blaster sound card
Sceptre 22" 1920x1080 monitor running via DVI
Logitech wireless keyboard/mouse

Basically, the system is my older one that I upgraded back in May to my current Sandcrawler system. but, I got a new PSU, new HD, new monitor, and new keyboard mouse for this one.
It may be a bit before I update this again: I plan on doing some sculpting/molding/casting for my sandcrawler and intend that to be practice for the much bigger Rivendell project.

That's it for now...

[Kayin]

Give the project in my sig a look and LMK if you need anything. I still have a bit of leftovers...

Not the only LOTR case now...

[artoodeeto]

I may have just found my pump for the waterfalls...

http://www.infoworld.com/d/hardware/10-wacky-usb-devices-806&current=7&last=8#slideshowTop

I don't know how fast it pumps the water out...but USB powered :P how can I possibly go wrong? LOL....

[msmrx57]

The only concern I would have is can it lift the water high enough?

[billygoat333]

this looks like an awesome idea. can't wait to see your modd(el)ing skills :)

[Luke122]

Awesome!

[artoodeeto]

yeah, I'm hoping it's strong enough. One thought that crossed my mind is to get a few aerators at the hardware store (like the ones on water faucets), and maybe use those at the mouths of the falls...? just an idea at this point, but it might give it the whitish appearance that real waterfalls tend to have. But I figure for $25 (or maybe less, I need to see if anyplace sells just the pump...not likely, but worth looking) it's worth a shot. Heck, maybe I'll do 2 pumps: one to power the falls, and one to keep the "river" water moving a bit. I do have a normally powered version of one of these fountains, so I'll likely use it as a testbed, see how high it can pump the water.

[Kayin]

Ygpm concerning this matter.

[artoodeeto]

The computer is functional! (I imagine that the feeling my success with this rather haphazardly arranged machine imbued is similar to that which Dr. Frankenstein felt when he umm..."activated" his monster for the first time).
No case, and it looks terrible, but it works, got Win Vista x64 Ultimate on there today, along with all the software my girlfriend needs. She'll be able to use the computer while I finish the sandcrawler, then while I'm building Rivendell.
Specs (it's mostly my old computer, but the screen, keyboard/mouse, hard drive, dvd drive, power supply, and power button are all new):
AMD socket 939 dual core 64-bit something-or-other
2GB DDR400 dual channel RAM
SLI nvidia 7950gt's with zalman passive coolers
creative labs x-fi xtreme music card
mushkin 580W modular PSU (neat reflective finish and green LEDs :)
samsung external slim USB dvd burner
logitech wireless keyboard/mouse
sceptre 21.5" LCD @ 1920x1080 (only $140 on newegg :D not the best screen out there, but not bad for the price)

Note the wood stake helping support the weight of the motherboard to keep it from warping too much. I KNEW I'd find a use for it if I kept it long enough LOL!

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/09--12-19DSC_0046.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/09--12-19DSC_0048.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/09--12-19DSC_0049.jpg

it will be made mucho prettier one of these days....incidentally I'm going to design and build Rivendell to fit along the top portion of her desk where the parts are currently sitting. The printer that's up there (along with the Bose ipod speakers sitting on top of it) will have to find a new home elsewhere in the room...

[Trace]

I have that PSU!
I was pulling 660Watts at the socket for a long while 24/7 and it's still running strong

[Loki]

I like the topic on this mod!!! Want updates, or case sketches :P

[artoodeeto]

I'll provide them at some point. I have a very clear picture in my head of what it'll look like, but since I'm going to exhibit my sandcrawler at the Exploratoreum museum in February, I need to get that done first before I can shift focus to this project. If I can pull off what I see in my head, this one won't disappoint :D

[artoodeeto]

I like the topic on this mod!!! Want updates, or case sketches :P

Well, it's only been a bit over a year. :) I've returned to this one, at least for the moment. The supplies to finish it will be pricey (clay, epoxy, brushable latex, tree/foliage materials, etc etc), so they'll have to wait til I have a job again, but I thought I could at least finally make the case itself. The design is, at the moment, somewhat simple and spacious. The idea is to leave some extra room so if we switch it over to water cooling there'll be room for a pump, res and radiator. It also needs to fit along the top of my fiancee's roll-top desk and/or my hutch top on my desk, both of which are well over 2 feet long and about 11 inches deep.

The plan is to have the landscape sculpture of mountains, cliffs, trees, etc and the model of Rivendell buildings atop the case, with cliffs cascading down the front (with waterfalls) to a river below. The sides and back extend above the top of the case to give me something to build the mountains against; the sides only partially extend up since it would look artificially contained if the entire side piece went all the way up. It will need to have the impression that the canyon and river extend out to either side of what I depict in the model.

At this point I do not plan on the landscape extending down the outer sides of the case. This is partly because I'll have air vent holes on each side, but also so that I can mount a radiator to one side if I ever need to.

The only major design bit left to figure out is how to make the computer parts easily accessible so I can troubleshoot and upgrade without it taking all day just to get the case apart. I'm thinking of making the rear panel hinged, and then perhaps mounting everything inside on a board that can slide out. Any thoughts or other ideas are appreciated!

And finally...the sketches. They'll need some refinement, and I'll probably make the case just a hair bigger than it appears here. But for the moment, it's about 2 feet long, 10 inches deep (not counting the base that sticks out), and 7 inches tall with the rear and sides extending up to 12" high. :)

The stuff in the case - Abit ATX m/b, AMD 4400 dual core, Zalman 9500 CPU cooler, 2.5" SATA 160GB HD, SLI Geforce 7800GT's, Soundblaster, 1GB RAM, Samung DVD burner in external case w/USB, and a Mustek 600W PSU. The bits sticking off the PSU and HD represent the plugs, but not the cords since the cords are flexible. There's also 3 120mm fans in there - the two on the right blowing air in and the one on the left blowing air out. The PSU fan will suck outside air in from behind the case and vent it out the same side as the single 120mm vent fan.

X-ray version -
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-23RivendellCaseDesign-X-Ray.jpg

And with the top and front hidden:
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-23RivendellCaseDesign.jpg

[Munty]

Hey this sounds like a really nice project. As more of a modeller than a modder myself and as a big LOTR fan I'll be following this so I hope you've tied up all your other loose ends and can work on this one now!!!

Any chance of landscape sketches or are you still toying with possible arrangements? Would love to see a few if you have any!

[artoodeeto]

Hey this sounds like a really nice project. As more of a modeller than a modder myself and as a big LOTR fan I'll be following this so I hope you've tied up all your other loose ends and can work on this one now!!!

Any chance of landscape sketches or are you still toying with possible arrangements? Would love to see a few if you have any!

Thanks! I probably *should* do landscape sketches, yes... if you look back at the from-the-film shots on the first page of this thread, I have photos of the Rivendell model. That's more or less what I'm going for, but I'll need to do some adaptation for this case. Actual landscape construction sadly is entirely dependent on when I find a job. Could be a month, could be a year... I just don't know :(

I also realized I needed to make enough space for a full size video card, while leaving room for a potential future watercooling. You'll see in the sketchups below that I might have figured out how to make everything accessible. Again, thoughts/comments are appreciated :)

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-24RivendellCaseDesign1Open.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-24RivendellCaseDesign2Closed.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-24RivendellCaseDesign3Closed.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-24RivendellCaseDesign4X-ray.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-24RivendellCaseDesign5Closed.jpg

[Kayin]

Haven't forgotten about that offer, let me get back home (currently living away from home because of doctors) and I'll box up what I have and send it to you...

[Munty]

Looks like an ingenious arrangement! Should help you in construction too (theoretically) as the case and hardware can be worked on pretty much independently with your nifty drawer design!

I have the Rivendell pics open as I'm writing this and by God I wouldn't know where to start... The trouble is it's all one big complex so it's either all or nothing and to rebuild that much fragile elven architecture in such a small scale would be a killer.

How about the large building in the first image? It's been a long time since reading the book or watching the film so please forgive my ignorance but is that a stand-alone structure? It's still breathtaking and very intricate but working on just one structure like that would allow a larger scale and more scenery (and scenery is easier than buildings lol)

Tell you what would be a very easy (but far less impressive) construction project. Weathertrop... It's one of LotRs most recognisable scenes and I know plenty of wargamers have built it before!

But sorry I'm hijacking your thread, I'd much rather see Rivendell than something as dull as stone ruins! Think I may dust off my trilogy boxset and watch the scenes that show these buildings. Keep us posted with any more designs!

EDIT : Just checked the Google Warehouse for sketchups of Rivendell and found a few of varying loyalty to the film. Bearing in mind the film is of varying loyalty to the book I think that makes any one of them fair play!

The results are here http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?q=rivendell&styp=m&btnG=Search but the one that looks most like your screen caps is too new for me to load as I only have V.6 and it was made in 7.

Check out the ones by Sauron89 for a film faithful but unfinished larger structure or 2 by wiccan for finished, low-res clusters of some very attractive elven structures.

[artoodeeto]

One last sketchup (I'll look over these other couple replies later - gotta head out the door in a few). I refined all the case pieces and laid them out on shapes representing a couple plywood sheet scraps I have, and a full 4' x 2' sheet that I need to buy. I wanted to make sure I only needed 1 more sheet rather than 2. The purplish parts will be kept until assembly is done, then discarded. I *do* still want to refine the measurements slightly - things like making the depth 11" instead of 10 5/8", that sort of thing.

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-24RivendellCaseDesign6PartLayout.jpg

[Mark_Hardware]

Nice to see I'm not the only one that takes a long a$$ break from a build lol

[Munty]

Looks good and at least you're looking to round UP case size instead of down! Should be no problem if you've got spare material! I'm undecided on material to use for my case at the moment, was thinking of getting my hands on some styrene sheet and building out of that. I won't need much but the base will need to be sturdy as it's quite long and only about 4cm deep lol What are the most common materials used around here by people building a case from scratch ratehr than modding?

[artoodeeto]

Haven't forgotten about that offer, let me get back home (currently living away from home because of doctors) and I'll box up what I have and send it to you...

Awesome, thanks so much!!! PM me when you're ready and I'll resend you my address.


Looks like an ingenious arrangement! Should help you in construction too (theoretically) as the case and hardware can be worked on pretty much independently with your nifty drawer design!

I have the Rivendell pics open as I'm writing this and by God I wouldn't know where to start... The trouble is it's all one big complex so it's either all or nothing and to rebuild that much fragile elven architecture in such a small scale would be a killer.

How about the large building in the first image? It's been a long time since reading the book or watching the film so please forgive my ignorance but is that a stand-alone structure? It's still breathtaking and very intricate but working on just one structure like that would allow a larger scale and more scenery (and scenery is easier than buildings lol)

Tell you what would be a very easy (but far less impressive) construction project. Weathertrop... It's one of LotRs most recognisable scenes and I know plenty of wargamers have built it before!

But sorry I'm hijacking your thread, I'd much rather see Rivendell than something as dull as stone ruins! Think I may dust off my trilogy boxset and watch the scenes that show these buildings. Keep us posted with any more designs!

EDIT : Just checked the Google Warehouse for sketchups of Rivendell and found a few of varying loyalty to the film. Bearing in mind the film is of varying loyalty to the book I think that makes any one of them fair play!

The results are here http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?q=rivendell&styp=m&btnG=Search but the one that looks most like your screen caps is too new for me to load as I only have V.6 and it was made in 7.

Check out the ones by Sauron89 for a film faithful but unfinished larger structure or 2 by wiccan for finished, low-res clusters of some very attractive elven structures.

Thanks!! I’m quite grateful for the links to the building models – it’ll at least help with planning the layout, and the stuff by Sauron89 does look pretty close to the film model. What I’m envisioning right now is that the buildings will stretch nearly from one side to the other, with mountains climbing up behind them and the cliffs and building supports coming down the front of the case. As far as where to start…I have some experience constructing landscapes as I’ve built several large aircraft dioramas, and I have an excellent reference book on model railroad scenery construction that has yet to lead me astray. My plan is to make the scenery according to the “water soluble” methods in that book, but then rather than finish it I’ll instead mold it in latex (probably), and cast it in epoxy. I want the scenery to be as strong as possible, and while model railroad scenery looks amazing, it’s not especially mobile if one needs to, say, move. Once the epoxy cast is done, then I’d add details like trees, dirt, the buildings, etc etc.


Nice to see I'm not the only one that takes a long a$$ break from a build lol

Heh yeah…I *really* wanted to get the sandcrawler done first. Which I did :banana: Then I wanted to work on the piano computer (see my other worklog) because it’s way simpler, and I figured it’d be good practice for the box portion of the Rivendell build. Which it was – when I sat down to design this case I was able to envision exactly how I’ll put it together.


Looks good and at least you're looking to round UP case size instead of down! Should be no problem if you've got spare material! I'm undecided on material to use for my case at the moment, was thinking of getting my hands on some styrene sheet and building out of that. I won't need much but the base will need to be sturdy as it's quite long and only about 4cm deep lol What are the most common materials used around here by people building a case from scratch ratehr than modding?

Thanks! Yeah, I want to round it all off to make it easier to measure with an aluminum yardstick. I figure I can leave it the way it is or make it easier on myself. As for construction materials, let’s see…if you have the tools and skills, aluminum or steel are preferable materials depending on what you’re building (Waynio’s Stealthlow build for instance is metal). Acrylic is another one, Boddaker used that in a number of his builds. Wood too is popular – it can be very basic (both this build and my piano computer case) or gorgeous (see anything by Filimon). My sandcrawler build a few pages back is made from MDF, and I know it’s not the only fiberboard mod in existence. Advantage with MDF is it’s cheap, cheaper than styrene, and very easy to work with. However, if I had it to do over again I’d use styrene. Not that I want to do it over again LOL…took me long enough the first three times I made it :D Anyway, styrene is a bit more durable than MDF, cuts much more cleanly and takes paint better. My main issue with finishing something in MDF is it’ll absorb paint which alters the paint’s appearance. I prevented this on my crawler by covering it in posterboard paneling before painting.

PS - if any admins see this, can we move the sandcrawler from WIPs to the Finished subforum? I'd have requested it at the end of the crawler thread but it's locked now. Thanks!

[Munty]

Glad the links helped, the way you've described the layout sounds really great. I'm away from my project now so I'm going to use this time to source materials and it sounds like you're a good person to chat to about it!

I know I need styrene sheet to trim my screen later so I'm wondering if I may as well get enough to do the case as well. It's only a laptop so whatever I use I won't need much but I think I'll need something more sturdy for the base itself to keep all the hardware and the rest of the build stable.

I went to the model shop round here today and they have lots of wood sheet that I can get but although that may be a good material to put strength in the base I'm not sure if it's what's best for the rest.

The case itself is going to be similar dimensions to a standard laptop base but the keyboard and touchpad will all be gone and instead I'll be detailing the top in a similar way to yourself. That means it doens't need to be level or uniform but I do need to replicate grass, dirt, trees hedge etc.

So your book on model railways and such would be a great help lol

[artoodeeto]

k...now that I'm thoroughly intimidated....i found this link while searching online for more/better reference material. Even if you don't normally follow links from worklogs, check this one out. Whoever built this did an AMAZING job:
http://www.gidian-gelaende.de/Material_HP/Wolfgang/Bruchtal/album/
If I can make mine even half as well as that, I'll be happy. I haven't any idea how big it is, but it's likely fairly sizeable to get all that detail in there. Mine most likely won't be as large as that. I also found this reference shot; and my model will be the area immediately surrounding the buildings. I was heartened to see how far below the buildings the river is; one of my concerns was that my case design was so tall at the front that I'd have to make the river way farther down than it appeared in the film, but after viewing this shot I think my design might be pretty spot on.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/00overviewlrg.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/00overviewlrgcropped.jpg

Lastly, here's a sketchup showing Sauron89's partial Rivendell model, which I'm starting to rework to more closely match the film version in the pics above. Placement on the case is not final yet. The building cluster really is surprisingly compact in area.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-25RivendellCaseDesign1ReworkingRivendellmodel.jpg

[x88x]

Wow, this should be good...just don't take as long as you did on the Sandcrawler, eh? ;)

As far as the design goes, have you thought about having the drawer come out one end instead of the back? That would make it easier to support the platform above it, plus it would make it a lot easier to access the components when the desk is against a wall.

[Munty]

Wow, this looks like a much smaller scale than I'm working in right now so I really don't envy you!!! That is a very impressive model in the link too. Hard to judge size without knowing what size that flooring is but while I think it's bigger than yours will be it might not be too much bigger... You can do it mate, lots and lots of planning :D

[artoodeeto]

Wow, this should be good...just don't take as long as you did on the Sandcrawler, eh? ;)

As far as the design goes, have you thought about having the drawer come out one end instead of the back? That would make it easier to support the platform above it, plus it would make it a lot easier to access the components when the desk is against a wall.

Ya…it should DEFINITELY take me less than 4 years LOL. I’m realizing now I should have mocked up the crawler in sketchup first, it’s SO much easier. Now I know better. :) I did consider having the stuff slide out the side, but ruled it out for a couple reasons: 1) I needed to leave depth space for a larger video card, since they’re all 11” long these days, but I didn’t want to make the entire length of the case deeper, and 2) even pulling it all out from the side I’d still have to unhook everything from the back anyway. I may see at the hardware store about getting a couple of metal drawer handles I can bolt to the sides to make picking it up easier.


Wow, this looks like a much smaller scale than I'm working in right now so I really don't envy you!!! That is a very impressive model in the link too. Hard to judge size without knowing what size that flooring is but while I think it's bigger than yours will be it might not be too much bigger... You can do it mate, lots and lots of planning :D

Thanks!! I’ll definitely be doing a LOT of planning before I sculpt anything. Heck, it’s taken me who knows how many iterations in sketchup to finalize just the case itself. I’m planning, at this point, on re-making the Rivendell sketchup model rather than modifying the one by Sauron89 that I used in the design mockup. There were a lot of inconsistencies between his model and photos of the film model, and if I remake it then I’ll be much more familiar with it. It’ll also allow me to design all the pieces which should make construction of the real model much easier.

Ok, now on to the last set of sketchup pics before I go out and get a sheet of plywood and some screws. I modified Sauron89’s Rivendell model so the building locations more closely matched the film model. There are still other issues with it (portions of it are too wide, some of the bridge roofing is incorrect, etc) so as I said above I’ll start making a new model to use as a 3D blueprint for the actual model I’ll build. The first pic below shows the Rivendell model I downloaded on the left, vs. the re-arranged version. It’s obviously nowhere near complete, but enough of it is there to allow me to figure out the basic layout. I’m sure I’ll be scooting it around a bit when I finalize my own model.

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-28RivendellCaseDesignLayout-ModelComparison.jpg

This shot shows how I’ve raised the buildings up so they’re not sitting right on top of the case. This will allow more freedom for sculpting the landscape and gorges under them. You also may notice that I made the rear panel (against which I’ll do cliffs/mountainside) about 6” taller. I didn't want the building tops sticking up above the cliff wall behind them.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-28RivendellCaseDesignLayout-ModelConcept1.jpg

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-28RivendellCaseDesignLayout-ModelConcept2.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-28RivendellCaseDesignLayout-ModelConcept3.jpg

This shot shows the front – I added a short wall down where the river will be. That wall may or may not stay there, since I’m sure I can sculpt one to hold the water in. But, I figured I’ll be working with the plywood now, and I don’t want to have to hang on to scrap material so I may as well make the piece now, put it in, and I can remove it later if it’s not needed.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-28RivendellCaseDesignLayout-ModelConcept4.jpg

X-ray shot sans Rivendell buildings so you can see the final layout of the computer parts. Note that while it shows a full length vid card in there, the computer currently has 2 shorter video cards. I’m just leaving space for future upgrades :)
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-28RivendellCaseDesignLayout-ModelConcept5.jpg

Lastly, the part layout. The purple squares are the sheets of plywood that I have and need to get. The white parts of course are the case pieces. Pretty handy to be able to do that before I buy any more, eh? :D
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-28RivendellCaseDesignLayout-PartsLayout.jpg

Over the weekend….construction begins :) on the case anyway…buildings and landscape will have to wait for now :(

[Munty]

Looking really good, can't wait to see your sketchups! You're going to get the jump on me but I should be building my case just after the weekend too! Got some 4mm wood for it which should marry strenght and weight nicely :) Mine is much simpler than yours though so I should easily catchup haha

Good luck over the weekend, hope you get on ok!

[Waynio]

Sign me up on this really ambitious project good luck with it artoo :):up:.

[artoodeeto]

Thanks guys, I'll post some pics later today. I'm going to, in a few minutes, start putting some of the case together. When I was jigsawing yesterday, I neglected to cut an opening in the side for the PSU to vent out, so in a couple hours (too early in the morning for the jigsaw right now) I'll cut that vent hole.

If you look back at the sketchups, you'll see that the side walls extended out to the very front of the case. I'm going to cut those extensions down so they're the same height as the front wall (about 2"). The goal is to make it look like the river area extends beyond the edges of the case, and it wouldn't look like that if I leave the walls as-is.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30TopRight.jpg

So yeah...I can put some other pieces together in the meantime. Getting all the screwholes in the right places is such a PITA, wish I had a drill press... :D

[Waynio]

So yeah...I can put some other pieces together in the meantime. Getting all the screwholes in the right places is such a PITA, wish I had a drill press... :D

I recently started using a spot drill bit for when I use the normal drill & would say it's more accurate than my drill press, it's a drill bit but with a 90 degree sharp point works excellent for drilling precisely where you want to drill infact I've barely been using my drill press since getting the spot drill bit lol.

[artoodeeto]

I recently started using a spot drill bit for when I use the normal drill & would say it's more accurate than my drill press, it's a drill bit but with a 90 degree sharp point works excellent for drilling precisely where you want to drill infact I've barely been using my drill press since getting the spot drill bit lol.

ooooh....I'll have to look for one of those, sounds handy. I need a dremel too...

Got the first case pics! Assembly is nearly complete, but I didn't quite finish it last night because it got to be too late to use the noisy jigsaw, and I need to cut openings in the back for the various cables.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-29DSC_0003.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-29DSC_0004.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0005.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0006.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0007.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0008.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0009.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0010.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0011.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0012.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0013.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0014.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-30DSC_0015.jpg

[Waynio]

Wow that came together fast :D:up:.

[artoodeeto]

Almost done! With the case anyway. Just need to figure out where to mount the power button (I'm thinking rear corner to keep it accessible and on the part that slides out), and put in an extension cord for the exhaust fan above the DVD drive.

For the case itself, I need to put the vertical rear panel on after attaching the two halves together with some scrap wood, and then attach the top lid. Once I do that, this portion of the build is finished. It's not super heavy either, which surprised me a little. The cabling's a bit messy, but...it's not blocking anything, and it's not visible, so I'm not worrying about it right now. And someday when we upgrade it, some of the power cables will probably be able to come out.

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-31DSC_0001.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-31DSC_0002.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-31DSC_0003.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-31DSC_0004.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-31DSC_0005.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-31DSC_0006.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--01-31DSC_0007.jpg

[Munty]

Wow, awesome speed! Good work dude! How have you mounted all of the components on the removable tray? And what did you use to cut the openings for the fans and I/O panel? It's got you a very neat finish whatever you used!

[artoodeeto]

Wow, awesome speed! Good work dude! How have you mounted all of the components on the removable tray? And what did you use to cut the openings for the fans and I/O panel? It's got you a very neat finish whatever you used!

Thanks! Yeah, it's amazing how fast it came together but I credit my sketchup work for that. It looks like the only piece I sort of goofed on is the rear panel, you can see in the photos it's not quite tall enough. Not sure how that happened; I'm guessing one of the underside pieces is longer than it should be since I had one of those drawn adjacent to the rear panel before I cut them out.
All components except the power button are mounted on the tray, yep. I'll do the button today, make an extension cord for one of the fans, and get that upper rear vertical panel on. Unfortunately the tray is rather heavy, which makes pushing it in and pulling it out hard. It's really easy for it to go slightly crooked and then get stuck. I'm kind of wishing now I'd made the whole box taller and put the tray on drawer slides...oh well.
As for the I/O and fan holes...pure handheld jigsaw, after drilling several holes through which I inserted the saw blade. It's not quite as clean as it looks in the photos, but since I don't have a giant hole saw, nor do I have a dremel to clean it up, that's the way it's staying. :D

[Munty]

Cool, looks like pretty impressive work if you had to do it all with a jigsaw! I've been building my case today but am limited in tools to a rusty woodsaw, an underpowered drill my little Dremel with nowhere near enough cutting/sanding discs left lol

The Dremel is a Godsend, got is with a voucher from xmas so it's really paying for itself now and is good for other modelling jobs too so highly recommend one when finances allow! I'm cutting an opening for my drives now so if I get done I'll have some new pics up this evening too ;)

Oh and what about standoffs? How have you attached the MOBO to your drawer?

[x88x]

Is there any space between the drawer and the bottom? If so, you could get some nylon sliders (for furniture) and put them on the bottom of the drawer. That would let it slide a lot easier, though wouldn't really help the alignment problem any..unless...you could add small strips of wood on the base, on either side of where the sliders would run, guiding them in a straight line.

[Munty]

Failing that you could at least line it with a low-friction material to make life easier. Any kind of smooth plastic or metal sheet would be a vast improvement over wood and you can get stuff paper thin so you wouldn't be adding a significant amount of height either. Still doesn't help with alignment but how about tapering the sides of the drawer so it's base becomes a trapezium instead of a rectangle? It'll give you a larger margin for error but still appear flush when closed.

[x88x]

I want to say I've seen nylon strips made for such a purpose...can't for the life of me remember where though...

[artoodeeto]

Good ideas! I'd thought of doing the tapering, and I believe there's a little bit of room on the tray to cut it down slightly. I also like the plastic sheet idea for underneath it. On the flip side, I won't be pulling it in or out all that much, so even if I'm unable to change anything, it's not the end of the world.
And Munty, yep I've mounted the mobo on 5 standoffs...only 4 of which it's actually screwed to. There's 8 mounting holes total in an ATX board; I started off with 6 screwable standoffs. One of them sheared off when I was putting it in the wood sheet, and after I had to scoot the mobo over a quarter inch because the PS2 connector was hitting a fan and preventing it from closing all the way (grrrrr....) one of the remaining standoffs doesn't quite line up with the hole in the mobo. It's ok though, the 4 screws holding it in are more than enough.

[artoodeeto]

k, this might be the last update for awhile, depends on how cheap the materials are for the landscaping I want to do. I'm also planning on modeling Rivendell first in sketchup, so I'll at least post progress on that. But, for now... the case is done :) Got the power button mounted, extended the fan cord, scooted the DVD drive around so it wasn't scraping the inner wall when pulling the mobo drawer out, and....discovered that I really need to run the CPU fan and all 3 case fans on a speed controller cuz they're LOUD. Gotta do one more run to Fry's to get connectors (4 male connectors soldered to 1 female connector).

This shot shows where I mounted the power button. Took some doing - the biggest drill bit I have is a little too small for the spring around the button itself to fit, so I had to enlarge the opening for the button to go through.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--02-01DSC_0001.jpg

All computer parts installed:
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--02-01DSC_0002.jpg

Those are a pair of 20" LCD's, so as you can see this case is pretty big. Luckily it's not super heavy, and the way I'm envisioning making the landscape, it won't add a lot of weight.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--02-01DSC_0003.jpg

The dual fans on this side blow right onto the CPU heatsink. You can see my sandcrawler behind the case.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--02-01DSC_0004.jpg

And on this side we've got the PSU, exhaust fan, and DVD drive slot. Note the reams of paper underneath to raise it up above the raised ridge around the top of the desk. It's not designed for any kind of computer, so we may get a new desk at some point and move Rivendell to my desk, which has a higher raised shelf across the top sans ridge.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--02-01DSC_0005.jpg

[Munty]

Wow that is a big case! Poor old sandcrawler looks a bit dusty, have you been neglecting the Jawas in favour of the elves? lol And yes, buy yourself a new desk, looks a little out of proportion on that one :D

[Mark_Hardware]

wow dude that's gonna look freakin cool! Nice setup :up:

[artoodeeto]

Wow that is a big case! Poor old sandcrawler looks a bit dusty, have you been neglecting the Jawas in favour of the elves? lol And yes, buy yourself a new desk, looks a little out of proportion on that one :D

LOL! it took me 4 years to finish that Sandcrawler..finally did it right around December 31st 2010. If you go back a couple pages in this forum you'll see the (LONG) worklog, I don't think it's been moved yet to the Completed Worklogs forum. So yeah....


wow dude that's gonna look freakin cool! Nice setup :up:

Thanks Mark! I can't wait to get started on the landscaping, but I want to make sure I do it right the first time. Stuff goes together so much faster that way. :D

Question for y'all - ideally I'd like to have running waterfalls in this thing. Which means I need a pump. I was initially thinking of using the pump from something like this:
http://usb.brando.com/usb-illuminated-bamboo-mini-fountain-jl98903-_p00867c035d015.html
It's USB, and would have a pretty low flow rate, which is what I want since I don't want water spraying everywhere. However, it occured to me that usually pumps like those fountain ones need to be submersed to work. I'd rather not submerse it if I can help it, but standard water cooling pump flow rates are, I think, far too high for this application. Anyone know of a pump that'd have a low flow rate like the fountain pump, or if it'd be a good (or bad) idea to hook up say a fan speed controller on a water cooling pump to knock its speed down?

[Munty]

I imagine you'd probably have difficulty finding a small enough pump if you went along the lines of fountain items. I've never kept fish before but are there small pumps in water purifiers maybe? If not could you maybe use a standard water cooling pump but adjust the speed somehow?

Just doen a quick Ebay and turned up small water pumps for model boats and r/c submarines. The most interesting item is something for a smale scale locomotive model so maybe the railway modellers would be a good group to ask!!! They're definitely worth asking about your scenery anyway as that's kind of their forte lol

[artoodeeto]

I imagine you'd probably have difficulty finding a small enough pump if you went along the lines of fountain items. I've never kept fish before but are there small pumps in water purifiers maybe? If not could you maybe use a standard water cooling pump but adjust the speed somehow?

Just doen a quick Ebay and turned up small water pumps for model boats and r/c submarines. The most interesting item is something for a smale scale locomotive model so maybe the railway modellers would be a good group to ask!!! They're definitely worth asking about your scenery anyway as that's kind of their forte lol

I acutally have a fair bit of space inside the case where a pump could go, although I'd have to make sure there was enough extra tubing so I could still pull the drawer out, and I'd have to make sure that said tubing didn't kink up when the drawer is pushed in. It'd be easier from that standpoint to stick the pump somewhere other than the drawer, so I may try and approach it that way. but yeah, adjusting the speed of a standard WC pump by using a fan speed controller or some such is what I had in mind, at least for now. I *do* like the thought of a model railroad type pump, I'll have to check that out.

For now, one last not-super-exciting update to the system - I added one of my two fan speed controllers and wired it up to the three 120mm fans and the 80mm CPU fan so I can control their speeds simultaneously with 1 knob. It's mounted on the rear of the case next to the power switch.
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/11--02-10DSC_0001.jpg

[xr4man]

why not integrate the waterfall into a liquid cooling system? instead of a reservoir container, the pool at the bottom of the waterfall could be the reservoir.

[Munty]

It's not as easy as you'd think mate, I looked into a similar idea as a complete water-cooled-noob and all the advice was that it wouldn't really work. Firstly you're still going to end up needing a big rad as without one your only method of cooling would be constant evaportion from the reservoir which would in turn require frequent top-ups. Also you'll have to filter the crap out of it due to any particles of dirt and dust that will inevitably find their way into the open system. In a design with a waterfall incorporated I'd also imagine (but this is pure speculation) that you'd be left with a dry pump when the system is shut-off, depending where you were able to locate it. Pretty sure that would be bad :p

If there's a way to use one pump to feed 2 different systems though, well that might be a nifty solution! If you could manage to pump 2 individual water sources without significantly increasing the necessary hardware you could run a room-temperature open reservoir and waterfall while also incorporating a standard water-cooling system using the same pump. No idea if there's any kind of pump around that would fit the bill mind so probably a pipe dream :D

[artoodeeto]

why not integrate the waterfall into a liquid cooling system? instead of a reservoir container, the pool at the bottom of the waterfall could be the reservoir.

Yeah, I did think of that, and it's pretty much what Munty says:

It's not as easy as you'd think mate, I looked into a similar idea as a complete water-cooled-noob and all the advice was that it wouldn't really work. Firstly you're still going to end up needing a big rad as without one your only method of cooling would be constant evaportion from the reservoir which would in turn require frequent top-ups. Also you'll have to filter the crap out of it due to any particles of dirt and dust that will inevitably find their way into the open system. In a design with a waterfall incorporated I'd also imagine (but this is pure speculation) that you'd be left with a dry pump when the system is shut-off, depending where you were able to locate it. Pretty sure that would be bad :p

If there's a way to use one pump to feed 2 different systems though, well that might be a nifty solution! If you could manage to pump 2 individual water sources without significantly increasing the necessary hardware you could run a room-temperature open reservoir and waterfall while also incorporating a standard water-cooling system using the same pump. No idea if there's any kind of pump around that would fit the bill mind so probably a pipe dream :D

An additional issue is you want the reservoir to be the highest point in the loop, not the lowest, because that way any air bubbles that build up do so in the reservoir and not elsewhere in the loop. There just isn't any practical way I can think of to do it, aside from having a closed WC loop and a separate pump running the waterfall system. And since the system that's in there is older and not really worth trying to watercool, I'm not going to do a loop until we have the $$ to upgrade it at some point. Still, I plan on leaving enough space for a WC pump and reservoir to go in, and I can always stick a dual 120mm sized rad on the outside of the case and flip the dual 120mm fans on the right side so they blow air out over the rad.

Unfortunately I think the dual loop idea is a bit of a pipe dream if one of the loops is open. You'd still have the same issues as though it were a single loop, namely evaporation and contamination. The latter could be dealt with via effective filtering, but that hot coolant would evaporate pretty quickly from an open reservoir. If both systems were closed, it'd be a different story, and completely possible. I'm sure it's been done plenty of times - WC pumps are pretty strong and most would be more than capable of doing it. I *could* pull it off by doing fake water - usually done with epoxy - and leaving a volume of space under it so the river would be fake but have moving reservoir water under it. Same with the waterfalls, although with those I'd have to run tubes under the epoxy and I'm not sure how visible any of it would be. That would create a closed WC loop and possibly leave the moving water visible, although with how fast pumps move the coolant, I'm not sure it'd be apparent that anything was happening. And again, with the amount of trouble and headache designing, building and maintaining it, I don't think it's worthwhile.

I think I'll be best off using a slowed-down WC pump or some kind of fountain pump and essentially the waterfall system would be like those little desk fountains. I'm still debating whether to even do running water - it'd be really cool, but then I think of how much of a headache it'd be to get to the inside of the computer. I'd need to have some kind of drain valve installed in the "river" (ie, front trough), drain all the water out, pull the case down, open it up and do whatever, stick it back up on the desk, then pour all the water back in. Not to mention having to make sure it didn't run dry - I have a little fountain and a noticeable amount of water evaporates from it within days. Still...we'll see...I'd really like to do the running water. Just debating on whether it's worth the trouble. It probably is :D

[Munty]

I'm still debating whether to even do running water - it'd be really cool, but then I think of how much of a headache it'd be to get to the inside of the computer. I'd need to have some kind of drain valve installed in the "river" (ie, front trough), drain all the water out, pull the case down, open it up and do whatever, stick it back up on the desk, then pour all the water back in. Not to mention having to make sure it didn't run dry - I have a little fountain and a noticeable amount of water evaporates from it within days. Still...we'll see...I'd really like to do the running water. Just debating on whether it's worth the trouble. It probably is :D

What the hell is going on! I posted, then I somehow doubleposted so I deleted the second one and both were removed!

Here it is again anyway...

I think if it's how you see the end product then it'll totally be worthwhile putting in the extra work to get there. Stressful though it probably will be Would it not be possible to keep this system separate from the drawer part of the case to avoid difficulties in access? If you can attach the pump to the main body of the case and use the river itself as the reservoir then you could keep it from affecting the drawer at all. The biggest concern IMO would be the possibility of leaks in the future as thats probably the biggest problem you'd face (especially with an open system)

I'm still a water-cooling noob so I'm speculating a great deal but hey there you go :p Just had a thought of a possible solution for you but be very hard to describe will try a quick sketchup and maybe post an image if I think it would really work!

And I've had a play in sketchup now so here is a thought for you which I think should make the speed and power of the pump a little less important...

Apologies for the MSpaint additions :p
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs776.ash1/166657_10150135956416763_626026762_7828254_7444740 _n.jpg

Think it should be fairly self explanatory but the way I see it is you use the riverbed as the reservoir, open of course. You can do this easily enough by making up a watertight container, adapting an actual reservoir or even resorting to old tupperware! With this as a leak-proof failsafe you can use the sort of materials found in fishtanks to detail the riverbed so the end result should be a practically invisible reservoir.

The pump is in the bottom right with it's highest point below the water in the reservoir at all times. That'll ensure the pump never runs dry as it'll be below water even when it's switched off.

Anyway, I figure if you use the pump in a slightly different way to that intended you'll have more control over it's speed. Instead of using it to pump straight out at the top of the waterfall you can set it up just like a fountain so it's filling a secondary reservoir above it which will then create the waterfall affect when the level inside reaches a certain point.

You can then vary the speed at which the pump fills this reservoir (and therefore the intensity of the waterfall) in a number of ways. Introduce more overflows from the secondary reservoir in order to create multiple waterfalls (therefore halving the intensity of each for 2 waterfalls etc) or you could have direct control over just one waterfall by installing a secondary overflow pipe just above the level of your main waterfall outlet. Just like the one on a bathtub! It can be concealed inside the case and run straight back to the river or wherever you want and you can ensure it's a big enough overflow to carry out however much excess water the pump produces (in the instance that your pump is too fast or powerful giving you an over-excitable waterfall!)

In the instance that you find the pump isn't up to the job of pumping the necessary amount of water up that high then you can either lower the top of the waterfall or failing that get a better pump!!! Based on the images at the beginning of this thread though I think it would be great to have a couple of waterfalls framing your work. Maybe 3, all at different levels. It's still done fairly easily and again just like a garden fountain.

Have the pump fill the first tank and then place an overflow to a second lower tank. Place another overflow in this tank to fill a third tank which will have a finall overflow directly into the riversoir :D Hey presto, 3 waterfalls, their locations restricted by imagination alone and intensity controlled directly by how high above the main outlets you place the overflow pipes ;)

Let me know if that makes sense to anyone other than me, I think it's theoretically sound though :p

EDIT : Here's another one, wanted to illustrate the second example a little more! Bear in mind that the pipe sizes are way out in this example. What you'd be looking to do here is have small outlets for each waterfall so only a certain amount could pass. The overflow pipes leading to the next chamber would then be much larger but located slightly higher than the outlets for the falls. That arrangement would prevent water escaping through the waterfalls to quickly and also prevent too much water accumulating in any one tank which would cause an increased pressure on the outlet port and therefore increase waterfall speed and power ;)
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/167667_10150135974411763_626026762_7828432_2696671 _n.jpg

But I'm not making any more so you'll just have to visualise it now :D

[xr4man]

It's not as easy as you'd think mate, I looked into a similar idea as a complete water-cooled-noob and all the advice was that it wouldn't really work. Firstly you're still going to end up needing a big rad as without one your only method of cooling would be constant evaportion from the reservoir which would in turn require frequent top-ups. Also you'll have to filter the crap out of it due to any particles of dirt and dust that will inevitably find their way into the open system. In a design with a waterfall incorporated I'd also imagine (but this is pure speculation) that you'd be left with a dry pump when the system is shut-off, depending where you were able to locate it. Pretty sure that would be bad :p




all of those things could easily be overcome/engineered in.

it would be interesting to see how much cooling effect a waterfall would have though. i'm not going to say it would be enough to eliminate the need for a raditor, but it does make for an interesting concept.

however, the evaporation is something i hadn't thought about. that could easily become a problem.

[Munty]

Evaporation would be exaggerated significantly by the waterfall effect as well so it would be even worse than a standard open system. But yes you're right it could be done, just not a particularly efficient way to cool anything as it would lose so much water you'd need it connected to the water mains :p

[xr4man]

just not a particularly efficient way to cool anything

yes, but is anything in this build for efficiency or for artistic talent? 8)

[Munty]

touche :D I guess it depends where you draw the line really which is all down to the individual! In this case I think it's a bit too inefficient to be worth doing but regarding a water system for the falls that's not water cooled I think that'll totally pay for itself by sheer coolness :D

[artoodeeto]

touche :D I guess it depends where you draw the line really which is all down to the individual! In this case I think it's a bit too inefficient to be worth doing but regarding a water system for the falls that's not water cooled I think that'll totally pay for itself by sheer coolness :D

Yeah, I agree. On the one hand it'd be REALLY cool to say, hey those waterfalls you're admiring...they're the cooling system too. :D On the other hand...you know maybe if it was a system that I only took to shows and that sort of thing it'd be worth it. But it'll be an everyday system. Sorta like trying to justify driving a Formula 1 to the grocery store, taking the kids to school, etc. You'd look bloody awesome doing it, but you'd also likely destroy the car in the process. (not to mention where to stash the groceries on the way home??) LOL...anyways.

Munty, I like the diagrams :) Especially the pump filling an upper internal reservoir which then drains into the channel that turns into the waterfalls. It's a great way to ensure the water doesn't come gushing out, although I'll still keep in mind pump speeds. I don't think I'd mentioned in my log earlier I plan on at least 2, if not 3 separate waterfalls.

Also, just had a thought re: the weight of the water. If the front trough were completely filled (assuming it was water tight right now, which it isn't), the trough alone would weigh about 9 pounds. It's about 260 cubic inches in volume. Realistically, I’d probably have to significantly cut down the volume of the trough, at least in half if not to a quarter, to make the weight realistic. The main issue is going to be that the trough won’t be directly supported underneath, it’ll be sticking off the front end of the desk out of necessity since neither desk we have is deep enough. I don’t want the case to be front heavy. Now, the trough certainly won’t be 260 cubic inches by the time I waterproof it, do the riverbed, add cliff face coming down the front, etc, so it could be that just those things will sufficiently reduce the volume to make the weight manageable. There’s also the weight of an internal upper reservoir to consider, depends on how big I can make it without making it too big.
I’ll have to work on some more sketchups with this in mind – glad this discussion happened :D I want to get this right the first time.

[Munty]

Ok I have another last quick doodle for you before bed! Nothing impressive but it's a possible method to achieve what you're looking for without too much hardware and it's yours if you want it :D

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs788.ash1/167860_10150136096826763_626026762_7829810_6736797 _n.jpg

Black lines show possible positions for a big 'feature' mountain to one side and a lower range across the back which could be the backdrop to the buildings like in the pictures. Obviously need loads of trees and if you or someone you know has the skill it would look awesome to put some more distance into the background by painting/printing a horizon onto that backboard!

The blue square is a possible position for the pump, size permitting, as there seems to be some space there with your current setup. It could be attached to the main case so the drawer could still move independently of it and the pipe running up from there can also follow the contours of the case.

The pipe is the blue lines and I've put in one from the pump to go up the big mountain and then the overflow from there to go down the inside of the range to another outlet on the right. I thought splitting the left side into 2 flows could let you save on extra tanks and difficult work but still make a nice feature and maybe even bring it out under the bridge :) Then I stuck the one on the right side to sort of frame it but I dunno the possibilities are endless!

Regarding the weight of the water it should be ok as you've thought about it well in advance (I wouldn't have done lol) so you can quite easily shape the river bed to be narrow and shallow for the most part and only use part of the trough for the actual riversoir. That said it might give you a less compromised result if you make the river whatever dimensions you think looks best then part filling it with epoxy or some form of transparent but solid material, then have the real water on top of that. Course that would only make sense if the substitute you use is lighter than water lol

Whatever you do it's going to be awesome and I'm going to be watching with great interest :D

[x88x]

Regarding moving/draining/etc the system, I had an interesting thought. Suppose instead of having just a pump at the bottom, you have a big reservoir, big enough to hold all of the water in the system. The river output feeds directly into this big reservoir. The pump then pulls from the reservoir (either a feeder line or immersed in it), and sends the flow to the first waterfall reservoir (great idea for flow control on those, Munty), which then overflows into the subsequent waterfall reservoirs down the line, and eventually into the head of the river. If the flow through the river is still too much, you could even put in another waterfall reservoir with overflow feeding to the big reservoir. Now, here comes the interesting part. Put in two Y-valves between the pump and first waterfall reservoir like so:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq3/x13931x/pumpY.jpg

Then, when you want to 'drain' the system, you switch these two valves, and the pump starts simply emptying the river into the reservoir, and the the tubing between the valve and the first reservoir can drain back into the main reservoir. Actually, come to think of it, you could take out the valve closest to the pump and just turn off the pump instead. Gravity should take care of the rest.

[artoodeeto]

*bump...

:D

Been over a year, but now that I finally have a job again... (rubs palms together evil-genius-style) :P

Don't know what my construction schedule will be yet (March is shaping up to be a busy month), but watch this space...at the very least I'm upgrading the system soon. And it has a new vertical backboard - the old re-used fiberboard was too heavy, so I replaced it with plywood. Looks prettier (for now; it won't be visible when done) and is MUCH lighter weight:

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/Rivendell/12--02-26NewBackboard.jpg

[Waynio]

This is a challenging one to complete but after seeing how excellent the sand crawler turned out I know this will be sweet. :):up:

[mofo]

Something to consider.

(BTW, fully support this mod. Have you read the 12? tolkien history books, ie lay of beleriand. they're tough but some awesome info and stories in themselves.)

You'll need somewhere to drain or store the open areas water for transport. and valves on any open loops. The car ride would certainly be a wet one with even the highest waterfall open during transport.

A possibility is just those brass plugs that go in the ends of tubing. Valves above the falls will solve one end but the water in the reservoirs will also need plugs for backflow.

[x88x]

Also, slowing flow of fluid at the waterfalls; maybe run them off a completely separate pump.

[Fuganater]

Just use a small pond pump for what x88x said