Hoseclamps are necessary for tubing like Clearflex.

MMZ, system looks great. Very nice worklog

No hoseclamps necessary with 1/2" Vinyl tubing over 1/2" copper tubing... or over 1/2" Acrylic tubing. I had to taper the Acrylic tubing to make it easier.

To get the tubes over the copper... I stuck 3/4" of the Vinyl tubing in really hot water (boiling... and just poured less than 15 minutes before) in a bowl for about 1 minute. It really softens up the tubing so you can stretch it. This technique can also be used to mold it into a permenant curve.

When I try and get the Vinyl tubing back off these connections, more often than not, I have to literally PRY them off a bit at a time from either side. They do NOT just pull off. :D :dome: :rolleyes: :p

As to the temps...

According to MotherBoard Monitor 5.3.6.0 with a constant case temp of 25° C

Idle (only minimal background programs and services running): CPU & HDD 38° C

Heavy Load is a different issue...

If I load up the CPU alone... (CPUBurn for example) it never breaks 60° C

If I load up the GPU and CPU... (1280x1024 DX9 game with looping time demo) it has given me an alarm at 70° C

I suspect that's from the smaller and low speed fans. I have two 120mm fans that I was running prior, but they are VERY loud.

The upside to the 120mm fans (that are VERY loud) is that they kept the air coming out of the radiator cool... meaning the water temp was kept low.

Now, however, the air is constantly coming out VERY warm. I suspect it's near 45° C as that's about as high as the Hard Drives get during the heavy loading. I believe the water is the same temp as the Hard Drive cage, but I will have to put a "T" probe in the line to check.

Bottom line... I will post temps again AFTER I get the new fans to let you know for sure. :dome:

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT and will NOT approve of you using my tempretures against me. These are actual readings from MY hardware, not yours. If you build the same box, with the same components and the same water cooling system... THEN you can argue MY tempretures. :D (But only within a few degrees mind you :evilaugh: )

I think i'm being stupid but i'll ask anyway other wise it will bug me. In the first pic you have a T-connector on the PSu block. You get the feed from the rad to the psu then to the cpu block.

First wouldn't you want the feed from the rad to go to the cpu first, Second how does the water get pushed round the psu block if the water gets pashd straight through the T-connector.

Buzz


P.S. Sweet setup

Yeah, it is very likely that the fans on that arent producing enough air, do they have their own spot on the core or are they all in an open space? When you dont divide the fans you will typically be fighting against eachother.

You should get yourself a water temp sensor:)

Jon

buzzby,

Quite simply the "T" connector at the PSU was specifically placed that way so the water WOULD flow mostly straight though and to the CPU block. The remainder of the flow goes through the PSU, GPU+RAM and the HDD cage.

If my restriction was higher on the CPU, then the other loop would get more flow, as it is now I need to verify the GPU load temps.

I'm going to build a temp sensor project that can be read by MBM5. The software's site has a link to the project to add a sensor chip to your existing motherboard.

This sounds like the best integration to me as I wouldn't mind having an internal sensor chip I could place whereever I want, with up to FOUR remote temperature sensors. No, these are NOT thermocouples. :( Yes, they are accurate enough for me. :p ( data sheet states ±3° C, which isn't too bad for me. Lee Hollis's article states that his turned out to be only ±1° C)

JFetting,

That was my thought as they are all grouped together in a rectangle on top of the radiator (ugly cardboard spacer box). I was afraid they might be fighting each other, I just wasn't sure.

When I get the two new 120mm fans, I think I'll make the box for them with a wall separating them, so that they both pull through separate halves of the radiator. That should help... don't you think? :shrug:

Hey MMZ, you missed the boat :(

I designed and built a few of the max1668 circuits and sold them on ars technica, I guess I should have made more. If you want in on the 2nd production run, let me know :)

Details at: http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/...631&f=77909585

(You'll have to scroll to see the finished product - don't be alarmed by my hand-made one at the top o the thread).

I was selling them for $39 shipped, which includes the power and signal cable and 4 probes.

starbuck3733t,

I will probably make my own, just to get the experience if nothing else. :D

But thanks for the offer! :dome:

Hey, no problem :)

I've got a blank board from my over-run for the circuit, but pH is gonna take it eventually I suspect.

Keep up the good work!

MMZ, one thing you coudl do is put a valve on the output of the psu block to ajust the amount of flow each part of the system gets.

Maybe you just have a bad mounting? remount the block?


Jon

JFetting,

Actually at this point I suspect the fans. It was running cooler before I changed to the smaller and quieter ones. I will let you know the difference when I get the new fans.

Sweet... I'll have to check back on your progress when I am not viewing at 640x480 16colours... really like the harddrive cooling though.

why are you taking two of those rads they are inefficent as they dont use flat pipes! they only have 6 or so pipes through the rad if it was a proper heatercore from a 1986 or later camry itd have 20 flat pipes if not more.
BUT your skill with a non cnc is fantastic you really deserve a medal ;) your an inspiration

Pureh20,

Okay... I'm really lost now... but thanks for the complement at the end. :dome:

here is a very bad pic i quickly sketched

nice shrowd
maxtor HD box?

any plans for spiffy shrowd to finnish it off once you get your 120mm fans?

Pureh, the reason he is so confused is because he is running a heatercore with flat tubes.


Jon

Pureh20,

My heater core/radiator does NOT have tubes at all...

The fin design is stamped in such a way it makes passages when the fins are soldered together. Similar to flat tubes.

Here's a picture of the core when I received it... looks like there are 12 of those stamped tube rows to me. The two end ones are only half a tube.

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/mmz_tl_01...s/Dscn0406.jpg

if you want more experience putting together some electronics you could try this project. a nice little digibus that you can put together and then control using software(pwm). it would give you a little more control over noise and temps with your fans.

MY BAD! sorry have seen many a heatercore like that with several round tubes, looks like you really have perfected your setup :)

So, did you use 1/2" copper for all the blocks? And what size did you use for the soldered on "lids"?

Great system man, I hope to make one here soon to watercool my psu/mosfets/hard-drives/video card ram.

Gonna fit it all into a mid tower case as well, but I'm getting off topic. Nice system.

The base blocks the hard drive solution used 1/4" plates with 1/16" lids and the video card solution used 1/2" plate for the front and 3/8" plate for the back with 1/16" lids on each.

The PSU is probably the only 2" x 1/2" piece of bar stock I used. It had a 1/32" piece of sheet copper for the "lid"

Ok... this topic is waaaaaayy out of my league but I had to post something. I've just finished skimming my way through these 10 pages of posts and I'm almost speechless. TimeLord, excellent-super-fantastic-extremely-uber-great-outstanding work on everything!!! I was looking at all the pic's and was literally like.... wow.....*picks up jaw off floor*......wow.....*picks up jaw off floor*.... repeat 100 more times.:drool:
I'm very impressed with all your custom blocks and I really like your hard drive block and 9700 AIW block. Ok... enough butt kissing :dome: (lol) but seriously good job and keep it up. :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:

I do have a couple questions. 1- How many hours did you put into that whole project and 2- How much of that green paper stuff did you spend on this?

my guess would be 1 = far to many and 2 = far to much.......... but that's not the point is it ;)

The fact is you couldn't buy 90% of what MZ has made, and only he will have that warm glow from knowing it was his hard efforts that got him there.

a quote from Yoda (*aka Rotor) about the original danger den chipset blocks a long time ago in a distant galaxy...

Never was a truer word spoken Bladerunner - I remember when I built my first block... awesome feeling :)

refering back to the temp. circuit board project.

starbuck3733t:

consider writting up a small how-to article on building the curcuits? list of parts, est. cost, and a couple of circuit diagrams and explanations. i'm sure pH would post it...