"MMZ>TimeLord skillfully dispatches the thread hijackers and returns to the scheduled flight plan...
"
I got the water block for the power supply re-drilled and the fingers drilled and tapped in the proper places now. I also used the torch to heat the block and fill the "bad" holes with solder. Not perfect... but better than ugly holes in the wrong place.
Top-Back 3/4 view:
Top-Front 3/4 view:
Front:
One item of note... when I checked the "fingers" after soldering the ICs back in place, there was about 23 volts AC between the two, according to my meter.
Just to be sure, I put a 12V light bulb on it and tried to get it to light up... Nothing... not even a glow. I scratched my head. I grabbed a small LED from my parts bin... I put that across the two "fingers"... NOTHING... not even a glow. Again, I scratched my head.... :shrug:
I called a friend of mine who has a degree in electrical engineering... and asked him why it was showing 23V AC on my meter... but wouldn't even run a light bulb or LED.
Here was his answer... "Induced voltage, no usable amperage" ... The light bulb in my head went on at that point.
The transformers and ICs in the power supply are mostly dealing with AC voltage and in the 115V range. So the power supply in it's normal course of operation is INDUCING a voltage on both of the fingers. Copper being the better conductor shows a higher voltage than the aluminum heat sinks (they showed only about 7V AC).
So if you are going to water cool a power supply, the heat sinks are indeed isolated and you see AC voltage on them... it's INDUCED.
Anyhoo... now just to chop up the old outer casing to permit the water block and pipes to protrude and I will have a finished water cooled 550W power supply. ( I will keep the fan and just run it at 5 volts so as not to over heat the coil and transformers.
)
That's it for today... Cheers!