Maximum Security

I was asked if I'd be interested in modding Thermaltake's new Level 10 GT chassis. Of course I had to say yes. A case like that may be hard to mod, but I've got some crazy plans for this thing. It involves liquid cooling and LOTS of electronics.

First off, a HUGE THANKS to the current sponsors!!

Thermaltake hooked me up with the Level 10 GT chassis, a Toughpower Grand 1050W PSU and some liquid cooling goodness.

Kingston hooked me up with a 96GB SSDNow V+100 96GB SSD and a 6GB DDR3-2000 HyperX H2O Kit.

Gigabyte sent me a G1.Guerrilla motherboard.

Microchip sent me one of their new chipKIT Max32 development boards.

Trossen Robotics hooked me up with their RFID reader kit and a discount on their Firgelli L12 Actuator.

Auto Air Colors sent me a few bottles of airbrush paint.

NZXT hooked me up with a white LED light strip.

Protostack sent 2 of their ATMega8A development kits.

PCBoard.ca sent me one of their new individually addressable RGB LED strips.

Thanks :D

And here's those teaser vids for those who haven't seen them :whistler:

The issue I'm having now is porting everything from the Arduino (which doesn't have enough i/o for everything I need) to the chipKIT. The issue with that is the Arduino runs an AVR and the chipKIT runs a PIC, so they handle the code differently. I've been working closely with the guys who designed the board to get this sorted, and right now they're redoing the servo code (was never done originally to work with the PIC) and trying to figure out the addressable RGB LED strip issues.

Got this coming from Performance-PC's:

• 2 x *** HOT *** Koolance Tubing Splitter/Manifold, 5-Way Swiveling [no nozzles] (SPL-XFR3)
• 4 x Koolance Nozzle Single, G1/4 Barb [10mm, 3/8"] (NZL-V10B)
• 6 x Koolance Nozzle Single, G1/4 Barb [6mm, 1/4"] (NZL-V06B)
• 2 x mod/smart 24-Pin Female ATX Power Connector- Black (M-MB-24M-BK)
• 2 x Connectx™ ATX 24 pin Female Pins, GOLD-plated - 24 Pack (ACR-CB8133)
• 5 x Connectx™ Female 3-Pin Fan Housing Black (ACR-CB9031)
  Molex Pins Add 3 Molex Pins
• 5 x Connectx™ Male 3-Pin Fan Housing Black (ACR-CB9079)
• 10 x Koolance Tubing, Silver PVC, 1ft/30.5cm [ID: 10mm (3/8"); OD: 13mm (1/2")] (HOS-10SL)
• 1 x IandH Silver KillCoils - Antimicrobial .999 Fine Silver Tubing / Reservoir Strip (IANDH-KILLCOIL)
• 1 x *** NEW *** EK-FC6870 for AMD/ATI Radeon HD 6870 Series - Nickel (EK-FC6870-NK)
  Optional SLI Fitting No fitting
  Fitting Size 3/8" Barb for 3/8" ID tube
• 1 x Black Ice® GTX Gen Two Xtreme 140 Highest Performance Radiator (GTX140)
  Fitting Size 3/8" Barb for 3/8" ID tube
• 1 x Koolance INS-FM16 Coolant Flow Meter (INS-FM16)
• 1 x Koolance Coolant Temperature Sensor, Brass [no nozzles] (SEN-AP005PB)
  Nozzles Add Nozzle Pair, G1/4 Barb [10mm, 3/8"] NZL-V10KGB
• 1 x A.C. Ryan AcrylPanel™ 3mm - 480x480mm Clear (ACR-AP3404)
• 8 x Solid Wall Polyethylene Grommet Edging with Adhesive - Black (GES-BK05)

And this coming from Sparkfun:

• 3x PRT-00115 Female Breakaway Headers
• 3x PRT-00116 Male Breakaway Headers
• 5x PRT-08095 Polarized Connectors - Housing (2-pin)
• 2x PRT-08100 Polarized Connectors - Crimp Pins
• 5x PRT-08233 Polarized Connectors - Header (2-pin)
• 2x PRT-09497 ATX Power Supply Connector - Straight
• 2x PRT-09498 ATX Power Supply Connector - Right Angle
• 2x PRT-10698 Light Pipe - Clear Core (3mm, 5' Long)

Deets when the goods arrive :D

Well no fingerprint reader, but I will have an RFID card controlling the side panel lock and opening mechanism :D The Level 10 GT has a button to press to unlock the side panel, then you can pull it open. I plan on using a servo to control the latch mechanism, and I picked up a small (but effing expensive) Firgelli linear actuator to open and close the door.

Speaking of that, I got the actuator and my performance-pcs order in today, will post pics tonight :D

Update time!

First some pics of some of the goods:

ATMega8A dev kit from Protostack

96GB SSD from Kingston

6GB DDR3-2000 H2O RAM also from Kingston

Toughpower 1050W PSU from Thermaltake

PWB100 Waterblock also from Thermaltake

Firgelli L12 Linear actuator (50mm stroke, 100:1 gearing) from Trossen Robotics

Koolance 3-way splitters and flow meter

Koolance 3/8" and 1/4" G1/4 fittings

Here you can see a 3/8" fitting and 3 1/4" fittings in each splitter. What this will do is allow me to hook the main 3/8" tubing to the splitter, and have 1/4" lines run to each stick of RAM, then back out into the second splitter, and back into the loop.

Koolance Adapter block with temp sensor

EK waterblock for my XFX 6870

10' Koolance silver 3/8" PVC tubing

U-Channel edge molding

2 black 24-pin connectors and pins

5 3-pin connector sets

Silver Kill Coil

I also got a Black Ice 140mm Radiator, but I need to swap it for a 120mm one as it's too big to fit in the case in the rear 140mm fan spot. I may get creative and try to mount it elsewhere though, we'll see.

I'm still waiting on a 2x120mm radiator and a pump/res combo from Thermaltake as well.


I also got some work done on the case.

I test-fit the motherboard into the case to get an idea of the layout for some of the various components. This is when I found out that the bit 140mm rad I got won't fit.

I also got the lower intake cover, louvers and fan removed. The plan is to put a window in where the fan grill used to be.

Minor update. I got the case pretty much all disassembled. There was a ton of little screws and clips everywhere, and it was neat to see how they held everything together. Next will be finding placement for some of the components.

More pics :D

The RFID reader from Trossen Robotics

The 2 bottles of paint from Auto Air Colors.


I also figured out a mounting for the 140mm rad. It was too big for the inside of the case and I thought putting it on the outside wouldn't look good. However after some trial and error I found that I can use the outer shell from an old 140mm fan as a spacer. The only other issue is that the barbs don't line up with the holes in the case, but that's a small hurdle. So the fan will be on the inside of the case with the rad and spacer on the outside. Alternatively I could just mount the fan to the rad and have them both on the outside of the case. Thoughts?

I was actually thinking about a pair of these :D

Update time :D

I got 2 of the 3 windows done. I started with the top mesh part on the side panel (where the headphones hang, above the hotswap bays)

I started by removing the steel mesh, then cutting out the plastic honeycomb mesh underneath with my scroll saw.

Then I cut out a piece from the AC Ryan panel I got. It took a lot of sanding and filing to get the window and the cutout nice and smooth.

MMMM nice fit :D

And a shot of where it goes on the case. I'm going to have a few components and some lighting behind this window, but I'm keeping the details a secret for now :D

Then I started on the top panel. I removed the steel mesh like on the side panel...

Then cut out the plastic honeycomb with the scroll saw. I had to do a lot more sanding and filing here than on the side panel. The reason for this is due to how Tt made the plastic parts. On the side I was able to install the window from underneath, so it didn't have to be 100%. Here I need to install the window on the top, and it will rest against a few small parts sticking out, so it needed to be perfect.

I used the steel mesh to trace out a rough line for the window panel.

And the window cut roughly.

And a nice fit :D This took a LOT of time as the window had to be a lot closer to perfect than the side one did. This window will also have components underneath, and both windows may have some etchings...we'll see on that later on.

Time for another update!

I finally got the case entirely stripped down, minus drilling out the rivets (that's later).

Here's all the hardware I had to remove to get all the plastic off this thing!

I did some measuring and marking on the side panel in preparation for cutting.

Then I tackled the plastic casing that covers that side intake hole. This will also have a window, making for 4 total windows in the case.

Here it is all trimmed out. This took several hours of cutting and sanding with the Dremel and final finish sanding. There were a lot of small tabs and whatnot that needed to be removed. What I'm left with is 2 small ledges on which to mount the window.

I went about making the window the same way as the others. I used the mesh I removed for an outline/guideline. Then I cut it out with the scroll saw and did the finish sanding with the Dremel and belt sander. Here it is in for a test-fit.

Here is the plastic and window sitting on the side panel.

The main thing left to do now is cut out the steel side door and work on component placement and electronics. The tough part is going to be finding the right mounting location for the linear actuator that will open and close the door.

I did some work with SketchUp tonight. I want to dress up the radiator since it will now be hanging off the back of the case rather than be inside it. I used my Black Ice 140 radiator to make one in SketchUp. Then I used the following picture of an industrial rooftop A/C unit to design a shroud that will screw to the backside of the radiator and fit in with the overall theme of the project. I plan to make this shroud out of white styrene sheet just like I made the louver assembly for my Tempest SXR (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/f...d.php?p=289709) mod a while back. Enjoy the pics :D

Minor update.

I decided on a location for the Koolance flow meter. Theres this spot where the cables pass through and it fits nicely with a pair of 90º Bitspower fittings I got from x88x. The only problem is that pesky piece of the frame in the way. Only one thing to do...cut it out!

That's better :D This will be visible behind the window I put into the side panel, along with one of the protoboards from ProtoStack. I've got an idea of what to use the board for, now I just need to make it happen :D

I also decided to mount my Sentry 2 fan controller in this side panel rather than the front 5.25" bays. I already have experience mounting it without it's housing from my Tempest SXR mod, so this should be cake.

I measured and marked the hole, cut it out with my Dremel and filed it down nice and smooth.

Here's an idea of how it will look. All I need to do is make up some mounts for it on the inside, which should be rather easy.

Update time!

I got the actuator mounted! I used a hole that was already in the case as the rear mount, and used double-sided tape for the front to get the positioning correct. I set the actuator to full close, closed the door and stuck it on. It doesn't open 90º, but it's like 88º :D

Once I got the position correct and verified, I drilled the side panel to mount the bracket for the actuator. This nut and bolt will not be the final parts, they're just there for temporary mounting.

I also used a jigsaw to finish cutting out the rest of the side panel, then filed it down nice and smooth. I still need to do some finish grinding and filing to get the edges nice and straight, but it's a start.

Then I mounted the plastic covers back to the side panel to stiffen it, and retried the actuator to make sure everything was 100%

And a video, of course :D I set the code to run the actuator full open, wait 9 seconds, then full close, repeat. The reason for 9 seconds is that it takes ~4 seconds for the actuator to fully extend or retract.

And another update :D

I cut out a piece of black acrylic to use as a fill panel to hide all the slots and holes on the side of the 5.25" bays.

Next I marked and drilled 10 holes. 4 for the flow meter and 6 for the ProtoStack board. Each is held in by a 4-40 stainless allen head screw with a nut to act as a spacer. The acrylic itself is mounted in the same fashion to the side of the 5.25" drive bays.

And here's how it will look through the window in the side. The window is not installed here, but I put the panel on to get an idea. I'm going to use the ProtoStack board to run some interior lighting, wait till you see what I've got planned :D

Next I marked and drilled 4 holes in the top panel for the RFID reader.

Now the reader has pin headers and a barrel jack on it that won't allow it to fit under the window that will be there, so I had to break out the jigsaw again :D

I mounted the RFID reader in the same fashion as the ProtoStack board and flow meter, with 4-40 SS screws with nuts for spacers to keep the contacts off the metal of the case. It now fits perfectly under the window :D

Minor update. Got some goodies in :D

3 120mm Cooler Master Turbine Master 1800RPM fans

A Phobya Radiator Gasket

A Phobya 20x140mm radiator spacer

Black Ice Pro II 240mm low profile radiator

Fans mounted to top rad

And how it looks installed in the case. The rear 120mm fan will be as shown, with the rad spacer and 140mm rad behind the case. The spacer is necessary so that the fittings from the top of the rad will be able to go through the LC holes in the case.

think you could use a larger gauge bolt, with a bolt sleeve and some washers for the actuator arm?

then join the actuator arm with the bolt sleeve (maybe with epoxy), use two washers between the bolts and larger diameter washers between the mating surface of the chassis? maybe with some skateboard/bicycle bearing grease between the washers and inside the bolt sleeve.


and some bolts to extend that couple on the door would let it extend out the full 90 degrees or better.

just a idea though.

Minor update. I got bored while waiting for UPS to arrive this Friday with the rest of my goods so I decided to lap my processor. I looked pretty well flat, but I was surprised just how much it was off. These pics go from 400 grit through 1500 grit, and all I've got left to do is polish it :D

Expect an update this weekend after UPS drops off my drool-inducing goods :D

Parts are in. Enjoy :D

EK-Supreme HF CPU block

Laing DDC pump with Phobya Black Nickel pump top

Phobya Balancer 150mm Black Nickel res

And a nice pile of Bitspower Black Sparkle fittings

Big update this time, I got a lot done this weekend!

I got the top 3-way splitter's mounting holes drilled.

I also got the Phobya pump top mounted. Damn is that thing heavy!

Then I got the res and pump temporarily installed to check fitment.

Then I made up a pump mount plate from black acrylic. I used the 4 120mm fan mounts in the bottom of the chassis to mount it, along with 4 rubber dampers.

Then I ran into an issue with the rear radiator. I thought just the single Phobya rad spacer would be enough, but it wasn't The fittings still wouldn't fit in the holes. I found that if I used a 140mm fan on the outside of the case then put the rad spacer and rad on that they fit perfectly. So I decided to not use the 120mm turbine fan and use the 140mm fan that came with the case because it's still got that look I want. I decided to cut out the rear of the case so you'd be able to see the fan.

Now the fittings line up nicely! I had to run to the hardware store and get some 10-28 x 3" SS screws to hold everything together. I drilled and tapped the rad to accept the larger screws (for strength) and cut the screws down to about 2.25".

I also picked up this cheap momentary key switch off eBay for $3.

I drilled out the stock power button mount and installed the key switch. It fits in there perfectly.

I had to cut the stock button mount in half to clear the key switch. I'll still need to either modify the steel part of the case or bend the tabs on the switch to make it fit 100%

That's it for now! Once my motherboard comes back from Gigabyte I can get the bottom 3-way splitter mounts done, then it'll be time to drill out a TON of rivets and paint the case! Stay tuned :D

Minor update.

I got the case disassembled (mostly). I plan on leaving the drive bays as a single piece like they are for ease of assembly later.

I also got the EK waterblock mounted to my 6870.

Bye bye warranty!

All cleaned up and ready to go.

MMMmmmm shiny :D

All ready to install!

I should have the case painted this weekend. I've got to steal the garage for a few days to paint. Scuff, primer, sand, primer, paint!

HUUUUGE update today :D

I got all the parts hung in the garage ready for primer and paint.

Here is the paint I used. It's from Arctic Cat. I saw a 4-wheeler come into my dealership in this color and immediately thought it'd be perfect for this mod! 3 cans of primer and 5 cans of paint later, it's all done!

And I was left with a whole lot of overspray dust to clean up as well.

Here are the front and top panels with the masking tape removed.

Next it was off with a box of rivets and my rivet gun to reassemble the case. I think it looks pretty damn good, no?

Then there was a point in time in the basement when I was just running through putting stuff together without snapping a whole lot of pics, but I did get some taken :D

Kingston 96GB SSD mounted to one of the hotswap trays.

And more assembly pics :D

Here you can see the side panel and it's windows and frames mounted. I also mounted the NZXT Sentry 2 fan controller into its place on the front side panel.

I also designed, etched and assembled a circuit board to hold the two RGB LCDs. The spacing is perfect so they fit centered into 2 5.25" bay covers.

I also got the plastic frames for the bay covers fit to the LCDs. Next I need to cut the foam filters and the outer mesh to fit the LCDs as well.

That's it for now!

Got some airbrushing done :D Thanks again to Auto Air Colors for providing the paint and to SgtM for providing the tutorial!!

Still have more to do on the smaller bits. Enjoy :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Twigsoffury

man you know what would be sweet and pretty simple?


If it had some sort of blinking status light when its off like a car alarm?

and if you used the chassis intrusion switch ( i seen the slot for it in the case) to set off a alarm if the computer is opened while its off and something hasn't been done like a key turned, or a code entered. or a secret switch flipped.

---

Not a bad idea lol. I'm going for a high-security nuclear building type of thing. Kayin is sending me some of his special UV green coolant that will just be the icing on the cake to this thing :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BS Mods

Looking great!

The air brushing really tops it off.

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Thanks! I've got more to do on the interior as well still :D

I've got some of this and some of this on it's way for the PSU and all it's associated cables. I swore after I uni-sleeved the PSU cables in my Red Comet mod that I'd never do it again lol. Well once I saw those colors from MDPC for the sleeving I HAD to do it. The PSU's wires are all de-connectored and stripped of their stock sleeving awaiting my shipment :D

Update time!!

I cut a piece of mesh to cover the holes left in the side panel and put some trim on it to dress it up a bit then hot-glued it into place.

I also got a bunch of random parts soldered to the ProtoStack dev board to make it look more industrial-ish. All I need to do is wire up the LEDs that this board will be controlling.

Thanks again to NZXT for sending me a 2M red LED strip!! I removed the module from it's PCI slot bracket and mounted it to a spare standoff hole on the backside of the motherboard.

Then I removed the motherboard and hot-glued the LED strip to the case under it.

Looks pretty sweet :D

I also tested the fans and my fan controller and found that for some reason the Sentry 2 wouldn't even get the Turbine Master fans to even start spinning. :? If you tapped the blades by hand they'd spin right up, but not from a dead stop. So I replaced them with a pair of Gentle Typhoons and a sweet ACRyan radgrill

I also got my Indigo Extreme TIM installed on the CPU

Next up I got all the UV LEDs sleeved. I started with the 2 3mm ones that go into the CPU block, then did the 5mm one in the res and also swapped out the 2 3mm blue ones in the flow meter with 2 3mm UV ones. The camera makes the UV look super bright, but with the coolant I'll be running it should look perfect. :D

I also got 3 more WD Caviar Black 500GB drives to go with the one in my current rig. I plan to put the OS onto the 96GB SSD then do a RAID 1+0 with the 4 500GB drives.

I got the SATA cables sleeved with the copper sleeving from MDPC-X. I must say, their sleeve is THE BEST! Dirt cheap and looks great!

Speaking of sleeving, I did the PSU. I wasn't going to, but I had to. I did it with a mix of the copper brown and tungsten gray from MDPC-X. I did ALL the wires. I ended up cutting and extending the 8-pin CPU wires so they'd reach without needing the adapter that Tt included with the case. I also cut off the un-needed cables and heatshrunk the ends inside the PSU to keep things clean. Enjoy :D

That's all for now!

I put some zip ties on the PCI-e cables to clean them up a bit

I also picked up these sweet aluminum hose clamps for all the 3/8" tubing. I wanted the same ones for the 1/4" but they were all out, so I got the standard plastic clamps

I picked up this Bitspower radgrill for the rear fan

But the green wasn't cutting it so I painted it to match the rest

I also got a pair of Lian Li blank 5.25" drive covers and some military switches.

I taped, marked, drilled and mounted everything :D

The other holds a 16x2 LCD and a Bulgin button.

I decided to go with a single LCD versus the 2 for simplicity's sake, and the fact that I only really needed one anyways. I also painted both panels to match as well.

Now I figured I'd do something different with the 1/4" clear tubing for the RAM. I wanted them to do something rather than just be there. So I tried some different routing setups and settled on this one. I cut up some spare plexi I had laying around, sanded, drilled and painted, and here is the end result. This will look sick once the fluid is in there :D

That's all for now. I've been working a lot with the coding for everything lately. All that's left to do really is finish the switch wiring, finish the airbrushing and integrate the flow meter into the coding one the system is up and running!

Another update :D

I designed, etched and assembled the 2 circuit boards I'll be needing now that I'm only using 1 LCD. One board will house the ATMega328 and all it's associated components as well as have all the I/O pins for the accessories. The second board will mount to the LCD directly and allow me to use a 2x5 ribbon cable instead of the breadboard-friendly layout as the LCDs come.

I used Fritzing to create the layouts and the PCBs.

I started off by laying out everything in the breadboard view.

I used that to create the PCB layouts as seen here. From the breadboard point to the ready-to-print PCB point was about 2 hours. This consisted of moving parts around the boards to get the best possible layout.

Next I created etchable .pdf's (done with Fritzing) so I can print out the boards. You'll notice one side is mirrored. This is because when you transfer the image it'll come out oriented correctly.

Here the boards are printed out and cut out. They are printed with a laser printer onto inkjet photo paper. The reason for this is that the toner, which is plastic, will not adhere to the inkjet photo paper. This will allow it to be transferred to the copper clad with an iron.

Here are the top sides all transferred.

Here I've drilled a set of holes and inserted pins through them. I use these pins to line up the back side traces for transferring.

Fast forward a few steps and you've got a pair of freshly-etched and drilled boards ready for assembly! The blobby-ness on the traces is from a sharpie. If you get mostly good transfer but have a few little patches where it didn't stick you simply use a sharpie to draw it in. It works as an etch resist almost as good as the toner itself.

And here we have the pair of completed boards. I still need to test these to make sure they're working 100%

That's all for now!

It's aliiiiiive!!!!! :D

After doing the reflow procedure for the Indigo Extreme TIM Temps are VERY nice :D I'm getting ~34ºC idle and topping out at ~48ºC under Hyper Pi, OCCT and Prime95.

All that's left to do is finish the coding and the wiring! Also, my coolant will be here this week, stay tuned :D

Minor update!

I painted the CPU retention bracket to match the rest of the case

I also got a pair of 12" UV cathodes installed the the side door. I ended up reusing the touch connector that came with the case for this. it simplifies the wiring a lot :D

Next up I wired up 4 LEDs and hot-glued them into the top part of the front side window. The LEDs are all warm white colored.

And it's now finished! But you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the good pics. In the meantime here's a few teaser shots :D

Here's the final pics and video! Enjoy!

Link to Original Worklog