Making a hard drive wb: cheap copper and acetal? how to make threads

[migueld]

I would like to make a HD waterblock to cool 2 hard drives. The design would be similar to the PolarFLO HDD46 but I'm aiming at cheaper, I just can't believe that thing sells for $160.

After browsing McMaster-Carr and a few other websites, I still can't find any affordable copper plates. I would need two 4"x6" plates about .8" thin. I'd also need some sort of plastic, acetal, nylon or anything manageable. I also don’t know how to make the threads on the plastic.

So if anyone could help me out, I’d need to know where I can find cheap copper and plastic and how to make the threads. This would be my first block, any help is appreciated!

[Moto7451]

Copper is an expensive material. Its unlikely that you will find it for cheap in small quantities especially at that thickness.

Before I get started, I just wanted to point out that theres no real reason to watercool your hard drives. They don't make enough heat to justify more than a passive heatsink or a fan.

To be honest, you're probably better off getting something like 1/8" thick copper plate and drilling 1/16" holes in it for increased surface area.

4" wide, 1/8" thick copper plate - $20/ft. They will also cut it into 6" lengths as well.

You can use some UMHW for the plastic parts. Its rather inexpensive. See here.

To make threads you're going to have to buy a hand tap and different sized taps for each type of thread you want to make. Most taps will tell you what size drill bit you need for it. If you're making a 1/2" barbed block, a 1/4" NPT tap will work. You'll need to purchase at least .625" thick plastic but I'd pay the small difference for the .75" stuff. That way you'll have more room for error. Also note that with NPT barbs, for whatever reason, the measure is the radius and not the diameter (or at least it has been every time I've purchased barbs and taps, I've never found clarification on this in any case). If you're using 3/8" barbs you can get away with .5" thick material and a 3/16" NPT tap.

[dsptech]

You can find scrap copper stock on Ebay.
Some sellers will cut to you dimensions.
You can also find some cheap import Tap and Die sets there as well.

[tong]

Actualy if u go to compusa a lot of the stores are clearancing out their stock of koolance crap, last i saw they ahd teh hdd coolers for under a dolar

[migueld]

Thanks so much for the advice Moto.

The reason I wanted to make the block is because there is little airflow in my case and I'm aiming at silence. I haven't discarded the idea of modding the HD bays to have a 120mm fan to cool the 2 HDs I have, but I liked the idea of delving into waterblock crafting, so I'm taking a plunge at it. Furthermore if I later decide to isolate the HDs and put them into foam or boxes, the hd waterblock would be great to keep them cool.

Thanks for the link to the copper plates, that’s probably the cheapest I’ve seen, almost on par with the eBay prices I’ve seen but in better condition. I might change the design though and require thinner copper. I don’t like the idea of a monster tall HD waterblock, we’ll see.

I found a nice and cheap SAE Tap and Die Set on eBay which should do the work fine. Thanks again.

[migueld]

Originally Posted by dsptech

You can find scrap copper stock on Ebay.
Some sellers will cut to you dimensions.
You can also find some cheap import Tap and Die sets there as well.

Thanks, yea for some reason I decided to check eBay as the last resort and it turned out to have very nice prices. Still haven't decided which design I'll go with, I might do an all copper block which will require some cost conscious design.

[migueld]

Originally Posted by tong

Actualy if u go to compusa a lot of the stores are clearancing out their stock of koolance crap, last i saw they ahd teh hdd coolers for under a dolar

Isn't that aluminum though? And I really didn't like the gel pad or whatever that is, I don't think they work well on vertical mounting for example and also I'm weary at the sturdiness of it, ie what happens if it gets scratched?

[Moto7451]

What happens if the bags they use get scratched? Depends on how bad. I've heard of them tearing and making big messes.

[migueld]

After some time of postponement I finally got some time to start working on this. This is the third block try; it’s got some mistakes so I’m probably gonna go for a fourth try. Which is nice, I keep refining the crafting



I decided to use a similar design to the Polarflo hdd46, with mine being about 1.0" thick vs the polarflo's 1.4". I was aiming for thinner at .75 but that was tryout 1 and it didn't quite work (was lacking the tools).

My next challenge is finding the right metal threaded inserts for the screws because I don't think the plastic is gonna be strong enough to hold it together.

[Moto7451]

You can get threaded rod at any home improvement store. Sometimes you can even get threaded brass rod. Stainless Steel and Brass work well in watercooling parts.