Project MiniMe - Smallest (ever?) Watercooled mITX PC

Intro



Hi to everyone at HardForum! My first time here! I thought i might run this scratch build on here, see what response i get! My main home is overclock.net so the first few updates are not really new! This is my second scratch build. My first was called Bloo Box, an acrylic mid tower case:





You can find a worklog with big pictures and a video here: http://www.overclock.net/case-mod-work-logs/510995-project-bloo-box-complete-24-6-a.html

Well I'm back again with another mod! I've caught the bug :wheee::wheee:

This time I am going small! My inspiration came from seeing someone on OCN make a tiny mITX case with a Zotac mITX MoBo. It looked so awesome I wanted one! So I researched hardware and found you could get really nice mITX socket 775 motherboards for not a huge amount of money, including a PCI-E x16 slot. With that in mind, I came onto the problem of cooling. To do any substantial cooling would make the case quite large. The low profile coolers normally do not give amazing temperatures, and making the case fit one of the giant HFS's would remove the point of the small case. It was then i saw an all-in-one liquid cooling system from SwifTech. And the idea clicked!

Build the world's smallest watercooled computer!







I am delighted to introduct my first sponsor, AquaTuning.co.uk! They will be sponsoring me with my watercooling equipment.



Their website can be found here




Ebuyer are also sponsoring me with a motherboard, processor and graphics card!

Their website can be found here: http://www.ebuyer.com


I would like to introduce my 3rd sponsor for this project, MNPCTech!



They will be sponsoring me with 1 of these:


http://www.mnpctech.com/Computer_Billet_Fan_Grills.html

and a set of these:


http://www.mnpctech.com/Aluminum_Computer_Case_Feet.html

Thanks very much to Bill



I would like to introduce AC Ryan! They will be sponsoring me with some materials like Aluminium sheet and CCFL's and such things. Thanks Guys!



WatercoolingUK will not be supplying me with watercooling equipment, they will be laser cutting metal and powdercoating for me! Thankyou to marcus there in particular!



Enermax will be sponsoring me with 2 fans and a keyboard! Thankyou!



Roccat will be sponsoring me with gaming equipment such as the Roccat Kone! Thanks!


The case will measure 20x20x20cm with everything inside, including radiator, fans etc. The case will be made out of a powdercoated steel frame with smoked acrylic filling the holes for the sides and top, and the front and back will be made out of powdercoated mesh. I am going for a blue and purple colour scheme inside (wiring, coolant, tubing etc). The metal will be cut on the CNC router at my school (it's tiny, about 30x30cm cutting area!). The plastic will be laser cut also at my school, and sponsor logos will be laser etched on during this process. All the cables will be sleeved in black and white sleeving.










Thanks for reading.

Update #1 - 31/06/09

Did a sketchup of the case. This was my first time using sketchup. Quite a few of the components I got off the database of models but i made several. The whole thing is precisely to scale (to the millimeter) so i can take measurements etc off it.



Front



Back



Front



Side



Empty Case



WC'ing loop



Components




Hope this gives you a good idea of what it is going to look like!

Update #2

This is what it would look like with the rad inside. I could do it like that, or make the box 3cm taller and have the fan inside too. I'm a bit worried about getting my tubing in at those angle though. Hmm....

Update #3

Redesigned again. Managed to get the whole thing down to 20cm x 20cm x18cm - that is including radiator and, well, everything!














Getting the Apogee Drive will mean i can make the bottom compartment smaller and ALSO means i can have 2 2.5" drives! So potentially 1tb of storage at this point in time (maybe more if larger 2.5" drives are made). Anybody got any advice on those tight bends there? Does it matter how i have T joint being used (L joint in the main loop)

Update #4

Ok so here is a price list!



I think what is going to differ this from other miniature watercooling rigs is the power. I have not seen any other mITX watercooled mini pc's with a Q9550 or even a dedicated graphics card. I was lucky to find the 4670, it is a perfect fit.

Update #5 - 20/8/09



A box arrives! I wasn't even expecting it...



Ebuyer sponsorship arrives



This motherboard is ridiculously small... i couldn't believe it when i first saw it



PCI-E x16 slot



Wireless module for it. Plugs into a USB header



GPU test fit



Fits the board perfectly!



My friend



So glad i chose this card, the blue is perfect for my colour scheme.



I never thought i would get to hold one of these...


So yeah not much of an update. But progress! I can now confirm all the measurements for the motherboard. I didn't expect to have the mobo so soon because eBuyer were out of stock. Somehow they managed to get me one though!

I would like to thank eBuyer again for their generous contribution, and especially thank my contact there, Charlie. She has been brilliant!



They really are the best computer e-tailer in the UK!

Update #6 - 30/08/09

The final sketchup model is finished! I spent ages on this. It is EXACTLY how it will be, everything is perfectly to scale. By doing it like this i have actually solved loads of problems i would have come across later when i had got items laser cut etc.



Front



Right side



Top with 120mm rad and fillport



Without the outer shell and cubes



Back view without shell



Back



Left hand side with GPU. Will actually be nVidia but never mind...



Profile shot of the right hand side.



The loop! Yes i am now cooling the 9300 chipset. One of the problems i discovered by doing the accurate sketchup is that the apogee drive would hit the heatsink on the chipset. So duniek at OCN is making be a custom block that looks very similar to the one above (i.e. barb positioning is the same). Yes there is some VERY tight tubing to be done. But hey! I'm up for a challenge!



The back of the loop. 45 degree fittings will save this project! Most of the models in the sketchup are downloaded, however i made the apogee drive and several other parts. It is precisely to scale from the swiftech site. Very pleased with it!



Bottom compartment. The cd drive rests on an acrylic plate that is glued to the HDD bay. There is a 60mm fan at the back blowing across the hdds. This will be mounted to the base using a bracket, rather than mounted to the grill.



HDD Bay



Empty shell. The whole thign is held together with 10mm acrylic cubes. There will be purple LEDs mounted in them which will shine out of the corners displayed by the rounded corners of the aluminium frame.



Moneyshot



So what do you think guys? I managed to get the 250W psu in, which i am very pleased about. I need to order things like the PSU, switch, CD drive and hdd before i can start milling out the aluminium.

Update #7

So i have been talking to radodrill at OCN about fan controllers. He showed me what he did for his Rad GT. So i have designed my own fan controller. It will only be 2 channel, unlike his insane 8 channel one. His was done on a soldering board (one with loads of pre drilled holes). I'm lucky enough to have access to PCB printing facilities at school so i will be making the PCB myself :wheee:



PCB design (to scale). On the right of the big electrolytic capacitors you can see 3 pads. This is where the potentiometers will be attached. Middle-left you can see 2 pads where +12v and negative connects. At the top right of each section you can see a box with 2 pads in, this is where the fans connect.



Real-world drawing of it



The circuit design (this was NOT done by me! This was made by radodrill!)

My layout was done in PCB Wizard 3.50. Great little program!

Jesus that thing is tiny! I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. I subbed.

def a good read! love it!

Thankyou very much! Yeh i still can't get over how big it is. The box the motherboard came in actually measures 20x20x8cm i found out today. Really puts it into perspective!

Looks awesome, can you provide more details on the software suite you used to preplan? Its almost exactly what I am looking for heh!

I used google sketchup pro. You need the pro version really, on the free one it lacks things like being able to type in dimensions. It is a dam good program and once you get used to it, it is really quick to use. I would say your best friend when using it is the parallel projection view + the different view modes for lining things up.

Looks awesome from the sketchup models, can't wait to see it take shape. Keep at it!

Suggestions:
1. use aftermarket clear top for the DDC pump so you can use aftermarket fittings If you use this one you can use the top port for a fill line and still use the front two ports for inlet and outlet which means no Tline needed. This setup fills and bleeds out air great.

http://www.dangerden.com/store/ddc-acrylic_pump-top.html
2. Use Bitspower rotary 90 degree fittings to eliminate the tight tubing bends
Link: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=25644
Picture:
3. Use compression fittings throughout. They are very secure and better than barb type fittings.

I am using two of the same mobos in my Trek project. let me know if you want some layout pictures. Good luck on your project and congrats on getting sponsors

Thankyou very much. It is going to be a juggling act between this and school, but i think i can do it!

@Darthbeavis, i am no longer using a seperate pump, i am using the apogee drive. If you see my latest sketchup drawings, you will see i am using 90 and 45 degrees fittings. If i can afford compression fittings i am definately going for them.

Thankyou for the comments, i will consider the separate pump option. Space is the problem at this point though

oliverw92 said:

Thankyou very much. It is going to be a juggling act between this and school, but i think i can do it!

@Darthbeavis, i am no longer using a seperate pump, i am using the apogee drive. If you see my latest sketchup drawings, you will see i am using 90 and 45 degrees fittings. If i can afford compression fittings i am definately going for them.

Thankyou for the comments, i will consider the separate pump option. Space is the problem at this point though

Click to expand...

want another sponsor?

wow looks great so far

I'm looking forward to watching this project unfold.

this looks like it might be pretty [H]ardcore when it's finished

Thanks very much! I am just waiting for the feet to get here and then i need to buy the PSU and slimline drive.

Looks good, I knew I saw this somewhere

Haha thanks pc1x1

oliverw92 said:

Thankyou very much. It is going to be a juggling act between this and school, but i think i can do it!

@Darthbeavis, i am no longer using a seperate pump, i am using the apogee drive. If you see my latest sketchup drawings, you will see i am using 90 and 45 degrees fittings. If i can afford compression fittings i am definately going for them.

Thankyou for the comments, i will consider the separate pump option. Space is the problem at this point though

Click to expand...

Looks good. I'm glad you decided to keep the radiator internal. I hate seeing SFF water cooled rigs with external radiators...............kind of defeats the purpose of SFF.

If you do decide on the seperate pump with acrylic top, I mounted mine sideways and used the additional port as a fill port and it made bleeding the loop of air quick and painless. I do like the integrated pump and if I ever water cool again, I'll probably use it.

oliverw92 said:

Thanks very much! I am just waiting for the feet to get here and then i need to buy the PSU and slimline drive.

Click to expand...

which slimline drive model Oliver?

Thanks Massiveoverkill, i actually tried a sketchup trying to fit in a pump like that, but there just wasn't room. The tubing would be even more impossible.

Bill, i am not sure exactly yet, i am bidding on one on ebay its on £20 atm and my max bid is £25 cos i can get a new samsung off scan.co.uk for that price. The good thing abotu this ebay one though is that its all black which i quite like.

Update #8


Stuff!



Sponsorship from MNPCTech arrives! Thanks Bill!



Anodized black aluminium feet









Anodized black aluminium fan grill This thing is awesome!









And yays bill sent me a free t-shirt





e-sata backplate. 99p off ebay! What a deal!





250W 1u power supply



Soon to be sleeved





This psu is actually tiny...



I bought myself a present Razer Deathadder









Oh what's this... another present Razer Lycosa Mirror Edition









Touch sensitive buttons. Can turn the keyboard lights on/off/just WASD, control media player and volume



Keyboard approved





Back to the project! Decided to do some work at school today, these are some mock-ups i did on the laser cutter in black polystyrene sheet.







Cube. These are 1cm cubes made on the laser cutter.









They are very very small



Setup with the new keyboard and mouse





Still approves



Omg where the sun go!













Back to the mod! I adjusted the sketchup model a little to make the gfx card fit well



Fan controller V2





CAD design for the left hand acrylic side. The text will be engraved, not cut. The rest of the black lines are cut, the green is reference for the aluminium frame



This is the right hand panel. Will be the only plain one



Here we have the top of the box. Fillport hole top right, radiator mounts in the middle.



That is it for now! Time for some hardcore CAD design on the back, front and bottom.

great sketchup work.... i wish i was that good!

holy crapballs, thats awesome dude.... I think this is defenitly going to be a major-crazy-good project. And that dog is creepy...... so the signs of approval is good!

Thanks so much guys! It really means alot.

Adidas it really just takes a little bit of practice and discipline when using sketchup. I am by no means a real expert, i can't do curvy things and rounded things that well.

Yeh Freaky the dog is a little odd Its so sensitive to movement, it's head keeps bouncing on my desk

Lookin good Oliver, nice photo update!

I would like to introduce my newest sponsor, AC Ryan! They will be sponsoring me with some materials like Aluminium sheet and CCFL's and such things. Thanks Guys!

oliverw92 said:

I would like to introduce my newest sponsor, AC Ryan! They will be sponsoring me with some materials like Aluminium sheet and CCFL's and such things. Thanks Guys!

Click to expand...

Nice Oliver! You deserve it!, Now share hahaha .

hahah thanks pc1x1

I spent all of today making a mouse mat for me deathadder:



more pics here: http://www.overclock.net/other-hardware-mods/573617-project-custom-led-mousemat.html

You've got crazy skills. Nicely done.

shurcooL said:

You've got crazy skills. Nicely done.

Click to expand...

Agreed, look forward to more updates Oliver

Thanks for the comments guys!

Update #9

I am very pleased to announce my latest sponsor, AquaTuning!



They are going to be my watercooling sponsors. Watercooled-pcs have lost contact. I am not sure what has happened. THanks so much to Pascal for bearing with me!



My AC Ryan sponsorship has arrived! Yay for awesome brushed aluminium!







Slimline CD Drive







USB backplate



More CAD work is done.

Black line = cut
Green = reference
Red = engrave

This is the bottom plate for the slimline drive. The screws are so dam small for the drive i have decided to glue an acrylic plate to the bottom of it and then screw into the plate.



The aluminium base plate. The circular things are the feet, top left block is the psu, top right small block is the fan and fan mount, middle bottom box is the cd drive and bottom right is the HDD bay. You can see the amazing clearance of 1mm between the hdd bay and the PSU!



Fan mount



HDD Bay. There are 2 of each of the bottom pieces



This is the motherboard tray. I promise all the crazy holes will make sense in the end!



Finally, the masterpiece is unveiled! The completely redesigned fan controller and ccfl/led power board. This is the control hub of all the lighting. The board measures 8cm x 4cm.


So not a very big update. I have ordered the acrylic, should be here tomorrow. Then i can cut up some acrylic!


Oh wait i nearly forgot something...




Custom made waterblock for the 9300 chipset FTW! Thanks so much to duniek, can't wait to get some money so i can pay him and get it shipped to me!

Ok that really is everything now!

Congratulations on the new sponsors. This is going to be awesome!

Thankyou very much! Yeh pascal at aquatuning is a great guy!

oliverw92 said:

Click to expand...

That is an awesome pictures. Not sure why I like it so much but it would make for a good desktop.
Very nice build.