Printable View
March 20, 2008
Now that the DVD drives have a cover, I need to make a mount for the Meanwell PSU. The Meanwell unit will sit right above the DVD drives in the front of the case.
As with everything else, I've marked out where I need to cut, and make my bends.
A little dremel work, and it's all cut out.
Time for the brake!
Looking good!
March 20, 2008
I've been playing around a little tonight... I haven't ordered the fan grills yet, so I've been trying to finalize my thoughts, and get exactly the look I wanted. While I was fairly happy with my original design, I've been feeling like it might be missing a little 'something'. That being said, here is one of my revised designs. What do you all think?
March 20, 2008
Wow, I really like that! I'm kind of glad I haven't ordered anything yet... It definitely adds a whole lot more character and uniqueness to the panel. Man, I can't wait to get home and give that a shot in Front Panel Designer.Quote:
Originally Posted by E.E.L. Ambiense
I like the design. As an alternative take on it, I just whipped up a really quick slight different setup based on yours.
March 25, 2008
Update time!
Well, I survived the Easter holiday with the family. Of course that meant no time for modding over the weekend. I was finally able to get back on it last night. It seems that there are a hundred different things that need to be done, and half of them require something else to be finished first. Hopefully you will see some big progress over the next two weeks, and get some idea of where I'm actually headed with this. This case is like a giant puzzle. Every piece has it's place, and there is indeed a method to my madness. Spare room is measured in millimeters. Even so, I've tried to keep compromises to a minimum. You've seen me work on quite a few things up to this point, and most of those things are still a step or two away from being finished. I assure you, that will be changing shortly! I'm my harshest critic, and tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. My work is by no means perfect, but I want it to be. Sometimes I can fabricate a piece that is just slightly off. Sometimes by less than a mm. I constantly weigh the pros an cons of making a new piece. Sometimes I move on simply because the difference is invisible to the naked eye, but I never forget it's there... It drives me crazy sometimes... So, is there a point to this rambling? Of course! For all of you following this log, your patience will be rewarded. I can see the end in sight! So, let's get on with it!
Here is an example of what I mentioned above. Even though I've got other things not quite finished, those things are waiting on the following piece. I've got to mount the hard drives somewhere, don't I? Well, in order to get some idea of placement, I had to drop a few components in to the case. Here you will get a pretty good idea of how tight things are going to be. This is where my planning, and a little good luck have payed off!
So, here is the piece I've marked out. This will hold all the hard drives, as well as be a mounting point for the Via Epia system.
After the cut...
Holes? Yes, lots of holes... This was something I needed to do in order to bend the aluminum cleanly. This piece is 2 mm aluminum, and really hates being bent in the brake. Especially wide pieces. I suppose I may have been able to get it bent correctly, but this was a much easier way to ensure that it happened. By drilling a hole every millimeter, I was able to make the aluminum much more receptive to bending in the brake. It really didn't have a significant impact on the materials strength, so the trade-off was worth it.
Finally, here is the piece with the final bends done.
It isn't completed yet though, and finishing this piece is where I'll pick up tonight.
As a side note, I have something pretty cool arriving today. Expect more pics tonight!
March 25, 2008
Well, I came home to a long awaited package on my doorstep. Might as well get right in to it!
Wow, the panels look great. Kudos to Front Panel Express. I'm more anxious than ever to get this thing put together and get it lit up. A little red CCFL lighting is really going to make these things stand out!
I've also ordered the fan grills... expect to see those in about 10 days. Woohoo!
March 26, 2008
From here on out, it's my goal to have an update almost every day. I'm under a deadline I'm probably not going to meet, but I need to have a running rig in less than two weeks just the same! The pressure!
Work continued last night on the hard drive tray assembly. Here you can see the tray sitting in it's approximate position. I need to get some holes cut in it for ventilation and hose routing, and that will be finished tonight.
So, that's all well and good you say... but how am I going to mount the hard drives? Well, I'm actually going to modify the Rogue's original mounts. Here I've got one taped out, and ready to cut.
After the cuts and filing...
Here is where the drives will sit in the tray.
I've started to mark out some holes for ventilation, and that's where I'll pick up tonight...
More to come!
March 27, 2008
Bah, I think the forum ate my post last night... either that, or I was too tired to remember to hit the 'Post' button. :duh: Anyway, here is what should have been posted last night...
I've got a small update here. Family obligations kept me from getting any more done, but I'll settle for any forward progress at all. Work is still continuing on the hard drive tray, and that's where I'm picking up tonight.
In the last update I had some ventilation holes marked out. Here I've got the holes cut, and filed.
I'm not done with the holes yet... I've marked out where the water tubing will need to access the CPU block.
Once again, all cut!
Now finally, here is the tray sitting in the case. Everything seems to line up well. Now I need to get the tray mounting figured out, as well as finding a home for the Via system.
Now I'm off to bed... work will continue tomorrow!
March 27, 2008
I've been a slacker tonight, I'll admit it. I haven't done any modding. My CPU came in, and so I decided to fire up the system. It's a very crude setup right now, as you'll see. It's not in the case yet, but I wanted to get Windows installed on it, and all my programs in place. I'm still under a deadline here, and anything I can get done before hand, is going to save me trouble in the end. If I know the system is running when I drop it in the case, then that's going to save me a whole lot of time. Also, if there's problems, I have a little time to figure them out.
So, here are a few pics. I'll apologize in advance for the poor quality.
4 GB of Mushkin sweetness!
My high dollar testbed (my counter) :thumb:
Now, of course it would have been a little hard to run the TEC without the case, and since I didn't have a socket 775 CPU cooler, I had to improvise. Here you'll see an old OEM socket 939 cooler. Being the modder that I am, I attached it with zip ties. :rock: Believe it or not, it's keeping the CPU right around 29 degrees (at idle)...
April 1, 2008
Once again, thanks for all the votes everyone!
Well, as promised, it's update time! I'm up way later than I should be, so if I write anything that looks like gibberish, I'll edit it tomorrow... :D
I've got so many little things to work on, so it's always a challenge to prioritize what I'm going to work on next. However, I've been working on the hard drive tray, and that's where I decided to pick up tonight. Earlier you saw the modified original hard drive mounts. Those mounts will hold 4 drives, but I needed room for one more. I think I do a decent job of using my limited space wisely, but some things just take up a certain amount of space no matter what. A hard drive is a good example of that. There were a lot of places that a fifth hard drive simply wouldn't fit. I did manage to find a spot though.
Here you see where I've got room to mount a drive. Clearance is less than 1 cm on the top and bottom. That's still plenty of room!
Well, now that I've got the placement figured out, I need to mount it somehow. Time to pull out the jigsaw and Dremel!
Two quick bends in the brake...
Here you can see where the bracket will sit.
Although I've got to drill holes in the bracket yet, you can see approximately how the drive will be mounted.
April 1, 2008
One thing I need to take care of, is to cut the hard drive tray for length. Here I've got it marked out and ready for cutting.
I couldn't ask for a better fit.
Now I need to figure out a way to hold the rear of the tray in place. It's time to make a small bracket!
I need to cut the bolts for length, but it otherwise fits well.
One thing I began to realize as I built the hard drive tray, is the fact that 5 hard drives weigh a lot! Although the 2mm aluminum is pretty rigid, I decided to take a precautionary measure. I'm going to add an angled support for added strength.
With one bend done, here's where we run in to a potential problem. There simply isn't anyway to fit the support in the brake. The part that is already bent, makes that impossible.
So, what do you do? You improvise! Here I've clamped the support between a square and aluminum bar.
Then with a steady, even pressure, you simply bend by hand.
With the piece bent, I wanted to make one more addition. Airflow is key in this case, and the support bracket will sit awfully close the the circu-pipe on the MSI motherboard. So, I decided to add a few holes to the support. These shouldn't affect strength in any way, but still allow a little more flow where it's needed.
Now finally, you can see the mount and support bolted to the hard drive tray.
And once again, sitting in the case...
One last minor thing while I'm at it... Due to the way the PCI slots sit in the case, the power supply mount doesn't allow screws to be used very easily. This was an easy fix though. Just mark and drill!
Well, I'm off to bed for the night, but work will continue tomorrow. Until then!
April 2, 2008
Well, I've got another update here. Unfortunately, it's not very exciting tonight. That's okay though, I've got a bunch of small details to wrap up, and they've got to be done sooner or later. Tonight just happened to be sooner. :)
The first thing that had to be done, was to mark and drill the holes for mounting the Meanwell power supply.
Two quick holes later, and one job is done...
Next up, I'll take these little pieces of metal...
And turn them in to this. What I've got here, is simply a metal tab that will slide under a lip on the front of the case. It is attached to the channel for the fan wiring. This piece will be responsible for holding the front of the fan assembly in place.
Now, I've got to make a home for this. It's part of a wireless antenna assembly. Both the Rogue, and the Epia will be wireless capable.
There will be an antenna on each side of the case. Here the holes are marked and ready for drilling.
Next job... Here I've cut a small piece of metal to fill up part of this hole. Once it was cut to size, it was JB Welded in to place.
Last up for the night... Since the case will have two power supplies, I need to find a home for the Meanwell power connection... Um, where am I going to put this?
Well, there really weren't many options, but I found a home just the same. The bottom two slots on the motherboard are inaccessible because of the radiator placement, so I decided to make a modification to the I/O panel. I'll make a panel to fill the hole, and the connection will be placed in it. That's something I'll have to finish tomorrow.
With a few things that I finished up tonight, it means I'm only a day away from painting a few things. The main part of the case will be ready for paint, as well as the top panel and fan assembly. I can't wait to get the hardware dropped in there! :rock:
April 4, 2008
Well, tonight I finished painting the main part of the case. As I mentioned earlier, the flat black I originally painted the case, was a little too flat. However, I am keeping that color on the inside of the case. That means I had to mask off the interior before I could repaint the exterior. In my eagerness, I didn't get many pics of that process, but maybe it wasn't that exciting anyway. However, I do have a pic of the case primed...
Now I'll jump right to a few pics of the case already painted. For the exterior, I picked up a black metal flake paint. As I took these pics, I realized how hard it is to photograph a metallic paint. The camera simply can't do it justice. I'm hoping that the effect is more visible on the sides and the front, where there happens to be more surface area.
The case will be ready for hardware this weekend. In the meantime, I've got some more painting to do!
April 5, 2008
Well, kid issues aside, I've got an update!
So, let's get on with a little more painting. I've got the top piece of the case all prepped and ready for paint. I used 4" bolts to allow me to paint both sides easily.
I painted both sides flat black, then once the paint was dry, I masked off the bottom.
Here is the piece after painting and baking... Ooh, shiny...
Now I've got a few miscellaneous things to take care of. Feet, this thing needs feet... I just happen to have 4 of them about to find a home on the case.
I wanted to get the front panel mounted. In order to do that, I need to mount a few components first. I'll start with the Matrix Orbital display.
Next up is the fan controller...
I thought I'd test fit the front panel before I went any further... It fits!
Now, let's get those gauges in place...
More coming soon!
April 7, 2008
I'm on a roll tonight! I've got lots to do yet, including some more fabrication, but I thought I'd get a few assembly shots posted.
Since the side panels will be illuminated, I had to drop CCFL's in the lower sides of the case. These things fit like a glove...
Next up, I attached the radiator mounts in place.
Mounting the reservoir...
The LCD mounted...
Front panel back on, and gauges in place...
Bulgin switches mounted...
The work continues...
April 8, 2008
Just a quick update here before I get to work tonight... The fan grills have arrived! I don't care how wrong it is... These things turn me on! :rock:
April 8, 2008
I'm on to mounting the grills, and just had to show you guys what it looked like. I think I should have done these last... 'cause I keep getting lost in the red anodized dreamy sweetness...
These stickers gotta go...
A little sleeving...
The six-pack...
This picture needs no explanation...
April 10, 2008
Um, is it Thursday already? I'm only slightly panicked at this point. Netwar is tomorrow, and the rig's gotta be running tonight. If I don't make it, surely it's not for lack of trying. I've been getting to bed around 3am every morning. Heck, I think I've got more time working on the Rogue, than I have at my regular job this week. So, that brings me to this update...
To start things off, I'll show a shot of the completed top panel.
Next up, I've got a little more fabrication to do on the interior of the case. I need to make a bracket for mounting the Via Epia system.
All drawn out...
All cut out...
Let's get some bending done. This is a piece with some fairly complex bends for it size. I start by bending on both sides...
Then bending again, to form mounting tabs.
We are left with this.
Okay, now we have two more bends to make. Because of our prior bends, the piece will no longer fit in the brake. Here I've clamped the piece between an aluminum bar, and a square.
After bending...
Repeat on the other side, and we are left with this piece.
I had to cut a hole in the center to clear the back of the pico board.
The board fits on one side...
The hard drive on the other...
April 10, 2008
I'm on a roll tonight! I've got lots to do yet, including some more fabrication, but I thought I'd get a few assembly shots posted.
Since the side panels will be illuminated, I had to drop CCFL's in the lower sides of the case. These things fit like a glove...
Next up, I attached the radiator mounts in place.
Mounting the reservoir...
The LCD mounted...
Front panel back on, and gauges in place...
Bulgin switches mounted...
The work continues...
April 10, 2008
Next up, I've got to make a bracket for mounting the pump.
Here is where it will be mounted on the internal tray.
The Via, and pump mounts in their final locations...
With the internals completely fabbed, it's time to do a little assembly.
Tonight, I will paint the side panels, and drop all the hardware in the case. About the biggest thing to finish, will be the front door. Right now it's not as critical as having the rig running. So, I'll see what I have for time tonight, and maybe I'll get it done too...
April 15, 2008
Time for another update! If you've been following along, you all know that last week was a mad rush trying to get the Rogue ready for Netwar. Ultimately, I didn't get it done, but I still had fun trying to make it. I think I'm finally catching up on my sleep, but I've still got some catching up to do around the house. I ate cereal out of a measuring cup this morning... Also, starting next week, I've got to start finishing my basement. My fiance and her son, are moving in to my house, in a little over a month's time. I need to get an extra bedroom down there... So, this all means that although the work on Rogue will continue daily, updates are going to come a little slower than in the past. I hope all of you can hang in there... :D
So, on with the update. Here I've got one of the side panels painted...
Acrylic insert in place...
Next up, I've got to assemble the TEC and CPU block. A little Arctic Silver on the block...
Peltier in place...
The cold plate was installed, and the whole assembly was mounted on the motherboard.
Now, I've got to make a custom assembly for the Dakota Digital water temperature sender. The sender is designed for automotive applications, so I've had to get creative to adapt it to work in my loop.
Here is the bare sender.
This right here, is an G 1/4 to G 1/8 adapter. It's actually designed to be used in automotive nitrous oxide systems.
The sender has been fitted in to the adapter.
The sender and adapter have been fitted in to a delrin t-block.
Finally, the wiring has been attached, and finished off with some heat shrink tubing.
Tonight, I'll cover a little of the hard drive tray modification, and the start of some detail wiring. I'm also going to be fabricating a new i/o panel for under the reservoir. The one I've got, has a slight alignment issue, and I'm not happy with it. It sits just a little higher than I'd like...
April 16, 2008
Okay guys, I've teased you all enough. So, I'm going to give in and give you all a little peek...
**Disclaimer** The shots you are about to see represent a still incomplete case... However, I think you'll like what you see. The biggest exterior change, will be the addition of the front door. At that point, the exterior will be complete. Woohoo!
April 22, 2008
I'm sure many of you were like me when you were younger? You loved taking things apart... To see how they worked, and to see what was inside. Well, who says that's something you outgrow? I surely haven't!
So, I've decided to tear apart my little Griffin Powermate...
There's really very little surface area left on the front of the case. That means my options for placement are pretty slim. I've decided to put it front and center on the case door. This is why finding the perfect knob is critical. Anything to large, or anything that doesn't match the aesthetics, will certainly look out of place. The knob hunt continues...
I'm currently waiting for a few parts to arrive... they should be here today actually. I needed a few minor things like wire sleeving, and some spade connectors, but I couldn't continue without them. It seems that there are so many little details that have to be taken care of. All cabling will be cut to length, sleeved, and pre-routed. Even wiring that will never be seen, must be in order. If it's not, it will really bother me... So, that's one of the things I'm going to be working on over the next few days.
In the meantime, I had a few details to wrap up on the case face. As shipped, there are acrylic strips that sit to the left and right of the door. These light up red when the case is on. Although they happen to match my theme perfectly, the strip on the right needed to be modified. The LED's from the Zalman fan controller actually reside in the area where the strip is supposed to sit. The fan controller can't be moved, so that meant the strip needed to be modified. This required me perfectly aligning and drilling 6 blind holes in the rear of the acrylic strip.
I'll show you the rest of details tonight...
April 29, 2008
Sorry for the lack of updates guys! I've been pretty busy lately...
I've been getting ready to put this pile of 2x4's...
In to this basement...
I've only got around 3 weeks before my fiance and her son move in. I've got two bedrooms, and a family room to finish down there! Obviously this has taken away from my computer modding time a little. I guess I've been house modding too!
As far as the Rogue goes, work is still continuing, albeit a little slower than before.
So, how about a little front door work? Here, I've just finished drilling the hole for the Griffin Powermate.
All cleaned up.
Now for the knob. As luck would have it, part of the original Powermate's internals, happen to be perfect for the job. I just had to fill the pocket with a little JB Weld, and sand it down.
A fresh coat of the black metallic, and it's ready to go.
Now, I've got to switch directions momentarily. In order for me to finish wiring, I need to finish my new I/O panel. It consists of 3 switches for lighting, and I need to add a pair of USB ports for the Via system, and a cat5 port. I've got it all marked out.
Now cut.
Just like I wanted...
At this point, I could have been finished, but then I thought of something. How many times have you fumbled around behind your computer attempting to plug something in to a darkened crevice? I've done it plenty of times, and decided to remedy that little issue with the help of a few LED's...
Okay, now what? it's a lot of small details and wiring. I need to get all of that done so I can drop hardware in the case. Although things are very tight, most of the wiring should be hidden, and placed out of sight. I want a very clean interior. What little wiring is visible, will be sleeved, and tucked away nicely. So, lets start getting some of that out of the way.
The home for the Meanwell PSU relay...
A CCFL inverter tucked nicely away...
Some sleeved switch wiring...
Um, more wiring... Trust me, this will be clean by the time I'm done with it!
And the work continues!
May 3, 2008
Well, fan issues aside, I've got a micro-update to post here. I've been working on wiring up the fans. Here you can see me soldering the fan wires to the contacts.
After the wires were soldered, the contact assembly just fit inside the wire channel. A few bolts were put in place, and she's good to go!
With any luck, tomorrow I'll get the contact strip done inside the case. Stay tuned!
May, 3 2008
It's been quite a while since I first mentioned them, so I probably should have given a quick recap. Basically, you have male and female contacts. The male's are spring loaded. So, you have the female contacts attached to the fan assembly, and the male contacts will be attached inside the upper part of the case. When the top of the case is put on, all contacts will touch, and power will be supplied to the fans. There's no need to disconnect and connect wiring when removing the fan assembly. It's clean and neat, and should allow for greater airflow with the reduced wiring.
May 4, 2008
No computer modding done today, but we did get a little work done in the basement.
The work continues!
May 26, 2008
Finally, an update! Thanks for being so patient guys! Things have been crazy around here lately, but progress was made all the way around. So, let's get on with it!
First up, I'll show you all a few pics of the basement progress.
Here, all the electrical work has been done.
Drywall started! Most of the ceiling has been done in this shot. We should get the wall insulated, and some rock on the walls starting tomorrow.
Well, let's move on to the Rogue.
I mentioned all the goodies that will find their way under the motherboard tray. Of all those things, one of them is a 4 port USB hub.
There are also a pair of USB wireless adapters. One for the Rogue, and one for the Via.
One of the additional features I'm adding to this case, is integrated bluetooth.
I've had to modify and sleeve a USB cable.
Here I've stripped the cover off the bluetooth adapter.
Finally, the adapter sitting in place on the front of the case.
This may look a little messy, but I had to test all my modified cables before I went any further. Once the motherboard is in place, things are going to be a little difficult to troubleshoot.
All seems to work fine. I've got video, and all USB connections work as they should.
With everything else take care of, I dropped the motherboard tray in place.
Next up, I'll get the front of the case in place and start some assembly. Woohoo!
June 1, 2008
What a busy weekend! I've made a little progress on the Rogue, but even more on the basement...
Each bedroom has a recessed pocket for a desk...
Taping and finishing started!
So, how about the Rogue? Here I've got the front of the case installed. Maybe someday I'll actually get started on that door...
The motherboard sitting in place. I've not screwed it down yet. I may need to move it a little to get the second radiator in place...
Okay, so what now? I've got a little wiring to finish. I need to make a custom cable for the LCD screen and the Via. Due to the way that the Via is situated, I need more clearance above it, than I currently have. There's no way a normal VGA connector would work... not if I wanted to clear the fans on the top of the case anyway. So, a little bit of old-fashioned hackery was in order.
Here I've got the stock VGA cable.
A few minutes later...
That should about do it... almost... I still need a little more clearance.
About 45 seconds with a heat gun, and I was left with this... Up next, I'll clean it up a little more, and sleeve it...
June 11, 2008
Update time baby!
I'll start off with a little basement recap. As I mentioned earlier, I needed to put an egress window in one of the bedrooms. To do that, I needed a hole... A shovel and concrete saw, got me this far...
I've got no pics with the window installed yet, but they are coming. With the window installed, we've been busy hanging a little more rock, and doing some finishing work. Since I've been neglecting progress on the Rogue while working on the basement, the fiance said she was willing to help me out. She can put screws in like a pro. I told her it wasn't bad for a girl. :D Actually, I told her I was going to put pictures of her 'screwing' on the internet...
Well, enough basement work, let's get on to the Rogue! Assembly, assembly, assembly... that's where we are at. I've got just a small amount of fabrication left, but I need to get some things put together first. What you are about to see, represents hours worth of work, but I'm not sure a few pictures represent that. I may be pretty good at packing things in small spaces, but there is one downside, assembly is a pain!
The second radiator has rejoined the case!
See the wiring for the switches? Um, yeah, I need to get some 3/4" tubing through there. I knew it would be tight, but damn...
Finally, the tubing is in place. Sure, it's tight, but it's still clean. Yeah!
Up next, more tubes!
June 19, 2008
How about some more assembly? I've got several small things that I've been working on. Not a single one of them are very large (well, with one exception), but they all are needed just the same. So, let's get on with it!
A few posts back, I mentioned needing to make a new mount for the Via system. The following pics will show you exactly why.
The fan assembly on the case...
Here you can see the problem. The VGA output on the Via, is directly below where the contacts for the fans need to be. There was no way to modify things to fit, so a new mount was needed.
Here I've got the new mount marked out, and ready for cutting.
Cutting done, and ready for bending. (I'll get the finished pics up tonight hopefully)
After the bracket was bent and painted, I decided to move on to a few other things while paint dried. One of the things I did, was to drop the auxiliary PSU in to place and double check fitment. Fits like a glove!
There is minimal clearance on both sides, but it's pretty much what I expected.
Another small project... Due to the numerous wires surrounding the motherboard's 8 pin connector, it was virtually impossible to connect the PSU cables after assembly. Obviously, I wanted the PSU to be relatively easy to remove. So, to fix that little problem, I bought a pair of 8 pin connectors...
I found a suitable location on the PSU cable...
I painted the connectors black, and installed them inline... I can now plug in the PSU cable, in a much more convenient location.
More coming soon...
June 24, 2008
Update time! I'm so close to having this thing running, it's a little scary. This has taken up so much of my time since last November, I'm really going to miss working on it when I'm done... :(
First thing up... a small update on the basement progress. Remember the egress window? Here's a couple shots from inside one of the bedrooms.
Now on to the Rogue...
A few posts back, I mentioned needing a new mount for the Via system. Here are the finished results. Everything now fits perfectly.
Next up is the lower mount for the fan assembly contact strips. Here I've got the mount all marked out.
All cut out...
A pair of braces...
Here the mount is bent, and assembled.
Let's see if it fits... Perfect!
Moving on to the contacts... I've mounted them on a strip of square metal.
This jumble of wires represent all the fan wiring. I've got to attach it to the contacts, and sleeve it.
Soldering in progress.
All sleeved! If you look closely, you might see an additional lone wire. That attaches to the motherboard for RPM monitoring.
Finished!
With the fan wiring done, I've moved on to a little more plumbing.
It's pretty much all assembly from this point on. Wish me luck guys!
June 26, 2008
So, is it running? Not quite, but I've only got about 15 minutes of work until I can add coolant. I was up until about 2 AM last night, and decided to stop for myself... and the Rogue's safety. I was just too tired to continue. No worries though. I'll be off work a little early today to work on it!
Well, how about a few pictures then? Here is the inline temperature sensor...
I revised the tubing layout slightly...
Almost ready to drop the tray in...
Video cards in place...
Testing Paladin (the Via system)...
The tray is in place!
From here, I've got to route two more tubes, and I can add coolant. Expect updates tonight!
June 27, 2008
Just a few pics here guys, as I've obviously had other concerns...
This case is getting custom length cables throughout. I don't have room to stash any extra length, so it's cut, splice, and connect time! This is the start of one of the new SATA power cables.
More pics of assembly (sans pump).
June 30, 2008
Okay guys, pic time... What I'd like you to keep in mind, is that the following pics are a little messy. This represents me trying to get the machine running in time for a LAN. I've still got quite a bit of detail work to finish. I'm waiting on a few parts to arrive, then I'm making custom length cables for the video cards. I literally need to take about 18" off of each of them. Luckily the modular NZXT PSU makes the job pretty easy. I'll also recap a few of the problems I had after installation, following the pics...
SO, here I'm trying to stuff all the excess cable in the rig. I managed to do it, and still get airflow! You can see here why I need the shorter cables. This thing is a mess! I've also got to shorten and sleeve the pump power cable...
A work in progress pic from the back...
A side shot...
From the front. (I still need to make that dang door!)
Let's light it up!
Now let's take a look at those temps. The reading varies on both Speedfan, and Everest, but it doesn't matter... they are well below 0! Also note the reasonable (considering the case) GPU temps...
Okay, now I mentioned a few problems. For some reason, I couldn't get the front panel power button to work. No matter how I tried, the machine simply wouldn't start with it plugged in. Believe me, I tried quite a few different possibilities, but my time was short, so testing will continue later. Also, for some reason, anything plugged in to the USB hub under the motherboard tray, isn't working. All tested fine before assembly, but nothing is working now. That includes the Matrix Orbital display, bluetooth, wireless, and a thumbdrive for ReadyBoost. I may need to disassemble to investigate. I've also noticed a hairline crack in the reservoir. Nothing leaks, but I may replace it as a precaution. Lastly, the lower LED on the fan controller doesn't seem to be functioning. Not sure why, but I'll get it straightened out as well. All in all, I'm more than happy with it's performance and function. I'll gather the parts I need to fix, and take the time in a week or two to fix what needs fixed. In the meantime, I'll try and finish the long neglected front door. I'll also need to finish my basement above all else. One last thing, I'm going to get some gaming in!
July 12, 2008
I've got just a small update for everyone... but it's not on the Rogue. My priority has been getting the basement livable, and this last week, I accomplished just that. The carpet has finally been put down, and the kids have already moved some things in to their rooms. I've got to put in the electrical outlets, finish the lighting, and install doors and trim yet, but that's pretty minor compared to what I've got done so far. So, how about a few pics?
First of all, I'll show you what the walls look like. All walls were hand textured, and then painted with a ragroll technique. It's not a true ragroll because of the way I applied it, but it's the exact effect I wanted. The combination of the wall texture, and the paint, give it a warm and slightly rustic look.
Here is the family room, and a view down the hall.
Moving on down the hall, I have a shot of my soon-to-be stepson's room. Like a typical boy, he wanted something that looked like camouflage. This was about as close as i wanted to get him. The thought of repainting a few years down the road wasn't very appealing...
Finally, at the end of the hall, is my daughter's room. She is moving down, from her room upstairs. That means we'll have an extra room upstairs. Since I'm already getting an office downstairs, the extra room will be turned into an exercise room for the moment.
With that out of the way, work will continue at a much faster rate on the Rogue. Granted, the basement still needs some work, including the addition of a new bathroom, but the rush is over, and the space can be used.
Speaking of the Rogue, I may have myself another deadline... this one is much bigger though... I'm talking about Nvision 2008 in San Jose. I'm currently trying to work some things out, so that I'll be able to attend. Time is an issue though. I leave for my wedding and honeymoon in about a month. Nvision would start literally 2 days after I get back. I'd be gone most of the week, and then have my wedding reception a few days after I get back. It's not impossible, but it's certainly less than ideal if I don't have everything planned beforehand. Wish me luck!
July 14, 2008
Finally, I've got time to work on the Rogue! Tonight's update involves PCI-E cables... They're way to long, and in dire need of shortening. So, that's where we pick up...
The stock cables...
I've marked the desired cable length.
The first cut has been made. I cut around 40 cm off each cable.
The new connectors and pins...
The first cable completed.
All 4 done!
The last project for the night, involved reversing the PSU fan. Why you ask? Well, a single 120 mm fan blowing air out of the case, stood little chance against the vacuum of the six San Ace's on top of the case. As you can see, the PSU was equipped with a San Ace of it's own. Instead of fighting against the other fans, the reversal will allow the fans to work together, while still keeping the PSU cool. Some may argue that I'm now blowing warm air from the PSU into the case, and it could have a negative effect on case and video card temps. I'm guessing that the sheer volume of air moving through this case will negate that. If the temps are seriously affected, I'll flip the PSU, so the fan is on top (thanks for the suggestion Ash).
July 16, 2008
Well, work continued on the Rogue last night, but if I were to take pictures of my 'progress', you would think I was crazy. The case now sits completely naked on my counter. Yep, the case is completely disassembled right now. In order to fix the problem with the USB hub, I had to get back under the motherboard tray. That pretty much meant everything had to come out anyway. I also needed to remove the front of the case to fix the non-working LED on the fan controller. While apart, I've decided to make a modification to the area above the PCI slots. Right now, getting video cards in and out, is a convoluted affair. A little dremel work can simplify the whole process. I know things are tight in this case, but I want it to be relatively easy to work on. I don't want to pull apart the entire case, just to swap a video card. After the dremel work, the case will get another shiny new coat of paint baked on.
After the paint, I'll start the reassembly. I've got a few changes in store there as well. The case wiring is getting modified and streamlined. I am doing away with almost all the spade connectors under the motherboard tray, and will be switching to terminal strips. This should clean up the clutter significantly. I am also switching to a 'flag' style spade connector for the switches on the rear of the case. This will take care of a few clearance problems, and make future maintenance much easier.
Other small changes include; adding a small fan to the chipset 'Circu-pipe' for better cooling while overclocked, adding aluminum spacer tubing to cover the fan bolts on top of the case, and wiring the front LCD in to the VIA's power.
So, why is the above completely crazy? Well, I'm now officially heading to Nvision 2008 in San Jose, CA, at the end of August. It should be the premier of the completely finished Rogue. I'm leaving for Mexico on the 15th of August, so that leaves me less than a month to finish up every last detail on this case, and ship it to Johnny at NZXT before I leave. Oh, and in the meantime, I have to finalize all the wedding reception plans... Things are gonna get crazy around here!
July 29, 2008
Okay, who wants an update! Yeah, I know it's a small one, but at least I'm making progress! I've only got two weeks to get this think completely finished for Nvision, and there's no way I can miss this deadline! The rig will be running again tonight, and then I'm going to allow myself about a week to get the front door done. That will leave me a week to figure out how to pack this thing up for shipping...
So, I mentioned some rewiring...
It may not be a close up shot, but here you can see the previous switch/etc. wiring in the upper right hand corner.
Here is the revised wiring.
Much cleaner, isn't it? Well, it's all due to the switch to these little flag style spade connectors.
Now, I'll let you in on a dirty little secret... this has to be my least favorite picture of the whole build. This is the revised wiring under the motherboard tray. It's still not as clean as I'd like, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Especially since this will never be seen, even during a hardware change.
Finally, the last little update involves extra chipset cooling. The Circu-pipe does a decent job of cooling at stock speeds, but active cooling is always better for overclocking. So, where to put a fan? Other owners have added fans, but I've not seen this kind of placement on any of the MSI boards yet. A 40mm fan fits perfectly as shown in the pics below.
More coming soon!
July 29, 2008
Progress every day, that's my goal! I managed to get some more work done last night, and I'm committed to having the rig running tonight! I probably could have made it last night, but I needed my sleep...
So, in addition to dropping more components in the case, (you'll see that progress in a slideshow), I put a new top on my DDC pump. I did this for several reasons. The first, was to save a little room around the pump itself. The new Koolance top has a much smaller footprint. The second reason, was due to the much better barb placement. The Alphacool top I was using, didn't accommodate 3/4" tubing all that well. Basically, there was no room for a proper clamp, so a zip tie was needed. I wasn't happy with this solution, so the change was made.
Here is the original Alphacool top.
The new Koolance top.
July 31, 2008
Another night gone, and more modding done!
So, about that PSU extension cable... It will indeed connect the motherboard to the PSU (obviously), but exactly why it's needed may not be as obvious. It goes without saying that things are very tight in this case. One of the problems with that, is the fact that it's pretty much impossible to attach the PSU cable to the motherboard with the hard drive tray in place. That also means that I can't remove the PSU without pulling the tray out as well. That simply won't do. I want to be able to remove things individually whenever possible. Things may be tight, but I still want easy maintenance. So, the extension leaves me with plenty of extra cable, and the excess has to go...
Cable stripping...
New 24 pin connector...
