Project N0NAME

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by simon275

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

http://revision3.com/systm/etching

---

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

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

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

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

Gonna go eat some hot soup.. bye..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

..for the inside cooling.. I "sketched" the 3x120mm holder and guestimatted the area of the side openings is enough for them in 5V mode.

..as for the hard drives.. I would like to keep the visible side of the rack screw-free.. so I'm gonna glue some L shaped parts to help as guides and screw the drives only from the invisible side.. Plus, I like flames and they should continue on inside, matching the side panel and etch..

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

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

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

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by p0Pe

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

---

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

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

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


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

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

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

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scotty

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

---

I've been thinking about that.. But I can't do a loop that does that... Here is why:

There are too many components in a too small of a place.. I chose the best straight lines between fittings, so as not to bend the tubing too much.. but..

I could manage to squeeze this:

But there is one portion of tubing that is quite bent.. I'm not sure if it would hold in real life.. probably need some springs/coils around it. Which I don't have... Also, there is no way I could do this with 1/2" tubing.. That bend is too sharp.. But with some special fittings, could be achievable.. Still, more complexity could mean more leaks.. more flow loss..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

..meet the exclusive, not available anywhere, AM2 water block, version "who knows what number", revision 2. I won't go into much detail, but the block is a parallel type, combined with a pin matrix type, with a little jet impingement.. or something..

here it is naked.. well, in wire frame.. I personally find a wire frame model sometimes can better relate the inner structure and workings of something ;)

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

An the quick render. This shows more the aesthetic part of the block. But it was designed to work, not look good. 2 LED holes on each side should make it glow, and a clear acryl cover should allow the unobstructed view of the insides.

this is how it should look in the end.. I'm mostly playing with ideas, so..

..a night shot too.. still an idea..

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

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

Reality time:

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

..so, the small, 40mmx40mm peltier.. I think it would be good as a north-bridge super-cooler part, but I won't be using it for that..

..the testing rig.. 2 north bridge heat sinks.. small ones..

..mm.. peltier sandwich..

..some power.. a 420W cheap PSU.. prior use: "AC" power unit in the dorm
room, glued on the wall.. current use: tests..

..not knowing how hot it could get, I wasn't planning on holding this in my hand.. so I used a piece of wood for support..

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

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

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

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

Some pics:

old friend of mine, had it since my coming here to TBCS, is used for the first time. I got tot the freezing point, the cold side even formed a small layer of frozen condesation.. But the PSU is showing signs of death (smells funny) :think: Guess I better stop using it.. 12V on this weird load is having a funny effect on the brand-less PSU..

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

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

..black tubing.. more cheap than the black coolant, hopefully looks good. If not, I'm gonna change it with normal tube.. normal means UV :)

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

..something nice for my north bridge.. I've seen good reviews about this block and it is available here. It's performance should be 1 or 2 degrees worse than the mcw30.

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

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

More updates to come.

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

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

The block, some fittings and AS5.

The block in all its glory. There is some jet impingement here: the top part sits completely on top of the pins, the fittings go all the way down and water can only go in some small channels, then the pins.. It's fairly tight in there, but reviewers say it is a good thing in this case, as flow doesn't suffer that much.

I mock-installed some fittings to see how they would look.. nice.. and the base is mirror polished.. Looks flat too.. but on further testing, when I placed a blade on it, light was coming thru all directions.. so, the base is concave.. :( Well, I think I can lap it :) :twisted:

these are the screws that came with the block.. seen some pics with the block installed and I love the big thumb-nuts :)

.and these are the instructions :) lol, nice read :)

..the new tubes.. going black with black accents ;)

..and all my money together :)

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

I would say Alphacool are the better brand.

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

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

I lapped the base of the new water block so that there wouldn't be so much light passing when doing the edge test.. I rubbed it with 220 a lot.. then went up to 600, grit by grit... then I went back to 220, as it still wasn't flat enough.. sanded a lot.. but now I'm happy and will stick to my joke of a lapping.. I don't have any 1000 or higher right now.. so.. that's all the lapping I can do.

Installed the block with the nice looking screws (I have to admit I really like them.. it is something completely innocent thought ;) ) AS5 applied.

at the back the water block's screws have nice looking rubbery grommets :)

I rearranged the fittings a little to match my plans.. hopefully, the angled fittings don't add to much restriction.. I have 2 of these in my loop between pump exit and cpu in.

I'm gonna try and modd the case so that the PSU is bottom mounted at the bottom, mobo in the middle, double rad at the top. The 2 things that worry me are that the mother board tray is far from easily removed. It is actually one piece with the entire back plate.. and the back fan hole is too close to cut.. easily :D The other problem is the huge amount of cabling this PSU has..

..to help with the metal work.. I bought some sheet metal.. 2 square meters.. You can see it in comparison with the case :) Big hunk of metal :)

also bought a drill, drill bits and a center puncher.. I have more tools and materials from the past.. But I would need one thing: a riveting tool of some sort. I've seen one today at the place I bought my stuff from, but was more expensive itself than all my purchases (more than 50$)! Need to find a cheaper one..

for easier storage and future manipulating, I cut the big sheet in 4 50x100cm sheets. That would be like 8 custom side panels ;)

also, the nexxxos cpu block has holes for mounting LEDs.. right under the black mounting metal thing.. I found 2 blue ones that are just screaming to get a new home ;)

Till next update..

Pick your posion:

Harbor Freight Rivet Gun
Harbor Freight Rivets

Home Depot Rivet Gun
The dont seem to have any rivets online, none-the-less you can buy them locally. Hope those links help you out buddy, good luck with your mod.

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

ahh your across the pond, learn something new everyday.

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

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

thanks for the rep. much appreciated

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

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

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

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

marking spaces..

doing some cuts..

pondering and mocking..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, see ya all later. Mod on.

Yay progress, the fans look great, fantastic work.

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

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

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

Pic:

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

(random notepad document.. silent hill 2 walk through part.. I wasn't playing, just watching my screen :( )



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

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

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

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

Jon

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

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