Designing a waterblock

Overconfidence · 08-10-2005, 04:47 PM

Alright, I'm designing a waterblock that'll be similar to the whitewater design. This will be done on a lathe, using milling attachments.

Here's the design, done within the first few hours of touching Autocad. It's not that great, and the dimensions are all off, but it's a start. I recently checked my motherboard mounting holes (socket A), I was also wondering whether anyone could doublecheck my mesurements: 2.6 inches between further mounting holes, and 1.4 inches between closer mounting holes. I did them with accurate calipers, but it can't hurt to double-check. The screw size I got was 0.159 inches. Anyway, here's my quick design (One of the O-rings isn't done right, but I can't figure out how to fix it).

The bottom chunk of that is .4 inches thick, with .1 inches of that being solid between the core and waterblock, and .3 inches being the channels. Does anyone know what ratio I should have between these two?

The middle chunk (which is only to contain the flow) is .1 inches thick, though I could cut that down to something smaller, as long as it can fit o-rings on each side. The top chunk is .3 inches, but will only be as big as needed to fit barbs/other connections. I have a thread going at xtremesystems , but heard you guys may be able to help me out further in the waterblock department.

Any recommendations on my design are welcomed!

jaydee · 08-10-2005, 07:25 PM

Might want to make the base a little thinner than .1". Maybe .0625" (1/16"). Providing you have a jet in the middle anyway.

The mounting holes are supposed to be 66mm (2.5984252") center of hole to center of hole and 36mm (1.4173228") center of hole to center of hole. So yeah, you should be fine there.

Overconfidence · 08-10-2005, 08:03 PM

Alright, I can do 1/16 of an inch. Yeah, there is the jet down the middle, going into all of the channels.

I'll keep to 2.6x1.4 then, since I'll plan for a bit of leeway in the design, and it's only 17 thou at the most.

If I have 1/16 for the bottom, how much room should I leave for the water (Height of the channels)? I'd guess around 3 times as much.. so 3/16 or so... But that might be too restrictive.

jaydee · 08-10-2005, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Overconfidence

Alright, I can do 1/16 of an inch. Yeah, there is the jet down the middle, going into all of the channels.

I'll keep to 2.6x1.4 then, since I'll plan for a bit of leeway in the design, and it's only 17 thou at the most.

If I have 1/16 for the bottom, how much room should I leave for the water (Height of the channels)? I'd guess around 3 times as much.. so 3/16 or so... But that might be too restrictive.

Restrictive isn't necassarily bad. I think the ratio you have there should work pretty good though. If you search Cathars name here you will find a nice long thread on the White Water.

Overconfidence · 08-10-2005, 08:42 PM

Alright, thanks, I'll work with those numbers and design the waterblock again with them in mind!

Overconfidence · 08-10-2005, 11:23 PM

Here are a couple pics from the final design. I have to find out exactly what screws I'll be using and the barbs/connections I'm using before I build any furthur on the design.

jaydee · 08-11-2005, 08:55 PM

Don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. Make sure your jet is not to wide though. Velocity is about the only thing that makes this style of thinned based block perform well. The thinner the jet the more velocity you will get. To thin will choke your pump.

Overconfidence · 08-12-2005, 10:31 AM

Okay. The bottomm piece is 5/8", so the jet will be 5/8". However, the barb going in will be about 1/2" (slightly less). You might be right, since the jet will be 5/8"... I could cut the total size down to 1/2", but I'd lose one channel.. would 6 channels still be decent?

I also have a few other general question, some have to do with the waterblock, some with general watercooling, so I'll post them all here and all at the other site, and see which answers I can get.

1. Right now I'm looking at some threaded fittings. They fit into my design quite well, but they're only 3/8" ID because they're intended for high pressure, but I can bore out the inside of them to be almost exactly 1/2", since there'll be almost no pressure in my system. The only problem is that if I bore them out, it exposes the plain aluminum (since they're anodized or whatever). Would that be alright (since it's only on the inside, or should I keep it at 3/8" or not use 'em all? Also, if I do bore them out, should I do that only to the middle one, since you can't put double the volume out than in anyway?

2. Is glycol alright to use as corrosive inhibitor?

3. Can I make the top 2 pieces of my waterblock (that are not used for transferring heat) out of aluminum, as long as I protect the outside from corrosion? Would it be a problem on the inside? I don't see why, considering my dad's truck has an all aluminum heatercore, and it's perfectly clean (Glycol in the system).

4. Also on aluminum, does tubing made out of it work? I could get some thin-walled stuff that would work pretty good... again on the corrosion.

5. Do I have to make a backplate for my waterblock (To mount on motherboard)?

I'll edit this post if I have any more questions!

jaydee · 08-12-2005, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Overconfidence

Okay. The bottomm piece is 5/8", so the jet will be 5/8". However, the barb going in will be about 1/2" (slightly less). You might be right, since the jet will be 5/8"... I could cut the total size down to 1/2", but I'd lose one channel.. would 6 channels still be decent?

I also have a few other general question, some have to do with the waterblock, some with general watercooling, so I'll post them all here and all at the other site, and see which answers I can get.

1. Right now I'm looking at some threaded fittings. They fit into my design quite well, but they're only 3/8" ID because they're intended for high pressure, but I can bore out the inside of them to be almost exactly 1/2", since there'll be almost no pressure in my system. The only problem is that if I bore them out, it exposes the plain aluminum (since they're anodized or whatever). Would that be alright (since it's only on the inside, or should I keep it at 3/8" or not use 'em all? Also, if I do bore them out, should I do that only to the middle one, since you can't put double the volume out than in anyway?

2. Is glycol alright to use as corrosive inhibitor?

3. Can I make the top 2 pieces of my waterblock (that are not used for transferring heat) out of aluminum, as long as I protect the outside from corrosion? Would it be a problem on the inside? I don't see why, considering my dad's truck has an all aluminum heatercore, and it's perfectly clean (Glycol in the system).

4. Also on aluminum, does tubing made out of it work? I could get some thin-walled stuff that would work pretty good... again on the corrosion.

5. Do I have to make a backplate for my waterblock (To mount on motherboard)?

I'll edit this post if I have any more questions!

5/8" wide is fine, just make it thin.

1) Don't use exposed aluminum with copper, especially in contact. That causes an electrical connection and all hell breaks loose on corrosion. You can get 3/8" Brass barbs at a hardware store and bore them out somewhat. Would be much better (as long as the top is brass, copper or plastic).

2) I just use antifreeze. Pretty sure glycol is in it.

3) Not if the base is copper. The outsode of the block is of no concern, it is the inside were the water is that causes the corrosion. Aluminum on copper is a no no.

4) Same as above. Not sure what you want to use metal tubing for anyway?

5) Only if the block is very heavy. I don't see your as being heavy enough to worry about. However it wouldn't hurt. That can be made from aluminum.

JFettig · 08-12-2005, 05:10 PM

5/8" is good, the jet should span that whole distance and be about 1/8" wide. that is about what the white water is like.

Jon

Overconfidence · 08-12-2005, 06:39 PM

Okay, I'll work on the size of the fittings, that's all debateable right now. I'll make it work with the 5/8" that the rest is.

I made the jet size 3/8", so I'll downsize that.

I was planning on using threaded fittings, which would work well with metal tubing.

My only problem with barbs is that it'll be a bitch to take apart. But I realize the option is there.

And I think I'll make a backplate anyway, just to be on the safe side.

Overconfidence · 08-15-2005, 02:51 PM

Alright, here's my final design (besides o-rings, which I haven't put in this, and I'm not sure if I'm gunna counter-sink the mounting holes, and without threading). The holes for the connections may seem big, but they downsize to the actual size of the bottom portion, so it's all good.

jaydee · 08-15-2005, 07:28 PM

Looks pretty good.

Let us know how it turns out.

08-10-2005, 04:47 PM	#1
Overconfidence Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 12	Designing a waterblock Alright, I'm designing a waterblock that'll be similar to the whitewater design. This will be done on a lathe, using milling attachments. Here's the design, done within the first few hours of touching Autocad. It's not that great, and the dimensions are all off, but it's a start. I recently checked my motherboard mounting holes (socket A), I was also wondering whether anyone could doublecheck my mesurements: 2.6 inches between further mounting holes, and 1.4 inches between closer mounting holes. I did them with accurate calipers, but it can't hurt to double-check. The screw size I got was 0.159 inches. Anyway, here's my quick design (One of the O-rings isn't done right, but I can't figure out how to fix it). The bottom chunk of that is .4 inches thick, with .1 inches of that being solid between the core and waterblock, and .3 inches being the channels. Does anyone know what ratio I should have between these two? The middle chunk (which is only to contain the flow) is .1 inches thick, though I could cut that down to something smaller, as long as it can fit o-rings on each side. The top chunk is .3 inches, but will only be as big as needed to fit barbs/other connections. I have a thread going at xtremesystems , but heard you guys may be able to help me out further in the waterblock department. Any recommendations on my design are welcomed!

08-10-2005, 07:25 PM	#2
jaydee Put up or Shut Up Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 6,506	Might want to make the base a little thinner than .1". Maybe .0625" (1/16"). Providing you have a jet in the middle anyway. The mounting holes are supposed to be 66mm (2.5984252") center of hole to center of hole and 36mm (1.4173228") center of hole to center of hole. So yeah, you should be fine there.

08-10-2005, 08:03 PM	#3
Overconfidence Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 12	Alright, I can do 1/16 of an inch. Yeah, there is the jet down the middle, going into all of the channels. I'll keep to 2.6x1.4 then, since I'll plan for a bit of leeway in the design, and it's only 17 thou at the most. If I have 1/16 for the bottom, how much room should I leave for the water (Height of the channels)? I'd guess around 3 times as much.. so 3/16 or so... But that might be too restrictive.

08-10-2005, 08:42 PM	#5
Overconfidence Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 12	Alright, thanks, I'll work with those numbers and design the waterblock again with them in mind!

08-10-2005, 11:23 PM	#6
Overconfidence Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 12	Here are a couple pics from the final design. I have to find out exactly what screws I'll be using and the barbs/connections I'm using before I build any furthur on the design.

08-11-2005, 08:55 PM	#7
jaydee Put up or Shut Up Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 6,506	Don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. Make sure your jet is not to wide though. Velocity is about the only thing that makes this style of thinned based block perform well. The thinner the jet the more velocity you will get. To thin will choke your pump.

08-12-2005, 10:31 AM	#8
Overconfidence Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 12	Okay. The bottomm piece is 5/8", so the jet will be 5/8". However, the barb going in will be about 1/2" (slightly less). You might be right, since the jet will be 5/8"... I could cut the total size down to 1/2", but I'd lose one channel.. would 6 channels still be decent? I also have a few other general question, some have to do with the waterblock, some with general watercooling, so I'll post them all here and all at the other site, and see which answers I can get. 1. Right now I'm looking at some threaded fittings. They fit into my design quite well, but they're only 3/8" ID because they're intended for high pressure, but I can bore out the inside of them to be almost exactly 1/2", since there'll be almost no pressure in my system. The only problem is that if I bore them out, it exposes the plain aluminum (since they're anodized or whatever). Would that be alright (since it's only on the inside, or should I keep it at 3/8" or not use 'em all? Also, if I do bore them out, should I do that only to the middle one, since you can't put double the volume out than in anyway? 2. Is glycol alright to use as corrosive inhibitor? 3. Can I make the top 2 pieces of my waterblock (that are not used for transferring heat) out of aluminum, as long as I protect the outside from corrosion? Would it be a problem on the inside? I don't see why, considering my dad's truck has an all aluminum heatercore, and it's perfectly clean (Glycol in the system). 4. Also on aluminum, does tubing made out of it work? I could get some thin-walled stuff that would work pretty good... again on the corrosion. 5. Do I have to make a backplate for my waterblock (To mount on motherboard)? I'll edit this post if I have any more questions!

08-12-2005, 05:10 PM	#10
JFettig Cooling Savant Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Willmar MN/Fargo ND Posts: 504	5/8" is good, the jet should span that whole distance and be about 1/8" wide. that is about what the white water is like. Jon

08-12-2005, 06:39 PM	#11
Overconfidence Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 12	Okay, I'll work on the size of the fittings, that's all debateable right now. I'll make it work with the 5/8" that the rest is. I made the jet size 3/8", so I'll downsize that. I was planning on using threaded fittings, which would work well with metal tubing. My only problem with barbs is that it'll be a bitch to take apart. But I realize the option is there. And I think I'll make a backplate anyway, just to be on the safe side.

08-15-2005, 02:51 PM	#12
Overconfidence Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 12	Alright, here's my final design (besides o-rings, which I haven't put in this, and I'm not sure if I'm gunna counter-sink the mounting holes, and without threading). The holes for the connections may seem big, but they downsize to the actual size of the bottom portion, so it's all good.

08-15-2005, 07:28 PM	#13
jaydee Put up or Shut Up Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 6,506	Looks pretty good. Let us know how it turns out.

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