Bärsärkar-gång: SFF Low Power Water Cooled

jackknife said:

Remember than when you put the connector on the back you should change the pins in the opposite connector from the PSU accordingly.
And double-remember not to use that PSU to "just test" something else, if you don't like fireworks

Click to expand...

I used bits of shrink tubing in the beginning to make sure,



as you do more and more it gets easier, but you definitely want to double and triple check before plugging anything in.

Here is a excellent place to get the minifit pns
http://www.digikey.com/
Cheap in 100 packs and very fast service/reasonable shipping

Ahh, Mark why do you taunt me so? Your going to make me trash another MB aren't you?

Seriously, thanks for inspiration and tips.

@shadowsong: Working it...

In 2007, the Harrogate Hoard was discovered in North Yorkshire England. Dated to the 10th century Vikings, the find included over 617 silver coins inscribed with Islamic, Christian, and pre-Christian Norse pagan symbols. Silver played a day to day role in Viking life where it was used as currency, jewelry, and utensils. Many of these items were inscribed with symbols of religious or magical note. Interestingly, they also used silver as a bactericide. What did they think when they lined the hulls of their ships with strings of silver? They knew it stopped algae and barnacles growing but did they consider it magic? If so, did they consider berserking magic or was there a more practical explanation?

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Time add a little silver magic to this mod. A couple of G1/4" plugs…



A little dremel and drill work.

Berserker rune magic...

22 gauge fine silver sheet

Where this is heading…

8 copies (gonna need more than this unfortunately)

Printed on Press and Peel blue

Cut to size

Steel wooled and cleaned with acetone. Note the dimples on the silver. Those are bad for getting PNP to stick.

Hangar 9 model plane heat sealing iron

Turned to high and used to iron the PNP

And so began, a frustrating series of failed attempts, 15 to be exact

After awhile, I started to figure it out

Nice thing about the PNP, is that you can see where the toner doesn't stick.

See what I mean?

Not too bad. This can be touched up with a Sharpie.

Touched up and ready to etch. In the end, the secret was using a piece of bunched up flannel to first rub all the air bubbles out. Then, I put the iron on one edge of the silver, holding it flat, while I rubbed hard with the flannel on the edge of the silver right next to the iron. Then I moved the iron over a half an inch and repeated. I ironed across the sheet this way and then repeated on any bubbles that I could see. This link was an immense help.

Back covered with tape

Gorilla tape, resists acid very well

Ebay bench power supply, costs more to ship this thing. 40 volts at 5 amps, way more power than I need but I can dial-in both with precision. Had it hooked up wrong at first, quickly solved.

Ospho rust neutralizer, 15% phosphoric acid (info from here)

Backyard etching setup. My etcher is a kit from http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/4231

Etch underway. The cathode is a piece of stainless steel sheet. The anode is a brass tray that holds the silver between its rail. A brilliant piece of engineering that works very well to etch the brass tray but not much else.

Looks good but its not etching. With daylight fading, I pulled out the brass tray and went with wires gorilla taped to the back side of the silver

It worked! This was from 1 volt at 1.5 amps for 45 minutes with the plates about an inch apart.

Could have done less time and about half the amperage. You can see the resist was starting to let go and pitting was beginning.

I cut the sheet using a jewelers saw and hammered them around a 9mm drill bit. A little solder and a lot of polishing later. Magic

Runes show up very well.

Ready for installation

And this is where they go.

They'll screw into the reservoir to provide the necessary bactericide for the cooling loop.


Thanks for looking. A big thanks to my sponsors, Bitspower and HW Labs. :up:





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Next time: Berserker in a bottle...

very nice. i have done something similar with circuit boards. its a shame they wont been seen. they look like jewelery.

Such a lot of work for a few details. Great dedication

Wow, all that work only to be hidden in the res. Awesome attention to detail!

Thanks for the compliments! Regarding the details, yes sometimes OCD is useful.
Not seeing the silver work is intentional. As with any good mystery, its what's hidden that makes the story interesting.

holy crap man, very nice work, deffinately subscribed

Excellent work.
This will be an interesting finished product, cant wait to see it.

Thanks guys!

I'm busy working on another update but I need some help from folks in Canada or Europe (maybe even the US). I need brass metric socket head button M4 screws like in the picture below. 25 & 40mm length would be ideal. Mcmaster's doesn't have them and I'm striking out at local shops.

I've found M4 hex bolts locally and had some partial success with soldering button screws to threaded rod but neither is ideal. Anyone know where to buy the button head ones?

I could get them from the hardware store here most likely, but shipping might be an issue

nice work, really love the attention to detail... did you finally give up on that mobo? if you did lmk I would love to see if maybe I can revive it

@Elledan: If you're willing to look, I'll pay for them and the shipping.
@FLECOM: Well, I didn't give up at my last posting but continued to "hack" on it. It may not be beyond reprieve but certainly is for my skill set. If you want to try, you are welcome to it. PM me your address.

Here's the new MB.

Mach said:

@Elledan: If you're willing to look, I'll pay for them and the shipping.

Click to expand...

There are a few major hardware stores around here I could check, at the very least it's all metric here I live in the Netherlands, BTW. Might take a week or so to ship the stuff

Brass M4x25 & M4x40 bolts, right? If you're fine with paying for shipping from Europe just give me a detailed list of what you need and I'll take a look as soon as I can.

Thanks Elledan, I appreciate the effort but before you waste your time. I need the button head socket, screws in brass, not the bolts. If you can find the M4x40, I'll need 30. To keep it simple, I can cut them down to 25.

Mach said:

Thanks Elledan, I appreciate the effort but before you waste your time. I need the button head socket, screws in brass, not the bolts. If you can find the M4x40, I'll need 30. To keep it simple, I can cut them down to 25.

Click to expand...

Hmm... could you clarify what you need with pictures? As everything here is labeled in Dutch I want to make sure I get the right things

Sure no problem. This is from Mcmaster-Carr's website. Unfortunately they don't have metric in these. The dimensions here would be M4x40.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw#Differentiation_between_bolt_and_screw

In the drawing I see a bolt going by that definition A screw would have the pointy end allowing it to create its own thread in the material and not allow for the use of a nut to fasten it.

So, you need:
- 30 M4x40 bolts, brass, hex, button head.

I think they sell them mostly in sets of 5 or 10, though I know places where you can get them in batches of a 100 or more, which generally is a lot cheaper too.

Bolt, screw...If you can get 'em, I call them whatever you want Yes 30 M4x40 bolts, brass, hex, button head.

I can do 100 if its significantly cheaper but really on need 30 or so.

Mach said:

Bolt, screw...If you can get 'em, I call them whatever you want Yes 30 M4x40 bolts, brass, hex, button head.

I can do 100 if its significantly cheaper but really on need 30 or so.

Click to expand...

Alright, I'll see when I can look up availability and prices at the local stores and report back soon

Elledan said:

Alright, I'll see when I can look up availability and prices at the local stores and report back soon

Click to expand...

Okay, some bad news...

I searched for the bolt at a few major hardware stores around here, but the closest I got was a brass, button one with a slotted top, for use with a flat screwdriver. No sign of a hex one

I guess I could try searching online and perhaps at more stores in this city, but the latter will take a bit of time and I'm not sure how much I can spare. Let me know your thoughts

Thanks for looking Elledan! The general consensus among the experts is that they aren't made because of the softness of the brass. Longer length hex socket would just strip out too easily.

So, I appreciate you trying but don't spend anymore time on it. I've got an email into a company in India but barring a miracle, I'm plan to roll my own.

Mach said:

Next time: Berserker in a bottle...

Click to expand...

Very very nice etching work.
I am a metalsmith, and your tips combined with that link will make my future PnP etchent endeavors easier, thanks!

Elledan said:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw#Differentiation_between_bolt_and_screw

In the drawing I see a bolt going by that definition A screw would have the pointy end allowing it to create its own thread in the material and not allow for the use of a nut to fasten it.

Click to expand...

nah, theyre screws. just machine screws. wood screws have a much deeper thread on them than machine screws.

sorry you cant find the right screws. brass is mostly copper, which is a very soft metal. if you tried to use a hex driver on that with any real force, youd wind up with a circle instead of a hexagon. did you try looking for yellow zinc plated screws or maybe gold anodized aluminum screws? not quite brass, but maybe close enough to look good...

@ivandurago: Thank you, glad to help. The trick really was using the flannel to work all the bubbles out while keeping the heat on. I believe the artist at the link references using leather instead. I'd love to see your etching progress. Please post a link back here.

@ekuest: I've considered it especially since Mcmaster does sell the right screws in steel. I've got a date with some brass plating later in this mod so as a last resort I can go that route. Thanks for the help!

Mach said:

Thanks for looking Elledan! The general consensus among the experts is that they aren't made because of the softness of the brass. Longer length hex socket would just strip out too easily.

So, I appreciate you trying but don't spend anymore time on it. I've got an email into a company in India but barring a miracle, I'm plan to roll my own.

Click to expand...

Alright, good luck

Oh wow.. been more or less away from the scene for ages, and I get back to see this very, very promising project. This looks great, and as always nice to see fellow Swedes modding.

A little OCD hasn't killed anyone, though it's very good at preventing at least me from posting my stuff
grymt snyggt!

Thank Axly! While I claim Swedish heritage, I'm not actually a Swede, although I'm pleased that you would think I am. There something about the long days that makes for fantastic mods and modders from that geography.

Sorry, I've gone quiet for awhile. I've been trading worklog time for modding time. I've got a fair bit to update so I'll split this into 2 posts. Back to the story and update

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Some experts dismiss berserking as nothing more than a drunken rage. While alcohol has caused a variety of troubles for centuries, only one spirit has become synonymous with a murderous rage.

Oscar Wilde said, “After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”

Click to expand...

The alcohol he described was Absinthe, the Green Fairy:

At the turn of the last century, it reportedly drove men and woman to an uncontrollable fury:

If he continues to take the deadly liquor, his body becomes a mere automaton and he obeys without hesitation the auto-suggestions of his mind, often killing, maiming, and destroying with savage glee, those nearest and dearest to him. - NY Times, September 21st 1905

Click to expand...

While the Vikings were no strangers to drink, nothing indicates that the Vikings knew of Thujone (the active chemical in Absinthe) or of an alcohol that would have caused their bersekerking battle rage. Perhaps then a less common substance?

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The green fairy for this mod comes in the form of Mayhem's UV Green.

This is a custom dye from Mayhem@Bit-tech. A couple of drops and instant glow.

Although conventional wisdom says distilled water and silver should be the only thing in a loop, you got to admit this looks pretty good. More importantly, I need the UV to set off the pump window in the case but why tell you, when I can show you?

Because of the size of the case several things will be mounted or visible externally. I'm slowly working my way around the case fitting the externals like the reservoir, pump, flow indicator, proximity sensor, and hd activity gauge.

The wiring for the temperature sensor will pass through the case via the copper tube. To hide the hole going into the case, I need a mounting flange.

Using a brass grommet and a piece of hex stock…

with a little solder…

results in a mounting flange

I also test mounted the reservoir on the side of the case. Still not sure if the steel handle gets refinished. I really like the flaking paint but I haven't made the final decision on the color palette.

From the inside

Took a piece of brass, drilled and tapped it for 6/32" screws.

Working on the pump and flow meter mounting. They'll be mounted to the right side of the motherboard. It's tight but should work.

Looking inside of the case, with the mounting holes cut out. The failed cut that you see was from trying to fit the pump top...upside down. Luckily, it dawned on me before I cut completely through and it won't be visible once the case is back together.

DCC 3.1 and Ek pump top. If Eddy sees this, sorry but it needs some changes for this mod.

First the pump, the ears need to go.

Cut off and sanded down.

Pump apart

Painted with Sophisticated Finishes Blackened Bronze paint

Reassembled.

Sanded off the logos and tapped three mounting holes in the front of the pump

Still need to make some brass hex screws for the back. All the ones I have too short.



Test fitting the pump with a styrene. The styrene will be replaced with brass. The pump is mounted with 3 screws through the front of the pump top.

The flow indicator. It’s a Gems 142541 Paddle Wheel Flow Indicator 1/4" NPT. A little tap action and it's a G1/4 flow indicator.

Sanded about an 1/8" off the back side to make more room in the case. Love the brass.

Test fit. Still needs some clean up but that will wait for the final rings.

The rest of the screws don't actually hold anything.

Broken brass volt meter that I got from ebay.

Disasembly has got to be the best part of modding

I was hoping I could fix it. The needle and the internals are awesome. Unfortunately, no go.

First I need to work on the mounting. Parts: Tube, knurled lamp nut, finish washer, and a spindle gear from an antique radio.

Solder paste and a mini torch.

Test fit

Soldered and polished

The solder paste is handy but not the neatest stuff.

The soldered side will be inside the case and the gear side will stick into the meter.

The water loop exits from the case front on the right and the inlet is through the pump on the side. The brass nut on the left side is a PIR sensor to detect motion and the wiring behind is an Arduino and a VMusic2. The temperature and the PIR sensor are interfaced with the Arduino. The UV and ThinkM leds also interface with the Arduino...but that...is another update.



A big brassy thanks to my sponsors:

Bitspower

HardwareLabs


Next time: Pick your poison...

oo, arduino microcontroller board, <3. gotta ask what specifically its going to be doing!! (and if you dont mind how its going to be done). Love the work btw. looks fantastic!

Thanks K-Mac! It'll do a few things: Interface and translate temperature from the 1 wire sensor. Drive the analog gauge for temp/HD activity. Interface the proximity sensor and play music and light based on a motion trigger.

As to how? The proximity sensor is done with the PIR mounted on the front. The music is via Vmusic2 module. I've got that part to work so far. The gauge and the one wire sensor I still have to code up. Tutorials that I've found suggest using LCD smartie to grab other system stats. I'll let you know how that works out.

I think this has to be the most brass I have seen collected in one place for a while

Nice work!

Mach said:

Thank Axly! While I claim Swedish heritage, I'm not actually a Swede, although I'm pleased that you would think I am. There something about the long days that makes for fantastic mods and modders from that geography.

Click to expand...

Looking out at the dark grey typical west-coast November gale and rain that we've had for a few days.. Long days, weell..
There are quite a few good modders from Sweden, agreed, but Swede or no Swede, your project looks bloody fabulous!

Longshot.. If you can find larger brass bolts you COULD use a lathe and re-tread them... but that'd be a lot of work... maybe too long of a shot

Thanks! Yes, yes, excessively brassy too be sure

Thanks Axly, I'm going create a thread sleeve out 4mm tubing. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wow man looks hella clean!

Thanks lillimon04! Well, not a full update but a little something to pass the time while I recover from turkey overdose. Remember the painted pump? I was looking for hex screws to replace the silver ones&#8230;

These are 8/32" but they're too short and the threads are wrong.

Poor man's lathe: Cordless drill and rotary tool

Most of the threads removed

Clean up with a small hand file

3.3 mm shaft to work with

Close-up

M4 threaded rod stud

3.3 mm shaft on the end of this also

Add a section of 4mm brass tubing

Pressed the tubing onto the screw with a c clamp

Clamped up, ready for solder

Add in liquid flux

A little&#8230;.

&#8230;goes a long way

Heat until glowing

Add solder

Drop in stud

Hold down until cool

Needs a little clean-up

Final product

Repeat 7 more times. The long screws are for the radiator mounts and short ones are for the pump

Much better&#8230;Thanks for looking. Bigger update next time around!


And today, I'm thankful for my sponsors
Bitspower


HardwareLabs

I gotta say, the effort you put into the tiny details which most would rarely even notice is amazing. You obviously take a lot of pride in this thing.....awesome stuff.

That screw trick made me smile, haha

Thank you CopyCat! Glad you liked it. Its making smile also as it comes together.

This work log reminds me of the ones that I used to see before I signed up, and were the reason that I ended up browsing here so much! great job.