Bärsärkar-gång

[Mach]

From Wiki-pedia, "This fury, which was called berserkergang, occurred not only in the heat of battle, but also during laborious work. Men who were thus seized performed things which otherwise seemed impossible for human power. With this was connected a great hot-headedness, which at last gave over into a great rage...." (Fabing, p. 234)

Still in the planning/trying out parts phase but I figured I start up a worklog to get some feedback on the LC. I’m calling this one berserker-gang (berserker path) after the berserkers mentioned in Icelandic and Norse legend. Hopefully this mod will be as enigmatic as the berserkers were.

The design themes are a balance between size, power, and performance. Here’s the current parts list:

Zotac 9300 ITX Wifi
Intel E8400
Crucial Ballistix 2x2GB PC 6400 4-4-4-12
Corsair M64 SSD
Galaxy 9600GT LP LP
PW-200-V 200 Watt DC DC PSU
XBOX 360 203 Watt AC DC brick
Panasonic Slimline DVD Writer SATA slot loading
Swiftech Apogee GTZ block
Swiftech MCP350 12V Pump
HWlabs Black Ice GT Stealth 140 Unfinished (Thanks Willie!)

Plus a whole series of other bits and pieces along the way

And just because that no worklog update is complete without pics. Here’s the testing that I’ve been doing on the power supply. Findings below. How do you like my cutting board bench tester? Power is via the Xbox 360 power brick through the PW-200-V DC DC.

Watts
IGP - 35/80w
9600GT (idle/load) - 50/145w

3DMark06
IGP - 1866
9600GT - 10071

3DMark Vantage
IGP - E3966
9600GT E19085/P5006

And here's the plethora of elbows. The MB is mounted vertically and the radiator behind the MB. The video card is mounted in upside down reversed direction using a flexible PCI-E extender.

Updates are going to be slow until I get more of the water cooling planning worked out.

And on that note, I’m using numerous elbows (up to 12). Not ideal but necessary. I’m figuring that I am going to lose 10-15% of the flow rate, which negates any gains from the XPSC top. Assumption based on here.

Reasonable estimate? For each 120mm of radiator, the rule of thumb is 150 watts dissipated (varies with fan speed). Given the expected 200 watt, the 140mm rad paired with a Yate Loon 140mm medium (1400 RPM) should be ok?

Suggestions and advice welcome!

[blueonblack]

I know nothing about water cooling so I'm afraid I can't help there.

I have to say that I love the SFF concept, especially with the water-cooling, but for me the name conjures up images of huge hulking warriors with notched battle axes and pieces of their slain enemies sewn into their clothing, screaming at their next enemy (victim). SFF just doesn't seem to fit there.

Having said that, you've produced some absolutely outstanding work here in the past and I'll be watching this to see how you pull it off.

+rep for the history knowledge...

edit: subscribed

[Spawn-Inc]

as long as you have the fan blowing at the motherboard and not the other way around you should get decent temps stock, i wouldn't expect a lot of overclocking here.

[Acey]

Wers ze kase?

[Mach]

@blueonblack:
Yes that does sound like the berserkers from the sagas but this will be about the path or how they got that way. It'll be a challenge to be sure but it will be interesting. Thank you for the kind words.

Thanks Spawn, I'm planning to push cool air in the case from the behind the motherboard. I can reverse it but wanted to get cooler air through the rad first.

Air flow enters the fan, goes through the rad, and hits the back of the motherboard. Should it be reversed?

@Acey: I'm still designing some details so I ask your indulgence if I keep the case a mystery for now. I can tell you this will be a found case mod circa 1940. The case dimensions are 12"x10"x6" (30x26x15).

[Mach]

Update 1 {in which the initial players as well as other parts are introduced}

In the 10th century, Christians characterized the Vikings as unclean, uneducated savages. Speculatively, as a way to justify their forced conversion to Christianity.

But the Icelandic and Norse histories reveal a people of intellect; who were industrious and fearless warriors with an eye towards expansion. Expansion that stretched from North America, across Europe, and even into the Middle East.

You could almost dismiss the Christian version as spin doctoring...if not for the Berserkers.

His men rushed forward without armour, were as mad as dogs or wolves, bit their shields, and were as strong as bears or wild bulls, and killed people at a blow, but neither fire nor iron told upon themselves. -Snorre Sturlasson, Ynglinga saga (c6)

---
While progress is slow and planning continues, I owe you an update. In my intro post, I showed you a little of how the internals would be arranged but I didn't show you the reservoir that will be mounted externally.

Take one brass blowtorch

A brass faucet from a cast iron bathtub particularly the knob

Shake the parts and strip the chrome

Voila!

Only problem is I need an inlet and an outlet

Only one here

Next update, madness banished(?) and one becomes more

[DonT-FeaR]

looking great man. i like the way this is going!

[Mach]

Thanks DonT-FeaR, slow but sure.

[Mark_Hardware]

Originally Posted by Mach

Thanks DonT-FeaR, slow but sure.

Story of my life. I am very interested in this. Plus it's a history lesson too!

[Mach]

The berserkers time was short lived. Within 300 years, they went from the most feared warriors of their time to legend. Part of their demise was a 1123 Christian law that made berserking punishable by banishment; that included anyone nearby who didn't restrain him until his berserk state wore off. It was an interesting law because it got rid of anyone who was a berserker plus anyone who may have been helping him to go berserk.

Which raises the questions, how do you help someone go berserk? And what if berserking was NOT caused by who or what they were but instead, something the berserker did?

....but I'm getting ahead of myself, that's the next update...back to the mod.
----
Picking up where we left off, you'll recall the dilemma regarding the inlet and outlet ports. Here's how one becomes more…

Cut out the original with a dremel high speed bit

Take a 2" 22 gauge brass circle

Light tap it into shape in the end of a 2 inch pipe

Drill starter holes for the saw blade

Jeweler's saw and file to complete the first hole

Second hole with relief cuts

Sleestak? Hmm…

Last night, a comedian died in New York? Maybe not…

Brass bushings or bushes. I've found that lamp suppliers are a wonderful place to get 1/4" BSPP hardware. No plumbing fittings but they do have nuts and bushings.

Bushings in place

Clamped for soldering. The middle tube is aluminum

I'm using Solder-it solder bearing paste.

Not too bad on the front

Helluvah mess on the back tho.

Expanded the hole in the bottom

Cleaned up the pieces for second round of soldering

Test fit. It'll work…

After clean-up, I'm not happy with the vugs around the neck of the bushings

So much for the new approach. I pulled out the silver solder and went medieval on it, tinning the entire backside. I got carried away with soldering and forgot to take pics but,

here's the end result after initial clean-up. Still needs to be leak tested and acid dipped. Not as clean as the first round but shouldn't leak (fingers crossed)

I lost all the patina in the pickle after solder. Don't worry I plan to put it back.

Need your opinion on fittings. Barbs?

Closeup

Compression fittings?

Again with Feser Acid Green tubing

Barbs with brass clamps and copper sleeving. I'll likely use the copper sleeving throughout but haven't devised a way to put it on with the compression fittings yet. I'm thinking about soldering on copper ferrules or using heatshrink.

What do you think?

Next time, "Wait til your berserker gets home"